All posts by h716a5.icu

Joelinton badly betrayed Steve Bruce by producing a horror show performance as Newcastle United’s sole centre-forward in his side’s 2-0 defeat to Manchester City on Boxing Day.

Bruce was forced into facing Pep Guardiola’s Sky Blues without the Toon’s leading goalscorer Callum Wilson after the eight-goal striker sustained a knock that prevented his involvement.

Wilson was sorely missed by the visiting Magpies side throughout Joelinton’s time on the field, which ended whilst when he was replaced midway through the second half by Andy Carroll, with Bruce seeing United’s record-signing forced off after sustaining an apparent hip injury.

Joelinton often lacked any clear intelligence with his forward runs and hardly displayed any serious threat to Ederson’s net, as he rarely acted as Newcastle’s main goal threat whilst the now-£18m-rated man earned his 13th outing of the Premier League season.

The 24-year-old had struck just one goal in his prior 12 appearances this term and Bruce will be hoping for positive news on Wilson’s fitness ahead of the game against champions Liverpool on Wednesday night.

Joelinton was far worse than Matt Ritchie against Manchester City, despite Bruce feeling the need to haul the former AFC Bournemouth maestro off after 66 minutes having seen the winger lose all five of his ground duels and possession 14 times, per SofaScore.

Joelinton was by far the worst-performing Newcastle player at the Etihad Stadium on Boxing Day, where he lost four of his five ground duels, five of 11 aerial contests and possession 11 times while failing to direct his sole shot of the night on target.

Bruce never saw Joelinton attempt, let alone complete, a dribble, either, as he sought to palm off possession with 11 accurate passes despite taking 30 touches of which, a majority came in the middle third of the pitch.

The Brazilian attacker was additionally caught offside once, committed two fouls and offered zero key passes, and will now be fearing for his place in the starting line-up regardless of the extent of his potential hip injury.

Should Wilson not be passed fit to face Liverpool, Bruce will be able to call on Andy Carroll or Dwight Gayle after the pair entered the action as late substitutes on Saturday night.

AND in other news, a Newcastle gem with his “best years ahead” was Steve Bruce’s sole positive at Brentford.

Steven Bergwijn has been quite the enigma at Tottenham Hotspur since his arrival nearly a year ago.

The 23-year-old arrived from PSV Eindhoven last January for around €30m (£26.5m) as one of Jose Mourinho’s first signings at the club. He has since seen his value rocket to a whopping €70m (£62m) as per the CIES Football Observatory.

But why?

Supporters on social media have gotten on his back at times, and on the face of it, it appears quite reasonable as he’s not scored since a 1-1 draw with Manchester City, which was Spurs’ first game back after the temporary break in June.

The general consensus

The north Londoners romped to a 3-0 victory over Leeds United on Saturday afternoon, a victory which moved them to third place in the Premier League.

Bergwijn was one of the few disappointments as he missed a sitter at 1-0. He also successfully pulled off just one of his three dribble attempts, fired three shots without scoring, won just 25% of his duels, and was dribbled past twice, via SofaScore.

It led to the following reactions on Twitter…

Unjust?

Indeed, the Dutch international has struggled in terms of goal contributions having provided only four assists in 19 appearances this term, but many in N17 need to realise the greater impact he is having under Mourinho.

In some ways, he has become his sacrificial lamb on that right-flank.

Per FBref, only three other players are pressing more than Bergwijn in the final third of the pitch and those three are managing more minutes, so it’s not completely reflective of his true potential.

This much is backed up by his heat map for the season, via SofaScore:

Clearly, he is involved way more than what is perceived – the map above shows he is contributing defensively just as much as he is up the field.

Without his presence against Leicester, Mourinho’s side were utterly dominated as the Foxes ran away with a 2-0 victory, so it can’t be a coincidence that Spurs pick up their first win in five games with Bergwijn back in the starting XI.

There’s a reason why journalists (The Extra Inch via This is Futbol) have lauded him a “really special” talent and “more effective than [Lucas] Moura” in the past.

Get off his back, Spurs fans.

AND in other news, Pathetic Spurs star who lost possession 19 TIMES badly betrayed Mourinho…

West Brom are set to have club captain Kyle Bartley available for the Black Country derby this weekend, according to the Express & Star.

The 29-year-old lasted only an hour in last weekend’s FA Cup defeat to Blackpool but it appears as if he made it through unscathed and is now in line to start against Wolves on Saturday.

Bartley had missed five straight matches with a calf injury.

Although it’s a big boost to have your skipper back for one of the biggest games of the season, it does give Baggies boss Sam Allardyce a selection headache.

The last thing a struggling side like Albion needs is to constantly chop and change players, especially in a leaky defence that ranks worst in the Premier League.

“We can’t make too many rotations so it’s going to be a big ask for some of the players,” said the 66-year-old earlier this week.

It seems as if Big Sam had settled for Semi Ajayi and Dara O’Shea in recent matches, though Bartley’s return throws doubt into that continuing for much longer.

And with another game on Tuesday night against West Ham, there’s no guarantee that the former Leeds colossus even starts up at Molineux.

Allardyce also told reporters, via the E&S:

“Kyle had to come off after 60 minutes according to our sports science and medical staff. We didn’t want to fatigue him and get another injury,” before adding: “It was about getting him in and trying to win that game and saving him for the game next week against Wolves, then we have a midweek game against West Ham.”

In the absence of an out-and-out defensive midfielder, Ajayi moved into the role as they were dumped out of the cup, so there’s a chance that he sticks with the same defence that leaked two goals to League One Seasiders, which would mean Ivanovic partnering Bartley despite neither completing the full 90 minutes in preparation for this huge clash.

Bartley’s return would be seen as a major positive in a game like this as Allardyce needs a leader to step up and stop the rot of leaking so many goals.

Former caretaker boss Jimmy Shan once dubbed him a “natural -born leader” as he’s a “voice in the changing room” and a “real competitor,” which is exactly what Albion need right now.

If 100% fit, he should start against the Baggies’ arch-rivals in what is the first Black Country derby in nine years.

AND in other news, Dowling heading for an unforgivable West Brom disaster over £30k-p/w gem…

Every club has them. The ones that got away, the nearly and not-so-nearly deals.

Glasgow Rangers themselves are no exception to the rule, having signed some great players, but missed out on some even greater ones.

Rangers were by no means quiet in the extended summer transfer window, bringing in the likes of Cedric Itten and Kemar Roofe on four-year deals for undisclosed fees, although they missed out on signing former Peterborough United striker Ivan Toney.

However, if they had stuck to their guns, they could have had one of the Sky Bet Championship’s hottest young talents on their books.

Indeed, it seems Ross Wilson and co. have missed the chance to sign Bright Osayi-Samuel, with Football Insider’s Wayne Veysey saying Fenerbahce have pipped Rangers to the signing of the Queens Park Rangers winger.

The 23-year-old is set to swap the Championship for the sunny heights of the Super Lig after opting to leave the Kiyan Prince Foundation Stadium.

QPR director of football Les Ferdinand has given the green light for Osayi-Samuel to complete the move for a fee believed to be in the region of £700,000 in a big blow for Steven Gerrard.

The Nigerian has genuinely been one of the best players in the Championship, given his decent record for the R’s – 13 goals and 13 assists in 115 appearances, albeit a substantial amount of those from the bench.

Rangers and several clubs south of the border were interested in the £3m-rated ace, but Fenerbahce have beaten them to the post for a player who was dubbed “dangerous” by Mark Warburton.

Not that he’d like to admit it, but their failure to sign Osayi-Samuel will have left Gerrard with a sour taste after their inability to strike a deal with the Championship club for little more than a compensation fee.

Ryan Kent has long been considered Gerrard’s first-choice left winger, with the Light Blues boss not adverse to starting Ianis Hagi on the left wing. However, although Rangers have three other options out wide in Brandon Barker, Jordan Jones and Glenn Middleton, his squad options are thin in that area, as both Barker and Jones are considered surplus to requirements.

It seems Gerrard has made it a winter priority to give himself plenty of alternatives after links to the likes of Francis Amuzu and Scott Wright.

In Osayi-Samuel, however, not only would he have been able to provide cover for Kent, he would also have been able to provide competition as well. After all, he is currently averaging 2.8 dribbles per game so far this season, which is more than Kent himself (1.9).

His ability to play on both wings will also be an added bonus for Fenerbahce and a bitter note for Gerrard.

AND in other news, Rangers would be signing another Ryan Kent in Francis Amuzu…

Liverpool have reportedly been offered West Ham centre-back Winston Reid ahead of transfer deadline day, but signing him would be a big mistake by the Reds.

What’s the word?

According to the Daily Star, West Ham have offered the Reds the chance to sign Reid before the transfer window shuts, as an alternative to Issa Diop – who has also been linked with a move to Anfield in recent days.

Liverpool already look set to bring Preston North End’s Ben Davies to Merseyside, but according to the print version of the Monday edition of The Times they could look to bring in another defender too on deadline day.

The 32-year-old would offer Jurgen Klopp some experience in his backline, something which he currently lacks, and is reportedly readily available, having recently featured for the Hammers’ U23 side.

Would he be a good signing?

Reid’s best days are unfortunately behind him. The New Zealand international was regarded one of the best defenders outside the top six a few years ago but now hasn’t appeared in the top-flight since the 2017/18 season.

Injury issues have proved to be a real problem for the 6 ft 3 centre-back, with his most recent knee injury ruling him out for as many as 53 games between 2017 and 2019.

In fact, he appears to be even more injury-prone than Liverpool’s Joel Matip, who has spent a significant amount of time on the sidelines in recent seasons, but his longest lay-off was for 20 games in the 2019/20 season.

The experienced defender spent last season on loan with Sporting Kansas City in the MLS, where he would make 12 appearances in all competitions, which will have helped to build his fitness back up, but it is hardly of the same standard of the Premier League.

Therefore, it would be a baffling decision to bring in Reid, who has managed just one appearance in the Premier League 2 this season, as the last thing Klopp needs in his squad is a defender who is likely to spend more time on the sidelines than he will on the pitch – so sporting director Michael Edwards must steer well clear of him in the next couple of days, no matter how desperate Liverpool get.

And, in other news… LFC handed big transfer blow as reported bid for “natural leader” CB rejected

Liverpool earned successive 3-1 away wins in the capital as they triumphed against West Ham at the London Stadium on Sunday afternoon.

A brace from Mohamed Salah and a goal from Georginio Wijnaldum were enough to seal the win before Craig Dawson’s late consolation earned a touch of credibility for David Moyes’ side.

Whilst Salah will rightly get a lot of credit for his two world-class goals in the second half, it was perhaps Jordan Henderson’s performance that will delight Klopp the most, as he produced another solid display in an unfamiliar position.

As per SofaScore, the Liverpool captain would earn a strong 7.0 rating for his display, with only Wijnaldum, Xherdan Shaqiri, Thiago and Salah rated higher.

The 31-year-old was featuring as a centre-back once again on Sunday, following the injuries to Joel Matip and Fabinho earlier in the week, but he showed that he can be relied upon when needed.

During the game, Henderson would contest four duels with West Ham players. He would win all of them.

This is even more impressive when you consider the physical nature of Moyes’ side, which boasts the likes of Tomas Soucek, Dawson and Michail Antonio, to name just a few.

The 30-year-old would enjoy 95 touches of the ball against West Ham, which was 55 more than Hammers centre-back Angelo Ogbonna, whilst 80/89 of his passes would find a Liverpool shirt, resulting in a solid 90% pass accuracy – more than his season average of 87.2%.

Despite playing at the back, Henderson was still able to showcase his passing ability, as he contributed one key pass, which was more than both of West Ham’s central midfielders and more than his average of 0.6 in the Premier League so far this season.

Last year, Klopp was full of praise for his captain, saying:

“He is exceptional; he is outstanding.”

Therefore, whilst Salah was the hero for Liverpool with his brace, Henderson’s near-perfect display against an in-form West Ham side means that he should earn a lot of plaudits too.

And, in other news… LFC dealt big transfer blow as reported bid for “natural leader” CB rejected

Leeds United narrowly lost to Wolves in the Premier League on Friday night, however talisman Patrick Bamford believes VAR denied the club of getting some points out of the game.

Bamford fumes at VAR

The striker thought he had equalised in the second-half following a nice strike, but it was ruled out as offside. Looking back at the decision, you can see that there is only a few millimetres in the decision. Bamford tweeted: “Gutted for the lads tonight, robbed of a point but at least it’s ‘mAkInG tHe GaMe BeTtEr’ we go again Tuesday”

The striker has a point

Bamford has indeed had a great campaign so far this season, scoring twelve Premier League goals in 20 appearances (Transfermarkt). He has received praise by many, one being Gabriel Agbonlahor, who said: “He’s been outstanding”

As well as his twelve goals, Bamford has also picked up five assists and managed 3.3 shots per game (WhoScored). Without his eleven goals, Leeds would be a lot closer to the relegation zone than they currently are. With it being mentioned by many that Bamford could possibly get an England call-up, the amount of goals he can get this season matters massively.

When the decision is so tight, it seems silly to not give the decision to the attacker, as he is not getting an advantage from being millimetres offside. This plus him battling for an England spot emphasises that it is understandable to see him so frustrated at the goal being disallowed.

In other Leeds news, one star has been praised by legend Deco, have a read who it is here!

According to a recent report, Tottenham Hotspur paid an agent a multi-million-pound fee for the transfer of one of the club’s summer signings.

The report by Football Insider claimed that a ‘recruitment source’ has revealed, as part of Tottenham’s deal to sign Wolverhampton Wanderers right-back Matt Doherty last summer, that Daniel Levy and the Spurs board paid super-agent Jorge Mendes a £6m fee.

As a result, it is reported that only around £10m of the figure Tottenham paid for the £18m-rated defender actually went to the selling club, with the remainder going directly to Mendes.

Transfer Tavern Take

While it is questionable whether Doherty has been worth the £15.12m with which Jose Mourinho’s side parted in order secure his signing last summer – as the 29-year-old has featured in just 12 Premier League games so far this season, over which he has averaged a rather disappointing WhoScored match rating of 6.65 – from Tottenham’s point of view, to whom exactly the Doherty transfer money went is not likely to be a great cause for concern.

The issue would appear to be more of a relevant point for Wolves, who, if Football Insider are to be believed, saw around a third of the transfer fee received for the sale of their fifth-best player in the league last season pocketed by Mendes.

In other Tottenham news, this Spurs transfer admission lifted the lid on a failed Daniel Levy coup with Pochettino – find out more here!

West Brom will be looking to continue their recent form on Thursday night as they welcome one of Sam Allardyce’s former sides, Everton, to The Hawthorns.

On the face of it, things are starting to turn around for the 66-year-old, having steered his side to an unbeaten run of three matches, in which they have conceded only one goal.

However, the test of the Toffees is a big one as they too have enjoyed an upturn in results, winning back-to-back league outings to move into seventh place, and a win here would see them move into the top four.

Big Sam may find it hard to alter much of his starting lineup considering they have not lost in three games, but there is one move he should make…

On the Chalkboard

January arrival and Premier League veteran Robert Snodgrass should be available for selection following injury, having missed the draw to Burnley and the win over Brighton.

Speaking ahead of the encounter, Allardyce said, via Albion’s official website: “He’s back in the squad and ready to go.”

Therefore, he should come straight back in as his experience (169 PL appearances) and know-how will be invaluable against Carlo Ancelotti’s men, particularly in battling their impressive attack of Richarlison, Dominic Calvert-Lewin and James Rodriguez.

The latter of which is likely to be Snodgrass’ opposite number, if selected.

Ancelotti hinted that he could well be available to face the Baggies this week, so Allardyce must prepare to face either him or Alex Iwobi on that right flank, which is where the Scotsman comes in.

Rodriguez is Everton’s joint-second top goalscorer on five goals, while only one other player has provided more assists (four), via WhoScored, so straight away, it is clear to see how important he is to the Toffees’ cause.

Similarly. the World Cup sensation tops the charts for creating chances, averaging 2.1 key passes per 90 minutes. By comparison, this is the same number we’ve seen from Matheus Pereira this term, and we know how reliant Albion can be on him as a playmaking outlet.

The 33-year-old veteran seems well-equipped to deal with whatever is thrown his way. He sits second amongst this West Brom squad for tackles per game (2.5), which is a telling sign of his relentless work-rate as he’s often deployed as a winger.

This means he’s tracking back and helping out his defence – he could form quite the wall alongside Conor Towsend on that left flank to thwart and silence the threat that Rodriguez possesses.

Snodgrass is even managing two clearances and nearly five duels won per game, which only bolsters his capability to stop the opposition in their tracks.

The versatile £20k-per-week gem has been dubbed the “whole package” and a “huge character” since joining the Baggies at the start of the year, and he’s exactly the sort of player you bring straight back in when available.

He simply must start instead of Matty Phillips against the Toffees on Thursday night.

AND in other news, £11.7m-rated West Brom “genius” is now suffering massively under Allardyce…

It’s fair to say that this season has been a particularly strange one for Moussa Sissoko at Tottenham.

The Frenchman started the campaign as one of Jose Mourinho’s trusted lieutenants in the middle of the park, even going on a run of starting 11 consecutive Premier League games from early October to mid-December.

The turn of the year has seen him fall out of favour somewhat, with Tanguy Ndombele’s real emergence onto the scene a key factor behind his French compatriot taking a back-seat – the former Lyon man had started the previous 13 top-flight games before being rested against Crystal Palace at the weekend.

In comparison, Sissoko hasn’t completed the full 90 minutes in the league since the 1-0 defeat to Chelsea in early February. But, with a crucial game against Dinamo Zagreb in the Europa League on Thursday night, the £16.2m-rated powerhouse should be restored to the starting line-up.

With the first leg at home, Mourinho wil,l of course, want to get off to a good start, certainly picking up a win before the return fixture. But, perhaps most importantly, is ensuring Zagreb don’t get a potentially damaging away goal and give themselves something to hold on to when they head back to Croatia.

Sissoko’s introduction into the side would give Spurs a bit more protection and energy in front of the back four, and help to ensure that Zagreb can’t catch the north London side slacking on counter-attacks or in transitions – the Frenchman averages over one tackle and interception apiece this season, with his 1.2 interceptions per game actually ranking him second among all his teammates.

Speaking just last season, Kevin Phillips raved about Sissoko’s ability, saying: “At one point Kane, Son and, Sissoko were the first names on the teamsheet. We keep speaking about Son and Kane and Sissoko goes under the radar. He is a superb player – power, pace and travels with the ball really well. He can take the ball in tight situations with his strength.”

In a piece for The Athletic last year, they wrote: “While he has never been famed for his distribution, Sissoko’s hunger to win the ball back in transitions also stood out last season. It’s tempting to put his skill at doing this down to athleticism alone but Sissoko also possesses a positional intelligence that is often — there’s that word again — underrated. That’s certainly the view of one of his former coaches, who points to the way he anticipates danger and makes tackles.”

That midfield control and protection is something Mourinho will absolutely need, particularly in European competitions, and Sissoko’s return to the side would help offer that. He could well be the Spurs boss’ game-changer, from a defensive standpoint in particular, when Dinamo come to town tonight.

Meanwhile, Spurs played a blinder by selling this man for £17m…