All posts by n8rngtd.top

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Celtic are set to welcome Valencia to Celtic Park on Thursday evening for the first leg of a hotly-anticipated Europa League clash.

On the chalkboard

Two-legged European ties are where the top managers in the game really come into their own. European competitions consistently provide meticulously tactical fixtures which hinge on the finest of margins, and Brendan Rodgers will be acutely aware of that ahead of Celtic’s biggest game of the season so far.

Valencia have been rocked by a handful of injury concerns ahead of the fixture, with Rodrigo and Santi Mina both sidelined through injury, as per Daily Record, but they still have plenty of talented players for the Bhoys to fear.

One of those players is Dani Parejo: Valencia’s playmaker-in-chief who has been dubbed as their “most important player” by journalist Cayetano Ros, of Spanish daily newspaper Levante, as per Evening Times.

McGregor has ability to silence Dani Parejo

Parejo has scored seven goals and provided three assists in all-competitions this season, offering a killer instinct in the final-third as well as technical prowess.

The 29-year-old midfielder is primarily in the team to dictate the tempo and create opportunities for his teammates, but his impressive return proves there are plenty of strings to his bow.

If Valencia record a positive result on Thursday evening there is no doubt he will be at the heart of it, so Rodgers must ensure that McGregor makes it his personal objective to neutralise his influence on proceedings.

The Scotland international’s energy in the midfield has the potential to suffocate Valencia’s midfield lynchpin if channelled effectively, while his natural instinct to burst forward in support of the attack will drag Parejo away from the positions where he can hurt Celtic.

McGregor has already showcased his insatiable appetite for the the big European nights this season, and he must step up to the plate once again and play Parejo off the park to give the Bhoys every chance of taking a priceless advantage to Spain next week.

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West Ham United must start Marko Arnautovic when they face Fulham this weekend.

The Hammers have not tasted victory in any of their previous five games, though they did hold Liverpool to a 1-1 draw at the London Stadium on February 4th.

On the chalkboard

Arnautovic has enjoyed some truly excellent form this season, scoring a total of seven goals in 18 appearances in the Premier League.

He has, however, failed to score in his last three outings since a flirtation with a transfer to China.

Manuel Pellegrini gave the Austria international the chance to start against Wolves but he struggled before picking up an injury that ruled him out of the clash with Liverpool.

Following that 1-1 draw, Arnautovic played just 22 minutes against Crystal Palace.

Now, then, is the time for West Ham to trust again and give the striker the chance to play from the outset against Fulham.

Indeed, the Irons have lost just twice in the Premier League this season when Arnautovic has scored – to Arsenal and AFC Bournemouth.

The Irons are currently 10th in the table but they appear somewhat rudderless. They are not in danger of relegation but they are also six points behind Nuno Espirito Santo’s impressive Wolves, who sit seventh and occupy the final Europa League qualification spot.

Having Arnautovic back in the team would go a long way to reigniting a fire under Pellegrini’s men.

Time to prove worth

Football FanCast reported earlier this month that Arnautovic and West Ham have agreed on one specific compromise in the striker’s new contract. The deal includes a clause that will allow the 29-year-old to leave if a bid worth £45m is tabled in the summer.

However, if he is to be the subject of any bids in the summer, he is going to have to prove his worth between now and the end of the season.

It could be a win-win for the Hammers. They could bring Arnautovic back into the fold, he could score the goals to propel the club up the table, and then there could be a major influx of cash for Pellegrini to spend in the summer.

Starting the Austrian against Fulham could be the start of a long-term strategy and would go a long way to ensuring the Irons pick up three vital points.

Indeed, Fulham are 19th and have conceded a total of 58 goals, 10 more than rock-bottom Huddersfield Town.

Arnautovic will surely be licking his lips.

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Leeds United missed the chance to move to the top of the Championship table on Tuesday night as they lost 1-0 at Queens Park Rangers.

Luke Freeman scored the only goal of the match early in the second period to make it a miserable evening for the Whites.

Marcelo Bielsa’s side did have opportunities to level in the latter stages and one of those fell to centre-forward Patrick Bamford.

In the 79th minute, the ball bounced for the 25-year-old – a 2018 arrival from Middlesbrough – inside the QPR box, but the Englishman somehow failed to nod into the back of the net.

Had Bamford levelled, there is every chance Leeds could have gone on to win.

A victory for Bielsa’s team in London would have moved them to the top of the table, but they instead remain third.

And it would be fair to say that the Leeds fans were fuming with their centre-forward’s wayward finishing at Loftus Road.

A selection of the Twitter reaction can be seen below:

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Liverpool fans have taken to Twitter to react furiously after they discovered that Everton fans were singing Manchester City songs following the 0-0 draw at Goodison Park on Sunday.

The Reds’ inability to beat their city rivals saw them miss an opportunity to leapfrog Pep Guardiola’s side and return to the top of the table, and with nine games to go, the reigning champions have the initiative.

Obviously, Liverpool and Everton are bitter rivals, and whilst the Toffees’ celebrations after the full-time whistle seemed like they were celebrating a point, they were perhaps more intent on cheering the fact that they dented their foes’ title hopes.

After the showpiece event, Everton fans were caught on camera singing Manchester City’s ‘Blue Moon’ song to celebrate the Citizens returning to the top of the table.

Understandably, after seeing their title hopes dealt a blow, Liverpool fans on Twitter were quick to retaliate after seeing the video…

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In the recent 2-1 defeat to arch-rivals Brighton, Crystal Palace left-back Patrick van Aanholt turned in a performance of the lowest quality, which was summed up by his foolish decision to show Anthony Knockaert onto his strong foot for the Frenchman to score the winning goal.

A number of poor performances

The Dutch international’s poor showing against the Seagulls wasn’t the first bad performance of his this season. Van Aanholt’s defensive skills have been brought into question a number of times this season, and it seems like his ability to pop up with a few goals over the course of the campaign masks his frailties at the back.

He seems to get away with any real criticism as a result of his popularity at the club, coupled with the fact that Wilfried Zaha often plays ahead of him on the left-wing and consequently takes the weight off van Aanholt by occupying the opposition’s right-back and right-winger.

Which player with “no potential” has just been named Crystal Palace’s worst ever January signing? Find out in the video below…

He should be dropped

One of the big debates that has often been on the lips of those inside Selhurst Park this season is how to accommodate summer signing Max Meyer into the starting lineup.

Roy Hodgson is a big fan of James McArthur and has been playing the Scotsman over the German, whilst Jeffrey Schlupp has been a consistent feature on the left of a midfield three, leaving Meyer stuck on the bench.

One way to solve this conundrum, and hopefully give van Aanholt the kick up the backside he needs, would be to drop Schlupp into a left-back role where he has played in the past, and bring Meyer into the Ghanaian’s vacated midfield spot.

Schlupp has impressed on the left hand side of defence in the past, where his pace, power and drive down the left flank is a useful outlet – he is also a much more solid and physical option defensively than the flimsy van Aanholt.

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Tottenham Hotspur fans have cast doubt on a story linking them with a move for Paraguayan youngster Julio Cesar Torres.

Sport Witness have reported that Torres – whom reportedly plays for Blooming de Santa Cruz – could be set to link up with Spurs’ reserve squad.

Per the report, the player’s agent, Gonzalo Anciar, has claimed that the deal is initially a loan, with an option to buy at the end of the season.

A picture doing the rounds on the internet appears to show Torres signing a contract with the club, according to the Sport Witness report.

Anciar is also said to have claimed that a number of English clubs have made offers for his client, who has ultimately chosen to move to north London.

Fans, though, are doubtful over the deal, particularly given the obvious difficulty in Spurs obtaining a work permit for a player from South America, particularly one who does not appear to be playing regularly.

Add to that the fact that Tottenham have not signed a new player since January 2018, when they secured the better-known Lucas Moura from PSG, and the picture appears all the fuzzier.

Take a look at some of the best reaction on Twitter below!

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Alex McLeish and his Scotland side limped past San Marino on Sunday, and Celtic ace Callum McGregor is taking loads of stick for his performance.

Scotland were humiliated by Kazakhstan last week, and despite their win on Sunday the performance was once again abysmal.

McLeish’s makeshift squad travelled to the San Marino stadium hoping to trounce FIFA’s lowest ranked side, but won just 2-0 and were booed off the pitch by the travelling fans.

Pl>ymaker FC Exclusive: Jermaine Jenas reveals he would have snubbed Tottenham for Arsenal if they’d come knocking in 2005…

Kenny McLean and Johnny Russell had good days as the pair both grabbed their first international goal, but most of the team will be embarrassed by their performance.

McGregor was expected to be one of the experienced leaders in McLeish’s makeshift XI, but the Celtic ace was withdrawn at the hour mark after a woeful display.

The 25 year-old just seemed absent as the game passed him by time and time again, and the Twitter reactions down below do not make pretty reading…

Over the past few seasons, Crystal Palace have had an awful track record with signing strikers. Indeed, Christian Benteke, Conor Wickham and Jordan Ayew have all flopped and Michy Batshuayi’s loan-deal means he might even not return to Selhurst Park after May.

The Eagles are in dire need of a quality goal-scorer to supplement their hard-working attack and are obviously looking for one behind the scenes. Well, they’ve reportedly found one individual, but not exactly the big name fans were hoping for.

That’s because, according to reports from  Radio Continental (via FutbolRed), they’re aiming to sign River Plate striker Rafael Santos Borre.

The 23-year-old’s garnered attention from quite a few European clubs for his work for the South American giants. He’s scored 4 goals in 17 appearances this season, but it was his work in the FIFA Club World Cup which impressed most. In fact, the Colombian scored 3 goals in two games, helping River Plate to a 3rd place finish.

That being said, there are no guarantees he’ll actually thrive at the Premier League. Borre’s earned a reputation for being a cunning goal-scorer, but replicating his heroics under harsh conditions will be extremely difficult. Considering that he currently has a €30m release clause, shelling out that kind of money in an unproven talent is a big risk from Steve Parish.

It’s one which could pay off, as Borre, who is valued at £6.75 million (by Transfermarkt), possesses the talent to be a prime goal-scorer for them with the resources supplying to him.

However, considering their recent transfer failures, Parish needs to be careful of properly analysing his targets before wasting money on mediocre talents.

Palace fans, would you be pleased with Borre’s potential arrival in the summer? Join the discussion by commenting below…

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Watford head into their FA Cup semi-final clash with Wolves this weekend on a high having thrashed Fulham 4-1 on Tuesday night, with Abdoulaye Doucoure getting on the scoresheet for the fifth time this season before taking to Twitter to express his delight at the win.

The Frenchman’s strike capped yet another fine performance at the base of midfield that will surely have caught the attention of the top-six clubs looking to raid the lesser Premier League outfits in the summer.

The 26-year-old has established himself as one of the best players outside of the Big Six and has said there was interest in his services from European giants PSG in January; it is uncertain as to whether he will remain at Vicarage Road beyond the current campaign.

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

Winning the cup or European football for next season would surely go a long way towards retaining the former Granada man’s services for another year, it’s just a question of whether they can get the better of their Midlands opposition both this weekend and over the seven remaining games of the campaign.

Here’s what the Hornets fans had to say in response to the 6 foot star on Twitter…

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Loads of fans, players and pundits alike have had their say on the controversy surrounding Sunday’s Old Firm, but Celtic fans can’t quite believe what one journalist tweeted.

The third Old Firm of the season has been and gone and it certainly did not disappoint.

Alfredo Morelos once again fell victim to an opponent player getting in his head, as Bhoys captain Scott Brown helped get the Colombian sent off.

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

Odsonne Edouard had just given the home side a deserved lead before Ryan Kent cancelled it out with a wonderfully taken goal, only for James Forrest to pop up with a dramatic late winner.

The entertainment didn’t end there though, as Brown’s celebrations after the final whistle sparked more confrontation, confrontation that led to Andy Halliday receiving a second yellow card.

And Ewan Murray, a writer for The Guardian, has slammed Brown for goading the Rangers fans after full time.

You can find some of the best Twitter reactions down below, where fans are less than impressed by Murray’s verdict…