All posts by z3u9t.icu

Kevin Phillips has exclusively told Football FanCast that he believes Sunderland are “capable” of finishing in the automatic promotion places this season.

Lee Johnson’s team have won six of their previous seven League One matches to move into top-two contention, and have already enjoyed success in the Papa John’s Trophy following Sunday’s victory over Tranmere courtesy of Lynden Gooch’s second-half strike at Wembley.

Sunderland’s impressive recent form has seen them climb to fourth in the third-tier standings, just two points behind second-placed Peterborough United, who currently occupy the second automatic promotion place.Much of Sunderland’s good results have been down to the goals of Charlie Wyke, whose the League One top scorer with 21, and Phillips reckons that their automatic hopes could rely on the fitness and form of the former Bradford City striker.He told Football FanCast: “I think they’re hitting form at the right time. My only concern is if they were to lose Charlie [Wyke] or if he was to go off the boil, or if they were to lose [Aiden] McGeady, the two players that have been so influential in this run.“I think defensively they’re looking fairly solid, Dion Sanderson, whose come in, has looked really strong. From what I’ve seen, they’re capable of finishing in the top-two.”Sunderland travel to Accrington Stanley on Wednesday evening knowing another three more points could send them into the top-two for the first time since April 2019.

Celtic will be hoping to continue their winning run of form with a victory against St Mirren on the road tonight. A wave of positivity has crashed over the reigning champions of Scotland and despite the fact they will surrender their crown this season, they are determined to end the campaign on a high.

Neil Lennon’s side will be thrilled to have scored six goals in their last two fixtures and will look to punish the Saints on their turf. Another win will be their fifth in their last ten matches, ending a tough run with a loss followed by three consecutive draws.

One player that the boss should consider a starting position to this evening is Stephen Welsh. Despite the fact Lennon has the choice of Shane Duffy, Nir Bitton and Hatem Abd Elhamed, the youth team captain has taken his fancy.

Since stepping in due to Duffy’s poor performances, the 20-year-old has come into his own and showcased why he should be considered to start every match moving forwards.

Welsh is vying for a regular spot in the Celtic lineup and he is putting in a strong case for himself with his displays as of late. According to Sofascore, his last two appearances against Kilmarnock and Motherwell respectively saw him keep a 93% and 91% passing accuracy. Across both fixtures, Welsh also contributed eight clearances, five interceptions and two tackles.

His performances are evidently improving – as his start against Hibernian in November saw him complete just 85% of his passes and contribute three interceptions.

The youngster, who is reportedly earning just £720-per-week, has been a breath of fresh air for Celtic who have been hammered by injury problems and inconsistent performances this season. Christopher Jullien has been sidelined for a huge 29 games this term through respective knee and ankle injuries, according to Transfermarkt.

Having Welsh at their disposal has been a huge positive for the Bhoys. They are on their way to limiting the damage caused by Rangers’ stellar season and are putting themselves in the best possible stead to reclaim their title next season.

In other news, James Forrest injury boost is huge for Celtic…

Steve Bruce can utilise Isaac Hayden at right-back when Newcastle United visit relegation rivals West Bromwich Albion on Sunday after potentially losing Emil Krafth to injury.

That’s according to Chronicle Live, who note that the Sweden international was taken off with a shin issue against Wolverhampton Wanderers over the weekend.

Krafth underwent scans alongside Allan Saint-Maximin and Miguel Almiron to assess the situation, but any lay-off could leave Bruce without a recognised right-sided full-back at the Hawthorns.

Newcastle have been without first-choice right-back Javier Manquillo since beating Southampton with nine-men in January, as the Spaniard is still sidelined with an ankle injury despite returning to light training sessions.

Manquillo was working away from the first-team group last week after Bruce stated that the 26-year-old was “doing very well, better than what we thought,” having been ruled out for six-to-eight weeks as a long-term absentee alongside Fabian Schar and Callum Wilson.

To now lose Krafth could leave Bruce without a recognised option against West Brom, after sanctioning the free transfer of DeAndre Yedlin to Galatasaray on Deadline Day of the recent winter transfer market.

Injuries and illness have already forced Bruce to look elsewhere in his ranks to fill gaps in defence this season, with Jacob Murphy fielded as a right-back on four occasions in the Premier League.

Hayden also faced Leeds United in the role during January’s 2-1 defeat at St. James’ Park, while being utilised at centre-half four times – the most recent coming against Southampton while without Jamaal Lascelles due to a hamstring strain and Federico Fernandez with a calf issue.

Bruce has no issue with playing his £9m-rated midfield anchor in the Toon backline, having signed the Arsenal product on loan while in charge of Hull City following a glowing report from his then-Chief Scout, Stan Ternent.

“He’s been very valuable because of his versatility, of course, and that helps enormously,” Bruce said of Hayden, via quotes by The Shields Gazette last month. “Stan Ternent, my old Chief Scout – who watched Isaac as a boy when he was at Arsenal – always said his best position, he thought, was at centre-back.

“Certainly, when you see him perform the way he did [against Southampton] and the way he has done numerous times at centre-back, then it does give you food for thought. He’s also played right-back, which he does very, very well too.”

Hayden’s performance at right-back at home to Leeds earlier in the year returned three successful tackles from four attempts, along with one clearance and two interceptions, per WhoScored.

No Newcastle player to have featured in the role during a Premier League fixture this term has averaged a higher number of successful or attempted tackles to date, with Manquillo offering the next-highest number of successful efforts (2.2) and Yedlin for attempts (3).

Murphy has averaged the highest volume of interceptions (1.5) from players to have featured at right-back more than once, while Yedlin (2.6) leads Krafth (2.4) for clearances.

But, as Murphy may be needed in attack with Saint-Maximin and Almiron potentially missing on Sunday and with Yedlin now gone, Hayden could be Bruce’s secret weapon against West Brom.

AND in other news, Newcastle have joined the race for a sought-after “real talent” capable of “outstanding” displays…

Speaking exclusively to Transfer Tavern, former Premier League referee Mark Halsey discussed Harry Kane’s penalty claim in Tottenham Hotspur’s 1-1 draw with Wolverhampton Wanderers on Sunday.

In the fixture, Tottenham took the lead early in the first half through Tanguy Ndombele’s first-minute strike, only for Wolves defender Romain Saiss to score a late equaliser for Nuno Espirito Santo’s side, with the game finishing 1-1.

However, in the dying moments of the clash, Harry Kane latched onto a Harry Winks through ball, and subsequently hit the deck in the Wolves penalty area after a challenge from Saiss, although there appeared to be very little, if any, contact made by the defender, leading to claims that the forward was lucky to escape a booking for simulation.

“I think Harry is getting a reputation now, isn’t he?” Halsey told Transfer Tavern. “I think he’s initiated that contact going down and I don’t think anybody would’ve complained had he been cautioned for simulation in that situation.”

Kane has come under fire in recent months for the manner in which the forward won a penalty against Brighton & Hove Albion, when it appeared the 27-year-old knowingly backed into Adam Lallana mid-jump, with the midfielder landing incredibly awkwardly, and, somehow, the referee awarding Kane a penalty.

The England captain also drew a similar challenge from Aaron Cresswell in a fixture against West Ham United back in October, and it would appear that Halsey is of the belief that the forward is now getting a bit of a reputation for being a cheat.

Indeed, as previously stated, there did not appear to be foul-worthy contact made by Saiss in the incident with Kane on Sunday, and, as a goalscorer with the ability of the England man, it is questionable as to whether he needs to be acting in such a manner.

Liverpool are reportedly one of the teams taking an interest in RB Leipzig centre-back Dayot Upamecano ahead of the summer transfer window, and if the French international were to join, it could spell trouble for Joe Gomez.

Fabrizio Romano suggested in The Guardian that the Bundesliga side are resigned to the 22-year-old leaving the club in the summer when his £37 million release clause becomes active.

He also suggests that Liverpool, Manchester United and Chelsea are amongst the Premier League sides interested in signing him, alongside Champions League holders Bayern Munich.

Whilst the 6 ft 1 Upamecano would be a great player for Liverpool to have right now, due to their lack of defensive options, Romano does confirm that he is unlikely to leave in this month’s transfer window, as Julian Nagelsmann’s side target domestic and European success.

Jurgen Klopp will get to scout the Frenchman personally when the Reds face RB Leipzig in the Champions League next month and if he is impressed, then perhaps we will see the Merseyside club swoop for him during the summer.

If he were to join, his superb performances with Leipzig in recent seasons suggest that he would definitely be challenging for a spot in Klopp’s first-team, which could spell trouble for Gomez.

Last season saw Upamecano average a strong 7.06 rating for his performances in the Bundesliga, whilst he was clearly a key part in Die Roten Bullen reaching the semi-finals of the Champions League, as he averaged an exceptional 7.26 rating for his performances in that competition.

Gomez, meanwhile, averaged a 6.78 rating in both the Premier League and Champions League last season, which, when considering the Reds’ dominance domestically, is rather disappointing.

He also started this season in dreadful form before his long-term injury, averaging a 6.48 rating across his seven top-flight appearances, with only seven Reds players rated lower.

In January 2020 he was dubbed “world-class” by teammate Trent Alexander-Arnold but he will need to perform a lot better when he returns from injury if he wants to justify that praise.

Gomez has averaged 0.4 tackles and 0.6 interceptions per game in the Premier League this season, compared to Upamecano’s 1.1 tackles and 1.3 interceptions, so it could definitely be argued that the Frenchman would be an upgrade from a defensive perspective based on this season’s form.

Whilst the former Charlton Athletic man is only 23-years-old and would almost certainly still get game time under Klopp, as he has become first-choice centre-back in recent seasons, you worry that Upamecano could become the long-term partner for Virgil van Dijk, which could hamper Gomez’s progress and confidence as a result.

And, in other news, Klopp can sign his next Coutinho at LFC in 26 y/o who scores and assists …

Celtic CEO Peter Lawwell risks continuing the Hoops’ horror show by hiring former Everton boss Marco Silva to replace Neil Lennon at the Parkhead helm.

What’s the word?

According to The Scotsman, Silva is in the running to succeed Lennon at the Glasgow powerhouse, with the Northern Irishman’s sacking deemed inevitable amid a season of utter carnage for the nine-in-a-row title-holders.

Silva would be expected to demand a substantial salary to take charge at Parkhead in search of overturning Rangers’ 11-point Premiership lead, as Celtic strive to win a record 10th-straight top-flight title following their 13-point winning margin last term.

Silva has been out of work since being fired by Everton in 2019, where he oversaw a win rate of only 40% thanks to just 24 victories in 60 games across all competitions – losing more often than he won, with 25 defeats and 11 draws next to his name.

The Portuguese was further dismissed from his position in charge of Watford in 2018, feeling the 43-year-old’s head was turned by an approach from Everton, while walking out on Hull City in 2017 after failing to prevent relegation from the Premier League.

Lennon would not have been surprised if Celtic had opted to fire him following last weekend’s defeat to Ross County, with the Hoops eliminated from the League Cup to the fury of supporters who clashed with police whilst protesting for his sacking.

“Not in my heart of hearts [did I think it was over] but I could understand if that would have been the case, yes,” Lennon said, via quotes by Sky Sports. “I am very grateful [for Lawwell and the club’s backing]. They are not a board that sack managers for the sake of it.”

Continuing Celtic horror show

Should the feeling change in Celtic’s hierarchy and Lawwell along with majority owner Dermot Desmond decide to fire Lennon, replacing the Northern Irishman with Silva would be a grave error that would only serve to see the Hoops’ horror show continue.

Silva was hired to turn Everton’s fortunes around after fans bemoaned the tenure of former England manager Sam Allardyce, promising to bring a more exciting brand of football to Goodison Park.

Yet all the Portuguese offered was continual defensive woes, with no Premier League side conceding more often from set-pieces than Everton during his maiden term in charge, while turning the Toffees into one of the English top-flight’s most predictable outfits for favouring hopeful balls into the box without any real care or attention for where they will land.

Silva was well aware of his side’s defensive struggles, noting via Sky Sports: “No one is happy when you are conceding goals like we have conceded. They were the same [players as] last season with the fourth-best defence in [the] Premier League, the fourth team with the least goals conceded in the Premier League last season and we achieved that [by] working hard, improving, learning from the not so good things we did and learning from some mistakes.

“But suddenly we start to concede some goals and some of them [are] sloppy, but they are already done, and we work on that, we analysis and we are working to keep improving to become a solid team.”

Celtic can ill-afford to appoint Silva to replace Lennon and risk the Portuguese bringing his defensive struggles to Parkhead, where the Hoops have already allowed 68% of the total 19 goals shipped in the Premiership last term in 43% of the games played.

The Glasgow giants have allowed three or more goals to be scored in a single match on multiple occasions, too, with Paris Saint-Germain and twice Sparta Prague netting four, while Aberdeen and AC Milan have each struck three.

If Lawwell and Desmond have any lingering hopes of ten-in-a-row, Silva is not the man to answer their calls.

Aston Villa have a huge game this evening as they face off against West Midland rivals West Bromwich Albion. After beating Wolves a week ago, it would be great if the side could beat two local rivals in the space of eight days. Trezeguet, however, will not be able to feature in the game.

The latest on Trezeguet

Dean Smith has told Birmingham Live that the player is injured and as such, he won’t be available for selection. He said: “A couple of days before the game [against Wolves] Trez got a hamstring injury. He’s out for a few weeks.”

This is a blow for Villa

Trezeguet has provided a decent attacking threat during this campaign, managing an average of 2.4 shots, one key pass and 1.1 successful dribbles per game (WhoScored). West Brom have conceded 26 goals in the division, which is the most in England’s top flight, and therefore to be without a player who could create opportunities against a struggling defence will be frustrating for Smith.

With other creative players in the side like Jack Grealish and Ollie Watkins, the club will still be hopeful that they can get the three points. However, the game might have been exactly what the Egyptian needed. West Bromwich Albion sit 19th and with the attacker not scoring this season, this could have been the ideal game for him to get off the mark/

In other Villa news, fans have been piling praise on one star at the club following his latest comments. Have a read who it is here!

David Moyes must shoulder the full blame for Jack Wilshere leaving West Ham United as a free agent this summer, after the midfielder stated his anger at being frozen out at the London Stadium.

What’s the word?

Wilshere has revealed in an interview with BBC Sport how he felt there were no roads left to explore other than heading through the exit door this summer, as he could not face the prospect of another year on the sidelines with no realistic optimism of featuring.

The 28-year-old joined the Irons in 2018 following the expiration of his contract with Arsenal, but only managed to earn 19 first-team games in claret and blue as he continued to suffer with ankle and groin injuries.

Wilshere is adamant that he had more to offer Moyes following the restart in June, having returned to a level of fitness after a groin strain that the former England international felt deserved more than just 35 minutes as a substitute over two appearances in nine games.

“When I came back after lockdown, having worked so hard to get back to a good level of fitness and was training every day, it just didn’t feel like my opportunity was ever going to come. And, of course, it didn’t,” the boyhood Irons fan said.

“I didn’t like it, but we were in the middle of a relegation battle, so I understood the team had to come first. But when we came back for pre-season, it was the same again. I thought everyone would be given a fresh chance and a clean slate to impress but it never happened for me.”

Wilshere ultimately agreed to mutually terminate his £100,000-per-week contract a year early, a decision the free agent believes was necessary for his career.

“People will say what they want and footballers get paid well, but there is nothing more draining and saps your confidence more than when you know you are not going to play, that no matter what you do in training, or what the other players are doing, even if you lose 3-0, you are not going to get an opportunity,” he added.

“I didn’t want to be around that and in that environment.”

Moyes must shoulder the blame

If Wilshere was fit enough to contend for places in the tail end of last season, then Moyes must shoulder the full blame for the midfielder feeling the need to terminate his contract so he can salvage what could be the twilight years of a career blighted by injuries.

Moyes was within his right to only favour the 28-year-old from the bench during Project Restart as West Ham lost just once in the final seven Premier League games, but the chance of a clean slate should have at least been offered come pre-season rather than continuing to freeze the 34-cap international out.

Wilshere’s talents have forever been known since he broke through into the Arsenal first-team, and had it not been for the seemingly relentless injuries then who knows what sort of player the midfielder Steven Gerrard tipped to become England captain would have become.

Moyes can always point to Arsene Wenger’s fears over Wilshere failing to fulfil his full potential due to the injuries in attempting to justify why he overlooked the midfielder so often, but the former Arsenal boss also offered the reasons why he deserved opportunities.

“I’m sad about this injury because Jack is a great player with a great football brain,” Wenger said in 2017, via quotes by The Guardian, after Wilshere suffered a hairline fracture to his left fibula whilst on loan with AFC Bournemouth.

“His career has been stopped by many injuries. At the top level, the most important thing is consistency. When a player has been out for a while, the game is of such an intensity that it always takes you a while to get your confidence back.

“You have to be consistently present. When you look at all the players who are at the top level in the world like Cristiano Ronaldo, these guys play 50 or 60 games a year. They have the luck of not being stopped by injuries. You’re always sad when a guy of Jack’s quality is stopped by problems.”

Moyes, though, did not seem to have that same patience when it came to Wilshere, and thus the blame for the midfielder’s exit this summer rests solely on the Scottish coach’s shoulders.

AND in other news, West Ham are at risk of a tense future with the departure of a popular backroom figure.

Several of Tottenham Hotspur’s stars have been in action during this international break and one of their summer signings has continued his impressive start to life as a Spurs player.

On Saturday night, Euro 2012 winners Spain were held to a 1-1 draw with Switzerland in the UEFA Nations League with £27m arrival Sergio Reguilon putting in a Man of the Match display.

No other player on the pitch recorded a higher rating than the 23-year-old’s 7.8, as per SofaScore.

Only Sergio Ramos (112 touches) was more involved than Reguilon (111), the right-back recorded two clearances, one tackle and made 94% of his 80 passing attempts. He even won 75% of his ground duels and provided three key passes, which included one big chance created.

Spanish outlet AS lauded his performance, claiming his assist for the goal was like a “dagger from the left wing” whilst Marca have tipped him to become the first-choice option at left-back, lauding his pace.

This was merely continuing the fine form he’s been in for the Premier League side so far this season.

Amongst Jose Mourinho’s side, the £80k-per-week Reguilon is only second to the rampant duo of Harry Kane and Heung-min Son, where he has averaged 1.8 key passes, 0.8 crosses and 1.8 tackles per game from his four starts, via WhoScored.

He is looking every bit like an absolute masterstroke signing from Daniel Levy and chief scout Steve Hitchen, and they both should be lauded for not just unearthing him, but also risking a massive fee too. Reguilon is already valued at €50m (£45m) by CIES.

Levy is hardly known for his brash spending, so Mourinho ought to be rather thankful.

Reguilon’s impact goes far beyond his role on the pitch too – according to Football.London’s Alasdair Gold, he’s a player that “everyone loves” on the training pitch.

Props to Levy, the young Spaniard has arguably been their best signing this summer, if not one of.

AND in other news, Mourinho has completely transformed this Pochettino underperformer…

The Premier League is well underway, as is the start to the Fantasy Premier League season, with us heading into game week 3 this weekend. Ahead of this game week, you may be thinking about making some changes to your side – with many people likely to have let their weekly free transfers build-up, allowing them to make some needed changes to their squads.

One key position in Fantasy Football, that is often overlooked, is the goalkeeper. This position can often be tricky to fill, with goalkeepers earning points for clean sheets, minute, saves, and penalties saved – so it is important to look at a team’s defensive record as of late when determining who your No.1 and No.2 should be in FPL.

So, today we are going to take a look at four great options that you should consider for your goalkeeping spots ahead of the rest of the season…

Alisson – £6.0m

The joint most expensive goalkeeper in FPL alongside Manchester City’s Ederson, Alisson certainly showed his worth during GW2, keeping a clean sheet and saving a penalty in a 2-0 victory over Chelsea. The 27-year-old is currently selected by 12.8% of FPL users, and last season kept a total of 13 clean sheets for the Reds. Despite the price, Alisson is a great inclusion into your squad and is likely to start every game for Jurgen Klopp’s side this season – with 56/57 for creativity and threat on his ICT Rank in FPL.

Nick Pope – £5.5m

The Burnley shot-stopper was the highest-scoring goalkeeper last season, with 170 points to his name. So far this season, himself and Burnley have failed to keep a clean sheet, losing their opening game against Leicester 4-2. This weekend sees the Clarets face Southampton at home, a side who have lost their two opening games. At the price of £5.5m, Pope is one of the more expensive goalkeepers in FPL, but with 15.2% of other users having him in their side, there is still hope for Pope – with their following two games against Newcastle and West Brom in GW’s 4 and 5.

Emiliano Martinez – £4.5m

The Argentinian signed for Villa just last week from Arsenal and enjoyed a fantastic debut for the club. Martinez kept a clean sheet and saved a penalty against Sheffield United earning him 13 points – and only costing FPL users £4.5m for his services. The 28-year-old is currently owned by 8.8% of FPL users, but it is likely that this percentage will rise after his stellar debut. His cheap price and positive performance, along with Villa’s strengthened team this summer could make him a bargain buy and provide some great points to your tally.

Mathew Ryan – £4.5m

The Brighton and Hove Albion goalkeeper has been a go-to for many FPL users for some seasons now. Currently selected by 18.1% of users, Ryan is the second most popular goalkeeper on FPL and for good reason – with the Australian only costing £4.5m of your budget, making him a great money-saving option that will still get you the much-needed points. So far this season, Ryan has kept one clean sheet from two games, and with the Seagulls new and improved defence, it is likely that these clean sheets could become a regular thing, making Ryan a must-have in your squad.