It’s not hard to tell when Marcelo Bielsa’s not happy, is it? His interview on Sky Sports was cut short after he tried to ask the interviewer if he thought Leeds deserved to win. Indeed, it showed the pressure of being the Whites’ manager is finally getting to him.

We all know he’s quite the character and has the capabilities to fly off the handle every now and again, but his awkwardness in the interview only reflected badly on himself. Some may claim it as a victory over ‘the media’, but the interview was anything but that. It was almost a breakdown.

Leeds are used to falling apart at this stage of the season, and it seems like the pressure from the fans gets too much for the manager and the players. This campaign seemed different though, up until Saturday. The poor second half can happen, but the manager’s reaction signifies a bigger problem.

If he can’t hold it together in an interview, what’s he like in the dressing room and on the training pitch? Of course, Sir Alex Ferguson was famous for his prickly interviews but also his incredible success, so it could only be a post-match blip, but it’s worrying nonetheless.

The interview mirrored many of Jose Mourinho’s before his United sacking. Not that Bielsa will be sacked anytime soon, but it reeked of a man not in control and buried underneath pressure.

If the manager’s feeling it, the players will too.

They now sit third in the Championship, five points behind Norwich and one point behind Sheffield United, so the club are far from resigned to the play-offs. However, there’s worrying signs appearing and Leeds need to come back from the international break with a clear head if they’re going to secure automatic promotion.

Leeds fans, what did you make of Marcelo Bielsa’s post-match interview? join the discussion by commenting below…

Claims that Rafa Benitez has demanded funds of £75 million to spend on strikers if he is to stay, appear to be how some people interpreted his post-match comments following the defeat to Arsenal on Monday.

But if you listen to what he actually said, it is not exactly the point he was making.

A report in the Daily Mirror yesterday suggested that it was some sort of ultimatum, which is not how it appeared to us.

They report Benitez said: “The final third, we have been speaking all season… the final third you have to spend £40m, £50m, £75m.”

He is quite right, too.

The point he was making is for a team to be able to compete week in, week out, and challenge the top six sides, they would need to spend those sums of money.

But Rafa has consistently maintained that he does not want, or expect, Newcastle to be transformed overnight into a title-chasing club, or even to be perennial Champion’s League contenders.

He wants to be given a budget that will see the club pull away from their annual relegation scrap, consolidate themselves as a top half team, and if results go better than expected, could push for a top seven or eight finish.

After two or three seasons as an established squad, maybe then they could increase the budget, due to higher prize payouts, and look to kick on towards Europa League places.

To suggest that he is demanding ridiculous amounts for the next transfer window is mischief-making.

It is misinformation like this that gives fans in other regions of the country the wrong impression that Newcastle fans expect success, when all they have ever wanted is a team they can be proud of, that wears the black and white stripes with pride, and makes them excited for Saturdays to arrive.

Do you expect Newcastle to entice Benitez to stay? Do you think it would take a huge budget to convince him? Let us know…

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Sunderland are one of a number of teams chasing 17 year-old defender Luca Murphy, but it appears as though they already have an advantage in the race for the teenager’s signature.

What’s the story?

According to TEAMtalk, Murphy has left Hartlepool United and now has every team under the sun chasing him.

The free agent is a ball-playing centre back and is rated extremely highly, despite never featuring in a senior match for the Pools.

The report claims Manchester United, Tottenham, Newcastle, Leicester, Cardiff, Wolves, Leeds, Middlesbrough, Brentford, Sheffield United, Barnsley and Sunderland are all looking into the possibility of signing the 17 year-old, implying that he’s quite the wonderkid.

However, his social media exploits suggest he has a soft spot for Wearside.

Pl>ymaker FC Exclusive: Jermaine Jenas reveals why Tyne-Wear is a more intense derby than anything London can offer – check out the video below….

The perfect storm

First of all, it should be noted that Murphy is not ready to walk into the first XI of any of the teams chasing him, but the likes of Sunderland, Barnsley and Brentford are the most capable of offering him regular playing time.

Jack Ross has also shown throughout his managerial career that he will place his trust in youth, consistently picking Jimmy Dunne for the Black Cats this season despite some worrying performances, even with his side in the thick of a promotion race.

On top of that, a quick browse through Murphy’s “likes” on Twitter reveals his love of Lee Cattermole, Luke O’Nien and of course the infamous half time race in which a Sunderland fan tripped a visiting Plymouth Argyle fan. It’s a perfect storm.

Quite clearly, the defender has a soft spot for Sunderland, and together with the opportunity to get regular playing time under a young manager, the Black Cats may just be best-placed to secure his signature.

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It has been reported by the Daily Express that Arsenal are keen on signing Everton centre-back Michael Keane and are keeping a close eye on him ahead of the summer window.

What’s the word, then?

The Gunners sent some members of their scouting team to London Stadium on Saturday evening to watch the Toffees beat West Ham United 2-0 in the Premier League, per The Sun, with the £50 million-rated Keane impressing.

However, they may face some very close competition from bitter rivals Tottenham Hotspur to land the signature of the 26-year-old according to the Daily Express.

Starting his career at Manchester United, the tall and physical centre-half left Old Trafford for Burnley in January 2015, moving onto Goodison Park in the summer of 2017 for £25.65 million having broken into Gareth Southgate’s England squad just a few months earlier.

Hold firm Everton, we don’t want to see another John Stones

The last thing Everton need at this stage is another transfer fiasco after failing to impress in windows in recent years – and this is another one waiting to happen.

Everton’s decision to allow John Stones go to Manchester City before the start of the 2016/2017 season was a disastrous move, one that has seen concede 100 goals in the 70 games league games following his departure.

Whilst Stones has been impressing at the Etihad Stadium, the Toffees have failed to replace him properly and have struggled for defensive solidity.

It was a decision which was out of their hands to a degree but one that has set them back hugely in their bid to break into the top six.

They simply can’t let lightning strike twice by cashing in on Keane in what would be yet another pricey outgoing transfer of a key central defender.

At present, Marco Silva’s men are still firmly in the hunt to clinch seventh place and achieving that would show huge progress at Goodison, although they really wouldn’t be in this position without the United academy product.

There is finally the sense in the blue half of Liverpool that something concrete is being built, especially when you factor in the stadium move, but selling Keane and making the same mistake twice could really whip the rug from underneath the club’s feet and display nothing other than regression.

There is no doubting that over the years Celtic have been smart and efficient within the transfer market. But, just how many signings will truly make a dent in the history of the Glasgow giants? 

With so many players coming in and out of the club over the last five years, it is hard to tell who truly gave themselves the right to say they are in the Hoops’ folklore. However, there have certainly been a couple of signings where fans just don’t understand how good they were.

In the modern game, the growing problem for players and clubs alike is the price.

The price of a player, the wages to be paid, the agent fees, it’s all becoming too much.

With this in mind, Celtic have certainly managed to go under the radar and really bring in some proper talent without paying millions, so here we take a look at a couple of smart signings made by the Bhoys.

Moussa Dembele 

Joining from Fulham back in the 2016/17 season, Moussa Dembele certainly made his mark in his maiden season for Celtic. Making his debut on only his 20th birthday, there was, of course, a lot of pressure on the French international.

Despite all the pressure, he raised his game to the very top, scoring 32 goals in all competitions, as well as helping the club qualify for the Champions League group stage.

The then 20-year-old had a stellar spell at Celtic, and one of the best bits about it for you Celtic fans, he came on a free transfer.

Imagine that. 32 free goals, helping to gain a clean sweep of Scottish trophies, and a Champions League group stage. Brilliant Business.

Kristoffer Ajer

Joining from Norwegian club Start, for a pretty small price, no one at the club had expected what the young 20-year-old has become today. Signing for the Hoops back in 2016, most fans would have thought he is only a youth prospect, another player coming into the youth ranks only to be shipped out when older.

Well, now making himself a permanent face in the heart of the Celtic defence. Ajer has become integral to the success at Celtic Park, just imagine his price in the years to come. It certainly is a bright future for the defender.

فاز فريق بوروسيا دورتموند على مضيفه فريق هوفنهايم، بهدفٍ نظيف، في المباراة التي جمعت بينهما، مساء اليوم السبت، على ملعب “راين نيكار”، بالجولة الرابعة من الدوري الألماني. اهداف مباراة بوروسيا دورتموند وهوفنهايم

دورتموند على مدار المباراة، حاول كثيرًا تسجّيل هدف، وقام بـ15 تسديدة، خمسة منها بين الخشبات الثلاث، ولكن حارس هوفنهايم كان بالمرصاد.

هدف المباراة الوحيد جاء عبر النجم الألماني ماركو رويس في الدقيقة 76، ليقتنص لـ أسود الفستيفال ثلاث نقاط هامة.

هذا الانتصار رفع رصيد بوروسيا دورتموند للنقطة التاسعة في وصافة الدوري الألماني، فيما توقف رصيد هوفنهايم عند 6 نقاط بالمركز الثامن.

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West Ham came from behind to win an absolute blockbuster of a match against Huddersfield on Saturday, and Manuel Pellegrini will surely have learned some valuable lessons about his front men.

On the chalkboard

The Hammers were stunned by Huddersfield on Saturday, as the Terriers took a 3-1 lead despite Mark Noble scoring an early penalty.

Juninho Bacuna levelled for the visitors at the London Stadium before Karlan Grant struck twice to give them that comfortable lead, or so they thought.

Who is your club’s worst ever January signing? The Pl>ymaker FC squad have picked theirs in the video below and they didn’t disappoint…

The Irons stormed back into the match after some smart substitutions by Pellegrini, and the boss must now recognise that Marko Arnautovic simply doesn’t want to be out there anymore. The difference after the Austrian left the pitch was night and day.

Time to move on

Arnautovic came about as close to leaving the club as he possibly could have come in January, as his brother and agent pleaded with the Irons to allow him clear passage to the riches of Chinese football.

The 29 year-old has not scored since an FA Cup strike at the beginning of January, and he appeared to be booed off the pitch by some sections of the London Stadium on Saturday, and deservedly so.

His replacement, Lucas Perez, is hardly the most talented player on the pitch but he at least showed full commitment to the cause once he entered the fray.

Pellegrini is trying to build a culture of intense, fluid, attacking football, and having a player in the side who would rather sulk than take part is simply not going to cut it – “Arnie” touched the ball just 39 times before being substituted.

With a squad growing in confidence but not much left to play for this season, the boss will surely be plotting out his plans for the next campaign, and it bears no benefit to keep playing a player who is looking more and more likely to try and force an exit again this summer.

It’s time to move on and start looking towards the future.

يدخل الأهلي تحدي قوي عندما يلاقي الوداد البيضاوي، في اللقاء الذي يجمعهما ضمن منافسات ذهاب دور نصف نهائي دوري أبطال إفريقيا.

وتُقام مباراة الأهلي والوداد المغربي، في التاسعة من مساء اليوم السبت، بتوقيت القاهرة، الثامنة مساءً بتوقيت المغرب، العاشرة بتوقيت السعودية، على ستاد محمد الخامس، بالدار البيضاء.

وحرصت بعثة الأهلي على التواجد في المغرب قبل 5 أيام من المباراة للتأقلم على الأجواء، بعدما وصلت البعثة إلى الدار البيضاء مساء الثلاثاء الماضي، على متن طائرة خاصة.

وتأهل الأهلي إلى دور نصف النهائي بعدما فاز على صن داونز الجنوب إفريقي بنتيجة 3 / 1، في مجموع مباراتي الذهاب والعودة لدور ربع النهائي ببطولة دوري أبطال إفريقيا، بينما تأهل الوداد البيضاوي إلى هذا الدور بعدما فاز على النجم الساحلي التونسي بنتيجة 2 / 1، في مجموع مباراتي الذهاب والعودة في ربع النهائي

طالع | موسيماني: أعرف الوداد جيداً.. ولِمَ لا يعود الأهلي فائزًا من المغرب

كما يسعى الجنوب إفريقي بيتسو موسيماني، المدير الفني لفريق الأهلي، لتحقيق نتيجة إيجابية مع فريقه أمام الوداد في مباراة الذهاب لمنح لاعبيه الأريحية في مباراة العودة التي ستقام يوم 23 من شهر أكتوبر الجاري.

وحرص الجهاز الفني للأهلي على مشاهدة خمس مباريات لفريق الوداد المغربي؛ استعدادا للقاء اليوم، حيث قام موسى ماتالابا وأحمد سليمان، محللا الأداء بالجهاز الفني، لوضع الخطة النهائية لخوض المباراة.

يذكر، أن الأهلي سيواجه الوداد في مباراة الذهاب بالقاهرة يوم الجمعة المقبل على أرضية استاد القاهرة الدولي.

[ad_pod ]QPR’s patience with Steve McClaren finally ran out on Monday, with the former England manager given the boot after nearly a year in charge and having been on the wrong end of another disappointing result at home to Bolton on Saturday.The R’s are now eight points above the drop but, especially if their recent run of form continues, they could quite easily slide further down the table and into the bottom three. While many surely celebrated McClaren’s departure, with the results getting worse and worse, some will still have been sad to see the veteran go – Angel Rangel included.Rangel joined the Hoops in the summer but hasn’t featured as much as he would have surely liked due to a tendon injury, although still more frequently than he would have been likely to at Swansea – the 5 ft 10 defender says he owes McClaren big time for giving him that chance to continue playing regularly in the Championship, even at 36 years of age.Pl>ymaker FC’s Theo Ogden found two rebelious Leeds fans in the home end at Loftus Road in QPR’s 2-1 FA Cup win. Find out what happened next in the video below…The Spaniard’s experience will be crucial going into the final stretch of the season but, off the pitch, he has also shown a classy side with his message. You can see the best of the reaction from the Loftus Road faithful on Twitter below…

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The Yorkshire Evening Post’s chief football writer Phil Hay has put together a Championship squad and manager of the season, and while some Leeds United fans may be surprised that he has snubbed Marcelo Bielsa and opted for Norwich City’s Daniel Farke instead for the latter, he is absolutely spot on.

What’s the word, then?

Well, with the international break in full swing and with just eight fixtures of the league campaign remaining, Hay decided to pick an 18-man squad of the best performing players from this term in England’s second tier, accompanied by the top boss in his opinion.

Given he covers the Yorkshire outfit and generally how easy they have been on the eye throughout the season as they have challenged at the top of the table, it wouldn’t have been any surprise if the Argentine got the nod even if their form has dropped off slightly in recent months.

It was one of those managers who finds himself above the Whites in Farke who was given the accolade though, and it is the right decision.

Why?

Not many people would have chosen Norwich, Sheffield United and Leeds as the clubs fighting for automatic promotion at this stage of the campaign if asked in pre-season, but that is exactly how it has panned out.

Are Leeds set for another spectacular fall from grace? Ingood Nick believes so in the video below…

While Farke has had longer at Carrow Road than the South American has had at Elland Road having been appointed in 2017, he had to deal with the loss of James Maddison, Josh Murphy and Angus Gunn in the summer.

Despite those exits, the Norfolk-based outfit have been playing some outstanding football and have netted 77 goals so far – 14 more than Bielsa’s men – and the German deserves the recognition from Hay, who obviously still has great respect for the experienced man in charge at LS11.