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‘He will be out for a long time’: Guardiola confirms Fernandinho injury blow
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has confirmed that midfielder Fernandinho will be out for a long time after picking up an injury against Porto in the Champions League last night. The Brazilian midfielder is a key player for City and his absence will be a major blow for the side. The Premier League giants are already dealing with injuries to Laporte, Mendy, Ake, De Bruyne and Jesus. Fernandinho’s versatility and experience makes him an even bigger miss. The Brazilian has been ever-present for Manchester City since his move to Etihad. He can play as a defensive midfielder as well as a centre back and it will be interesting to see how Guardiola’s side cope with his absence. Fernandinho came on with just six minutes left but he had to off almost immediately with a knock. Guardiola will b...
Ian Wright gives verdict on Mesut Ozil situation at Arsenal
Ian Wright has taken to Twitter to give his reaction to Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta deciding to leave Mesut Ozil out of his Premier League squad. Ozil was earlier omitted from Arsenal’s Europa League squad, and Arteta has decided to leave him out of his Premier League squad as well. The German attacking midfielder has been on the books of the Gunners since the summer of 2013 and is out of contract at the North London club at the end of the season. Arsenal legend Wright has given his take on Ozil’s situation, and he has admitted that he is disappointed that the 32-year-old is not going to play for the Gunners. Football will never stop surprising me. The fact that whatever has gone on couldn’t be resolved between the club & Mesut is sad. Sad for everyone involved and I can only se...
Marcelo Bielsa says Aston Villa ace Jack Grealish ‘very good player’
Leeds United head coach Marcelo Bielsa has raved about Aston Villa attacking midfielder Jack Grealish, as quoted in Leeds Live. Grealish, who can operate as an attacking midfielder or as a winger, is set to start for Villa in their Premier League game against Leeds at Villa Park in the Premier League on Friday evening. Ahead of the match, Bielsa has spoken highly of the England international, and believes that the 25-year-old is going to grow as a player. Leeds Live quotes Bielsa as saying about Grealish: “He’s a very good player. It’s normal for a player once he’s been called up for the national team that he’s going to be confident and grow.” Jack Grealish is on fire Grealish has been superb for Villa so far this season, and has played an important role in Dean Smith’s side winning all fo...
Europa League Match Preview, Team News and Predicted Line-up: Tottenham Hotspur vs LASK
Tottenham Hotspur host Austrian side LASK tonight as the 2020-21 Europa League campaign kicks off, and Jose Mourinho’s men will look to quickly put Sunday’s disappointing 3-3 draw with West Ham United behind them. [embedded content] The Portuguese won the Europa League with Porto in 2002-03 and with Manchester United in 2016-17, and he will be keen to do it with Spurs. The North Londoners have been drawn alongside LASK, Ludogorets and Royal Antwerp in Group J, and they are huge favourites to top the group and progress to the round-of-32 with some games to spare. A convincing victory is expected at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium tonight, but the hosts can’t afford to belittle any team after some of the experiences they had during the qualifying rounds. Spurs have a decent squad depth after d...
Liverpool star slams Jordan Pickford for his reckless tackle on Virgil van Dijk
Liverpool defender Virgil van Dijk picked up a knee injury against Everton over the weekend and the Dutchman is set to be sidelined for several months. It seems unlikely that the player will return to action again this season and his teammate Gini Wijnaldum has now hit out at Jordan Pickford whose reckless tackle resulted in the long-term injury to Van Dijk. During the pre-match presser for the Ajax game, the Dutch midfielder revealed that it was a stupid tackle and the Everton player did not bother to think about the consequences when he went into the challenge. Wijnaldum also claimed that reckless tackles like this have been quite common from Everton players in the derby games. Wijnaldum on van Dijk’s injury: “Of course we are upset. The way Pickford went in was completely stupid. I don’...
Is This The End Of VAR?
The subject of VAR continues to divide fans as Liverpool were denied a goal and a penalty in the 238th Merseyside Derby. With David Coote, the then VAR official, unaware that Pickford’s challenge could still command a red card despite the offside flag, Liverpool fans no doubt will feel further aggrieved. Even the most ardent of opposition fans would agree that Pickford’s actions merited a sanction. Klopp On VAR Following the final whistle, Jurgen Klopp echoed the feelings of most neutrals alike, when asked to comment on Henderson’s disallowed goal. When speaking to Match Of The Day, Klopp went on to say: “I don’t know where the line is where you can do offside.” The adage of LIVARPOOL does not seem to hold any weight in light of the recent decisions against Liverpool. VAR C...
Ferdinand thinks Solskjaer will be frustrated with Man Utd’s transfer failings
Former Manchester United player Rio Ferdinand believes Ole Gunnar Solskjaer will be frustrated with the club’s failings in the transfer market this summer. Ferdinand said (via Express): “I would say if I was sitting in his shoes I would be very frustrated. “I said earlier I was filled with optimism at the end of last season. Got the team into Europe, the Champions League, which I’m sure would have been part of what was on the tin to do. “But I feel in terms of acquisitions in the transfer market he’ll be frustrated because he hasn’t got what he wanted. “I don’t feel that whatever they’ve got in this window has improved the first 11. That’s the problem.” Manchester United failed to sign some of their top targets including Jadon Sancho from Borussia Dortmund. Solskjaer would have wanted...
Report: Liverpool want RB Leipzig centre-back Dayot Upamecano
According to The Transfer Window Podcast, RB Leipzig centre-back Dayot Upamecano is Liverpool’s first choice as they look to buy a new defender when the transfer window opens in January. The Reds have been dealt a massive blow with Dutch centre-back Virgil Van Dijk likely to miss the rest of the 2020-21 season after rupturing his ACL (anterior cruciate ligament) during weekend’s Merseyside derby. They currently have the trio of Joel Matip, Joe Gomez and defensive midfielder Fabinho as their only centre-back options, and landing another defender in the winter is pertinent. Upamecano was the defender Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp identified ahead of the summer transfer window as a replacement for Dejan Lovren, but a move couldn’t work out, with the coronavirus pandemic affecting their plans...
Watford striker Troy Deeney admits he held talks over summer move
Watford striker Troy Deeney has admitted that he considered leaving the club during the summer transfer window. The 32-year-old striker expressed his desire to play in the Premier League following Watford’s relegation to the Championship last season. Deeney has now admitted that he held talks with various parties over a potential summer exit from Vicarage Road. The veteran striker was heavily linked with a move to Tottenham Hotspur during the summer transfer window. Sky Sports reported last month that Spurs had identified Deeney as a potential back-up option for Harry Kane. When Deeney was asked whether he ever had a conversation with Spurs boss Jose Mourinho, the striker replied: “I saw Jose at the Watford Spurs game in pre-season. That’s all I’ll say.” Deeny remained at Watford and ...
Report: West Ham United open contract talks with Declan Rice
According to The Transfer Window Podcast, West Ham United are looking to offer defensive midfielder Declan Rice a new improved deal in order to keep suitors at bay ahead of the January transfer window. Chelsea were keen on signing the England international during the summer transfer window, but the Hammers insisted he wasn’t for sale and managed to hold on to him. Rice still has four years left on the deal he signed in December 2018, and there is an option to extend it by another year. West Ham aren’t looking for another extension, and are only keen to increase his wages and bonuses instead. They fear Chelsea could return in January with an improved bid and juicy personal terms for Rice, and they want to reward their academy graduate for the good job he has done so far. The 21-year-old fea...
Twitter reacts to shock Chelsea announcement
Chelsea submitted their 25-man Premier League squad yesterday, and the London club threw in a shocking name – Petr Cech. Cech was on the books of Chelsea from 2004 until 2015 before he moved to London and Premier League rivals Arsenal. During his time at Stamford Bridge, the former Czech Republic international established himself as one of the best goalkeepers on the planet and as a world-class player. Cech won the Premier League title as many four times, the FA Cup also on four occasions, and the Champions League and the Europa League once each. The former Sparta Prague and Rennes custodian then moved to Arsenal in 2015, and he slotted straight into the starting lineup at the Gunners. During his time at the Emirates Stadium, Cech won the FA Cup once and reached the Europa League final in ...
Mesut Ozil makes a promise to Arsenal fans, but is it all over for him?
Mesut Ozil has expressed his disappointment on Twitter at not being included in Arsenal’s Premier League squad. Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta left Ozil out of his Europa League squad for the 2020-21 campaign, and the Spaniard has decided to omit the former Real Madrid attacking midfielder from the Premier League squad as well. The 32-year-old German has not played a single competitive game for the Gunners since March, and with his contract running out at the end of the season, there is a very good chance that he may have played his last game already for the North London club. Although Ozil has made it clear on Twitter that he is very disappointed with Arteta’s decision, he remains confident in his ability and has vowed that he will continue to work hard and try to get back in the squad. &#x...
