All posts by rastrear-estafeta.com

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West Brom dragged themselves into title contention with a 3-2 win over QPR on Tuesday night, with Jake Livermore picking a perfect time to net his first goal of the season – a 94th minute winner.

The Baggies breached the 60-point mark, meaning they are just three points behind league leaders Norwich, although they will have to be near faultless for the remainder of the season if they want to secure automatic promotion to the Premier League.

Having been relegated to the second tier of English football last season under Darren Moore, the boss would surely love nothing more than to bounce straight back up at the first time of asking.

Who do you want to see promoted this year? The Pl>ymaker FC squad have picked their 3 favoured teams in the video below…

By the looks of it, the players are keen to do so, too, in particular Ahmed Hegazi, who led celebrations after Livermore fired home the decisive goal deep into injury time.

The Egyptian international has been a fixture in the Baggies side since his move to The Hawthorns in December 2017 – the 6-foot-4 defender had initially been signed on loan from Al Ahly in the summer but, having impressed, had an option in his contract activated that saw him seal the switch permanently.

Here’s how West Brom fans reacted to the ace’s performance and celebrations at Loftus Road…

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According to The Sun, West Brom have joined the race for Crawley Town youngster David Sesay as Darren Moore hunts for a long-term option at right-back. The starlet will surely make a fantastic replacement for loanee Mason Holgate should he not sign on a permanent basis.

What’s the word?

Well, The Sun reports that Moore and the Baggies have been tracking the defender since his senior debut for Watford last year – Sesay came through the Hornets academy before securing a move to West Sussex outfit Crawley Town, where he has thoroughly impressed.

The 20-year-old has made 13 appearances for the Red Devils in all competitions and chalked up one assist in his maiden season at Broadfield Stadium.

Crawley are currently 18th in League Two and they may struggle to keep hold of the young prospect, particularly if they are to be relegated from the EFL this season. If the minnows cannot evade the drop, West Brom will be waiting to snap Sesay up.

Ideal replacement for Holgate

Mason Holgate has been a fixture in the Baggies starting XI since signing on loan from Everton in January, playing the full 90 minutes in every Championship clash he has featured in.

While the young Englishman has been utilised solely as a right-back since his arrival at The Hawthorns, he is also equally capable playing at the heart of defence – he shares this with Sesay, who is comfortable being deployed all across the back-line.

Moore’s desire to find a winning formula for his side has seen him try a number of different formations, including a 3-1-4-2 – although that yielded little success. Whether or not the Baggies boss decides to dip his toes back into such an approach or stick with his current 4-3-3, Sesay’s versatility would be a huge asset if he can be developed into a Championship standard player.

Are fans being priced out of the Championship as well as the Premier League? The angry Bolton fan in the video below certainly believes so…

As it stands, Holgate is set return to Goodison Park at the end of the season and so West Brom’s interest in Sesay – a very similar player – suggests that the Midlands club feel there is little chance of Holgate remaining at The Hawthorns beyond the 2018/19 campaign.

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Everton fans greeted the final whistle at Goodison Park against Liverpool on Sunday with a guttural roar.

The two sides played out a 0-0 draw and the result means the Toffees remain tenth in the Premier League but the significance was in denying the Reds, who now sit second, one point behind champions Manchester City.

On the chalkboard

This is a remarkably tight title race and Liverpool could well be top next weekend, such is the unpredictability of the Premier League.

But the ashen-faced club legends, Ian Rush and Kenny Dalglish, watching on from the stands, told the story – telling a thousand words. This felt remarkably significant.

City have not been top, having played the same amount of games as Liverpool, since early December, yet they now have the lead with nine games of the season remaining.

Liverpool, playing in a cauldron of noise, simply did not take their chances.

Per WhoScored, Liverpool made 475 passes to Everton’s 342, they had three more shots on goal, and they won more aerial duels. But this was a display that was typified by nervousness.

Mohamed Salah had two shots on goal and tested Jordan Pickford both times but 99% of Liverpool fans would have backed him to score both. As it were, they were relatively tame efforts. Yet again, the Egyptian let his side down on the biggest of occasions.

All in all, as the game appeared primed for a dramatic conclusion, Liverpool faded, ceding the advantage to the Toffees – indeed, it was the Reds who lost the ball the most, who made the most tackles and who completed the most clearances.

Bottled?

Liverpool have still only lost once this season, to City.

But they have drawn seven games to City’s two and it is starting to look all the more costly.

City play some tough games in the run-in – Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United stand out as the biggest banana skins – but they are now ahead, and they know how they cope with the pressure.

When faced with the prospect of a challenger breathing down their neck, City tend to hit the accelerator and roar away.

Whatever happens between now and May, Liverpool are relying on a slip from Pep Guardiola’s men.

History tells us that it’s unlikely and that the Reds may come to rue this derby.

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Tottenham Hotspur progressed to the quarter-finals of the Champions League on Tuesday as they defeated Borussia Dortmund 1-0 at Signal Iduna Park.

Spurs went into the game holding a 3-0 lead from the first leg at Wembley, and turned in a polished performance to reach the last eight.

Moussa Sissoko, so impressive this season, was at the centre of his side’s victory, laying on a brilliant assist to Harry Kane for his side’s only goal.

The France international split the defence with a precise through ball and Kane, having taken a touch, curled an excellent effort beyond Roman Burki.

Per WhoScored, Sissoko enjoyed a 91% pass success rate, made three tackles, one interception and three clearances.

And Spurs fans were blown away by the former Newcastle United man’s exceptional display in Germany, particularly given the fact that he appeared to be a hugely expensive flop last season.

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

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Liverpool fans have taken to Twitter to discuss a potential move for Napoli midfielder Piotr Zielinski this summer, with the Reds reportedly keen on signing the Pole according to Calciomercato.

The 24-year-old has been in fine form for the Serie A side this season, netting five goals across all competitions for Carlo Ancelotti’s men as they look set to finish as runners up behind runaway leaders Juventus.

Are the media letting Jurgen Klopp off lightly for his lack of silverware? The Pl>ymaker FC squad have their say in the video below…

Zielinski is an all-action midfielder who has many strings to his bow, and Jurgen Klopp appears keen to add him to his ranks as he looks to inject some creativity and dynamism into a midfield containing perhaps one too many workhorses.

However, if the Reds want to bring the Polish international to Anfield, it will reportedly cost them a whopping £56m, which would be the second highest fee paid in their history behind the £75m spent on Virgil van Dijk.

Klopp seems to be extremely keen to land the midfielder, having made efforts to bring him to Merseyside in the past. The German made a bid for the player whilst he was still with Empoli, and even reportedly met the 24-year-old to convince him to join his team, but to no avail.

Despite the Pole clearly being one of Klopp’s long-term targets, Liverpool fans on Twitter aren’t too enthused by the prospect of Zielinski joining…

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On Wednesday, Birmingham City revealed that goalkeeper Zach Jeacock had been offered a three-year professional contract.

The 17-year-old has recently been turning out for Birmingham’s Under-23 side, but is currently on the sidelines with an ankle injury.

Jeacock took to social media in the aftermath of the announcement to reveal his delight.

And that led to a number of Birmingham fans paying tribute to the teenager.

It has been a tough period of the season for Garry Monk’s side, who have lost each of their last four Championship matches to slip down to 13th position in the table.

The 1-0 home defeat to Aston Villa on March 10 was followed by back-to-back losses to Millwall and Preston North End.

The Blues are already looking forward, however, and have secured the future of a player who could go on to become a first-team star in the coming years.

A selection of the Twitter reaction to the Jeacock news can be seen below:

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According to Italian football media outlet TuttoMercatoWeb, Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool are serious about signing Juventus striker and Argentina international Paulo Dybala in the summer transfer window.

What’s the word, then?

The 25-year-old has been the subject of much speculation over his future in recent weeks.

Dybala is a versatile left-footed forward who can operate in virtually every position in the attack, be it leading the line or dropping back into attacking midfield and more, making him an attractive prospect to most teams and leading to him inevitably being mooted as a potential successor to Philippe Coutinho by some sections of the Anfield faithful.

He first arrived in Italy in 2012 after leaving his native land and Dybala’s league record since then is a mightily impressive one, standing at 212 appearances, 77 goals and 44 assists.

Liverpool don’t need a Coutinho replacement

In spite of Dybala being one of the hottest attacking properties in world football, he’s just not needed at Liverpool and that’s why Klopp shouldn’t bother with what is likely to be a very expensive pursuit.

The Reds possess arguably the best front three on the planet, comprising of the famous trio Mo Salah, Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino, not to mention strong back-up options – Daniel Sturridge, wonderkid Rhian Brewster and Divok Origi.

Now, many supporters believe that a number ten is needed to supplement this supremely-talented front three to fill the Coutinho void after he left in January 2018.

But if there’s one area the Merseysiders clearly need to strengthen this summer, it’s certainly not the attack as it’s hot on the heels of Manchester City’s as the highest scoring in the league this season.

And if Liverpool decide that in certain situations they may need to use a No.10, a new one really isn’t required with Roberto Firmino more than capable of dropping back to fill in. Klopp hasn’t utilised Xherdan Shaqiri to his full potential this season either, but the Switzerland international is another strong option for that role.

While Dybala would be a nice, fancy, crowd-pleasing addition for Liverpool, they really should be looking at a different recruitment area in the summer transfer window – chiefly, adding goals and assists to Klopp’s central, rather than attacking, midfield options.

It has been a great start to the Steve Bruce era at Hillsborough, hasn’t it Owls fans?

The 58-year-old replaced Jos Luhakey as manager in January and since taking charge of his first fixture last month, Sheffield Wednesday have yet to lose.

Currently on an unbeaten run of ten games, the Owls are just two points behind the play-off positions yet in order for them to complete a remarkable turn around this season, one player in particular will have to finally step up to the plate.

A graduate of Newcastle United’s academy, Rolando Aarons was seemingly destined for great things after demonstrating an incredible level of talent as a teenager. The Jamaican-born winger debuted for the Magpies in an away defeat at Manchester City in 2014 and later scored his first ever goal for the club in what was a sensational individual performance against Crystal Palace.

However, his early promise was hampered significantly by a plethora of injury problems which limited him to just 21 appearances over three seasons.

Two largely unsuccessful loan spells at Hellas Verona and Slovan Liberec in the past year has done nothing to help Aarons’ hopes of returning to the top level of football yet January’s move to Wednesday could provide the necessary conditions for him to blossom.

Playing under an experienced English manager in Bruce, the winger will undoubtedly learn and develop as a player if he continues to illustrate the correct attitude needed to be a success in the Championship. Furthermore, a consistent level of playing time will give Aarons the confidence that could be beneficial for both himself and the Owls.

An extremely gifted player on his day, the 23-year-old ace could embark on a purple patch of form which would help his side reach the play-offs at the end of the season.

However, if he doesn’t step up and deliver, Aarons will know that his time in the higher tiers of English football could be over, leading to his career to fade away after initially being considered as one of the country’s brightest young prospects.

What do you think Wednesday fans? Could Aarons lead you to an unlikely play-off berth? Or are there other players who also need to step-up in the final eight fixtures? Let us know below.

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It is becoming a bit of a theme for German clubs to snap up young, British talent from Premier League clubs.

We’ve seen Borussia Dortmund snap up Jadon Sancho, Schalke secure the services of Rabbi Matondo from Manchester City, Hoffenheim take Reiss Nelson on loan, and RB Leipzig sign Everton’s own Ademola Lookman on loan in the previous campaign.

On the topic of the Toffees, there is another young Englishman in their ranks who is attracting interest from the Bundesliga, as well as France – Under-18 Premier League star Ellis Simms.

In this era of ‘big 6’ dominance, has finishing 7th become as good as winning a trophy? The Pl>ymaker FC squad have their say in the video below…

The 18-year-old has smashed in a remarkable 31 goals in just 25 appearances for the Everton Under-18 side this season, where his phenomenal form has caught the eye of first-team boss Marco Silva – the former Watford manager is said to be considering a first-team debut for Simms.

Worryingly, the teenager’s scholarship deal runs out in the summer, meaning that the Merseysiders need to move quickly to tie the marksman down.

It has been reported that the Toffees are keen to tie Simms down to a professional contract, as the likes of Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund and Bayer Leverkusen keep tabs on the situation.

Elsewhere, Monaco and Lyon are said to be willing to take him to France in a bid to help him kick-start his career – his eye-catching scoring rate at youth level means he is being viewed as the next big talent that foreign clubs are swooning over.

Given Cenk Tosun’s struggles for game time, along with Silva’s recent preference to use Richarlison as a right-sided forward, we could see Simms drafted into the first-team in the near future to compete with Dominic Calvert-Lewin for a place in the starting XI.

Whatever happens, we may be watching the next big thing come out of an academy that has produced the likes of Ross Barkley and Wayne Rooney.

[ad_pod ]The Old Firm has come and gone but the fiery debate over Scott Brown’s post-match celebration rumbles on, and Celtic fans will love Chris Sutton’s latest tweet.Celtic locked up their eighth consecutive title win in fine style on Sunday, beating their arch-rivals and deservedly so.Alfredo Morelos was of course sent off in the first half for lashing out at Brown, while Andy Halliday received a second yellow post-match for confronting the Bhoys skipper.Outspoken pundit, Chelsea flop, Celtic legend. C’mon the Hoops’ Keith throws back to Chris Sutton in the video below…The latter incident has sparked mass outrage from Rangers fans and mostly just a lot of laughs from those in Glasgow who wear green and white, and now Sutton has responded to a report from The Daily Record claiming the SFA are investigating the incident.The report says Brown’s actions “will go under the SFA microscope†but Sutton can’t quite believe what he’s reading.

In just three words, the ex-Bhoy summed up what pretty much everyone else is thinking – is it a crime to celebrate winning a game of football?

Without the passion of rivalries such as the Old Firm, football would not be anywhere near as wonderful as it is, and Sutton has summed it up perfectly in as few words as possible.

Well played Chris.