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Former Tottenham Hotspur goalkeeper Paul Robinson has said that Mauricio Pochettino “harmed” Eric Dier by limiting his game time, in an interview with Football Insider.

What did he say?

Dier struggled for game time under Pochettino towards the end of the Argentine’s spell at Spurs, managing just 20 Premier League appearances last season.

However, he has become a key part of new boss Jose Mourinho’s plans and is set to be offered a new contract that will keep him at the club beyond 2021.

Asked why Dier has been struggling for game time in recent years, Robinson said the England man had been harmed by Pochettino.

“He had a lack of game time under Pochettino and that has harmed his season,” Robinson told Football Insider.

“Also if anyone was going to get moved about it was Eric Dier due to his versatility but maybe that works to his detriment.

“As he gets older I see him more as a centre-half. I think Dier is best deployed in a back-three.

“There was a time under Pochettino where you thought he was going to be leaving because he was not even in the squad. I hope he can get back to that and kick on after the new contract.”

Quick turnaround

There has been a quick turnaround in fortunes for Dier, who is now back in favour and looks set to earn a new deal.

The England international is versatile and has proven himself as a quality player when given the trust of his manager, and this appears to be what he has with Mourinho.

With Spurs now willing to offer him a new deal it shows how much he is valued and perhaps the fact that Pochettino was willing to phase him out shows why his time at Spurs came to an end.

Tim Spiers has revealed that Wolverhampton Wanderers are the club to have used the fewest players so far this season, with 20 in total, according to his article for The Athletic.

As per the report, whilst some clubs have perhaps been reluctant to embrace English football’s impending return, Wolves’ motivation levels for the next two months arguably could not be much higher.Currently sat in sixth place in the Premier League table on 43 points and potentially just two points off of a Champions League place, pending the outcome of Manchester City’s appeal against a European ban, Nuno Espirito Santo’s team have so much to play for, and that is without even discussing this season’s UEFA Europa League, which could be set to resume in August.The English top flight will look very different when it makes its comeback on June 17. WWFC players have experience of how things may play out from their behind-closed-doors encounter in Greece almost three months ago, as per the journalist.In that respect, they may be a step ahead of others in knowing how to deal with a silent stadium. All clubs in England’s highest division will also have carefully monitored the nuances in Germany and will likely be looking to see if they can replicate the social distancing rules whilst also seeing a football game of quality on the pitch.Clubs will also be able to name nine substitutes on the bench, as they can now use five across the game, meaning that 20 players can be named in a match day squad.With Wolves only using 20 players all campaign so far, perhaps this is something to look out for as it may mean that more of those in the squad get the opportunity to rack up a few appearances in the final few fixtures.Wanderers, are you looking forward to the term restarting? Comment below!

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…

Paul Gascoigne has hailed Tottenham Hotspur’s appointment of Jose Mourinho as their new manager, per Sky Sports.

What’s he said?

The former Chelsea and Manchester United boss was handed a three-and-a-half-year contract on Wednesday, less than 12 hours after Mauricio Pochettino was sacked.

Spurs, of course, are currently 14th in the Premier League, 11 points behind the top four.

And Gascoigne, who played for the club between 1988 and 1992, winning the FA Cup in 1991, believes Mourinho is a top appointment as Spurs look to claw that gap back.

He said: “The way Manchester City have put pressure on everybody, people are looking for the best.

“As far as I’m concerned, Jose Mourinho is an unbelievable manager.

“If I was a Tottenham player now and knowing Jose Mourinho was going to be the manager I would be more than happy.

“Have you had a look at what Jose Mourinho has won? Jesus. Alex Ferguson was an unbelievable manager, the best ever in the world, and Jose Mourinho isn’t far from him. You cannot get any better than him.”

Short-term success

Ferguson built a dynasty at Manchester United.

Mourinho has never lasted more than three years at a single club.

To compare the two, at this point, is faintly ridiculous.

Of course, the Portuguese’s trophy haul speaks for itself and he is as decorated a manager as Spurs could have found.

But is he going to outlast even Pochettino, who spent five-and-a-half years at the club?

One has to presume that the answer is no.

Thus, this is an appointment built on short-termism more than anything else, and on a desire to get back to winning ways as quickly as possible.

Don’t expect Mourinho to do for Tottenham what Ferguson did for United, not by a long chalk.

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

Wolverhampton Wanderers are surely set for a busy January transfer window, not at least as they look to cope with the demands this season’s Europa League has thrown at them.

BirminghamLive reported last month that the club were keen on adding a centre-back and a central midfielder at the next opportunity, and the former is now a pressing area of concern after mainstay Willy Boly broke his fibula during training.

Watch Wolverhampton Wanderers Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

Nuno Santo has used just 18 players in this season’s Premier League with summer arrivals Patrick Cutrone and Jesus Vallejo only combining for four starts, per WhoScored.

While the club have been linked to plenty of defensive options over the past week or so alone, Diego Llorente and Gabriel Magalhaes to name just two, they could instead make a rather exciting addition further up the pitch.

Italian outlet Tuttomercatoweb claim Wolves are ready to make an offer for Atalanta midfielder Dejan Kulusevski, and he could well be the perfect heir to Joao Moutinho’s throne.

Check out a hilarious review of Wolves’ new ‘Mexico’ kit in the video below…

On the Chalkboard

The 19-year-old has been outstanding whilst on loan at Serie A rivals Parma this season, scoring two goals and providing five assists, via WhoScored.

His performances have led to Italian media hyping him up to be the next Sergej Milinkovic-Savic, whose 33 goals and 24 assists in 177 appearances in midfield for Lazio has seen him frequently linked with a move to Manchester United, according to Sky in Italy via Sky Sports News.

And at the reported fee of £72m involved, it only highlights how much of a bargain Wolves would get in clinching the Swedish wonderkid as Kulusevski’s parent club are only demanding €25m (£21.5m) for his services.

Kulusevski is averaging 2.5 key passes, 2.4 dribbles and 1.2 tackles per game this Serie A campaign, which very much puts him in a similar mould to the Portuguese playmaker even if these numbers are actually vastly superior.

Moutinho has managed just 1.7 key passes and 0.5 dribbles per match in the Premier League this term.

Therefore, the Sweden U21 international would be the perfect man to take over from the 33-year-old as his career begins to enter its twilight years.

يستقبل ريال مدريد على ملعبه “ألفريدو دي ستيفانو”، اليوم السبت، نظيره أوساسونا في الدوري الإسباني.

طالع.. مباشر بالفيديو | مباراة ريال مدريد وأساسونا في الدوري الإسباني

ويحل أوساسونا ضيفًا على ريال مدريد لخوض مباراة الجولة 34 للدوري الإسباني الليجا.

أتلتيكو مدريد يتصدر ترتيب الليجا بـ73 نقطة، يليه ريال مدريد في المركز الثاني برصيد 71 نقطة ويتساوى معه الثالث برشلونة، وإشبيلية رابعًا بـ70 نقطة، وأوساسونا يتواجد في المركز 11 بـ40 نقطة.

وكانت مباراة الدور الأول بين الفريقين انتهت بالتعادل السلبي. معلق مباراة ريال مدريد وأوساسونا

يعلق على المباراة عصام الشوالي، عبر قناتي beIN sports HD1، وbeIN sports 1 HD premium.

يمكنكم مطالعة مواعيد ونتائج جميع المباريات لحظة بلحظة من مركز المباريات من هنا.

أكد رامون كالديرون الرئيس السابق لنادي ريال مدريد، أنه كان سيطلب من بابا الفاتيكان المساعدة في ضم ليونيل ميسي إلى ريال مدريد.

كالديرون الذي لم يتردد في الكشف عن إعجابه الكبير بـ ليونيل ميسي مهاجم برشلونة، المنافس الأبدي للنادي الملكي، أكد أنه كان مستعدا لفعل أي شيء من أجل ضمه.

طالع أيضًا.. تقارير تنفي اجتماع والد ميسي بـ برشلونة وتؤكد: يستعد للسفر إلى إيطاليا

وقال رامون كالديرون في تصريحات للبرنامج الإذاعي “سوبر ديبورتيفو” الأرجنتيني: “كنت سأفعل ما يُطلب مني من أجل ضم ليونيل ميسي إلى ريال مدريد”.

وأضاف: “كنت سأذهب إلى روما وأعود إلى البابا وأطلب منه مساعدتي، لقد حلمت كثيرًا برؤيته وهو يرتدي قميص ريال مدريد”.

وأشار: “كان من الصعب بل مستحيل أن نضمه لأنه كان لاعبًا لـ برشلونة، ولهذا السبب تعاقدنا مع كريستيانو رونالدو، كان ذلك من اهتماماتي وهوسي، لأنه كان اللاعب الآخر الذي يمكن أن يعوض ميسي في الوقت الحالي”.

واختتم: “كنا محظوظين بما يكفي لضم رونالدو، وقد عمل بشكل جيد للغاية، لقد جعلا بعضهما البعض –رونالدو وميسي- الأفضل في العالم”.

This article is part of Football FanCast’s Transfer Focus series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent transfer news…

According to Time Sport, as reported by Goal, West Ham tried to sign Mohamed Elneny from Arsenal during the summer.

What’s the word?

The Egyptian international was reportedly a wanted man over the transfer window, with a host of clubs interested in taking him away from the Emirates before he made a loan move to Besiktas.

His agent, Alaa Nazmy, has revealed that West Ham were amongst that list of clubs to make an offer to his client, though it is not clear whether they were interested in a permanent or short-term deal.

Watch West Ham United Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

The Hammers were linked with midfield players throughout the window, including Everton’s Andre Gomes, but in the end Manuel Pellegrini had to settle for what he had, with just four players on the books able to play in central midfield.

Interestingly, it doesn’t appear high on the list of his transfer agenda, instead focusing on adding a striker and a defender, but given the lack of depth and quality, not landing Elneny could be a chance missed.

Upgrade on current players

Although Declan Rice and Mark Noble have made the midfield their own since the beginning of last season, but there is a worrying lack of depth in the squad, with players such as Jack Wilshere and Carlos Sanchez lacking fitness, quality, or both.

The latter is a particular concern, and if he doesn’t make some kind of impact soon he will rightly be considered a flop – he might already be well on the way to that having picked up a 2/10 rating from Football London for his display against Oxford this term.

Since signing in the summer of 2018 he has made only 13 appearances for the club, achieving a WhoScored average rating of just six in 2018/19, and therefore hasn’t provided sufficient competition to West Ham’s regulars.

That should be a concern for Pellegrini, and Elneny would have likely solved that problem. He was often on the periphery at Arsenal but displayed his quality on the ball when he got the chance and having settled in the London area after arriving for £5m he could have been a good fit at the Hammers.

He played only 15 times for the Gunners last season but his pass accuracy never fell below 91% and he managed 1.6 tackles per league game, which shows that he would have added to West Ham in both attack and defence.

أجرت بعثة فريق نادي بيراميدز المسحة الرسمية للكشف المبكر عن فيروس كورونا والخاصة بمباراة الفريق أمام الرجاء المغربي في إطار لقاءات دور المجموعات من بطولة كأس الكونفدرالية الأفريقية.

ويحل بيراميدز ضيفًا على الرجاء المغربي في السادسة من مساء الأحد على استاد محمد الخامس بكازبلانكا في إطار لقاءات الجولة الثالثة من دور المجموعات من بطولة كأس الكونفدرالية.

اقرأ ايضًا.. إلغاء المؤتمرات الصحفية لمباراة بيراميدز والرجاء في الكونفدرالية

ويسعى بيراميدز لاقتناص ثلاث نقاط جديدة من الرجاء والابتعاد بالصدارة والوصول للنقطة التاسعة والاقتراب خطوة من التأهل للدور ربع النهائي من البطولة القارية.

يتصدر بيراميدز ترتيب المجموعة الرابعة برصيد 6 نقاط، ثم الرجاء في المركز الثاني برصيد 6 نقاط أيضًا، ونامونجو في المركز الثالث بدون رصيد من النقاط، وكذلك نكانا الزامبي في الجولة الرابعة بدون رصيد.

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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…

Talking to the Inside Elland Road Podcast, Yorkshire Evening Post journalist Joe Urquhart has given his verdict on Patrick Bamford and Eddie Nketiah, suggesting the former might be sweating.

What’s he said?

Bamford and Nketiah had two very different international breaks.

At the beginning the 25-year-old discussed the possibility of himself playing for the Republic of Ireland at some point, despite being born in England. Meanwhile, the Arsenal loan man scored on his debut for England U21s.

Bamford has had nearly two weeks away from the action, something that might’ve proved timely after his injury-stricken 2018/19 campaign.

The divisie striker has started all of Leeds’ Championship outings this term, gaining praise and criticism. However, considering Nketiah’s form, he’ll likely be breathing down Bamford’s neck.

Appearing on the Inside Elland Road Podcast, Urquhart said the following about the two forwards:

“Patrick Bamford must be sweating a little bit. I think given the misses we saw against Swansea – I didn’t think he played particularly too badly but strikers are judged on goals and their ability to find the back of the net. There were a couple of chances against Swansea. Nketiah missed one big one as well when he came off the bench.

“He’s pretty much everything you’re wanting from someone who’s coming on loan. He’s ticking every box. It’s great for Leeds in this scenario because Bamford has to start scoring otherwise he’ll be dropped and they’ve got someone there who’s hungry to prove themselves at this level.”

Positive situation for Leeds

Landing someone like Nketiah on loan this summer was particularly good business, particularly because after Kemar Roofe’s departure, Bamford was the only senior striker at the club.

Despite that, the 20-year-old has had to bide his time since he’s been at Elland Road.

Nketiah has found the net three times in just two starts across all competitions, scoring a late winner against Brentford in the league.

It only feels like a matter of time before he gets his opportunity but whether that’s alongside Bamford or on his own remains to be seen.

Bielsa has teased the idea of them playing together but it’s ideal that they have someone like Nketiah to fall back on if and when Bamford is out of form.

The youngster is a born poacher and the way he’s scored all three of his goals from close range sums that up.

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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… 

West Brom appear to be enjoying life under new boss Slaven Bilic after the heartbreak of being defeated in the Championship playoffs back in May.

The Baggies are unbeaten in the league, sitting in fourth place, just four points off current league leaders Swansea.

It could also be said that they haven’t even got out of first gear yet considering that summer arrival Charlie Austin, a predator in this league having netted 68 goals in 134 games, is still not fully fit.

They are still without Ahmed Hegazi, who was an integral part of their defence last season as he made 40 appearances.

Technical director Luke Dowling, who had a key say in Bilic’s appointment, has come out and said: “We also know that realistically a promotion chance is there. If it doesn’t happen this year, it will happen next year.”

That coincidentally is the time frame in which Bilic is contracted at the Hawthorns, so maybe it is a subtle hint at praising the Croatian’s exploits to date and his future plans.

On the Chalkboard

It is not as if the club performed poorly last season, they did indeed make the playoffs, but the atmosphere and feel around the west Midlands club is very much different – more positive is maybe the correct choice of words to use.

This has been highlighted by Matt Phillips signing a new three-year contract extension, citing his manager as the primary reason for doing so.

The 28-year-old labelled Bilic a ‘top manager,’ who has helped rejuvenate the club and that is the reason why West Brom have to be considered major contenders this season.

Watch West Bromwich Albion Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

His words, therefore, are already proving that Dowling’s decision was vindicated as he revealed his happiness at being at the Hawthorns.

Phillips is already just shy of half his total goal tally from last season having bagged two in six appearances and that’s all whilst competing with a trio of wingers who were signed on deadline day.

Fans have been praying West Ham don’t recall Grady Diangana this week whilst Matheus Pereira offered something new in midfield at the weekend.

Everyone seems to be happy and thriving under the Croat, so the appointment of the former West Ham manager already appears to be bearing fruit.

That has to continue, and if Dowling is correct, Bilic’s Baggies will be Premier League-bound by 2021.

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