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Arsenal dodged a bullet – calamity keeper is an accident waiting to happen
No-one in football likes losing. However, the feeling of hurt is undoubtedly heightened when something negative happens during a game. That was certainly the case on Friday evening, as Brentford rode their luck to secure a 1-0 victory at Blackburn Rovers. In addition to being denied two clear penalties, the home side also suffered the blow of losing playmaker Bradley Dack to another serious injury. Dack has only recently returned from a lengthy spell on the sidelines, but his comeback looks set to be short-lived. We all hate losing but tonight the football match becomes insignificant when you see one of your brothers hurt. My thoughts and love with you @BradDacks40 💙🙏🏽 — Elliott Bennett (@Ebenno88) March 12, 2021 A clash with Brentford goalkeeper David Raya resulted...
Joe Cole says Chelsea need to sign £90m striker to challenge for Premier League title
Joe Cole has said that his former club Chelsea need to land the signature of Borussia Dortmund’s Erling Haaland to become genuine challengers for the Premier League title. The Blues have revived their season since the arrival of manager Thomas Tuchel in January, and they are unbeaten in 10 league games with six wins and four draws. Despite this, they are only lying fourth in the table, and there is a staggering 20-point gap between them and runaway leaders Manchester City. The west London side spent more than £225 million on new signings last summer, and there is the anticipation that they could go on another spending spree. Speaking to BT Sport via Goal.com, Cole said that the Blues can become regular title challengers in years to come, should they manage to land Haaland’s signature....
Barcelona trio ruled out of La Liga clash with Huesca
Barcelona’s pursuit of La Liga leaders Atletico Madrid continues on Monday as they welcome basement boys Huesca to Camp Nou. Ahead of the kick-off, Barca trail Diego Simeone’s side by six points but with a game in hand. Meanwhile, the newly-promoted visitors sit four points adrift of safety and are massive underdogs in this fixture. After a premature Champions League exit, the hosts can ill-afford to lose more ground on Atletico if they are to avoid another disappointing season. Barcelona Preview The Catalans have gone undefeated in 16 La Liga fixtures on the bounce (W13, D3) since suffering a 2-1 away defeat at Cadiz on Matchday 12 – the longest current unbeaten run in Europe’s top-five divisions. Ronald Koeman’s men have won ten of their previous 11 league matches (D1) by an aggregate sc...
The Next Football Thing…or is it?
I guarantee that by the end of this year, everyone will have heard of NFTs. Cards on the table, I had no clue what an NFT was until two months ago, and now rarely a day goes by without seeing a reference to them. Over the last two weeks, NFTs have started to be talked about by rock bands, art galleries and even Disney. So, what are they and how could they play a part in the future of football? Non-fungible tokens (NFT) are digital assets. They may not sound appealing, but they soon could be one of the most important transactional instruments used by us all. They are used to create and authenticate physical and virtual items such as sports memorabilia, artwork and music. Simple, right? Well, not quite. I’m not an expert on the in’s and out’s of NFT’s (but these guys are) and can explai...
Tactical Analysis: Pep Guardiola’s experimental field day for Manchester City against Fulham
After returning to winning ways in an emphatic manner against Southampton, Manchester City travelled to Craven Cottage to face a resurgent Fulham. Just after Thomas Tuchel’s failed experiment against Leeds United, Pep Guardiola decided to cross the back line bridge in the opposite direction as he went from a four to a three, and the Spaniard was a lot more successful. Despite a slow and disjointed first-half performance, City eased to a 3-0 victory thanks to quickfire goals in the first 15 minutes of the second period. In this analysis, we will attempt to break down the league leaders’ new system and see if it could have any reusage in the near future. They lined up in a 3-4-3, with Ederson in goal and John Stones, Rúben Dias and Aymeric Laporte in front of him. João Cancelo and ...
Atletico Madrid midfielder wants Bayern Munich switch
Spanish midfielder Saul Niguez is seeking a way out of Atletico Madrid this summer, reports Spanish outlet Diario AS. Saul came through the academy at Atletico Madrid, earning his professional debut in March 2012. His breakthrough into the starting XI came in the 2014/15 season following an impressive loan spell at Rayo Vallecano. Under Diego Simeone, the midfielder has won two Europa Leagues, one Copa del Rey, and finished as a runner up in the 2015/16 Champions League, losing to rivals Real Madrid in the final on penalties. He has also earned 19 caps for the Spain national team, scoring three times. Saul has been an important player for Atletico Madrid over the years However, it appears as if his time at the Wanda Metropolitano is set to come to an end this summer, with Diario AS re...
Leeds United join Arsenal in race to sign Dutchman with 12 international caps
Leeds United are likely to compete with Arsenal for the signature of Crystal Palace defender Patrick van Aanholt this summer, The Mirror reports. The Netherlands international has been with the Eagles since 2017 and he has accumulated 130 appearances for the club across all competitions. He was the subject of interest from the Gunners during the backend of the January transfer window as they were eyeing a back-up option for left-back Kieran Tierney. However, a deal never materialised and it appears that the Dutchman could leave the south London outfit on a free transfer when his contract expires in June. It is now reported that Leeds have entered the pursuit of the former Sunderland man as they are bracing for the departure of Ezgjan Alioski. The North Macedonia international has repo...
‘Absolute class’, ‘Fantastic’: Some Chelsea fans praise 29-year-old’s display in Leeds United draw
A selection of Chelsea fans on Twitter heaped praise on goalkeeper Edouard Mendy for his splendid performance against Leeds United on Saturday. The Blues went into the game with the chance to do the Premier League double over the Whites for the first time since the 1936/37 campaign. However, they were unable to do so as they settled for a goalless draw and needed to thank Mendy, who made two top-class saves between the sticks. The Senegalese international came up with a sublime finger-tip save to deflect Tyler Robert’s shot onto the cross bar in the first half. Prior to the hour mark, he produced the moment of the match. Raphinha shot on the turn took a deflection which saw Mendy wrong-footed. However, the 29-year-old managed to shift his weight and got a strong left hand to claw the attac...
‘He gives us confidence’: Thomas Tuchel reserves praise for Chelsea star after Leeds draw
Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel was hugely impressed with the performance of goalkeeper Edouard Mendy against Leeds United on Saturday. The Senegal international kept his 14th clean sheet of the Premier League campaign and he had to earn it after a couple of top-class saves. The 29-year-old denied Tyler Roberts his maiden top-flight goal in the first half by finger-tipping the Welshman’s effort onto the crossbar. Before the hour mark, he came up with a strong hand to claw away Raphinha’s shot on the turn, which initially wrongfooted him due to a deflection. The game eventually ended 0-0, but the hosts should have found the back of the net as Rodrigo squandered a wonderful chance from just 10 yards out. Speaking after the game, Tuchel described the team performance as ‘absolutely okay’, but a...
Amad and Shaw start, Predicted Manchester United line-up (4-2-3-1) vs West Ham United
Manchester United will be aiming to return to winning ways when they host West Ham United in the Premier League this evening. The Red Devils produced a disappointing showing in midweek as they drew 1-1 against AC Milan in the first leg of the Europa League last 16. Both Harry Maguire and Daniel James missed golden chances to find the back of the net and that could come to haunt them in the return leg at San Siro. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side must score against the Rossoneri on the road to have any chance of reaching the last eight of the competition. Prior to that, their focus will be on the league meeting against the Hammers, whom they have beaten twice in the season already (league and FA Cup). The club are dealing with several injury concerns and it could be a tricky game against the Ham...
‘Different class’, ‘Absolute quality’: Some Man City fans praise 26-year-old’s display at Fulham
A selection of Manchester City fans on Twitter praised the performance of John Stones during the Premier League clash at Fulham yesterday. The Englishman has been in exceptional form this term and he has formed a solid partnership alongside Ruben Dias at the heart of the defence. He bagged yet another clean sheet in the 3-0 win over the Cottagers on Saturday, but his most important involvement came in the final third of the pitch. The Cityzens struggled to find the breakthrough in the opening half which ended goalless as the Cottagers showed good defensive resolve. The deadlock was broken in the 47th minute as Stones beat Alphonso Areola with a right-footed effort from six yards out after a wonderful Joao Cancelo cross from the left flank. Pep Guardiola’s side eventually secured a comforta...
‘Very happy with him’: Ole Gunnar Solskjaer confirms contract talks with 26-year-old star
Manchester United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has confirmed that the club have started contract negotiations with Eric Bailly and his representatives. The Ivorian is in his fifth season with the Red Devils, but he has played only 100 appearances due to regular injury setbacks. Bailly has picked up more than a dozen injuries during his time at Old Trafford, but he has still been a quality performer when picked at the heart of the defence. He is no longer a regular starter with Victor Lindelof and Harry Maguire preferred ahead of him, but Solskjaer has been left impressed with his recent displays. Speaking ahead of the West Ham United game on Sunday, Solskjaer confirmed negotiations are underway to extend the defender’s contract, which expires in June next year. He told Manutd.com: “Yes, we ar...
