All posts by n8rngtd.top

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Tottenham fans have taken to Twitter to heap praise on Moussa Sissoko after the midfielder’s performance against Leicester, as they reflect on what has been an excellent season for the 29-year-old having previously been considered something of a laughing stock.

Sissoko arrived in north London on deadline day back in 2016 for a huge £30m fee, rejecting Everton’s advances in favour of linking up with Mauricio Pochettino at the old White Hart Lane.

However, he made just eight Premier League starts in his first season with the club, and the Argentine manager even admitted in 2017 he would have sold the midfielder last summer if there had been an acceptable offer on the table.

Be sure to check out the incredible story of the man who rose from a Tanzanian refugee camp to become one of Australia’s biggest football stars in the video below…

This season, in stark contrast, the France international has found himself in a Spurs shirt, emerging from the shadows to replace the injury-stricken duo of Victor Wanyama and Mousa Dembele – the latter of whom left the club in January.

Sissoko has become a workhorse in the middle of the park and has stepped up in their time of need, much to the admiration of Tottenham fans on Twitter who thought they’d never see the day…

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West Ham are reportedly open to offers for Arthur Masuaku this summer, as reported by the print version of the Daily Mirror (12/2/19, page 56), via HITC.

What’s the word, then?

The DR Congo international has made 14 Premier League starts for the Hammers this season out of a possible 26, which suggests that boss Manuel Pellegrini doesn’t really trust him to play regularly.

In fairness to the Chilean, he is more than justified in leaving the former Olympiacos man out if that is the case. Masuaku is a huge liability from a defensive aspect, and whilst he does offer some sort of threat going forward thanks to his dribbling skills and decent crossing ability, his work at the back is too poor to see him included consistently.

Be sure to check out the incredible story of the man who rose from a Tanzanian refugee camp to become one of Australia’s biggest football stars in the video below…

Having said that, in his time on the pitch so far this season, the 25-year-old has still only delivered just the single assist, which proves that his offensive ability isn’t even that good enough to offset his defensive flaws and warrant a place in the team.

West Ham need a new starter in that area

Masuaku’s rival for the left-back position in Aaron Cresswell isn’t exempt from criticism either.

The England international has made fewer league starts that Masuaku with just 12 to his name, and where he does provide a more solid option defensively, he is lacking in terms of going forward – the Hammers are in need of someone who can do both jobs effectively.

Currently, the left-back position is looking like a real problem area for the east Londoners, and Pellegrini could do with a new face in the summer to ensure that Cresswell and Masuaku’s respective weaknesses don’t cost the Irons any more points.

Pellegrini is already attempting something of a transition from the declining Pablo Zabaleta to the younger Ryan Fredericks over in the right-back position, and he needs to undertake a similar overhaul at left-back to shore up his defence.

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Chelsea host Manchester United at Stamford Bridge on Monday night in an FA Cup fifth round clash.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side will be looking to bounce back with a win, with the Norwegian coach having suffered his first defeat as Red Devils boss against PSG in the Champions League last time out. However, the loss of Jesse Lingard and Anthony Martial to injury will come as a real blow to the visitors.

Maurizio Sarri needs a positive result too. The Blues have lost three of their last four Premier League games. The Italian manager now finds himself under pressure in west London, but the boost of cup progression could spark his ailing side back into form.

Monday night promises an exciting encounter between two of the heavyweights of English football. Ahead of the game, Football FanCast have taken a look at the key tactical factors that could decide the outcome of the match…

The Key Battle – David Luiz vs Marcus Rashford

Solskjaer has made it plain that he prefers Marcus Rashford to Romelu Lukaku, so it will almost certainly be the 21-year-old Englishman leading the line against Chelsea. The striker has been in fine form in recent weeks and will fancy his chances against the Blues’ unconvincing backline.

With his pace, Rashford can offer a constant threat by running in behind the Chelsea defence and his athleticism and intelligent movement will surely test David Luiz in the heart of the home side’s backline.

The Brazilian defender is more than capable of losing focus and committing a costly error, and Rashford will be alert to that fact.

However, Luiz also has the capacity to hurt United. The 31-year-old has great creativity and vision and the ability to play accurate long balls over the top of the opposition defence with regularity. Rashford must be diligent in harrying, pressing and closing down Luiz to ensure that he isn’t given the time and space to pick out these potentially killer passes.

Jurgen Klopp has gotten quite inventive with his excuses this season. FFC’s James Jones think he has no one but himself to blame for Liverpol’s poor form in the video below…

The Deciding Factor – Removing Chelsea’s Lynchpin

Sarri’s team have a very defined style that the manager trusts. This system is heavily dependent upon midfielder Jorginho. The 27-year-old sits at the base of the Blues’ midfield, where he can see a lot of the ball, dictate the pace of the game, and orchestrate play.

If allowed to perform this role unchallenged, the 13-cap Italy international can pull the Red Devils apart. However, when Jorginho has been targeted by opponents this season, Chelsea have often come unstuck.

As Arsenal recently demonstrated, tasking a man with the duty of constantly marking Jorginho and putting the midfielder off his rhythm has a devastating effect on Chelsea. With Jorginho’s limited mobility and physicality exposed, Chelsea lose their lynchpin and then begin to look listless and bereft of fresh ideas.

Solskjaer must appropriate this tactic himself and set one of his men on Jorginho. Ander Herrera would be the perfect candidate for this task, as he possesses the requisite pace, agility, stamina and work rate to unsettle Jorginho for 90 minutes.

The Impact Subs – Olivier Giroud vs Alexis Sanchez

Olivier Giroud’s reputation as an impact substitute is as stellar as they come. The Frenchman has a knack of coming off the bench and reinvigorating his team by bringing a new dimension to their attack.

Giroud is an extremely effective target man, able to hold up the ball and bring his teammates into play in the final third. The likes of Eden Hazard and Willian can then thrive off linking up with the former Arsenal striker.

United’s injury worries mean that Alexis Sanchez and Lukaku are both now likely to feature in the starting XI, the Belgium international reprising his role on the right. This will of course mean a weakened bench for Solskjaer to be able to call upon, but Juan Mata still offers a lot of quality if he is needed.

The former Chelsea midfielder lacks pace, so won’t offer the Red Devils a great deal of threat on the counter-attack. However, if Chelsea begin to sit deep, then the Spaniard’s vision and creativity could prove key to breaking down the Blues’ lines of defence.

The introduction of Mata may change the pace of game, but that could play into Solskjaer’s hands. The addition of Mata’s guile and invention offers the United manager a plan B he could decide to turn to – a decision which could turn the tide of the battle on the pitch.

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A number of former international players and now pundits have been debating Declan Rice’s decision to switch his allegiance from the Republic of Ireland to England, with John O’Shea one who has expressed his concern at the move.

What’s the word, then?

Well, the London-born midfielder appeared three times for Ireland before announcing earlier this month that he had chosen to represent the country of his birthplace instead, which has created plenty of debate.

Lee Dixon, Chris Sutton and the Irons star’s ex-international teammate O’Shea were among the pundits having their say on BBC Radio 5 live’s Monday night club, with the latter praising the 20-year-old but also suggesting he could live to regret his decision.

The Reading defender said, via BBC Sport: “I saw him involved with the Ireland squad and he looked the real deal – then England came calling and his mind was changed.

“He’s a very good player – his temperament, attitude is top-class.

“At the minute, he looks like he could get into England squad and improve it, but that could change very quickly.

“You don’t know what is around the corner, injuries, form, other English players coming through and the competition he could face.”

Is he right?

Yes and no.

As things stand, England don’t have a plethora of defensively-minded central midfield players to choose from with Eric Dier and Jordan Henderson perhaps most suited to the role right now, and therefore there is plenty of scope for Rice to be involved in the squad at the very least.

The West Ham star has been a shining light for his club this season and if he continues to put in the same level of performance on a consistent basis, then Gareth Southgate will be left with little option than to put him in or around the starting XI – something he won’t be complaining about.

That said, O’Shea is right when he says things can change quickly at international level with younger players emerging all of the time, but as long as the 20-year-old continues to do what he is doing and keeps his feet firmly on the ground, he won’t have anything to worry about.

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Tony Cascarino has ripped into Liverpool striker Daniel Sturridge in his latest The Times column following the striker’s cameo against Manchester United at Old Trafford on Sunday.

What’s the word, then?

Well, the Reds missed the opportunity to extend their lead over Manchester City at the top of the Premier League standings as they were held to a goalless draw against the Red Devils.

Sturridge wasn’t actually named in Jurgen Klopp’s starting XI but he replaced the injured Roberto Firmino just after the half-hour mark against Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s men, but failed to make much of an impact in the final third.

Speaking to The Times, Cascarino said: “Daniel Sturridge was shocking when he came on and Mohamed Salah looked out of sorts.”

The 29-year-old was making his 21st appearance of the season for the Merseyside outfit, and he has scored four goals and provided a further assist.

Is he right?

While in some ways he may well have been right, it’s not exactly as though Liverpool were at their attacking best against United and Sturridge was simply the weak link.

The usually reliable duo of Sadio Mane and Salah also struggled to do what we have all seen them do so often before, and therefore it seems harsh to blame the England striker on this particular occasion.

It is never easy to come on in a game of this magnitude where both sides are largely cancelling each other out, and Cascarino should cut the former Chelsea and Manchester City man some slack.

Sturridge is still one of the best back-up centre-forwards in the Premier League, and he can still have a big part to play during the title run-in.

On May 21st 2017, Declan Rice made his debut for West Ham United against Burnley in the Premier League. 

A lot of supporters were shocked at Slaven Bilic’s decision to gift Declan Rice his debut, as they took to Twitter to express their feelings.

Declan Rice’s journey with the Hammers started in 2014 when he joined up with the Academy following his release by Chelsea at the age of 14. He went on to establish himself in the Academy ranks and signed his first professional contract as his 17th birthday approached, as well as winning the Dylan Tombides Award.

The midfielder received his first call-up to the senior squad on the 26th of December 2016, but he had to wait until the 21st of May 2017 to make his first-team debut for the Hammers against the Clarets at Turf Moor.

Slaven Bilic called for the then 18-year-old to replace Edimilson Fernandes. He received less than five minutes on the field but it’s safe to say that many fans will remember that specific day as a star was born at West Ham United.

Unsurprisingly, many fans were shocked to see Bilic introduce a youngster to the fray as David Gold wasn’t exactly in favour of youth players breaking into the first-team, so Rice’s debut was a rather iconic day for West Ham United.

Indeed, the 20-year-old has established himself as one of the shining lights for the Hammers in the current campaign, as well as becoming one of the hottest prospects in English football. His performances in the middle of midfield have been invaluable and he will continue to play a huge part for the London club from here on in.

West Ham United fans, surely you must be pleased Bilic gifted Rice his debut back in May of 2017? 

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Barnsley face a potentially season-defining clash on Tuesday night when they host Sunderland at Oakwell.

The Black Cats are currently hot on Barnsley’s heels in the League One table in the race for promotion. Defeat for the Tykes would see Sunderland move to just a point behind them with a game in hand.

It is vital that Daniel Stendel’s side don’t lose the initiative in this race by losing at home on Tuesday. Fortunately for them, though, Jack Ross’ side will arrive already weakened.

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On the chalkboard

According to the Sunderland Echo, the visitors will be without the injured Reece James, Tom Flanagan, Duncan Watmore and Chris Maguire for the mid-week clash, with club-captain George Honeyman also ruled out with suspension.

All five are first team players whose absence will surely be felt by the Black Cats. 

Stendel should be prepared to set up his team in a manner that will allow them to exploit Sunderland’s injury-caused weaknesses.

Time to take advantage 

Without Honeyman, Watmore or Maguire, Sunderland will certainly be less creative and dynamic in the final third. This should give the Tykes the confidence to be aggressive and take the game to the visitors. In doing so, they should also be able to test Ross’ rearguard, which will be without Flanagan and James. 

Sunderland’s injury crisis gives Barnsley an opportunity that they cannot afford to fail to take advantage of. If Stendel’s side aren’t able to put the weakened Black Cats outfit to the sword then it could have dire consequences for their promotion ambitions. 

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Philippe Coutinho has sensationally issued a ‘come-and-get-me’ plea to Manchester United as he looks to escape his nightmarish stint with Barcelona, as reported by The Mirror.

What’s the word, then?

Well, the Brazilian international left Anfield in January 2018 after a protracted transfer saga between Liverpool and Barcelona finally came to an end. Coutinho ended up costing the Catalan club a whopping £146m, but has largely disappointed during his time in La Liga having failed to discover a consistent run of form.

The 26-year-old has scored just 18 goals and assisted a further 11 in 61 appearances for Barcelona, and has been booed by the club’s fanbase following a string of underwhelming performances.

Be sure to check out the incredible story of the man who rose from a Tanzanian refugee camp to become one of Australia’s biggest football stars in the video below…

He does, however, remain a world-class talent who reportedly misses the Premier League, which has resulted in the playmaker discussing a move to Manchester United with some of the Red Devils’ current players.

Tarnishing his legacy at Liverpool even more

The Reds’ fanbase are divided over the former Inter Milan star after the manner in which he left the club. Some would still take him back with open arms and miss what he bought to the side, whilst some feel that the way in which he left the club was disrespectful and unprofessional.

However, one thing that would be set in stone is that, if Coutinho were to sign for United, who are one of Liverpool’s biggest rivals, then his reputation at Anfield would be tarnished forever – he would surely become public enemy No.1 on Merseyside if he were to rock up at Old Trafford.

The Liverpool fanbase are very passionate, and have long memories when it comes to stuff like this. Should he return to England to sign for a major rival, having acted so poorly in wanting to leave Liverpool, then Coutinho should expect boos everytime he faces the Reds for the rest of his career.

Aston Villa fans have been living in dreamland in recent times as Dean Smith continues to get the very best out of his side, with a play-off spot now well within their sights.

It’s safe to say that Smith’s January transfer window signings have had a huge influence on how things have panned out during the second half of the season as the likes of Tyrone Mings and Kortney Hause have worked wonders.

Hause has been simply sensational in recent games as he continues to enjoy a rich vein of form and he even managed to find the back of the net against Nottingham Forest. The Villans have conceded just once in the three matches that the Englishman has started in, which just goes to show much of an influence he’s had.

But, securing a summer deal for the central defender may be difficult as his parent club Wolverhampton Wanderers will be well aware of his performances at Villa Park, so they could look to include him in their plans next season.

Villa simply must make him their top summer target as he’s helped cure their central defensive woes and has already built a formidable partnership with Mings. Indeed, many supporters feared the worst when James Chester suffered an injury but Hause has made fans forget all about the Welshman as he’s made the position his own.

The 23-year-old is clearly enjoying life at Villa Park and he’s already found a place in the hearts of many supporters, so he may be open to a permanent move in the summer transfer window.

Aston Villa fans, would you like to see Kortney Hause at Villa Park permanently? Surely he’s done enough to warrant a permanent move…

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Leeds United centre-back Pontus Jansson was ruled out for up to three weeks only last week following a knee issue he suffered against Sheffield United.

But now trusted journalist Phil Hay has uttered six words Whites fans should love in a Yorkshire Evening Post article ahead of the visit of Millwall on Saturday –  “Jansson could unexpectedly retain his place.”

What’s the word, then?

Well, it seemed certain that the Yorkshire outfit would be without the Sweden international for the clash against the Lions following the problem he suffered against the Blades.

However, according to Hay in the Yorkshire Evening Post the 28-year-old has made great progress and is now battling to make the starting XI on Saturday, which would be a huge boost for the Whites as they look to return to the automatic promotion spots in the Championship.

He and captain Liam Cooper have forged a strong partnership at the heart of Leeds’ defence this term, and while Gaetano Berardi or Kalvin Phillips could fill they would be in a much better place if their Scandinavian talisman was on the pitch instead.

Leeds fans in dreamland?

They should be, yes.

The Elland Road faithful would have been gutted when they heard that the fans’ favourite could miss the next league game, and the possibility of having a player that clearly loves the club on the pitch in what is sure to be a battle against Neil Harris’ men is the best possible news.

With eight games to go it is all to play for between Norwich City, Sheffield United and Marcelo Bielsa’s side in the race for the Premier League, and with Jansson on the pitch they have a better chance to go up the easy way.