All posts by n8rngtd.top

The European Super League proposal seems firmly on track to becoming a reality and it could have huge ramifications for Liverpool.

It was announced, on Sunday evening, that the Reds had become one of six Premier League clubs, alongside Chelsea, Manchester City, Arsenal, Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur, to pledge their allegiance to the proposals, earning themselves and their co-conspirators plenty of criticism.

However, it is not just backlash of abuse that the Merseysiders will face, with the looming threat of those clubs involved facing expulsion from domestic and European competitions, according to Fabrizio Romano.

That would be the ultimate betrayal by the club towards the players, supporters and, of course, manager Jurgen Klopp.

It would be remiss to forget that just ten months ago, Liverpool lifted the one title that they had sought for so long – the Premier League.

After being confirmed as champions, after a 30-year wait no less, Klopp admitted that he was “emotional” and highlighted the “unbelievable” achievement of the Reds claiming the trophy.

Now, with the threat of expulsion from the league that the manager, his players and staff members had worked so hard to finally win, not just during the 2019/20 campaign but in all of the preceding campaigns before, it appears that those emotions will never have the prospect of being stirred again should they indeed suffer the fate of being expelled from domestic action.

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After all, the Klopp himself had expressed his dismay at any prospect of a Super League in the past, stating in 2019 that he hoped there would “never” be such competition created.

However, the club’s owners FSG, and specifically Liverpool owner John Henry, have gone behind his back to ensure that it is indeed a realistic prospect, thus putting the manager in a very difficult position.

Henry then has committed an ultimate act of betrayal towards his manager by bringing this initial proposal into reality and Klopp will be furious that he’s been placed in such a position.

AND in more news, read why Klopp must start Curtis Jones vs Leeds tonight…

Some Everton fans were left slamming the display of Allan in their 0-0 draw away at Aston Villa in the Premier League on Thursday evening.

It was no doubt a frustrating game for the Merseyside club as they look to chase European qualification, but Carlo Ancelotti was certainly let down by some of his players, none more so than Allan.

The central midfield player did not have his best game for the Goodison Pak faithful, losing out on no fewer than 12 of his duels, the most lost out of any player to have set foot on the pitch (Sofascore).

Allan failed to record a single clearance or interception, as he also lost possession of the ball on eight separate occasions in the match, earning him a very measly 6.4 overall rating on Sofascore, the lowest out of both sets of players.

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Everton fans on Allan display

These Toffees slammed his performance on Twitter, with one Blues supporter even going as far as to claim that the Brazilian is a ‘liability’:

“Allan has been absolutely ran ragged again this first half and not for the first time this season. He is not as good as everyone thinks and at times is a complete liability. #AVLEVE #PremierLeague”

Credit: @DannySports12

“Goodness me ! We are awful tonight @UHTPodcast. Allan is running in treacle and Richy’s horror season continues. Let’s hope he bounces back next season for us #efc”

Credit: @RPUffendell

“Doucoure was OK. Allan had a stinker imo”

Credit: @JohnMag21824761

“Allan, Doucoure, Gomes and Sigurdsson drop stinkers and Tom Davies sits on the bench. Can’t beat Everton yeno”

Credit: @efcdoyley

“Davies on for Allan he’s getting turned every time”

Credit: @IrishEverton

“Thought Allan was very poor, Villa’s midfield passed him by”

Credit: @ianmitty

In other news, find out what unseen West Ham footage has left EFC fans fuming here!

David Moyes can land his eventual Angelo Ogbonna heir with a move for West Ham United to sign Watford defender Francisco Sierralta this summer.

What’s the word?

According to Enzo Olivera, via Last Word on Sport, the Irons are interested in a swoop for Sierralta but could face Premier League competition for his signature.

The Hornets are reluctant to lose the 23-year-old after he emerged as a key part of Xisco’s defence, which has allowed the least goals in the Championship this term.

No side has conceded less often in the second-tier than Watford in 2020/21, with the Hornets allowing just 26 goals in 38 games as they vie for an immediate return to the Premier League.

Sierralta has significantly contributed to that record with Watford keeping 10 clean sheets during his 19 appearances, of which the defender has started 17.

The Chilean entered the campaign as Watford’s sixth-choice centre-half and played only three minutes in the club’s first 19 league games, before launching an incredible rise following an injury for William Troost-Ekong and bruised knee for Christian Kabasele.

West Ham could face rival competition for Sierralta with Crystal Palace also touted as a potential destination, after Enzo Olivera recently claimed that London outfits represented two of the four clubs who are closely following the £7,300-per-week enforcer’s situation.

Sierralta joined Watford from Serie A side Udinese Calcio on a three-year contract last September, and would certainly cost more than his £500,000 Transfermarkt valuation if any side wishes to lure him away from Vicarage Road.

Should West Ham sign Sierralta?

It remains to be seen how highly Watford would value Sierralta and what impact a return to the Premier League would have on the Hornet’s position, but the Chilean’s incredible turn of form to establish himself as a regular for Xisco is right to attract West Ham’s interest.

Sierralta has been dominating second-tier offences since his breakthrough at Vicarage Road in December, with EFL pundit Dean Ashton heaping praise on the 23-year-old after dwarfing Birmingham City last Saturday.

“Sierralta was absolutely outstanding today, and he has been outstanding ever since he walked through the door” Ashton said on EFL on Quest. “Seventeen starts for him now and Watford have only conceded ten goals!

“And today, up against [Lukas] Jutkiewicz, he won every duel, every header, most clearances. [It was a] dominating performance against a top forward.”

Sierralta won five out of five aerial duels and his sole ground challenge against Birmingham prior to the international break, while Jutkiewicz lost four of nine combined duels and fellow forward Scott Hogan lost all nine of his contests, per SofaScore.

The Watford star’s success in the duel led to Sierralta’s highest SofaScore match rating in 10 appearances at 7.5 out of 10, a score that the Chilean has only eclipsed on one occasion since moving to Vicarage Road with a 7.9 achieved against Barnsley in January.

West Ham successfully testing Watford’s resolve at the end of the season and signing Sierralta would seemingly give Moyes a strong long-term heir to Ogbonna, who will enter the final 12-months of his £70k-p/w contract in June and will turn 33 in May.

Moyes has lauded Ogbonna for his “magnificent” performances this season, but there is only so much longer that he can rely on the Italian so signing his replacement early could be a wise way to go if the fee is right.

AND in other news, West Ham are adamant a deal to sign a £100k-p/w “revelation” will be reached…

It’s still very much the curious case of Dele Alli at Tottenham Hotspur this season.

Despite all of Spurs’ recent struggles, Jose Mourinho has still rarely turned to the out-of-favour midfielder and now his future in north London is surely hanging by a thread.

An exit in January was blocked late on by Daniel Levy but with the 25-year-old only featuring for a grand total of 984 minutes in all competitions, the chairman could look to cash in on the £26m-rated dynamo this time round.

If he does indeed go through with sanctioning his departure, it could well be a decision he regrets in the long run.

Mourinho has a sorry history when it comes to giving young talent a chance, and whilst it feels like Alli has been around forever, the 37-time England international is far from reaching his peak years.

Alli, aside from Harry Kane and Heung-min Son, has been one of Spurs’ best players in recent years.

It was only in the 2016/17 season that he bagged a whopping 18 goals from midfield, whilst he has also clinched back-to-back PFA Young Player of the Year awards – the first player to achieve that feat since Wayne Rooney in 2005, and the third-ever to do so.

That year, Spurs legend Darren Anderton waxed lyrical about Alli, comparing him to both Steven Gerrard and Paul Scholes, going onto call him a “freak of a talent” and a “real joy to watch” (quotes sourced via Goal).

You simply cannot afford to leave out a player as talented as Alli all season, and ultimately it’s cost Spurs dearly.

Mourinho has a poor history in this regard too, writing off the likes of Kevin De Bruyne and Mohamed Salah at Chelsea, going on to sell them to Wolfsburg and Fiorentina, respectively.

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No one needs reminding of how their careers have panned out since then, but as a Premier League and Champions League winner, Salah is perhaps the Portuguese’s worst mistake.

The Egyptian’s rise has been astronomical but the signs of that potential were staring Mourinho right in the face, as former Blues teammate Felipe Luis told the Guardian, Salah was like Lionel Messi in training.

“I suffered Salah in training,” claimed the Brazilian defender. “When he went Fiorentina, I said: ‘Why are you going, Momo? This is Chelsea.’ And he said: ‘I need to play.’ I thought: ‘This kid’s good.’ He never went for money or to win more; he went to show he could play. In training, he was like Messi. Really, like Messi. Ask anyone.”

Now Alli may not go onto repeat the impressive exploits of Salah, but there’s every chance he could given it is Paris Saint-Germain are interested in his services and they made the UCL final last year, and are consistently winning Ligue 1.

The difference between the Englishman at Spurs now, and both Salah and De Bruyne at Chelsea then, is that he’s already delivered and proven his worth over several seasons. And that will make this error even more glaring, in a shorter time frame, too.

Mourino cannot afford to repeat this blunder this summer.

AND in other news, “Excellent player” – Exclusive: Pundit hails rarely-seen Spurs youngster Jose called “fantastic”

Manchester City took a big step towards the Champions League Final on Wednesday night as they came from behind to beat PSG 2-1 at Les Parc de Princes.

Marquinhos headed a dominant PSG side in front early on but the pendulum swung in City’s favour in the second half, as they produced an excellent display and completely nullified the threat of Kylian Mbappe and Neymar.

Kevin De Bruyne’s intended cross went all the way in for the equaliser, before Riyad Mahrez curled a free-kick through a weak PSG wall to give Pep Guardiola’s side the lead, before the French champions went down to 10 men after a horror tackle from Idrissa Gana Gueye.

The former Everton man was one of several PSG stars to lose their heads in the second half as they began to chase shadows and his foul on Ilkay Gundogan was perhaps in frustration that the German international completely ran the show in the second half.

As per SofaScore, the former Borussia Dortmund man would earn a solid 7.1/10 rating for his performance on Wednesday night, with only Mahrez (8.2), Bernardo Silva (7.5) and Phil Foden (7.2) rated higher of the City players who featured.

However, the 30-year-old midfielder had the most touches (116) and played the most passes (103) of any player who featured in the game, which highlights that he was key to City’s strong performance.

Gundogan has averaged just 77.5 passes per game in the Champions League this season, which emphasises just how impressive he was on Wednesday night, especially when you consider that this was arguably City’s hardest game in the competition so far.

He also broke forward well, completing all three of his dribbles in the game, which again is more than the 1.2 dribbles he has averaged in the competition so far this season.

Guardiola was full of praise for Gundogan earlier in the season, saying:

“Ilkay is an exceptional player in all situations. He can play more upfront and as a defensive midfielder.”

He emphasised this on Wednesday night as he also impressively won 5/9 of his duels and lost possession on just four occasions, which is impressive when you consider how successful PSG were with their pressing in the first half.

Therefore, whilst Mahrez and De Bruyne will earn the plaudits for their goals, it was Gundogan who kept things ticking over for City, which was vitally important in them earning the win.

And, in other news… Txiki heading for potential Man City disaster over 26-goal “winner”, Pep will be fuming

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Tottenham Hotspur remain in the title race after their 3-1 win over Leicester City on Sunday.

Mauricio Pochettino’s men are five points behind Manchester City and Liverpool at the top of the table and, while they face a difficult run-in, fans in north London are dreaming of potential glory.

Spurs’ run-in: Burnley (A), Chelsea (A), Arsenal (H), Southampton (A), Crystal Palace (H), Liverpool (A), Brighton (H), Huddersfield Town (H), Manchester City (A), West Ham (H), Bournemouth (A), Everton (H). 

Such is the gap to the top, Spurs probably need to win every game between now and the end of the season and, looking at their run-in, that is going to be a tough ask.

Two London derbies back-to-back against Chelsea and Arsenal are sure to test the mental reserves within Pochettino’s side, while trips to Liverpool and Manchester City could see title credentials either solidified or blown apart.

Former Wigan & Fulham man, Jimmy Bullard recently showed that he’s still got it! Check out the video below…

A home clash with West Ham looks slightly tasty, too, particularly if Spurs are still in the race. Manuel Pellegrini’s men would love to play spoiler.

However, their final two games, against Bournemouth and Everton, are soft, particularly with neither side likely to be fighting for much come the end of the season.

Southampton and Palace could be fighting for their lives come their games, but, sadly, Huddersfield may well be relegated by the time they visit Spurs.

Predicted points: 24/36 – Spurs finish on 84 points

Spurs are likely to beat Burnley.

Draws with Chelsea and Arsenal are also foreseeable, particularly with the sides meeting in succession. Southampton and Palace should be beatable, as are Brighton and Huddersfield.

Trips to Liverpool and City are huge, but Spurs’ record at both Anfield and the Etihad Stadium is not good. Expect brave losses.

A point against West Ham would be a blow, but it is the Hammers’ biggest game of the season – they will certainly turn up.

Wins against Bournemouth and Everton will end a fantastic season on a high, even if the tally of 84 points is unlikely to see Spurs crowned champions.

Steve Bruce has a huge problem on his hands after Newcastle United striker Dwight Gayle blew a chance to prove his doubters wrong against Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday.

Gayle was finally given the license to play through the middle at home to Jose Mourinho’s north Londoners, after Callum Wilson failed a late fitness test on his hamstring injury.

Previous weeks had seen Gayle take up an attacking role but be forced to play wide, and was left an unused substitute as the Toon were beaten comfortably by Brighton & Hove Albion last month.

Bruce had hoped to see Wilson make his return coming out of the international break after almost two months in the treatment room, though is refusing to rush the £20m summer signing back onto the pitch.

The Magpies boss will surely have preferred to have had Wilson on the field last Sunday as his side salvaged a 2-2 draw with Tottenham, after seeing Gayle fluff his lines in front of Hugo Lloris’ net.

It was only Gayle’s third start of the season so far across all competitions and almost got off in a perfect manner when Jonjo Shelvey found the £4.5m-rated forward in the middle of Spurs’ defenders.

Gayle made a good run off the shoulder of Davinson Sanchez and forced a strong, leaping save from Lloris with his header and was alert to the rebound, only to hit his second attempt tamely into the French shot-stopper.

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His two spurned chances to break the deadlock saw Gayle register half of Newcastle’s total of four big chances missed inside the opening 20 minutes, and would only go on to fashion one further shot all game, per SofaScore.

Gayle’s last of four attempts, which came on the hour mark, was also deemed as off-target, and he would only remain on the field for a further 10 minutes before being replaced by Allan Saint-Maximin.

The 31-year-old – who Rob Lee claims is a “brilliant” striker – is now without a goal in any of his last 13 appearances across all competitions, having struck his only successful strike to date with a match-winning header at home to West Bromwich Albion on December 12.

Gayle’s start at home to Tottenham on Sunday and the two big chances to break the deadlock marked a glaring missed opportunity to prove his doubters wrong, having been effectively dubbed by many supporters as a Championship-level striker recently.

Fans have been critical of Gayle and his talents after reports emerged that he is due to be given a new three-year contract to avoid leaving Tyneside as a free agent this summer, which Bruce has confirmed is close to being finalised.

Bruce now has a huge problem on his hands with Newcastle set to tie Gayle down long-term, and question marks again arising over his potential to fire the Magpies to Premier League safety.

AND in other news, a nine-cap dud who was expected to be a “massive asset” faces an uncertain future at Newcastle…

Some Manchester City fans are far from happy with Pep Guardiola after he suggested that Raheem Sterling has been exceptional for the club in the past couple of matches.

The Citizens host Paris Saint-Germain in the second leg of their Champions League semi-final in a comfortable position. They prevailed 2-1 in the first match at the Parc des Princes, meaning that a solid display at the Etihad Stadium should get them through to the final with minimum fuss.

Sterling has come in for criticism from some fans recently after a disappointing campaign by his standards, although he still has more than 10 goals and 10 assists in all competitions (Transfermarkt). Guardiola has suggested that the 26-year-old has been fantastic recently and deserved to start the game last week – this is something with which some fans clearly don’t agree.

The manager claimed: “He deserved to play in Paris but it’s unfair if I leave Phil or Riyad out now. It’s difficult. I’m justifying my decisions and I don’t want to. Raheem played exceptional in the last two games and he has to be ready because we have a final.

“Maybe he’s going to play many minutes from the beginning. Maybe if we get to the final of the Champions League… everyone can play. That’s the reason why over many years the commitment is there to be in a position to win all these titles.”

The comments, sourced from @SkySportsPL, were shared on Twitter by @City_Xtra, and they attracted plenty of attention from the club’s supporters. They took to the social media platform to share their thoughts.

Let’s see what these fans had to say about Guardiola’s comments on Sterling

“I might have to restart the Guardiola slander in case we bottle it tomorrow”

Credit: @asiancityfan

“Loool stop the waffle no he doesn’t”

Credit: @h4mzi

“no no no please no”

Credit: @mcfchamdan

“We would have lost the game if he played. He is currently on fraud watch.”

Credit: @mcfcbalz

“Pep No overthinking please. Stick to Riyad and Foden”

Credit: @izzy900is

“Why is he lying? The first season we play the knockouts without sterling we make the semis. Shock. If he plays a single minute from now on we’re done.”

Credit: @mbaalthani8

In other news, some Man City fans are delighted with comments from this player’s agent.

After heading into the international break off the back of a 2-0 defeat to Tottenham, Dean Smith will have plenty to ponder over how best to kick-start his Aston Villa side.

The Midlands club have hit a bit of a roadblock in the Premier League in the past few weeks, with the absence of Jack Grealish certainly a major factor behind that – they’ve won just once in the six games he has missed.

While not having Grealish in the side is the obvious reason to highlight for the slump, it’s fair to say that those who have come into the side to deputise for him haven’t exactly done the side proud – Trezeguet being one example.

The Egypt international has started the last three games for Villa, and just like the entirety of his season really, has been completely ineffectual – he is yet to score a single Premier League goal in 19 outings, and has managed just one measly top-flight assist (even that came back in October against Liverpool).

As per WhoScored, the £12.5m-rated Trezeguet ranks as the joint-worst Villa player in the entire squad out of those who have started at least ten games this season, and that’s a damning indictment on just how little he has impressed – even centre-back Kortney Hause has managed to find the back of the net more than him.

Speaking earlier this season to Football Insider, former Villa striker Agbonlahor said: “I said it after the Brighton game on Twitter and Villa fans weren’t happy with my comment about him not being able to finish his dinner. In the Premier League, you get punished for not taking easy chances like that. If that ball fell to anyone else but Trezeguet, they would have scored.

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“I just feel his all game is a bit erratic, he works hard but his final ball at times was poor. He makes the wrong decision a lot. As much as working hard is important in football, there has to be some quality there because otherwise, it’s going to cost you.”

With Fulham next up for Villa on Sunday afternoon, Smith must make a ruthless call and drop Trezeguet from his starting line-up. The winger has been holding back the side for far too long now.

Meanwhile, Villa must sell this first team ace in the summer…

If Sunderland don’t achieve promotion this season, it will cause deep-rooted frustration.

It will create sadness and perhaps an everlasting mindset that the Mackems are destined to see out their existence in the third tier of English football.

This season, however, has been that will go down in the history books. They have new owners, perhaps their most impressive manager in a number of years and they are currently in third place in League One.

The Black Cats have a wonderful opportunity to get promoted and if they secure that in the remaining games of the campaign, it will be the icing on the cake.

This has been a term where Sunderland won their first trophy in 48 years, beating Tranmere at Wembley in the EFL Trophy final a number of weeks ago.

Lee Johnson’s men didn’t have it all their own way in that game and that was largely thanks to flying right-back Otis Khan.

The 25-year-old was a constant thorn in the Sunderland defence, terrorising Callum McFadzean. On that occasion, Khan completed as many as four dribbles, the joint-highest of any player on the day.

The defender also attempted seven crosses and won five of his seven duels defensively. No wonder he’s been described as a player who “works hard” by Keith Hill. Unfortunately for Tranmere and Khan, it was the Mackems who took home the silverware.

Sunderland clearly liked what they saw from Khan because he’s now been linked with a move to the Stadium of Light.

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It would be a shrewd capture from Johnson and one that could take not only their defence to the next level but also their attack.

With Jordan Jones and Aiden McGeady on the flanks, there is always a reason to be excited heading into a Sunderland match. Both players have created goals and chances at will for Charlie Wyke this term, a man who has found the net on 26 occasions in 2020/21.

The addition of Khan, however, could give him even proper opportunities to score. You only need to look at that performance at Wembley. In delivering just over half a dozen crosses, he was a rampant threat.

He has been transformed from a winger into a full-back at Tranmere and that’s certainly evident in the way Khan gets forward.

The right-sided defender has made 1.4 key passes per game this term and 1.1 successful crosses per match. For context, only Denver Hume and McGeady in the Sunderland side have conjured up more chance creations and crosses.

Both of those players happen to be their weapons down the left. On the opposite side, Sunderland don’t quite have the same potency. The addition of Khan, therefore, could be huge.

The thought of him whipping deliveries in for Wyke to head home is something worth salivating over.

AND in other news, Fewer touches than Burge: Johnson will be fuming with SAFC ace who made just 9 passes…