All posts by h716a5.icu

Arsenal have six games left to try and win a first Premier League title since 2004, but they face a tough trip to the Etihad to face Manchester City in what could be the deciding result to determine who are Champions in May.

Although it has been a superb campaign for Mikel Arteta and his young Gunners side, they have drawn their last three matches, and are struggling with the absence of defender William Saliba. Whilst it will still be a season to be proud of, Arsenal fans will be disappointed if they do not win the league after topping the table for so long.

The race is definitely not over, but the Southampton draw has handed Man City the advantage ahead of their title showdown, and Arsenal face some tough fixtures to end the season. Here's how we think their remaining six games will pan out.

Arsenal fixtures 26 April: Man City (a) 2 May: Chelsea (h) 7 May: Newcastle (a) 14 May: Brighton (h) 20 May: Nottingham Forest (a) 28 May: Wolves (h) Man City vs Arsenal

Although the draw against Southampton was a huge setback in terms of points on the table, Arsenal may be hoping that their late comeback from a 3-1 deficit will galvanise the team in what promises to be a tough encounter, with the Gunners winless against City in their last 11 league matches.

With City fresh from their dominant knockout victories over Bayern Munich in the Champions League and Sheffield United in the FA Cup, they may prove too much to handle for Arsenal in this mouthwatering clash, which saw Pep Guardiola's side run out 3-1 winners in the reverse fixture in February.

Prediction: Man City 3-1 Arsenal

Arsenal vs Chelsea

The result of the City game will determine how much more of a title challenge Arsenal can possibly deliver in the five following games, but even if they lose at the Etihad, they will want to pile more misery onto their rivals as Chelsea travel to the Emirates.

Arsenal's recent struggles have been in defence rather than attack, and Chelsea have scored just once since Frank Lampard's return as interim manager, as well as no clean sheet in their last four games, so this could be one of the easier games in the run-in, despite it being against one of the club's biggest rivals.

Prediction: Arsenal 3-0 Chelsea

Newcastle vs Arsenal

Arsenal saw their top four hopes disappear as they were blown out of the water in their trip to St James' Park towards the end of last season, and it has become an even tougher place to travel since.

Newcastle have lost just once at home all season, and with Eddie Howe's side in contention for a top four place, the Magpies will be firing on all cylinders as they aim to secure all three points.

Arsenal were dominant in the 0-0 draw between the two sides in January, but failed to break down a stubborn defence, and may face similar issues away at such a robust opponent in what could be a low-scoring affair again.

Prediction: Newcastle 1-1 Arsenal

Arsenal vs Brighton

Another tough game beckons for Arsenal as Roberto De Zerbi's impressive Brighton side travel to the Emirates hoping for another positive result in North London.

Brighton won at Arsenal last season to dent their top-four hopes, and knocked Arteta's side out of the Carabao Cup in November.

Their last meeting saw Arsenal win 4-2 at the Amex Stadium in a dramatic December outing, and the January transfer window saw Leandro Trossard leave the Seagulls to join the Gunners, who also made numerous bids for Moises Caicedo.

Brighton may want to prove a point to Caicedo, who continues to be linked with a move to the Emirates, and another victory away at the side who bid for him may help convince him to stay.

The Gunners have only lost once at home all season so you would have to fancy them, though it could be dependant on how much they have to play for at this point.

Prediction: Arsenal 2-1 Brighton

Nottingham Forest vs Arsenal

The City Ground has proven a tough place to go since Forest's return to the Premier League, with the likes of Liverpool and Manchester City dropping points there, and the pressure could be ramped up on both sides in their penultimate game of the season.

Forest may need the three points as they battle against relegation, but unless their disastrous form under Steve Cooper improves before May, a crucial match against a team contending at the top of the table would be far from ideal.

Arsenal ripped Forest apart in a 5-0 victory in October at the Emirates, and although the result may not be as emphatic away from home, it is tough to see a different outcome.

Prediction: Nottingham Forest 0-2 Arsenal

Arsenal vs Wolves

It remains to be seen if either side will have anything to play for on the final day, as Arsenal may find themselves out of the title picture, whilst Wolves may already be on the beach if they successfully avoid relegation, with Julen Lopetegui's side six points ahead of the bottom three.

Wolves have proved to be something of a tough opponent for Arsenal in recent years. Whilst the Gunners won in the final seconds of the game last season, they have dropped points at home to Wolves in three of their four home games against them since their promotion in 2018.

However, Arsenal typically put on a show on the final day of the season, and if both sides have nothing to play for, then a routine victory for the hosts to round off a memorable campaign could be expected.

Prediction: Arsenal 3-0 Wolves

Predicted run-in points: 13/18

Predicted total points: 88

A transfer update involving former Celtic forward Moussa Dembele has been described as “disappointing” for the Hoops by pundit Alan Hutton.

What’s the latest news on Dembele and how will it impact Celtic?

Celtic Park chiefs sold Dembele to Lyon back in 2018 in a deal worth just under £20m. Since then, the 26-year-old has gone on to make 171 appearances for the Ligue 1 side, scoring 70 times and registering 19 assists.

However, an exit appears to be on the cards, with the player set to become a free agent at the end of the season. Fabrizio Romano recently revealed that the forward will depart for nothing over the coming months, saying:

“Moussa Dembele will leave Olympique Lyon as free agent in the summer. No doubts, decision made and to be confirmed at the end of the season. Many clubs are keen on signing him on free deal; Serie A and Premier League clubs included. Race is still very open.”

This means that Celtic won’t receive any further money for Dembele after inserting a 15% sell-on clause in the deal that took the Frenchman to Lyon.

Talking to Football Insider, Hutton, who contributes for Sky Sports, said that the update on Dembele would be “disappointing” for those at Celtic.

“Missing out on any sort of money for a player is disappointing. When you let contracts run down, we have seen it with Kent, Morelos, players that could have gone for big numbers. It is not ideal.

“From a Celtic position you want players to kick on but it has obviously not quite worked. It will be interesting to see where he goes from here, if he can get back to the heights that he showed. But it has just not quite worked.”

Could have been so much better for Celtic…

Dembele has been a solid performer for Lyon, scoring 21 Ligue 1 goals in 30 games last season. However, he has struggled this season, netting just three times in the league, something which may have contributed to his pending Lyon exit.

It looked at one point as if Celtic were in line to receive a large fee from their sell-on clause, with Manchester United once linked with a £50m move for the forward which would have brought in £15m at Parkhead.

However, that won’t be the case now, although they could have more luck in the sell-on clause for Jeremie Frimpong, with a potential £13.2m windfall on te cards this sumer.

Chelsea slumped to an embarrassing, yet equally unsurprising defeat at the hands of title-chasing Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium.

A totally unacceptable and abject first-half display saw the Blues fall three goals behind in just 34 minutes to pile further misery upon Frank Lampard.

The caretaker manager has lost all six games in charge since his return to the Stamford Bridge helm and has been unable to reverse the fortunes of this broken club.

Todd Boehly’s excessive scattergun recruitment has largely been pinpointed as one of the principal reasons for the side’s monumental downfall, but the signing of the elite Raheem Sterling was intended to showcase his intentions.

At the time, then-manager Thomas Tuchel was elated with the deal and lavished praise upon the transfer.

He said: "It was the number one priority, and we are very excited and super happy. It's a perfect fit.”

However, Sterling has failed to recapture the form that catapulted him into international stardom and has massively underperformed for his new club. This was painfully apparent in his weak and uninspiring display against the Gunners.

How did Raheem Sterling play against Arsenal?

The forward bagged 226 goal contributions in 339 appearances in all competitions for Manchester City, winning four Premier League titles in the process.

He rightly arrived in west London with a prestigious and esteemed reputation but has been unable to make any meaningful impact.

In last night’s encounter, he failed to register any shots, successful dribbles, accurate crosses or key passes in a dismal showing, which resulted in his substitution after 71 minutes.

One Blues writer labelled the former Liverpool player as “absolutely embarrassing”, which is completely warranted on the basis of his current form.

Perhaps the most alarming aspect of the night was his lack of effort. Indeed, for one Arsenal goal he had a handle on Martin Odegaard before letting him roam free completely unaware into the box.

There were plenty on show at the Emirates who were 'embarrassing', most notably Pierre-Emerick Aubamayang, much to the satisfaction of Arsenal fans, as he completed just nine touches before being dragged off at half-time.

That said, Sterling wasn't much better and could quite easily have been withdrawn at the interval himself.

The 82-cap international now hasn’t scored since New Year's Day and despite his immense trickery and skill, he has only mustered 1.3 dribbles per game, just the sixth-highest in a vastly underperforming team, as per WhoScored.

No one has been consistent for Chelsea this season, but as one of the players with the most pedigree, he has been shameful at times and has delivered way below expectations.

The attacker looks like a shadow of the player that hugged the touchline at Manchester City and relentlessly tortured defenders with his unplayable pace and dynamism. He cuts a dejected, frustrated, and disconnected figure at a club that is crying out for stability.

Nevertheless, the £71m-rated man needs to roll back the years quickly and find his previously devastating goal-scoring touch.

Tottenham Hotspur and chairman Daniel Levy by extension are 'pushing' to get a deal done for Leicester City star James Maddison, according to reports.

What's the latest Spurs transfer news?

The north Londoners are currently prioritising the search for a new manager after Antonio Conte's departure, with assistant coach Ryan Mason taking charge until the end of this Premier League season.

Spurs are apparently set to step up talks for a plethora of candidates, including Ruben Amorim and Xabi Alonso, as discussions have already been held with the likes of Julian Nagelsmann and Luis Enrique (The Evening Standard).

However, with the summer transfer window lying just around the corner, Levy must also get to work on identifying summer transfer targets for next campaign.

The responsibility falls on Levy and chief football officer Scott Munn after former sporting director Fabio Paratici was forced to resign from his post.

Spurs are thought to be interested in signing a central defender to shake up their defence, with the likes of Crystal Palace defender Marc Guehi previously linked.

Perhaps above all, though, the Lilywhites are reliably believed to hold a serious interest in Maddison, as reports suggest Spurs are one of the favoured destinations.

The Foxes playmaker has been a shining light for Leicester in an otherwise dismal campaign, with Football Insider sharing the latest on his proposed move to Spurs.

According to their information, the club and Levy are pushing to get a deal done for Maddison, who they could sign for £60 million as things stand.

This is apparently part of a "huge" summer overhaul, but Spurs aren't the only club interested in a deal, with Newcastle United and Liverpool also eyeing a move.

What could Maddison bring to Spurs?

The 26-year-old has been Leicester's star player bar none, standing out as their best-performing player by average match rating whilst chipping in with 17 goal contributions (WhoScored).

No Leicester player has averaged more attempts at goal or key passes completed in the final third than Maddison, with pundit David Connolly tipping him for an England call as far back as 2021.

Speaking to talkSPORT, the former West Ham and Leicester man said this on Maddison when filing a scout report:

"He's been absolutely magnificent. His versatility has been a huge asset for Brendan Rodgers. He's going to have a real chance of getting a call up."

£60m for a fully-fledged Premier League star, and one barley at his peak, is surely a fair price to pay and Tottenham must keep pursuing a deal.

Playing their first IPL, Gujarat Lions came within one avoided masterclass of making it to the IPL final, but were left doffing their hats to AB de Villiers first in Bangalore and David Warner in Delhi on Friday

Sidharth Monga in Delhi28-May-2016Playing their first IPL, Gujarat Lions came within one avoided masterclass of making it to the IPL final, but were left doffing their hats to AB de Villiers first in Bangalore and David Warner in Delhi on Friday. Warner scored 93 of the 163 runs needed, single-handedly taking Sunrisers Hyderabad into the final. Aaron Finch, who scored a fifty batting in the middle order for Lions, said there wasn’t much that they could have done to prevent Warner’s success on the day.”Tonight, I think that we had a very competitive total, it was around par,” Finch said. “170 would have been nice as it turns out, but two of the best players in the world have both got big scores against us in the last two games. Sometimes you just have to take your hat off and appreciate how good cricketers them two are. And say well played.”It was an amazing knock, wasn’t it, the way that he controlled the innings the whole way through and went right through and got them home was outstanding. We have been at the receiving end of a couple of great knocks in this tournament, and it is just that one batter in every couple of games seems to get us. AB in the last game and Davey tonight. We can hold our head up very high. We played some really great cricket throughout this tournament but unfortunately we just couldn’t get them world-class players out when it counted right at the end there.”Among the positives for Lions is the emergence of left-arm wristspinner Shivil Kaushik, whom Finch picked as the find of the tournament for Lions.”I think we have seen an unusual spinner in this tournament in Shivil,” Finch said. “He has been outstanding for us. Anyone who can bowl with an unusual action like that and who can spin the ball both ways is a huge asset, and he has been outstanding. It was beautiful the way that he bowled tonight, under pressure in a big game, to come back into the team after a few games out, just shows a real lot of character and someone who hasn’t had cricket given to him easily. He has had to work very hard for what he has achieved. He was outstanding, he was great all season and I think he can play a big part going forward.”Kaushik bowled his four oevrs unbroken and took two wickets for just 22 runs to keep Lions in the game. The other spinner, though, wasn’t bowled at all. The more accomplished Ravindra Jadeja was sprightly in the field as usual, but there seemed a lack of confidence in him after he hasn’t had a great season. The presence of left-hand batsmen in the Sunrisers line-up went against him, Finch said.”I think that Raina probably couldn’t get that matchup for him,” Finch said. “They always had at least one left-hander in Warner in and it was a very short side out there on the far side away from the change room. Probably didn’t get the matchup at the time, and Raina happened to bowl a couple of overs there quite nicely. I think Jadeja played a big part for us. He probably played a different role with the bat than what he has in the past years for Chennai and also India. He’s usually been batting 7 and 8, but he has stepped up this year and made some really valuable runs.”Overall, though, Lions bowed out a team satisfied with their showing in their first season. “I think the way that we played throughout the tournament was fantastic from the team’s point of view,” Finch said. “To finish top of the table for a franchise in their first year was fantastic. I think it’s obviously disappointing that we couldn’t get through to the final but the way that we fought and fought…”We had our back up against the wall a couple of times. We started off the tournament fantastic, I think we went six wins, one loss and then we had a bit of a down period but then we hit back hard and beat two outstanding teams in Kolkata and Mumbai coming into the finals. But it goes to show what an amazing competition it was. If we had lost one of them games, we finish out of the four but we won both and we finish top of the table. Same with Bangalore. It was an amazing tournament all around, the way that it unfolded.”

Hampshire and England batsman Michael Carberry is to undergo tests this week amid concerns over the condition that six years ago caused potentially life-threatening blood clots to form in one of his lungs

Jon Culley10-Jul-2016Hampshire and England batsman Michael Carberry is to undergo tests this week amid concerns over the condition that six years ago caused potentially life-threatening blood clots to form in one of his lungs.Carberry had felt unwell last week and has been left out of Hampshire’s current County Championship match against Warwickshire so that he can see a specialist as promptly as possible, with his county unwilling to take any chances with his health.”He has had a problem that has not cleared up in the way we had hoped so his going to have some tests done,” the Hampshire first-team coach Dale Benkenstein said.”We are hoping to have him back for the T20 matches later in the week but in view of what has happened to him in the past we do not want to take any risks with him.”It is a little bit worrying but hopefully the tests will show that everything is fine.”Carberry has to take medication to control the condition, which emerged after he had suffered attacks of breathlessness while fielding and batting. He was diagnosed with two blood clots on a lung in November 2010 and did not play again until July of the following year.

Tottenham Hotspur continue to find ingenious and depressing ways to reach new lows at the moment, with their Premier League loss to Aston Villa yesterday just a culmination of a truly miserable season thus far.

Although only caretaker boss, Ryan Mason will likely be welcoming the end of this campaign, in which European football seems to have all but slipped away.

That loss at Villa Park, in which the game finished 2-1, surrendered the three-point gap that separated these two sides, meaning that Unai Emery's men are only behind the Lilywhites on goal difference. Given the respective form of the two teams, it is not hard to guess who is the more likely to finish in the top seven.

Amidst a tough atmosphere in the Midlands, many of the spineless and weak-minded visitors crumbled under the pressure, either failing to show up completely, or disappointing in their attempt to influence the game.

It can be debated which is worse, but few cut a more frustrated figure than Richarlison, who somehow managed to dip his toes into both categories.

Although the weight of his £60m price tag is simply not his fault, it remains a huge point of contention as the Brazilian continues to fail in the pursuit of any kind of form for his new club.

How did Richarlison play vs Aston Villa?

To perfectly summarise the anonymity of the £90k-per-week forward, his nine touches all game were comfortably surpassed even by his goalkeeper Fraser Forster, with 28.

Such a lack of involvement made it almost impossible to impact the game, as this would lead to the completion of just four passes, having no shots at all and being unsuccessful in both of his attempted dribbles, via Sofascore.

To make things even worse, across his 62 minutes on the pitch, the usually-workmanlike striker did not manage a single tackle, clearance or interception, and was instead dribbled past once, losing all of the four duels competed in.

The 6.1 rating administered was justifiably the lowest of any starter for both teams.

Offensively toothless and defensively abysmal, Mason must have been incensed watching this bumbling forward amble about the pitch. Patience is understandably wearing thin with Richarlison now, who is running out of excuses to hide his consistently abhorrent form.

Just one league goal all season is laughable, as it seems that in the move from Everton, he left something key behind on Merseyside.

He was previously a tireless warrior willing to battle for the right to score, yet it seems like the dreadful mindset in the north London dressing room has already infected him, turning the wily asset into yet another characterless flop. Yesterday was just the latest in a long line of poor showings, which has proven costly in their race for Champions League football.

England’s erstwhile Test opener Adam Lyth hit an unbeaten century as Yorkshire edged toward parity going into the final day of their rain-ruined Specsavers County Championship clash with Surrey

ECB Reporters Network13-Jul-2016
ScorecardAdam Lyth’s century anchored Yorkshire’s reply•Getty ImagesEngland’s erstwhile Test opener Adam Lyth hit an unbeaten century as Yorkshire edged toward parity going into the final day of their rain-ruined Specsavers County Championship clash with Surrey.The 28-year-old left-hander from Whitby defied Surrey’s attack and a gloomy afternoon in south-east London to reach 116 not out for his part in a third-wicket stand with Andrew Gale (61) that added 150 and helped cut the first innings deficit to 60.With Yorkshire on 207 for 3, a positive fourth-day result appears unlikely on a pitch at The Kia Oval that has grown flatter by the hour, but Lyth must have been quietly pleased with his timely display on the eve of the first Investec Test against Pakistan.Responding by the mid-session to Surrey’s 267 all out, the championship title-holders initially stumbled to 47 for 2 within 13 overs. They lost Alex Lees (15) in the eighth over who, having plundered a brace of boundaries off Sam Curran, was undone by one that trimmed off stump to make it 28 for 1.Jack Leaning soon followed without scoring when he went back to cut Stuart Meaker’s first-ball loosener, only to chop a short delivery onto the base of his off stump.Yorkshire re-grouped nicely through Lyth and Gale, the former moving sweetly to a 70-ball 50 after rocking back to punch through the covers for four against the bowling of Gareth Batty.Batty suffered again after tea when Lyth, who won the last of his seven England caps against Australia here almost a year ago, pulled a long-hop into the lower echelons of the OCS Stand for the first six of the match, then, after a short break for bad light, he danced down the pitch to deposit one from Zafar Ansari into the Pavilion seats for another maximum.He reached his 19th first-class century with a pulled boundary to fine leg off a Meaker bouncer. He reached three figures off 159 balls and hit 11 fours and a brace of sixes.At the other end, Gale was content to play second fiddle, posting a 131-ball fifty – his first of the campaign – that, whilst ensuring his side could not lose this match, also maintained their slim chances of pushing for a last-day victory. The Yorkshire captain fell five overs from the scheduled close when feathering one from Tom Curran into the gloves of Ben Foakes for a season’s best 61, leaving Lyth to go into the final day with power to add.At the start of the third day, Yorkshire needed a shade over two hours to mop up Surrey’s five remaining first innings wickets.With the hosts nine wickets down at 1pm, umpires Martin Saggers and Neil Bainton had just sanctioned an additional 30 minutes when, three deliveries later, Meaker (4) nibbled to first slip to end the innings at 267 and leave top-scorer Sam Curran undefeated on 59.Surrey had made a poor start when, without addition to their overnight score and to only the fourth delivery of the day, Foakes steered one from Steven Patterson to second slip where Lyth pocketed the catch to make it 164 for 6.Steve Davies raised a 69-ball half-century as he and Sam Curran added 75 in tandem but, with his score on 56, the former England keeper went lbw to one from Tim Bresnan that appeared to cut back in to the left-hander.Curran posted his 50 from 82 balls but, moments later his brother Tom fell lbw after rocking back when aiming to leg against Adil Rashid.Four balls later Batty fell in similar fashion without troubling the scorers enabling Yorkshire to bank their third bowling bonus point.

Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Harry Winks "wants to return" from his loan spell with Sampdoria and prove himself to the new manager, but he could be shown the exit door, according to journalist Paul Brown.

How has Harry Winks performed for Sampdoria?

Winks has managed to hold down a consistent place in the Sampdoria starting XI when he has been fit, making 18 appearances in the Serie A, gaining some much-needed game time after sparsely appearing for Tottenham in the previous campaign.

The Englishman has managed to prove himself against some of the better sides in the Italian top flight, with journalist Matt Barlow hailing him for a "terrific" performance against Inter Milan team back in February.

In his last three matches, the 27-year-old has averaged a Sofascore match rating of 7.0 or higher, having really started to find his form, displaying his defensive aptitude by winning six ground duels against Udinese, the joint-highest amount of any player.

Having finally put his injury problems to bed, Brown believes the Spurs academy graduate would be eager to come back to north London, although he indicates it will not be easy for him to break into the team.

The journalist told GiveMeSport: :“Winks is in flux. He has not been able to convince a series of managers now that he deserves a starting place.

“I'm 100% sure he wants to return and try to prove that to whoever comes in.

“But he's facing an uphill battle and has a lot of people in front of him at the moment who the club have invested more money in.

“So, it could be that we're seeing the end of Harry Winks at Spurs.”

Should Tottenham sell Winks?

Although the central midfielder has shown some promising signs out on loan, there are no real indications he would be able to fight for a starting spot at Tottenham, given that he does not offer a great deal in either an attacking or defensive sense.

The £91k-per-week maestro has registered zero non-penalty goals in the past year, while he also ranks in just the 14th percentile for tackles, and in the third percentile for blocks in the same time period.

In truth, Winks is unlikely to push either Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg for a starting berth next season, given that the fellow defensive midfielder scores higher on the vast majority of key metrics, including interceptions, tackles and assists per 90.

As such, Tottenham should look to sell their youth product this summer, and Sampdoria could be interested, given that he has fared pretty well on loan there this season.

Crystal Palace are now expected to make a bid for Galatasaray right-back Sacha Boey this summer, according to recent reports from Turkey.

Who is Sacha Boey?

Boey has caught eye with his fantastic performances for Galatasaray this season, averaging a 7.26 match WhoScored match rating in the Turkish Super Lig, which ranks the right-back as the second-best performer in his squad.

The Frenchman is coming to the end of just his second season in Turkey, and he is still contracted until June 2025, however he could be on the move this summer, with a number of teams looking to sign him in the upcoming transfer window.

According to a report from Fotomac, a whole host of clubs from across Europe are expected to make bids for the 22-year-old this summer, including Palace, Arsenal and Wolfsburg, meaning competition for his signature is going to be fierce.

Galatasaray are set to demand at least €15m (£13m) to sanction the departure of the defender, who is now set to leave the Turkish club, and they have already set their sights on potential replacements, including former Arsenal man Hector Bellerin.

Will Crystal Palace sign Boey?

It is clear that Palace will need to sign a new right-back in the summer, given that both Nathaniel Clyne and Joel Ward are set to be out of contract at the end of the season, with no new deal seemingly on the horizon for either player.

Given that both players are approaching the latter stages of their career, a younger option may be required even if one of them ends up staying at Selhurst Park, and Boey could prove to be an excellent signing.

Hailed as a "true warrior" by members of the media, the former Rennes man has done a stellar job defensively for Galatasaray this season, averaging 2.7 tackles per game in the Super Lig, the second-highest amount of any player in the squad.

That figure is a huge increase on the amount of tackles any Palace player has amassed in the Premier League, with Ward averaging 1.8, and Clyne just 1.2, while Boey also scores higher than both of them for interceptions.

It is no guarantee the Galatasaray ace would be a success at Selhurst Park, given that he is unproven outside of the Super Lig, but he has shown very promising signs this season, and the Eagles should at least test the waters with a bid.