All posts by rastrear-estafeta.com

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Amid fears that the EFL could deduct up to 12 points from Birmingham’s tally of 46 due to their financial difficulties, Quest pundit Dean Ashton has answered one of the big questions concerning the mindset of the players in this tense time for the club.

Although Sky Sports reported that the EFL were set to crack the whip in response to what they felt was a repeated breach of their new financial rules by Birmingham over a week ago, the West Midlands outfit have yet to learn their fate and so fans have been left sweating over the potential consequences.

Ashton, though, thinks that the Blues squad are suffering from no such anxieties.

What’s he said?

Speaking to Football League World, Ashton said…

“No players don’t really pay attention to that sort of stuff.“They would mind if it meant that they were going to get relegated and their wages were going to change!“Then it would play on your mind and obviously if you’re looking to push into the playoffs and then it happened that would also bother you as it’d be a huge blow.“Players generally don’t let off-field issues bother them, though, because you’re in your own little bubble and you come in every day doing the same sort of things.“You’re getting paid well and it doesn’t really affect you. We’re all very simple, we just love going in training, it’s a great job to have and it’d more worrisome to the manager and the board.“If they were pushing for the title or something like that it might bother them but the position they’re in; probably not.”No excusesFrom what Ashton understands, there should be no excuses for Garry Monk’s players if performance levels start to drop now, even amidst the crisis facing the club. After all, there is next to no impact on the players themselves whether Birmingham as a club are punished or not.If the EFL do indeed throw the kitchen sink at the St Andrews’ Stadium outfit, they are still highly unlikely to get relegated and, as Ashton says, the players would still be raking in their wages.The Blues currently sit ninth in the Championship table and will have to really pull it out of the bag if they are to climb into a coveted play-off spot with just 14 games to go – Bristol City, who occupy sixth place, are a surely insurmountable seven points ahead.They are equally unlikely to drop into the bottom three; a 12-point deduction, as it stands, would leave the Blues on 34 points – five points clear of 22nd place Rotherham.Who do you want to see promoted this year? The Pl>ymaker FC squad have picked their 3 favoured teams in the video below…Hopes of Premier League football next season, however unlikely that might be, are still alive for the fans and perhaps this is the premise of their panic over a possible point deduction.In reality though, considering their current position in the standings, they will not lose much other than the number to the left of their name in the table come the end of the season – as Ashton says, then, there’s no real grounds for the players to use it as an excuse if form begins to tail off.

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A recent revelation from BBC journalist Guillem Balague has confirmed that Leeds United were not the only side interested in appointing Marcelo Bielsa in the summer.

What’s the word?

Balague has provided some in-depth insight into Bielsa’s time at Elland Road via the BBC. The highly-respected journalist has spent four days at Leeds over the course of the past week in order to produce a documentary for BBC Radio 5 live, which will be broadcast at 8PM on Thursday evening.

Ahead of the release of the documentary, he has provided some preliminary insight via an article published on the BBC, and he made an intriguing revelation about Leeds’ pursuit of Bielsa.

Both Swansea City and West Ham United were in the market for a new manager in the summer and, according to Balague, both clubs made tentative approaches to appoint the Argentine.

Graham Potter and Manuel Pellegrini were eventually appointed to the respective clubs, but it appears that Leeds did well to lure their manager to Yorkshire with competition from a solid Premier League outfit looming large.

 Leeds United’s charm resonated with Bielsa

Balague revealed: ‘He joined because of the history of the club, because it is in England – a football land where he wanted to test himself – and mostly because he received assurances from Radrizzani, Orta and Kinnear that whatever Leeds would promise, they would deliver.’

With a chequered history in football management, the Leeds job represented a massive opportunity to establish a romantic legacy. For all his plaudits and collection of trophy-laden, top-level managerial disciples, his career is lacking a defining point of success.

The history of the club is key: Leeds are a huge club and whoever leads them back into the top-flight following their lengthy exile will go down in club folklore.

That opportunity was something which neither Swansea or West Ham could lay on the table for Bielsa and, combined with the assurances from the Leeds hierarchy, his decision to take the job represented something of a no-brainer.

Spurs lost out massively yesterday as they allowed a lead to slip in a 2-1 defeat at Southampton.

Mauricio Pochettino’s men were overcome by a sustained period of pressure at St Mary’s to allow the Saints to take a crucial three points in their own fight against relegation.

However, if it showed one thing, it might be that Pochettino’s time has come to walk away from the job at the London club after perhaps taking them as far as he can.

We’ve seen on a few occasions now over the last few years with Spurs that they get going and build some momentum behind them, only to fall away at crucial points in the season or in big games.

It’s happened once more this term, with Spurs just a few months back creeping up behind both Liverpool and Man City, whereas they now find themselves battling it out simply to make the top four.

Pochettino has done a superb job, that must not be understated, but there comes a time sometimes when things need to change, and for the Argentinian coach, it might well be that he puts his name in the hat for other jobs this summer.

The likes of Real Madrid are looking for new managers, and ‘Poch’ might well fancy his chances of bringing back success to the Bernabeu if given the chance.

It’s a shame for Spurs, and a shame for Pochettino to have to move without winning a trophy, but sometimes it just pays to walk way with your head held high and knowing that you’ve done as nuch as you can.

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There would have been plenty of excitement when Wolverhampton Wanderers signed the highly-rated Leander Dendoncker on a season-long loan deal from Anderlecht during the summer transfer window, and rightly so.

The 23-year-old had proven himself as a key player for Anderlecht and appeared multiple times in the Champions League for them, shone alongside Youri Tielemans in midfield and shown his versatility by playing as a centre-back too, as well as being named in Belgium’s 23-man squad for the 2018 World Cup.

However, it was quickly apparent that Nuno Santo and his coaching team weren’t ready to throw him straight into the thick of Premier League action with the newly-promoted club, with The Express & Star reporting at the end of August that he would need and be given time to adapt to the quicker-paced English game.

That was quite confusing at the time given the wealth of experience he had for his age – he had made 171 appearances for Anderlecht – and while he appeared in the EFL Cup for the west Midlands outfit he didn’t make his top-flight debut until the beginning of December against Chelsea.

Having played just a further 68 minutes between then and mid-January, he has since made nine successive starts and only missed 34 minutes of action since Santo switched to a 3-5-2 system.

Ironically it was against the side he made his Premier League debut again where he really came of age – making eight tackles, five interceptions and four clearances – as Wolves came within minutes of a famous win at Stamford Bridge.

Wolves Fan TV are in no doubt that their side should have come away from Stamford Bridge with all 3 points on Sunday. Check out their views in the video below…

The 6 ft 2 midfielder shone as he helped out the likes of Matt Doherty and Romain Saiss from a defensive point of view on day where he saw little of the ball, helping to thwart fellow countryman Eden Hazard – until his late equaliser that is.

The Belgium international looks to be ready-made for the English top flight and that may well be because he was afforded time to get ready for it both physically and mentally – that once confusing Santo decision suddenly looks like a sensible one that has seriously paid off.

What a few weeks it has been for English clubs in Europe.

From Manchester United overcoming a 2-0 deficit to gun down French giants PSG in a stunning 3-1 win to Liverpool claiming the same scoreline away to Bayern Munich to Spurs not Spursing it up against Borussia Dortmund, it’s been an unusually good set of results for English teams on the continental stage.

As well as teams in the Champions Leagues, the Premier League teams in the Europa League have been doing the business too. Chelsea eased past Dynamo Kiev 8-0 on aggregate, and late last night Arsenal overturned a 3-1 first-leg loss against Ligue 1 outlet Stade Rennais to win 3-0 at the Emirates and to complete six-for-six in English teams in European quarter-finals.

It was an inspiring Arsenal performance. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and new fan favourite Ainsley Maitland-Niles put the Gunners ahead after just 15 minutes, and Auba rounded off the result with a second-half tap in.

The atmosphere was electric at the Emirates. Fans were chanting and signing from the first minute to the last, and the players were eager to go out there and overturn a result.

Passion isn’t something you normally associate with Arsenal Football Club, but last night they showed it and was ultimately a key factor on Unai Emery’s side getting the vital 3-0 win. But this alone won’t lead to Europa League glory.

The passion for the badge last night was a complete contrast to what happened in France last week. Arsenal last time out unmotivated, hopeless and frankly lucky to have only escaped Rennes with only three goals conceded.

Sokratis’ sending off clearly played a major role in the final result, but from the first whistle to the last Arsenal always looked the second best team.

Arsenal’s mentality has always been a talking point about the club for years. Arsene Wenger’s sides of years gone by, particularly at the end of his tenure, were often criticised for their lack of a strong mindset in games that mattered most, but this season has been different.

Sure, we have seen Arsenal completely collapse in a handful of games this season, Liverpool and Manchester City away being good examples, but this season it has been clear that Emery has got this side playing with passion when it matters most, but there needs to be more in order to get more and bigger results.

Even though Arsenal came away as 3-0 winners last night, there were a few moments to cause mild heart attacks for the Gunners faithful. Shkodran Mustafi’s pass to a Rennes attacker in the second-half almost resulted in the French side grabbing the sole away goal they would have needed to progress at 2-0 down, and Cech’s post was tested moments after the restart.

The lack of Sokratis, again, resulted in another shaky Arsenal defensive display, and if the Gunners are to go all the way in the Europa League and also claim a top-four finish in the league, the defence must remain calm and consistent and avoid trying to be smart in dangerous situations.

Arsenal has a great opportunity to win their first piece of European silverware since 1994, but if they are to achieve this they must be defensively sound in these big games, and being passionate on and off the pitch will only fuel this level of security.

Arsenal fans, will the Gunners get Champions League football this season?

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Southampton’s much-improved performances of late finally paid dividends as they emerged 2-1 victors over Spurs in a brilliant comeback last Saturday, with Yan Valery scoring for the second consecutive game.

The Frenchman is the epitome of the belief which Ralph Hasenhuttl has instilled in his squad, and the faith he has placed in younger players is making a huge difference as the Saints look to steer clear of relegation.

The Austrian boss has taken a polarised approach to that of his predecessor, trusting the likes of Valery, Jan Bednarek and James Ward-Prowse – all of whom have repaid him – in the starting XI, as opposed to more experienced members of the squad.

Despite having only made his first appearance for Saints in December, the 20-year-old is now an established player in the starting XI and the numbers behind his performances since Hasenhuttl took the helm show exactly why that is the case.

In 12 Premier League starts since the 1-0 loss to Cardiff – Hasenhuttl’s first game in charge in which Valery played at right-back rather than right-wing-back – the number 43 has completed 2.2 tackles and 1.1 interceptions on average, indicating his defensive importance.

In comparison, Ryan Bertrand completes 2.1 and 1.1 per game respectively – the former Chelsea man is regarded as one of Southampton’s most reliable performers – and Spurs’ Kieran Trippier, who has proven himself as a quality wing-back, completes 2.3 and 0.9.

Clearly, Valery is playing beyond his years in terms of his defensive contribution, but what about his influence on the front foot? Well, his thunderbolt against the Red Devils was a cracking way to open his account in red and white and he doubled his tally for the season next time out as he bundled home at the back post against Mauricio Pochettino’s men.

For the sake of consistency, 28-year-old Trippier has scored just once this campaign despite regularly taking free-kicks for Spurs, while 29-year-old Bertrand also has the single strike to his name.

It’s in his willingness to take his opponent on, though, where Valery truly shines – the academy graduate completes 1.3 dribbles per start while former Saints captain Bertrand and England hero Tripper average 0.1 and 0.8 per game, respectively.

This directness has been crucial and the defender’s willingness to get forward is the reason why he was able to net his second goal of the campaign last weekend.

It’s unlikely we would have seen him do this under previous Saints boss Mark Hughes. Valery, who was given far less license to get forward prior to Hasenhuttl’s arrival, completed 0 dribbles under the Welshman. He has shown now, that he is a threat on the front foot when given space.

Standing at 5’11”, the Champigny-sur-Marne-born starlet wins his fair share of aerial duels, too – 1.7 per start on average, to be exact – while Cedric Soares, whom Valery has replaced, completed just 1.3 per game before upping sticks to Inter Milan in January.

Watch how to cross the road like a boss with freestyler Ben Nuttall in the video below…

There is plenty of tangible statistical evidence to justify Southampton’s decision to extend Valery’s contract on Thursday until 2023 – if any was even needed – and it’s already clear to see that Hasenhuttl has unearthed a real gem of a player.

The victory over Spurs was huge but the Saints remain just two points above the drop zone and it could go down to the wire.

Don’t bet against Valery being crucial in the bid for survival.

Plenty of Arsenal fans spent their Sunday night in front of the television last night, and with the heavyweight clash in Amsterdam between the Netherlands and Germany being played, who can blame them? However, it quickly became a painful one for them, though, as ex-Gunner Serge Gnabry shone for the Germans.

Serge Gnabry was an Arsenal player for a total of five seasons. The youngster joined the Emirates to play and develop as a part of the Gunners’ U17 setup, and after five years he had made it into the senior side. However, in the summer of 2016, he made the decision to return to his native Germany when he swapped Arsenal for Werder Bremen for an undisclosed fee. That move has been the best thing for the winger too, as just two years later he found himself at German giants Bayern Munich.

Ever since moving back home to his home country things have just got better and better for the ever-impressive Gnabry. The winger is still just 23-years-old, and what the Gunners would give to swap him with their own wide-man, Alex Iwobi. When comparing the two it is shocking how the flashy goalscoring German was allowed to leave whilst Iwobi stayed, and that is exactly what these disgruntled fans were saying when Gnabry turned Virgil van Dijk inside out to score last night.

You can read the Gunners’ verdict on Gnabry here:

The Gunners simply cannot believe the blunder that allowed Gnabry to walk away from the club whilst Iwobi stayed and will be desperate to avoid any future errors that could see them suffer again.

At elite clubs, they always want more even after reaching a level few of us can dream about. 

Liverpool should continue on this mentality, as even though they have their best squad in years, there’s always room for improvement. While battling for supremacy in England won’t be easy considering the financial power of some of their North West neighbours, FSG and Jurgen Klopp won’t accept being second best for much longer.

Indeed, if their stumbles and injury-crisis have proved anything in recent weeks, they need to add more depth to compete over more competitions. Unlike Manchester City, they don’t possess proper replacements and options to rotate with. In this situation, the need for utility players is increased by ten-folds.

However, it appears as if the Reds are looking to make some clever signings next summer. According to reports (via ESPN), Klopp could have his eyes set on Real Betis’ youngster Junior Firpo. A left-back by trade, the Spaniard can also operate as a left-winger and makeshift centre-back. He’s versatile enough to fulfil his defensive duties while adding the extra layer to his side’s attack.

He’s scored 3 goals and assisted 1 this season, including a brilliant goal and assist in Betis’ famous 4-3 win against Barcelona at Camp Nou. Even defensively, Firpo’s maintained a decent standard, averaging 1.6 tackles, 1.7 clearances and almost 1 clearance per match (stats via WhoScored).

As Liverpool are ready to let the erroneous Alberto Moreno go, Firpo can be a brilliant replacement. Not only is he defensively much more reliable than Moreno, but Firpo, who is valued at £22.5 million (by Transfermarkt), can also operate as another versatile figure to add unpredictability to Liverpool’s game.

A squad player who can win precious points on his own, Firpo could be moulded into the next James Milner if used properly by Klopp.

Liverpool fans, do you think Junior Firpo could be a clever signing? Join the discussion by commenting below…

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Everton will be looking to close the gap on seventh-place Wolverhampton Wanderers when they host Arsenal at Goodison Park on Sunday.

The Toffees picked up an impressive win against West Ham United at the London Stadium last weekend to reduce the gap to the west Midlands outfit, but they extended it to four points again when they beat Manchester United 2-1 at Molinuex.

Manager Marco Silva spoke to the press (13:38pm) prior to the clash against Unai Emery’s men on Merseyside, and these are two most important things he said.

Jordan Pickford update

As well all know by now, the England international was involved in an altercation in his home town of Sunderland earlier this week, which was caught on video.

When asked about the situation, Silva responded: “For us as a manager and us as a club I am not happy. The player is not happy with what happened.

“As football players they have an obligation. It is clear to them. It is a matter for us to remind him.

“Everything we must do we have already did.”

When asked what the 25-year-old has learnt, the Portuguese boss added: “It’s a big learning [curve] to him everything that has happened.

“We have to be aware of these situations. It’s done and it happened. It won’t happen again.”

While Pickford clearly wasn’t completely to blame he can’t afford to repeat something like this, otherwise he will out his number one place for both Everton and England in jeopardy.

Richarlison to Liverpool?

UOL Esporte reported earlier this week that the agent of the attacker had met with Reds boss Jurgen Klopp, but Silva was quick to respond and laugh the rumours off about a player whose form has dropped off signifcantly in recent months.

The 41-year-old said: “I have to smile.

“This speculation is not important to talk about. Just to smile.

“Richarlison is our player and he is really happy here.

“I am 100% sure he will keep learning and improving in the next few seasons.”

That will certainly be music to the ears of the supporters, who have seen other talents like John Stones and Ross Barkley move on to pastures news in recent years.

Judging by Silva’s comments he expects Richarlison to stick around for the foreseeable future, and the expectation will be that he can kick on and be a consistent talisman for the Toffees.

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Loads of Rangers fans have been reflecting on the win at Motherwell, and they absolutely love James Tavernier’s cheeky dig at the Fir Park fans.

Rangers kept some pressure on Celtic this weekend, gaining two points on the Hoops as we approach the SPFL split.

Celtic drew 0-0 with Livingston on Saturday, and the Gers responded by thumping Motherwell 3-0 courtesy of a Scott Arfield hat trick.

Arfield scored twice before the break and grabbed his third at the hour mark, and the midfielder thanked Jermain Defoe after the game, who was superb alongside him and played a huge part in setting up his hat trick.

Back to the uglier side of Scottish football though, as fan trouble was once again the centre of attention on Sunday.

Pl>ymaker FC Exclusive: Jermaine Jenas reveals he would have snubbed Tottenham for Arsenal if they’d come knocking in 2005…

Captain Tavernier appeared to have several objects thrown at him while taking a throw-in in front of the home fans, including lighters and at least one pie.

The skipper has now responded with a picture simply captioned “pied” on his official Twitter account.

Fans absolutely love the 27 year-old’s message, and you can find some of the best Twitter reactions down below…