All posts by n8rngtd.top

Giovani Lo Celso has excelled in his new role at Tottenham Hotspur ever since the Premier League restarted last month.

After Jose Mourinho decided to give Harry Winks another chance, Lo Celso was deployed further forward, and he was let loose against the Everton defence.

While it may not have been pretty, he played an instrumental part in breaking the deadlock, as Michael Keane deflected his strike into the back of his own net.

Paul Robinson insists he would not swap the Tottenham ace for Manchester United’s Bruno Fernandes.

Speaking exclusively to Football Insider, the former Spurs star claims Lo Celso has been “outstanding” for Mourinho’s side.

Last month, Fernandes revealed Spurs came close to signing him before Sporting Lisbon blocked the deal, via Sky Sports.

Mourinho dismissed his compatriot’s comments and said he would rather have Lo Celso anyway.

After being asked by Dylan Childs if he would swap the Argentine for Fernandes, Robinson admitted he would like to have both of them, but would choose Lo Celso if he was forced to pick between the two.

He told Football Insider “I would like to have them both! Two top-quality players.

“Lo Celso has shown a side to his game that not many people, including myself, knew that he had. He is not afraid to do the hard yards and play as a holding midfielder as well as an attacking midfielder.”

“I certainly would not swap him for Bruno Fernandes. Two outstanding players but Lo Celso has become key to what Spurs do. He’s settled and adapted to life in the Premier League very easily and very quickly.

“He looks to be a very astute signing along with Bergwijn. They are the type of signings that Spurs need. They have changed the team.

“Fernandes is a top player but I would not swap him for Lo Celso.”

It is hard to argue with Robinson here, as Lo Celso pulled all the strings in the 1-0 win over the Toffees.

The midfield maestro was widely touted as Christian Eriksen’s successor but ended up playing in a deeper role alongside Winks before the break. This didn’t stop him from being one of the club’s best players prior to the nationwide lockdown in March.

However, the 24-year-old has burst into life since the restart, as his performances have continued to get better and better with each passing week. Indeed, he earned a solid SofaScore rating of 6.8 in the draw with Manchester United, but bounced back with impressive displays against West Ham and Everton.

While Bruno Fernandes has been in electric form ever since he arrived at Old Trafford in January, the statistics don’t paint the full picture.

Lo Celso only has two goals this season, but these numbers can be attributed to the fact that it has taken him until 2020 to get his shot in central midfield.

Mourinho has let him off the leash over the past week or so, which has given him the freedom to move further forward, and he was unlucky not to score his first Premier League goal after his effort ricocheted off Keane.

It is difficult to believe it will be too far away if the Portuguese sticks with his new system as Lo Celso continues to take new strides in the final third.

That isn’t to say Fernandes wouldn’t make an immediate impact, as the evidence is there for all to see, the fact remains Lo Celso is arguably a better fit for where Spurs are at right now.

It is highly likely he will stick around for the foreseeable future, whereas Fernandes will no doubt be attracting attention from Barcelona and Real Madrid, which could unsettle the United squad.

Mourinho’s side are currently eighth in the table, eleven points behind fourth-placed Leicester, tied with Sheffield United on 48 points.

All hope of claiming silverware this season is basically over at this point and he will be looking to plan ahead for next season instead.

Tottenham fans, who would you choose? Let us know down below!

In the Premier League, Liverpool have been by far and away the best team this season.

The Reds currently have a 25-point lead at the top of the division, and are just two wins and six points away from confirming their status as champions of England for the first time in 30 years. They have lost just one game, and drawn another, of their 29 matches to date – it is hard to recollect a more one-sided title race in the history of top-tier football on these shores.

However, the Champions League has caused plenty more problems. In the group stages, they were unable to beat Napoli at home or away, whilst Austrian side RB Salzburg scored three past them at Anfield. They did progress to the next round of the competition, but were soon dumped out after losing to Atletico Madrid 4-2 on aggregate.

The latest update on the European tournament from The Sun, though, may offer the Reds a reprieve. UEFA have planned to finish both the Champions League and the Europa League in August to work around the current pandemic, but to do so players would need to be exempt from the 14-day quarantine rules imposed in the E.U. That possibility, though, has been vetoed, making it surely impossible to complete the campaign.

Whilst the Reds’ supporters are desperate to finish the domestic term, their prayers could be answered in Europe. The failure to finish the tournament would effectively see it null and voided – which would see the Merseyside club hold on to their title until the next edition starts up.

As such, we could see a situation where the Reds are Premier League champions and European champions at the same time. Not bad going at all.

Let us know what you think below!

Having conceded 40 goals in the Premier League this season – the joint-most of anyone in the top ten – it’s no surprise to hear Tottenham being interested in making some defensive reinforcements this summer.

The latest player to be linked with a switch to north London? Hellas Verona’s Marash Kumbulla.

According to Italian publication Gazzetta dello Sport (via Sport Witness), Spurs have earmarked the centre-back as a potential option to replace Belgium international Jan Vertonghen, who reports claim is set to leave on a free transfer when his contract comes to an end.

The Greatest Bargains in Premier League history – How much did they cost?

World Class score: 95% | Expert score: 80% | Veteran score: 65% | Intermediate score: 45% | Amateur score: 30% | Try Again: 5%

The report adds that Spurs could face intense competition from Premier League rivals Everton, and Serie A giants Inter.

After hearing about the links to the 20-year-old, Spurs fans took to Twitter to voice their thoughts on their rumoured transfer target.

One Spurs fan in particular however, raised some concerns about potentially signing Kumbulla, wondering whether he could be another Vlad Chiriches.

At just 20-years-old, Kumbulla could well be the future of Spurs’ defence.

If Vertonghen does indeed leave north London this summer, then going after someone who is considerably younger may be the way to go, particularly with the financial impact of the current situation set to take effect for the next couple of seasons at least.

Kumbulla may be the answer for Spurs.

Meanwhile, Spurs fans react to this PL star’s admission.

Liverpool face Brighton on Saturday as they look to maintain their eight-point lead at the top of the Premier League table.

[ad_pod ]

The Reds come into the match off the back of a 1-1 draw against Napoli in the Champions League at Anfield. As such, they will be looking to return to winning ways.

With so many games to play over the coming weeks, it will be interesting to see what team Jurgen Klopp puts out against the Seagulls. Here, we try to predict his starting XI.

As Alisson did not pick up an injury against the Italian team in midweek, there is no need for him to drop out of the side. Therefore, he will start between the sticks.

Check out footballers’ biggest fashion disasters in the video below…

Andrew Robertson came through the European fixture unscathed, and should therefore keep his place in the side for the visit of Graham Potter’s men. In the middle, Virgil van Dijk is unlikely to be removed, but Joe Gomez could come in alongside him. He struggled at right-back on Wednesday, but he could be included in the middle of the back four here. On the right, Trent Alexander-Arnold should return after being dropped to the bench for the last fixture.

Fabinho will be out of action until next year, so someone will need to take his place in defensive midfield. Naby Keita may be a long-term alternative, but an illness over the past week or so may mean it is too soon for him to start. As such, Georginio Wijnaldum could drop back into the deeper role, with Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain taking his place further forward. Expect Jordan Henderson to join the 26-year-old in central midfield.

Unless there are any last-minute injuries, expect all three of Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino to stay in those three positions up front. With 18 goals between them already in this Premier League campaign, much of the Merseyside team’s success will rely on them in the coming months.

In other news, one Liverpool star says he could have joined Napoli before moving to Anfield.

Manchester United fans have taken to Twitter to drool over Marcus Rashford, after the forward scored yet another goal with a fine finish for England in the 4-0 win over Kosovo.

The 22-year-old entered the pitch in the 59th minute as a replacement for Callum Hudson-Odoi, and managed to make a significant impact with a fantastic curled effort into the bottom right corner in the 83rd minute.

Impressively, it was Rashford’s ninth goal in his last ten games across all competitions for club and country, while he has also grabbed an assist during that time period to make it an eye-catching ten goal involvements in as many appearances.

As well as his goal, Rashford – valued at £72m by Transfermarkt – completed three dribbles, recorded one key pass and drew one foul from the opposition – he is definitely looking comfortable in that role on the left.

Let’s take a look at what the United fans on Twitter have been saying…

This article is part of Football FanCast’s In Numbers series, which takes a statistical look at performances, season-long form and reported transfer targets… 

Sheffield Wednesday return to Championship action this weekend when they face a trip to the Hawthorns to face league leaders West Bromwich Albion on Saturday afternoon.

Garry Monk’s men have mostly enjoyed a two-week break from the league as they look to recharge their batteries ahead of a hectic festive period, although how much their off the field predicament will affect them on the pitch remains to be seen.

Watch Sheffield Wednesday Videos With StreamFootball.tv Below

They’ll be buoyed by the fact that the Baggies will be without two players that have started every single game for them this campaign as Romaine Sawyers and skipper Jake Livermore endure a one-match suspension.

While the 40-year-old will be able to call upon some of the players that have been on international duty, such as Atdhe Nuhiu and Liam Palmer, although the latter’s latest showing left plenty to be desired.

The Wednesday right-back played his third straight 90 minutes in a Scotland shirt as they defeated Cyprus 2-1 in a pretty meaningless Euro 2020 qualifying match.

Per SofaScore, Palmer lost possession 17 times, which was the second-most in the team, failed to provide any key passes or accurate crosses, and recorded a poor passing accuracy of 65%.

Overall, it was a pretty shocking afternoon for the 28-year-old, however, Monk must stick with him going into this weekend’s fixture.

Even if there are calls for Moses Odubajo to make a return.

Palmer offers more defensive stability – recording more interceptions and clearances, as well as fewer fouls, via WhoScored – than the Steve Bruce signing.

Albion pose a huge attacking threat with their attacking midfield options. Grady Diangana, Matty Phillips, and Matheus Pereira have combined for 82% of their 29 league goals this season, and the Owls stalwart is the best option to counteract their danger.

The right-back situation can be revisited after Saturday’s game, although there’s a tough run of fixtures ahead.

Everton fans on Twitter made their feelings very clear after watching the first half of their game against Tottenham.

You’ve got to say that the first 45 minutes at Goodison Park were extremely dull, but fortunately, the game picked up a little bit in the second half.

Watch Everton Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

You know a game is boring when the BBC say there is not much to report at half-time, and the reaction from the fans at the interval tells you all you need to know.

It’s bad enough that the Toffees are finding it hard to pick up any points, but it’s even worse when the football on show is so uninspiring.

Luckily, the game ignited in the second half with two goals and a grandstand finish that saw the Toffees pushing the London club to the limit.

It certainly seems as if these fans spoke too soon when calling the game boring, but after that first-half performance, you can hardly blame them.

Here’s what the Goodison Park faithful had to say on Twitter…

This article is part of Football FanCast’s Pundit View series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent quotes from journalists, pundits, players and managers…

They’re in the pipeline.

That seemed to be the message Chris Wilder was trying to get across when asked about the contract situations for his players and whether or not there is likely to be any negotiations in the near future.

What’s he said?

Speaking during his press conference ahead of the game with Tottenham Hotspur, Wilder talked about a number of players that the club want to build around:

“There’s a number of players that we’re always looking at in terms of improving their contracts… the likes of Enda Stevens and John [Lundstram] and Flecky [John Flecky] and George [Baldock] and John Egan… we’ve got a good group that we want to build from.”

Watch Sheffield United Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

Giving yourself a safety cushion.

This sort of touches on the same sort of area that we discussed on FFC earlier this week. In there we talked about how Wilder should be given a new contract as a way of holding off interests from other clubs, such as Manchester United and Arsenal.

Now the Blades should be looking to do the same with the players Wilder talks about in that press conference.

If they want to put themselves in the best position going forward, they should lock down the majority of the squad on long term deals as soon as possible, before they lose their leverage.

If they can get these players tied down on long term contracts, they can look at it in one of three ways.

One of which is sticking together as a team and building a project at Bramall Lane that could see them stay in the Premier League for a long stint. Another would be to sign them up to increase their value if they decide to sell the players off at the end of the season if they are relegated. Or finally, they could keep the team together and use them as the foundation for a team trying to bounce back up if they go down.

At the end of the day it’s all about value, either to Sheffield United or to any clubs that may be interested in their players. Obviously they would love to stay in the top-flight and keep this core of players together that helped them reach the Premier League, but that might not happen.

Arsenal fans on Twitter have been discussing the prospect of Jose Mourinho becoming their next manager.

It’s no secret that a portion of the Gunners’ fanbase want to see Unai Emery sacked from his current role, but would they accept Mourinho, 56, as his replacement?

Watch Arsenal Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

One fan asked on Twitter whether or not the supporters would like to see the former Chelsea boss appointed, and unsurprisingly, the answer was an overwhelming no.

You can’t blame them one bit for having this view. Mourinho was the bane of many Arsenal fans’ existence during his time at Stamford Bridge, and he has previously disrespected Arsene Wenger by calling him a ‘voyeur’ and a ‘specialist in failure’.

Whether or not Mourinho would be a success at the Emirates is inconsequential to a number of these fans as some stated that his disrespect towards Wenger has put him permanently in their bad books.

Here’s what Arsenal fans have been saying on Twitter…

Would you rather see Manchester United start winning games or Marcus Rashford take on Andreas Pereira in a game of ‘lies’? Too bad, you’re getting the second one.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side welcome frontrunners Liverpool to Old Trafford on Sunday in what is likely going to be another embarrassing defeat – but you never know, stranger things have happened (they haven’t).

The presenter probably should’ve asked Rashford if he thinks he’s good at free-kicks, or maybe if he believes Solskjaer is the right man for the job.

Andreas, on the other hand, should have been interrogated about why he thinks he keeps getting in the squad despite arguably being one of the most average players we’ve ever laid our eyes upon – two goals and two assists in 43 appearances isn’t fooling anyone. That would make things more interesting.

To be fair, away from the doom and gloom of United’s worst start to a season in 30 years, this little nugget of fun provides pleasant entertainment…