General Football News
‘Very unlucky’: Bernd Leno reacts to Granit Xhaka’s blunder vs Burnley
Arsenal goalkeeper Bernd Leno has reacted to Granit Xhaka’s blunder during the club’s 1-1 Premier League draw at Burnley on Saturday. The Gunners took the lead after just six minutes through Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and should have doubled the advantage with the chances handed to them. However, they ended up going into the break with the scores level after a horrendous mistake from Xhaka. The Swiss midfielder asked for the ball from Leno in the six-yard box and attempted to clear across the face of goal. Instead, the ball struck Chris Wood’s hip and bounced into an empty net with Leno rooted at the far post. That happened to be the final goal of the game despite chances for both sides for the remainder of the contest. Speaking after the draw, Leno said that the club have been successful i...
Bruno Fernandes hits back at critics ahead of Manchester derby
Bruno Fernandes has responded to critics who claim he hasn’t done enough in the big games this season. Fernandes joined Manchester United in the January transfer window of 2020. Since then, he has been an absolute sensation, scoring 23 and assisting 17 in 41 Premier League appearances. Fernandes has enjoyed his time at Old Trafford However, the Portuguese playmaker has come under fire for his performances against the ‘big six’. He has faced Manchester City, Liverpool, Chelsea, Arsenal, and Tottenham Hotspur a total of 13 times in all competitions since coming to England, and is yet to record a goal or an assist from open play. This has led to accusations that the 26-year-old can’t handle the pressure of the big games. This weekend, he has an opportunity to silence the doubters against an i...
Bailly and Cavani start, Predicted Manchester United line-up (4-2-3-1) vs Manchester City
Manchester United are scheduled to face arch-rivals Manchester City on the road in tomorrow’s Premier League meeting. The Red Devils have lost momentum recently with three successive 0-0 draws with two of those coming in the top-flight against Chelsea and Crystal Palace. They are now a staggering 14 points behind leaders City, who are on a stunning 21-match winning run across all competitions. In reality, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side are no longer in title contention, but they will be determined to put an end to the Cityzens’ winning streak. They have beaten their fierce rivals in two of the previous three Manchester derbies in the league (one draw), and will be aiming for another strong result. Formation: 4-2-3-1 Predicted Line-up: David de Gea is unavailable for the game, having recently ...
‘Good news’: Pep Guardiola confirms Manchester City fitness boost for derby
Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola has confirmed a fitness boost ahead of the derby clash against Manchester United tomorrow. Nathan Ake has been out of action for the past few months with a hamstring concern, but he is now available to face the Red Devils. Speaking ahead of the game, Guardiola confirmed the return of Ake and added that there are no injury concerns within the squad. He told Mancity.com: “It’s good news for us. Nathan is back. He made the training sessions and felt really good.” “Everyone is fit. It is important for us and hopefully at the international break everyone comes back really well.” The Cityzens are on a stunning 21-match unbeaten streak across all competitions and they have won 15 in a row in the Premier League. They are two victories shy of Bayern Munich’s 23 su...
Premier League Player of the Month nominees for February announced
The nominees for February’s Premier League Player of the Month award have been revealed. Rather unsurprisingly, runaway leaders Manchester City are the most represented side on the shortlist with two nominees. This comes after a sensational February, which saw them pick up maximum points from six games, as well as victories in the FA Cup and Champions League. Meanwhile, arch-rivals Manchester United also boast one nominee, as well as West Ham United, Leicester City, Fulham, Wolverhampton Wanderers and Leeds United. The winner will be announced on Friday, March 12. Joachim Andersen – Fulham Andersen has been a crucial part of Fulham’s survival bid An underdog for the prize, Lyon loanee Joachim Andersen has starred in an impressive Fulham backline throughout February. The Whites kept four cl...
Arsenal announce huge losses following COVID-19 pandemic
Arsenal’s accounts for the 2019/20 season have been announced, revealing a massive £47.8 million loss. The figures cover the expenses during the time period from May 31st 2019 through to May 31st 2020. Therefore, Premier League matches played during June and July, as well as August’s FA Cup win, are not included in the report. August’s FA Cup triumph was not included in the accounts According to Football.London, the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent halting of all football cost the club £34m in broadcasting money, as well as £14m in matchday revenue. However, the £34m in broadcasting money will count towards next year’s accounts. The pandemic reduced the costs of running a football club, with £19m cost savings being made by the Gunners. This is largely made up from the pay cuts taken by fir...
Liverpool’s centre-back crisis worsens as Klopp confirms Kabak injury
Jurgen Klopp has confirmed that Schalke loanee Ozan Kabak is a doubt for Liverpool’s home game against Fulham on Sunday. Kabak was brought into Anfield during the January transfer window following a series of injuries at centre-back for Liverpool. Kabak in action against Sheffield United The 20-year-old has not made an ideal start to life in the Premier League. His debut came against Leicester City, where his mix up with goalkeeper Alisson allowed Jamie Vardy to tap home to put the Foxes 2-1 ahead late on. After a victory in the Champions League over RB Leipzig, the Turkey international was once again under fire after the 2-0 home defeat to Everton in the Merseyside derby. This was followed by a victory at Bramall Lane, before a 1-0 loss against Chelsea. Kabak is now believed to be a doubt...
Premier League fans call for VAR changes after controversial Thursday
VAR has once again taken centre stage after a highly controversial round of Premier League fixtures which saw three goals harshly ruled out. The first came at Craven Cottage in the clash between Fulham and Tottenham Hotspur. On loan striker Josh Maja thought he had netted an equaliser for the home side, only for the cameras to spot a handball by Mario Lemina in the build up. The game ended 1-0 to Spurs. Despite the fact that Lemina’s arms were quite clearly by his side, the goal was chalked off. The handball law states that intent doesn’t matter if a handball leads to a goal – which is a frankly ridiculous rule. Lemina has the ball booted at him and his arms are down by his side, I’m genuinely baffled how they’ve disallowed it. Premier League referees really do have a concerning lack of co...
How 50y/o reportedly feels about story claiming NUFC players want him to replace Bruce
The Daily Mail claimed last night that several Newcastle United players want assistant head coach Graeme Jones to immediately take over from boss Steve Bruce until the end of the season, believing he represents their best chance of avoiding the drop. It was reported that there is growing resentment towards the Magpies head coach in the dressing room, and that the players no longer trust and like him, with a training ground bust-up between him and Matt Ritchie on Tuesday fuelling the fire. However, the latest reports coming from The Telegraph have poured cold water on those claims, and Newcastle players are said to have contacted club officials to deny they wanted Bruce to be sacked. Some have also contacted the Newcastle boss directly, and they have dismissed the idea that they all want Jo...
‘He was furious & livid with me’ – Journalist shares how NUFC chief reacted to recent leak
Newcastle United goalkeeper Karl Darlow was dropped from the starting line-up for last weekend’s clash with Wolverhampton Wanderers, but the news leaked last Tuesday – four days before the game – and it got the Englishman angry. According to Sportsmail, his teammates were disgusted when news of Darlow being dropped appeared in the press last week. The Newcastle goalkeeper had not been informed, and they believe it was head coach Steve Bruce who leaked it. The Magpies boss told Darlow that he was not playing on Friday, and the keeper challenged him on the press report, but Bruce denied leaking it. The Telegraph’s Luke Edwards – a close friend of the Newcastle boss – who reported the story has revealed that Bruce was not his source, claiming that he was furious and livid with him for writing...
Report shares what will happen with Newcastle takeover if they get relegated
According to Independent, sources close to the Newcastle United takeover situation maintain that all parties in the consortium would still be interested even if the team are relegated to the Championship at the end of the season. The Magpies are currently just three points and a place above the drop zone after 26 Premier League games and fans are scared that they could go down. The attacking trio of Callum Wilson, Allan Saint-Maximin and Miguel Almiron are currently injured and not expected to return until after this month’s international break. According to The Telegraph’s Luke Edwards, Justin Barnes – the advisor of Newcastle owner Mike Ashley – has put takeover conversations on hold, and the club is not for sale right now. This was influenced by the injuries Saint-Maximin and Almiron su...
Gary Neville’s six-word reply to where Kane could end up next season
Tottenham Hotspur are currently six points off the Champions League places with a game in hand, and while they cannot be ruled out as far as a top-four finish goes, Jose Mourinho’s men are not one of the favourites based on current form. Their brilliant Europa League campaign and last weekend’s 4-0 demolition of Burnley do not mask how poor they have been recently, and their most realistic chance of playing in Europe’s elite competition next season will be by winning the Europa League. Former Manchester United star and Sky Sports pundit Gary Neville does not think that they will be playing in the Champions League next term if they continue on this current form. When asked by a fan during a Twitter Q & A about where Harry Kane could end up next season, Neville was in no doubt about thei...
