All posts by h79snht.top

Dimitri Payet has been an absolute sensation this season. The Frenchman was snapped up from Marseille for a little over £10m last summer by West Ham, and initially many were sceptical about his quality. Alas, if it weren’t for the Leicester fairy-tale, we’d be backing the 29-year-old for the PFA Player of the Year award ahead of the likes of Jamie Vardy and Riyad Mahrez, with his form having been electric for an impressive Hammers outfit.

A top four push may have been ended – well, it’ll be tough now – with a 2-2 draw at home to Crystal Palace on Saturday, but that doesn’t mean that Irons supporters won’t have anything to cheer between now and game 38, especially with Payet banging in the goals and laying on the assists.

The France international was once again up to his old tricks last weekend as he curled in a fantastic free-kick at against the Eagles (below), taking his tally to SIX in his last eight – as well as another sumptuous set-piece for France!

His contribution has been telling for the West Ham cause, with the Irons having netted two or more goals in three of their last five and in 18 of their 31 league matches, leaving them a staggering FOURTH behind only Celtic, Rangers and Arsenal in the ‘Score Twice, Half Price’ table…

This is great news if you like pizza. ‘Why?’ we hear you cry… well, Papa John’s are giving 50% off orders if the team you back nets two or more in any league game this season. So, choosing West Ham with Payet firing in the final third seems like a no-brainer. It’s simple, too, as all you have to do is click here, sign up for FREE and follow the instructions.

Hello internet! Welcome to another edition of Fantasy Premier League: Forecasting Good Fixtures, in which we delve into which teams and their respective players are set to accumulate some decent points for their #FPL managers.

Last weekend’s edition made sure that we brought in players that did not have a blank Gameweek 35, and with that over, we can put our focus on the last three gameweeks of the season, which includes several teams that have a Double Gameweek 37.

However, as we learned back in Gameweek 34, sometimes the players playing just the single game could accrue even more points than those with two, as the quality of a single gameweek player and the chance of rotation for those with the double may come into play.

This will also be the last time we roll out this article due to the small amount of games remaining, but don’t fret as the captains and differentials write-ups are set to continue until the very last day.

Here are THREE TEAMS to considering drafting players from ahead of Gameweek 36!

Liverpool

We mentioned that Liverpool have probably the best run of games in last week’s edition, and despite drawing Newcastle United 2-2 last weekend, the trend is set to continue.

The Reds play Swansea (Away) this weekend before a Double Gameweek against Watford and Chelsea (both at home). They then end their EPL campaign with a trip to lowly West Brom on the last day.

The likes of Daniel Sturridge (10.1), Philippe Coutinho (8.3), Roberto Firmino (8.2) and James Milner (6.6) will all be heavily coveted for the run-in. However, with Liverpool in the Europa League semi-finals, manager Jurgen Klopp is expected to rest several of his men.

West Ham United

West Ham United missed Gameweek 35 with a blank, but having not participated in the FA Cup, the Hammers will have a two-week break heading into their clash against West Bromwich Albion this weekend.

After the game against the struggling Baggies, Slaven Bilic’s men play Swansea and Man United (both at home) in the double gameweek, before a final day trip to another struggling side in Stoke City.

Managers should be looking at the likes of Dimitri Payet (8.4), Andy Carroll (6.4), Aaron Cresswell (5.7), and Michail Antonio (5.3) ahead of Gameweek 36 for points, especially with rotation not much of a risk compared to Liverpool.

Watford

Watford were one of the most in-form teams in the first half of the season, but since the turn of the year the Hornets have been awful, winning just three games out of 15.

However, Quique Sanchez Flores’ men have the chance to end the season strongly in their remaining four games. First up for Watford are relegated Aston Villa at home, before a double gameweek against Liverpool (Away) and Norwich (Away). On paper Liverpool looks like a tough ask, but the Reds are set to be heavily rotated due to their participation in the Europa League. Their final game is against Sunderland at home, a fixture which could prove tricky but with no pressure, could favour the Hornets.

Troy Deeney (5.2) and Odion Ighalo (5.5) will be the main candidates, but star goalkeeper Heurelho Gomes (5.0) is also worth considering.

As the dust settles on the 2015/16 Premier League campaign the transfer rumour mill goes into overdrive.

Liverpool still have a game to play – the Europa League Final – but a lot of the talk around the club is also dedicated to whom Jurgen Klopp and the transfer committee at Anfield are going to bring in during the transfer window.

With tournaments like EURO 2016, the Copa America and even the football at the Olympics, there are plenty of opportunities for the club to cast their eye over potential new acquisitions. There are, however, some rumours already being generated that refuse to go away and look set to only increase until the transfer window shuts in a few months’ time.

There’s little doubt Klopp needs to strengthen the team to get it into top four contention and here at FootballFanCast we’ve looked over some of the most persistent rumours to bring you FIVE of the purported deals the Reds cannot afford to get away…

Mario Gotze

This one will rumble on all summer until confirmation is made.

There are contrasting reports as to whether Gotze will try to prove his worth to new Bayern Munich boss Carlo Ancelotti, make a return to Dortmund or link up with his old manager Jurgen Klopp. Liverpool should push to get this deal done, if there is a chance of it happening, because the World Cup winner is simply world class and would probably be available for a reasonable fee in an ever inflating transfer market.

Piotr Zielinski

Zielinski is rumoured to be heading to Liverpool and could be the extra midfielder the club need to push for a place in the top four.

The Polish midfielder is 21 years old and playing for Empoli in Serie A has scored five goals in 35 appearances this year. He’s a target for the Reds because it’s thought he has the energy to buy into Jurgen Klopp’s high pressing playing style and so the Anfield club need to get this over the line as soon as possible.

Arkadiusz Milik

Milik is another player being linked with a move to Merseyside and at 22 years of age, he fits the club’s policy of buying young players.

The Polish striker has been in superlative form in the Eredivisie for Ajax scoring 21 goals and recording seven assists in 31 appearances and is one of the reasons the Dutch club came so agonisingly close to winning the title this season just gone.

Loris Karius

The Mainz man could be on his way to the club ready to battle it out for the number one spot with Simon Mignolet.

The German has been a permanent fixture for his club in the Bundesliga as they finished an impressive sixth place, securing Europa League football in the process. He’s an imposing figure and commands his area well, which is more than can be said for Mignolet.

Yacine Brahimi

Brahimi is a quick winger who has played for Porto both in the league and in European competition this season.

Porto have had a relatively poor year by their standards domestically and the number eight might feel it’s time to try his luck somewhere else. It’s a position Liverpool need to fill as their squad lacks width with only Jordon Ibe an established Premier League player, so it’s a potential deal that makes sense for both parties to go ahead.

He has been seriously impressive out in France for Wales at the Euros, and it now poses the question – does Joe Allen deserve a permanent shot at the Liverpool first team?

The Liverpool midfielder has been an integral part of Wales’ run to the semi-final and more often than not, he has been one of the most important players in Chris Coleman’s tight-knit squad.

And this will be more apparent than ever when The Dragons go into battle against Portgual in Wednesday’s semi-final match.

Wales will be without fellow Premier League stars Aaron Ramsey and Ben Davies, both of whom will be suspended for the crunch tie, giving Allen an even bigger platform in which to impress.

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And he’ll need to rise the occasion too. It’s the biggest game in the history of Welsh football and there will be no bigger game in which Allen will be relied upon to perform. Its sometimes easy in these big games to shift all the responsibility onto the likes of Bale and Ramsey, who are often seen as Wales’ star men.

But they’re a couple of players short now and the former Swansea man will be the one who needs to step up this time round.

A big problem Allen has encountered on the domestic scale in the past couple of years is injury. He has gone into big games for Liverpool on the back of big injury difficulties and on some occasions, he has struggled to rise to the same level as his team-mates.

But in-between some of these games, he rarely puts a foot wrong in the Liverpool side, sitting in-front of the defence and marshalling attacks quite competently indeed.

But he also gets forward when needed- perhaps more so than some people give him credit for. And we’ve seen that in Allen’s performances in the Wales side time-after-time this summer, getting forward with the likes of Bale, Robson-Kanu and Ramsey to sometimes devastating effect- as we saw in the game against Belgium.

Liverpool have been quick to respond to Allen’s strong performances by putting a £14million price tag on his head. But in this day and age, is this such a massive fee to command for a player who could potentially be playing in the Euro 2016 final in a few days time?

Not particularly, no.

But what about his return to Liverpool – what then? Its important to remember that Allen has tough competition when he returns to Melwood – with the majority of his team-mates having already started pre-season ahead of him.

It’s a little unlucky that Jurgen Klopp will begin assessing his squad without Allen being there, but I’m sure his manager will cast a keen eye on the Wales game to take a look at his performance in particular.

These are big times for Wales and many fans will be expecting Allen to step up and lead some of the lesser players in that squad into battle.

The midfielder been superb so far and has an excellent chance to set the tone come Wednesday when he will be needed like never before.

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With Manchester United reportedly interested in Southampton defender Jose Fonte, new Saints boss Claude Puel faces the tough task to keep one of his best players at the club.

Fonte has been one of the most consistent players in the Premier League in recent seasons and thoroughly impressed at the European Championships with Portugal this summer, helping his team to an historic and unprecedented victory.

With the player exodus at Southampton a seemingly never-ending cycle when summer comes around, fans on the South Coast will be biting their nails, praying that yet another one of the main players doesn’t decide to depart for one of the Premier League elite clubs.

If Fonte does decide to move away from St. Mary’s, Claude Puel will need to act fast in replacing his club captain and star defender.

Here are five players that Southampton should consider to replace Jose Fonte if he leaves…

Neven Subotic

In July, reports surfaced suggesting that Neven Subotic was on the verge of joining Middlesbrough from Borussia Dortmund, in a move that surprised many, considering the quality of the player. However, after the discovery of a serious medical issue, Boro called the deal off.

While it is expected that the Serbian will not be back in competitive action until January, his modest transfer fee and age make him a defender that would be well worth gambling on.

Stefan de Vrij

A mainstay in both the Lazio and Netherlands team, Stefan de Vrij has a wealth of experience considering his age. At just 24, the Dutchman has already established himself as one of the best defenders in Serie A.

Stefan de Virj would be a perfect signing for Southampton, especially as he could cost no more than £15million.

Michael Keane

Arguably the best English defender playing outside the top flight last season, Michael Keane’s career has truly ignited since his permanent move to Burnley in 2015.

Southampton could benefit from a strong, English leader at the back, who could develop his career significantly at St. Mary’s.

Ragnar Sigurdsson

Ragnar Sigurdsson demonstrated his talents on the European stage, leading Iceland to an unprecedented quarter final appearance.

The defender is strong, committed and passionate and would jump at the chance of playing in England.

Likely available for as little as £6million, Southampton should make a move for Sigurdsson quickly.

Loic Perrin

Saint-Etienne defender Loic Perrin has never strayed from his childhood club, despite offers from across Europe in the past.

Now in his 19th season with Les Vertes, Perrin is impressing more than ever, despite his declining years. The 31-year-old was even called up to the French squad at the end of last year, indicating just how well he is performing domestically.

While Perrin may be a Saint-Etienne man through and through, he would undoubtedly find a move to the Premier League hard to resist, especially as he is coming to the twilight stage of his career.

If you’re only going to watch one Premier League game this weekend, then the choice is relatively simple.

Indeed, a 2.15pm kick-off at White Hart Lane on Sunday sees second-place Tottenham Hotspur face pole position Manchester City in a fixture that will give us a huge insight into the kind of seasons both clubs will have.

Will the Citizens obliterate everything in their path, including the Lilywhites en route to the Premier League’s crown? And will Spurs be involved in the title race once again this year, after almost toppling Leicester City last season?

We’ll know more after Sunday’s game which, perhaps most intriguingly of all, puts the Premier League’s top scorers, City, against the side with the best defensive record in the division – Spurs have conceded just three goals this term.

But such a delicately poised match could well come down to who dominates the key individual battles. With that in mind, we’ve listed THREE that are likely to decide Sunday’s outcome.

HEUNG-MIN SON VS BACARY SAGNA

Heung-Min Son’s been on fire this season, stepping in to fill the goalscoring void of Harry Kane with five goals in as many appearances for Mauricio Pochettino’s side – including a brace against Boro last weekend and the winning strike against CSKA Moscow on Tuesday night. With summer signing Vincent Janssen yet to get off the mark in the Premier League, the South Korean international remains Spurs’ most likely source of a goal on Sunday.

That suggests a tricky afternoon for Bacary Sagna, who has established himself as Pep Guardiola’s first-choice right-back this season. The Frenchman is tough, physical and quick but may struggle to keep a leash on an in-form winger whilst adhering to Guardiola’s unconventional utilisation of wide defenders.

SERGIO AGUERO VS TOBY ALDERWEIRELD

Spurs defenders likely still have nightmares about the time Sergio Aguero put four goals past them in the space of an hour back in October 2014. Admittedly, Tottenham have grown exponentially since then; they’re a far more cohesive unit defensively and a more confident side in general. But the Argentine clearly loves to play the Lilywhites, the club he’s scored the second-most goals against, a staggering ten, throughout his career.

But the one major difference between Spurs then and now is Toby Alderweireld. Since arriving in the Premier League from Atletico Madrid, initially on loan with Southampton, the Belgium international has established himself as one of the best centre-backs in the division. Facing Aguero, who has already netted eleven times this term, will be his toughest test this season.

DAVID SILVA VS DELE ALLI

David Silva has excelled in the ‘free eight’ role under Pep Guardiola and Dele Alli performs a similar kind of services for Tottenham Hotspur, partaking in the midfield battle before dashing up the pitch to support his centre-forward. Although neither will feel particularly obliged to stop the other on Sunday, both will be charged with the task of producing something special for their respective sides – especially with the aforementioned Harry Kane and City’s midfield kingpin Kevin De Bruyne absent through injury.

Calling Antonio Conte’s start at Chelsea impressive is fair enough. They’ve won three from three and have managed to get their best players performing, creating chances and working coherently as a unit.

Unfortunately for the Blues, this was rarely seen last season. The open defensive displays, shocking attempts at opening up defences and poor finishing cost the club on a number of occasions, leaving them briefly flirting with relegation and changing manager yet again.

This year it should be a little different. At the very least there will be a honeymoon period for Conte and his players do not have the extra concern of European football to add miles in their legs and minds.

Anything other than a top four finish will be considered a massive failure for Chelsea. The summer investment may not have been as dramatic as was once suggested, but the pressure is there to make something of this season and, ideally return with a trophy.

Whether they’re champions elect or not, who should Conte look to use more frequently…

Ruben Loftus-Cheek

Chelsea’s golden boy doesn’t get much of a look-in for a player they supposedly have so much faith in. Even in the darkest days towards the end of 2015, Loftus-Cheek remained on bench-warming duty, awaiting the occasional cameo.

Conte clearly has faith in the youngster and is willing to use him in a number of different roles. Unfortunately, it could take an injury or two for the Blues to regularly use Loftus-Cheek and allow them to discover just how good he is, or can be.

Most likely he will fill in for Nemanja Matic, meaning he will be allowed to freedom to break from box-to-box while N’Golo Kante guards the deeper ground behind him.

Nathaniel Chalobah

Loans have been the plague Chalobah’s career. They have had varied success, although the outcome of his loan spells seems to have little impact on how Chelsea value his presence in their first team squad.

He was once the star of their academy, lynchpin of the teams and first-team regular in waiting. It hasn’t quite worked out like that, surprisingly for a player with his versatility. He could comfortably play either in central defence or in a midfield role, yet he cannot even make his way into Conte’s reckoning, or so it seems.

The decision not to loan Chalobah during this season may just suggest that his shot at first-team action is coming.

Michy Batshuayi

There is an inevitability that Conte will start some games with a two striker system at some point this season.

He has already jumped to that alternative in the latter stages of games to great success. Batshuayi seems to have a natural understanding with Diego Costa, making for a lethal double act. The Belgian, however, will likely be required to play a lone forward role this year.

Costa’s injuries and suspensions are almost a guarantee, which could leave quite a burden on the former Marseille man.

Hopefully, he will get a few starts under his belt before being thrown in at the deepest of deep ends.

Of all the classic Liverpool-Manchester United clashes over the past decades, it is fair to say that last nights meeting at Anfield will not be one for the scrapbook.

It was a dreary stalemate draw on a cold night in Merseyside as neither the home side or visitors Manchester United did anything to threaten each others goal – with the closest effort being a trademark long range effort from Phillipe Coutinho which was saved well by David De Gea.

Besides that, there was little for the highlight reel. Jose Mourinho set up his side – with the surprise inclusions of Marouane Fellaini and Ashley Young – to stop Liverpool’s well documented high pressing style of play, and it worked to a tee.

The Red Devil’s often had ten men behind the ball and continually frustrated the home side who were unable to break down their visitor’s midfield and back four. It was a fixture that was oddly reminiscent of Chelsea’s shut down of Liverpool under Mourinho only a few seasons back, without the Demba Ba goal of course.

Carragher, Neville and Giggs will have a tough time trying to pick this one apart tonight in the post match analysis. Here are five images we think sum up the game …

We know how you feel, Jurgen

Jurgen Klopp’s body language says it all; bored, bored, bored. Despite his side mounting some pressure late into the second half, they still failed to provide any real threat to David De Gea. There wasn’t much happening at the other end either, so we can’t blame the German for looking a little uninterested.

Surplus, Moi?

The brouhaha around Wayne Rooney’s place at United and indeed for England has become more central than United’s poor performances and somewhat of a distraction from the ongoing problems at Old Trafford. He was left out tonight however, and did little when he was introduced.

Does this really signal the end for Rooney?

Jordan looking for some affection

Much was made about the appointment of Anthony Taylor as the referee in charge of last night’s game, however he did little to harm his reputation, partly because there was nothing to do.

The Liverpool players were frustrated by Taylor’s somewhat refusal to penalise the United players despite consistent fouls throughout the first half which disabled the home sides ability to mount any real threat going forward.

Sturridge’s Woes

Daniel Sturridge was perhaps Liverpool’s most disappointing player on the pitch last night as the striker failed to get on the ball at all, and posed no problems at all to United’s defence nor David De Gea.

The Englishman seems to be falling out-of-favour with Jurgen Klopp with Roberto Firmino now seemingly the preferred front man. Sturridge’s lack of link up with his team-mates mean worrying times for their former star man.

Man to Man

Both managers will be disappointed with the result, one definitely more than the other, however it was good to see the respect between the two mega stars of world football, and acknowledgement of each others game plan which ultimately led to the stalemate draw. Who the better manager is is purely a matter of opinion, but the two were equals tonight.

The word misery pretty much sums up Sunderland’s season so far as they have picked up just one win in the Premier League under manager David Moyes, and now they will be without captain Lee Cattermole for four months.

The 28-year-old midfielder recently underwent surgery in the United States to repair a torn cartilage in his hip, and will now miss a large chunk of the campaign, including the crucial festive schedule.

Moyes confirmed the news in his weekly press conference, telling reporters…

“Lee Cattermole had an operation in America on Monday on a torn cartilage in his hip and will be out for four months. He’s out there just now, coming back in the next day or two, I think.”

It is a big blow to the Black Cats in terms of losing influential figures in the dressing room, but the midfielder has only made three appearances this season, so whether his absence will be felt hugely on the pitch remains to be seen.

The Black Cats have drawn twice and been on the losing side eight times in the top flight, but they may feel as though they turned a corner before the international break when they earned a 2-1 victory over Bournemouth down on the south coast.

Cattermole’s injury blow, though, could dampen morale and fans have been reacting to the news on Twitter…

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The Champions League last 16 draw probably produced some of the ties you wished it wouldn’t.

At this point, we’ve seen Arsenal take on Bayern Munich and PSG crumble up against the devastating Barcelona with an alarming regularity. We think we know what to expect. But we shouldn’t think that. Not this season.

We should probably know better than to make predictions in 2016. Leicester City won the Premier League title and now they’re predicted to be the winners – per Michael Cox in The Guardian – of a last 16 tie with Sevilla: a club who have won five European titles in the last decade. The years 0 through to 2015 wouldn’t have dared to throw up such a bizarre state of science fiction.

2016 has been a year like no other in recent memory. From Leicester City winning the Premier League, to Nice topping the Ligue 1 table and Barcelona trailing by six points in La Liga, via Portugal winning the Euros, this has been the year of the underdog. Or at least a year for defying predictions.

Yet these Champions League ties won’t be played in 2016. They’ll be played in the spring of next year.

There is, mercifully, more to this argument than a flippant suggestion that the numbers on the calendar matter greatly to football and its outcomes. It’s not that the numbers themselves matter. 2017 could be just as weird. But the time it takes to get to the spring of next year matters greatly.

The Champions League knockout rounds are always about hitting form at the right time. Like any knockout competition, it’s about turning up on the night, not about how good you were before Christmas.

Take the Manchester City Monaco tie, for instance. Monaco are the highest-scoring team in Europe, and City’s defensive is shaky to say the least.

But in three months’ time, City will be more used to their new manager’s methods, they will surely be better suited to playing a style of passing football they don’t yet look comfortable with, and – crucially – they’ll have had three months to scout their opposition.

Monaco, on the other hand, have started the season superbly. They’re in incredible form, they look solid in midfield and at the back – they were, after all, a team known for their defending only a few seasons ago – and they’ve even started to see Radamel Falcao scoring goals, including a hat trick at the weekend against Bordeaux.

But Monaco started their season early. They’ve peaked early. The question is whether or not they can sustain that peak without falling away by the time the Champions League comes around.

They had to peak early because their entire pre-season was geared towards beating Villarreal in the Champions League play-off round. Being forced to hit the ground running meant being able to take advantage of that form whilst French rivals PSG were easing into their first season under Unai Emery and Tottenham Hotspur were getting used to playing at Wembley.

But then there’s the opposite problem for Arsenal. The Gunners’ reward for topping their group was the exact tie they’ve been urged to avoid for the last decade. By topping their group.

Horrible bad luck, sure, but probably even worse when you consider Bayern Munich’s seasons so far. Top of the Bundesliga, but only on goal difference to a team just promoted and with an average age of just 24. Forced into second place in the group by defeat to Champions League Bete Noir, Atletico Madrid (probably acceptable), and Russia’s FC Rostov (definitely not acceptable).

But the same thing that can be said for Manchester City getting used to life under Pep Guardiola’s methods can also be said for Bayern getting used to life after Pep Guardiola’s methods. They simply can’t be the same team in March as they are now. A winter break and – surely – an upsurge in league form is still to come. Their five-goal thumping of Wolfsburg at the weekend shows there’s more to come, as does the fact that Thomas Muller ended a 999-minute goal drought with the timing of Jack Bauer cutting the live wire of a bomb just a second before detonation. There’s always a touch of the blockbuster about FC Hollywood.

And so if you’re tempted to write off the Champions League last 16 ties as thoroughly predictable, the current state of play would suggest that’s probably a bad idea. It’s just that three months is a long time in football, and these ties will be played in 2017. Surely nothing can top 2016 for drama and surprise. Surely. Surely?

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