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Speaking exclusively to Football FanCast, former Liverpool goalkeeper Chris Kirkland has questioned Emiliano Martinez’s performances this season for Aston Villa.

The Argentine arrived at Villa Park from fellow Premier League side Arsenal for a reported fee of £20m, and quickly established himself as an integral part of Dean Smith’s starting XI.

The 28-year-old has played in every single league game since joining, and proved to be a revelation as he got off to a brilliant start with three clean sheets in his first four matches.

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However, he did see Southampton put three past him at the weekend, with James Ward-Prowse netting a couple of stunning free-kicks in the opening 45 minutes. And speaking to FFC’s James Beavis, Kirkland admitted that the goalkeeper will be “disappointed” with his display against Saints, as well as some other hairy moments in previous outings for the Villans.

He said: “I was at Sheffield Wednesday with Emi (Martinez) and he did that sometimes in training, he backed himself because he’s agile and he’s athletic. He’s almost like ‘I want you to put it there and I’ll save this because I know I’m athletic, I’m agile and I’m quick enough to get over there.’ But yeah I’ve seen it a couple of times this season where he’s got away with things with players hitting things over the bar and you’re thinking ‘you’ve given too much there’.

“Because with these players with the balls, all it’s going to do is get up and over that wall and the ball does more than the player sometimes with the pace on the ball. So yeah, I think he’ll be a little bit disappointed with that. I think he conceded a couple of them at Sheffield Wednesday as well, where he was too far over to one side. Now you’ve got to be not in the middle, but you’ve got to be just off middle.”

While things may have not gone plan for the Argentine last weekend, Kirkland believes that the former Gunners man made the right move during the summer transfer window.

“I think Villa is a good club for him to go to.

“At this time as well with no fans, that’s probably going to help him a little bit settling in quicker.”

It will certainly be an emotional encounter next for Martinez, as he comes up against his former employers at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday evening.

If the rest of the country didn’t realise just how good Jack Grealish is, then his performances for England over the past week certainly would have helped them do exactly that.

The Aston Villa talisman has been the undoubted star for the Three Lions, with Gareth Southgate quick to hail him even after a 2-0 UEFA Nations League defeat to Belgium.

He said: “Today was a great game for us to see him in. I couldn’t speak highly enough of his performance. I thought Jack Grealish had an absolutely outstanding game. I saw what I knew I would see from Jack, someone with the bravery to play. He took the ball in tight areas, his technique was good, we knew he would buy a lot of free-kicks. I thought he was outstanding – he should be delighted.”

Grealish’s importance at club level is unquestioned, but Dean Smith could really ease some of the pressure on his shoulders with another creative, goal-scoring force. And Florian Thauvin is exactly that.

After former Marseille coach Franck Passi suggested that the Ligue 1 side’s financial problems could see him leave on the cheap, Thauvin – who was linked with a move to Villa in the summer – could be the man to complete a dream attack for Smith.

Whilst Bertrand Traore is similarly left-footed and plays on the right, Thauvin is just far more of a creative presence. As per Sofascore, he has averaged an impressive 2.2 key passes per game in Ligue 1 this season, and also boasts two successful dribbles per match too.

Toulouse coach Alain Casanova called him “a player in the image of Franck Ribéry … someone who is able to disrupt any opponent, someone very dangerous when he picks up speed. Very dangerous indeed.”

Grealish on the other hand has managed 2.9 key passes and 2.9 dribbles in the Premier League, picking up the same number of assists as Thauvin (5).

Having the two of them in the same team and playing off either flank could give summer signing Ollie Watkins even more ammunition to feed off, and add to their already fearsome goal-scoring record – Villa’s tally of 18 goals in the Premier League is currently only bettered by that of Tottenham and Chelsea.

If Johan Lange can add Thauvin add to their ranks, then it could be a real game-changer for them.

Many Wolverhampton Wanderers fans have been reacting in anger to the changes that have been made to their side’s fixtures.

The Premier League announced the changes on Thursday afternoon to accommodate television listings, while some games will continue to play behind closed doors after the Government’s announcement.

The Athletic’s Tim Spiers highlighted that the schedule for Nuno Espirito Santo’s side replicates what happened last year.

He revealed that Wolves had just under two days to prepare for a home tie against Manchester City and a trip to Anfield with 66 hours of recovery in 2019. While this year, the West Midlands outfit only have five extra hours in between their home tie against Tottenham and their trip to Manchester United.

As a result, supporters were not impressed with the decision made by the Premier League and broadcasters, with some claiming there is a bias towards the big clubs.

Fans fume at fixture pile-up

And in other news, Agent of Wolves loanee claims his client has ‘gone into oblivion’ after slow start.

Glasgow Rangers resume their quest to claim the Scottish Premiership title when they travel to the Global Energy Stadium to take on Ross County on Sunday.

Rangers fought back twice to beat Standard Liege to reach the Europa League last 32 for the second season in a row after Scott Arfield scored the winner at Ibrox as the host came from behind to secure the victory.

However, Steven Gerrard must omit Alfredo Morelos from his squad for the foreseeable future.

Morelos’ slump in form is stark – the 24-year-old has gone three games without a goal or an assist –  and has only found the back of the net three times in the Premiership so far this season.

There’s no doubt that the Colombia international is the club’s star striker and probably one of the best centre-forwards in Europe on his day, having broken Ally McCoist’s European record earlier this year, but this doesn’t hide from the fact that he once again finds himself in the middle of a goal drought.

In fact, it’s fair to say that this is nothing new, as Morelos has endured many a barren run during his time at Ibrox.

But the stats show just how far his form has tailed off since he was first recalled to the first team after being benched for the game against Lech Poznan in the Europa League.

He got himself into some good positions against Standard Liege on Thursday night, he just failed to find the back of the net.

As per SofaScore, his ratings have steadily started to decline since the 3-3 draw with Benfica, where he took two shots on target, had two shots blocked, and made two key passes.

Against Liege, Morelos only mustered one shot on target, whilst he failed to record a single key pass.

Whether the Colombian has had his head turned by transfer rumours linking him with a move away from Ibrox, who knows, but Gerrard simply cannot afford to let him get away with these lacklustre performances any longer.

McCoist himself criticised the centre-forward for his “disappointing” display, whilst he was criticised for looking “unfit” and “unwilling to work” by former Scotland striker James McFadden in the summer. He’s clearly not up to scratch after returning from international duty, at any rate, with just one goal in his last five games.

A short spell on the sidelines could do the trick, that’s for sure, as Gerrard has plenty of options to choose from in the striking department.

AND in other news, Glasgow Rangers must unleash Jermain Defoe against Ross County in the Scottish Premiership…

Peter Lawwell can flip Celtic’s season on its head by firing Neil Lennon and hiring former FC Cluj head coach Dan Petrescu.

What’s the word?

Lennon has reportedly been given a second vote of confidence following a crunch meeting at Parkhead on the back of Sunday’s dire draw with St. Johnstone, which saw supporters once again descend on the stadium furiously demanding for the Irishman to be fired.

Hopes of the Hoops claiming a record tenth Premiership title in a row are hanging by the balance after the weekend’s result saw rivals Rangers open a 13-point lead at the top of the table.

Celtic may have two games in hand over their Glasgow neighbours, yet a run of just two wins in 12 matches across all competitions has left Lennon scrambling to ask majority owner Dermot Desmond and Lawwell for more time to turn the Hoops campaign around.

Lennon is expected to be given the chance to save Celtic’s season, though a number of head coaches are being touted as potential replacements. Among the many is former Cluj boss Petrescu – who beat Celtic twice last season – after he offered his resignation at the Romanian side.

Cluj have since had to come out and deny Petrescu had quit in order to take charge at Celtic, who are now staring down the barrel of a campaign with no silverware on offer.

“I have no way of knowing if Celtic’s interest in Dan Petrescu is true,” Cluj Director Marius Bilasco said, via quotes by the Daily Record. “We asked him about it, but he explained he had decided to leave anyway.

“If you have a manager who wins you three titles in a row and who gets you into Europe, why would we want him to leave? Petrescu has always attracted interest from many clubs. He had the support of the board and this was his decision.”

The perfect choice?

With Petrescu on the market after resigning at Cluj, he may prove to be the perfect appointment for Lawwell to make if he and Desmond decide to fire Lennon.

Petrescu has previously buttered up the Hoops hierarchy and supporters by suggesting the Lennoxtown giants are not only capable of winning the Europa League, but that they are a side deserving of being in the Champions League, despite eliminating the Scottish powerhouse from the premier UEFA competition last season.

“They can win the competition. I would say the same about Lazio, if they qualify,” the Chelsea icon said, via quotes by the Daily Record. “They are both good enough to go all the way. They are Champions League teams in my opinion.”

Petrescu has previously fielded interest from Premier League sides in Crystal Palace and Watford, with the Eagles approaching him in 2017 after they fired Frank de Boer, while the Hornets came calling a year ago to help them stave off the threat of relegation.

Neither side were appealing at the time, though the chance to save Celtic may be more up his street given the 52-year-old’s previous remarks on the green and white outfit.

Lawwell may find Petrescu is more up his street, too, as the former Cluj boss was able to mastermind results against Celtic on the biggest stage when everything was against him.

When Celtic lost to Cluj in August 2019 to fall out of the Champions League, the Romanian side were lauded for exploiting the chaos in the Hoops line-up that offered acres of space when pressed hard and fast.

That same mentality, and the ability to walk into a raucous stadium without hiding in their shadows, is an aspect Celtic are crying out for right now, and any hopes of saving ten-in-a-row would hinge on whoever replaces Lennon righting all of his wrongs.

AND in other news, Peter Lawwell can invoke shades of Scott Sinclair by signing a “phenomenal” £20m wonder for Celtic.

Steve Bruce can scare Jurgen Klopp by unleashing Matty Longstaff for his second start of the Premier League season when Newcastle United host Liverpool on Wednesday night.

Longstaff earned his first opening call of the campaign during the Magpies’ 2-0 defeat to Manchester City on Boxing Day having struggled to earn game time this season.

Bruce had only offered the 20-year-old talent 29 minutes of top-flight action before the Etihad Stadium affair, with Longstaff suffering ongoing issues with the thigh injury first sustained towards the end of last season.

Bruce admitted concern over Longstaff’s lengthy absence earlier in the campaign with his soft-tissue injury proving “very problematic”, but was pleased with how the youngster was able to perform against Pep Guardiola’s side at the weekend.

“He gave a performance which reminded me of why I put him in the team last year,” he said, via quotes by The Northern Echo. “He’s had a really difficult time in terms of a thigh injury that he couldn’t shake off.

“He probably broke down two or three times with it. He’s not been right in himself, and lost a lot of weight in lockdown, for whatever reason. Thankfully, he’s got that back, and reminded us of what a good player he is.”

Longstaff played the full 90 minutes against Manchester City on Saturday as he upstaged his more experienced teammates Isaac Hayden, with the Toon product recording two successful tackles, two interceptions, one key ball and one successful dribble while winning four of seven ground duels, per SofaScore.

Longstaff never let his head dip amid a tough night at the Etihad Stadium, either, with the Citizens dictating the flow of play with 75% of the ball, seven big chances to score and three-times as many total passes as Newcastle.

Bruce can scare Klopp when United host Liverpool on Wednesday by retaining Longstaff in his starting plans, while demonstrating to the £4.5m-rated prospect that chances will be on offer amid reports the midfielder is considering his immediate future.

Longstaff, understood to be a January target for a number of Championship sides including Derby County and Nottingham Forest, was said by The Sun (27/12, p. 56) to be hopeful of securing a winter loan deal in order to play regular first-team football again.

Bruce awarded Longstaff his first-team debut at home to Manchester United last season and would see the 20-year-old net the winner, before scoring twice more in 15 appearances across the remainder of the campaign.

AND in other news: Steve Bruce has been dealt a huge blow, leaving Newcastle United with a titanic task vs Liverpool.

Many Aston Villa fans heaped praise on defender Matty Cash despite his side’s 2-1 defeat to Manchester United on Friday night.

It was the Villains’ first game since the New Year and they were edged out by a second-half penalty from Bruno Fernandes, despite Bertrand Traore cancelling out Anthony Martial’s opener.

Cash started his 14th Premier League game of the season for Dean Smith’s side and received the highest match rating from the defensive line during the match.

Per Sofascore, the Englishman won seven duels, completed three key passes, made three clearances and three tackles.

Unsurprisingly, supporters were delighted with his performance and praised the club for his £16m transfer fee last summer to bring him to Villa Park.

“Thought Cash’s running was mint last night, he was blowing at the end and I’m not surprised! #AVFC”

Credit: @StevenKelson

“Matty Cash is unreal btw what a player. A joy to watch, and always works his socks off.”

Credit: @_catherineeeeex

“Matty Cash is a defender in the same way that Gareth Bale was a defender. Move him forward and you’ve got a European Cup winner on your hands.”

Credit: @chrisstanley1

“15m was an absolute bargain for Matty Cash. Oozes class and is getting better and better.”

Credit: @GjamieJ

“Matty Cash is looking some signing, very good player”

Credit: @shauned88

“Can’t knock our performance tonight, Matty Cash & Douglas Luiz were outstanding, robbed by poor officiating. If the penalty incident happens down the other end, it isn’t a penalty, but because it’s United it’s a penalty.”

Credit: @HarryBatters

In other news, ‘Brilliant’ Villa star urged to leave Dean Smith’s side in January.

For Celtic, not even a sensational transfer window would likely allow them to be able to bridge the gap to Rangers.

The Gers are currently 21 points ahead of Neil Lennon’s team who are seemingly sinking without a trace.

The late goal that Celtic conceded to Hibernian on Monday evening just about summed things up. With 13 players and Neil Lennon self-isolating as a precautionary measure following a positive test, they, once again, dropped points.

This season has been a disastrous one for the Hoops, and Peter Lawwell could inflict further misery on the club by sanctioning a transfer for Adam Reach.

Reach, who currently plays for Sheffield Wednesday, is available on a free transfer with his contract expiring this summer. As alluded to earlier this week on FFC, he’d represent a bargain, but there are negatives to this potential deal going through.

Celtic and Rangers are reportedly both monitoring his situation with a view to offering Reach a contract. However, it’s difficult to suggest for one moment that this would be a good signing for The Hoops.

All you need to do is look at the stats. The winger may have contributed to four goals this campaign but beyond that, there is a lack of consistent threat and penetration in the final third.

As a winger, your primary job should be to create opportunities and beat your marker, but Reach regularly fails to do either of those on a regular basis. For the Owls this season, he’s managed just 0.5 key passes per match and only 0.5 dribbles per game.

For context, those tallies are both below both Scott Brown, a midfielder, and Kristoffer Ajer, a centre-back, in the Celtic side. That’s incredibly damning when you consider they both play in defensive roles. Furthermore, the number of dribbles he manages per game is identical to the aforementioned Celtic players.

Now, with that in mind, we needn’t say much more. Reach is a winger but he lacks consistency and at times, it looks like he can’t even manage the basic fundamentals of someone that plays on the flanks.

Yes, the Hoops enjoy more possession in the SPFL than Sheff Wed do in the Championships but it speaks volumes about how average the Wednesday winger is as an attacking force when his stats equate to those of Brown and Ajer.

Reach did score against Exeter in the FA Cup last weekend but his performance beyond that was pretty poor, especially against a League Two side. He lost possession an inexcusable 21 times – the fourth highest on his team – and completed just 73% of his passes. Not exactly great numbers against a League Two club.

Even though he’d cost Lawwell absolutely nothing, this would still be a poor acquisition. Reach, who earns £23k-per-week, isn’t good enough and he has done little this term to convince us that he’d be consistent enough to deliver the goods at Parkhead.

If Celtic want to close the gap at the top and rediscover their dominance, they must forget about the Wednesday attacker and look at better options.

AND in other news, “Huge disappointment” – Exclusive: Pundit reacts to massive Celtic injury blow for Neil Lennon…

Everton striker Moise Kean risks making a blunderous decision over his career by deciding to re-join Juventus at the end of his loan spell with Paris Saint-Germain.

What’s the word?

According to Calciomercato, Juve will resume their efforts to take Kean back to Turin in the summer after accepting defeat last year when the Italian’s wages proved an issue.

The Serie A heavyweight pulled out all the stops but matching the forward’s demands in hope of making Kean the fourth striker in Andrea Pirlo’s squad, and continue to believe the role is missing at the Allianz Stadium today.

PSG ultimately signed Kean on loan but do not hold an option or obligation to purchase the £53,000-per-week gem, and will have to hold negotiations with Everton should Mauricio Pochettino wish to retain his services after a strong season on loan.

Ancelotti has stated that he will not stand in Kean’s way should he wish to leave Everton in the summer, having made clear the Toffees will make the striker available for offers in excess of £30m as they look to make a profit on the £27.5m paid to Juve in 2019.

Kean has been in terrific form in France so far, netting nine goals in 13 Ligue 1 appearances to earn the praise of Thomas Tuchel, who claimed the 20-year-old is “hard to play against” prior to his sacking at Les Parc des Princes.

Think carefully

Kean must think carefully before deciding where to play his football in the latter half of 2021, as a return to Juventus could prove horrific for his future if the only role he will occupy will be as Pirlo’s fourth-choice striker.

Cristiano Ronaldo and Alvaro Morata have often held down the attacking duties at the Allianz Stadium this term with the pair starting 12 and 10 of Juve’s Serie A fixtures to date, in which they have returned 15 and four goals respectively as Pirlo’s top-two scorers.

Paulo Dybala would likely be ahead of Kean in the pecking order in Turin, too, having opened eight of his 11 outings thus far in the central forward role to offer the second-most shots-per-game (2.6) behind only Ronaldo (4.8) to show his attacking threat.

Kean, meanwhile, is proving he can be a first-choice option at a title-chasing, Champions League side alongside Neymar and Kylian Mbappe at PSG, where he has only failed to start one Ligue 1 fixture since departing Merseyside on a temporary deal.

The 8-cap Italy international has also scored four goals in his last five top-flight outings to help the French side enjoy their longest unbeaten run all season, so it would be hard for Pirlo to argue the benefits of the 20-year-old now sitting back on the bench.

A potential return to Everton cannot be ruled out yet, either, as Kean’s return to form after a challenging 2019/20, having scored just twice in 33 games, will have offered Ancelotti reason to believe the forward can rival Dominic Calvert-Lewin at Goodison Park next term.

Ancelotti has no challenger to Calvert-Lewin following his decision to sanction Kean’s temporary spell, with Cenk Tosun clearly not favoured having played just 43 minutes of Premier League football this season after being overlooked against Wolves on Tuesday.

Going toe-to-toe with Calvert-Lewin for minutes in England will be far more beneficial for Kean’s long-term future than a seat on the bench at Juventus, so his decision must surely fall down to a return to Everton or permanent switch to PSG than a return to Turin in 2021.

AND in other news, Everton must refrain from making a knee-jerk decision to sign a £9m-rated target.

With Pablo Hernandez’s time winding down at Elland Road, it would be no surprise to see Leeds United drawing up plans behind the scenes to try and find the little Spaniard’s successor.

Marcelo Bielsa has only used him sparingly this season in the Premier League, in part no doubt to the recognition that at 35, he just isn’t in peak physical condition.

It’s why reports in recent days of the Whites’ links to Swansea City’s Yan Dhanda makes a lot of sense, with the 22-year-old still a burgeoning talent and has shown flashes of potential.

But if Victor Orta and the rest of the transfer committee at Elland Road were making a ruthless decision, then Dhanda just hasn’t proven to be the man to take Leeds forward.

This season, he’s managed just one goal and two assists in 14 games in all competitions, with his average match rating as per Whoscored of 6.54 ranking him 18th in the entire Swansea squad – only three players who have actually started a game for the Swans have a lower rating.

After signing him from Valencia in the summer, Bielsa has opted to go with Rodrigo as the man to support Patrick Bamford, playing in a slightly withdrawn role but with the licence to make runs forward and try and get in and amongst the goals.

And it’s safe to say that things haven’t quite panned out for him just yet, but with three goals in the Premier League, he’s shown glimpses that he can do it at the very highest level unlike Dhanda, who has struggled even at a level below.

Even in his side’s 1-0 victory over Leeds back in August 2019, Dhanda was absolutely mauled by Kalvin Phillips, finishing with a 6.1 match rating – the second-worst of any Swansea player.

Phillips came out with the highest of any player on the pitch, and it’s no surprise when you see just how much he dominated Swansea’s attacking midfielder. He won an incredible 14 of his 18 duels, and made a ridiculous nine tackles, both of which were game-highs.

Dhanda, on the other hand, made just six successful passes, lost seven of his 11 duels and conceded possession on 13 separate occasions. The 22-year-old just couldn’t cope with the pace and intensity of Leeds’ play, and you can only feel that he would encounter similar problems at Premier League level.

It’s a move they desperately need to avoid.

Meanwhile, Leeds must desperately sell this flop…