Category Uncategorized

Allan Saint-Maximin inspired a stunning Newcastle United comeback on Saturday afternoon to hand a boost to Steve Bruce’s hopes of staying in the Premier League this season, but another name arguably stole the show at Turf Moor.

The Magpies were heading for a frustrating result until the Frenchman’s 57th-minute introduction as he came off the bench to score and assist two goals in quick succession.

He first found Jacob Murphy before a superb solo effort was rifled home, both within eight minutes of coming onto the pitch.

And whilst he deserves plenty of plaudits, Newcastle’s opening goalscorer deserves just as much, having made a considerable impact throughout the 90 minutes.

Indeed, Murphy was amongst Bruce’s highest-rated starters (7.4), as per SofaScore ratings and this was something echoed by ChronicleLive’s Lee Ryder, who claimed the wing-back bounced back from an indifferent opening half to form a brilliant partnership with Saint-Maximin.

The 26-year-old was one of the Magpies’ most influential players as he recorded 66 touches, a feat only bettered by Jonjo Shelvey – understandably as he’s supposed to dictate play from the engine room.

[snack-amp-story url=”https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/the-latest-newcastle-news%2c-gossip-and-views-2″ title=”The latest Newcastle news, gossip and views!”]

But that merely showed how Newcastle relied on Murphy down that right flank, he only got better when Bruce replaced the struggling forward duo of Joelinton and Dwight Gayle.

The 5 foot 9 dynamo also managed to provide two accurate crosses and pulled off one successful dribble but he too contributed defensively to great effect.

As per SofaScore, Murphy made two tackles, which was only bettered by one player on the pitch – Erik Pieters (six), who the Magpies star often went to battle with.

By comparison, central defensive duo Ciaran Clark and Federico Fernandez combined for the same number of tackles. Murphy also chipped in with one interception and one block too.

The £25k-per-week dynamo earned the glowing praise of Alan Shearer on Twitter as he couldn’t contain his excitement at the victory, so whilst Saint-Maximin will be the main name spoken about, you cannot ignore the industrious contribution of the former Norwich City graduate.

He’s still set to be out of contract in the summer, so the Magpies hierarchy will need to act on Bruce’s wishes sooner rather than later after that display.

AND in other news, “There’s rumours” – Exclusive: Marcus Bent drops big claim on ex-player returning to Newcastle…

أثار وكيل جناح الفريق الأول لكرة القدم بنادي باريس سان جيرمان، نيمار دا سيلفا، الجدل بمقارنته مع أسطورة البرازيل، بيليه، الذي فاز ببطولة كأس العالم ثلاث مرات.

وأصدرت شبكة “Netflix” فيلمًا وثائقيًا عن نيمار واسمه “Neymar – O Caos Perfeito”، تحدث فيه العديد من النجوم عن البرازيلي وكان من ضمنهم وكيله السابق، فاجنر ريبيرو.

اقرأ أيضًا.. باريس سان جيرمان يعلن موعد عودة نيمار

وقال فاجنر: “نيمار أفضل بكثير من بيليه، الأخير رائع للغاية ولكن إذا كان يلعب في الوقت الحالي، فسيواجه الكثير من الصعوبات”.

وأضاف: “عكس إذا لعب نيمار في زمن بيليه، فسيحرز 12 هدفًا في كل مباراة، كان الأمر أسهل بكثير”.

وكانت مسيرة بيليه رائعة مع منتخب البرازيل ونادي سانتوس حيث لعب مع السيلساو 92 مباراة وسجل 77 هدفًا بينما لعب مع سانتوس 659 مباراة وسجل 643 هدفا.

In a recent interview, Frank McAvennie questioned the attitude of reported West Ham United transfer target, Odsonne Edouard. 

So far this season, Edouard has highly impressed over his 26 Scottish Premiership appearances for Celtic, bagging 16 goals and providing three assists, as well as averaging a WhoScored match rating of 7.31 – ranking him as the club’s joint fourth-best performer in the Scottish top flight.

As a result of his fine performances, West Ham have been linked with a move for the 23-year-old, for whom Celtic are reported to want a figure of around £35 million to part with.

It will be no surprise to see the Irons front of the queue if Celtic decide to cash in – David Moyes only has one recognised striker in the shape of Michail Antonio.

However, speaking recently to Football Insider, the former Celtic and West Ham striker, McAvennie, claimed that while he would like to see Edouard join the Hammers this summer, he was unsure whether the Frenchman has an attitude that would comply with Moyes.

He said: “I would take Edouard at West Ham but the way he downed tools with Lenny was disappointing. The boy’s got talent and West Ham need a striker. But if David Moyes would have that kind of player, I don’t know.

“But, you get the ball up to him and he keeps it. He’s definitely a talent. There are rumours going about here, there and everywhere but until someone comes in and spends the money, we just don’t know what’s going to happen.”

Transfer Tavern Take

Considering the fact that Edouard scored eight goals over Neil Lennon’s last eight league games in charge of Celtic before his dismissal, it could be argued that McAvennie’s claim that the striker “downed tools” for his manager is somewhat unwarranted.

And, with West Ham in desperate need of a striker in the summer transfer window, with Moyes currently only having Antonio as an option in the position, the addition of a centre-forward with the goal-scoring record of Edouard would appear to be just what the Hammers are looking for.

In other news: these West Ham fans slammed this club figure with “no ambition” after footage surfaced – find out more here!

In an exclusive interview with Football FanCast, former Premier League striker Marlon Harewood revealed he has not been surprised by the impact Dominic Calvert-Lewin has made at Everton this season.

The 23-year-old has been spearheading the Toffees’ push for Champions League football, scoring an impressive 13 goals in English football’s top flight so far.

Not always being a regular at Goodison Park, Calvert-Lewin’s explosion may have come as a surprise to some. That, however, has not been the case for Harewood, who shared his long-time admiration for the player.

On £40.5m-rated Calvert-Lewin, the former West Ham and Aston Villa centre-forward told FFC:

“I haven’t been surprised because I’ve followed him, obviously strikers follow strikers, and he’s been a very top-class striker for many years. It’s just he hasn’t really had the time to shine. Since the new manager’s come in, he’s put a lot of faith in him and helped him along the way because he’s worked with a lot of top-class strikers.

“[He’s] showing him what he needs to concentrate on and once you get that understanding of ‘I want you to score goals, I want you to get into the box, I want you to look at videos, I want you to react to things, I don’t want you coming out of that area’, it just shows really. He’s been in those positions where he’s been threatening on goal and it’s just worked out for him.”

Last season was hardly a terrible a campaign for the England international either, where he also managed to reach double figures in the Premier League.

He scored 13 goals, with Manchester City, Manchester United, Chelsea and Arsenal all clubs succumbing to the No.9’s finishing prowess, showing that he is also the man for the big occasion.

Calvert-Lewin has been making a name for himself on the international stage, too, scoring on his England debut against Wales before netting versus the Republic of Ireland.

The Everton man will now be hoping to get the call-up when England’s squad for the European Championships this summer is announced.

Leicester City have been indebted to goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel in recent weeks.

The Danish stopper produced a string of impressive saves in the Foxes’ 2-1 success against Brighton and Hove Albion at the weekend. However, despite his great form between the sticks, at 34 years of age, the former Manchester City and Leeds United stopper is not going to last forever.

Luckily, Brendan Rodgers has a ready-made replacement at his disposal; on-loan Preston North End man Daniel Iversen.

Rated at just £540k, the 23-year-old stopper has continued to defy his paltry valuation with a number of impressive performances.

He has been the undisputed No.1 at Deepdale since his arrival in January, playing 12 Championship matches and keeping four clean sheets. This form with the Lilywhites has come on the back of impressive temporary spells at Rotherham United and Oldham Athletic.

Even his current manager, Alex Neil, has suggested that there would be a “struggle to find better” shot-stoppers than Iversen in the Championship this season.

It is only natural then that comparisons with his compatriot Schmeichel occur, especially with the two potentially vying for the No.1 shirt at the King Power Stadium in the near future.

Ironically, the duos’ similarities do not just end at their nationality; their numbers are extremely similar throughout the 2020/21 season.

According to SofaScore, Iversen makes 2.8 saves per game, with Schmeichel surprisingly lower at 2.6, albeit in the Premier League.

The latter has a clean sheet rate of 32%, whilst the 23-year-old’s sits just slightly higher at 33% – extremely similar numbers.

Despite that, the youngster has already committed two errors leading to goals with Preston this season, however, that erratic nature should be snuffed out as he continues to develop.

Iversen’s distribution redeems him somewhat. Schmeichel’s accuracy when passing into the opposition half sits at just 2.4%, whilst Iversen’s is far better at 5.7%.

Despite the former Esbjerg fB stopper suggesting that he desires another temporary loan move away from the King Power Stadium next season, now might be the right time for him to challenge Schmeichel.

If he does that, he should be ready to step into the vacancy when the Foxes’ stalwart eventually hangs up his gloves.

AND in more news, Dean Windass has said that Leicester can secure second in the Premier League this season despite their injury woes…

If Celtic supporters were protesting against Neil Lennon outside Parkhead just a matter of months into the season, then you can bet your bottom dollar that they’ll be thinking about doing so again.

In short, this has been a diabolical season for The Bhoys. Their fierce rivals now need just seven points to secure the title and if things weren’t already embarrassing enough for Celtic, they lost 1-0 to Ross County on Sunday.

As the pitch cut up and looked difficult to play on, it rather summed up the Hoops’ season. It has been one full of holes, one where they’ve been stuck in the mud.

They may have secured the Scottish Cup back in December, but when it’s come to the league, they have been considerably off the pace. Lennon had engineered five straight wins in the SPFL but this was yet another indication of why he simply has to leave his post.

The blame can’t solely be put on the manager, though. His players have failed to deliver and that rings true for many individuals. Ryan Christie missed an absolute sitter after 36 minutes but another of their poor performers on Sunday was Tom Rogic.

The Australian has been linked with Asian shores in recent months and like Lennon, it wouldn’t be a surprise if he departed come the summer.

Rogic has often been a passenger and Sunday was no different for the attacking midfielder. Playing on the right of midfield on this occasion, he struggled to get into proceedings and made a meagre 17 passes throughout the contest.

For context, of those who started for Celtic, only striker Odsonne Edouard and goalkeeper Scott Bain managed fewer. On a night where the Hoops carved out 20 shots, only one of those chances was created by Rogic.

It was a difficult night for the 28-year-old who was met with fierce resistance from Carl Tremarco and Alex Lacovitti. Rogic won just three of the 11 ground and aerial duels he contested and despite his few touches of the ball, he still managed to lose it on 14 occasions.

With Celtic pursuing a goal for large parts of the game, his display should have left his manager rather dismayed. For a player in his position, his numbers have been rather unimpressive all season.

Rogic has scored only two times and has registered just four assists. The Hoops can easily do better than that paltry output and Lennon needs to get him out of the team, he no longer deserves his place.

AND in other news, Desmond would deal big blow to Celtic veteran if he appointed 62 y/o “architect”…

MatériaMais Notícias

Na magra vitória do São Paulo por 1 a 0 sobre o Rio Claro neste domingo pelo Campeonato Paulista, Rodrigo Caio mostrou personalidade para superar as críticas que sofreu, fez um belo jogo e ainda marcou o gol do triunfo Tricolor. Quem foi mal pelo time da capital, mais uma vez, foi o argentino Centurión, que perdeu muitas bolas e errou passes no ataque. Veja as notas do LANCE!

SÃO PAULO

6,0
Denis
Assustou ao rebater um chute de fora, mas não fez feio e ainda mostrou firmeza como capitão. Boa defesa no fim.

6,0
Bruno
Ativo no ataque, com quatro tentativas de cruzamento, e competente na marcação. Evitou gol no segundo tempo.

6,5
Lugano
Tranquilidade é a palavra que resume sua reestreia pelo São Paulo. Não passou e nem impôs sustos, além da boa saída.

7,0
Rodrigo Caio
Atuação bem além do cabeceio firme que rendeu o gol. Mostrou segurança, recurso e quase não errou passes.

6,5
Mena
Quase marcou no início, em uma de suas poucas incursões ao ataque. Na defesa, sofre pouco e novamente foi bem.

6,5
Hudson
Dificuldade para sair jogando por conta da desorganização ofensiva, mas bem na marcação pelo chão. Bons desarmes.

5,0
Thiago Mendes
Muita participação no jogo, mas pouca eficiência para construir as jogadas. Bem na tabela curta, mas só isso.

4,0
Centurión
Oito perdas de bola e quatro passes errados em 21 vezes que pegou na bola. Não evolui as jogadas ofensivas do Tricolor.

6,0
Paulo Henrique Ganso
Sofre para criar com o time espaçado, mas ainda assim criou ao menos duas boas chances de gol não aproveitadas.

6,5
Carlinhos
Bem na função de Michel Bastos. Procurou espaço, abriu o campo de jogo e contribuiu na frente com a assistência.

5,5
Calleri
Briga por toda bola, faz boa proteção, mas não deu sorte. Na melhor chance, concluiu sem força para o gol.

6,0
Wesley
Deu boa dinâmica ao meio de campo, abrindo espaço pelos lados e criando chances. Até arriscou uma boa finalização.

5,5
Rogério
Sem a inspiração de outras jornadas, perdeu boa chance já no fim e não conseguiu prender a bola no setor ofensivo.

–
João Schmidt
Injusto julgar por cinco minutos em campo. Deveria ter mais chances, e por mais tempo. Desta vez, fica sem avaliação.

6,5
Edgardo Bauza
Do meio para trás, o time é ótimo, seguro e organizado. Do meio para frente, uma bagunça. Falta criatividade e atitude.

RelacionadasSão PauloJogador de condomínio? Rodrigo Caio brilha e dá vitória ao São Paulo na reestreia de LuganoSão Paulo21/02/2016São PauloApós estreia, Lugano cobra esperteza de jogadores para evitar ‘tormenta’São Paulo21/02/2016São PauloVice do São Paulo defende Michel Bastos e diz que ele volta ao timeSão Paulo21/02/2016

RIO CLARO

6,5
Lucas Frigeri
Três defesas difíceis.

5,5
Luis Felipe
Sem trabalho na defesa, se arriscou à frente, mas pouco ajudou.

5,0
Alex Silva
Tirou o espaço de Calleri e contribuiu para a saída de bola. No lance do gol, ele não companhou Rodrigo Caio.

4,5
João Gabriel
Dois bons desarmes no início, mas mostrou muita desatenção.

5,0
Felipe Saturnino
Até conseguiu segurar Centurión, mas não quis atacar.

5,5
Maurício
Cartão amarelo até certo ponto sem razão. Seguro na contenção.

5,5
Jean Patrick
Duro na marcação e ousado na criação. Boa noção para ocupar espaços e recurso para jogar. Foi bem.

4,0
Léo Cista
Centralizado ou aberto, pouco contribuiu na construção de jogadas.

4,0
Thiago Cristian
Apesar da 10 às costas, não assustou o adversário porque quase sempre tocou para trás. Criou pouco.

4,5
Lucas Xavier
Sumido do jogo e desarmado sempre com facilidade.

5,0
Romarinho
O mais lúcido do ataque, apesar das precipitações. Tem habilidade.

5,0
Joãozinho
Não cumpriu missão ofensiva nos poucos minutos em campo.

5,5
Elsinho
Boa dinâmica, sem eficiência.

5,0
Fabricio
Escondido atrás da defesa.

5,5
Sérgio Guedes
Time não aproveitou espaços, apesar de ter equilibrado o jogo.

According to TEAMtalk, Glasgow Rangers are interested in bringing Manchester United outcast Jesse Lingard to Ibrox.

What’s the word?

Lingard finds himself surplus to requirements under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer as he hasn’t featured for the first team since the 3-0 victory over Brighton and Hove Albion in the fourth round of the EFL Cup at the start of the season.

Even though Steven Gerrard’s side are stacked to the brim with striker/attacking midfielder options, the Ibrox boss is always on the lookout to bolster his firepower by adding some more experience and pedigree to his attack.

Although Alfredo Morelos has struggled at times this season so far, Jermain Defoe has been decent this campaign and versatile forward Kemar Roofe has been able to hit the ground running, but having options is never a bad thing.

It’s fair to say that Lingard, despite his obvious struggles, would be an upgrade on most if not all of the options that are currently available, so it’s easy to understand why Rangers have taken an interest in securing his services.

The 27-year-old has scored 33 goals and supplied 20 assists in 209 appearances in all competitions for the Red Devils, having broken into the first team from the academy ranks.

Wilson must swoop for Lingard

It’s the silly season at the 54-time Scottish champions once again, isn’t it?

If, and that’s a big if, they can somehow afford his colossal wages, which are reportedly worth £100,000-per-week, then, of course, it’s worth taking a punt on the former England international.

There is, of course, the remote chance that Lingard may be prepared to take a pay cut to increase his playing time ahead of the Euros next year, but even that’s a bit of a stretch of the imagination.

However, if by some miracle things do work out in their favour, Wilson must sanction an audacious swoop for the versatile midfielder, who is currently valued at £12.6m via Transfermarkt.

Michael Carrick was effusive in his praise for his former teammate as he identified his best attributes, saying: “I think his movement – he moves off the ball very well. It’s something that sounds quite simple, but it’s difficult to defend against.”

He added: “How he plays, he is unique in some ways. You don’t see so much of that in the game as everyone wants to get on the ball and do something on the ball. Off the ball, he’s very effective.”

Last season, Lingard played nine games in the Champions League, scoring two goals and supplying one assist, whilst he averaged 1.8 shots per game, via WhoScored.

If the interest is genuine, his experience could prove to be invaluable, as he has played at the highest levels of the game and would be a useful option out wide.

AND in other news, Rangers midfielder Scott Arfield can fulfil the role Gerrard has wanted for so long…

Manchester United versatile forward Marcus Rashford scored in injury time to snatch a last-gasp victory over Wolves at Old Trafford on Tuesday night as the Red Devils registered a crucial 1-0 win over Nuno Espirito Santo’s side to close the gap on Liverpool.

A deflected effort from Rashford in the closing stages of the game proved to be enough to secure the three points.

While Rashford will undoubtedly pick up most of the plaudits, United defender and club captain Harry Maguire arguably stole the show with a solid display at the back as he put in a workmanlike performance.

England international Maguire was colossal at the back for Solskjaer’s side against Wolves as they earned a clean sheet for the first time since the Carabao Cup clash with Everton and his latest showing was all the more impressive especially when you consider the fact that he has started 21 games across all competitions this season so far.

As per SofaScore, the 27-year-old centre-back was rewarded for his efforts with a high rating of 7.8 out of ten – only David de Gea scored higher – as he made two tackles, three interceptions, two clearances and blocked two shots to deny Wolves a share of the spoils.

Maguire, who earns around £189,000-per-week at Old Trafford, also took 87 touches of the ball, which was two more than even Paul Pogba managed, and clearly made the most of all of the possession as he attempted long balls over the top at almost free will, completing eight successful long balls out of nine attempts, via SofaScore.

The Sun seem to agree, claiming he ‘got his side on the front foot early on with some nice, crisp passes through the lines’ and provided an example of ‘perfect defending to stop Pedro Neto after a dangerous Wolves counter.’

It’s safe to say that Maguire has had his fair share of naysayers during his time at Old Trafford – we can count ourselves among that number – but this kind of performance has been so typical of him over the past couple of months.

He endured a torrid time at the start of the season but has benefitted from having Eric Bailly back alongside him to plug the gap in the leaky defence. United have now conceded 23 goals in the Premier League, seven fewer than Leeds United, with two clean sheets out of their previous three fixtures, via Transfermarkt.

As 2020 draws to a close, it finally looks like Maguire is starting to live up to his hefty price-tag and looks like a real talent. It might seem a bit of a stretch at first, but he could emulate Rio Ferdinand as he is already the club’s undisputed first-choice centre-back. He just needs to keep performing on a consistent basis.

AND in other news, Man Utd chief Ed Woodward can upgrade Daniel James in Inter Milan winger Ivan Perisic…

David Moyes can see West Ham United get the best out of Sebastien Haller by handing the striker a new role following his excellence as an impact substitute at home to Aston Villa.

What’s the word?

While speaking with Football Insider, Alan Hutton has suggested it was a “masterstroke” by Moyes to replace Michail Antonio with Haller at the break, having seen the English centre-forward struggle on his return from a hamstring injury.

Haller fell to the bench for the visit of Aston Villa to east London to accommodate for Antonio’s return, despite netting the winner at Sheffield United the week prior and earning the praise of Moyes who noted how he “couldn’t be more pleased for him”.

Hutton is adamant the decision to replace Antonio with Haller was a game-changer in West Ham’s favour, with the £45m club-record signing turning the tide at the London Stadium where Jack Grealish had countered Angelo Ogbonna’s second-minute opener.

“I thought David Moyes made a brilliant substitution, with Haller and [Said] Benrahma,” he said. “I thought when they came on, they changed the game, I thought they were excellent. They caused Villa a lot of problems in the first moments.

“I think it was a masterstroke from David Moyes bringing Haller on. He was definitely a focal point, they got the ball up to him, he held up and he brought the other two attackers into it.”

Time for a new role

Moyes benching Haller following his match-winning moment of magic at Sheffield United was a decision that has not sat well with all, as former Arsenal and Everton forward Kevin Campbell believes the Ivory Coast international had a right to start against Aston Villa.

Haller started all three of West Ham’s Premier League fixtures whilst Antonio was injured, and Campbell feels Moyes should have made accommodations for that run to continue even with his first-choice centre-forward returning.

“Haller will be frustrated but Michail Antonio has proven that he is the main guy at West Ham now,” he told Football Insider. “This is the way football works and if there is another injury there might be an opportunity for him to play alongside Antonio.”

But Moyes can see West Ham get the best from Haller by utilising his impact from the bench, having seen how influential he could be against Aston Villa with more offensive aerial duels (9) than any other player, as many defensive aerial duels as Ogbonna (4), a team-high two successful dribbles and a joint-game high five attempted tackles, per WhoScored, including those who started.

Haller’s display was far from perfect with a worryingly poor 33% pass competition rate and no shots, showing why the £115,385-per-week striker was right to only start on the bench.

But his ability to create problems for the opposing side will be something Moyes will strive to tap into time and time again, having only trusted the Ivorian to play 29 minutes over West Ham’s opening five Premier League games.

AND in other news, David Moyes dodged a £34m bullet in “incredible” rocket West Ham eyed this summer.