All posts by z3u9t.icu

A number of Manchester United fans have been criticising the performance of Diogo Dalot in their 2-1 Champions League win at home to Villarreal on Wednesday night.

Cristiano Ronaldo spared Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s blushes with a last-minute goal after Alex Telles had cancelled out Paco Alcacer’s opener with a well-taken volley from outside the penalty box.

In spite of the win, Dalot endured a torrid time up against Arnaut Danjuma at right-back in place of the suspended Aaron Wan-Bissaka, and Villarreal’s goal came down his flank.

The Portugal international lost out on four of his duels and also failed to block any shots or make any key passes or accurate crosses in the game, losing possession of the ball on 11 different occasions (Sofascore).

Man Utd fans on Dalot’s performance

These United supporters on Twitter blasted the 22-year-old’s performance, with one Red Devils supporter even going as far as to claim that Dalot was a ‘liability’ last night:

“Dalot was never good enough but Trippier was too expensive for what #MUFC wanted to pay.”

Credit: @JohnMozMolloy

“Telles passed the test. Dalot needs to improve massively.”

Credit: @ant4177

“A superb win to overshadowed many errors. Dalot was extremely poor throughout. Midfield lacking ball providers. A simple crossing might lead to a goal but we didn’t do that till end of the game. Sancho not at his best. Greenwood should do better. Again late substitution.”

Credit: @RRajen81

“Dalot is one of the worst defenders I’ve ever seen. Don’t know why we kept him this summer. Rather give Laird a chance.”

Credit: @BallRaffles

“Dalot was so poor today. Watching his defending the goal. If he went down he would have blocked that cross”

Credit: @StanChurchill

“Great excitement, drama and a win in the end but why did it take 60 minutes for United to start playing with any urgency and attacking verve? I’ve got nothing personal against Dalot but he is an absolute defensive liability”

Credit: @philgoldsmith

In other news, Dalot wasn’t the only player to come in for criticism from some Man Utd fans last night

David Norris believes that Aston Villa are in the driving seat to sign Todd Cantwell from Norwich City. 

Sky Sports previously reported that Villa were expected to go after Cantwell should Jack Grealish complete his move to Manchester City, which was eventually completed last week.

Cantwell, who has been at Norwich City all of his career apart from a brief loan spell at Fortuna Sittard in 2017/2018, helped the Canaries gain promotion from the Championship to the Premier League last season, scoring six goals and setting up a further eight.

Should Cantwell make the move to Villa Park, he would be joining up with former teammate Emiliano Buendia, who made the switch earlier this summer, and David Norris believes that Villa are frontrunners for his signature, exclusively telling Transfer Tavern: “I think him being linked with Villa, it could be Grealish out, Cantwell in so that would make sense, I think that would put them in the driving seat for that one, good player, like him a lot.”

The Sun have claimed that Dean Smith may need to pay £40million to bring the midfielder to Villa Park but, after helping Norwich return to the Premier League at the first time of asking, it remains to be seen whether or not Cantwell will be keen on a move away from Carrow Road this summer.

A number of Liverpool supporters are happy that Jurgen Klopp has hinted at fielding a weakened team in tonight’s Champions League clash with Porto.

The Reds roared back into form last weekend, beating Arsenal 4-0 at Anfield in the Premier League. After dropped points against both Brighton and West Ham, it was the perfect response by Klopp’s men, who performed like title challengers against an in-form Gunners side.

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Domestic commitments make way for European duties tonight, with Liverpool taking on Porto at Anfield, having not only qualified for the knockout stages already but even won their group with two matches to spare.

The hope is that Klopp makes plenty of changes in order to keep legs fresh amid a spate of injuries, and speaking in his pre-match press conference on Tuesday [via journalist David Maddock on Twitter], he hinted at doing as such.

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Liverpool fans happy with Klopp’s team news hint

These Reds fans took to Twitter to react positively to the manager’s comments, claiming it would be a wise decision ahead of a busy schedule, as well as considering the costly three-month injury incurred by a flying Diogo Jota in a similar dead rubber against Midtjylland last December.

“Sense prevails”

Credit: @liamtogher88

“Bring it on. I want to see the most random starting 11 ever”

Credit: @TweetGiffen

“Good, we respected it by qualifying two games early. Play the under 12s”

Credit: @SirLeonP

“Get Carol & Caroline out on the pitch too I reckon”

Credit: @footyyuxun

“VAMOS”

Credit: @tombelcerf

“Get in, love it. Gordon, Kelleher, Morton all start I hope”

Credit: @LFCPG90

In other news, some Liverpool fans are excited about a Reds transfer rumour that has emerged. Read more here.

While Ange Postecoglou’s Celtic side endured a rather shaky start to their 2021/22 Scottish Premiership campaign, things have undoubtedly started to click under the leadership of the 56-year-old Hoops boss in recent months.

Indeed, a number of the Greek-Australian manager’s summer signings have hit a run of excellent form, with Kyogo Furuhashi having scored 13 goals and registered three assists over his 18 appearances for the club, Benfica loanee Jota having bagged six goals and six assists over his 14 fixtures in green and white and Liel Abada having netted seven goals and provided five assists over 22 appearances for the Hoops.

However, while the argument could be made that any one of these three players have been Celtic’s signing of the season, there is perhaps one summer addition who could be classified as something of an unsung hero at Parkhead – in the shape of Joe Hart.

Indeed, having arrived at Parkhead following two seasons in which the 34-year-old had played just 13 games of football, Hart has slotted into the role of Postecoglou’s number one seamlessly, with the former England international’s experience in the game bringing with it a sense of calmness and stability between the Celtic sticks that was desperately lacking last season.

This is an opinion that Chris Sutton clearly agrees with, as the former Bhoys centre-forward recently said of the shot-stopper: “I think he’s done really really well. What he had strongly in his favour was [Vasilis] Barkas and [Scott] Bain have just been so poor in the Celtic goal and it was a low bar. But he’s come in and it’s been a massive boost.

“I think that he’s brought a calmness and an authority at the back. You watched Celtic [last season], and with the greatest of respect to Barkas and Bain, every time they were in goal you thought Celtic are going to concede the goal. I don’t feel the same with Joe Hart and I think that’s an enormous deal. I think his experience has been important. I think he’s been an enormous signing and a massive plus for Celtic.”

Indeed, this is something that is reflected in the £1.8m-rated man’s statistics, as, over his 12 Scottish Premiership appearances, Hart has kept six clean sheets, won 85% of his duels and made an average of 1.8 saves per game – with these returns seeing the 34-year-old average a highly impressive SofaScore match rating of 6.91.

As such, while Kyogo, Jota and Abada may well steal the headlines for Celtic, the veteran goalkeeper has undoubtedly been just as important for the Bhoys this season, as the £15k-per-week shot-stopper has been the rock which Postecoglou is building his side upon.

In other news: Major boost: Ange drops key update on Celtic duo which should leave Bhoys fans buzzing

Express & Star journalist Luke Hatfield reckons Chelsea will struggle to sell Ross Barkley due to his inflated wages.

Barkley has returned to Stamford Bridge after spending last season on loan with Premier League rivals Aston Villa.

Villa opted against pursuing Barkley in a permanent deal after the midfielder made just 27 appearances as a hamstring injury limited his progress.

Barkley has two years remaining on his £96,154-per-week deal, which was signed following his £15million switch from Everton in 2018.

Reports suggest West Ham United are interested in the 27-year-old, with Hammers boss David Moyes keen to reunite with Barkley having played a key role in the early stages of his career at Everton.

Barkley is seen as a back-up option if the east Londoners fail to sign Jesse Lingard, who spent the second half of last term on loan from Manchester United.

However, Hatfield – who watched Barkley closely during his temporary spell at Villa Park – would not be surprised to see Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel struggling to offload the former England international midfielder.

Speaking exclusively to Football FanCast, he said: “I think Chelsea will struggle to ship him out, especially with the wages and money they want for him.

“They paid an awful lot for him and I don’t think there is a club who’s going to be willing to match that outlay.

“It’s unfortunate for the player because he could find himself in a sticky situation.” 

It’s set to be an intriguing summer for everyone involved with Leicester City Football Club as they attempt to build a side capable of breaking into the Premier League’s top four.

The Foxes have narrowly missed out on a Champions League qualification spot in the last two consecutive campaigns, but it appears as though the board are backing Brendan Rodgers in their pursuit of a place at Europe’s top table.

With experienced defenders Wes Morgan and Christian Fuchs calling time on their illustrious spells at the King Power Stadium and Jamie Vardy visibly declining at the top end of the pitch, Leicester are entering the next phase of their recent development.

It may be a period fraught with danger as Rodgers attempts to replace his reliable stars with youthful potential, however, it’s also an exciting new chapter for the current FA Cup holders.

Several big names such as Odsonne Edouard and Boubakary Soumare have been heavily linked with the Midlands outfit, although one of their prized assets has also been attracting admiring glances.

Youri Tielemans shone throughout 2020/21 and has reportedly been the subject of attention from Manchester United and Liverpool, but with the feel-good factor surrounding Leicester, we can’t see the 24-year-old departing just yet.

With that in mind, how would Rodgers’ starting XI look next season once the summer transfer window has concluded? Here’s our prediction…

In truth, it’s hard to predict how Rodgers will set up on any given day due to the fluid nature of the former Celtic and Liverpool boss’s style.

He often switches between a back three and a back four, but we’re opting for a back four on this occasion as the Northern Irish manager will want to make a winning start of the front foot.

In goal, the virtually ever-present Kasper Schmeichel is bound to start, yet ahead of him, the Denmark international may be faced with several changes.

Southampton left-back Ryan Bertrand has been linked with a move to Leicester on a free transfer this summer as Rodgers looks to replace Fuchs and provide cover for the 19-year-old Luke Thomas.

James Justin is expected to be sidelined for many months yet, so Bertrand may find himself in the starting XI come August.

The centre of defence may provide Rodgers with the biggest headache. Morgan’s exit means a new man will be needed and Burnley’s James Tarkowski (£30m) appears to be their number one priority. The highly-rated Wesley Fofana could edge ahead of the ageing Jonny Evans and Caglar Soyuncu in the race to partner the England international.

On the right side, a fully-fit Ricardo Pereira will battle with Timothy Castagne for a starting berth, while the Leicester engine room should also have a more familiar feel.

The immoveable duo of Wilfried Ndidi and Youri Tielemans will take up their usual occupancy in the centre of the pitch, but they could be joined by the powerful and technical Soumare (£18m) to add some extra stability.

In attack, the return of Harvey Barnes will add pace, directness and goals to what became a slightly limp forward line in his absence and the clever interchanging of Edouard (£18m) and Kelechi Iheanacho should compensate for Vardy’s drop off.

And, in other news…Get it done: Rudkin must seal Leicester City swoop for “complete” 21-goal sensation 

Michael Bridge has raised question marks over how serious Nuno Espirito Santo is prepared to take the UEFA Conference League.

Following their final-day victory over Leicester and fifth consecutive finish over Arsenal, Tottenham qualified for the inaugural competition after coming 7th.

However, it’s not exactly an attractive proposition for Spurs, with the winners qualifying for the Europa League, something Santo’s team will be expected to achieve via their league position.

For Tottenham’s opening game in the competition, the Portuguese made 11 changes for their play-off round first leg tie against Pacos de Ferreira, although the game was just four days after Spurs defeated Manchester City on the opening day of the season.

In fact, not one of the starters against City made the trip to Portugal.

With away goals a thing of the past in European competition, Santo’s side remain heavy favourites to overturn the one-goal deficit and progress to the group stages on Thursday.

But Bridge told Football FanCast that he’s unsure how seriously the club will take it:

“It’s up to Spurs fans what they think of it. I find it hard to be in it, it’s not arrogance, it’s just such a low competition.

“I don’t know how far they want to go, and I don’t know how important Nuno will see it.”

Many West Ham United fans have been delighted on Twitter, after comments emerges from star man Pablo Fornals suggesting that he would be open to retiring with the Hammers [Hammers News].

Over the course of his time in East London, it is fair to say the Spaniard has made a notable impact after a slow start, not only in terms of his playing style but his strong rapport with Irons fans.

In particular, 2020/21 was a season to remember for the 25-year-old, registering ten goal contributions in 36 appearances; six goals and four assists [Transfermarkt].

Now, his stock has been elevated to an all time high at the London Stadium, following a recent interview with Spanish outlet La Media Inglesa on YouTube.

As translated by Hammers News, the former Villareal man signified he’d be open to seeing out his career at West Ham, stating: “Now I am at that point where I am delighted here and I would stay until the end of my career because I am delighted”.

In light of hearing the comments, no wonder loads of West Ham United diehards took to social media to buzz over the prospect of Fornals playing out his career in the claret and blue.

West Ham United fans react:

Replying to West Ham Central on Twitter, here is what some fans had to say about the discussion:

“Just love this guy. I genuinely believe he would stay here for the rest of his career. Fornals”

Credit: @RockyWhu

“Top man! He is a great character and seems to be getting better and better”

Credit: @ExWHUemployee

“Genuinely refuse to believe there are hammers that don’t like this man. Legend”

Credit: @JJK996″Like I’ve always said, this guy understands the club 100%.”Credit: @FortunesAH”I would die for this man”Credit: @54fc875286444f7″One of my favourite players of recent years, gives everything for the badge”Credit: @samdruiffIn other news, West Ham United fans blast a poor performance. Find out more here.

According to a report by Sky Sports, as relayed by West Ham Transfers, the Hammers are now in talks with defender Vladimir Coufal and his representatives over a new and improved deal at the London Stadium.

Coufal, who signed last summer from Slavia Prague for just £5 million, has arguably been one of manager David Moyes’ best buys with the right-back drawing acclaim for his consistent performances over 2020/2021.

The 28-year-old was a mainstay throughout the campaign, starting 34 Premier League matches under Moyes, with the club now seeing fit to reward Coufal with a new and improved deal.

Sky Sports claim that the Irons have commenced talks with the player’s representatives over the revised terms with his current deal running until 2023.

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Only Tomas Soucek and Aaron Cresswell started more English top flight games this term, so a new deal seems like a fitting reward.

West Ham supporters certainly think so, with many of them flocking to social media in light of this development as one called it ‘absolutely huge news’.

Find all of their best verdicts down below.

West Ham fans buzz over Coufal talks

“Get it done @WestHam our best full back since Frank Lampard”

Credit: @RichardRf020370

“Deserves it. Unreal RB”

Credit: @joshbw13

“Give him what he wants”

Credit: @HR_WHU

“Lifetime contract pls. I want him teaching our kids.”

Credit: @jamiebaxter182

“Good! Deserves a significant pay rise”

Credit: @Joshua_Mbu

“Put your hand in your pocket the mans a star.”

Credit: @trevoroliver20

“This is absolutely huge news, love the man.”

Credit: @stephenlott

“Good news. He has been outstanding for us this season”

Credit: @FredJac07859045

In other news: West Ham fans flock to official club announcement, find out more here.

Aston Villa journalist Ashley Preece spotted manager Steven Gerrard turning away in ‘disgust’ after a Leon Bailey mistake against Leicester City. 

The lowdown

Gerrard named Bailey in his Premier League starting line-up for just the second time in 2022 ahead of the clash with the Foxes.

He played the full 90 minutes against Wolves at the start of the month, but aside from that he’d been limited to six substitute appearances since returning from a thigh injury.

The £28.8million, £85,000-per-week summer signing from Bayer Leverkusen slotted in alongside Philippe Coutinho and behind Ollie Watkins in the 4-3-2-1 formation.

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The latest

Preece noted shortly before half time at The King Power Stadium that Gerrard was left fuming after Bailey conceded a ‘daft’ free-kick 25 yards from the Villa goal.

It was ‘so sloppy’ from the Jamaican, he remarked, leading to the manager’s ‘disgust’.

Meanwhile, The Athletic’s Gregg Evans tweeted that Bailey was ‘really struggling’ in the first 45 minutes.

The verdict

The 24-year-old was unable to make any real impact in the first half against Brendan Rodgers’ side.

He finished the period with a meagre tally of 14 touches and four passes, having only attempted eight overall (via SofaScore).

Bailey won only one of the three ground duels he contested, and so it was no surprise to see Gerrard’s frustration mount.

Indeed, Preece also spotted the 41-year-old going ‘on at Bailey’ as he gathered his team near the touchline during a break in play.

It was something of a shock, then, to see him emerge for the second half. The manager might well have considered a change at the interval.

In other news, Villa are now in advanced talks over this signing.