All posts by h79snht.top

Liverpool may have been without manager Jurgen Klopp today, though Anfield did not miss much of the drama their German coach brings.

Seemingly cruising 2-0 up against second bottom Sunderland, a raft of fans walked out on the 77th minute in protest for the club’s ticket prices.

Typically with this current incarnation of the Reds side, they are never far away from a last minute capitulation.

2-0 thanks to Roberto Firmino and Adam Lallana with ten minutes ago, they somehow allowed the visiting Black Cats back into the game and ended up with just a paltry point.

With Klopp missing the game due to appendicitis, the disappointing result mixed with the fans protest has had fans on social media lamenting the current state of the Merseyside giants.

With strained relations both on and off the field of play, Twitter is in meltdown this evening.

Even club legend Jamie Carragher reportedly joined the walkout protest in what are proving difficult times for the Reds.

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Sky Sports pundit Paul Merson has predicted Tottenham will win away to Aston Villa this weekend, while he has backed Everton to turn over Chelsea in the FA Cup.

Spurs were put to the sword by Borussia Dortmund in the Europa League in midweek and as such will look to bounce back when they travel to the Midlands to face the Premier League’s bottom side.

The North London side are in the hunt to become English champions for the first time since 1961 but will know that a win over Remi Garde’s side is a pre-requisite to keep them in touch with division leaders Leicester.

Merson, despite his allegiance to former club Arsenal, has backed Spurs to win at Villa Park.

“As for this game against Villa, it’s must-win for Tottenham,” he wrote on Sky Sports.

“There is no messing about now because draws are not good enough and if it’s level in the last 15 minutes of matches, they have to go all out.

“I think they’ll beat Villa by three goals, though. There’s not one Villa player that would get in the Tottenham team at the moment.”

Merson went on to predict that Chelsea’s hopes of winning the FA Cup will end at the hands of Everton at Goodison Park.

Guus Hiddink’s men know that victory in the domestic cup competition is the only chance of silverware this season after their dramatic fall from grace.

Merson has stated that he feels Everton will be too good for the outgoing Premier League champions and book a place in the competition semi-finals.

“This all depends on whether Eden Hazard and Diego Costa are available because Chelsea could be in trouble without them. If they’re not fit, I don’t see the visitors getting a result,” the former midfielder continued.

“People will say ‘Which Everton will we get, the one that keeps throwing leads away at home or the one that slaughtered Stoke away?’

But if Costa and Hazard don’t play, Chelsea are there to be beaten and I don’t see anything but an Everton win.”

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Yaya Toure could sensationally take the drastic move of BUYING out the final year of his Manchester City contract in an effort to force a move this summer, report the Sunday Mirror.

Despite his standing as one of the best players at the Etihad, the 32-year old marauding midfield powerhouse has been linked with a move away over the last few months.

Transfers to Italy, as well as lucrative moves to the wealthy Chinese Super League, have been mooted as potential landing spots for the Ivory Coast international.

The imminent arrival of Pep Guardiola, who famously sold him to the Manchester giants while the Barcelona, as the club’s new manager has fuelled speculation in regards to his future.

However, part of the issue is believed to have stemmed from City’s reluctance to hand him a new three-year deal.

His agent, Dimitri Seluk has now blasted the club and revealed he could invoke a controversial FIFA clause, known as the Webster ruling, to pay his charges compensation on the £12m final year of his current deal.

‘I spoke to City about a new contract and they said wait until December. I spoke to them in December and they said wait until March’, he stated.

‘Now they are saying Yaya must wait until the summer.’

‘This is unacceptable. A player like Yaya Toure should not be moving towards the last year of his contact wondering if he is going to get a new deal.’

‘He is 32. He has three or four years left at the top and City must tell Yaya now what they want to do.’

‘The best idea would be to give Yaya a three-year contact that will keep him at the club for the rest of his career. The second is to say ‘thank you’ and allow him to leave for nothing.’

‘Then Yaya can spend three seasons with another big club. He still believes it is his destiny to win another Champions League.’

‘But I will not let Yaya waste a year at City. I will not let City keep him because, in one more year, his chances of joining another big club will be smaller.’

‘I will go to FIFA. I will write to them and tell them that we will buy Yaya out of his contact.’

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Marcus Rashford has been something of a revelation for Manchester United supporters this season.

Just as the club began to free-fall, the 18-year-old striker grabbed his opportunity with both hands, saving United first in the Europa League, and then against Arsenal in the Premier League.

And just last week, the youngster made his England U20 bow, but it wasn’t a dream debut as the Young Lions fell to a surprise 2-1 defeat to Canada.

England were defeated by two superb goals that they could do little about, and despite setting up the England strike, the result shows that Rashford needs to be eased into first team action rather than being thrown in at the deep end.

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Many had called for an instant promotion to the England U21’s but Keith Downing made the correct call, keeping the Manchester-born striker in the U20’s. And it looked about the right level for him. After a blistering start for Manchester United, this was  a reality check for Rashford, who didn’t outshine his England colleagues.

The Manchester United starlet was the centre of attention, and it seemed that many who were in attendance at Doncaster Rovers’ Keepmoat Stadium had come to get a glimpse of the future.

Rashford wasn’t poor by any means but the game showed he still has a lot to learn and that the youth set-up can provide the striker with the skills needed to reach the top.

He was tightly marked all game and it seems like the Canadians knew he was the man to watch. After all, he’d made a dream start to his United career and he was hustled and harried all game. It’s difficult for young shoulders to carry so much expectancy, with many United and England U20 fans now expecting Rashford to bang in goal after goal every week.

But that is part of the learning process. He will be marked closely in the future and suddenly he’s now in an England shirt and the expectancy levels have shot through the roof. His development will continue and it will suit both Manchester United and England.

Rashford needs that time to settle and find his feet. His “rags to riches” story isn’t uncommon in modern football but he needs to remain grounded. There is little doubt that England U20’s manager Keith Downing will keep the 18-year-old on his toes, alongside club manager Louis van Gaal.

And an unexpectedly busy season could become even more hectic for Rashford in the coming months, as he’s expected to take part in the Toulon Tournament in France at the end of July, which could potentially clash with the FA Cup final if United overcome West Ham and Everton.

The U19 European Championships are also happening this summer, and should England qualify, there is little doubt Rashford could be involved.

But he needs to remain grounded and focused. He’s been thrown into the limelight which is great for him, but he’s still a long way to go.

Patience is required.

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Leicester City have rightly taken all of the plaudits this year.

Their team members have been rewarded with end of year trophies on a team and individual basis and even Claudio Ranieri must have turned up with an empty suitcase, in expectation, at the Managerial Awards on Monday evening.

Quite a few teams have been fortunate to have a lot of paper space or air time this year. Tottenham have for their style of play, Arsenal for enjoying/enduring the same season as normal and West Ham because they did better than many thought they would and then the long goodbye to the Boleyn. The usual ‘big four’ have been lamentable and widely criticised for being so poor at times, but unfairly some teams appear to go under the radar.

Southampton are just that sort of club.

Quietly and methodically, the Saints get on with the job without the need for a fanfare. The work that Mauricio Pochettino did at St Mary’s Stadium has been carried on and improved by Ronald Koeman, and yet the column inches are conspicuous by the absence of a mention for the South Coast club.

To finish 6th, is another great achievement and offers up another shot at the Europa League.

The club’s form was a little helter skelter in the middle of the season, but their performances of late have seen them gather momentum, just as Leicester’s did, this time last year.

Southampton will have to fight to keep hold of their star names, but every season the Saints seem to sell and buy in just the right type of player without any detrimental effect to the team or to their playing style. So, how well did Southampton do?

In the first 19 games Leicester had 39 points, meaning that in the second half of the season they gained 42 points – Southampton had 39 points whilst Spurs managed just 35 in comparison. Therefore, Southampton’s second half to the season was indeed on par with the top performers.

For the Saints, this season has seen their best Premier League finish and it also means that the Hampshire outfit have finished in the top eight of the top flight for three consecutive seasons. Additionally, 63 points is also the club’s best points tally in this league.

For a club without the financial muscle of the bigger teams, it should be noted that the Saints finished only three points behind Champions League bound Manchester City. In reality, there should be a chasm between such clubs, but this season, teams like Leicester and Southampton have shown that money doesn’t always talk.

Ronald Koeman had to almost rebuild his squad after the exodus a couple of seasons ago and so it is fitting that his name will be linked to some of the top jobs in the Premier League, if not in Europe.

The momentum that the team has, could be carried through into the next season, just as Leicester have done. Graziano Pelle seems likely to leave St Mary’s, but careful choices in recruitment could mean another exciting season in the red and white stripes is looming.

There was further news to cheer for Saints fans when star defender, Virgil Van Dijk committed his long-term future to the club by signing a new six-year deal. The new contract, which runs until 2022, comes less than a year after his £11.5m move from Celtic.

The club have ambition and are on a roll and the teams around them in the league would do well to acknowledge them and not dismiss them.

This time next year, Southampton could be the new Leicester City.

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France take on Germany in a huge EURO 2016 Semi-Final on Thursday night.

Key men from Arsenal, Manchester United, Tottenham, West Ham, Manchester City and Premier League Champions Leicester could be on show on the International showdown.

The Premier League is known to be the best league in the world and plenty of England’s top flight’s best players will be on show in Marseille. The World Cup winners take on the hosts in what could be the best game of the tournament.

Germany have won five European Championships and have been victorious in European Championship semi finals, beating the host nation on 4 of those occasions.

These are the men that could feature tonight…

Arsenal

Olivier Giroud, Laurent Koscielny – France

Mesut Ozil – Germany

Olivier Giroud has three goals to his name at EURO 2016, including the opening goal of the tournament whereas Gunners team-mate Laurent Koscielny has been a rock at the back for France throughout the tournament.

The pair will have a tough task to prevent Mesut Ozil from working his magic for the Germans tonight, Ozil was an integral part of the Arsenal team last season, providing 19 assists in the Premier League.

Ozil texted Koscielny warning the defender that Germany are no Iceland!

Manchester United

Anthony Martial – France

Bastian Schweinsteiger – Germany

Martial hasn’t featured much for the French team over the course of Euro 2016 but is more than capable of being an impact sub for Didier Deschamp’s men.

Likewise, Schweinsteiger hasn’t started many times for Germany but chipped in with a goal against Ukraine, the German midfielder looks to be ruled out of tonights class with an injury.

Tottenham

Hugo Lloris – France

Lloris has played in every game so far for France at the championships and will surely start tonight.

Lloris has conceded just four goals over the past three weeks and will have to be on top form to stop the German’s from ripping the net tonight.

Lloris is known as a slight sweeper keeper and Germany could look to take advantage.

Could Ozil provide some heat in the Arsenal v Tottenham rivalry against his rival keeper?

West Ham

Dmitri Payet – France

Payet has perhaps been the player of the tournament so far in France, dazzling defenders with plenty of skills and a series of stunning strikes.

Payet will surely be in the line up tonight and West Ham fans can watch with pride tonight as Payet controls the midfield.

Manchester City

Bacary Sagna and Eliaquim Mangala – France

Sagna has been a key member of the French squad for a number of seasons and tonight he will have to be on top form to keep the likes of Julian Draxler, Mesut Ozil and Thomas Muller at bay.

Eliaquim Mangala is much less likely to feature but could be a vital substitute if needed for the French team.

City fans can also watch the match in hope of seeing Sagna’s wife Ludivine appear at any point.

Leicester City

N’Golo Kante – France

This could potentially be the most perfect season of all time for N’Golo Kante.

The 25-year-old midfielder was signed by Leicester at the start of last season and was one of the Champions’ stand out players throughout the Foxes’ unlikely triumphant campaign.

Kante could potentially end the season as a European Champion too after being relatively unknown just 12 months ago.

According to The Guardian journalist Ed Aarons, the agent ofÂArsenal and Chelsea transfer target Riyad Mahrez held a meeting with Leicester City’s Director of Football John Rudkin this afternoon.The Algerian international was one of the key contributors to the Foxes’ unexpected Premier League title last season, notching up 17 goals and eleven assists to claim the PFA Player of the Year award.WANT MORE? >> Arsenal Transfer News | Chelsea Transfer NewsAccordingly, his future at the King Power Stadium has been open to speculation for much of the summer window.On Tuesday morning, Twitter erupted with rumours of the 25-year-old arriving at Chelsea’s official hotel, which also happened to be occupied by Blues boss Antonio Conte.Likewise, Arsenal have been linked with the goalscoring winger for much of the summer and L’Equipe journalist Gilles Favard believes the north Londoners have just tabled a £35million bid.

Adding further fuel to recent speculation, reputable journalist Ed Aarons claims Mahrez’s agent had a meeting with Leicester City’s head honcho on all things transfers, Director of Football John Rudkin, earlier today.

Did they discuss Arsenal’s £35million bid? The alleged talks with Chelsea? Or a new contract with the Midlands outfit? Only time will tell.

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In the 2013/14 season, Roberto Martinez replaced David Moyes as Everton manager. The Toffees were immediately buoyed by the Spaniard’s attacking flair and ended the season in 5th place, qualifying for the Europa League.

Things weren’t so rosy for Martinez after that, though, with two consecutive 11th placed finishes costing Martinez his job.

This season ex-Southampton manager Ronald Koeman has taken the hot seat and started in superb fashion. He has secured 10 points out of 12 with some fantastic team performances.

With talents like Ross Barkley and Romelu Lukaku and an injection of cash under new owner Farhad Moshiri, Everton fans are optimistic they can challenge the big clubs at the top once more and finish in a European place.

Currently soaring in third place, there have been plenty of signs that under Koeman’s stewardship Everton could not only match their finish three seasons ago but beat it.

So here are five reasons why Everton are already challengers for the top four…

THEY KNOW HOW TO BEAT TEAMS

In that 2013/14 season, Everton claimed wins against Arsenal and Chelsea as well as the double over Manchester United.

While it’s all well and good beating the big teams, however, many teams fall short when playing those below them in the table. Just ask Jurgen Klopp, whose Liverpool side have torn Leicester and Arsenal apart yet lost 2-0 to Burnley.

So far this season the Toffees have beaten West Brom, Stoke and Sunderland, who are all in the bottom half, and for the most part, have done so comfortably.

If they continue like this, Everton will be there or thereabouts come May.

A SOLID DEFENCE

After two successful seasons at Southampton, one thing Ronald Koeman can seemingly guarantee is a solid defence.

The main quality Everton were built upon during the Moyes era, the Toffees lost their resilience at the back in the last two seasons under Martinez.

Koeman seems to have found a good balance between attractive attacking football whilst remaining solid with back-to-back clean sheets in the last two games and only two goals conceded, joint best with Tottenham.

Encouragingly for the Dutchman, Mason Holgate and Ramiro Funes Mori have played well while Ashley Williams recovered from Euro 2016 duty, suggesting Everton can cope defensively when key players are out.

THEY’VE ADDED QUALITY OVER QUANTITY

When Everton’s new owners were announced, many expected the manager to splash the cash on big names.

In reality, Koeman has been relatively frugal, securing Idrissa Gueye for £7m and a bargain in Wales captain Ashley Williams for only £12m. He also brought in old favourite Maarten Stekelenburg for a small fee, with the Dutchman looking solid in goal after a disappointing spell at Southampton.

The only “big money” move was the £25m Yannick Bolasie, who Koeman should be able to get the best out of because…

KOEMAN NOT AFRAID TO MAKE BOLD MOVES

As Koeman showed on Monday night against Sunderland, he is not afraid to shake things up when necessary.

Ross Barkley, who has arguably been Everton’s star performer this season, was hooked at half-time with the score at 0-0 and replaced by Gerard Deulofeu.

The move appeared to be a success with Everton winning 3-0, but just as importantly it served as a warning that players like Barkley can no longer go AWOL for periods if they want to keep their place.

LUKAKU IS BACK

After scoring twice for Belgium in the week, Romelu Lukaku announced himself with a hat-trick against Sunderland to end an 11-match goalless streak in the league.

On paper the former Chelsea striker’s record of double figures in the last four seasons (including an Everton club-record 18 goals last campaign) is incredibly impressive.

But Lukaku is known for going on hot streaks, terrorising defences one week before going absent for the next three (just ask Fantasy Premier League managers).

With Koeman cracking the whip and the rest of the squad performing, however, Everton fans will be hoping Lukaku will topple his own record and fire them to the top.

If there is anything we have learned in the Premier League based on recent seasons, it’s that anyone from Liverpool to Leicester City can pull off the biggest of surprises.

Leicester City’s unlikely Premier League title has almost opened up a new wave of optimism at Premier League clubs, who now have the belief that they can achieve these upsets too. And one side that has been well backed to continue their good form is Watford, who made light work of West Ham United last weekend.

Despite finding themselves two goals down, the Hornets battled back and came away from an ill-tempered London Stadium as 4-2 winners.

It was the belief, quality and courage they showed in East London that suggested they could be a real force this season and we think so too.

So with that in mind, here are three reasons why Watford can shine this season…

They’re not to be taken lightly

We saw it in the post-match interviews and analysis of the West Ham win – it’s clear Watford players aren’t around to make up the numbers in the Premier league this season.

They want to win and as we saw both during and after the West Ham win, some of the Hornets players and fans weren’t happy with the way that West Ham treated them on the pitch.

Lanzini and Payet were the culprits, both trying rabona efforts with the latter having more success than the former.

Some felt it showed a distinct lack of respect but if anything, it shows Watford are ready to come out fighting this season.

They have a crop of real quality players

Unlike some teams, Watford did extremely well to hang onto some of their prized assets for the season going forward.

They retained their star forwards Odion Ighalo and Troy Deeney, whilst adding quality too, bringing in the likes of Isaac Success, Roberto Pereyra, Sven Cums and Daryl Janmaat.

It’s got the makings of a squad that can really compete for a top-ten finish in this league and perhaps even more. There is genuine experience in the squad with youngsters chomping at the bit to seasoned pros who have years of experience under their belts.

These are seriously promising times for Watford and manager Walter Mazzarri has some great players at his disposal.

Firepower going forward

It’s generally thought that most top football clubs in the world need four strikers of real quality if they want to challenge at the summit of their respective league. In Watford’s case, they arguably five or six forwards of real quality that would get into most Premier League starting elevens.

There are the obvious two- Troy Deeney and Odion Ighalo, both of whom have shone over the past couple of seasons. But in Isaac Success, Stefano Okaka, Jerome Sinclair and Nordin Amrabat, there is real depth in numbers.

As the season progresses and injuries, suspension and poor-form take hold, these players will be a real asset in this Watford team.

Arsene Wenger is renowned for his faith in youth even when it damages his first-team’s chances of achieving success domestically when required.

Our landlord feels Wenger should look to the Football League this January to provide a much-needed injection of youth into the club and find the club’s next big star.

The Gunners are now 12 years without the Premier League title and fans are beginning to become impatient with the lack of return on their investments in the first team squad.

After the success of the likes of Jamie Vardy and Dele Alli last term, the Premier League giants could do far worse than looking down the league structure.

An influx of youthful players could provide the platform for Le Prof to achieve success at the the North London outfit once again and the Football League is brimmed with talented players capable of achieving greatness.

With that in mind, here are THREE players our Tavern landlord feels Arsenal must consider buying this January.

Rushian Hepburn-Murphy

If there is one key area Arsenal lack strength in depth it’s up-front.

A clinical centre-forward has been missing from the Wenger squad since Robin Van Persie controversially departed for Manchester United in 2012.

At the age of 16 years and 176 days, he became the second youngest player in the club’s history when he came on for Christian Benteke against Sunderland in 2015.

He is also the youngest player to appear in a match for the club during the Premier League era.

Hepburn-Murphy is widely regarded at Villa Park and has been likened to Dwight Yorke recently.

Adam Armstrong

If Hepburn-Murphy isn’t the answer then why not consider Newcastle striker Adam Armstrong?

After a successful season last year at Coventry he went up a division to Yorkshire side Barnsley.

The 19-year-old is on-loan at Barnsley this season with people starting to take notice of his return of goals.

Two goals in three games thus far have seen a number of Newcastle fans become excited at the prospect of him returning to St.James’s Park.

Armstrong could become another young England prodigy snapped up by Wenger in January and has the attributes to become a success in England’s top-flight.

Teddy Bishop

Ipswich Town midfielder Teddy Bishop is gathering a number of plaudits from our Arsenal regulars for his performances for Ipswich thus far.

Despite Mick McCarthy struggling to achieve greatness at Ipswich, Bishop is becoming one of the hottest young England stars in the game currently.

Jack Wilshere and Oxlade-Chamberlain have been frozen out at Arsenal and a new injection of youth may be required with Bishop deserving to be considered.