All posts by h716a5.icu

The wheels are threatening to come off for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s journey at Manchester United.

What started as a dream is slowly turning into a mini-nightmare. After pulling off his greatest managerial achievement by guiding the Red Devils into the Champions League quarter-finals against all odds, he’s seen a shocking drop in form for his squad.

However, something to be noticed is how different United’s starting lineups were against PSG as compared to those against Arsenal and Wolves recently. Be it a complete change in midfield, returning players or a different approach, it seems Solskjaer hasn’t taken kindly to this recent transition.

He and United are still stuck in the Champions League dreams.

Solskjaer’s inexperience has also been telling in the recent results. Some of his own flaws were pounced upon by Nuno Esposito Santos’ Wolves, who successfully stretched and destabilized United’s system with clinical counter-attacks. The Norwegian’s substitution sense is still frail and he hasn’t been able to rotate United’s squad that well.

Against Wolves, Anthony Martial and Jesse Lingard both seemed out of it. Nemanja Matic’s lack of mobility was capitalized on, while Marcus Rashford was isolated as a solo striker. One could argue he should’ve played the resurgent Fred and possibly even Andreas Perreira, who’s been in hot form in recent weeks- to add more bite in midfield.

He might still be favourite to win the United managerial job permanently, but the string of results help Solskjaer face reality. The international break serves as ample time for him to reassess his tactics and work on improving his personal mistakes.

United fans, do you think Solskjaer needs to improve his decision-making? Join the discussion by commenting below. 

Chelsea have an Eden Hazard problem lurking in the shadows.

As things keep getting uglier on the field, outside it, the Belgian already has his heart set out towards moving to Real Madrid in the summer. Seemingly, there is no going back on that desire. Los Blancos always get their man, there’s simply no doubt about it.

What’s the worst thing about this is the Blues’ untimely transfer ban won’t allow them to sign an adequate replacement either. So, Maurizio Sarri and fans will be thankful they sealed Christian Pulisic’s (who joined for £58m according to BBC Sport) transfer before the disaster, yet in reality, even the young American cannot match Hazard’s particularly high standards anytime soon.

The Blues will be hoping for Pulisic to be their wing wizard’s ideal potential replacement, however, even the most ardent fan will know that – deep down – it isn’t possible. To replace a player at the height of his powers – who’s scored 13 and assisted 11 in the Premier League (stats via WhoScored) – saving Chelsea from despair uncountable times is relatively impossible for anyone, let alone a developing youngster.

Of course, many Chelsea fans loved Roman Abramovich’s decision to splash the cash on Pulisic, but it’s safe to say that he’s got an awful lot to live up to and youngsters haven’t exactly been given a fair chance at Stamford Bridge, so it was a huge gamble to spend so much money on someone who’s not exactly hit the heights this season.

He’ll be a small fish in the huge ocean that is the Premier League and will take time to adapt. Pulisic hasn’t really had the most prolific seasons at Borussia Dortmund either, only making 15 Bundesliga appearances, while scoring only two as Jadon Sancho outshines him in front of the famous yellow wall. Furthermore, injuries and inconsistency have ravaged him to make appearances mostly from the bench.

The young American has a mountain to climb to reach where Hazard stands right now in the footballing food-chain. Lodging the pressure of replacing the world-class winger won’t only crumble Pulisic’s confidence-level, but Chelsea might also end up ruining another wonderkid in the process. Indeed, the likes of Josh McEachran and Charly Musonda were both tipped for big things, but a lack of game time and a lot of pressure turned things sour.

Chelsea fans, do you think Pulisic can replace Hazard successfully next season? Join the discussion by commenting below. 

[ad_pod ]Yorkshire Evening Post journalist Phil Hay took to Twitter on Friday to have his say on Pablo Hernandez as he missed out on making football writer Daniel Storey’s Championship Team of the Year having also missed out on the official EFL one earlier this week, and talkSPORT’s Adrian Durham was quick to have his say.

What’s the word, then?

Well, despite scoring 10 goals and providing a further 11 assists in 31 league outings this season, he has been a notable absentee from a number of XIs documenting the best players in the division this term, including Storey’s latest effort.

Hay highlighted this particular decision via his official Twitter account and said that he was surprised that the Spaniard appears to continually be overlooked by different individuals, and Durham was quick to reply and agree with him, stating that he also found it “a little odd”.

Are they right?

They certainly are.

The stats speak for themselves and given the Whites have been challenging at the top end of the Championship table throughout the entire campaign, it is hard to fathom why Hernandez isn’t present in these chosen sides.

One of his main issues is that he is considered a midfielder and some teams will prefer to pick three strikers, which of course limits his opportunities when he is up against the likes of teammate Kalvin Phillips, who has been similarly outstanding.

Durham is someone that loves to stir the pot – it’s his job as an employee of talkSPORT of course – but he is absolutely spot on in this instance, omitting the experienced Spaniard is indeed “a little odd”.

Jordan Henderson is a criminally underrated player at times and his recent performances for England have shown that.

Jordan Henderson celebrated his 50th cap on Monday night when he came on as a substitute in England’s convincing 5-1 victory over Montenegro, and it has got us reflecting on what is surely one of the most underappreciated careers in modern times.

Yes, we can admit that he hardly contributes the most exciting role on the pitch, and fans are all too prepared to remind us of that fact – but when did simplicity become a cause for criticism?

Have we moved that far away from the basics of the beautiful game, the passing, the energy, the tackling and tenacity – the very core principals we were taught as fledgeling players ourselves – that we cannot appreciate the simple arts? We think not. At least we should not have.

Gareth Southgate certainly has not, that is for sure, and we are more inclined to believe him, the man who united England and gave them their best summer in 52 years, over Joe Bloggs from the pub, weekend pundit and purveyor of all things illogical.

The England manager commented on Henderson’s milestone (via Henry Winter’s Twitter page): “he’s such an important player for us, with his winning mentality, he makes other players play well, he’s a leader”

Indeed, it must be nice for Liverpool fans to finally see their man getting some much-deserved plaudits; that long overdue recognition for the role he has performed with such admirable consistency through the years that it is hard not to appreciate him and his unbridled commitment, and discipline, to surely one of football’s most tedious roles.

Now, we want to be careful when we make this comparison – as we are hyper-aware of the huge gulf in class between the two – but you see the likes of Kante being praised no end for the simple roles they perform for their teams – so why are England fans so utterly intent on bashing Henderson?

Are we allergic to praising our domestic rivals?

Liverpool fans, is there English player better than Jordan Henderson at what he does? Let us know in the comments below…

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Loads of Celtic fans have been reacting to yet more aftermath of the Old Firm, as Scott Brown and Steven Gerrard have both been charged by the SFA, prompting a big announcement from the club.

Celtic captain Brown and Rangers manager Gerrard are both facing bans, per the BBC.

The Bhoys skipper was involved in countless incidents during Sunday’s derby, in which goals from Odsonne Edouard and James Forrest gave Celtic all three points.

Brown was the subject of Alfredo Morelos’ anger when the Colombian was sent off in the first half, and he also drew a whack in the face from Ryan Kent later on.

The 33 year-old was the centre of attention after the full-time whistle too, goading the travelling fans enough to lure Andy Halliday into getting himself sent off for a second bookable offence.

The club have issued a statement on their official Twitter account, announcing: “Celtic will defend these charges vigorously”.

Unsurprisingly, the news has caused quite the stir amongst fans, and you can find some of the best Twitter reactions down below…

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Loads of Rangers fans have been reacting to some positive news from the club, as the reserve side came from two goals down to beat a strong Hibernian XI on Monday.

Rangers have fallen behind in the title race since the beginning of March, as Steven Gerrard’s side have struggled to turn dominance of the ball into goals and wins.

Still though, there is a real feeling that Gerrard’s reign is a work in progress, a work that is going to bring success eventually.

Former Wigan & Fulham man, Jimmy Bullard recently showed that he’s still got it! Check out the video below…

The gaffer will look to trim and reshape his squad again this summer after a busy transfer window last year, but could he have some gems in the youth set-up that will save him some money?

The young Gers played a Hibs side with several first team players in it on Monday, and Glenn Middleton’s first half brace levelled things up after Hibs had shot out to an early 2-0 lead.

Stephen Kelly then decided the game with an inch-perfect free kick, and fans are heaping praise on their youngsters.

Could the likes of Middleton, Kelly and Cameron Palmer, who captained the side, make an impact in the first team next year? The Twitter reactions down below are impressed…

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Loads of Rangers fans have been reacting to yet more brilliance from Glenn Middleton, and they want the youngster back in the first team.

At the beginning of the season, Middleton looked poised for a dramatic breakthrough year, performing admirably in the Gers’ run in the Europa League.

The teenaged winger scored once and assisted once in European competition, and also provided two goals and three assists in Premiership action, per Transfermarkt.

Former Wigan & Fulham man, Jimmy Bullard recently showed that he’s still got it! Check out the video below…

His form fell off in December though, and due to the sensational showings of Ryan Kent on that left flank Middleton was demoted back to the reserves side by Steven Gerrard.

He has certainly made no bones about it though, instead making it his goal to dominate the lower quality on offer in reserve games.

The 19 year-old scored both goals as the Gers beat Celtic reserves 2-0 on Sunday, and he now has eight strikes in his last five games.

You can find some of the best Twitter reactions down below, where fans can’t wait to see him back in the first team fold…

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In a midfield which contains the likes of Jack Grealish, John McGinn and Conor Hourihane it’s hard for any other player to get noticed.

But as Aston Villa created club history, going ten games without dropping a single point in the Championship, Glenn Whelan has become an unsung hero.

The midfielder has quietly gone about his business in the last few games and as Villa confirmed their play-off spot with a win over Millwall, he was a player deserving of praise.

Perhaps plaudits beyond his years too. Because at the age of 35, Whelan’s best days are past him. The Republic of Ireland international enjoyed a steady time at Stoke in the Premier League but he could be about to find himself back in the big time.

He’s not the most glamorous of players by any means but he knows how to get the job done and in a team which includes less disciplined players, he’s helped to lay the foundations.

Whelan’s performance against Millwall wasn’t spectacular. It didn’t need to be, but it was effective and at the base of the midfield he allowed Grealish and McGinn to do the business further forward.

His pass success was bettered by just four Villa players whilst he made the second-most successful tackles out of anyone in Dean Smith’s side. The fact he also completed a dribble, an uncharacteristic part of his game, shows that confidence is growing.

It was a simple and disciplined performance. One that should give Smith some thinking ahead of the play-offs. Before then, Villa take on Leeds and Norwich. Should the club come through that with six points, then they absolutely deserve a place in the Premier League next season.

If Whelan also continues to play as he has been in those fixtures, then he may find himself starting over one of Villa’s more influential players in midfield come the play-offs.

McGinn, Grealish and Hourihane have all been outstanding during the course of the 2018/19 campaign, but the understated Whelan has been every bit important this month.

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Manchester City crashed out of the Champions League despite beating Tottenham Hotspur 4-3 at the Etihad Stadium on Wednesday night, but it could have all been so different had manager Pep Guardiola brought Leroy Sane on to the pitch earlier.

The hosts had the result they needed to advance when Sergio Aguero made it 4-2 on the night with just over half-an-hour to play, but it was at that point that the Spanish boss made a mistake.

Instead of trying to go for the goal that would have put the tie out of sight, he instead brought on Fernandinho for David Silva four minutes later.

You can understand his thinking in many ways to try and bring some calm to what was a completely crazy encounter, and he perhaps could have got away with it as long as he brought Sane on to the pitch shortly afterwards.

Instead, they were pegged back on aggregate when Fernando Llorente in the 73rd minute, but even then Guardiola waited another 11 minutes before bringing the Germany international on for Benjamin Mendy.

Are Man City better than Arsenal’s ‘Invincibles’? Fans discuss in the video below…

The 23-year-old had little time to make an impact and get at what was a tired Tottenham backline, and the night was to end in disappointment for the Cityzens when Raheem Sterling’s last-gasp goal was ruled out by VAR.

While he deserves so many plaudits for the impact he has made during his time on the blue side of Manchester, the former Barcelona boss cost his side here by being too negative.

Had he introduced Sane 15 minutes earlier it would have given Mauricio Pochettino’s men an extra attacking threat to deal with, and that would have been vital to their tie and seen them progress to a semi-final shoot-out with Ajax.

Tottenham Hotspur continue to be linked with a move for Ryan Sessegnon, per the Daily Express.

The 18-year-old has been a rare bright spark in a roundly terrible season for Fulham, who have already been relegated to the Championship, with his asking price set at £40million.

The Express claims that a number of clubs, including Juventus and Liverpool, are also interested in securing Sessegnon’s signature this summer, with the teenager certain to depart the London outfit.

But should Spurs splash £40m on a teenager who has spent just one season in the top-flight?

Football FanCast writers give their verdicts below…

Matt Dawson

“If Spurs signed Ryan Sessegnon then they may well have another Gareth Bale on their hands. It’s hard to see him replicating the feats of the Welshman but there is a comparison in the fact he’s a player that can play at left back and further forward. £40m would be a ridiculous sum of money to pay for him, even in today’s market and after the season he’s had it’s difficult to justify that fee. However, if he starts finding goals in the top-flight, as he did in the Championship, he’d be some player for Tottenham. Given how Pochettino has developed young English talent in the past, he may be the manager to get the best out of him.”

James Beavis

“No, they should steer clear. While Sessegnon may well be a star in the future, Tottenham are in a position now where they need players that are guaranteed to perform if they want to compete in the Premier League and Champions League. Given his form for Fulham this season that isn’t the case with Sessegnon. Signing him has Tottenham written all over it, but he would be a massive risk and Spurs need to change their policy this summer for the best of the club.”

Billy Meyers

“No, they definitely shouldn’t sign him for that much money. Whilst he has done fairly well at times this season for such a young player, Spurs have areas of the field which demand more attention than the position Sessegnon plays – the fact that they had to reshuffle the side completely against Manchester City when Moussa Sissoko went off injured tells you that midfield is just the start of where they need reinforcements. He would be somewhat of a luxury signing, and one that they should certainly steer clear of.”