All posts by z3u9t.icu

Some Southampton fans have taken to Twitter to heap praise on Danny Ings, after the in-form striker kept his rich vein of form going with a goal against Wolves.The former Liverpool forward – who cost the Saints £20m – has now scored five goals in his last four games in all competitions.

Ings started his fine run with a double in the south coast derby game against Portsmouth, before finding the net against Tottenham, Chelsea and then Wolves in the 1-1 draw last time out.

The Southampton No.9 had six shots against the Midlands-based side, hitting the target with three of them while also winning three fouls.

Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side have only scored nine league goals this term, with Ings responsible for four of them.

One fan below said that the 1-cap England international is going to be “pivotal” to the Saints this year, whilst another supporter said that he can’t understand why some give Ings stick.

Let’s take a look at what some more of the Southampton fans on Twitter have been saying about Ings…

[ad_pod ]

This article is part of Football FanCast’s Loan Watch series, which takes a closer look at those players who are aiming to galvanise their careers away from the spotlight of their parent club.

Bournemouth came away from Southampton with a fantastic result on Friday night in the south coast derby.

The Cherries went 2-0 up early on thanks to goals from Nathan Ake and Harry Wilson and, although James Ward-Prowse converted a penalty early in the second half, Eddie Howe’s team held their nerve and even added some gloss to the result with a late Callum Wilson finish.

For the former Wilson, it is his third goal in five league matches since joining on loan from Liverpool. Whilst he is clearly showing he has the goalscoring touch in the top tier, the rest of his performance proves that he still has some way to go before earning a place in Jurgen Klopp’s side.

Watch Liverpool Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

Hitting the back of the net can often hide the poor overall quality of a display, and that was the case with the 22-year-old here. Despite playing on the right of the midfield, a position that demands strong attacking threat, the former Derby County loanee struggled to have any impact on proceedings other than his strike.

Throughout the match, he failed to create a single chance and did not manage to beat his man even on one occasion, while also not attempting a single cross.

His 73.7% passing accuracy was only bettered by Ake amongst his teammates, but one would expect a player of Wilson’s quality to be less careless on the ball. At Anfield, he would be required to find his man an awful lot more than that.

Howe clearly wasn’t overjoyed with his showing, bringing him off for Ryan Fraser with 28 minutes left on the clock. From a Bournemouth perspective, his lack of offensive contribution will not be too much of an issue as they ended up victorious. Klopp, though, will surely have an eye on his player’s progress, and will be wanting to see more from him throughout the rest of the campaign.

Joel Matip has been ruled out of Liverpool’s clash with Red Bull Salzburg through injury, with Xherdan Shaqiri also failing to recover from an injury he picked up a little more than a week ago.

The absence of the defender is more of a concern for fans, however, as he has been in fine form recently, winning the man of the match award for his display against Chelsea whilst also receiving plaudits from Ian Wright for his performance against Sheffield United.

Watch Liverpool Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

Speaking on Match of the Day, as quoted by The Metro, Wright said: “In defence he was absolutely brilliant. And when he didn’t have the option to pass it forward he just ran it forward with confidence. Brilliant play. He was absolutely brilliant today.”

Alongside Virgil van Dijk he may not have kept as many clean sheets as Jurgen Klopp may have liked, but the Reds have only conceded four goalas in the six league games he has played, and the Cameroon international has grown into a commanding defender.

As a result, some fans are disappointed to see him miss out, but others see it as an opportunity for Joe Gomez to step up and impress, and they believe he is capable of doing so.

Here is some of the mixed reaction from Liverpool fans, with some concerned by the news and others choosing to be optimistic by looking to his replacement.

Chelsea midfielder Mateo Kovacic has returned to the club’s training ground in Cobham, as he ramps up his recovery from an achilles injury sustained against Sheffield United last weekend, via football.london.

[ad_pod ]

The Croatian was sent home early from international duty on Monday, after medical examinations revealed that he has an inflamed achilles and will not be able to play a part in his national side’s upcoming Euro 2020 qualifiers against Slovakia and Azerbaijan.

The 25-year-old will hope to be fit for Chelsea’s trip to Wolves on 14 September, though an official date has yet to be placed on his return to action.

Kovacic’s injury will come as a blow to Chelsea, who are already missing Callum Hudson-Odoi, Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Antonio Rudiger and N’Golo Kante through injury, though the latter two names on that list are expected to return to the first-team fold after the international break, per football.london.

Hudson-Odoi could return at the end of this month, however, which will come as extremely welcome news to the Blues, who are yet to see the 18-year-old in action this term. Loftus-Cheek is making a steady recovery from the achilles injury he sustained at the end of last season, but won’t be fit enough to play until earliest November, according to Physio Room.

Kovacic has started this season promisingly for Chelsea, providing one assist for the west Londoners in his opening four Premier League appearances.

The former Real Madrid man has also averaged an 87.7% pass success rate, alongside 2 tackles and 3.3 dribbles per match so far (via WhoScored), so will be sorely missed if he does not make a recovery in time for the Blues’ trip to Molineux on 14 September.

Chelsea fans, just how important is Kovacic for you this season? Let us know in the comments below!

[ad_pod ]

This article is part of Football FanCast’s Opinion series, which provides analysis, insight and opinion on any issue within the beautiful game, from Paul Pogba’s haircuts to League Two relegation battles…

After the departure of Rafa Benitez earlier this summer, Newcastle fans were understandably in uproar. The Spaniard had carved out a cult hero status at St James’ Park, and it felt like a sense of Armageddon. Just how were the Magpies going to move forward? In the end, Mike Ashley opted for the safe option. A tried-and-trusted entity in Steve Bruce who has been around the proverbial block.

The moment the former Sunderland boss was confirmed as manager, he was already facing an uphill task. What the club needed was a shot in the arm. A risk. A punt on someone who fits the modern-style of ‘coach’ dominating the Premier League scene. Someone like Mikel Arteta.

Watch Newcastle United Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

The ex-Arsenal midfielder has built a stellar reputation for himself at Manchester City as Pep Guardiola’s number two, and saw his name linked with the top job at Newcastle this summer.

Judging by the level of praise Guardiola has bestowed upon his assistant, it really does beg the question – why didn’t Newcastle aggressively pursue the Spaniard?

Speaking back in May of 2018, the former Barcelona boss said of Arteta: “What we have done this season, Mikel his contribution was outstanding, amazing, we work together so good.”

To get a glowing endorsement from one of the best managers in the world is a massive seal of approval for Arteta. Working as a number two under Guardiola would have given him ample time to absorb important ideas, and naturally would have brought with him a desire to play attacking football.

Speaking to SER Catalunya, via The Chronicle, the former Everton midfielder admitted this week: “Sometimes, I was about to leave, but I stopped myself. The first (time) was different, the second was mostly me. I am not in a hurry and I have not felt that I need to take the step.”

Whilst Arteta himself may have intimated he didn’t feel ready to step into the shoes of management, Newcastle may have benefited hugely by simply taking a chance on him. It would have helped galvanise the fan-base. Going for someone like Bruce who has hardly pulled up any trees was plain boring, even if the Northumberland-born boss does keep them up.

Going for Arteta would have come with an exciting risk-factor and brought a sense of intrigue to the Magpies faithful.

As Spanish football expert Guillem Balague remarked: “It’s not difficult to imagine that his time spent under the coaching wing of Guardiola has been like a PhD course.”

If spending time under Guardiola was the degree, then Newcastle should have been Arteta’s first step out into the real world.

[ad_pod ]

[ad_pod ]

Newcastle fans have taken to Twitter in panicked fashion after Rafa Benitez’s £6m ‘shackle’ clause at the club expired, meaning that he could leave the club with no consequences, as reported by The Daily Mail.

The Spaniard previously would have had to pay a £6m fee to the Magpies if he wanted to leave before the end of his contract, but now that clause has expired, fans are worried that the former Liverpool boss has had enough of Mike Ashley’s nonsense.

When quizzed on if he would walk if Newcastle failed to sign anyone before Thursday’s deadline, Benitez simply said, as quoted by The Daily Mail: “‘We will wait until Thursday and see what happens.”

Pretty ambiguous stuff, it must be said – although Newcastle are now closing in on a deal for Miguel Almiron, per BBC Sport.

The subject of Benitez’s future resurfaced in his press conference after the Magpies’ win over Manchester City, and while he seemed keen to quash rumours of an abrupt exit, he didn’t completely rule out the notion either. As quoted by The Chronicle (22:28), he said; “I didn’t say I will leave. I said I am a professional and I have my principles and I will do my job until the last minute.”

Check out Neymar’s controversial new haircut for 2019 and Xherdan Shaqiri as you’ve never seen him before in the video below…

With the club from Tyneside already sat precariously above the drop zone, their survival hopes would be hanging by a thread if Benitez were to walk away from St James’ Park.

Understandably, fans of the club are petrified if their reactions on Twitter are anything to go by…

Norwich City star Teemu Pukki has been voted the PFA Bristol Street Motors Fans’ Premier League Player of the Month for August.

In a vote run by fan engagement experts Snack Media, the Canaries striker won with a clear majority of the vote, 54%, beating Aston Villa’s Tyrone Mings, who finished in second place with 18%, as well as Manchester City duo Kevin De Bruyne and Raheem Sterling, Chelsea’s Mason Mount and Burnley’s Ashley Barnes.

In the first of five divisional votes carried out over nine days via Snack’s digital and social networks and supported by top flight football clubs and the press, the Finn’s fantastic start to the season which saw him bag five goals in three games – including a hat-trick against Newcastle – earned him the Premier League award for August.

The full list of contenders from the final shortlist polled as follows:

– Teemu Pukki, 54%

– Tyrone Mings, 18%

– Mason Mount, 12%

– Ashley Barnes, 6%

– Kevin De Bruyne, 6%

– Raheem Sterling, 5%

Lots of Everton fans have been left buzzing over some injury news that has emerged ahead of their game away at Norwich City in the Premier League.

As per The Athletic journalist Patrick Boyland, Dominic Calvert-Lewin, Richarlison and Yerry Mina are all now back in training for the Goodison Park faithful, meaning that they could all feature against the Canaries if deemed fit enough.

All three of them rank among the Merseyside club’s ten best players so far this season, according to WhoScored, with Calvert-Lewin number one.

The striker has scored three goals in the four matches that he has played in the Premier League this term, and having him back with Richarlison will certainly give Rafa Benitez’s team more of a goal threat, while Mina provides another solid option defensively.

Everton fans on injury news

These Toffees buzzed as the injury news was shared on Twitter, with one Blues supporter even going as far as to claim that it was a ‘huge boost’:

“Good news Boyland at the back post!!!”

Credit: @EFCMatt1

“Huge boost for weekend hopefully”

Credit: @GraemeMcV

“Yesssssss”

Credit: @Foxy0580

“Cracking news this”

Credit: @Byrdsman75

“Brilliant. Start all 3 on Saturday imo”

Credit: @CBobblers1878

“Things you love to see”

Credit: @JGreenway8

In other news, find out which EFC ace’s claim has fans speculating here!

Everton were reportedly interviewing former Fenerbahce manager Vitor Pereira on Monday afternoon, with a number of candidates already holding talks with the club, but there is one manager who would be the perfect fit over all the potential candidates.

Duncan Ferguson has taken on the role as the caretaker manager whilst Farhad Moshiri decides on his sixth manager since he became owner of the club in 2016, and the fans have had just about as much as they can take from the board, with protests taking stage at the last few games, which have both ended in defeat for the Toffees.

Ferguson is a club legend and hero at the club, as he played most of his career at Goodison Park and won the last trophy Everton have achieved back in 1995 when he won the FA Cup, the fans adore him and his passion for the club, but his lack of senior managerial experience leaves the question as to whether he is able to lead the side out of the tumultuous situation they have found themselves in during the Premier League campaign.

However, there could be another candidate for the job who is loved by the fans and has a connection to the club who would be the perfect fit in the eyes of the Everton supporters, with Wayne Rooney one potential suitor that has been named.

Rooney began his iconic career at Goodison Park, with 117 appearances, 28 goals and four assists, rising through the ranks from the youth team before eventually signing for Manchester United in 2004 when he caught the eye of Sir Alex Ferguson.

The rest was history, until he made a surprising return to the club for one season in 2017 towards the end of his career.

The Evertonian who was hailed “incredible” by former QPR midfielder Shaun Derry, is currently managing Derby County, where he is doing an exceptional job given the financial turmoil that saw them hit with a 21 point deduction this season but their league position due to that is not a reflection of Rooney’s work at the club, with the side only losing eight of their last 27 matches, and only eight points adrift of safety.

The 36-year-old refused to rule himself out of taking the role at Everton when asked about it in his press conference last week, where he said: “I’m flattered to get brought up in those conversations, but I know Everton know that to have any communication with me they have to go through the administrators.”

Rooney has an invaluable connection to the club that will push him to do whatever it takes to pull Everton back into safety amid a potential relegation battle and an understanding of the fans expectations being a fan of the club himself.

Thus, if Moshiri wants to get the fans back on board and create a harmonious atmosphere at Goodison Park, the ex-Everton star is surely the right man for the job.

In other news: Moshiri must sign Dele Alli following Doucoure injury

Aston Villa and Leeds have both approached West Ham over a possible move for Manuel Lanzini, according to TEAMtalk.

The Lowdown: Gerrard’s huge January kitty

Steven Gerrard looks set to be a busy man in the New Year in what will be his first transfer window as Villa boss.

A new centre-back and a defensive midfielder are reportedly his main priorities, with Marvelous Nakamba suffering a serious knee injury in recent weeks.

He’s been promised a huge transfer kitty by NSWE, and it appears as if attacking midfielder Lanzini is a player of interest to Gerrard and sporting director Johan Lange.

The Latest: Villa’s enquiry

TEAMtalk shared a story on Wednesday evening suggesting both Villa and Leeds made it clear to the Hammers they are keen on the Argentine.

West Ham were open to an exit earlier in the season, but they have rebuffed approaches regarding a January transfer involving Lanzini.

The 28-year-old, labelled as a ‘top player’ by Darren Bent, has made 20 appearances in all competitions this season, with his three league starts coming in the last three fixtures.

The Verdict: Priorities

Gerrard and Lange’s main focus should be on a holding midfielder in January, so their failed approach for Lanzini shouldn’t be viewed as a disaster at this moment in time.

The club have just Douglas Luiz as the only available senior defensive midfield option following Nakamba’s injury. Should they get one in early next month, then perhaps a move for an attacking midfielder could be of use, with Jacob Ramsey the club’s only out and out attacking midfielder.

However, Gerrard has plenty of wide attacking talent on the books who could adapt to a central role, but losing Luiz alongside Nakamba and not bringing in a replacement could be extremely worrying.

In other news: ‘Disgrace’ – Lots of Villa fans fume as ‘ridiculous’ pre-Chelsea update emerges.