Tag Futebol

[ad_pod ]Kyle Walker has had a long season, starting way back at the beginning of August with the Community Shield. He played in almost every game as Manchester City sealed an unprecedented domestic treble, producing some immaculate football in the process.Now that his club season is over, however, attention has turned to two more games with England, as Gareth Southgate’s side look to secure the first piece of silverware of his reign after coming bitterly close to doing so during last summer’s World Cup.

Walker appears confident in his sides’ chances but to win the Nations League, England must overcome the Netherlands. Revived under Ronald Koeman after failing to make Russia 2018, Oranje boast the likes of Virgil van Dijk, Frenkie de Jong and Memphis Depay.

Was Gareth Southgate wrong to overlook potential England stars from Palace, Leicester and Saints? Fan discuss “big club bias” in the video below…

The Three Lions were very impressive in their Nations League group though. England put three past Spain in their backyard and came from behind to beat Croatia at Wembley to seal a spot in the semi-finals.

Walker – who has got used to winning trophies in his time at City – certainly seems confident about this Three Lions side, claiming they’re ready for the Nations League and praising the training camp England have put together.

There’s no guarantee Walker will play a key role for England in this tournament though, despite being such a crucial member of Southgate’s World Cup team. Southgate has since changed formations, making Walker’s centre-back berth redundant, and Liverpool’s Trent Alexander-Arnold has emerged as a potentially superior option.

[ad_pod ]

On Monday, Aston Villa revealed that they had signed Kortney Hause on a permanent deal from Wolverhampton Wanderers.

Hause initially joined Villa on loan in January and went on to make 12 appearances for the club in the second half of the 2018-19 campaign.

Clearly impressed with the versatile defender, Dean Smith’s side have taken up the option to secure his services on a permanent deal.

And it would be fair to say that the Villa fans are absolutely delighted with the transfer news.

Anwar El Ghazi – on loan from Lille last season – Jota and Wesley Moraes had already joined the Premier League club ahead of Hause’s arrival on Monday.

And Villa’s business is unlikely to stop there as Smith looks to put together a squad capable of competing in the top flight following last season’s Championship playoff success.

A selection of the Twitter reaction to Hause’s confirmed arrival can be seen below:

[ad_pod ]

Is the Champions League papering over the cracks for Tottenham Hotspur?

It feels like an incredibly unfair question to ask, particularly after their scarcely believable heroics on Wednesday night, yet it is a pertinent one.

Of course, this is a club that will be playing in the final of the biggest competition in European football on June 1. They will take on a Liverpool team boasting the likes of Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane, Roberto Firmino and Virgil van Dijk. It will be the first all-English final since 2008, when Manchester United and Chelsea locked horns in a rainy Moscow.

This time, they will play in Madrid, fighting for the right to be called European champions. Anything could happen. Spurs could win.

But there is a lingering feeling that this domestic season, when taken in isolation, has been a worry. Spurs have lost 13 games and yet, they sit in the top-four. They have been beaten more times in the Premier League than Wolves. They have drawn once, though, and that perhaps explains the absolute ridiculousness of this Spurs team finding themselves in the top four with only one game to play. If they avoid an eight-goal swing in Arsenal’s favour on the final day, they will qualify for the Champions League via their league position. Even if they don’t, they could qualify by winning the whole thing.

One has to examine the flaws, though. Spurs are in a final, yes, but they have played with Fernando Llorente up front for much of their run. They have been shorn of Harry Kane through injury and have no truly like-for-like replacement. Llorente is a battering ram of a centre-forward; Kane has a great deal more class than the Spaniard.

Dele Alli, reborn against Ajax, turning in a performance of maturity and elegance, has a ridiculous workload because there is no alternative in the squad; the same is true of Christian Eriksen.

This is a squad that has been stretched to its absolute limit. The midfield options at one point, due to both injury and general misfortune, were 18-year-old Oliver Skipp and Moussa Sissoko. That was it.

It must be said that Mauricio Pochettino has worked miracles with this squad. He has silenced the doubters and proven the devotees right. He hasn’t won a trophy yet; his first could be the Champions League.

And yet we cannot look past the holes. Kieran Trippier and Serge Aurier both need upgrading. Ben Davies probably isn’t good enough. Nor is Eric Dier, or Erik Lamela, or, actually, Llorente.

This patched-up band of brothers have done more than anyone could have expected of them but sentiment can’t cloud the judgement of chairman Daniel Levy.

An overhaul of this squad is needed and is long overdue. Spurs haven’t signed a player since January of 2018, when Lucas Moura, the hat-trick hero on Wednesday, waltzed through the doors at Hotspur Way. He is now a legend.

But money has to be spent. This is a club that has reached the Champions League final; it is an attractive proposition for any player looking to further their career.

Has this team done more than anyone would have expected? Absolutely, they have. But, still, Levy needs to back Pochettino this summer.

New blood is needed and we are past the point of Spurs recruiting promising talent. Genuine winners are needed if they are to take the next step: winning the Premier League.

It won’t be easy. It will be expensive. But this Champions League run has only served to strengthen the argument. Pochettino, after all, has done this in spite of the club’s lack of investment, not because of it.

[ad_pod ]

Tottenham Hotspur fans have been left fuming with chairman Daniel Levy.

Spurs sustained a bitter blow in their bid to finish in the top four this season and qualify for the Champions League on Saturday as they lost 2-1 to AFC Bournemouth.

The result means that Mauricio Pochettino’s men will have to beat Everton on the final day to guarantee qualification for Europe’s elite club competition.

Of course, they will play Ajax beforehand in the second leg of their Champions League semi-final, looking to overturn a 1-0 deficit in Amsterdam.

The performance on Saturday came about after two red cards, with both Son Heung-Min and Juan Foyth sent off. Nathan Ake finally took advantage in injury-time, running free of Victor Wanyama to head home the winner at a corner.

And fans have vented their post-match frustrations towards Levy, with many insisting that his lack of investment in the club has proved crippling in the latter stages of the season.

Take a look at the best of the reaction below!

Mesut Ozil finally seems to be on good terms with Unai Emery.

Now more involved in Arsenal’s game than he was a few months ago, the German might’ve earned many starts in recent games, but he’s barely justified the trust Emery’s kept on him.

He’s started in the last six of Arsenal’s eight games, seemingly winning over the Spaniard after his inspired display against Bournemouth in February. However, rather frankly, Ozil’s been unable to comply with the work he’s expected to do. The German might bring more experience and flair into their game, but his trademark creativity has certainly been lacking for quite some time now.

In recent games, Ozil’s did nothing to inspire the Gunnars attack. He’s been unable to score or assist once in those aforementioned games, giving one poor performance after another in which he was barely a passenger during the Gunners’ victories. Indeed, right now, he can’t fling those incisive, defence-splitting passes anymore nor is he clever enough to run into scoring positions.

It seems like Ozil (who only has a Transfermarkt rating of £31.5m these days) is still unfamiliar with – or unwilling to get involved in – the new system at Arsenal. Now having to play under the shadow of striking partners Alexandre Lacazette and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, he’s struggling to shift gears and deliver at the rate he’s expected to.

Yes, the Emery project is still in its relative infancy and things aren’t perfect, though everything seems so much quicker now. Other than Ozil.

The German’s frustrating reactions during Arsenal’s loss to Everton a few weeks ago summed up his scenario. Unless he can pick up his game quickly, he’ll again fall victim to Unai Emery’s ruthless rotation system to be benched once again.

Arsenal fans, do you think Ozil can find back his old form soon? Join the discussion by commenting below…

[ad_pod ]

Loads of Sunderland fans have been discussing the future of manager Jack Ross, with some even calling for his head if they cannot secure promotion this season.

It’s been a funny old season for Sunderland fans, as the despair of relegation was somewhat quashed by the hope on offer from new owner and chairman Stewart Donald.

Donald, along with Ross, has united the club and its fans once more and created a genuine sense of optimism around the Stadium of Light for the first time in a long time.

It hasn’t all been plain sailing though, and a run of draws around the turn of the year has left the door open for Barnsley to swoop in and steal that second automatic promotion spot, presuming Luton Town don’t completely collapse in the closing stages of the campaign.

Most of those draws came from a problem Ross is clearly struggling with as a young manager, getting that second goal and putting the game to bed; 1-1 draws have unfortunately become his speciality.

Pl>ymaker FC Exclusive: Jermaine Jenas reveals why Tyne-Wear is a more intense derby than anything London can offer – check out the video below….

The Checkatrade Trophy final defeat was yet another example of this as he sat back to preserve a 1-0 lead. It of course did not work, and plenty of fans are having their say on his role in the dugout…

With five games of the season left to play and each match as important as the next, Portsmouth have it all to play for in the final weeks of the League One season.

All eyes are on the 27th April, though, where Pompey face off against Sunderland in what could be the game that decides which team take the second automatic promotion in the League One table, and with Kenny Jackett’s side riding high after their EFL Trophy win over the Black Cats, it’s hard to predict who will walk away the victors that day.

The upcoming Easter games will have a big effect on who will have the best chance of finishing in the top-two with Barnsley also in contention for the spot but with an extra game played over Portsmouth and Sunderland, and for Pompey, they have been given an advantage over their northeast rivals for Friday.

Sunderland’s game against play-off hopefuls Doncaster Rovers has been selected for Sky Sports coverage, meaning the game will kick-off at 5:15 PM rather than the standard 3:00 PM start, and if Portsmouth can get a result over Burton, it will add extra pressure to the Black Cats.

After last week’s incredible 5-4 loss to Coventry City, Sunderland are starting to show some cracks heading into the final games of the season, and Portsmouth taking a three-point lead ahead of them in the table before Jack Ross’ side can respond will affect the Black Cat player.

Portsmouth have a great chance to head into the top two of the League One table, and winning against Burton will strengthen their case in what could be a frantic end to the season.

Portsmouth fans, can Pompey seal a top-two finish? Let us know!

[ad_pod ]

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.

[ad_pod ]

Manchester City got the first trophy of the season on the board on Sunday, but Liverpool fans have found a reason to be optimistic despite their title rival’s success.

Liverpool clawed themselves back to the top of the league this weekend, drawing 0-0 at Old Trafford in a really poor match.

Manchester United offered very little going forward barring the odd set piece flashed across goal, and Jurgen Klopp’s side were equally incapable of breaking down their opponents.

Meanwhile, their title rivals beat Chelsea on penalties to retain the Carabao Cup, with ex-Red Raheem Sterling scoring the winning spot kick.

It wasn’t all plain sailing for Pep Guardiola’s side though, as both Aymeric Laporte and Fernandinho left Sunday’s cup final, and Guardiola confirmed they could have serious problems.

“(They both) felt something, muscular, they will be out for some weeks,” the Spaniard said, as reported by GOAL.com’s Sam Lee.

Laporte has become City’s most trustworthy centre back this season, while Fernandinho’s absence could be an even bigger loss – the Brazilian missed the defeats to Crystal Palace and Leicester.

You can find some of the best Twitter reactions down below…

[ad_pod ]

Nottingham Forest fans have all been running the rule over Saturday’s goalless draw at Deepdale, and they’re absolutely fuming at referee Tim Robinson after the latest setback in their promotion chase.

Forest had the chance to within touching distance of the top six on Saturday, but they were unable to break the deadlock against a well-drilled Preston side.

Martin O’Neill’s side haven’t won away from home in the league since November, losing four and drawing five of their last nine Championship away matches after Saturday’s 0-0 draw.

Who are the best away fans in the Championship? Pl>ymaker FC’s Thogden gives his top 10 in the video below…

While the performance was far from perfect, fans are all pointing to one man as the reason they didn’t get three points, as referee Robinson controversially ruled out a late Forest winner.

As the match closed in on the 80-minute mark, Lewis Grabban forced a good save from Preston goalkeeper Declan Rudd, but Joe Lolley’s strike on the rebound was ruled out as the referee called for a foul by Ryan Yates on the goalkeeper.

You can find some of the best Twitter reactions down below…