All posts by h716a5.icu

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It’s safe to say that the Premier League has started off with a bang and then some.

Manchester United’s new campaign opener looked to be a potentially tough task. The Red Devils welcomed Chelsea and debutant Frank Lampard to Old Trafford, however they took home all three points quite comfortably.

Even though the first half was really tight and only one goal separated the two English giants, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s men ran away with the game in the second half.

Marcus Rashford bagged two of their four goals and was named man of the match for it.

After the game, he quickly took to

/B1CG-nMnn31/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link” data-lasso->Instagram to share his delight and happiness.

Of course, it didn’t take long for his teammates and other stars to flood to his social media profile and post replies of praise for Manchester United’s forward.

Naturally, other team members were among the first ones to gush over the star’s performance and both Luke Shaw and Aaron Wan-Bissaka left a couple of emojis to show their support.

And they were not the only ones, not by a long shot.

For their next challenge, Manchester United will face Wolverhampton Wanderers away from home on August 19.

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This article is part of Football FanCast’s Pundit View series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent quotes from journalists, pundits, players and managers…

Jackie McNamara is concerned by Kristoffer Ajer’s innocuous injury, which has left him as a doubt for the crucial Europa League play-off opener against AIK, as you should be backing Celtic with your Unibet bonus.

What’s he said?

Speaking to Football Insider, McNamara revealed his concern about Ajer being a doubt for tonight’s game at Parkhead. The Norwegian hobbled off during the Celts’ after extra-time win over Dunfermline in the League Cup at the weekend.

Neil Lennon’s men struggled to a 2-1 victory over the Championship side and the Celts boss will be praying the 21-year-old can play tonight in what is an already depleted Celtic side.

Hatem Abd Elhamed and Jozo Simunovic are also doubts, meaning Lennon’s men are down to the bare bones at the back.

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Ajer has shown how important a player he is for the Celts, a sentiment that McNamara agrees with. The former Dundee United manager told Football Insider: “Yeah, it looked a bit innocuous the way he fell and then puts his arm in his shirt as he walked across. Obviously a big player, important for Neil to have him playing, definitely.”

A massive blow

If Elhamed is out, a fit Ajer would most likely play at right-back, or at least on the right side of Lennon’s 3-5-1-1 system, which he has deployed when depleted at the back this campaign.

Despite being far from his ideal position, he’s done well on the right and has even contributed to the attacking side of things too – probably not what is expected of a centre-back being shoehorned onto the flank. Not having either player would leave a huge question mark over that right side.

The greatest player ever to grace the Scottish Premiership is revealed in the video below…

If the Israeli right-back can make it, then Ajer will likely go into the middle. Even if Simunovic can also get past his own fitness concerns, Ajer has to be present at the heart of the Celtic defence. Lennon has confirmed Christopher Jullien will play, so it would make sense for him to deputise alongside the more vocal Ajer, rather than the Croat, who has doubts surrounding his future in Glasgow.

McNamara is absolutely right to be concerned by his injury, Lennon simply needs him in the side, no matter where he plays. Ajer has become a defensive leader of the side with Kieran Tierney leaving, so his presence in the backline has become imperative this season.

With the AIK tie being so vital to a club who are in something of a crisis at the moment, getting all your best players on the park is a must for Celtic, and Ajer is most certainly one who needs to be in the side tonight.

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West Ham United face Norwich City this weekend.

They will be without Michail Antonio after his shock injury blow against Newport County in midweek, while Winston Reid is also ruled out.

Javier Hernandez could return, however, after shaking off a knee injury.

After the weekend win over Watford, in which summer signing Sebastian Haller scored twice, the Hammers need to keep their momentum going as they take on Daniel Farke’s side, who lost 3-2 to Chelsea on Saturday.

Football FanCast takes a look at how the Hammers could line up this weekend…

This is a rarity for Manuel Pellegrini: he can pick a completely full-strength XI.

With pretty much all of his first-team players fit, the backline is unlikely to change from the selection that helped defeat Watford.

Jack Wilshere, of course, scored against Newport and generally enjoyed an excellent game but it is difficult to foresee the former Manchester City boss dropping either Mark Noble or Declan Rice.

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Further forward, Pablo Fornals is fit to play on the right, while Felipe Anderson, who did play a part in the League Cup victory, is a shoo-in on the left flank.

Wilshere could well play in the No.10 role but it is more likely that it’ll be Manuel Lanzini providing support to Haller.

The Frenchman got off the mark in the Premier League with a brace and will be out to add even more to his tally against the Canaries, who have conceded eight goals in three top-flight games thus far this season.

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This article is part of Football FanCast’s Opinion series, which provides analysis, insight and opinion on any issue within the beautiful game, from Paul Pogba’s haircuts to League Two relegation battles…

For the first time since successive wins over Cardiff and Bournemouth at the end of last season, Crystal Palace have recorded back-to-back Premier League successes once again with their recent victories over Manchester United and Aston Villa.

As a result of those wins and a point against Everton on the opening day, the south Londoners currently sit fourth in the Premier League and also have the best defensive record in the division having conceded just twice.

A number of players have shone in those games, such as Jordan Ayew and Cheikhou Kouyate, but despite the impressive six-point haul, there have been a few members of Roy Hodgson’s starting XI who must do more.

James McArthur

The Scot has been a mainstay in Hodgson’s XI since the former England manager was appointed as Frank de Boer’s replacement, but he must do more to keep that spot – especially with the addition of his former Wigan and Hamilton teammate James McCarthy and Victor Camarasa.

In the win over United, McArthur didn’t have a single shot, nor did he complete a dribble, nor did he create a key pass whilst also being dispossessed once – he also didn’t register a single tackle.

Against Villa, the 31-year-old missed a golden first-half chance to open to scoring, which could’ve been costly had Jordan Ayew not bailed him out with a second-half strike – McArthur also had four unsuccessful touches.

Wilfried Zaha

A surprise name on this list, but a player who has the undoubted ability to be doing more.

Zaha is yet to score a goal or record an assist so far this term, and just by watching the back-to-back wins, it’s easy to get frustrated at the Ivorian’s lack of impact.

The Palace No.11 had just one shot on target combined from the wins over United and Villa, whilst also completing just one key pass across both of those games.

The 26-year-old hasn’t been awful as such, but given his vast talent, he can definitely step up and do more.

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Dele Alli is back for Tottenham Hotspur.

Town criers should be announcing this news as loudly as they possibly can up and down the Tottenham High Road, such is its importance to Spurs’ chances of winning the upcoming North London derby.

Mauricio Pochettino has endured a difficult start to the season, with the club losing to Newcastle United and, really, stealing a point from Manchester City in a smash and grab raid that almost put the Hatton Garden robbers to shame.

Against Arsenal, Spurs will need all the help they can get. Versus Newcastle, it was clear there was an imagination barrier, an inability to play through their low block, and they were eventually reduced to just passing the ball sideways repeatedly before lobbing in a hopeful cross that was easily dealt with.

It must be said that Arsenal won’t play that way; they’ll attempt to get on the ball, move it properly, look to attack. And that’s where Alli comes in.

In the first three games of the campaign, something has been amiss with Harry Kane and it was never clearer than against the Magpies.

He had one shot on goal, per WhoScored, and dropped too deep all too regularly.

If he continues in such a vein against Arsenal, Alli can dart into the spaces that he vacates, occupying the Gunners’ defence.

The England midfielder has a strong record against the Gunners, having scored three goals and registered two assists against them in eight games, including a lavish chip at the Emirates in the League Cup last season.

Spurs won that game 2-0, but they have not won at the home of their rivals in the league since 2010.

If they are to break that hoodoo, they will need Alli and Kane to dovetail as effectively as they did in that cup game.

To revisit the goal is to see what each can bring; Kane dropped deep and curled a pass into Alli’s path, around 25 yards from goal. He brought it down and then chipped it over Petr Cech, before celebrating wildly in front of the away end.

Arsenal have a remarkably strong attack at this point and the main thing it comprises is pace: Nicolas Pepe, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Alexandre Lacazette are all quick across the ground.

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But their defence is shaky; David Luiz was awful against Liverpool at Anfield and showed that he can be dragged out of position by clever movement and slick interplay.

Alli does exactly that and offers the opportunity for Spurs to actually let Kane roam, instead of attempting to implore him to stay in the box.

The two can link and, when Son Heung-min and Lucas Moura are potentially added to the equation, Spurs’ attack looks all the fiercer.

Christian Eriksen’s inclusion, of course, remains in doubt after he was benched against Newcastle.

But it is Alli’s inclusion that should grab the headlines.

He is the secret ingredient to transforming a Spurs forward line that looked all too static this past weekend, and he could be key to bringing the best out of Kane and finally breaking that lengthy Emirates hex.

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When Tottenham Hotspur fans on Twitter were given four options and asked who they want the club’s next signing to be, the following supporters said they would prefer to see Borussia Dortmund’s Jadon Sancho arrive over Juventus’ Paulo Dybala.

The January window may not be anywhere near just yet, but that obviously hasn’t stopped the Spurs faithful thinking about who their side could potentially bring to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in the New Year.

The options given were Dybala, Sancho, Bruno Fernandes and Yousef Atal.

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The north London outfit of course came close to signing the former on deadline day before a move eventually collapsed, but a recent report in The Daily Star suggests Mauricio Pochettino could be lining up a second move.

Meanwhile, England international Sancho continues to go from strength to strength with Borussia Dortmund, with the 19-year-old having a remarkable 17 goals and 27 assists to his name in just 60 outings for the Bundesliga giants, which means that it is no surprise that he is rated at £100m minimum.

The following fans are under no illusions as to who they would prefer out of the duo.

Here is just a selection of the Twitter reaction…

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Putting your mate into headlock that would make Khabib Nurmagomedov proud is an interesting way to greet them home, but that’s exactly what Jack Stephens did to Yoshida.

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Of course, the Southampton men were just being playful as Stephens made it clear in the comments that he’s missed his teammate during the international break.

Luckily Stephens’ headlock didn’t cause any injuries for Yoshida, and he’ll be fit to play this weekend. It’s also great to see such camaraderie in the Saints squad between two centre-backs, perhaps the position where chemistry is most crucial as a component for success.

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This article is part of Football FanCast’s The Chalkboard series, which provides a tactical insight into teams, players, managers, potential signings and more… 

During pre-season, one of Leeds’ main concerns was with their defence.

Pontus Jansson had walked out of the door for Brentford while they shipped four goals against Manchester United in Australia too.

It wasn’t the ideal start to life without the Swedish central defender but the impressive Ben White has come in and looked a class above in the Championship, winning the PFA Fans’ Player of the Month award for August.

Marcelo Bielsa has disclosed his ability to play in a holding role in midfield but despite his displays so far, there is still one area where he’s failed to fully help the Whites.

On the chalkboard

Last term Bielsa said that defending set-pieces was an issue so losing the aerial threat of Jansson was unlikely to help. That has indeed been the case this term too as the Argentine admitted: “We speculate, but it’s true set-pieces are difficult for us.”

The former Leeds centre-back won a colossal 4.9 aerial duels last term which would have played some hand in helping to get rid of the danger in those sorts of situations.

However, when it’s come to defending in 2019/20, there are still plenty off issues in this regard.

Leeds have only conceded three goals but two of them have come from set-pieces. If it wasn’t for Kiko Casilla that would have gone up to three or potentially even higher at the weekend.

The presence of Aapo Halme and Mads Andersen caused Bielsa’s men plenty of difficulties last Sunday as the pair had four efforts between them from dead balls into the area.

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With White in defence, they conceded a sloppy goal against Nottingham Forest from a corner while they failed to clear a set-piece sufficiently versus Swansea which led to Wayne Routledge’s late strike.

The Brighton loanee has won 2.1 tackles and made 3.9 interceptions per game according to WhoScored but when it comes to battles in the box, he and the rest of the defence have looked up against it on a regular basis.

Had it not been for corners, Leeds would have only conceded once this season so there is clearly an issue there. It’s not a case of White’s aerial presence either because he’s won 3.3 duels in those scenarios each outing.

It’s difficult to slate the 21-year-old’s performance but there is still a naivety to Leeds’ defence that can be exploited from dead balls. They must be wary of this as the season plays out.

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Rangers winger Ryan Kent is edging back to full fitness after getting injured against Livingston earlier this month, but Gers assistant manager Gary McAllister has said that the club will not rush him back.

What’s the word?

McAllister was speaking to the press earlier this week as the Gers prepared for a Scottish League Cup quarter-final – against Livingston funnily enough – when he took time to offer an injury update on some of the club’s stars.

Quoted by the club’s official Twitter account, he said of attacking players Ryan Kent and Jordan Jones:

“It’s great to see Kent and Jones starting to move again. They won’t be rushed but they are improving.”

Kent, of course, was injured during his second debut for the club, just days after signing for the Gers on a permanent basis, with him picking up a hamstring pull.

Jordan Jones, for that matter, has been injured a little longer after clattering Moritz Bauer in the Old Firm derby at the end of August and getting a red card for his troubles.

McAllister’s vow will no doubt sit well with Gers fans, though, with the club seemingly taking the approach to ease Kent back into first-team duties.

Verdict

Right at the end of the window, Rangers sealed Kent’s signature and the enthusiasm was clear to see amongst the coaching staff, who threw Kent straight into a game days after.

With little match fitness having not played for Liverpool at the start of the season, Kent was always going to be at risk of pulling something and, duly, he did.

It appears as though the club have learned their lesson, judging by McAllister’s comments, though, and so Kent should come back into the side when he is fully ready, rather than when he’s wanted back in.

Fans should be happy with this course of action. Having Kent on the pitch a little later in the season and fully fit rather than earlier and then out for another period should be the preferred option.

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This article is part of Football FanCast’s Pundit View series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent quotes from journalists, pundits, players and managers…

Crystal Palace legend Mile Jedinak has given an interesting interview to The Athletic about his time at Selhurst Park, with some intriguing snippets to say the least.

The former Australia international – who made 179 appearances for the Eagles across a five-year stay – captained the Eagles to a first FA Cup final in 26 years, and also led them to the unlikeliest of promotions back in 2013.

Jedinak, a dominant midfield presence, departed SE25 after being stripped of the captaincy by Alan Pardew and sold to Aston Villa, but he is still fondly remembered as a club icon – the club’s Twitter account even called him a ‘legend’ themselves.

While speaking to The Athletic, Jedinak named his worst Palace moment, and it is one that is hard to argue with.

What did he say?

The 35-year-old said: “You knew Crystal Palace don’t often make FA Cup finals. Why not be the first ones to lift an FA Cup? It almost was us. That’s the hardest thing to take from it all.”

Club correspondent Matt Woosnam also wrote about how Jedinak described the 2-1 defeat to Manchester United as his ‘worst’ moment at the club and the ‘only regret’ from his stay in SE25.

Hard to disagree 

The south Londoners have never won a significant trophy, and were just over ten minutes from doing so after Jason Puncheon’s 78th-minute strike at Wembley back in 2016.

In truth, Pardew’s side should have seen the game out from then on and become history makers, winning the first trophy in the club’s history and becoming legends in doing so.

A win also would have seen Palace compete in Europe with a passage into the Europa League, which would have enabled Jedinak to write another beautiful chapter in his story with the Eagles.

Given how close the Aussie and his teammates were to winning the FA Cup, and the manner in which they threw it away – the Eagles conceded almost immediately after scoring the opener – it is especially hard to disagree with what Jedinak describes as his ‘worst’ moment at the club.

And considering Pardew was involved in both the final and the club’s dismissal of their ‘legend’, we don’t think the former Newcastle boss will be on Jedinak’s Christmas card list.