All posts by h79snht.top

Southampton’s survival hopes were handed a massive boost following a hard-fought 2-1 win against Leicester.

The Saints took the lead early with James Ward-Prowse netting from the penalty spot before Ralph Hassenhuttl’s men were reduced to ten-men with Yan Valery receiving his marching orders for a second yellow card. Their lead was doubled with Shane Long scoring his first goal in nine months on the stroke of half-time. Wilfred Ndidi clawed one back but Southampton held on for a massive three points.

Long’s goal will be a massive relief to Hassenhuttl with Danny Ings, Charlie Austin and Michael Obafemi out injured. The Irishman’s goal record is not good enough and the Saints should target attacking reinforcements following Manolo Gabbiadini’s exit last week. Signing a regular goalscorer could be key to staying in the division.

The perfect target would be Brentford hitman – Neal Maupay. Valued at just £4.5m by Transfermarkt, the Frenchman has been a key player for the Bees since joining from Saint Etienne in the summer of 2017. Maupay wowed fans in his debut season at the club, netting 12 goals as well as registering four assists for his team-mates.

The forward has taken his game to the next level in the current campaign, finding the back of the net 15 times in just 25 appearances in the Championship so far. The 22-year-old has also turned provider at times, creating six goals, showing he is the complete forward. The youngster is still developing and improving – his form in England so far shows Maupay deserves to be playing at the highest level.

In a squad of Southampton’s quality, the former France U21 international would be scoring for fun – he can be the man to steer them away from danger in 2019.

Southampton fans, thoughts?

As Aston Villa continue in their hunt for a left-back, the Villains have been having their say on who they want to come in. With Neil Taylor the only recognised senior left-back available to Dean Smith, it’s no surprise that he’s been linked with his former Brentford man Rico Henry in the Birmingham Mail, as well as veteran Premier League winner, Christian Fuchs in the Mirror.

Either of the two would be brilliant additions to the current crop of players at Villa Park, however, there’s no way that Smith will sanction moves for both of them, meaning one of the two will have to miss out. With Henry at the start of his career aged 21 and Fuchs at the other end being 32, we’ll be comparing the two left-backs in this battle.

RICO HENRY

Rico Henry is a name that most fans may not be too aware of. The 21-year-old left-back goes back a long way with Dean Smith. The two of them worked together at both Walsall and Brentford, and it was Smith who made the move to bring the young full-back up from Walsall to Brentford with him when he made the switch, so to see him take the youngster to Villa would come as no surprise.

Henry has struggled for game time this season, with just eight Championship appearances to his name, however, he has scored in those eight games, and that says a lot about the youngster’s ability to make a difference at both ends of the pitch as he’s capable of both attacking and defending from his position on the left-hand side of defence.

TT GRADE: A

CHRISTIAN FUCHS

Fuchs will go down in Premier League history regardless of how the rest of his career plays out. The Austrian left-back came to Leicester City from Schalke on a free transfer and was part of the Foxes side that famously lifted the Premier League trophy in May 2016, just 12 months after completing a daring great escape that had left them 5000/1 outsiders for the title.

However, the Austrian is ageing and has lost his place at the King Power Stadium to the younger Ben Chilwell. There have been reports that Fuchs wants to go and live in American and play MLS football until he retires, yet he could be set to go out with a bang in English football by helping Aston Villa win promotion in the second half of this season, although that does seem like a long shot.

TT GRADE B+

TT VERDICT:

Whilst both players offer a different way of playing despite occupying the same position, given Fuchs supposed ambitions of retiring in America and Henry’s ability to grow as a player under a manager who already knows him, this one has a clear winner. Rico Henry has to be the man to sign at Villa Park, and he could be the next Villa left-back for ten years if he plays his cards right.

When Liverpool host Leicester tomorrow at Anfield, it would have been 11 days since their last competitive match. 

The Reds have subsequently been to Dubai and back for a mid-season break, ready for their charge for their first Premier League title, knowing that they need to win their next fourteen games to guarantee it.

However, what is most significant about Liverpool’s break is that in that space of time, their title rivals Man City would have played a staggering four times. They played the following day in the Premier League, faced Burton in the League Cup, hosted Burnley in the FA Cup and travel to Newcastle tonight in the league.

Now, they have brushed three of those opponents aside with consummate ease, and it is likely that they will beat Newcastle tonight. However, had they been given the choice between their schedule and Liverpool’s break, they would surely have chosen the break. The trouble is, it does not get any easier as they are still in both cups.

Of course, Liverpool are still in the Champions League, but it is safe to say that their workload is going to be far less than their rivals this season, and that may give them the edge. Some fans will say that Man City are at an advantage playing a day before Liverpool, meaning they can go within one point ahead of Jürgen Klopp’s men, but Pep Guardiola would also want as much time to give his players a rest, particularly with Arsenal visiting at the weekend.

This title race will go down to the wire, and each team will look for any advantage that they can get. Liverpool may have been handed a major boost.

[ad_pod ]

Nottingham Forest fans have taken to Twitter to react joyously after Joe Lolley signed a new long-term contract with the club, as revealed by their official Twitter account.

The 26-year-old has penned a four-and-a-half year deal at the City Ground, tying him down to Forest until 2023.

Lolley has arguably been the club’s best player so far this season, scoring eight goals and recording seven assists despite the disruption of a mid-season managerial change.

Be sure to check out the incredible story of the man who rose from a Tanzanian refugee camp to become one of Australia’s biggest football stars in the video below…

The former Huddersfield man recently made his 50th appearance for the club in the 3-1 win against Wigan, a game in which he found the back of the net.

Impressively, the winger’s form earned him the PFA Player of the Month award for October, and saw him nominated for the same award in November.

Forest need to find some form quickly if they are to get back in contention for a play-off place, but for now, most fans on Twitter seem overjoyed at this welcome news…

[ad_pod ]

After Pontus Jansson attended Marcelo Bielsa’s pre-Swansea press conference, Leeds fans are full of praise for the big man on his birthday.

Last season was absolutely miserable at Elland Road, and the turnaround since Bielsa’s arrival at the club is symbolised perfectly by Jansson’s transformation.

After an impressive debut season in Yorkshire, for which he was on loan from Torino, the towering Swedish international had a poor second campaign with the club.

In and out of the team with injuries, he and many others players failed to reach their previous standards under Paul Heckingbottom.

Who are the best away fans in the Championship? Pl>ymaker FC’s Thogden gives his top 10 in the video below…

Since Bielsa’s arrival though, the now 28 year-old has been an absolute brick wall for the Whites, playing 24 Championship games, scoring twice and earning five man of the match ratings, per Whoscored.

Bielsa’s side welcome Graham Potter’s Swansea to Elland Road on Wednesday evening, and fans are full of praise for the big man at the back ahead of a hugely important clash.

You can find some of the best Twitter reactions down below, happy Birthday Pontus…

[ad_pod ]

Liverpool signed Fabinho from Monaco during last summer’s transfer window, with the Reds paying just shy of £44m for the Brazil international.

It would be fair to say that the 25-year-old found it difficult to adapt to the Premier League in the opening months of the campaign.

However, Fabinho has been very impressive in recent weeks, mainly operating in defensive midfield but also filling in at centre-back.

And if Liverpool are to win silverware this season then they will need the South American to continue to impress in the next few months.

The Merseyside outfit’s official Twitter account were keen to remind the club’s supporters of his performance in the 3-0 win over Bournemouth in the Premier League last weekend.

Pl>ymaker FC’s Matchday with Max caught up with Jamaica’s women’s team. See what happened when he met the history makers in the video below…

And that led to a number of the Liverpool fans taking to social media to lavish praise on the 2018 arrival from Ligue 1 football.

A selection of the Twitter reaction can be seen below:

It was another difficult day at the office for Southampton on Saturday.

The Saints faced West Ham at St Mary’s as they looked to pull themselves out of the relegation zone. Considering the Hammers had won just one of their last 11 before this clash, it was the perfect opportunity for Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side to pick up a much-needed three points. However, they could only lose 1-0 in the end, courtesy of a Sebastien Haller goal.

There were some particularly disappointing performances amongst the former RB Leipzig boss’ men, one of which was £11.7m-valued Ryan Bertrand – as per Transfermarkt. The 30-year-old is one of the team’s most senior players, but he was far from at his best this weekend.

Watch Chelsea vs Southampton Live and Free with Amazon Prime on Boxing Day

The 2012 Champions League winner was poor defensively, managing just one interception and one tackle whilst also being dribbled past on two separate occasions. Of the five duels he took part in, both aerially and on the ground, he won just two.

Best of the decade: Quickfire Quiz on the last 10 years of Premier League football

Going forward, there wasn’t much to write home about either. He did manage to land two successful crosses, but he failed to complete a single dribble or have a shot of any kind. Along with the zero key passes and an 80% passing accuracy, it was a day to forget for the 19-time England international.

The Saints are in a very difficult situation at the foot of the table. So far, they have picked up just 15 points from 18 games, and have shipped a league-high 36 goals. Hasenhuttl needs players he can rely on, and usually Bertrand would be towards the top of the list. This term, though, he has a WhoScored rating of just 6.33. Only six players in the whole squad have managed less.

As we approached the second half of the campaign and a busy Christmas, Bertrand really needs to step up his level. Otherwise, Southampton could be staring relegation to the Championship directly in the face.

In other news, this man could solve one problem for Ralph Hasenhuttl.

According to Football Insider, West Bromwich Albion could be about to step up their chase of Hull City hotshot Jarrod Bowen as they prepare a bid for him next month.

What’s the word?

It is thought that the Baggies hierarchy will offer £15m to their Championship rivals in order to bolster their goal of achieving promotion this season.

Plenty of top-flight teams are also in the hunt for the 23-year-old attacker, including Leicester City and Newcastle United, but it is Albion who could test the Tigers’ resolve first.

Contrasting reports from The Athletic have suggested that the Yorkshire-based outfit value their star man at £20m, so West Brom could well fall short if that is to be believed.

Premier League ready?

If Slaven Bilic can secure the signing of the £6k-per-week ace, then it would undoubtedly be a sign that they’d be ready for a return to the Premier League.

Bowen has scored 16 times in the league this campaign, playing primarily as a right-winger, but also in the number ten and centre-forward role.

West Brom fell short in their promotion push last season, and one reason could be down to the lack of quality outside their starting XI.

After they saw the loss of nine-goal Harvey Barnes back to parent club Leicester City in January, the Baggies had to rely on Jacob Murphy and Jefferson Montero, who could only muster three goals between them.

Calling all Premier League experts: Who do these unique statistics belong to? Find out below….

Bringing in a player of Bowen’s quality would mean Bilic has scarily lethal options on the bench. Currently, a trio of players have directly contributed towards 17 of their 45 league goals – Grady Diangana, Matheus Pereira and Matty Phillips.

Any injuries or suspensions would leave them rather light, but adding such a goal-laden option, one who has been described by his manager Grant McCann as the ‘best in the league’ as well as being ‘top class,’ would certainly go to great lengths in resolving any potential issues later down the line.

Meanwhile, this is the big team selection dilemma facing Slaven Bilic this afternoon… 

Tottenham are still some way off being the free-flowing entertaining side which challenged for the Premier League title twice under Mauricio Pochettino, but there is plenty to be positive about since the Argentine left.

Jose Mourinho’s first match in charge saw the high-intensity style return, playing with pace and desire as the likes of Heung-Min Son and Dele Alli found their best form to hand his team a 3-2 win.

That pair have continued to perform under the Portuguese boss, with the latter turning around his form after previously being criticised by fans for tailing off quite drastically.

Son has two goals and four assists while the England international has four goals under Mourinho, but they seem to be the only creative players performing, and that should be a concern.

Watch Tottenham Hotspur Videos With StreamFootball.tv Below

Tottenham were lacklustre despite a win against Brighton due to their slow style of play, and a lack of invention that may have been due to the five-at-the-back system in place, as well as the absence of Son.

Fixing a leaky defence may have been Mourinho’s priority when he arrived, and rightly so, but he has improved players like Serge Aurier and Toby Alderweireld – so it may now be time to turn his focus elsewhere.

Spurs have kept just one clean sheet out of nine games under their new boss, yet have won six of those, which indicates that his pragmatism is already taking effect for the benefit of the team.

Mourinho’s produced some incredible footballing stars – how much do you know about them?

However, Lucas Moura has dropped off recently as it is fair to say he hasn’t contributed enough. Lucas hasn’t achieved a single key pass in his last two outings while most of Christian Eriksen’s minutes have also been confined to the Champions League.

The Dane’s future is still arguably in doubt with that in mind, and that means Mourinho should look to the likes of Giovani Lo Celso and Erik Lamela to add a bit of invention.

Both players featured on the bench against the Seagulls and while the latter has shown moments of quality this season with three goals and three assists, Lo Celso is still yet to get going.

Playing him closely to Harry Kane and Alli could allow him to build up an understanding with the duo, and judging by his record last season of 16 goals and six assists he clearly possesses the ability to win games for Spurs if Mourinho can bring it out of him.

Five shots on target in the previous match shows there is plenty of work to do and perhaps more freedom for the players needed, but as Mourinho’s trust in the players grows that should happen, and more convincing results should follow.

Elsewhere, fans have been full of praise for Erik Lamela following his comments on Jose Mourinho.

Paul Robinson has called on Tottenham Hotspur to sign Willian from Chelsea, per Football Insider.

What’s he said?

Spurs have been linked with a possible swoop for the Brazil international, who worked under Jose Mourinho at Chelsea.

The Transfer Window Podcast, to whom Duncan Castles regularly contributes, claims that the club are hopeful of signing the 31-year-old, whose contract expires at the end of the season.

And Robinson believes that they should make every effort to snap up the two-time Premier League winner.

Of course, Spurs attempted to buy Willian before he joined Chelsea and he even underwent a medical at the club before changing his mind and sealing a move to Stamford Bridge in 2013.

Robinson said: “I wouldn’t care about what he has said about Spurs in the past, look at what Mourinho has said about Spurs in the past.

“If Willian became available, he is a top-quality player and if there is anyway Mourinho could convince him to come to Spurs, he’d be a brilliant addition.

“I think he’d fit into the squad perfectly as he’s a top-class player and you know what’s gone on in the past is irrelevant.

“If he performs in a Tottenham shirt, there won’t be a problem.

“Mourinho said previously he’d never become Tottenham manager, so I’m sure with a couple of wins and a couple of trophies in the cabinet, all will be forgiven.”

Spurs die-hards are getting 70% on this Ultimate Tottenham Quiz. Can you beat them?

A proven winner

Willian would come in and add some genuine experience to the Spurs ranks.

Of course, he is 32, and this would be a break in policy from the club, who routinely attempt to sign players under the age of 30.

But bringing in such a proven winner, who has also won the FA Cup and the League Cup at Chelsea, while winning 69 caps for Brazil, is something of a no-brainer.

He remains a key member of the Blues’ squad, making 26 appearances in all competitions and scoring five goals and registering five assists.

Chelsea, surely, will want to keep him at the club but if he does not commit his future, Spurs should absolutely make a move.

They can finally bring in the Brazilian, six years after he first slipped through their fingers.

Meanwhile, Spurs fans have hit out at one man.