Tag Futebol

[ad_pod ]

Some Arsenal fans have taken to Twitter to react after Eddie Nketiah scored yet another goal for Leeds.

The 20-year-old striker joined Marcelo Bielsa’s side on a season-long loan from Arsenal this summer, and has taken to life under the Argentine like a duck to water.

Having previously netted three goals in just five appearances before Sunday’s trip to Barnsley, the Gunners academy graduate came off the bench to score the opening goal of the game with just six minutes left on the clock, taking his tally to four goals in six Leeds appearances.

Nketiah also won a penalty which Mateusz Klich converted in the 89th-minute to help secure the three points for Bielsa’s men, and some Arsenal fans wasted no time in jumping onto Twitter to respond to their loan star’s latest strike.

Remember the ‘golden goal’ rule? Find out why some fans want it back in the video below…

One supporter said: “At this point we’re not even surprised” after the youngster scored once again.

Let’s take a look at some of the Twitter reaction…

علّق أولي جونار سولشاير مدرب فريق مانشستر يونايتد على إصابة اللاعب ماركوس راشفورد، في مباراة اليوم أمام مانشستر سيتي في بطولة الدوري الإنجليزي.

وتلاقى الفريقان في إطار منافسات الجولة السابعة والعشرين، في ملعب الاتحاد، حيث فاز مانشستر يونايتد بهدفين دون رد.

ولم يتمكن راشفورد من استكمال المباراة، حيث تعرض لإصابة في الكاحل وخرج في الدقيقة 72. إصابة راشفورد أمام مانشستر سيتي

وقال سولشاير: “إنه شيء في الكاحل، كما أعتقد، أنا لست طبيبًا، لكني آمل ألا يكون الأمر سيئًا للغاية”.

وأضاف النرويجي في تصريحات نشرتها شبكة “بي بي سي” العالمية: “سيتعين علينا فحصه في الصباح”.

[ad_pod ]

This article is part of Football FanCast’s The Chalkboard series, which provides a tactical insight into teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

Amid rumours of his exit from the club, Southampton must hold on to Sofiane Boufal as he could prove useful for a number of reasons.

No one like him in the squad

Boufal registered 4.1 dribbles per game in La Liga last term, which was by far and away more than anyone else in Ralph Hasenhuttl’s squad managed to complete whilst playing in the Premier League.

The next best dribbler from Southampton’s squad was Nathan Redmond with 2.4 dribbles completed per game last term, whilst £15m summer signing Moussa Djenepo also likes a dribble having completed 3.3 per game at the Africa Cup of Nations – both Redmond and Djenepo’s figures are not quite at the same level as Boufal, however.

The Algeria international would definitely hand Hasenhuttl another ace in his pack with his take-on ability – the former Lille man recorded more take-ons than a certain Lionel Messi whilst on loan in La Liga last term.

Would be perfect if move away from 3-5-2 does happen 

We recently wrote about how Hasenhuttl should drop his 3-5-2 system and remove Jannik Vestergaard from the starting XI.

If this did happen, the possibility of a 4-4-2 formation or a 4-5-1 system would become more realistic, and with that would come the option of an out-and-out winger on the flank.

In this specific scenario, Boufal would be the ideal man to come in, be reintegrated to the squad and cause problems out wide, which would also serve to help the Southampton forwards who have struggled so far this season – the Saints have scored just one goal collectively, and even that was as a result of Liverpool keeper Adrian kicking the ball at Danny Ings.

There has been talk of a move to Nice for Boufal before the window closes for European clubs on September 2, but Southampton should ignore any talk of a move away and make use of the 25-year-old’s talents.

The attacker himself has even tweeted that he is focused on his career at St Mary’s, so this could well be a transition that we see Hasenhuttl make if the forward does stay put.

[ad_pod ]

[ad_pod ]

This article is part of Football FanCast’s Pundit View series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent quotes from journalists, pundits, players and managers…

Speaking to Football Insider, former Leeds United defender Danny Mills relayed information he had been given about the Whites’ upcoming transfer plans.

The ex-England international stated that the Yorkshire outfit will be signing a new centre-back very soon, and that should be music to the ears of many Leeds supporters, some of whom were far from happy on Twitter with the departure of Liam Kitching this week.

What’s been said then?

Mills stated that he expects a new defender to arrive at Elland Road.

“I would definitely expect Leeds to bring in a new centre-back,” he told Football Insider.

“I’m pretty sure the recruitment team is out there looking already and I’m convinced there will be a new signing in the offing fairly soon. That’s what I’ve been told by Leeds.

“Leeds have clearly known for a while that Pontus Jansson was creating one or two issues. This situation hasn’t happened overnight, it’s been going on for some time.

“Leeds have known this was coming and were trying to target a new centre-back.”

Exactly what they need

Many United supporters should be buzzing about these comments from their former player.

There is a huge need for a centre-back in the Whites’ squad as they lack depth in that position – Liam Cooper, Gaetano Berardi and Ben White are the only senior players capable of playing in that role at the moment.

Marcelo Bielsa’s side had a number of injury worries last season, and with Berardi being the joint-most red carded player in the club’s history, there is no guarantee that these players will be fit and available all season.

Watch Leeds United Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

Luckily Mills has stated that the club are working on bringing in a new centre-half, and during a week where Leeds fans have had plenty to complain about following Pontus Jansson’s exit to Brentford, this may be the best news they could have received.

[ad_pod ]

This article is part of Football FanCast’s The Chalkboard series, which provides a tactical insight into teams, players, managers, potential signings and more… 

Pontus Jansson looks to be on his way out of Elland Road after Phil Hay confirmed on his Twitter account on Saturday that a £5.5m exit is on the cards, with Brentford his likely destination.

If he does indeed leave, then the Whites will be significantly weaker at the back, as they would be losing a defender who made it into the PFA Championship Team of the Year for 2018/19.

Indeed, Jansson’s absence would be felt throughout the season, but it may crucially affect the Whites’ opening match of the campaign away at Bristol City.

Jansson’s importance

It’s almost impossible to deny how important the 6 ft 4 Swede is to Marcelo Bielsa’s side. He played 39 league games for the Whites last term, and his absence in the playoff semi-finals was felt as Leeds conceded four goals at home to Derby.

He’s been a key man for the Whites since his arrival in 2016 playing in 125 league matches in three seasons, but it may be time for him to move on.

Opening day woes

If Jansson left and Leeds didn’t sign a replacement, then the obvious choice to step in would be Gaetano Berardi.

Unfortunately for the Whites, the Swiss centre-back was sent off in the playoff semi-final last term so he will miss the opening day of this season through suspension.

Kalvin Phillips also played at centre-back at times last season, but he may be at Aston Villa by the time Leeds travel to Ashton Gate.

That means that Ben White may be thrown in the deep end and be asked to start alongside Liam Cooper against the Robins.

White has no Championship experience and if his debut is a start against a side who finished eighth last season, he would need to hit the ground running instantly.

Lee Johnson’s men remain one of the stronger teams in the division, and if Leeds line up with a shaky backline they could easily cause them problems.

Watch Leeds United Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

Of course, the Whites could sign a replacement for Jansson, but he could undergo the same issues as the Brighton loanee. Unless they have Championship experience they could have trouble acclimatising to this division, and as the clock ticks down towards the start of the campaign, Bielsa would be running out of time to teach him how to work in his system.

If Jansson goes, Leeds could be in real trouble on the opening day.

Manchester City have spent the last decade or so building a massive profile for themselves on the world football stage.

Despite no Champions League trophy nestling in the cabinet at the Etihad as yet, the blue half of Manchester have become the dominant force in the Premier League, usurping rivals United along the way.

The Citizens have some of the finest players in world football, but there has always been a nagging doubt in the mind of many who follow City that they might not quite be at the level of some of the world’s biggest clubs like Real Madrid, Barcelona and Bayern Munich in terms of status.

However, this weekend’s update (per the Sun) that winger Leroy Sane is set to snub Bayern and remain with City could have more significance than meets the eye.

Sane, a German international, will have spent much of his youth admiring the likes of Bayern, with it no doubt a dream for most German boys growing up to play at the Allianz Arena.

This then makes Sane’s decision to stay put in Manchester all the more important, with it sending out a message to clubs like Bayern that City are now right there in the mix with the biggest clubs.

Sane has been superb at times for Pep Guardiola’s men, but his inconsistencies have often threatened to derail his progress at the club. However, it’s clear for everyone to see that he is one of the top young talents in the European game, and someone who most of the giants of the game would love to have on their books.

Indeed, the stats back up just how good Sane can be, with the German notching ten goals and providing an equal number of assists last term, despite only starting 21 Premier League games.

With City looking for world dominance on the football scene, this might well prove a big turning point for the club in the long run.

علق أحمد حسام ميدو لاعب ومدرب الزمالك الأسبق، ومقدم البرامج الرياضية الحالي، على قرار اتحاد الكرة بتقليص عقوبة محمد الشناوي حارس مرمى الأهلي ومحمود وادي مهاجم المصري.

طالع قرار اتحاد الكرة.. عاجل | اتحاد الكرة يعلن تقليص عقوبة محمد الشناوي ومحمود وادي

وقال ميدو في تصريحات تلفزيونية لفضائية “النهار” عبر برنامجه “أوضة اللبس”: “قرار تقليص عقوبة محمد الشناوي لمباراة واحدة رسميًا، الدوري المصري أصبح دورة رمضانية بالقرارت التي صدرت”.

وأضاف: “أي عدل يقول أن فرجاني ساسي يوقف 6 مباريات لأنه جذب سماعة الحكم، ومحمود وادي الذي سب الحكم عقوبته تقلص لأربع مباريات، أقسم بالله لو هذا حدث ضد أي لاعب في الزمالك سأقول نفس الكلام”.

وتابع: “هذا القرار صدر لكي يلعب محمد الشناوي مباراة بيراميدز، كان الله في عون جمهور كرة القدم في مصر، الكرة المصرية استشهدت بعد هذه القرارات”.

وأردف: “بعد تقليص عقوبة الشناوي، لو أنا لاعب كرة القدم وحكم أزعجني سأضربه في وجهه واتحاد الكرة لا يمكنه معاقبتي بأكثر من مباراة واحدة، تصفية الحسابات والمجاملات لكل الناس أصبحت -مقززة-، وقرارات وفق المزاج والكيف”.

وتابع: “كرة القدم في مصر بعد هذه القرارات انتهت وسترون مشكلات في الدوري المصري الفترة المقبلة، الذي يحدث في اتحاد الكرة -شغل بلدي-“.

واختتم: “أجمل شيء في هذا الموضوع أن النادي الأهلي لم يتقدم بتظلم في عقوبة الشناوي، هذا القرار جاء من اتحاد الكرة وتلقى مسؤولو الأهلي وعدًا بأن العقوبة ستقلص لمباراة واحدة”.

[ad_pod ]

According to Football London, Sam Bryam is one of the main candidates to reunite with ex-West Ham boss Slaven Bilic at West Brom this summer.

What’s the word?

At the moment Allan Nyom is the only senior right back that Albion have available to them.

After signing Mason Holgate on loan from Everton in the winter transfer window he’s now returned to his parent club which has left the Baggies looking stretched defensively.

As a result, it’s not a surprise to see West Brom in the market for someone to bolster that area of the pitch.

The Midlands outfit have already been linked with one Bilic reunion after Albion joined the race for Reece Oxford but now Byram is being touted as another possible Hammers man to make the switch.

Football London suggests he is one of the leading candidates to link up again with West Brom’s new manager.

Injury troubles

Byram was a class above for Leeds and therefore a move to Premier League West Ham was fully deserved.

In the Championship, the full-back established himself as one of the most promising in the division but his move to east London hasn’t gone entirely to plan.

The 25-year-old, who is rated at £3.15m per Transfermarkt, joined the Irons in January 2016 but has only made 36 appearances in three years.

The defender has endured an injury nightmare and since signing for the club has missed 587 days through injury including during his loan spell at Nottingham Forest. That accounts for a total of 78 matches that the player has been absent from after picking up various different issues.

His first three injuries were all muscle problems before an ankle injury kept him out from March 2018 until August of the same year.

Watch fans explain why the Football League is better than the Premier League in the video below…

A loan spell with Nottingham Forest presented him with a chance of rejuvenating his career but that took a huge setback as he missed almost the entirety of last season after undergoing knee surgery.

It’s pretty evident that Byram is an injury prone player and therefore West Brom would be taking a massive risk in adding him to their ranks.

Given their lack of defensive depth, signing someone with a better fitness record will be key. This is a reunion that Bilic simply has to forget about.

[ad_pod ]

Crystal Palace rounded off their season on a high note with a 5-3 victory over Bournemouth at Selhurst Park – the most goals Palace fans have seen at SE25 from their side all campaign.

As he has done many times this season, Wilfried Zaha took centre stage on the final day, having a hand in all five Eagles goals and also getting some unwanted, or perhaps wanted, attention from the Bournemouth fans who were intent on making him the villain of the afternoon.

The Ivorian was involved in an altercation with Jefferson Lerma and looked certain to be sent off after questioning Roger East’s decision to book him, although just seconds later the speedy number 11 had bounced through two cynical attempts to bring a halt to his furious run and teed up Andros Townsend.

The focus on the match-winner didn’t end there, though, with Eddie Howe reserving some special praise for him after all was said and done.

What did he say?

Zaha is unplayable on his day and this was certainly a game that belonged to the former Manchester United wide man, as Cherries boss Eddie Howe suggested in his post-match comments:

“We didn’t deal very well with (Zaha) at all. We’ve maybe not had a better individual opponent this season. He was very difficult to contain.

“But we have to be critical of our defending; that’s something to focus on next season. We’ve conceded too many goals and it’s hampered our ability to win more.”

A U-turn from Howe

As the 41-year-old says, the Cherries defence could hardly get near Zaha, who had a thoroughly enjoyable afternoon down the left flank and was denied an 11th goal of the season by Mark Travers in the first half, only for Jack Simpson to inadvertently knock the rebound home.

Back in 2017, Howe appeared to question Zaha’s integrity by accusing him of diving, strongly insinuating he had gone down easily in a 2-2 draw. But the Vitality Stadium chief seems to have changed his tune since and, by labelling him as Bournemouth’s best ‘individual opponent’ this season, reserved praise of the highest order for the scourge of his side.

Watch the Pl>ymaker FC painfully relive their clubs’ most gutting moments of the last 10 years in the video below…

Indeed, Zaha has established himself as one of the best outside the top-six and Howe’s comments are reinforced by Trent Alexander-Arnold’s statement that he is the ‘hardest’ player he has come up against.

Completing 3.4 dribbles per game this season, the 10-goal star is a nightmare to play against and, like many of the defenders who resort to illegal methods when it comes to stopping him, Howe seems to have finally accepted that, as Palace fans will tell you, he’s just too good.

[ad_pod ]

13 points is the tally Wolves have amassed against top six sides this season. It’s a great record for any club, let alone one who came up from the Championship last term.

And this week, they have the opportunity to take that to 16 against an Arsenal team who have struggled repeatedly on the road.

However, their recent run of form and Arsenal’s need for points in the top four race means it won’t be quite as straightforward as the Gunners’ horrific away form suggests.

If Nuno Santo’s men are to have any chance of continuing their fantastic performances against the big teams, then they must ensure they do one key thing on Wednesday night.

On the chalkboard

Wolves’ performance against Arsenal at the Emirates earlier in the season was outstanding. They were brilliant on the counter-attack and at the back, were solid as a rock.

It was a game they should have won. Morgan Gibbs-White hit the crossbar late on whilst there were numerous good chances in the game for Nuno’s team.

However, Arsenal somehow found a way to rescue a point when a swinging cross from Henrikh Mkhitaryan on the left-hand side went through a crowd of bodies and nestled in the back of the net.

This game could be very similar but with Arsenal needing a win, they will likely have a more open approach.

With that in mind, Wolves must learn from something Crystal Palace did to devastating effect against the Gunners on Sunday – press the north Londoners’ less technically gifted players as much as humanly possible.

Fielding a midfield of Mohamed Elneny and Matteo Guendouzi, Arsenal were pressed and harried relentlessly by the likes of James McArthur and Cheikhou Kouyate on Sunday, leading to several quality counter-attacking opportunities.

Wolves were full of energy and intensity at the Emirates in their pressing and this is something they must replicate this week to have any chance of beating Arsenal, just like Palace did.

Raul Jimenez is turning it on for Wolves and Mexico right now! He definitely deserves the song in the video below…

Plenty of teams have already done it when Unai Emery’s men have come to town and they haven’t been able to find many answers. This was all too evident for the north Londoners in matches against Everton and Watford recently.

Leander Dendoncker and Joao Moutinho could be the Wolves players tasked with leading the press and if they manage to pull it off, the club could find themselves back to winning ways after three games without a victory.