Talk about things going to script. On a wet and miserable-looking afternoon, Liverpool made it an impressive seven wins from seven in the Premier League after squeezing past Sheffield United 1-0.
Jurgen Klopp’s side were hardly at their best over the course of the game, with their much-vaunted attacking trio of Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino firing a blank from their combined eight attempts on goal.
In the end, it took a howler from Blades goalkeeper Dean Henderson to give the Reds all three points, and eagle-eyed Liverpool fans were quick to point out something.
The 22-year-old’s parent club is Manchester United, and after seeing the shot-stopper’s mistake, they flooded to Twitter to revel in their arch-rivals’ misery.
Many Reds supporters sarcastically thanked Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side for indirectly helping them to another win, and revealed the three points tasted all the more sweeter.
Some fans of the Anfield club further mocked United for Henderson’s gaffe, and urged their fellow supporters to let it “sink in”.
Check out some of the savage reaction of Liverpool fans below:
Whoever hasn’t heard of Ansu Fati by now must be living under a rock.
The young 16-year-old La Masia sensation has really been the star of every Barcelona show whenever he’s featured on the pitch for the Catalan giants.
Of course, it all started with his first call up for a La Liga game back on matchday two and it continued quickly with him bagging both a goal and an assist in a single clash on matchday four, breaking multiple records along the way and writing history for Barcelona and Spanish football as a whole.
He went from a really talented 16-year-old boy, still learning how to walk in La Masia, to a 16-year-old kid bound to become a superstar in the foreseeable future. Things really do work fast in modern football and Fati is definitely feeling it on his own skin right now.
But breaking records solely on La Liga soil seemingly wasn’t enough for him so he decided to bring some of that to Barcelona’s first European trip of the season.
The Catalans travelled to Signal Iduna Park where they faced Borussia Dortmund in the opening game of group F in the Champions League. And not only did Fati travel alongside Lionel Messi and co. but he also started the game from the get-go.
That achievement made him become the youngest ever Barcelona player to feature in the Champions League at the age of just 16 years and 321 days, once again leaving the former record-holder, Bojan Krkic, behind in the dust.
He stayed on the pitch for 59 minutes and was replaced by Messi just short of the hour mark. And despite Barcelona’s goalless draw that definitely left a lot to be desired, the spotlight was firmly on Fati once again as the footballing world seemingly just can’t get enough of the teenage prodigy.
But Valverde will definitely have some decisions to make in the coming weeks. Does he keep Fati in the senior squad and officially promote him despite his young age and inexperience or does he grant him some more time to mature with Barcelona B?
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Barcelona’s coach did talk about Fati before the Borussia Dortmund clash and he insisted that playing him is not with an aim to break records but rather to help the team achieve victory.
And yes, seeing such a young player lighting up the stage is something many football fans love to see but is Fati actually ready to make such a huge step-up and don the Blaugrana kit on the biggest stage of them all?
We have to remember that he completely skipped the process of featuring for Barcelona B and went from the U-19 squad straight into the lion’s den and La Liga. This is a jump not even Messi did back in the day.
Even Barcelona’s best player in the history of the club followed and trusted the process, climbing through the ranks until he was finally ready to challenge the first-teamers. Sure, the skill he had and the quality he showed were immediately visible and his talent alone was proof enough he would indeed turn into a superstar of the future.
But he still had to mature in order to become a regular first-teamer or rather, a squad member within the first-team.
A player who enjoyed similar outcries of the media and lauding of various players and coaches was Krkic, a now 29-year-old Montreal Impact player whose various records Fati broke in the past weeks. But he also didn’t make such big jumps all at once.
Fati, for those reasons, is a very special case at Barcelona but that isn’t necessarily a good thing. Obviously, he’s very talented and skilled. After all, he wouldn’t have scored two goals and assisted one in three La Liga games if he wasn’t.
But the clash against Borussia Dortmund also reminded us of one other thing: Fati is, for all his skills, potential, talent and brilliance, still just 16 years of age, and that shows on the pitch.
Sure, Barcelona need a breath of fresh air and he is definitely that but he is also too immature and too inexperienced to be starting huge Champions League clashes like the on against Borussia Dortmund.
As a result, he only tallied an 80% passing accuracy, as well as four unsuccessful touches and three dispossessions. Slandering a 16-year-old kid for an underwhelming performance in the Champions League doesn’t really seem fair but it’s also the reality of the situation.
It would be wise for Valverde to take a step back and think this through properly. Is this process helping Fati develop at a rate that’s best for him? Is he going to reach his potential if he continues doing what he’s doing now?
If so, then by all means, let the kid break more records and let him feature for Barcelona again.
But if there’s an off chance that this is all happening too fast and might hurt his progress then Valverde has to take it as absolute certainty.
The risk is far too great and maybe it wouldn’t hurt Fati to spend some time with his peers rather than wrestling players twice his age on a stage that still might be just a tiny bit too big for him.
The choice and the decision, however, will fall on Valverde’s shoulders.
Let’s hope he does the right thing, whatever that may be.
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp won the Best FIFA Men’s Coach award for 2019 on Monday night, with the German holding off competition from Pep Guardiola and Mauricio Pochettino to land the trophy in Milan.
Klopp led Liverpool to their sixth European Cup last season, beating Premier League rivals Tottenham Hotspur – managed by Pochettino – in the final.
The Reds ultimately fell short of Guardiola’s Manchester City side at the end of what was an incredible race for the 2018/19 Premier League title.
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However, Klopp was named the Best FIFA Men’s Coach for 2019 in Milan on Monday due to his achievements this year.
The Merseyside giants won the last of their 18 league titles in 1989/90, but a strong start to this season suggests that this could finally be their year.
As expected, a number of Liverpool fans have been on social media reacting to their manager landing the coveted trophy – and a selection of the tweets can be seen below….
Times have really been tough for Barcelona’s 22-year-old superstar Ousmane Dembele.
The young Frenchman is slowly but surely heading into his third season at the Catalan capital but it still feels like everyone is waiting for him to fully emerge from his cocoon.
Sadly, this is mostly due to the constant injuries that plague him and that have him sidelined even as we speak. This has also lead to some changes within the squad.
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Sport have recently come out with a report that suggests Dembele doesn’t really have a clear role in the team and that he might find it rather difficult to rejoin Barcelona on the pitch, especially with Carles Perez and Ansu Fati emerging from the youth ranks.
Upon reading the report, the fans quickly slammed the Frenchman as many seem to think he deserves this and that his time at Barcelona is slowly coming to an end.
They believe he will be benched once he returns and they believe he only has himself to blame.
A number of Tottenham Hotspur fans believe that defender Davinson Sanchez is underrated by his own supporters.
The 23-year-old joined the club in 2017 in a club-record deal from Ajax – the figure of £42m was eclipsed by Tanguy Ndombele’s acquisition in the summer – and Spurs’ official Twitter account commemorated the anniversary on Friday.
Since his signing, Sanchez has made a total of 80 appearances for Spurs and has started the club’s first two games of the season, against Aston Villa and Manchester City.
He made 37 appearances in all competitions last season, though he was on the bench for the Champions League final against Liverpool.
A full Colombia international who has won 22 caps for his country, Sanchez has been praised by a number of supporters, who believe that his talent goes under the radar even within the terraces at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
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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…
Tottenham did very well in the summer transfer window, making a number of shrewd signings to reinforce areas of their team that were in need of bolstering.
Tanguy Ndombele arrived to replace Mouse Dembele’s drive in midfield, whilst Ryan Sessegnon and Jack Clarke were signed to add youthfulness to the wide areas – Giovani Lo Celso will also add goals from midfield.
One area that has arguably got weaker, however, is right-back.
Kieran Tripper was awful last season, but even then, the England international was still ahead of Serge Aurier and Kyle Walker-Peters in Mauricio Pochettino’s pecking order.
Following Trippier’s departure to Atletico Madrid however, nobody was signed as a replacement – as a result, Pochettino must rely on the pair who he deemed not good enough to start last term.
The former Southampton boss incidentally opted for Walker-Peters over Aurier in the season opener against Aston Villa, and the academy graduate didn’t disappoint.
The 22-year-old impressed at right-back against the Villans, making a number of solid contributions as he helped his side take maximum points from their first league outing of the campaign.
The 5 foot 8 defender made three tackles and three clearances to keep Dean Smith’s impressive Villa side down to just one goal, which was scored courtesy of a hopeful punt up field.
Walker-Peters also showcased his attacking talents on Saturday evening, drawing three fouls during the 90 minutes whilst also playing one key pass – he also embarked on two dribbles down that right flank.
Aurier reportedly wants to leave, whilst Juan Foyth – who looked set to play at right-back this term – picked up a serious ankle injury in pre-season, making Pochettino’s life even more complicated in terms of his right-back options.
Luckily for the Argentinian boss, he looks able to rely on Walker-Peters for dependable performances at right-back, and the youngster may have solved a major headache for his boss with his fine showing against Villa.
West Ham United fans have expressed their delight after Robert Snodgrass signed a new contract at the club.
The Scotland international has penned a one-year extension that ties him to the Hammers until 2021, with the club confirming the deal on Tuesday.
The deal comes after Snodgrass worked his way back into Manuel Pellegrini’s plans following a loan spell at Aston Villa in the 2017/18 campaign.
He made a total of 38 appearances last season, scoring four goals and registering nine assists as the club finished 10th in the Premier League.
Indeed, Snodgrass missed just five top-flight games in total, with one of those coming through suspension.
A versatile player, he was deployed as both an attacking midfielder (17 times) and a right winger (15 times) throughout the season, with a few appearances on the left as well.
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And supporters are delighted that the 31-year-old has been rewarded for his loyalty at the Irons, and looks set to add to his 53 appearances for the club.
Take a look at the best of the reaction on Twitter below!
As the summer transfer window gets well and truly underway, it’s time to look at the key deals that Premier League clubs will be hoping to get done before the start of the new season.
There are a number of different intriguing scenarios, deals, rumours which are already circulating which we will delve into as well as looking at how that player would fit in if they were to make a move.
There has already been one huge transfer in the shape of Eden Hazard joining Real Madrid for £88million and there is sure to be more to come.
We are also going to look at the price tag for each potential transfer and whether or not it is a viable option when considering the fee. They range from over £100m to absolutely nothing whatsoever.
And we start with the most expensive one of the lot, which involves last season’s Premier League champions Manchester City, who could break the bank by signing one of Napoli’s star men…
Man City – Kalidou Koulibaly – £107million
The moment Vincent Kompany announced he would be leaving Manchester City there will have been a sense among City fans that they need to bring in a central defender in the summer window.
Napoli’s Kalidou Koulibaly would be an expensive one at £107m, but he would be worth every penny going by his time at the Serie A club. He was a stalwart of Maurizio Sarri’s tenure in Italy and would improve City immeasurably.
However, despite being linked with him they have stated they have no interest in making a bid, according to Tutto Sport.
Burnley – Lewis Dunk – £40million
Soccer Football – FA Cup Semi Final – Manchester City v Brighton & Hove Albion – Wembley Stadium, London, Britain – April 6, 2019 Brighton’s Lewis Dunk looks dejected after the match Action Images via Reuters/Carl Recine
Burnley took a nose dive last season as they plummeted from seventh the previous campaign to a disappointing 15th. One of the major reasons for that was their previously sturdy defence dissipated somewhat and as a result they were leaking a lot of goals.
Lewis Dunk was a vital part of keeping Brighton in the Premier League by the skin of their teeth and would be an effective solution to Sean Dyche’s problems, while also being a threat from set pieces at the other end.
When he was linked with a move away recently, he was valued at £40m though, so he would not go cheap.
Southampton – Che Adams – £14million
This is a deal which could get done in the coming weeks.
Che Adams had a stellar season with Birmingham despite the team as a whole struggling for wins. He bagged 22 goals for the Midlands club and now could be about to make the jump to the top flight.
Saints have been trying to negotiate the price for the striker down and now, according to The Sun, they have submitted a final ‘take it or leave it’ bid of £14m.
If Adams does sign then he will join fellow new arrival Moussa Djenepo in what will be a much-improved attacking front line for Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side.
Brighton – Salomon Rondon – £16.5million
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It was thought that Salomon Rondon could sign for Newcastle given he spent the season on loan there and managed to get his goal tally into double figures.
However, since the departure of Rafa Benitez was announced, it may open the door for other Premier League clubs to join the race for the 29-year-old.
Brighton need a player like Rondon – a powerful forward who works hard and can find the back of the net with consummate ease. The Seagulls have always struggled to score goals but last season was a real warning that they could go down if the don’t change things.
A fee of £16.5m will trigger a release clause and enable him to leave his parent club West Brom, which is an entirely feasible valuation for Brighton to pay.
Aston Villa – Tyrone Mings – £4.5million
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Tyrone Mings was a rock at the back for Aston Villa last season. He played a pivotal role in them gaining promotion to the Premier League.
But he is still contracted to his parent club Bournemouth and would be a huge miss for Villa in the top flight if they failed to make the deal a permanent one.
It could potentially be a bargain for Dean Smith’s side, with his valuation around the £4.5m mark – a price he would repay with interest if he managed to contribute to their survival.
He also brings experience to the side, having played in the Premier League for The Cherries, which is invaluable to a promoted side.
Newcastle – Jose Mourinho – £18million
Following the announcement that Rafa Benitez will leave Newcastle on June 30, the priority for this summer at St James’ Park has to be finding a suitable replacement to steady the ship.
Now, Jose Mourinho is known more for rocking the boat than steadying the ship, but he would be a star name who could attract players who might not want to join the club without him being there.
There are few options left for Mourinho when it comes to the European powerhouses, so the Magpies could be an interesting next step for him.
The Portuguese ‘special one’ was reportedly on £18m a year at Manchester United and so it is likely it would cost Mike Ashley a similar amount to bring him to the club.
Sheffield United – Fernando Llorente – Free
Chris Wilder did a tremendous job to get Sheffield United promoted back to the Premier League after a 12 year hiatus. Now he faces he even tougher task of keeping them there.
Despite finishing second in the Championship, they scored fewer goals than both Norwich and Aston Villa, and goals will be harder to come by in the top flight.
As a result, they may need a man to lead the line who can bring others in to play and allow them to open teams up. Fernando Llorente carried out that role brilliantly last season for Spurs despite not scoring a huge number of goals.
Also, he is free as his contract is set to run out with Tottenham, so there would be no risk. It’s a no brainer for a side like Sheffield United and one they really should think about taking.
Liverpool – Divock Origi – £2.34million
Soccer Football – Champions League Final – Tottenham Hotspur v Liverpool – Wanda Metropolitano, Madrid, Spain – June 1, 2019 Liverpool’s Divock Origi celebrates scoring their second goal REUTERS/Kai Pfaffenbach
Divock Origi scored some of Liverpool’s most vital goals of last season – the winner in the Merseyside derby, the fourth goal in the Champions League semi-final against Barcelona, and the one that sealed European glory in the final against Spurs.
But it is still rumoured that he could be moving away from Anfield and that would be a grave mistake on the part of Jurgen Klopp.
It is reported the striker’s wages only cost Liverpool £2.34m per year and given how important he was in their last campaign they will not find a deal like that anywhere else on the market.
You can’t do much better than a Champions League trophy and 97 points in the Premier League. So, Liverpool should look in-house and keep what they know, rather than try to change a winning formula.
Tottenham – Tanguy Ndombele – £70million
Tottenham’s midfield issues were at breaking point towards the end of last season when Harry Winks, Moussa Sissoko and Dele Alli all picked up injuries. And that was after Moussa Dembele left in January.
They are in desperate need of reinforcements in the middle of the park and have been strongly linked with Ndombele as the man to fix their troubles.
According to the Daily Mail, the 22-year-old will set Spurs back £70m which would be a transfer record for the north London club.
But he is exactly the sort of player they need to try and close the gap on Man City and Liverpool.
Arsenal – Dan-Axel Zagadou – £27million
Arsenal’s defence was questionable to say the least last season. They conceded more goals than Leicester, Everton and Wolves in a campaign which was marred by inconsistency and frailties at the back.
A player who could solve their defensive woes is Dan-Axel Zagadou from Borussia Dortmund. At just 20 years of age he has already broken into the first team and impressed in the Bundesliga.
His market value is around 28 million euros which is just over £25m, so it would seem he is within Unai Emery’s budget. The Daily Express believe the Gunners boss’ spending limit to be around £40m this summer.
Leicester – Youri Tielemans – £40million
Youri Tielemans had an impressive spell on loan at Leicester from Ligue 1 side Monaco after moving to the Premier League side in the January window. The Belgian scored three times and assisted five more in just 13 appearances.
Now the Foxes will look to try and make the deal permanent, however there is interest from other Premier League clubs for the £40m man.
Tielemans filled a creative hole that had been missing at the King Power Stadium since the departure of Riyad Mahrez. They should see the signing of Tielemans as the key component which could push them on towards seventh place and possibly even cracking the top six.
Norwich – Kwasi Okyere Wriedt – £540k
Bayern Munich’s Kwasi Okyere Wriedt is rumoured to be in talks about a possible move to Norwich, but there is also interest from two Dutch teams – Utrecht and Groningen.
It could be a real coup for the Canaries if they manage to complete the deal for the 24-year-old given he has scored 26 goals in 36 games for Bayern Munich II last season.
Norwich did an incredible job to get promoted last season, let alone win the Championship. It far surpassed everyone’s expectations, but now they do need to strengthen if they want to survive in the Premier League.
With a market value of just £540,000, Wriedt could be one of the signings of the summer.
Crystal Palace – Aleksandar Mitrovic – £30million
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Aleksandar Mitrovic scored 11 times in the Premier League for Fulham last season and was one of a handful of players at Craven Cottage that can say they performed well in the top flight despite being relegated.
The Serbian could leave the west London club this summer and if he wishes to stay in England then there is no better fit than down the road at Crystal Palace.
The Eagles have struggled to find a goal scorer for some time now, with Christian Benteke scoring just one league goal in the entirety of the last campaign.
Mitrovic, with a value of £30m, is more effective and prolific than Benteke and still brings the physicality that the Palace striker contributes. The team would not have to change the way they play to accommodate him, he would slot in perfectly.
Bournemouth – Victor Wanyama – £18million
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Victor Wanyama was out of favour for a long while at Spurs last season as a result of the form of both Harry Winks and Moussa Sissoko, couple with the fact that the Kenyan was regularly struggling with injuries.
But when fully fit he is a great asset to have when it comes to breaking up the play and shielding a back four, snuffing out danger cleverly.
This is the sort of player Bournemouth need as throughout the previous campaign they did not receive sufficient defensive cover from their central midfielders and subsequently shipped a lot of goals – the Cherries conceded the third highest number of goals in the division last season.
Wanyama could provide the steel they need in the middle of the park to alleviate some of the strain that is currently put upon the Bournemouth defence. And with a market value of around £18m they would not need to break the bank for him.
West Ham – Callum Wilson – £35million
Callum Wilson had a terrific 2018/19 campaign with Bournemouth as he scored 14 goals in the Premier League to guide them to safety.
Now, he is being linked with a £35m move to West Ham – one that will excite Hammers fans greatly. With the addition of Pablo Fornals from Villareal having already been completed, a front four of Fornals, Felipe Anderson, Marko Arnautovic and Wilson would make fans of the Irons drawl.
It is a deal which is far from done, but if it is completed then West Ham surely have to be considered of the most dangerous sides next season. Very few will be able to compete with an attacking quartet like that.
Watford – Alex McCarthy – £4.5million
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Alex McCarthy was without question the number one for Southampton when Mark Hughes was in charge. But since Ralph Hasenhuttl arrived at St Mary’s Angus Gunn has taken the reigns as the man in the nets.
As a result, McCarthy is being linked with a move away given Saints also have Fraser Forster on their books and really cannot go into the new season with all three vying for just one spot.
And after the retirement of Heurelho Gomes, Watford could be the perfect fit for the Englishman to reignite the form which saw him earn an England call-up not too long ago.
Everton – Kurt Zouma – £22million
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Everton are trying to pry Chelsea defender Kurt Zouma away from Stamford Bridge following a successful season on loan at Goodison Park.
Zouma, who had also previously been loaned out to Stoke, has been out of the Chelsea team for a number of seasons. And his 32 Premier League appearances for Everton last season showed he is more than capable of handling in a top half of the table club.
Negotiations for the Frenchman have begun and Everton will be hoping they can land the young promising defender early on in the summer window.
Wolves – Robert Skov – £10.7million
Robert Skov is a midfielder who plays for FC Copenhagen and has been linked with a move to Wolves this summer.
He can play on either flank and has impressed in the Danish league by scoring six times in just eight appearances last season.
Tottenham are also thought to be chasing the 23-year-old, but with a price tag of only £10.7m it is thought Nuno Santo’s side could be able to bring the Dane to Molineux.
It is crafty additions like Skov which will allow Wolves to build on an incredible first season back in the Premier League. The goal now has to be to try and crack the top six and there is no doubting they have the finances to try and facilitate that.
Man Utd – Harry Maguire – £70million
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Manchester United look set to miss out on 19-year-old Ajax star Matthijs de Ligt, a man who could have gone some way to solving the club’s problems at the back.
As a result, they need to look elsewhere and possibly a little closer to home to seek out a central defender who could change their fortunes.
Harry Maguire is rumoured to be making a move to Old Trafford, a piece of business that could be a success for two reasons. Firstly, he is a solid defender and one who is far more capable on the ball than many give him credit for.
Secondly, he is a very popular figure in England because of his display’s for the national side and United fans need a likeable, fan-friendly character to try and repair the relationship between them and the team.
It will be a costly one transfer though, with the Evening Standard reporting that he will cost around £70m.
Chelsea – Christian Pulisic – £57.6million
Chelsea were slapped with a transfer ban from FIFA and therefore are unable to do any business in the summer window.
Thankfully for Blues fans, they managed to get a deal over the line in January for Borussia Dortmund star Christian Pulisic to come to Stamford Bridge.
The 20-year-old international will look to replace the vigour and energy which Eden Hazard brought to the team after he left for Real Madrid earlier this month.
The price tag of £57.6m is a substantial one, but given it is the only expenditure the club will have this summer it is a risk they can afford to take.
While there are bigger issues afoot on Tyneside at the moment as both the future of Rafa Benitez and a potential takeover obviously rumble on, recent transfer links involving Newcastle United do little to inspire confidence.
Indeed, frankly, they shouldn’t be considered at all.
That’s because the Magpies are, according to The Sun via HITC, linked with a potential move to sign Scott Dan. Yes, Scott Dann. The very same 32-year-old who appeared only 13 times last season after recovering from an ACL injury suffered way back in December 2017.
Barely inspiring stuff, right?
We think, if they are going to add to their defensive ranks, they need someone younger and far more robust to fit into their side for the long-term. Furthermore, you could probably argue that the club’s defence is literally the least of their concerns this summer, having conceded just 48 goals in the Premier League last season.
Yes, Florian Lejeune is a long-term injury lay-off but the likes of Ciaran Clark, Fabian Schar, Federico Fernandez and Jamaal Lascelles form what could be considered the best backline outside of the top six. When you look at the fact that only Everton and Wolves, outside of the top four, conceded less than Benitez’s Newcastle, you start to get a feel as to why this move doesn’t at all seem necessary.
As if that wasn’t bad enough, a fee of £6m was even mooted in the report, which just seems ridiculous. It’s not as if the club have been particularly open to the idea of spending money in years gone by, so potentially splashing out what is not an insignificant fee for Newcastle United seems crazy.
Newcastle fans, do you think Dann’s the man to solve the defensive problems? Join the discussion by commenting below…