All posts by h716a5.icu

Just what does Federico Fernandez have to do to be recognised as one of the Premier League’s better central defenders?

Whether it’s because he plays for a Newcastle side that haven’t pulled up any trees and have had to fend off relegation battles in recent seasons, or that he isn’t in the mould of a modern, flashy centre-back, Fernandez’s name isn’t one that crops up in conversations about who the top-flight best defenders are.

On Sunday afternoon against Everton, the Argentine delivered yet another monstrous display at the heart of defence, as Steve Bruce’s side stopped the high-flying Toffees 2-1 at St James’ Park.

And whilst Callum Wilson will be the man in the headlines for his match-winning brace, Fernandez deserves a whole load of credit for the way he marshalled the Newcastle back-line, and was desperately unlucky not to have been a part of a side that kept a clean-sheet – Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s injury-time strike put an end to that.

But that takes nothing away from Fernandez’s individual performance. As per Sofascore, he won an impressive 100% of his duels, whilst he really batten down the hatches with a monstrous ten clearances. To put that last stat into context, the rest of his Newcastle teammates only combined for 13 in total.

The 31-year-old – signed by Rafa Benitez in the summer of 2018 from Swansea – also threw himself at everything, putting his body on the line for the cause and ending up blocking two shots, including a fine one on Calvert-Lewin’s effort.

Fernandez’s tally of clearances actually ranks him first in the entire Premier League, and 13 more than fellow centre-back and club captain Jamaal Lascelles.

Whilst he may not wear the armband, the Argentine continues to prove he’s one of Bruce’s unsung heroes, and the real kingpin of a defence that could really hold the key to their success this season.

The Magpies should be thanking Benitez for bringing him in for just £6m a couple of years ago. An absolute bargain.

Marlon Harewood has admitted he is baffled by Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s treatment of Paul Pogba at Manchester United.

Speaking exclusively to Football FanCast reporter Tom Ward, the former Premier League striker has suggested that Pogba finds himself in a similar situation to his Red Devils teammate Jesse Lingard after being benched by Solskjaer for the 3-1 win over Everton before the international break.

Pogba copped a fair amount of criticism for conceding a sloppy penalty which allowed Arsenal to steal a 1-0 win at Old Trafford. The club legend publicly criticised him for the first time in his post-match press conference after the loss to Mikel Arteta’s side.

“The boy is running away from goal, there is no need to go for the ball,” Solskjaer told the BBC, as quoted by The Daily Express.

United have suffered from an inconsistent start to the season, having beaten both Paris Saint-Germain and RB Leipzig, before losing to Istanbul Basaksehir in the Champions League, whilst the 27-year-old continues to be linked with the exit amid interest from PSG, Real Madrid and Juventus.

When asked to share his thoughts on Pogba’s situation, Harewood told FFC:

“He’s like another Lingard. I just can’t understand what’s going on, I don’t know who’s advising them on or off the field, because these players are top-class players.

“You can have a bad day because everything won’t go your way all the time but they should be playing week in, week out like old-school players like Zinedine Zidane, because they are top class players.

“Pogba can become one of those legends because he is world-class.”

Lingard, like Pogba, also faces an uncertain future at Old Trafford. He has not featured in the Premier League so far this season and could depart the club when the transfer market reopens in January.

However, as far as we are concerned, that’s where the similarities end though. In 175 games for the club, the Frenchman has scored 33 goals and supplied 35 assists in all competitions so far. Not bad, not bad at all, especially for a creative midfielder who has arguably been playing out of position in a deeper role in recent months.

By comparison, the former England international has scored as many goals in more than 200 appearances for the Red Devils since he first broke through the academy ranks into the first team.

Pogba’s chequered history with the club is well-documented with his infamous agent Mino Raiola embroiled in more confrontations with club officials than we care to remember.

As we have previously pointed out, the French World Cup winner’s market value is rated at £72m via Transfermarkt, which makes him an expensive substitute if he stays on the bench, as has been the case at times so far this season. One thing’s for sure, he needs to start playing regularly if they are to justify their asking price, whatever that may be.

AND in other news, Exclusive: Carlton Palmer makes stunning prediction about Paul Pogba’s future at Manchester United…

Glasgow Rangers defender Leon Balogun will be an integral part of Steven Gerrard’s plans for beating Benfica in the Europa League, with the Light Blues centre-back keeping Sam Cosgrove in his back pocket throughout the game against Aberdeen at the weekend.

Rangers welcome Benfica to Ibrox on Thursday night and will be looking to extend their unbeaten start to the season, with the Gers throwing away a two-goal lead to draw with the 10-man Portuguese giants in Lisbon last time out as Filip Helander had a night to forget in Portugal.

Gerrard’s side stormed 11 points clear of Celtic at the top of the Scottish Premiership, after goals from Ryan Kent, Kemar Roofe, Scott Arfield and James Tavernier helped the Bears beat Aberdeen at home.

The result keeps the Gers atop the league table with a healthy lead over their arch-rivals, whilst Benfica were beaten by Braga in a 3-2 defeat before the international break, which saw them slip to third in the table with two wins from their last five fixtures in all competitions.

Rafa Silva struck the second of the Eagles’ goals in the second half to keep them in the game against the Gers, before Darwin Nunez scored in stoppage time to ensure that Jorge Jesus’ side will be brimming with confidence when they travel to Ibrox on Thursday night.

Silva has scored three goals and supplied four assists in ten games so far this season, as he continues to shine for the Portuguese side since his arrival from Braga, now with a tally of 40 goals and 26 assists to his name.

Gerrard will be well aware of the threat the right winger poses and will know that neutralising the 27-year-old will be pivotal to securing victory, but he should be buoyed by the fact that Balogun played an instrumental part as the Gers kept their 17th clean sheet in all competitions against Aberdeen.

Per SofaScore, the 32-year-old was a ballast at the back, combining with Connor Goldson to restrict the Dons to just three shots on target throughout the game, as he made two interceptions, won three out of four ground duels, was fouled twice, and won the penalty which was converted by the club captain, showing he was a useful attacking asset as well as he took 83 touches of the ball and completed 68 out of 76 passes (89%).

Gerrard made no attempt to disguise his delight after Balogun returned to the starting line-up against Lech Poznan in the Europa League, describing him as a “fantastic” beast who is “very quick,” as quoted by The Herald.

In contrast, it’s fair to say that Helander has struggled for consistency so far this season, whilst he was at fault for two of the goals against the Eagles.

No doubt the Ibrox boss will be hoping that Balogun can continue his fine form in recent weeks when Rangers face Benfica at Ibrox this Thursday.

AND in other news, Zungu beware: Glasgow Rangers midfielder Scott Arfield sends Steven Gerrard timely reminder…

David Moyes can avoid a stale West Ham United against Aston Villa on Monday night by axing the underperforming Pablo Fornals and handing a first Premier League start to Said Benrahma.

Fornals has opened all nine of the Irons’ top-flight fixtures thus far this season as Moyes’ preferred left-sided midfielder, but has failed to build on his goal at Liverpool and is now five appearances without a league assist after an influential display at Leicester last month.

Benrahma, meanwhile, continues to wait in the wings for his maiden start in claret and blue, with the Algerian only introduced from the bench twice since joining the Hammers on loan for a total of 19 minutes.

Moyes opted against naming Benrahma in the starting line-up for last weekend’s 1-0 win at Sheffield United as he felt Fornals had been performing at an undroppable level, yet could not see the Spaniard he lauds as a “really valuable” option reach those heights at Bramall Lane.

Fornals struck just a single shot on Aaron Ramsdale’s net, despite the Irons enjoying 15 efforts to the Blades’ nine, while only offering one key ball, one accurate cross, two duels won and zero successful dribbles, per SofaScore.

Jarrod Bowen enjoyed much more influence on the opposing side of the field, with the former Hull City ace penning three key balls, attempting four shots and completing two of his dribbles.

Only Angelo Ogbonna (48) and Lukasz Fabianski (33) registered fewer touches than Fornals (42) of those who started for West Ham, too, and yet Benrahma – who contributed to 27 goals for Brentford last term – was not the one Moyes turned to in the 76th-minute to replace the Spaniard.

Benrahma should be the one Moyes names in the starting line at home to Aston Villa come Monday night, though, as persisting with Fornals amid his drop in form will see the Scot risk fielding a tame offence.

Were Fornals to start again and Aston Villa neutralise the threat Bowen offers, West Ham could find themselves starved of creativity with only Aaron Cresswell (45 minutes), Sebastien Haller (60.8), Vladimir Coufal (67.5) and Arthur Masuaku (102.6) better than the Spanish (105.7) and English (126.3) wide men for time between key passes in the Premier League, per WhoScored, of those who started against Sheffield United.

But Moyes can solve those fears by starting Benrahma as the 25-year-old, dubbed a “real magician” by his former OGC Nice teammate Lorenzo Vinci, averaged a key pass every 39.3 minutes and a shot every 21.8 in the Championship for Brentford last season.

AND in other news, West Ham must bite the bullet and get rid of a £40k-p/w “good character” facing an uncertain future.

In recent comments made on Twitter, Alasdair Gold has been raving about Tottenham Hotspur youth prospect, Harvey White.

A product of the Spurs youth setup, White made his first-team debut for Jose Mourinho’s side this season, in the club’s 4-0 Europa League victory over Ludogorets Razgrad back in November.

And, while, at present, this is White’s only senior outing for Tottenham, the midfielder has nevertheless impressed for the club’s U23 side this term, with the defensive midfielder scoring three goals and providing five assists over his 10 Premier League 2 appearances.

The latest of these five assists came during the side’s recent 3-2 defeat to Chelsea’s U23 team, a game in which the 19-year-old highly impressed Football.London’s Tottenham correspondent, Alasdair Gold, who took to Twitter to praise the former England U18 international.

He said: “Very decent month for Harvey White as well. Got a new contract with the club after making his first-team competitive debut in the Europa League. Very talented midfielder as that delightful pass above shows. He’s been impressing the first-team coaching staff.”

Transfer Tavern Take

With White operating from defensive midfield, should he continue his progression at his current rate, Mourinho could end up with somewhat of a selection headache in the future, albeit for good reasons.

Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg has highly impressed for Spurs since his summer move from Southampton, averaging a WhoScored match rating of 7.01 over his 12 Premier League appearances for Tottenham thus far, while Oliver Skipp, who is currently on loan at Championship side Norwich City, has also been impressing in defensive midfield, averaging a WhoScored match rating of 6.70 over his 18 appearances in the second tier.

As such, come next season, with the possibility of Hojbjerg, Skipp and White all competing for the same position, it would seem that Tottenham will have great depth in their defensive midfield options.

In other Tottenham news, one former Spurs star revealed the player he thought the club were missing in their draw with Crystal Palace on Sunday, find out more here!

West Brom boss Sam Allardyce is looking to stamp his mark on the Midlands outfit next month, but one mooted target is far from what he needs to change their fortunes this season…

What’s the word?

According to All Nigeria Soccer, Albion are set to reignite their interest in Nigerian winger Ahmed Musa, who is out of work following his exit from Saudi Pro League outfit Al-Nassr in October.

They claim that the 28-year-old was close to joining the Hawthorns in the summer, agreeing on a season-long loan but his parent club were reluctant to sanction his departure despite releasing him just months later.

Big Sam is thought to be a big admirer of Musa as he tried to sign him during his stint in charge of West Ham. West Brom could effectively land a player that commanded a £15m fee (€16.5m) just two years ago, for free.

Shades of Oli Burke

Whilst the opportunity to land an illustrious international sensation for a bargain may seem like a smart piece of business from the new Baggies boss, it could actually be the adverse as the £16m Musa has already flopped in the Premier League before.

He managed just five goals in 33 appearances for Leicester City before being shipped out on loan to CSKA Moscow and then sold to the Saudi side.

It’s been reported that Musa was on around £60k-per-week at his last club, which would comfortably put him among Albion’s highest-earners, something that is just not justifiable.

As a result, it bears similarities to Tony Pulis’ disastrous £15m deal for Oliver Burke in 2017 – the club have only just been able to get rid after four goal contributions in four years.

Once dubbed “excellent” by former Foxes boss Claudio Ranieri, Musa is far from what is needed in this relegation dogfight. Big Sam would be better off signing tried and tested players.

AND in other news, Exclusive: Sam Allardyce tipped to sign £50k-p/w colossus this January…

West Brom need incomings this January if they are to stand a chance of surviving in the Premier League, and one name has emerged as a potential target this week…

What’s the word?

According to the Daily Mail, Baggies boss Sam Allardyce is eyeing a ‘cut-price’ move for AFC Bournemouth forward Josh King as he looks to add more firepower to his faltering squad.

The 28-year-old is entering the final six months of his contract, so it is the final chance for the Cherries to cash in on his services before he’s allowed to leave for free.

They rejected bids of £7m and £13m for him during the summer transfer window, though King has barely featured this campaign with the Championship outfit third in the division.

Shades of Peter Odemwingie

Albion are the Premier League’s leakiest side, conceding a whopping 39 goals – six more than anyone else – in 17 matches, so some defensive reinforcements were surely on the agenda.

That was until Karlan Grant got ruled out for six weeks with a broken foot, though it’s not as if the goals were coming thick and fast at the Hawthorns anyway.

Only Burnley and rock-bottom Sheffield United have scored fewer than the Baggies’ 11 goals this term.

King’s arrival would certainly bolster their fortunes in front of the net as he’s a vastly-experienced and proven star in the Premier League.

In five straight seasons, the Norway international has scored at least six times with a career-best 16 goals coming during the 2016/17 season, per Transfermarkt.

His versatility adds an extra dimension too, one that won’t halt the progress of Grant whenever he returns from this latest set-back. King can play anywhere along the front-three. He also averaged 1.2 key passes per game in the Cherries’ final season before relegation.

It’s no wonder that his former boss, Eddie Howe, lauded him the “complete package” to Match of the Day (via The Football Faithful), adding: “Josh is outstanding physically, technically and mentally.”

The 6 foot 2 talisman bears some similarities to former Baggies legend Peter Odemwingie – not too much difference in height, an ability to play in a multitude of positions, and undoubtedly an underrated record in the big time (55 goal contributions in 129 matches).

Allardyce must convince Luke Dowling to sanction a move for the £9.9m-rated sensation.

AND in other news, Big Sam can resolve their biggest problem with swoop for “extremely talented” beast…

Manchester City’s impressive recent form has seen them rise to fifth spot in the Premier League table, now just four points behind leaders Liverpool, with two games in hand on last year’s champions.

A depleted Citizens side showed their mettle at Stamford Bridge in the 3-1 win against Chelsea on Sunday afternoon with Phil Foden and Kevin De Bruyne starring for Pep Guardiola’s side.

However, the performance of Rodri should not go unnoticed, as the Spanish midfielder produced an excellent display which will reassure Manchester City fans that he is more than capable of stepping up to replace Fernandinho, with the 35-year-old seeming likely to leave the club this summer when his contract expires.

As per Squawka football, during the game against Frank Lampard’s side, Rodri enjoyed the most touches (108), the most successful passes, the most duels contested, the most recoveries and the most tackles of any player on the pitch, in what was a dominant all-round display.

The Spanish international has faced criticism at times since joining from Atletico Madrid in 2019, with former City star Micah Richards certainly not happy with his performance against Leicester earlier this season, saying:

“I’m not blaming it [the defeat] just on Rodri, there were loads of bad performances in there.

“But in the middle by himself, the way he turns, he doesn’t read danger like Fernandinho [does], and the back line gets exposed.”

Since that 5-2 defeat, however, City have shown themselves to have one of the best defences in the league, with the partnership of John Stones and Ruben Dias working wonders at the back, although Rodri’s influence on this upturn in form should not be forgotten.

The 24-year-old has averaged a solid 7.01 rating for his performances in the Premier League this season and whilst Richards might not believe that he reads the game in the same way Fernandinho does, he has averaged 1.1 interceptions and 1.7 tackles in his appearances in the top-flight this season, whereas the Brazilian has managed just 0.5 interceptions and 1 tackle per game on average.

The Spaniard is also still just 24-year-old, so there seems no reason why he can’t get better and achieve the same sort of status Fernandinho has achieved amongst the City faithful during his time with the club.

And, in other news… Guardiola can sign Mendy upgrade in PL beast with a taste for goals

Wolves are in a diabolical rut at the moment, and for the first time since they entered the Premier League, they are stagnating.

This side have been a breath of fresh air to the top-flight. They usually play ruthless counter-attacking football and it was that style which earned them successive top-half finishes.

However, this season has been one to forget so far. With Raul Jimenez injured and with a switch in system to a four-man defence, problems have arisen in their droves for Nuno Santo.

Since Jimenez fractured his skull against Arsenal, the Old Gold have won just two of their last ten games and talk of relegation is starting to loom.

A Black Country derby gave them a perfect way to bounce back but after suffering a 3-2 defeat, it only piled further pressure on Nuno and his players.

Clearly, the manager was not his usual self. He cut a frustrated figure on the bench, not even willing his players on in the dying embers. To epitomise the strange mood around the camp, he even hauled Conor Coady off for the very first time in his tenure.

The defender gave away a penalty and looked particularly out of sorts, finding himself out of position in an unfavoured system. Yet, worse still was the performance of Ruben Neves.

The Portuguese midfielder has played well in recent weeks, scoring against Brighton and Everton, while picking up an assist versus Crystal Palace. Yet, when their rivals West Brom came to town, he was nothing short of abysmal.

Birmingham Live reporter Alex Dicken said at full-time: “Neves has been outstanding over the past few weeks but he didn’t seem able to stay on his feet during the first half. Everything he did was slow and passive and he missed the chance to dominate his first Black Country derby.”

These were thoughts echoed by The Athletic’s Tim Spiers, who delivered a slightly more brutal assessment: “He was absolutely shocking! Completely overrun, kept giving the ball away. Awful.”

During the contest, Neves completed 85% of his passes – worse than Coady – and made just a solitary tackle as West Brom’s midfield runners dominated him completely. For context, he contested just two duels in the whole match – the joint-worst tally of any  Wolves outfield player who started the game.

Neves also failed to provide a single key pass – a tally that Leander Dendoncker bettered by four. Considering the Portugal international is usually someone to play on the front foot, this was a particularly poor statistic.

The midfielder has been one of a few bright sparks in recent weeks but this display was a complete horror show.

In the big games, you need your best players to stand up and be counted. Neves didn’t do anything of the sort on Saturday. His performance betrayed Nuno’s trust.

AND in other news, Worse than Silva: Shi would be in danger of Wolves transfer howler over £44.3m target…

Fans of Crystal Palace have been reacting to a post on Twitter, which relayed the cost of Connor Wickham’s time in south London.

Since joining Palace from Sunderland in what was a £9 million deal back in 2015, Wickham has gone on to feature just 50 times for the club, scoring 11 goals and providing five assists along the way.

And, with the £1.8 million-rated 27-year-old’s deal contract expiring at the end of the season, one Palace fan took to Twitter to highlight how much the striker has cost the Eagles over the course of his six-year stay at the club.

They said: “Wickham by the end of this contract has been here 6 years, been paid nearly £20 million by the club. He’s started 26 matches in that time and scored 11 goals. An average of fewer than 5 games & 2 goals a season. £800k per game, £1.8m per goal.”

Indeed, the former Ipswich Town striker’s annual reported salary of £3,120,000 totals £18,720,000 paid to the striker over his time at Palace, however, this does not factor in any wages paid by Sheffield Wednesday when Wickham was on loan at the Owls.

Having said that, considering the fact that he has featured just 50 times for Palace, it is understandable why Eagles fans are not best pleased with the return Wickham has given to their club, with many taking to Twitter to share this displeasure.

So, what exactly did these Crystal Palace fans have to say in reaction to the tweet regarding the cost of Connor Wickham?

“Another Steve Parish signing”

@Hape9999

“Not sure why we extended his contract. Clearly was never going to command a transfer fee with his wages & injury history”

@ldnstu

“Wickham is the player we should sell and not Benteke”

@NaikAmul

“Yikes”

@GeorgeBakerr97

“I think I have just thrown up in my mouth a little… £20m”

@metropolis2

“2 goals per season sounds prolific for one of our strikers. I suggest we give him a new contract!”

@DannyTheGit

“Let’s be fair to Wickham, before the injury he was our best option up top. The season of the cup run, he was instrumental for us. Unfortunately, he’s made of glass”

@LeoE_R9

In other Palace news, have a read of a bizarre statistic about the club which fans aren’t happy with here!