Crystal Palace visit Leicester City this weekend and will be hoping they can make it a fourth consecutive win over the Foxes, although they will have to do it without Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Martin Kelly, who have been ruled out through injury.
The former has been the Eagles’ outstanding performer on the right hand side of defence and has garnered interest from a number of top clubs, including Premier League champions Manchester City.
Meanwhile, the latter has stepped in capably when required and has earned himself a new deal which will keep him at Selhurst Park until 2021.
Watch how to cross the road like a boss with freestyler Ben Nuttall in the video below…
Wan-Bissaka’s absence, in particular, will please Claude Puel and Leicester – the right-back has become one of the best in the league in his position and even outshone talisman Wilfried Zaha this season.
The Eagles have proved they can best the Foxes without their key men, though – the Ivory Coast international was suspended for the last meeting and the SE25 outfit still came out on top, keeping a third consecutive clean sheet against the 2015/16 champions.
Here’s how the Palace fans reacted on Twitter, with many surprised that 21-year-old Wan-Bissaka could even get injured – indeed, he has looked “immortal” since his breakthrough to the starting XI…
عاد الفريق الأول لكرة القدم بنادي ريال مدريد للتدريبات الجماعية صباح اليوم، الأحد، بعد ساعات قليلة فقط من الفوز على ريال بيتيس في الجولة الثالثة من بطولة الدوري الإسباني.
ونجح ريال مدريد في الفوز بصعوبة على أصحاب الأرض ريال بيتيس في ملعب “بينتو فياماريان” بنتيجة 2-3، ليحصد النقطة الرابعة له من جولتين فقط وتتبقى له مباراة مؤجلة أمام خيتافي.
اقرأ أيضًا | ميندي: كنت خائفًا من التوقيع لـ ريال مدريد.. وحب زيدان لي أمر ممتع
وشهدت تدريبات ريال مدريد بقيادة، زين الدين زيدان، عودة الظهير الأيسر، مارسيلو، بعد استبعاده من قائمة مباراة ريال بيتيس بسبب آلام في الظهر لكنه عاد وتدرب بشكل طبيعي اليوم، الأحد.
وأفادت صحيفة “آس” الإسبانية أن مارسيلو من الممكن أن يشارك في مباراة بلد الوليد في الجولة الرابعة على ملعب “ألفريدو دي ستيفانو” يوم، الأربعاء القادم، في تمام الساعة التاسعة والنصف مساءً بتوقيت “القاهرة”.
عودة مارسيلو ستمنح زيدان خيارًا جديدًا في الجبهة اليسرى الدفاعية خاصة مع مشاركة ميندي في المباراتين الماضيتين خوفًا عليه من الإجهاد في الفترة المقبلة، وقد يدرس الدفع بالبرازيلي في المواجهة القادمة لهذا السبب.
ScorecardCameron Gannon’s six wickets helped Queensland wrap up an innings and 123-run hiding of Tasmania in the Sheffield Shield match in Hobart.The Tigers were rushed out for 142 after the Bulls’ first innings concluded at 360, Aiden Blizzard’s 49 providing the only semblance of resistance as Gannon plucked the first five wicket haul of his first-class career.Queensland were indebted to their No. 3 batsman Usman Khawaja for a first innings 138 that towered over every other innings, and he was a clear choice for the match award.Tasmania, meanwhile, have a few questions to ponder, having suffered their second consecutive outright loss at home on a Bellerive Oval surface that has been treacherous for batting this season after being relaid.
West Ham United’s Robert Snodgrass offered a reminder of his refusal to fade into the background, putting in a Man of the Match performance against Brighton & Hove Albion.
On the chalkboard
The Scotsman has shown real resilience since moving to West Ham, and is still in the team despite having various points where it looked as though he wouldn’t be.
After an underwhelming first half-season, he was loaned out to Aston Villa for a season, which made his position at the club fairly clear.
However, he came back to establish himself at London Stadium the following campaign – Manuel Pellegrini’s first with West Ham – playing 38 games across all competitions, scoring four goals and providing nine assists. This indicated that he had forced his way back into the setup.
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Even this season, having gone seven games without a start, the 32-year-old came back into the team against Sheffield United and scored in consecutive matches.
With Jarrod Bowen signing on deadline day, it seemed as though the Scotsman’s place would be under threat again, but he put in a performance that has made him almost impossible to drop.
Undroppable
There isn’t much doubt that Bowen will be included in the team after being signed for over £20m, but it now seems highly unlikely that Snodgrass will be the man to make way.
The most obvious sign of his impressive performance against Brighton is the fact that he scored two goals and registered an assist – which came via two deflected efforts and one of his trademark free-kick deliveries.
He also produced two key passes, which is pretty impressive considering the whole team’s combined total was nine.
In addition to that, there was precision in Snodgrass’ tackling, as he was successful in both of his attempts to win the ball back.
Who is that?! Nobody has been able to name the teams all of these obscure managers were once in charge of…
All of this led to the Scotsman being named Man of the Match by WhoScored, with an overall rating of 9.2.
This is another example of how Snodgrass refuses to fade into the background, as it’s pretty hard to see how David Moyes could then go and drop him after a performance like that, even with Bowen coming in.
Meanwhile, one man was slated by Roshane Thomas for their performance against Brighton.
Arsenal’s defensive problems were once again on display against West Ham United at the weekend and the Gunners should look to sign Getafe centre-back Djene Dakonam in this summer’s transfer window.
What’s the word, then?
Arsenal’s poor away form in the Premier League continued on Saturday afternoon when they suffered a 1-0 defeat at West Ham.
The Gunners have not actually kept a single clean sheet on the road in the Premier League this season and that might cost them the chance to finish in the top four.
Sokratis, Shkodran Mustafi and Laurent Koscielny started as the back three at West Ham, but all three were fairly disappointing.
There is no question that Unai Emery needs to bring a new centre-back to the club, but the Gunners boss said last week that he would be unable to sign any players on permanent deals this month.
The situation will change this summer, however, and the London club should make a move for Getafe’s brilliant defender Dakonam.
Why should Arsenal move for Dakonam?
Dakonam has been outstanding for Getafe since joining the Spanish outfit from Belgian club Sint-Truden in the summer of 2017.
The Togo international proved his worth in Spain’s top flight last season, but has taken his performances to a new level this term.
He was outstanding against Barcelona earlier this month and has helped Getafe boast one of the strongest defensive records in La Liga during the 2018-19 campaign.
Quick, powerful and an excellent reader of the game, Dakonam would be an outstanding signing for Arsenal.
Pl>ymaker FC’s Matchday with Max caught up with Jamaica’s women’s team. See what happened when he met the history makers in the video below…
Getafe president Angel Torres told Cadena Cope last year that Dakonam’s contract included a buyout of £31m.
And Emery should make it a priority to improve his defence with the signing of the 27-year-old ahead of the 2019-2020 campaign.
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West Ham and Tottenham meet in the Premier League for the 45th time this Saturday, providing the latest instalment of a London derby between two bitter rivals.
This encounter is never short of drama, controversy or goals with the last five in the top flight producing an impressive 14 strikes, and for both sets of fans its one of the first games to look out for when the fixture list is released at the start of the campaign.
So, will Tottenham meet expectations in beating a side they’re a level above in terms of quality, or will the form book follow the cliche and go out of the window for a London grudge match? This week’s experts, Football FanCast’s Editor-in-Chief James Jones and Sean Cook of @TalkingTHFC, share their thoughts and predictions ahead of Saturday’s 3pm kickoff…
Soccer Football – Champions League – Group Stage – Group B – Inter Milan v Tottenham Hotspur – San Siro, Milan, Italy – September 18, 2018 Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino gestures during the match REUTERS/Stefano Rellandini
It’s been a strange start to the season for both clubs. This is actually Tottenham’s joint-best ever start to a Premier League campaign and yet there seems to be a gloomy cloud hanging over the north London outfit, partly because performances have been far from spectacular and partly because inactivity during the summer coupled with the delayed return to White Hart Lane has created the perception of a club standing still.
West Ham, meanwhile, looked doomed to another relegation campaign until unexpectedly shutting out Chelsea and then beating Manchester United at the London Stadium. It now feels as if Manuel Pellegrini is taking the team in the right direction.
Do you feel there’s a perception of Tottenham that isn’t quite true?
Sean: “For quite some time now, it’s been clear that Spurs are by no means anyone’s second-favourite club. As baffling as that is, there is a negative outlook towards a team bursting with young English talent and punching way above their weight without investment from a foreign owner. On paper, the perception of our club should be far greater than it is. It’s something Spurs fans have come to live with and if anything, we now relish the fact that we’re doing just fine regardless of their opinions.”
And how have West Ham managed to turn their slow start around?
James: “It took Manuel Pellegrini some time to find his best XI, while it equally took the players time to really come to terms with his philosophy and style of play. Don’t forget that this is a team, minus the summer signings, that had been used to playing a much more negative style of play for around two seasons, so it was always going to take time. Finding a balanced midfield was crucial and Declan Rice’s role in that has been fundamental to the improvement we’ve seen on the pitch. It’s clear things are beginning to click, although we’re not 100% there quite yet.”
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So what weaknesses still persist in this Hammers team?
James: “There are still some question marks over the full-backs. Arthur Masuaku is good going forward but simply cannot defend for love nor money, while Pablo Zabaleta on the right side of defence is the opposite. We could see Ryan Fredericks and Aaron Cresswell begin to be eased in to the starting XI over the coming weeks to address that, although it’s not as if those two are the perfect full-backs and each have their weaknesses. Other than that, the XI is settled and shouldn’t change too much in the near future. Injuries to our midfielders or front three will almost certainly disrupt that due to a lack of cover, but as things stand it’s as settled as they come.”
And how should Spurs look to capitalise on those weaknesses?
Sean: “We saw in their defeat to Wolves that it is possible to catch them on the counter, which given Spurs are away from home, will almost certainly be our strategy for the game. With the likes of Harry Kane in attack, when those opportunities arise we’ll capitalise.”
The outside world may be exaggerating some of the issues at Tottenham right now, but there’s little debating Pochettino is having to guide his side through something of an injury crisis. Whereas Christian Eriksen and Mousa Dembele should be available for the weekend, Jan Vertonghen, Dele Alli and Danny Rose certainly won’t be, while the debate rumbles on over Harry Kane’s mental and physical sharpness following the World Cup.
Do injuries make this a good time to face Tottenham?
James: “Without a doubt. We came up against Man United a few weeks ago when it was described as the best time to play them and we took advantage of that by winning 3-1. That said, we also need to be very wary of Tottenham because they’re still a very good side who aren’t going through a crisis like Man United were at the time. They have strength in depth and the quality to beat us, although injuries to a number of key players do give us a small advantage here.”
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And which player do you think Tottenham will most most on Saturday?
Sean: “Jan Vertonghen is a huge loss at the back for obvious reasons. He’s one of the best in his position on the planet, and despite having adequate cover in the form of Toby Alderweireld and Davinson Sanchez, Tottenham are always a lot stronger with him in the side. Not having Dele Alli for a London derby likewise is a tough one to take. The man loves to get involved in the argy-bargy side of the game, something we’ll no doubt see in abundance at the London Stadium.”
West Ham have always been a bit of a bogey team for Spurs. In fact, with 14 victories to date there’s no side the Irons have beaten more frequently in the Premier League, and it’s Saturday’s hosts who boast the stronger recent record too with three wins from the London outfits’ last six meetings across all competitions – including a Carabao Cup comeback at Wembley last term.
What went wrong in those games that needs to be improved upon this weekend?
Sean: “Three of those last six included two Spurs wins, and a draw, so it’s not quite as doom and gloom as it first appears on paper. We always know that West Ham will raise their game when they play us, given it’s the most important fixture in their calendar, but it’s true that Mauricio Pochettino’s side weren’t at their best in recent years against the Hammers.
“The Spurs players need to make sure they keep heads. It’s easy to get drawn into silly battles when we know Manuel Pellegrini’s side have the players to rile up our boys. As long as they stick to their game plan, and keep a cool head in the process, we should see a strong Tottenham performance.”
Where will this game be lost and won?
James: “I think a lot will rely on how West Ham start this game. They came out of the blocks from the first whistle against Man United and blew them away, racing to a 2-0 lead. If we can do the same here then we’ll have a chance of nicking a goal or two and putting Spurs on the back foot. But if we start slowly and give Spurs time and space on the ball to build attacks from, we’ll be in a lot of trouble.”
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And finally chaps, let’s hear your score predictions…
James: “I’m sticking with my 1-0 prediction from the podcast. Marko Arnautovic winner in the 5th minute. That’s what dreams are made of.”
Celtic have been extremely quiet in the transfer window thus far.
Brendan Rodgers has made just two signings after Celtic completed the domestic treble last season. After impressing on loan, former PSG forward Odsonne Eduoard became Celtic’s record signing by making his stay in Scotland permanent. The former Liverpool boss also brought Scott Bain to the club on a free transfer.
On the other hand, Steven Gerrard has made ten new signings at Rangers and is on the lookout for more. If Celtic want to retain their title, they must strengthen their squad. Unlike English clubs, the reigning champions will have until August 31st to finalise new deals meaning there is no rush to conclude their business.
One man Celtic need to sign this summer is Manchester City defender – Jason Denayer. Valued at £2.7m by Transfermarkt, the Belgian is no stranger to the SPFL having spent a season on loan at Celtic Park back in 2015. Denayer was a key player for the Hoops, making 29 appearances as they lifted both the Scottish Premiership and Scottish League Cup. The defender was also handed the PFA Scotland Young Player of the Year award.
The 23-year-old spent last season on loan at Galatasaray and collected a Turkish League winners medal. He will be offloaded by Manchester City this summer. Celtic should be at the front of the queue for his signature as Rodgers is desperate to improve his defence. The Bhoys have a great relationship with City with Patrick Roberts, Olivier Ntcham and Dedryck Boyata all making a move up north in the past which could give Rodgers the advantage in the race for his services.
A confident, ball-playing centre-back – Denayer is the perfect fit for Celtic.
Celtic fans, would you like to see Jason Denayer back at the club? Let us know!
Arsenal’s start to the new Premier League season has been far from convincing. Two post-80th-minute goals in the most dramatic fashion possible were required to prevent a shock defeat to Leicester City on the opening weekend, while a trip to Stoke last Saturday proved as tough as three of their last five, ending in a 1-0 victory for Mark Hughes side.
Just two games into the new season and the same old flaws that have plagued Arsenal for the last decade have already re-emerged; a disturbing timidness when out of possession, a lack of organisation when facing counter-attacks and accordingly, a tendency to be out-muscled and out-performed by physical sides who boast lesser quality but speed and power on the break – a category of team Leicester and Stoke, when they’re bringing out the old Tony Pulis playbook for Arsenal’s annual visit of the Bet365 Stadium, fall neatly into.
No player typifies those intrinsic weaknesses with greater poignancy, accuracy and naturalness than Mesut Ozil, Arsenal’s mercurial playmaker who, now starting the fifth full season of his Gunners career, is yet to truly justify his status as once the most expensive signing in the club’s history.
The fact he’s now been overtaken by Alexandre Lacazette says as much about how Ozil hasn’t taken the club back towards the realms of regular title contention in the manner expected as it does the relentless inflation of the modern transfer market.
Of course, there remains no question over Ozil’s ability; once Jose Mourinho’s lynchpin at Real Madrid, a World Cup winner with Germany and a four-time member of the Ballon d’Or’s top 20. But in the relentlessly-paced Premier League, Ozil’s shortcomings inevitably stand out, particularly when Arsenal don’t play well; his lack of dynamism, his questionable work-rate, his limited physicality and his subsequent manner of drifting in and out of games.
When Arsenal aren’t dominating enough to consistently get the German international on the ball, he often becomes anonymous – some would even argue, like they’re playing with ten men.
It’s certainly true that Ozil has been culpable before, seemingly shying away just when Arsenal need him most – especially against high quality opposition when they aren’t controlling the match, the kind of situations where you’d expect a talismanic talent to come to the fore.
And yet, there is also an unnecessary, incredibly simplistic and incredibly lazy trend of making Ozil the poster-boy of every bad Arsenal performance, of turning him into the scapegoat for every poor result against workaday teams. The post-match analysis of Arsenal’s defeat to Stoke on Saturday, Steven Gerrard describing the Arsenal man as a ‘liability’, provides the perfect example.
“I just worry about his reaction and body language – when the ball is turned over he offers his team-mates zero. Away from home he’s a liability – he just doesn’t do enough. It’s clear to see that out of possession he doesn’t want to know – he only wants to be on the ball, trying to create and making things happen.
“But world class players do both – when they lose possession they put a shift in for their team-mates and it was clear that didn’t happen.”
Throughout the 90 minutes on Saturday, Ozil produced two shots at goal, three successful dribbles and four created chances – the joint-second most of any Premier League player last weekend after Henrikh Mkhitaryan – whilst completing the second-most touches and the second-most passes of any Arsenal player after Granit Xhaka.
On any given matchday against any given Premier League opponent, most attacking midfielders in the division would be content, albeit not resoundingly delighted, with that kind of return.
Ozil did what he was put on the pitch to do; create problems in the final third and try to inspire a goal. He ultimately failed in the latter challenge, but it wasn’t for the want of trying – Stoke put in an expert defensive performance, rather tellingly blocking a whopping six shots, and goalkeeper Jack Butland would’ve comfortably walked away with the Man of the Match award had it not been for Jese’s goal-grabbing debut.
Meanwhile, for all the praise Stoke received post-match and all the concerns over Arsenal defensively, the home side only produced only eleven efforts at goal and just four on target. The Gunners were chaotic and dishevelled off the ball, but Stoke’s offensive opportunities all came on the counter-attack.
The goal itself was a consequence of Xhaka’s lazy pass in midfield and a failure to track Jese’s basic run forward. Are pundits really suggesting that was down to Ozil’s limited offerings off the ball? We certainly wouldn’t judge Eden Hazard by the same standards – in fact, the Arsenal attacker completed eight more tackles than his Chelsea counter-part last season in three less Premier League outings.
Of course, the inevitable difference between Ozil and Hazard is that one has provided the magic to get his side over the line in two of the last three title races, and the other has only shown his equal creative flair in fits and spurts. But over in his homeland, they have a much different interpretation of the 84-cap playmaker; rather than criticising his weaknesses as part of an eleven-man team, they ask how the rest of the team can get the best out of him. Has Wenger ever truly shaped Arsenal around Ozil, in the same way Chelsea have continually built around Hazard?
No question, instead of becoming Arsenal’s greatest strength, Ozil has grown to symbolise his side’s most fundamental weaknesses, many of which were painfully evident as Stoke claimed another unlikely victory over the Gunners on Saturday. But was it a truly bad individual performance from the German? Was he the reason Jese ran through the Arsenal defence virtually uncontested for a simple finish? Should an attacking midfielder ever really be blamed for the freedom and space another team enjoys on the counter-attack? There are two whole thirds behind where Ozil lines up on the pitch.
Typifying weaknesses is not the same thing as causing them – which appears to be where pundits are getting confused. Ozil’s been guilty of abject displays before, but his outing at Stoke wasn’t one of them. The simple truth is that he’s become an easy target for lazy pundits who know the midfielder’s unconvincing Arsenal career will always divide opinion and generate debate.
Much more significant, systematic factors were at the root of Arsenal’s 1-0 defeat last weekend.
Arsenal are at risk of losing three first-team players in North London this summer as Kieran Gibbs, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Jack Wilshere’s contract situation has not been resolved, The Evening Standard reports.
What’s the word?
Jack Wilshere, Kieran Gibbs and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain have all found it difficult to secure regular first-team football at the Emirates Stadium but they’re still regarded to be an important member of the squad, all of whom could be amongst the first names on the team-sheet in the future.
However, The Evening Standard reports all three players are awaiting contract negotiations with the Gunners as they enter the final 18 months of their deals- and Arsenal run the risk of losing all of them.
Arsene Wenger has gone on record to say that he wants all three players to stay but new deals have not been forthcoming, which will be a concern to the fans- especially as both Alexis Sanchez and Mesut Ozil also have question marks hanging over their future.
Who will go?
Probably the most likely to leave Arsenal is Jack Wilshere, as the England international left on Deadline Day last August to join Bournemouth on a season-long loan deal. Whilst he’s impressed on the South Cast, making 19 appearances, he’s still unlikely to become a first-team regular at Arsenal immediately.
With Granit Xhaka, Francis Coquelin, Mohamed Elneny, Aaron Ramsey and Santi Cazorla already well established ahead of Wilshere in the pecking order, the talented midfielder could elect to move on elsewhere and earn first-team assurances- and the same could be the same with Oxlade-Chamberlain.
The Ox has impressed this season, including with a number of performances at centre-midfield, but faces competition from the likes of Lucas Perez, Theo Walcott, Danny Welbeck and Alex Iwobi for a wide role in the side.
Meanwhile, Kieran Gibbs probably has the best chance of becoming a starting player once again, with Nacho Monreal unimpressive at full-back, but the Gunners are reportedly seeking new signings in this area- which could push Gibbs out the door.
Mark Hughes has been part of the Premier League framework for the past 10 years, first at Blackburn Rovers, then Manchester City, Fulham, Queens Park Rangers and now Stoke.
For a manager to take teams like Blackburn and Fulham to the Europa League is an incredible achievement, as well attracting players like Carlos Tevez, Pablo Zabaleta, Nigel De Jong and Vincent Kompany to Manchester City, all of which helped turn Manchester City into title challengers.
However, recently fans have forgotten his progress at these clubs, and are instead focused on the negatives he may or may not have had.
At QPR, Hughes replaced Neil Warnock, who led the Hoops to the Premier League, and helped keep them up the following season. Through buying players like Bobby Zamora, Djibril Cisse and Needum Onuoha, QPR escaped relegation on the last day of the campaign.
You’re probably wondering why he is slated, because this doesn’t sound so bad, but it’s what he did next that was the problem.
Hughes overspent on QPR’s wage bill the following summer, bringing in players near the end of their careers like Kieron Dyer, Park Ji Sung, Robert Green, Andrew Johnson, Ryan Nelsen and Jose Bosingwa. Not enough youth was bought, and after the Hoops got thrashed 5-0 by Swansea on the opening day, results didn’t improve.
The former Man United star was eventually sacked in November and replaced by Harry Redknapp, with his reputation as a good manager tarnished.
Few had belief in Hughes when he took the Stoke job, replacing fellow Welshmen Tony Pulis. The pressure was on Hughes to bring in a fresh system and to redeem himself, which he has done.
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He quickly released old stalwarts like Rory Delap, Matthew Upson, Mamady Sidibe, Dean Whitehead, Carlo Nash and Matty Lund, and brought in the likes of Erik Pieters, who would go on to cement himself in the first team.
By bringing in Marko Arnautovic on loan from Werder Bremen, it showed Hughes’ intent on making Stoke a great team, and he did by leading them to their highest position of 9th. He then signed Mame Biram Diouf and Bojan Krkic the following season, and by doing so had completely removed the long ball tag Stoke struggled to shake off for so long.
This current season has been no different. Hughes allowed Asmir Begovic, Robert Huth and Steven N’Zonzi to leave the club in the summer, which paved the way for further improvements to be signed.
Jack Butland has benefited from playing regularly, and the purchases of Xherdan Shaqiri and Ibrahim Afellay have helped to provide pace down the wings.
But should he be linked with more top jobs? After all, he has shown at Manchester City that he can cope with the pressure, and has recently been linked with the Chelsea job.
Considering he has been in the league for years, a big team should definitely take the risk on him, and who knows, he could continue to prove people wrong.