It’s been quite a tough season for Brett Pitman hasn’t it Portsmouth fans?

The 31-year-old forward’s goal-scoring antics last season saw him record his best total (24) for eight years as he fired Kenny Jackett’s side to an eighth place finish in League One.

Yet despite Pompey experiencing a much better campaign this year, Pitman has failed to replicate anywhere near the same level of performance, raising concerns that he may not be able to make the jump up to the Championship if the club achieve promotion in May.

With the former Bournemouth star having only found the back of the net on six occasions in 30 league games, Jackett has had to rely on the likes of Jamal Lowe, Ronan Curtis and Gareth Evans to step up to the plate this season.

Pitman’s poor recent record in the Championship will also act as a warning sign for Portsmouth. Before moving to Fratton Park, the forward represented Ipswich in the second tier for two seasons and only managed to score 14 goals in 64 league games for the Tractors, illustrating that he may not have what it takes to compete at that level anymore.

By letting Pitman leave, the club could focus on trying to lure Omar Bogle away from the club on a permanent deal in the summer. However, according to The Star, Pompey did not include an option to buy as part of their initial loan deal with Cardiff City and therefore will have to negotiate a new deal with Neil Warnock’s side in the summer if they want to sign the striker.

Even if Portsmouth do not achieve promotion at the end of this season, it would still be beneficial if they let Pitman go as it would give them the opportunity to give the younger generation of forwards at the club the chance to flourish at Fratton Park.

What do you think Pompey fans? Should Jackett cut ties with Pitman in the summer? Or will a decision depend on what league the club finds itself in next season? Let us know below.

[ad_pod ]

According to WhoScored, Liverpool midfielder Fabinho had a pass success rate of 91% in Sunday’s 2-1 win over Fulham, whilst he also made two tackles and won three aerial duels.

It would be fair to say that the overall performance from Liverpool was not exactly fantastic, but they did enough to collect all three points, with James Milner netting a late penalty.

It is results rather than performances that matter most at this stage of the campaign and Jurgen Klopp’s side boosted their title challenge in the English capital.

Fabinho – a 2018 arrival from Monaco – was making his 22nd Premier League appearance of the season against the Cottagers.

It took the Brazil international a little bit of time to settle at Liverpool, but he has now played every minute of his team’s last seven Premier League matches.

The Merseyside club’s fans have been delighted with what they have seen from the midfielder in recent weeks and that was again the case at the weekend.

A selection of the Twitter reaction to Fabinho’s performance can be seen below:

[ad_pod ]

Bournemouth visit Huddersfield in a game that is far more important for the hosts – as every clash will be for the Terriers from now on as they look to evade the drop – and Eddie Howe can ensure their opposition don’t secure another shock win by prioritising the importance of Charlie Daniels and Ryan Fraser.

On the chalkboard

Jan Siewert’s side’s surprising victory over Wolves last week, in which they won in stoppage time, showed the Premier League that even the team that is rock bottom of the standings can prove to be a stumbling block.

The Cherries, meanwhile, will be hoping that they can bounce back from their gutting 1-0 loss to Manchester City last weekend and move closer to a top-half finish.

Howe can ensure that all three points are taken back to Dorset by snuffing out Huddersfield’s favoured avenue of attack, to which Daniels and Fraser will both be crucial.

Predictable Terriers

WhoScored names the Terriers’ frequency of attacks through the middle as the lowest in the Premier League (21%) while their assaults down the right flank are a league-high of 43% percent.

Bournemouth must force their hosts to come inside and narrow the pitch as best possible as they clearly aren’t comfortable if they cannot get the ball out wide – Daniels and Fraser will be essential to ensuring that the Cherries’ left-flank is impenetrable.

Fraser has come on leaps and bounds this season, with his pace a huge asset to the Vitality Stadium outfit going forward – he can be of equal importance on the back foot next time out, though, if he can chase back and help out Daniels when Huddersfield inevitably look to whip balls into the box from the right wing.

How much money could you make busking for a week as a freestyle footballer? Find out in the video below…

The Cherries have plenty of talent to take this game well out of their opponents’ reach but they should not be so foolish to assume it will be an easy win – making sure the aforementioned pair are on their A-game will be a huge step towards guaranteeing a victory.

Aston Villa have been in superb form in recent weeks.

Dean Smith’s side have won three games on the bounce in the Championship and are now just two points behind Derby County who currently occupy the final play-off position.

The likes of John McGinn and Jack Grealish have delivered brilliant individual performances in victories over Nottingham Forest and Birmingham City whilst defensively they have improved considerably since their 2-0 loss to West Bromwich Albion.

Whereas as the majority of players at the club have only produced on sporadic occasions this season, the one constant has been the form demonstrated by Chelsea loanee Tammy Abraham.

With 21 goals in 31 league games, the forward is the joint-third top-scorer in the second tier and without his firepower Villa would be nowhere near the play-offs at all and therefore be facing a fourth consecutive season away from the Premier League.

Yet with Abraham leading the line, they still have a realistic chance of achieving promotion via a trip to Wembley Stadium in May if they finish in the top six.

If the club do find themselves back in the top flight of English football for the 2019/20 season they will receive a significant windfall of money which they could spend on purchasing the 21 year-old striker on a permanent deal from Chelsea.

However, if they do decide to buy Abraham they could be making a costly mistake.

The England under-21 international has yet to prove himself in the Premier League and was largely ineffective whilst on loan at Swansea last season, scoring just five goals in 31 games as the Jacks were relegated to the Championship.

Furthermore, when you consider that he produced similar stats (23 goals in 41 appearances) during his time at Bristol City in the second tier, it can be argued that he is very good at this particular level but not yet good enough to compete with England’s elite.

Abraham is far from the only example of a player who thrives in the Championship but struggles to adapt to the pace and physicality of the Premier League. Dwight Gayle was an integral part of the Newcastle United side which achieved promotion in 2017, scoring 23 goals yet last season he only managed to bag six for Rafael Benitez’s side.

Fulham’s Ryan Sessegnon and Cardiff City’s Callum Peterson both enjoyed impressive campaigns last year but have yet to replicate their form in the Premier League, scoring just six goals between them in a combined total of 54 games.

Although it is naive to completely write off Abraham’s capabilities for the future giving that he is still developing as a striker, he is arguably too inexperienced to carry the hopes and expectations of Villa supporters next season if they achieve promotion. It would therefore be wiser if the NSWE group would invest their money in a forward who has a track-record of producing when it matters in the Premier League.

What do you think Villa fans? Should your club sign Abraham on a permanent deal if you get promoted? Who else do you think Smith should target in the summer? Let us know below.

[ad_pod ]

England face Czech Republic on Friday in the first of 10 Euro 2020 qualifiers and Crystal Palace fans will be watching on with frowns – if they even watch at all – after the controversial omission of Aaron Wan-Bissaka from the squad.

The impressive youngster lost out to Kyle Walker, Kieran Trippier and Trent Alexander-Arnold for a spot but England Under-21 manager Aidy Boothroyd has insisted via The Daily Mail that he should not let the perceived setback be just that:

“There are lot of players now who are of dual nationality, particularly in younger age groups. All we can do is provide an environment in which they are going to learn, improve and want to come back to. If a player wants to leave then there’s nothing we can do.

“As far as Aaron is concerned, we think a lot of him and Gareth thinks a lot of him. Aaron has got plenty of time. The thing is now we live in a microwave society where you get half a cap and people think you should be in the senior team.”

Indeed, at 21 years of age, the Eagles defender has at least a decade of football ahead of him and therefore plenty of time to break into the Three Lions’ first team should that be where his loyalties lie.

Which player with “no potential” has just been named Crystal Palace’s worst ever January signing? Find out in the video below…

The right-back is also eligible to play for the DR Congo, whom he has featured for already at youth level, but certainly has the quality to feature for the 2018 World Cup semi-finalists in the future.

Having broken through to the Palace first team due to injuries, the number 29 might have been hoping that history would repeat itself on the international stage but, regardless of the three right-sided defenders being reduced to two, it hasn’t.

Perhaps more infuriating for Wan-Bissaka than his initial exclusion from the squad is why he wasn’t called upon when the aforementioned Alexander-Arnold withdrew on Wednesday due to a back injury – could this be the final straw for the tireless tackler?

[ad_pod ]

Tottenham welcome Arsenal to Wembley on Saturday in a match that could now have huge top four implications, and Mauricio Pochettino should do the unthinkable and drop Harry Kane.

Kane has escaped punishment for a possible head-butt in Wednesday’s 2-0 defeat to Chelsea, per Sky Sports, but should the striker miss out on Saturday anyway?

It seems utterly ridiculous to even entertain the notion that Kane, who has scored six goals in his seven appearances against Arsenal, would not start the derby, but the talisman does not look fully fit.

The 25 year-old has just returned well ahead of schedule from an ankle injury, something he has struggled with in the past, and playing three intense games in seven days may just be a step too far.

Pl>ymaker FC Exclusive: Jermaine Jenas which Arsenal players would get into the Tottenham team ahead of the North London Derby – Check out the video below…

Off the pace

For a player returning from a serious ankle injury, a trip to face an extremely physical Burnley side followed by two London derbies is about as brutal as it gets, and Kane is clearly feeling the effects.

The England captain looked heavy-footed and out of sorts in the 2-0 defeat against Chelsea, and he didn’t exactly have a top performance at Turf Moor despite finding the back of the net.

Whoscored rate his performance at Stamford Bridge at 6.05, the joint-lowest score he has recorded this season along with the 1-0 defeat to Manchester City.

A boost for Son?

Shocking the world by benching Kane could also fire Son Heung-min back into form, who has struggled since the main man returned to the team.

Son had scored in four consecutive games in Kane’s absence, but has failed to score or assist in either of his showings since the striker’s return, and his scintillating showings have turned into drab displays with virtually no effect on the game.

The South Korean speedster clearly thrives in the spaces around a more traditional target man like Fernando Llorente, and he also showed in the Carabao Cup contest earlier this season that his pace can rip Arsenal to shreds if he is deployed up front.

The Gunners are very thin in defence due to an injury crisis, and stunning them with the pace of Son and/or the physicality of Llorente could restore Tottenham’s fortunes.

And hey, if it all goes horribly wrong, Kane isn’t exactly a bad super-sub to have in the back pocket.

أكد لاعب فريق ليفربول جورجينيو فينالدوم أنهم سيعودون أقوى بعد هزيمتهم الثقيلة، مساء أمس الأحد، أمام أستون فيلا في بطولة الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز.

وتواجه الفريقان في فيلا بارك، في ختام منافسات الجولة الرابعة من البريميرليج.

وحقق أستون فيلا فوزًا تاريخيًا غير متوقع على حامل لقب الدوري الإنجليزي، بسبعة أهداف مقابل هدفين.

وكتب فينالدوم، عبر حسابه الشخصي بموقع “إنستجرام”: “نتيجة مخيبة للآمال للغاية الليلة، لكننا سنعود أقوى!”.

   View this post on Instagram  

Very disappointing result tonight. But we will come back stronger!🔴 #AVLLIV #YNWA

A post shared by Gini Wijnaldum (@gwijnaldum) on Oct 4, 2020 at 2:10pm PDT

يُذكر أن ليفربول سيواجه إيفرتون، بعد انتهاء فترة التوقف الدولي الحالي، وذلك يوم 17 أكتوبر الجاري.

[ad_pod ]

Alan Hutton will see his contract with Aston Villa expire this summer.

And there are question marks over whether he will turn out for the club again when considering that he could miss the rest of the campaign through injury.

Indeed, Hutton picked up a knee issue in the early stages of Saturday’s clash with Stoke City.

According to Villa boss Dean Smith, the injury is not as bad as first feared, but he will miss ‘a number of weeks’, which could mean anything really.

Smith hopes to have the Scot back before the end of the campaign, but that is far from certain at this stage.

Thogden has ranked his top 5 sets of Championship away fans for Pl>ymaker FC. Did your club make the list? Find out in the video below…

The 34-year-old has played 33 times for Villa this season and 201 times in total since arriving at the club from Tottenham Hotspur in 2011.

The Villa fans have been on social media discussing whether the defender is deserving of a testimonial.

And it would be fair to say that many have differing views on the situation.

A selection of the Twitter reaction can be seen below:

[ad_pod ]

Loads of Celtic fans have been reflecting on the weekend’s cup action, and they’re completely split on the quarter-final performance of Nir Bitton.

Celtic cruised into the last four of the Scottish Cup all too easily on Saturday, as Neil Lennon’s return to Easter Road was a very comfortable one.

His side were rarely threatened in the first half by Paul Heckingbottom’s Hibs, and second half goals from James Forrest and Scott Brown were enough to progress.

Forrest’s goal was a moment of pure individual brilliance, skipping past a couple of defenders before rifling in from the edge of the box, and Brown’s effort wasn’t much worse, thundering his strike home after some good work by Odsonne Edouard.

The game was won and lost in midfield though, where Bitton was once again very busy.

The 19-cap Israeli international has started Celtic’s last three matches since returning from a knee injury, and while his dirty work in midfield helps other players to venture forward and attack, he is not everyone’s cup of tea.

Fans are completely split on the 6 ft 5 in midfielder’s all-action showing, and you can find some of the best Twitter reactions down below…

It really would be disastrous if Leeds fail to secure promotion to the Premier League this season as they’ve come so far under the guidance of Marcelo Bielsa.

Bielsa has made a number of excellent decisions in the current campaign, including playing Tyler Roberts in the No.10 role. But, he didn’t manage to get things right against Sheffield United at Elland Road last time out as Chris Basham silenced the fans in what was a very disappointing day for all involved.

Leeds will need to bring in reinforcements if they manage to secure promotion to the Premier League, with another striker, a central midfielder and an attacking midfielder possibly required.

Interestingly, it appears as if the Yorkshire club have identified a possible summer target, as according to Tuttomercatoweb (via HITC), Leeds United are interested in Boca Juniors star Nahitan Nandez.

The Uruguayan is a very exciting central midfielder who loves to get on the ball and make things happen, which would benefit Leeds massively with Leeds’ main playmaker Pablo Hernandez getting on with age. He’s produced two goals and one assist in just 13 appearances this season and he has plenty of experience from his time on the international stage and at club level, which could help him adjust to life in the Premier League if Leeds get promoted.

Nandez offers that extra something special and he’s very similar to Mateusz Klich as he possesses the ability to get forward and influence the game, as well as being able to pick the final pass and sometimes gets on the scoresheet. So, both men could work perfectly alongside each other and would offer a different dynamic moving forward.

Leeds United fans, would you like to see Nandez controlling your midfield next season? Join the discussion by commenting down below!