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Sheffield Wednesday’s season has been shrouded with injuries and the latest man to join the treatment table is Newcastle loanee Rolando Aarons.

The winger was due to start for the club against Stoke last weekend but hobbled off in the warm-up and is now a major doubt for the Owls’ clash against Aston Villa on Saturday.

Reacting to the news on Twitter that he could miss another game, Wednesday fans were busy debating who may replace him.

Some supporters explored the option of playing Fernando Forestieri on the left, a role he has played previously in his career.

However, a few fans were keen to stress that they didn’t want George Boyd to play. The former Burnley man started for the Yorkshire club in place of Aarons last weekend but struggled to have the same sort of impact as his fellow teammate.

The 23-year-old arrived on loan from Rafa Benitez’s Newcastle in January and has helped transform the way Wednesday attack with his willing runs, making 1.6 dribbles per game. In nine matches he’s scored one goal and claimed one assist too.

Therefore, missing a player like him could be huge in terms of the club’s promotion hopes. Steve Bruce’s men face a massive seven days, taking on Villa, Nottingham Forest and Leeds in the space of a week.

Here’s the best of the reaction.

Ever since his blazing start under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s reign, Paul Pogba’s been the centre of attention at Manchester United.

Indeed, such is the size of his personality, he’s now expected to score or deliver each and every game, something he’s not really been doing since the Norwegian’s reign was made permanent.

As a matter of fact, the Frenchman’s been unable to score or assist for the past five games in all competitions. In the Champions League – a competition he has failed to deliver in since helping take Juventus to the final in 2015 – his record is even worse. After scoring a brace and assisting against BSC Young Boys, Pogba’s been unable to contribute in his last six Champions League matches.

Having cost a world record fee at the time of his arrival in 2016, it’s not good enough.

While he’s still having his personal best season at Old Trafford, having scored 11 and assisted 9 in the league, Solskjaer needs him at his best as Barcelona await on Wednesday night. Pogba’s been flirting with rivals Real Madrid over recent weeks and needs to prove his world-class mettle against the very best.

The Frenchman has a daunting task ahead, with a daunting midfield of Sergio Busquets, Ivan Rakitic and Arthur lying await to overpower him. Things will be even more difficult than the Paris Saint Germain game, as Pogba cannot let emotions get the better of him again.

He impressed during the final in Berlin against the Blaugrana four years ago and needs another big performance to save his dwindling reputation when it comes to the biggest club games in the world.

Being under pressure to perform, Pogba needs to deliver something special to inspire the Red Devils. The future might be uncertain, but he has to make the best of the present.

By utilizing his swagger in getting United playing incisive attacking football, the special Frenchman needs to keep his side’s Champions League dreams alive by outwitting Messi and co.

United fans, do you think Pogba can make the difference against Barcelona? Join the discussion by commenting below…

تحدث سيد عبد  الحفيظ مدير الكرة بفريق النادي الأهلي عن فوز الشياطين الحمر بدرع بطولة الدوري المصري الممتاز.

وكان الأهلي قد نجح في حسم بطولة الدوري لموسم 2019-2020 قبل انتهاء المنافسات بنحو 6 أسابيع، للمرة الـ42 في تاريخه.

وقال عبد الحفيظ في تصريحات تلفزيونية عبر فضائية “الأهلي”: “كان موسمًا طويلًا جدًا، لاعبو الأهلي أدوا موسم إلى حد كبير جيد من البداية للنهاية، وكانت هناك إيجابية في النتائج عكس الموسم الماضي”.

طالع | صلاح محسن: أتمنى الحصول على فرصة مع منتخب مصر

وأضاف: “موسيماني تفكيره كله في كرة القدم، يفكر كثيرًا جدًا في العمل ويهتم بالتفاصيل الصغيرة، ومصمم على طريقة لعب معينة”.

واستكمل: “من الأشياء الإيجابية التي تصنع فارق مع اللاعبين هو العامل النفسي معهم وهو يجيد ذلك، وهو ليس صداميًا ولكنه شخصية قوية جدًا، لديه مرونه ولكن في حدود الالتزام والمسئولية”.

وعن تأجيل نهائي دوري أبطال إفريقيا، واصل عبد الحفيظ: “كنا في مستوى بدني وفني جيد جدًا، لكن في النهاية لدينا بعض الأمور الايجابية في التأجيل، نحن كنا أكثر فريق جاهز إذا كان النهائي أقيم في موعده”.

وأتم: “الجانب الإيجابي من التأجيل هو عودة بعض المصابين مثل رامي ربيعة، وعلي معلول الذي انضم للتدريبات أمس”.

واختتم: “موسيماني منح الفريق إجازة غدًا وبعد غد، ونحن في انتظار هل ستكون هناك مباراة في كأس مصر أم لا خلال الفترة المقبلة، ولا أعتقد أنها ستقام بدون الدوليين”.

وكان الأهلي قد حسم بطولة الدوري برصيد 89 نقطة، بعدما خاض 34 مباراة، حقق خلالها الفوز في 28، وتعادل في 5، وخسر في مباراة واحدة.

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Southampton’s spectacular run of form continued with a brilliant 3-1 win over Wolves, who appeared to be suffering from their FA Cup heartbreak, with goals from Nathan Redmond (2) and Shane Long enough to ensure all three points remained on the south coast.

The performance was the latest in a sequence of stellar showings from the Saints, who now look certain to avoid relegation despite the dire mess they were in when Ralph Hasenhuttl took over before Christmas.

One man certainly won’t be pleased with his efforts considering the extremely high standards he sets for himself these days.

Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg is just one of many beneficiaries from Hasenhuttl’s arrival at St Mary’s Stadium, with the Dane having been handed the armband on a permanent basis by the former RB Leipzig boss having previously deputised as captain for Ryan Bertrand while the left-back was injured.

A recent interview with the 23-year-old on Southampton’s official website offered an insight into why Hasenhuttl made that decision, with Hojbjerg’s excellent attitude evident in this excerpt:

“I don’t do very much, but what I do has to be the best possible.

“I don’t like the word perfectionist, because it can sometimes be overdone and overthought, but to be the best you can be and still have an edge is very important. That creates who you are.”

Indeed, the former Bayern Munich man has hardly put a foot wrong in 2019, although he will have been highly frustrated with his sloppy display in the middle of the park on Saturday.

Usually a reliable distributor of the ball, Hojbjerg was well below his 83% passing success average for the season, registering 65% accuracy against Nuno Espirito Santo’s side, and also took a team-high three unsuccessful touches.

A Southampton fan shares his most gutting moment of the last 10 years supporting the Saints in the video below…

Regardless, he was always on the ball and looking to be involved, with 62 touches to his name, but he was uncharacteristically wasteful on Saturday and, on another day, that could cost his team. There is no doubt that the number 23 will be keen to get back to his best when the Saints travel north to face Newcastle this weekend.

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Tottenham Hotspur lost ground in the race to qualify for the Champions League on Saturday, as they lost 1-0 to AFC Bournemouth.

And fans were left disappointed with the performance of goalkeeper Hugo Lloris at the Vitality Stadium.

Spurs went down to 10 men in the first half, as Heung-Min Son lashed out at Jefferson Lerma by pushing him to the ground and was shown a red card.

Juan Foyth was introduced as a half-time substitute and was dismissed just minutes after coming on, reducing Tottenham to nine men.

Mauricio Pochettino’s side did their best to earn a hard-fought point in the second half but their resistance was ultimately broken in injury time, as Nathan Ake headed home from a corner.

Fans, though, were disappointed with the performance of their captain, first for seemingly abdicating his responsibility as a skipper, as his team-mates lost their heads, and then failing to save Ake’s header.

The France international was left rooted to his line as the Dutchman saw the net ripple.

Take a look at the best of the reaction below!

To call tonight’s game against Napoli as the biggest match of Arsenal’s season might seem like a stretch, but it certainly feels like it.

A 2-0 win last week against the Italian giants has set the Gunners up for a brilliant opportunity to not only knock out one of the competitions biggest teams, but to establish themselves as the club to beat in the Europa League this season, but it won’t be an easy task.

Sure going into the game in Naples with two goals is a great advantage for the Gunners, but this is Arsenal we’re talking about, and mistakes are bound to happen tonight.

We have seen the club crack under the pressure of playing a big side on the road this season already, with Unai Emery’s side going from 1-0 up to 5-1 down against Liverpool in December as an example, and Arsenal will know that Napoli are almost guaranteed to get goals tonight.

Clean sheets away from home are rare for Arsenal, with their first in the Premier League coming last Monday against Watford, and this weakness on the road will lead to Emery facing an uphill battle tonight in Naples, but all is not lost.

Arsenal’s record against Italian teams is fairly good, winning against the likes of Juventus, AC Milan and Napoli in recent history and only losing twice to sides from the country, one of them being their opponents tonight.

Last season, the Gunners went to Milan the underdogs and ended up walking away as 2-0 winners at the San Siro, and although the environments between the iconic Milan stadium and the San Paolo, the history backs Arsenal to get something from Naples in their biggest game of the season.

Arsenal fans, can the Gunners progress to the semi-finals of the Europa League? Let us know!

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According to L’Equipe, West Ham United are considering a summer swoop for Saint-Etienne midfielder Yann M’Vila.

M’Vila moved to Saint-Etienne from Rubin Kazan in January 2018 and has made 30 Ligue 1 appearances for the French club this term.

The 28-year-old has a contract with the Ligue 1 side until the summer of 2022, but L’Equipe have reported that West Ham are interested in a swoop.

The Frenchman has experience of the Premier League having turned out for Sunderland on loan during the 2015-16 campaign.

The West Ham fans have been on social media reacting to the transfer report and it would be fair to say that there are a lot of mixed opinions on the subject.

Indeed, whilst a number are against the Hammers moving for M’Vila, others feel that the midfielder could turn out to be a decent signing for the capital outfit ahead of the 2019-2020 season.

A selection of the Twitter reaction can be viewed below:

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Granit Xhaka has claimed he is willing to forget winning the Europa League if it means Arsenal finish in the top four of the Premier League, per the London Evening Standard.

The Gunners are in the quarter-finals of the competition and face Napoli on Thursday, protecting a 2-0 lead, while they currently sit fourth in the league.

What’s the word?

Arsenal are currently fourth by virtue of goal difference, as they sit level on points with fifth-placed Chelsea, but they do have a game in hand.

Unai Emery’s side are subsequently well-placed to qualify for the Champions League via a top-four finish but they can also achieve qualification by winning the Europa League.

Arsenal won the first leg 2-0 and must simply avoid defeat in Italy to qualify for the semi-finals. The Gunners will play either Villarreal or Valencia in the last four if they get there.

But Xhaka insists that the club’s focus should actually be on the top four instead of Europe.

He said: “I think we want to stay in the top four — we want to be back in the Champions League.

“For me, the Premier League is first and after if you can go to the final and take the Europa League, of course, it is nice as well, but for us it is the Premier League first.

“We are now in fourth place — two points over [Manchester] United, one game less than Chelsea and one point behind Tottenham — and they play against Manchester City this weekend. This can be a big weekend for us.”

Idiocy

Xhaka might not be an idiot but he’s doing a pretty good impression of one with this.

Arsenal do not have the luxury of picking and choosing how they qualify for the Champions League.

They have a difficult Premier League run-in, which includes away games against Wolves, Leicester City and Burnley. Arsenal’s record away from home this season, as has been well publicised, is woeful.

But in the Europa League, Arsenal have done remarkably well to reach the quarter-finals and are just four games away from qualification to the Champions League.

Picking one over the other – particularly when the choice Xhaka has made is as difficult as it can be – is nonsensical.

Arsenal fans had better hope, ahead of Thursday, that no other players have the same attitude as the Swiss.

Oh dear Liverpool: when Divock Origi is your backup for the Champions League you know it is time to invest.

Look away now Liverpool fans: Roberto Firmino is a doubt for the Champions League clash against Barcelona after suffering a small muscle tear in training last week.

The Belgium forward has been tipped to step in if Roberto Firmino misses Liverpool’s huge trip to Camp Nou to face Barcelona on Wednesday.

The Brazilian was rested during last week’s 5-0 battering of Huddersfield Town after suffering what manager Jurgen Klopp called a “small muscle tear”.

Understandably the Liverpool boss is hopeful that the star forward will be available to play in the first leg of the Champions League semi-final in Catalonia, for what might be their best shot at European glory, despite reaching the final last year.

In the disastrous case of Firmino’s absence though, Origi has been nominated as the man to replace him, according to Anfield legend Mark Lawrenson.

“No Roberto Firmino would be a massive miss for Liverpool , he is the common denominator in the front three,” he told the Liverpool Echo.

“He just dovetails brilliantly with the other two [Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah] and he’s such a clever player, too.

“…Origi gives Liverpool something different to what Firmino does. He has great pace does Divock and can play alongside that frontline. He can even drift off to the left if he’s asked too and we’ve seen that this season.

“I wouldn’t say missing Firmino ‘weakens’ Liverpool as Origi just offers something a bit different, but I’d like them to go to Barcelona with Roberto Firmino in the squad.”

Unfortunately, we would have to disagree with this hopeful statement. Missing Firmino seriously weakens the Liverpool attacking line-up, and it brings to light just how necessary it is for Klopp to invest in the summer to bring in a suitable replacement. Someone, maybe, more like-minded and with similar qualities as the Brazilian. Someone that isn’t Divock Origi.

It is not that Origi is a necessarily bad player. He is not particularly good, no – but he does a job off the bench. However, when you are asking him to start in a Champions League semi-final then you are setting yourself up for a fall.

Liverpool fans, do you think you need to sign a new striker in the summer? Join the discussion by commenting below… 

يشعر مهاجم الفريق الأول لكرة القدم بنادي مانشستر يونايتد، ماركوس راشفورد، بالفخر بعد موافقة الحكومة البريطانية على خطته الجديدة لمساعدة الأطفال على محاربة فقر الغذاء.

وتحدث المهاجم مع رئيس الوزراء البريطاني، بوريس جونسون، يوم أمس السبت بعد فوز مانشستر يونايتد على إيفرتون في الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز، لمناقشة مساعدة الأسر الفقيرة في أشهر الشتاء.

يقود راشفورد حملة لتمديد مخطط الحكومة للوجبات المدرسية المجانية خلال العطلات لمساعدة العائلات المتعثرة، لا سيما تلك المتضررة من جائحة فيروس كورونا وإجراءات الإغلاق الأخيرة.

وكان راشفورد قد نجح في الضغط على الحكومة البريطانية في توسيع سياستها المتمثلة في توزيع وجبات مدرسية مجانية للأطفال خارج فترة الفصل الدراسي، ولكنه أطلق حملة في الشهر الماضي عبر شبكة الإنترنت مطالبًا فيها الحكومة بمد توزيع تلك الوجبات.

تمت الموافقة على الاقتراح في البرلمان البريطاني، ولكن هذا لم يحدث إلا بسبب الضغط المستمر من راشفورد، وخصص جونسون 170 مليون جنيه إسترليني لتوفير دعم إضافي للأطفال الذين يعانون خلال فترة أعياد الميلاد.

وأصدر راشفورد منشور عبر وسائل التواصل الاجتماعي جاء نصه كالتالي:

“أجريت محادثة جيدة مع رئيس الوزراء، لفهم الخطة المقترحة بشكل أفضل، أرحب بشدة بالخطوات التي تم اتخاذها لمكافحة فقر غذاء الأطفال في المملكة المتحدة.

لا يزال علينا الكثير للقيام به، وما يشغلني بشكل مباشر هو ما يقرب من 1.7 مليون طفل لا يحصلون على وجبات مدرسية مجانية، توفير العطلات والتأمين الصحي لأن دخل أسرهم ليس كافيًا، لكن الحكومة أظهرت نيتها الإيجابية اليوم.

فخور جدًا بحملتنا “US” كمجموعة من الشركات المحلية والعاملين في المجال الخيري والمتطوعين والمعلمين والأخصائيين الاجتماعيين، معًا استطعنا إظهار مدة قدرتنا على إظهار الرحمة والعطف على من يعانون من الأطفال.

ما حدث اليوم يجعلني فخورًا لما وصلنا إليه بعد الاتفاق مع الحكومة البريطانية، اعتبرها أعظم لحظة في حياتي لقد غمرني فيضًا من التعاطف والتفاهم خاصة وأننا لن نتخلى عن أطفالنا لن نتخلى عن مستقبل هذه البلد”.