All posts by h716a5.icu

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Manchester United continued their miraculous run of form last weekend, beating Brighton 2-1 at home for victory number seven under caretaker manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, winning once again with Romelu Lukaku sitting on the bench and out of the starting XI.

After arriving from Everton in 2017, the Belgian striker quickly emerged as Jose Mourinho’s go-to man at Old Trafford. But Lukaku has amassed just 71 minutes of Premier League action since Solskjaer replaced the sacked Portuguese manager according to Transfermarkt, sidelined in lieu of young forwards Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial.

With the speedy attackers at the forefront, United have regained control of their campaign over the past five weeks playing a fast, dynamic style that’s taken advantage of the pace and counter attacking prowess which Mourinho overlooked for so long.

The change hasn’t slowed Solskjaer’s side yet, and though Lukaku may break into the starting XI in Friday’s FA Cup tie with Arsenal, one would imagine the system is one they won’t move too far away from throughout the remainder of the campaign. 

The problem? The big, lumbering Lukaku – the man the club shelled out £75million (BBC Sport) to sign less than two years ago – simply doesn’t fit into that system, and on no day has that been more evident than when Manchester United visited Wembley on January 13th.

Which “global superstar” has just been named Man Utd’s worst ever January signing? Find out in the video above…

With Rashford and Martial up top and Jesse Lingard at the head of a midfield diamond against Spurs, United were vicious on the break, moving the ball forward and working their two strikers into one-on-one situations.

The young forwards tore through Spurs’ defence with their speed, while Lingard served as a cool yet confident presence in the middle. And in the end, it was Rashford’s 44th-minute goal on the counter just before the break that served as the difference in the 1-0 victory. Lukaku watched it all unfold from the sidelines in a sweatsuit.

See, while Rashford and Martial possess the devastating ability to carve up an opposing defence, Lukaku plays a far more planted game. The 25-year old is most dangerous when the ball is put to his feet within range of the net. His work rate is often low, and against the wrong opponent Lukaku’s one-dimensional style falls flat.

That sort of striker simply won’t work within the style of football Manchester United have played since Solskjaer took over. So where do they go now?

Should Solskjaer remain with his current tactics, he could still use Lukaku as something of a super sub and rotational forward. He was brought on in the 83rd minute against Brighton, and possessing size and a knack for finding the back of the net, the powerful striker can become a dangerous weapon making an impact off the bench for United. A player of Lukaku’s skill and stature is the sort of substitute opposing managers would fear coming onto the pitch.

Working in a less frequent capacity, such as starting in cup matches as he might on Friday at the Emirates Stadium, Lukaku could also forge himself an important role. He undoubtedly possesses the talent and competence to have an impact on the pitch, and in lower stakes cup matches may emerge as a potent weapon for United to deploy when the likes of Martial and Rashford are rested or protected.

From a long-term perspective, Lukaku’s future with the club may hinge on whether or not Solskjaer is made permanent manager. Recent reports from The Sun have hinted towards the growing potential that the Norwegian manager might be brought back following this season and if Solskjaer does remain, no first-team regular will likely be impacted more significantly than the big Belgian.

Plenty can change in the months to come and into the summer, but Lukaku’s role within Manchester United’s squad is more unclear than it has ever been.

[ad_pod ]Loads of Newcastle fans have been reacting to their defeat at Wembley, and they’ve got plenty to say about Martin Dubravka.Newcastle produced a stunning comeback to upset Manchester City last week, but the Magpies were unable to muster a similar effort against Tottenham on Saturday.Rafael Benitez’s side are notorious for making life difficult for top six sides, and once again they were no walk in the park. Pl>ymaker FC Exclusive: Jermaine Jenas reveals why Tyne-Wear is a more intense derby than anything London can offer – check out the video below….Tottenham dominated the match, amassing 72 per cent of the possession and 21 of the game’s 29 shots, per BBC’s stats.Despite all the home side’s dominance though, most of their attacks were surprisingly blunt and relatively easy to deal with for the Toon Army.That was until substitute Fernando Llorente used his size to knock the ball down to Son Heung-min, whose powerful finish squirmed under the body of Dubravka.The 30 year-old has been sensational since he first arrived on Tyneside in January 2018, and fans are standing firmly behind their no. 1 despite his error.You can find some of the best Twitter reactions down below…

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Miguel Almirón completed a club record transfer to Newcastle in January and the 2018 MLS all-star brings with him loads of excitement. In 65 appearances for Atlanta United, Almirón amassed 22 goals and 21 assists, and the crafty and creative attacker earned himself Newcomer of the Year honours in 2017 before leading the expansion franchise to an MLS Cup title a year later.

The 24-year-old created international buzz as a thrilling playmaker and distributor in the final third during his time in the MLS, and this January finally made his highly-anticipated jump to Europe. After shining in the MLS, Almirón will now have the opportunity prove himself on the world’s biggest stage.

But as Rafa Benítez’s newest signing infuses excitement into the club, he also arrives with high expectations. When Almirón makes his debut, he’ll join a Newcastle team that have been held scoreless in 10 top flight matches, scored just 21 Premier League goals this campaign – better than only league punching bag Huddersfield – and sits just above the relegation with 24 points. He’s very much seen as the club’s new potential saviour.

Surely part of Almirón’s appeal to the Magpies is his goal scoring knack and ability to help the club stave off relegation, and rightly so. But to expect an immediate impact from the 24-year old fresh out of the MLS over the final 13 league matches of the season would be unfair, and the club and their supporters must be patient with the new man.

Almirón isn’t likely to settle in too fast.

For starters, the versatile forward simply may not be match fit. It’s been more than two months since Almirón and Atlanta United dispatched the Portland Timbers in the MLS Cup final on December 8th, and Newcastle’s latest addition has not played competitive football since.

Considering this, it may benefit both Almirón and Benítez’s side to hold off on a debut against Wolves and wait for a match following the coming cup break, such as Newcastle’s meetings with Huddersfield and Burnley on February 23rd and 26th respectively. A lot can be lost during an extended period off the pitch, and the more time given to fall in and regain fitness the sharper he’ll be in the early days of his Premier League career.

Possibly an even greater obstacle, though, for the young forward is the challenge of adjusting to Premier League football. Few others leagues around the world rival the competition, physicality and rigorous fixture schedules that England’s top flight offers, and the MLS is most certainly not among them.

It’s a gap that’s hindered others in the past.

In the brief history of attackers making the jump from the MLS, almost none have succeed early on; most never really succeeded at all. Clint Dempsey mustered just two goals over his first 12 appearances at Fulham in 2007, struggling early before emerging as a talented forward over his Premier League career. Others, like Landon Donovan – two goals over two loan stints with Everton –and Brek Shea – one goal over three seasons with Stoke City and Barnsley – simply never found their footing after success in the United States.

Almirón may be greater than each of his MLS predecessors in the Premier League, but their inability to perform early on provides a window of what the young forward’s first few months at Newcastle may well look like.

If there has ever been an attacking MLS import with a chance go onto a fruitful Premier League career, it’s Almirón. He possesses the skill and playmaking ability to exist and thrive in the league, and will only get better with time and development. But with the remaining time left in this 2018/19 season, his potential may not be on display, and to expect it to be is unreasonable.

Newcastle have a talented attacker on their hands, they’ll just have to be patient with him.

Chelsea will be looking to the summer as their season runs the risk of descending into a bit of chaos after a turbulent few weeks.

The Blues have found consistency hard to come by, and with various pundits claiming manager Mauro Sarri might not have long in the managerial hotseat left, it begs the question once again about the Chelsea way of doing things.

However, the summer gives the club a chance whoever the manager is to make a move in the transfer market, and we think a few new signings would go down a treat.

And one man we here at the Tavern think would be a superb addition is current Monchengladbach midfield ace Thorgan Hazard, who has developed himself into one of the finest attacking midfield players on the continent.

Hazard, who is the brother of current Chelsea superstar Eden, would surely relish the chance of playing in the English game, and he would no doubt love to prove that there is more than one Hazard who can take the Premier League by storm.

Hazard won’t come cheap mind, but Chelsea need some fresh faces, and although they previously had the young Hazard on their books, they are not averse to spending big money to bring players back who they formerly had.

A player with brilliant technique, excellent finishing ability, and the talent to change a game on it’s head in an instant, Hazard would be a solid signing for the Blues.

Chelsea fans, what do you think? Good signing? Let us know in the comments!

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Bayern Munich striker Robert Lewandowski played the full 90 minutes in his side’s 0-0 draw with Liverpool in the first leg of their Champions League last 16 tie at Anfield on Tuesday night, and Tottenham Hotspur fans were quick to compare him to Harry Kane on Twitter.

The 30-year-old started up top on his own on Merseyside and was tasked with producing an all-round centre-forward display to help the Bavarian giants get the result that they needed.

The Poland international would have hoped to get an important away goal as well but it wasn’t to be, and while he had some neat touches here and there as well as a couple of half-chances, he was largely anonymous as the hosts dominated proceedings.

Meanwhile, Kane has netted 20 goals in 31 appearances in all competitions for Spurs this term – five less than Lewandowski in the same number of outings – although he has been missing in recent weeks through injury.

Tottenham supporters took to social media to deliver their verdict on their talisman and the Bayern ace, and while one said “Harry Kane > Robert Lewandowski”, another said he’s “nowhere near the likes of Kane”.

Here is just a selection of the Twitter reaction…

Dortmund fans are amongst the best in Europe but Pl>ymaker FC’s Thogden witnessed another side to them in the video below…

Wilfried Zaha has seemingly never really been fond of refereeing in the Premier League.

He’s also never been afraid of making his thoughts known and definitely did so after being sent off last month during Crystal Palace’s 1-1 draw with Southampton. He proceeded towards applauding referee Andre Mariner’s decision even after seeing a red, forcing the FA’s fury.

What should’ve deservingly been a one-match ban, Zaha was forced to miss the FA Cup tie against Doncaster Rovers and had to pay a fine of £10,000. What started as a fiery encounter had fizzled into an unnecessary scuffle between him and the association. While The Eagles didn’t really miss their star-man against Fulham or Doncaster, the decision to extend his suspension was in poor taste.

Zaha’s been under the watchful eyes of the authorities ever since his famous post-match rant against refereeing in the league. In September, he questioned whether he’ll have his legs broken before officials take action against his offenders (via The Independent).

In a sense, he was right. Technically gifted players like him, who can dribble with ease and tend to wheeze past their defenders are often brought down with physical challenges to wound them up. Zaha’s himself suffered more than 60 fouls this season (stats via Talksport), only behind Eden Hazard.

Players like Zaha are often at the end of bone-crunching, possibly career-ending challenges. The Ivorian’s frustrations for not witnessing his offenders being reprimanded is understandable. However, despite his foolish actions, extending his suspension and fining him heavily indicates that players like him aren’t getting their protection anytime soon.

[ad_pod ]Liverpool host Watford on Wednesday night, with the two sides having had polarised weekends in the Premier League – the Reds were held to a disappointing draw against Manchester United while the Hornets demolished Cardiff.Fears over Roberto Firmino’s availability for the midweek clash after the Brazilian was replaced in the first half last time out due to injury will surely have been rife but Jurgen Klopp provided a much-needed update on Tuesday, saying:“He [Firmino] looks good, we were obviously lucky. It is not as serious as we thought in the first moment – if Bobby goes down and leaves the pitch it is always a bad sign because he’s a pretty hard boy.Check out the video below for fan reaction to Man Utd 0-0 Liverpool…“We play tomorrow and it will be very close for that, but there’s a big chance for the derby [on Sunday].“Because it’s Bobby, I would say ‘yes [there is a chance for Watford]’, but I don’t know if I would use that chance because we played Sunday and then WednesdayÂimmediately.“Writing Bobby off is a big mistake because he recovers pretty quick.â€As Klopp says, the former Hoffenheim man can usually be relied upon and rarely lets a knock keep him out for too long, however his importance to the team may mean a consequent early return to the starting XI – that could be detrimental to Liverpool if the number nine hasn’t fully recovered by Wednesday night.The German boss at least seems to understand the risks attached to bringing him back into the fold as early as the Watford clash, but it has to be said that the Reds just don’t tick the same way when the 27-year-old isn’t involved.Here’s what the Anfield faithful had to say on Twitter, with many surely surprised Firmino is even a possible starter having limped off with crutches on Sunday…

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West Ham United midfielder Manuel Lanzini is back in action.

After suffering a heartbreaking knee injury that ruined his World Cup dream, the Argentina international made his comeback in the 3-1 win over Fulham at the end of February.

On the chalkboard

Since his return, which was greeted with a rapturous reception at the London Stadium, Lanzini has played in every possible game for the Hammers.

After 14 minutes against Fulham, the playmaker played 45 against Manchester City and the full 90 versus Newcastle United.

The Hammers, it is perhaps no coincidence to note, won two of those games.

And yet manager Manuel Pellegrini would do well to tread softly.

Lanzini is clearly not yet up to full speed and playing him consistently only runs the risk of wearing down a player who has spent nearly a year on the sidelines.

Against Newcastle, per WhoScored, he had two shots on goal and one dribble. He was fouled once, dispossessed once and failed to complete a key pass. He also had four unsuccessful touches.

Add into that the fact that he made one interception and two fouls – plus zero tackles – and it is clear to see this is a player who has yet to hit his stride.

The most eye-catching statistic against the Magpies was his pass completion rate, which stood at 96.9%, but this is perhaps evidence that he is not attempting to do what he so regularly did last season and pick the lock of the opposition defence, instead opting to recycle the ball and hoping someone else will do it for him.

Bench him

West Ham face Cardiff City this weekend in a game that Pellegrini’s men will be expected to win.

Yes, Neil Warnock’s side are battling bravely against relegation, but they have been in truly woeful form and have not won any of their last three games. Instead, they have lost to Watford, Everton and Wolves by an aggregate score of 10-1.

There is no better time to allow Lanzini to rest, recuperate and restore his focus, particularly with an international break on the horizon.

The likes of Robert Snodgrass and Michail Antonio can handle the pressure of supplying the chances against Cardiff but if it doesn’t go to plan, Lanzini will be there on the bench.

It is a low-risk strategy from the former Manchester City manager and it should ultimately help the diminutive star get back to his best once the Premier League reconvenes at the end of the month.

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Crystal Palace fell to a gutting 2-1 defeat at the hands of their bitter rivals Brighton on Saturday, with the result meaning that both clubs are now level on points with eight games to go.

The Seagulls had one real opportunity to score – Anthony Knockaert’s winner simply cannot be called a chance – and took advantage, with former Eagle Glenn Murray capitalising on a combination of swirling wind and poor judgement on James Tomkins’ part to get in behind and fire clinically beyond a helpless Vicente Guaita.

The aforementioned clinching goal scored by Knockaert was a result of a breakdown of Palace possession in the final third and an excellently picked out pass out to the wing from Dale Stephens, who then watched his French teammate beat Patrick van Aanholt far too easily and offload a postage-stamp strike into the top corner from outside the box.

Roy Hodgson’s side took their time to build up and create chances while Brighton won the ball back and had it in their opposition’s net merely seconds later.

Chris Hughton’s men soaked up pressure excellently and looked to hit their hosts on the counter wherever possible – it worked, and the Seagulls beat Palace at their own game.

Prior to the loss, the Eagles had torn Burnley apart at Turf Moor in a stellar away performance where the Clarets were the aggressors – as the home side often are – and Palace were dangerous every time they got the ball forward with speed.

The impressive victory was far from a fluke, though, as Palace’s form away from Selhurst Park is up there with the top teams in 2019, whereas their record at SE25 this season if woeful.

The defeat to Brighton was their eighth of the campaign at home and the loss will surely serve as an indicator to everyone at and involved with Palace that there is a clear need for a classic number 10 in the ranks when they aren’t afforded space for counter-attacks.

Now, Max Meyer may seem to be a ready-made solution but the young German often doesn’t get his head up quick enough to find the killer pass and, by the time he does, the opposition midfield or defence is on him like a pack of wolves – at 5-foot-7, the former Schalke man doesn’t have the physical attributes to keep the ball.

Meyer has wasted his opportunities when deployed in his preferred central role this season and looks far more effective in a wider position, where he is allowed to drift in – he isn’t the player to resolve Palace’s struggles in breaking down deep-sat opposition.

Hodgson currently seems to prefer Luka Milivojevic as his playmaker in chief, with the two central midfielders ahead of the Palace captain expected to make runs into the box off of Andros Townsend and Wilfried Zaha – really, they should be teeing up the aforementioned duo instead.

This approach was extremely ineffective against the Seagulls, whose banks of four and five swamped the Palace runners and made the lives of Jeffrey Schlupp and James McArthur very difficult – the midfield pair took half as many touches as Milivojevic, who sat back and struggled to pick them out with regularity.

Palace have to ease the burden on the Serb by signing a proper number 10 ahead of the 19/20 season – it may require a change of system but the Eagles need a player who can split a compact defence otherwise they risk allowing their terrible record at Selhurst Park to carry on into next season.

It’s all well and good getting plenty of players forward but if you can’t provide that pin-point pass into their feet then they are useless and you leave yourself exposed on the counter.

Prior to Michy Batshuayi’s arrival at SE25 in January, the primary concern was the lack of a proven goalscorer but even Christian Benteke would have been more effective than his far superior compatriot in this game as Palace’s midfielders were incapable of spotting his runs.

Which player with “no potential” has just been named Crystal Palace’s worst ever January signing? Find out in the video below…

Perhaps they are still adjusting to the forward’s play style and learning when they should look up for him but, regardless, the quality of pass was rarely there – McArthur, in particular, was guilty of sloppy distribution.

There is no point having a top striker like Batshuayi, who took just 34 touches on Saturday, in the ranks if you don’t have the players who can see the runs in behind he makes – the priority in the summer, then, is to sign a top playmaker first, then worry about getting that goalscorer.

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West Bromwich Albion would have hoped they were getting a player who would really make a big impact in the final third for them in the second half of the season when they signed Jacob Murphy on loan from Newcastle United during the January transfer window, but it hasn’t really worked out that way.

Two goals in seven Championship appearances so far may look impressive on paper, but given he is a player who should be fighting to prove that he should be a starter at St James’ Park the 24-year-old simply hasn’t been good enough.

Having been left on the substitutes’ bench for the defeat against Leeds United earlier this month, he played the full 90 in the disappointing 1-1 draw against Ipswich Town at the weekend that ultimately brought an end to Darren Moore’s reign, but he was given a chance of a reprieve by caretaker boss Jimmy Shan against Swansea City at The Hawthorns on Wednesday.

West Brom fans will want to cover their ears for the video below…

However the wide man failed to take his chance and, according to The Birmingham Mail’s West Brom correspondent Paul Suart’s player ratings, isn’t bringing much to the team at the moment.

He’s right as well.

Murphy failed to have a single shot during his 68 minutes on the pitch before being replaced by Hal Robson-Kanu, while he also failed to make a key pass and was successful with only one of his four attempted crosses as he wasted many opportunities when in decent areas.

Perhaps most worrying was his general demeanour and attitude, as he seemed unwilling to put in the yards for his team and didn’t seem overly committed when it came to 50/50 challenges for the ball.

If reports are to be believed, West Brom will take their time to appoint Moore’s successor and the Magpies loanee needs to seriously buck up his ideas if he wants to be anywhere near the XI under whoever the new manager might be.

It’s not only in the short-term that he needs to prove himself though, because his Newcastle career will go up in flames if he continues in the same manner he is right now.