All posts by n8rngtd.top

Everton fans have been reacting to comments made by the former Everton manager Roberto Martinez after he said he had “unfinished business” during his tenure.

The Catalan, who is now the head coach of the Belgian national team, was sacked in May 2016 after just over three years at Goodison Park. He coached the Toffees through 143 games and accumulated an average points-per-match total of 1.56 since he moved to Everton from Wigan in 2013.

Martinez led the Blues to the semi-finals of the FA Cup and League Cup in his final season, as well as guiding the club to their highest ever points tally in the Premier League of 72, which saw them finish 5th in the standings.

Speaking to Goals on Sunday (via the Liverpool Echo), Martinez believed he should have been given more time at the club.

“I loved my time at Everton. I only have great memories, we finished with 72 points.

“We were in Europe, we were in two semi-finals of the domestic cups, we invested heavily with the young players and you see how John Stones, Ross Barkley and Gerard Deulofeu, Romelu Lukaku. You only have treasured memories of Goodison Park…the fans and we had great times.

“For me, it has always been unfinished business. I always felt the plan that we had in place…maybe needed another three or four years.

“Maybe our plan was a little bit different. It was trying to get silverware and then build on that success rather than to compete in an impossible way to finish in the top four with the different demands”.

Supporters have not forgiven him after some of the decisions that he made over the years.

Here you will find some of the best comments from Everton fans:

This article is part of Football FanCast’s Opinion series, which provides analysis, insight and opinion on any issue within the beautiful game, from Paul Pogba’s haircuts to League Two relegation battles…

Leeds could be about to receive some season-defining news as Kiko Casilla’s fate hangs in the balance as the FA continue to investigate his apparent racial abuse against Jonathan Leko.

Phil Hay has previously stated that he expects Casilla to be cited for this incident, and reports over the weekend have stated that the Spaniard could be banned for up to 12 games.

Watch Leeds United Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

Of course, this will have some serious repercussions for the team as they’ll have to replace the goalkeeper that has marshalled the best defence in the Championship up until this point.

The most likely replacement for Casilla is Illan Meslier. The French teenager arrived at Elland Road on loan this summer, but he’s only been on the periphery since.

The loanee is likely to get a chance if Casilla is banned, and that may affect another player in the squad.

Why being the away goalkeeper at Leeds is the toughest job in football in the video below…

With the EFL’s current rules stating that you can only have five loanees in a matchday squad, Leeds have had something of a dilemma in that department.

Indeed, due to the fact that the Whites have six loan players on their books, they’ve had to leave one man out of the squad every week.

This has usually rotated between Jack Clarke and Meslier with the former coming into the side when Pablo Hernandez was out. However, if the Frenchman is to replace Casilla between the sticks then it will likely mean that the winger drops out of the squad.

The only reason he probably didn’t last weekend was because of Eddie Nketiah’s absence.

With rumours circulating that Spurs are considering recalling the £5.4m-rated man in January, a lengthy spell without a sniff at first-team football will certainly encourage Tottenham to exercise their recall option on the 18-year-old.

This article is part of Football FanCast’s The Chalkboard series, which provides a tactical insight into teams, players, managers, potential signings and more… 

Marcelo Bielsa has only used 19 players in the Championship so far this season, but there may be another name added to that list shortly.

Indeed, two important figures at Leeds United have been talking up the abilities of a young midfielder within their ranks, something that suggests he could be handed a league debut in the near future.

Forshaw and Bielsa’s comments

Adam Forshaw has been full of praise for youngster Robbie Gotts saying:

“I think he’s breaking the record for the number of appearances on the bench without getting a shirt.” Forshaw told the Talking Shutt Podcast.

“In my eyes so unfortunate not to come on or play yet. He’s got so much ability. He deserves a go, such a hard competitor when you train up against him. I think he’ll have a decent career.”

Watch Leeds United Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

While it’s all well and good for a teammate to be saying those things Gotts will be buoyed by the fact that Marcelo Bielsa shared the same sentiment this week.

“I have never seen a player play with such a dynamic. [He is] A player full of skills. In his position I have played Klich, Forshaw, Shackleton and Dallas. There is tough competition in this position, but everybody in the team respects him, especially his team-mates, as we do.” Bielsa said (Via LeedsLive).

“Also, it’s true he didn’t have games yet. He showed he deserved to play in the first team. I wish he would play with the first team soon, but he competes with players at a high level.”

Why being the away goalkeeper at Leeds is the toughest job in football in the video below…

Chance is coming

These comments only point towards one eventuality, and it only seems like a matter of time before the 19-year-old makes his debut.

The teenager is clearly rated highly by Bielsa, and with the Argentine often giving youth players a chance such as Jack Clarke and Jamie Shackleton last season, there’s no reason why Gotts can’t be next on that conveyor belt.

As of last January, Bielsa had handed ten first-team debuts out to players under the age of 21, while Alfie McCalmont and Mateusz Bogusz have been given chances in the cup this term too.

It’s hard to juggle giving opportunities to youngsters when pushing for promotion, but if Gotts is as good as Bielsa and Forshaw say he is then it shouldn’t be too much of an issue.

So far, the young midfielder has only been seen among the substitutes. These comments suggest that could be about to change in the short-term future.

Rob Lee was inducted into the Newcastle United Hall of Fame on Tuesday evening and his achievement has earned him congratulatory messages from the Magpies support.A long-term servant to the club, the midfielder managed 303 appearances for the Toon Army, scoring 38 goals, and in the process became a firm fan favourite.Such was his contribution that some fans are surprised it has taken so long for him to be included, and that highlights the fact that they believe he is a worthy of being a member of an illustrious club.David Craig is another former player who was also inducted on the night, but given his career spanned the 1960s and 1970s, it is Lee who is at the forefront of the minds of supporters.It has also provided an opportunity for fans to heap praise on Lee, with one branding him a “hero” and another suggesting he was a “proper player”.Here are some of the reactions to the Newcastle man’s recognition.

This article is part of Football FanCast’s Opinion series, which provides analysis, insight and opinion on any issue within the beautiful game, from Paul Pogba’s haircuts to League Two relegation battles…

Arsenal need a strong, starting formation.

Unai Emery set his team up in a 3-4-1-2 formation against Leicester City at the King Power Stadium and struggled to truly break the Foxes down.

They had eight shots on goal to Leicester’s 19, with just one on target. Brendan Rodgers’ men had seven. The home side also had more possession, won a higher number of aerial duels, made more tackles and also had more corners.

Thus, one has to surmise that Arsenal’s formation limited their attacking capabilities.

Perhaps it was designed to smother Leicester’s attacking capabilities but, really, it gave Matteo Guendouzi and Lucas Torreira too much to do in midfield – they completed just one tackle between them – and isolated Mesut Ozil, who did not manage to have a single shot on goal.

The strike partnership of Alexandre Lacazette and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang struggled, too, with the latter having just one shot and the former sending two off-target.

Emery, though, has been trying to find an antidote to his side’s struggles in recent weeks and has routinely chopped and changed his formations.

Per WhoScored, he lined his team up in a 3-4-3 for the 1-1 draw against Vitoria in the Europa League, a 4-3-1-2 against Wolves in another draw, a 4-4-1-1 for the crazy 5-5 Carabao Cup draw with Liverpool and a 4-4-2 against Crystal Palace. That game also ended in a draw.

In their wins in all competitions this season they have lined up in the following formations: 4-2-3-1. That’s it. The 4-2-3-1 has taken them to eight wins in all competitions.

Sheffield United have beaten them in that formation but that is their only loss with the system. In the 3-1 defeat to Liverpool, they lined up in a 4-3-1-2. Meanwhile, they set up in a 4-3-3 for the draws with Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United and a 4-1-2-1-2 for the draw with Watford.

This is too much, and the uncertainty is killing this football club.

To count these games is to count seven separate formations. Only one has taken them to any prolonged success.

But as soon as the defeat to Sheffield United came, Emery was far too reactive and switched it. He has been searching for the correct answer ever since.

He hasn’t found it yet and he won’t. The 4-2-3-1 formation offers width in both defence and attack, a solidity in midfield and gives the attackers a proper playmaker to run off.

Sure, Aubameyang may have to play on the wing but his pace is frightening and his finishing ability proves that he can make it work.

Emery has some time to think before the Gunners take on Southampton after the international break but the answer is simple: He needs to go back to what was working, and ditch what hasn’t been. It might just be something that stops them from continuing to go backwards.

The last decade at Aston Villa has seen the club crash out of the Premier League with the fourth-worst points tally in top-flight history alongside rising back up via the Championship play-off final to end their three-year absence.

But amidst the highs and lows that the West Midlands side have experienced, these fans are in no doubt as to who the title of best centre-forward belongs to since 2010.

Having arrived from Genk in a £7m deal in 2012, Christian Benteke proceeded to star for Villa over a three-year spell, scoring 42 goals in 79 Premier League starts.

The Belgian striker became a formidable force during his time in B6, but a £32.5m bid from Liverpool in 2015 saw the striker depart for Anfield.

The forward’s form for Villa throughout his time with the club has certainly not been forgotten by these fans, who were quick to select Benteke as their best centre-forward since the turn of the decade.

Here are some of the best reactions.

Tottenham Hotspur’s first match under Jose Mourinho was largely a success.

Spurs recorded a 3-2 victory over West Ham away from home and so the era of the Special One got off to a flying start aside from a late flurry from the hosts.

Watch Tottenham Hotspur Videos With StreamFootball.tv Below

Of course, it’s still far too early to start predicting how well the Portuguese manager can do at his new club but it seems that many of the fans are simply not satisfied with the upper hierarchy of the club.

During the game against the Hammers, a large anti-Levy banner was seen with “ENIC out” labels on it.

[ad_pod ]

Needless to say, this demonstration stirred up quite a discussion, with many fans claiming the club wouldn’t be where it is right now were it not for their current owners, the same owners who gave them the training facilities, the coaches, the players and the new stadium.

Others, meanwhile, feel like a change is needed and that most of their success came from Mauricio Pochettino.

You can see some of their replies down in the tweets below:

Meanwhile, many Spurs fans weren’t happy with the club’s links with a former Jose Mourinho player who has been tipped to join in the near future.

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… 

No wonder Pep Guardiola has called Liverpool unstoppable at the moment.

The Reds have won 12 of their first 13 games so far this season, and currently lead the Premier League by eight points from second-placed Leicester City. The current back-to-back holders Manchester City are a further point back in third, and they must be wondering if Jurgen Klopp and Co will ever slip up.

[ad_pod ]

Their latest victory came against Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park. It was a narrow one – the Anfield outfit won 2-1 thanks to an 85th minute strike from Roberto Firmino – but it is the three points that counts.

Georginio Wijnaldum was included in the starting XI, fresh from his hat-trick last week for the Netherlands. Back with the Reds, though, he was once again back to the passive midfielder we have seen for much of this campaign.

Watch Liverpool Videos With StreamFootball.tv Below

The former Newcastle man was one of just three players to manage a shot on target for Liverpool, but he failed to make a true impact on this match either offensively or defensively. He completed just 33% of his attempted dribbles, whilst only seven players from either side managed less than his one key pass.

Of the eight duels he contested, he prevailed in just three, whilst he managed two tackles and two clearances. Like many of the other stats, that was not exactly horrific, but considering it was once again beaten by a number of other players, it shows that the 29-year-old was a passenger.

The former PSV man’s displays for his country have attracted attention – he was the Oranje’s top scorer during qualification for Euro 2020 – but he is nowhere near prolific for his club side. For context, he scored more during those eight qualifiers for his nation than he has done in the last two-and-a-bit seasons for Liverpool.

Wijnaldum has previously said that he would prefer to play further forward, but Klopp is right to use him as he currently does. The results tell the story. In the last 52 Premier League games, the Reds have lost just once, whilst they have also made it to back-to-back Champions League finals. They are winning, and they have done so with Wijnaldum playing less of a starring role.

For Liverpool, the likes of Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah are there to score the goals. Whilst the £45m-valued man – as per Transfermarkt – has done the business for his country in front of the target, the former Borussia Dortmund manager is correct to deploy him as he does.

Meanwhile, Andrew Robertson has said there is one left-back who is better than him.

So after a miserable start to their current campaign, Arsenal have sacked Unai Emery. The north London side find themselves in eighth in the Premier League table, and endured another humiliating performance and result when they lost to Eintracht Frankfurt in the Europa League on Thursday night.

The Spaniard was reported to have been fighting for his job, with suggestions that he had a month to turn things around. But with things deteriorating even further, the Gunners have pulled the trigger on the former PSG boss.

And watching on with eagle eyes, are Manchester United supporters. The Red Devils have had a similarly poor season, actually finding themselves both a point and a place behind Arsenal in the league.

Reports in recent weeks have also suggested Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s future at Old Trafford is uncertain, and after seeing their rivals take such decisive action on their own manager, United fans took to Twitter to voice their thoughts on the situation.

[ad_pod ]

Many supporters of the Manchester side bemoaned the fact Arsenal have been proactive, whilst their own club are prepared to give Solskjaer more time despite their struggles.

Check out some of the reaction of United fans below:

Meanwhile, Manchester United fans slam academy prospect after his poor performance against FC Astana.

Liverpool have strengthened their squad extremely well over the last couple of seasons, with Virgil van Dijk and Alisson proving to be genius signings.

The Merseyside outfit’s current squad is arguably one of the best in the world, but one thing the Reds are currently lacking is depth in the ranks.

According to Football Insider, Adama Traore is at the top of Liverpool’s summer shopping list, with the latest reports claiming he may be a Liverpool player once the transfer window opens. However, a potential £70m swoop for the Spaniard should be shelved and instead the Reds should focus on another of their reported targets, Milot Rashica.

Traore has indeed had an impressive season with Wolves but unless Sadio Mané or Mohamed Salah are to leave Anfield this summer, the winger will likely be on the bench for the majority of the upcoming campaign.

Despite setting up more goals for his teammates this term (10) than Rashica (5), Traore is at the point in his career where he should be made a focal point for his club. His strong physique and rapid pace is a deadly combination that teams will be falling over themselves to sign, but Liverpool aren’t in a position to guarantee him regular first-team football.

Their front three of Salah, Mané and Roberto Firmino is one of the world’s best and Jurgen Klopp would be foolish to toy around with the mechanics of Liverpool’s attack. Additionally, despite Real Madrid reportedly prioritising a move for Mané (via The Mirror), the 28-year-old has stated he is happy at Liverpool.

A swoop for Werder Bremen’s Rashica instead would be much more fitting for the Anfield outfit. Tallying 10 goals and five assists this season, the Kosovar winger would provide a burst of fresh energy and chance creation from the bench. The 23-year-old can also play in an attacking midfield role, which the Reds have been lacking in recently.

Liverpool Academy Graduates: A quiz for real Reds fans only…

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

Werder Bremen are currently fighting a relegation battle, meaning a move to the holding European champions and Premier League winners-elect in any capacity will be a huge move for Rashica. The Yugoslavia-born forward will also not require a huge sum in order to gain his services.

According to the Express, if Bremen are relegated this season, the club would be willing to slash his £33m release clause. If the Reds are serious about bringing Rashica to Anfield, they could swoop for him for as little as £17m this summer. However, the likes of Borussia Dortmund and West Ham are also eyeing up the 23-year-old’s services.

Liverpool must act fast if they are to bring in back-up in the next window, especially for a bargain price. The signing of Rashica could be what the Reds are looking for to alleviate pressure on their clinical front three.