[ad_pod ]

With Roberto Firmino absent from the squad following the injury he picked up against Manchester United on Sunday, Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp chose to use Sadio Mane in an unfamiliar centre-forward role against Watford at Anfield on Wednesday, and it worked wonders.

What’s the word, then?

Well, the German boss was left with a decision to make after the Brazilian was ruled out of facing the Hornets, who had beaten Cardiff City 5-1 away less than a week previously.

He could have used Mo Salah, Divock Origi or Daniel Sturridge through the middle, but instead he opted for the pace and unpredictability of Mane, with the former aforementioned duo flanking him in a 4-3-3 formation.

It was a bold move that worked wonders as the former Southampton man netted the first two goals – including a magnificent back-heel finish – of the 5-0 thrashing, that kept the Reds ahead in the Premier League title race.

When asked if he was surprised by the Senegal international’s showing he told liverpoolfc.com: “Scoring-wise of course, performance-wise not. That’s what we expect, that he plays like this, that he offers these things.”

Could he be used there again?

Almost certainly.

Klopp’s comments obviously suggest that he was concerned that the 26-year-old wouldn’t be as much of a goal threat playing as a centre-forward instead of on the wing, but he completely dispelled that with his brace in the opening 20 minutes on Merseyside.

It means that the former Borussia Dortmund coach is now able to confidently use any of his front three in that position, and that flexibility will surely only help Liverpool as their bid to win their first-ever Premier League title enters the final 10 matches.

Unai Emery is reportedly (via the Daily Mail) set to be handed limited funds to strengthen his squad during the summer transfer window.

The Spaniard was forced to settle for loan signings in January, landing Barcelona midfielder Denis Suarez on a temporary deal. There is plenty of work to be done if Arsenal are to challenge Manchester City, Liverpool and Spurs at the top of the table next season. Emery may be forced to offload many fringe players in order to boost his finances.

The long-term future of Mesut Ozil remains unclear after the German was left out of the matchday squad yet again against BATE Borisov. After falling out of favour under Arsene Wenger, the ex-Real Madrid man has struggled for form and fitness under the former Sevilla boss.

To replace him, Arsenal should make a move for PSV Eindhoven maestro – Gaston Pereiro. Valued at £12.6m by Transfermarkt, the Uruguay international has been a mainstay in the side since moving from Nacional back in the summer of 2015. Pereiro was crucial to the side that lifted the Eredivisie title last season and has been in fantastic form yet again during the current campaign.

The 23-year-old has been lethal in front of goal, netting ten goals in all competitions. As well as his goalscoring exploits, Pereiro has also been the creative force for his team, registering seven assists for his team-mates. Averaging 1.5 key passes per game in the Eredivisie, his arrival at the Emirates could mean even more goals for Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang in the attack (WhoScored).

The playmaker possesses the quality to carve open defences and would be an excellent Ozil replacement if the former Germany international does leave England.

Arsenal fans, thoughts?

عاد صامويل أومتيتي، مدافع برشلونة الإسباني، اليوم الجمعة، إلى تدريبات الفريق الكتالوني بعد غياب دام 85 يومًا.

وعانى أومتيتي، من الإصابة في ركبته اليسرى، وبدأ خطة علاج في 2 يوليو الماضي، وعاد اليوم للتدريبات.

اقرأ أيضًا.. سواريز يرد على ميسي: لا تنسى ما قلته لك

وقالت صحيفة “آس” الإسبانية، إن المدافع الفرنسي اتخذ خطوة مهمة للغاية للعودة بعد أن عانى لمدة عامين من الإصابات.

وأضافت: “ليس هناك وقت محدد لعودة أومتيتي للملاعب، ولكن سيعتبر نجاحًا كبيرًا إذا تعافى اللاعب قبل 5 أكتوبر المقبل”.

وأتمت: “هذا قد يسهل من رحيله عن برشلونة سواء على سبيل الإعارة أو البيع النهائي، لأنه خارج خطط رونالد كومان، مدرب الفريق الكتالوني تمامًا”.

[ad_pod ]

Loads of Sunderland fans have been reacting to an update from their promotion rivals that could have a big impact on the race to go up, as Barnsley’s Cameron McGeehan will miss the clash with the Black Cats through suspension.

McGeehan has been banned for three games for an incident that took place during last weekend’s clash against Southend, the club have confirmed.

The 23 year-old, who has five goals and one assist this season, will miss crucial matches against Accrington Stanley at home, Sunderland at home and Doncaster away.

Pl>ymaker FC Exclusive: Jermaine Jenas reveals why Tyne-Wear is a more intense derby than anything London can offer – check out the video below….

Of course, the middle of those three is what everyone on Wearside has got one eye on, as the two teams appear locked in a battle to the end for that second automatic promotion spot.

Luton Town are flying away in first, but Jack Ross’ side currently sit two points behind Barnsley with a game in hand.

The two sides played out a thrilling encounter last time they met, as a brace from Kieffer Moore wasn’t enough to stop a 4-2 Sunderland win.

You can find some of the best Twitter reactions down below, where the Stadium of Light faithful are loving this one…

[ad_pod ]

Mohamed Diame is seemingly edging ever closer to a contract extension at Newcastle United, but the midfielder reportedly wants a longer deal with the club.

What’s the story, then?

According to The Chronicle, Diame is just three Premier League appearances short of earning a new one-year extension at Newcastle.

Indeed, the midfielder has made 22 league appearances for the Magpies this term and another three will earn him an extension to his current deal.

However, according to The Chronicle, Diame would like a contract until the end of the 2020-21 campaign to reflect his importance to the team.

Diame has actually only played four minutes of Premier League football since the 2-0 home defeat to Manchester United at the start of the year due to injury.

However, with the 31-year-old now fit and available, it seems almost impossible that he will not make another three league appearances before the end of the season.

Does Diame deserve a new contract?

Undoubtedly. And Newcastle should be offering a new deal until the summer of 2021 rather than being happy with the activation of an extension.

Diame is not the most talented of footballers in the Premier League, but he can certainly cope with Rafael Benitez’s physical demands.

He is also incredibly experienced, having made 96 appearances in all competitions for Newcastle since arriving in 2016, whilst he has made 232 appearances in the Premier League during spells with Wigan Athletic, West Ham United, Hull City and Newcastle.

Diame will be 32 heading into the 2019-2020 campaign, but he certainly has a couple more seasons of Premier League football in his legs.

Sean Longstaff has earned the plaudits in recent weeks, but Diame is another important figure in the Benitez machine.

Wilfried Zaha was the hero once again as Crystal Palace managed to salvage a point against West Ham last week.

The Hammers took a first-half lead after Mark Noble scored from the penalty spot after just 24 minutes. The Eagles constantly threatened to equalise and the goal finally came when Zaha beat Lukasz Fabianski from a tight angle. Roy Hodgson’s men were able to hold on to secure a vital point against Manuel Pellegrini’s side.

It seemed at times that Palace were once again going to draw a blank on home soil – an issue that has plagued them throughout the season. When Zaha hasn’t been on form, Palace have looked toothless in the final third. This is a problem that the former England manager simply must address when the transfer window reopens in the summer.

One man the Eagles could target is AZ Alkmaar star – Oussama Idrissi. Valued at £4.5m by Transfermarkt, the former Netherlands U21 international has been a mainstay in the team since joining from FC Groningen back in January 2018. The 22-year-old has been in inspired form this season, helping his side to fourth in the Eredivisie table so far.

Idrissi has been excellent in front of goal, netting seven times already in the league. As well as his goalscoring exploits, the youngster has also chipped in with six assists for his team-mates. Comfortable on either wing or through the centre, Idrissi would shoulder some of the goal-scoring burden currently on Zaha’s shoulders. The Morocco citizen possesses fantastic technical ability, completing an incredible 3.7 successful dribbles and 2 key passes per game in the league (WhoScored).

The winger is only getting better and Palace should do all they can to bring him to England.

Crystal Palace fans, thoughts?

تحدث أوناي إيمري، المدير الفني لفريق فياريال في تصريحات بشأن فريق برشلونة الإسباني وقائده ليونيل ميسي.

ويلتقي البارسا في أول مباراة له هذا الموسم مع فياريال، يوم الأحد المقبل، ضمن منافسات الليجا.

وقال إيمري في تصريحات نشرتها صحيفة “ماركا” الإسبانية: “ميسي سيكون له تحركاته على أرض الملعب، وفرص فردية للتسجيل، سواء كان ذلك بالتسديدات أو تمريراته مع جوردي ألبا، أو سيرجي روبرتو، أو أنطوان جريزمان،  أومجهوده الفردي”.

وأضاف: “ميسي لاعب يسبب المشاكل دائمًا وسيكون هذا هو الحال طوال 90 دقيقة، يصعب مواجهته، لاعب نعتقد أنه كان وما زال الأفضل في العالم”.

اقرأ أيضًا.. سواريز: شكرًا لأتلتيكو مدريد على الثقة.. سنحقق أشياء عظيمة معًا

وتحت قيادة إيمري، يتطلع فياريال للمضي قدمًا بعد حصوله على المركز الخامس في ترتيب الليجا بالموسم الماضي، وأكد الإسباني: “نحن متحمسون ومتفائلون بهذا”.

وأكد: “الدوري مفتوح دائمًا، لكن عليك أولاً أن تتذكر أن ريال مدريد انهى الموسم الماضي بقوة وأن برشلونة لا يزال لديه لاعبين رائعين، وهذا هو السبب في أن هذين الفريقين هما المرشحان للفوز باللقب، ثم لديك أتلتيكو مدريد وإشبيلية”.

وأتم إيمري: “علينا أن نرتقي إلى مستوى، ونريد أن نستمر في الحصول على مراكز أعلى، والأحد هو اختبار جيد لنرى كيف سنرد”.

Chelsea have been avoiding using their academy for years. A number of young talents have been left to rot in the Blues’ developmental system, and not only has this impacted upon their own aspirations, but it’s also prevented Chelsea from being able to make use of their talents too. 

However, the Blues’ need to change that appears to be more immediate than ever. According to the Sun, German scouts are flocking to England in order to find the next Jaden Sancho.

They’re clearing smelling blood, owing to the lack of focus being placed on young talent in England. Sancho, of course, left Man City in favour of regular football with Borussia Dortmund – and he’s now flourishing.

If Chelsea weren’t already sweating on the futures of some of their key young players, they certainly should be now. This doesn’t just stop at Callum Hudson-Odoi, of course.

Chelsea’s academy is filled with brilliant young talent, with players like Dujon Sterling, Ethan Ampadu and Mason Mount all on the cusp of greatness. However, as Chelsea continue to spend millions upon millions, their futures are looking bleak.

That now, however, needs to change. In the past, they could afford to ship players out on loan and forget about them, only giving those that dazzle away from the club a chance in the first team.

Instead, though, with German scouts looking on, players are likely to recognise that they can find permanent homes elsewhere like Sancho did, and that can improve their development greatly.

For the first time, the youngsters hold at least some of the power, and for teams like Chelsea, that’s a real worry.

Thoughts?

[ad_pod ]

Well, it would be fair to say that the Tottenham Hotspur fans do not want their club to move for Newcastle United attacker Ayoze Perez in this summer’s transfer window.

In a recent interview with Marca, Perez admitted that he will return to Spain before the end of his career, whilst he also discussed reported interest from the likes of Tottenham and Everton.

The 25-year-old was brilliant against Everton last weekend, scoring twice and providing an assist in Newcastle’s 3-2 win at St James’ Park.

In total, the forward has scored seven times and registered four assists in 33 appearances in all competitions for his English club this season.

The Tottenham fans have been discussing a potential move for the Spaniard and it would be fair to say that not too many are interested in chairman Daniel Levy signing Perez.

A selection of the Twitter reaction from the Spurs supporters can be seen below:

[ad_pod ]

Neal Maupay scored the only goal of the match as Brentford recorded a 1-0 win over Aston Villa in the Championship on Wednesday night.

Maupay has now managed 18 Championship goals this term and there is no question that he is one of the best forwards in the second tier of English football.

Villa were linked with a move for the 22-year-old last month, but Brentford did manage to keep hold of the Frenchman.

Now their fans are absolutely desperate for their club to seal Maupay’s signature this summer, however, having watched him register on Wednesday night.

It seems unlikely that Tammy Abraham will stay at Villa Park beyond the end of this season, meaning that the Bees striker could be a replacement for the on-loan Chelsea forward.

The Villa supporters were extremely impressed with what they saw from the 5ft 7in striker and many have called on their club to complete a deal ahead of the 2019-2020 campaign.

A selection of the Titter reaction can be seen below: