All posts by n8rngtd.top

[ad_pod ]

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…

According to Chelsea legend Pat Nevin, one critical decision made pre-game by Frank Lampard is what contributed to Wolves’ demise.

What’s he said?

Wolves were emphatically beaten by Chelsea at Molineux on Saturday afternoon as the visitors recorded a 5-2 victory.

Tammy Abraham netted a hat-trick to move to the top of the individual goalscoring charts, tied with no other than Sergio Aguero.

Chelsea boss Lampard slightly tweaked his system for the match as Antonio Rudiger was deemed fit enough to play the first 45 minutes of his season.

Watch Wolverhampton Wanderers Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

The two-time Blues Player of the Year believes the change was the reason behind them cruising to all three points – speaking to Chelsea’s official website, he said:

“I bet a few people were surprised by the scoreline at Molineux at the weekend. I know I was for starters. Wolves are a tidy team, they have a well-organised defensive system that is generally drilled to perfection and they were arguably the favourites going into the game.

“The change of system [by Frank Lampard] against Wolves was in retrospect a masterstroke and one that would have surprised his opposite number, Nuno Espirito Santo.

“When you prepare for one system and a totally different one walks out, you must decide whether or not you should change.

“The home team rarely does in that situation and Wolves paid the price for not adapting.”

Least of Wolves’ worries

Whether or not the Portuguese boss should have ‘adapted’ upon hearing Chelsea’s team news is probably the least of their problems.

It’s not as if they put out personnel that was hugely unexpected – Rudiger was declared “fit to play” for this match, so that shouldn’t have been a shock and it was well-documented that Emerson Palmieri would be absent too through injury.

Had Wolves undergone similar preparations for this match and had someone of Willy Boly’s calibre in defence then it could have been a different game.

The 28-year-old was serving his one-game suspension and is their highest-rated player this season at 7.36, per WhoScored.

Santo very rarely changed his side last season, utilising a core squad of 19 players on their way to a seventh-place finish, so why would he chop and change based on a different formation from their opposition?

Nonsense.

[ad_pod ]

This article is part of Football FanCast’s Injury News series, which considers the impact of the latest updates on players’ fitness

The sight of Sadio Mane being hauled off at Stamford Bridge after N’Golo Kante’s goal may have caused concern for Liverpool fans, but there could be good news regarding his situation.

What’s the latest?

Mane had been struggling in the time leading up to his substitution due to what his manager confirmed was a dead leg, and despite impacting him significantly to warrant coming off, his injury may not be as bad as first feared.

Klopp told LiverpoolFC.com that the decision to take him off was a precaution after realising he wasn’t able to perform to his normal physical capacity, but also acknowledged that it was a problematic injury to incur.

“It was a knock on the bone, around the knee, and a dead leg – that’s an awful combination.”

As a result, the forward will likely be watched closely over the coming days to assess his situation and how he is overcoming the injury, and it is likely he will sit out the trip to MK Dons in order to allow himself time to heal.

A chance for others?

The Carabao cup clash with the League One side would likely have seen Klopp make significant changes to his team regardless of Mane’s injury, but it gives him extra reason to leave the Senegal international out of the side, as well as other key players in the team.

That means there is a great likelihood of a fringe player getting his chance, or perhaps even a young player like summer signing Harvey Elliott or Rhian Brewster, both of whom have impressed academy manager Neil Critchley already this season.

Watch Liverpool Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

Divock Origi is also unavailable, and if Liverpool are without the pair for the foreseeable future it is a brilliant opportunity for young players to get game time, or for the frustrated Xherdan Shaqiri to prove he is worthy of starting regularly in the team.

Considering it is only a dead leg Mane should be back in action soon, with Liverpool facing some tough fixtures after the visit to Sheffield United, including trips to Manchester United and Tottenham.

A number of Liverpool supporters have criticised Sadio Mane’s first-half performance in the Champions League group stage clash with Porto.

The Reds are back in European action this evening, on what is another important night in Group B.

Jurgen Klopp’s side beat AC Milan in another Champions League classic earlier this month and this is a golden opportunity for them to build on that victory.

[freshpress-quiz id=“375258″]

Another three points in Portugal would put Liverpool in pole position to reach the knockout stages, but it is a tricky occasion against a deep-lying defence, even despite Mohamed Salah’s opening goal.

Mane hasn’t been at his best so far this season and that continued in the opening 45 minutes in Portugal, at least judging by what the supporters have had to say, despite him scoring on the night.

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/latest-liverpool-transfer-news-5/” title=”Latest Liverpool transfer news!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

Liverpool fans react to Mane performance

These Liverpool fans took to Twitter to react negatively to Mane’s first-half showing.

“Mane slander everywhere”

Credit: @__DavidLFC

“Sooner Mane wakes up the better”

Credit: @nathanw94258962

“Mane is finished”

Credit: @Lfcatharv

“Jota Fatty Salah against City. Let Mane nowhere near the XI”

Credit: @capetby

“Mane is so out of form it’s ridiculous”

Credit: @HamK_

“Mane complete one simple pass challenge”

Credit: @CloudyLennonade

In other news, some Liverpool fans are excited about one transfer rumour that has emerged. Read more here.

Tottenham Hotspur could have another Harry Kane in their ranks – and no, it’s not Dane Scarlett.

16-year-old striker Jamie Donley has been at the north London outfit for half of his life and this week he was named in the Guardian’s ‘Next Generation’ list, which profiles the best young talent from the Premier League’s 20 clubs.

The Northern Ireland-born striker, who is with the England U17s squad this week for their October fixtures, has impressed for the Lilywhites’ U18s side in recent times and now he’s being tipped for big things.

Guardian journalist David Hytner describes the teenage sensation as a ‘left-footed no.9’ who is ‘noted for his tenacity and finishing ability’, whilst he can also ‘drop off and show a good range of passing.’

In other words, he’s very much in a similar mould to the talismanic England international – a player who has been super prolific in the Premier League over several, several years.

Kane has scored at least 24 goals in every campaign since 2014/15 and that’s largely due to his clinical finishing ability and eye for goal.

Furthermore, particularly in recent seasons, the 28-year-old forward has become a creative outlet for his side – for example, last season, Kane provided 17 assists on top of his 33 goals, via Transfermarkt, whilst he also averaged 1.4 key passes per game (the second-most in the squad).

That highlights his range of passing and that’s exactly how the Guardian have described Donley.

The teen prodigy has found the net five times in five games in the U18 Premier League this season, taking his total for the youth squad to ten goals in 18 appearances, as per Transfermarkt.

Some of his performances have already had the Spurs faithful purring with excitement – one game against Norwich City, in particular, had many praising the young gem after he bagged himself a brace.

“Masterclass” and “stocks rising” were just two phrases used to describe his display that day.

So forget Scarlett, who will go onto become a different type of forward, Nuno Santo and co could well have another Kane in Donley. He may only be 16 but all the signs so far are hugely encouraging.

AND in other news, Paratici must axe “average” £18m-rated Spurs dud in Jan, Poch thought he was “perfect”…

Aston Villa recently shared ticket details for the game against Wolves at Villa Park next month.

They were relayed on Twitter by reliable reporter Ashley Preece, which led to a number of Villa supporters giving their thoughts on social media.

Dean Smith’s side host their Midlands rivals on Saturday, October 16 in a 3pm kick-off.

Villa confirmed it will cost fans £55 for an adult ticket in a Zone 1 area, the Doug Ellis upper (central) or Trinity Road Stand (central).

That’s almost £20 more than the club’s first home game of the season against Brentford last month.

An adult in K3, K4, K5 in the upper Holte will cost £49.50, again, a sharp increase of £16.50 from the meeting with Brentford.

Villa fans react

Preece also shared on Twitter prices for Under-21’s and a cost of a family package for the game next month.

This is what some Villa fans had to say in reply to his post, with one labelling it as ‘outrageous’.

“That’s a joke tbf.”

Credit: @_Linternet_

“Can only assume it’s a price rise as it’s classed as a Derby. £55 is crazy”

Credit: @_JackAvfc

“Outrageous”

Credit: @Dannybarker1981

“Shocking…..away fans can buy tickets to go to VP cheaper than home fans can!!! £55…..not acceptable in my book”

Credit: @Mjolnir_ross

“Wow, these are Chelsea prices. Shocking.”

Credit: @maund

“Shocking raising the prices that much! Villa has always been about fans. We don’t want to turn into robbing merchants like Spurs etc.”

Credit: @SkellyVTID

In other news: ‘Forfeit the game’, ‘We’re doomed’, ‘Please no’ – Many Villa fans fume at Man Utd clash update.

While Mike Ashley certainly hasn’t done much good at Newcastle United – the numerous fan protests are a testament to that – the one thing he did get spot-on, was his sale of Ayoze Perez.

Having signed him from Tenerife for just £1.5m, there’s no questioning that Newcastle got their money’s worth from Perez.

The Spaniard arrived as a little-known youngster back in the summer of 2014, but then Magpies boss Alan Pardew wasn’t shy in waxing lyrical about his latest recruit.

He said: “We’re delighted to confirm our first signing of the summer and very pleased to have Ayoze at Newcastle United, as a number of other clubs were chasing his signature too.

“He had a terrific season in Spain last year and is a player who we hope to develop further on Tyneside. He’s only 20 but has a very good eye for goal and that’s a great asset for any young player to have.”

Perez ended up playing 195 times for the club, scoring 48 goals and providing a further 17 assists across all competitions. He made his biggest contribution for the club during Rafa Benitez’s stint as manager, making over 100 appearances for his fellow Spaniard.

The former Newcastle boss even said: “Ayoze is a player that is keen to learn and I am telling him all the time it is about staying consistent. He has given us a lot of things. But the main thing for me is he knows that he can improve and he is keen to learn.”

In the end, following Benitez’s departure from the club, Perez also followed suit. The Magpies got some big-money for the forward though, collecting a reported £30m from fellow Premier League side Leicester, thus making them an impressive £28.5m profit.

And since his move to the Foxes, the 28-year-old hasn’t shown much to justify the price tag, playing 79 times and scoring just 11 goals, struggling to break into the side on a consistent basis – not surprising when you consider he has Jamie Vardy in front of him.

In fact, according to CIES, his market value now just stands at a measly £6m – quite the significant drop-off from what the Foxes paid for him to bring him in from St James’ Park.

Given that some Newcastle fans were up in arms over the club selling Perez, it’s now clear to see that the Magpies and Ashley played a blinder by selling him for that much.

Meanwhile, Newcastle United could have their next breakout star from the academy…

Dean Windass is confident that West Ham will sign Jesse Lingard before the transfer window closes later this month.

Lingard has been linked with a return to the London Stadium following his memorable loan spell during the second half of last season, with The Athletic claiming last month that he would cost £30m.

However, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has previously said that Lingard is part of his plans for the current season despite the array of attacking players at his disposal.

Lingard featured heavily in pre-season, but a positive COVID-19 test saw him miss out on being involved in United’s opening-day victory over Leeds.

He was back in the frame at Southampton on Sunday – and made his first Premier League appearance for the Red Devils since the final day of the 2019-2020 campaign.

But Lingard played only the final five minutes, which suggests he’s some way down the pecking order, with both Edinson Cavani and Marcus Rashford to come back into the fold.

West Ham first-team coach Stuart Pearce recently told talkSPORT that West Ham are still interested in signing him, and Windass exclusively told FFC that he will return to east London:

“I think West Ham will do that. I just can’t see him being at Manchester United with Sancho coming in now, and you’ve still got Martial and Dan James.”

West Bromwich Albion are working on a number of deals to bring new players to The Hawthorns in the summer transfer window.

What’s the talk?

In recent comments cited by the Express & Star, the 45-year-old Albion manager revealed that he and his team are still currently active in the summer market, with the Frenchman hoping to bring in at least one more signing prior to the transfer deadline at the end of the month.

The report goes on to state that Ismael is thought to be primarily targeting the signing of a new centre-forward, with Orlando City’s Daryl Dike and Manchester City’s Liam Delap reported to be on his shortlist, however, the Baggies boss claimed he will not be rushed into making any further additions to his side.

He said: “We are still observing the market. We have an idea. We have names on our list. We need to see all the aspects we need to make a transfer.

“The first thing, is it the right player? Does he have the right quality for us? Can we afford to pay for him? There are so many topics involved before we make the decision. But we have time at the minute. We are working on all fronts but there is no rush.”

The Frenchman continued: “I want to stay fair to the guys, they have worked really hard, all the players. I feel that the players want to be part of the process. As long as I have got that feeling, we can wait – we are in no rush.

“Unless there is an injury or something unexpected happens, but at the minute we need to find the right balance. For sure we are looking in [the] market, we are looking at what is going on and what we can afford.”

Fans will be buzzing

While two of Ismael’s current options at centre-forward, Callum Robinson and Karlan Grant, have already scored Championship goals this season, both players appear more suited to operating from the wider attacking positions, with Kenneth Zohore being the 45-year-old’s only real candidate as an out-and-out number nine.

As such, the fact that the Frenchman appears to be keen on bringing in a fresh face in this position before the transfer window closes is sure to have fans of the club buzzing.

And, considering how much promise both Dike and Delap appear to possess, the argument that the addition of either player being a very impressive signing for Albion this summer is easy to make.

Indeed, over Delap’s 20 Premier League 2 appearances for Manchester City’s U23 side last season, the £5k-per-week centre-forward scored 24 goals and registered five assists, with the 18-year-old playing a key role in his side winning the Premier League 2 title.

Meanwhile, Dike is a player Ismael already knows extremely well, with the 21-year-old having spent a spell on loan at Barnsley last term, where, over his 19 Championship appearances, the £7.2m-rated striker scored an impressive nine goals.

As such, if it is indeed either of these players that the 45-year-old brings to The Hawthorns this summer, Albion’s chances of securing an immediate return to the top flight of English football would appear to receive a rather significant boost, something that would go down extremely well with the West Brom faithful.

In other news: Lost possession 24x: £1.8m-rated West Brom lightweight badly let Ismael down vs Luton

West Brom are reportedly interested in signing winger Adam Reach this summer, following his recent exit from Sheffield Wednesday.

The Lowdown: Reach leaves Wednesday

The 28-year-old enjoyed a good career with the Owls, scoring 24 goals and registering 34 assists in 230 appearances for the club.

Reach departed Wednesday after his contract expired last month, however, and he is now on the lookout for a new club ahead of next season.

The winger has already been linked with a move to West Brom and that rumour doesn’t appear to be going away.

The Latest: West Brom keen on move

According to The Express & Star, Reach is still on the Baggies’ radar, with Valerien Ismael viewing him as a possible summer addition.

He is described as one of ‘several targets’ West Brom are looking at, with Blackburn Rovers mentioned as potential suitors, too.

The Verdict: Strong squad addition

Reach could be an ideal signing for the Baggies, bringing with him quality in the final third and an ability to play almost anywhere on the pitch – he has been deployed in as many as 11 positions throughout his career.

While the former Wednesday man wouldn’t necessarily come in as a regular starter, he would provide great squad depth due to that versatility and is capable of moments of individual brilliance.

Reach was described as a ‘top player’ by Tony Pulis during his short stint at Owls manager and he could thrive at the Hawthorns alongside superior players who have recently been plying their trade in the Premier League.

In other news, one West Brom signing has been ruled out this summer. Read more here.

Lots of Everton fans have been left buzzing as the Goodison Park faithful released their new Hummel third kit ahead of the 2021/22 season.

The kit is now available to but on their official website, and boasts a predominantly white colour, with a blue stripe running down the middle with yellow outlines.

Shirt sponsor Cazoo is located in the middle with the Toffees crest and Hummel logo either side in what is a very aesthetically pleasing jersey overall.

Rafa Benitez’s team may not be able to wear the kit that much in the new campaign given that it is the third strip, but when they do, it will come as a treat to the Blues supporters.

The new Premier League season is only a matter of weeks away, and releasing the new shirt has added to the excitement.

Everton fans on third kit

These EFC fans buzzed as the kit was shared on Twitter, with one Evertonian even going as far as to claim that it was ‘amazing’:

“Oh my dayyyys that amazing that’s actually up there with the best kits”

Credit: @efcowen1

“That’s a beauty!”

Credit: @IanG1878

“Insane”

Credit: @five15design

“Fantastic kit, very happy with that.”

Credit: @UpperGwladysBlu

“Wow”

Credit: @SP0RTSEDlTS

“Top class”

Credit: @Roundhouse1878

In other news, find out what Bramley-Moore Dock update has been lauded by Toffees here!