All posts by n8rngtd.top

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The departure of Steve McClaren from QPR has been the big story coming out of the Championship this week, although the former England boss isn’t the only man to exit Loftus Road – Under-18’s goalkeeper Harvey White has joined Watford on work experience until 19th April.

What exactly that entails is unclear, as he won’t feature or train with the first team, one presumes, and it’s only for a couple of weeks. Perhaps he’ll be making Javi Gracia a coffee now or then, or cleaning Troy Deeney’s boots.

Regardless, the opportunity to see what goes on at a Premier League club behind the scenes is a big one and it will surely be a great experience for the young custodian.

Watch the best fails from the world of indoor football in the video below…

One R’s fan, though, thinks that the move is a sign that the youngster will be joining the Hornets permanently in the summer, while others – like us – were confused as to what it actually meant. You can find the best of the reaction on Twitter below…

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Everton’s hopes of finishing the season in seventh were handed a huge boost as they recorded their third successive Premier League win – and clean sheet – when they beat Arsenal 1-0 at Goodison Park on Sunday.

The Toffees followed up victories against two other London clubs in Chelsea and West Ham United with another assured display against Unai Emery’s visitors, which leaves the Merseyside outfit just one point adrift of Leicester City in a position that could still yield Europa League football this term.

Following yet another impressive performance, there are certainly a couple of players that will have gone up in manager Marco Silva’s estimations.

Phil Jagielka

The veteran centre-back was only named in the XI against Arsenal after Michael Keane was forced to pull out late on, and he certainly made the most of his opportunity.

It was only the 36-year-old’s third Premier League start of the season with Silva obviously deciding previously that the club captain is no longer good enough to start at this level on a regular basis, but the Portuguese boss may have to reconsider on this display.

It is never easy finding out you are suddenly playing so close to kick-off, but Jagielka dealt with it brilliantly and showed his experience and quality throughout the 90 minutes.

Helping the team to another clean sheet and scoring the winning goal, he has proved a point and may well be getting more minutes between now and the end of the campaign.

Dominic Calvert-Lewin

At the start of this season Silva probably wouldn’t have envisaged that by April the England U21 international would be his first-choice striker option, but that is exactly what has happened.

The 22-year-old has been brilliant in recent weeks and his work-rate and general all-round centre-forward play means he is the most effective option for Everton in this particular system.

The Sheffield-born player caused the likes of Sokratis and Shkodran Mustafi all sorts of issues at the weekend, and his record of winning 17 aerial duels during the 90 minutes is absolutely remarkable.

Simply put he just keeps getting better and better, and his manager will find it hard to leave him out for the remainder of the current campaign and potentially into the following one as well.

Aston Villa recorded their eighth consecutive league victory over the weekend and increased the possibility of them playing in the Championship play-offs at the end of the season and maybe even the Premier League next term.

Obviously, Dean Smith has done a magnificent job to finally get this group players performing on the level expected of them but if there’s one player, who has maybe performed a bit under the radar then it is Conor Hourihane.

The 29-year-old has been as important as any other player in the Villa team this season and his beautiful finish on Saturday to give Villa their second goal in their victory over Bristol City, was proof of just what a gifted and talented player he is.

Hourihane – who only joined the club for around £3.15m according to Transfermarkt – has been a consistent starter in Smith’s team this season and he hardly never gets substituted due to the brilliant work ethic he has of giving 100% for the full 90 minutes. His partnership in the midfield with Glenn Whelan has been critical to Villa’s success and has operated as a foundation for the rest of the team to work from.

The commitment him and Whelan bring to the team was what got Villa’s campaign back on track during a time when they couldn’t even break into the top ten of the league.

Hourihane’s experience has been highly beneficial to the rest of the players in the squad and he has definitely acted as a role model for the youngsters in the setup.

His determination and willingness to succeed on the pitch could be the aspects that steer Villa to the Premier League next season, which would be a phenomenal achievement, given the incredible turnaround they’ve made.

And if Villa were to play in the top flight again next season then Hourihane’s mentality is exactly what they will need to compete on the level of the top clubs in the league.

Aston Villa fans, how impressed have you been by the former Barnsley ace? Join the discussion by commenting below… 

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Liverpool fans have taken to Twitter to reveal that they wouldn’t want to see Wilfried Zaha arrive at Anfield.

The 26-year-old Ivory Coast international appears to be on the market this summer after stating his intention to play in the Champions League, although Crystal Palace have said that they want £80m for their talisman.

Chelsea fans were giving it large at Anfield on Sunday. Watch their afternoon get slowly ruined in the video below…

Zaha dazzled the Emirates on Sunday as he and the Eagles pulled off a shock 3-2 victory over Arsenal, where the mercurial forward managed to get on the scoresheet and provide a constant threat throughout.

When of player of his calibre becomes available, any top club would be silly not to take a look at him, but Liverpool fans aren’t sold on the idea of seeing the Palace No.11 arrive on Merseyside.

He would undoubtedly offer something to a side lacking quality depth on the wings behind Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah, but that factor hasn’t been enough to sway the Liverpool fanbase on Twitter who remain unconvinced…

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Leicester have enjoyed a period of rejuvenation under Brendan Rodgers since he replaced Claude Puel and although they lost to Newcastle, they’re now in with a real chance of securing Europa League football next season.

However, the kits they may potentially wear in Europe have caused a bit of a stir amongst Foxes supporters after designs were leaked on Twitter.

As you can see, the blue strip is very similar to the current shirt whilst the visually striking pink kit has been up for debate too.

One fan called it a generic template, with the pink shirt identical in design to an Adidas shirt that’s already on sale.

Another supporter called it a rip-off and a further individual said it was unbelievable that they couldn’t get something with a personal touch.

Kit unveils ahead of the new season is something that always excites football fans but this leak has left Leicester supporters feeling rather underwhelmed.

At the moment, the club currently sit in seventh place in the Premier League table but face a difficult end to the season with games against Arsenal, Manchester City and Chelsea to come.

Here’s what Leicester fans have been saying about their potential new kits.

Arsenal fans were baffled, neutrals were baffled, and even the Arsenal players were baffled by Unai Emery’s squad selection.

It’s rare you hear rumblings out of a club that the players are confused by their manager’s squad choice for an important game, and if any Premier League club was to have such a story break it would be from Arsenal, and that’s exactly what’s happened.

According to the Telegraph, Arsenal players were left confused about Emery’s first-team selection for their home game against Crystal Palace that saw Mohamed Elneny partner Matteo Guendouzi in midfield with Carl Jenkinson as right-wingback.

As well as odd picks, the report also claims Arsenal players are confused with the Spaniard’s continued faith in defender Shkodran Mustafi, who has been a mainstay in the Gunners XI despite calamitous performances for the majority of his career in north London.

With Arsenal losing the last three games in the league and looking likely to miss out on Champions League football barring a Europa League triumph, the revolting players have a point about Emery’s questionable squad choices.

The Palace game should have been an easy win for Arsenal, but because of Emery’s weird experiential team, the Gunners fell to the Eagles 3-2 and squandered a golden chance to take hold of a top-four spot.

Arsenal have played themselves into a hole that will be hard to get out of, and although the players lack of a professional attitude plays as big a part as Emery’s tactics, the Spaniard’s squad selections have cost the Gunners points in the league, and it is up to him to take responsibility and own up to his mistakes and rectify them.

Arsenal fans, what would your ideal Gunners XI be? Let us know!

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Leeds’ visit to Portman Road should have been one of the most routine performances of the season.

The result didn’t matter as both teams’ fates were already sealed, but it granted an opportunity for the Whites to regain confidence ahead of the playoffs against the worst team in the division.

Confidence killer

Not only did the Yorkshire club lose to Ipswich on Sunday, they did so in a fashion that would dampen the confidence of every player on the pitch.

The Tractor Boys played the last 10 minutes with 10 men after Luke Chambers’ red card, but they still managed to find a last-minute winner to harm the spirits of their opposition.

Bielsa didn’t opt to rotate his squad in this game ahead of the playoffs. Leeds were at full strength and still failed to overcome the team rooted to the bottom of the table even after their red card.

Both ends will suffer

Two players, in particular, will have had their confidence destroyed by Leeds’ visit to Portman Road.

Kemar Roofe and Kiko Casilla both had awful games on Sunday, and this may affect the club’s playoff chances.

Both are positions where confidence plays a huge part in individual performances on the pitch, and the duo will be bereft of faith in their abilities after the weekend.

The striker skied a penalty, whilst the Spaniard had two significant errors which led to opposition goals.

This has come at the worst possible point of the season as the Whites head into the playoffs. The Ipswich game should’ve been a chance for Bielsa and co to take stock and figure out their plan against Derby next week.

Instead, they watched the worst possible outcome unfold, enduring another defeat while two important players at either end suffered huge mental knock-backs.

With the added pressure of the playoffs, it remains to be seen if Roofe and Casilla will recover from their mistakes. Hopefully, they can take solace in the fact that the errors didn’t mean anything in the grand scheme of things.

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2016 League Cup final: Manchester City beat Liverpool 3-1 on penalties. “Bottler.”

2016 Europa League final: Liverpool 1-3 Sevilla. “Fraud.”

2018 Champions League final: Real Madrid 3-1 Liverpool. “What’s he won?”

What has Jurgen Klopp won?

Jurgen Klopp has won the heart of a city who were starved of hope, starved of belief.

Jurgen Klopp has achieved the most unfathomable of results, the types of scorelines that you wouldn’t have allowed yourself to believe were possible.

Luis Suarez certainly had no qualms about celebrating against his former employers in the video below…

Mentality can take you a long way in football. It can also set you back an equally long way. Losing a cup final, let alone three of them, should have immeasurable consequences; only a master motivator can pick his side up to go again. And again. And again.

Klopp is that, and more.

His belief, his passion, his uniting of the players and the supporters; ask any supporter of the five-time Champions League winners if they would rather have won a Carabao Cup, or enjoyed the comeback wins over Borussia Dortmund and Barcelona, and they’ll say the latter.

Just look at Jose Mourinho and Manchester United. It really isn’t about trophies, at all.

One Carabao Cup, one Europa League title, one Community Shield. Great. The whole place is in disarray and the fans have never hated the players or the club more – they have even started a campaign against their own team on Twitter.

Tottenham fans will tell you the same. They’ll laugh in your face if you say that Mauricio Pochettino needs a Carabao Cup to cement his position as one of the best coaches in the world, and will also tell you that the night in Amsterdam they’ve just experienced is worth more than 100 Carabao Cup successes.

Football is about longevity. Football is about creating memories that will go down in the club’s history and stay with you for a lifetime – how many United fans can even discuss Mourinho’s legacy as positive despite collecting three pieces of silverware?

One of Pochettino or Klopp will be on the losing side in the Champions League final, and one will undoubtedly be called a bottlejob. A fraud. All of those things.

What have they won? A place in the memories and heart of each and every one of their club’s supporters.

Is that worth more than a trophy? Probably.

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Marcelo Bielsa has a real selection headache when it comes to choosing who should partner Liam Cooper for Leeds’ playoff run. Pontus Jansson has been injured recently, but he may be ready to return for Wednesday’s match at Elland Road.

Gaetano Berardi started the first leg against Derby on Saturday and put in another excellent shift at centre-back. Even if Jansson returns, there is now enough evidence to say that the Swiss international may be the better option in the heart of the defence.

Leeds’ defensive numbers are incredible when the Swiss man is utilised as a centre-half, and if that can continue then the Whites will already have one foot in the Premier League.

As the above infographic shows, although Berardi hasn’t played at centre-back too often this season, when he does, he is effective.

Six clean sheets in 10 games is an incredible return for any defender, and when you consider that some of those came against the likes of Norwich, Derby and Middlesbrough, it is even more impressive.

Berardi has shown he has what it takes to play against top-level opposition and keep them out. The Whites have conceded just six goals all season when the 30-year-old is playing centrally.

The versatile defender also makes on average 2.5 tackles per game when playing as a centre-back, compared to Jansson’s 2.4. The difference is marginal, but it shows that the former Sampdoria man is just as strong in the tackle as the Swede.

He has picked up five yellow cards in ten outings whilst playing that role, and although that may seem like a bad thing it highlights the type of attitude Bielsa’s side needs heading into these vital games.

His determination to win possession can see him cautioned from time to time, but it is a testament to his defensive ability that he hasn’t been sent off in any of these games where he has picked up a yellow.

Both of these players are brilliant at this level, but heading into the final games of the season it would be very harsh to say that Berardi hasn’t earnt his spot next to Cooper.

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According to L’Equipe, via Get French Football News, Manchester United aren’t ready to make a move for €100m-rated (£88m) Lyon midfielder Tanguy Ndombele until Paul Pogba’s situation is clear, and Red Devils fans have been quick to react.

L’Equipe, via GFFN, report that United’s Premier League rivals Tottenham Hotspur and Serie A champions Juventus have made provisional contract offers for the highly-rated 22-year-old, with Lyon chairman Jean Michel Aulas valuing him at the same amount Pogba moved to Old Trafford for in 2016.

The report suggests that Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’S men are going to wait and see if the France international stays or goes this summer before potentially pursuing their interest in the Ligue 1 midfielder.

The side that finished in sixth position in the English top flight this term look to be in need of some reinforcements in the centre of the park following Ander Herrera’s departure, Fred’s struggles and with Nemanja Matic seemingly in decline, and Ndombele would be the perfect solution to the issue.

Waiting on Pogba is clearly a source of much frustration for many United supporters on Twitter, who believe that they should be looking to have both in their starting XI.

One point separated City and Liverpool but twenty-five separated them from the rest! Fans discuss who could reduce the deficit next season in the video below?

While one said “if Pogba leaves, buy him, if Pogba stays, buy him”, another said “this is why we are a finished club”.

Here is just a selection of the Twitter reaction…