[ad_pod ]QPR’s patience with Steve McClaren finally ran out on Monday, with the former England manager given the boot after nearly a year in charge and having been on the wrong end of another disappointing result at home to Bolton on Saturday.The R’s are now eight points above the drop but, especially if their recent run of form continues, they could quite easily slide further down the table and into the bottom three. While many surely celebrated McClaren’s departure, with the results getting worse and worse, some will still have been sad to see the veteran go – Angel Rangel included.Rangel joined the Hoops in the summer but hasn’t featured as much as he would have surely liked due to a tendon injury, although still more frequently than he would have been likely to at Swansea – the 5 ft 10 defender says he owes McClaren big time for giving him that chance to continue playing regularly in the Championship, even at 36 years of age.Pl>ymaker FC’s Theo Ogden found two rebelious Leeds fans in the home end at Loftus Road in QPR’s 2-1 FA Cup win. Find out what happened next in the video below…The Spaniard’s experience will be crucial going into the final stretch of the season but, off the pitch, he has also shown a classy side with his message. You can see the best of the reaction from the Loftus Road faithful on Twitter below…
Barnsley face a potentially season-defining clash on Tuesday night when they host Sunderland at Oakwell.
The Black Cats are currently hot on Barnsley’s heels in the League One table in the race for promotion. Defeat for the Tykes would see Sunderland move to just a point behind them with a game in hand.
It is vital that Daniel Stendel’s side don’t lose the initiative in this race by losing at home on Tuesday. Fortunately for them, though, Jack Ross’ side will arrive already weakened.
How much money could you make busking for a week as a freestyle footballer? Find out in the video below…
On the chalkboard
According to the Sunderland Echo, the visitors will be without the injured Reece James, Tom Flanagan, Duncan Watmore and Chris Maguire for the mid-week clash, with club-captain George Honeyman also ruled out with suspension.
All five are first team players whose absence will surely be felt by the Black Cats.
Stendel should be prepared to set up his team in a manner that will allow them to exploit Sunderland’s injury-caused weaknesses.
Time to take advantage
Without Honeyman, Watmore or Maguire, Sunderland will certainly be less creative and dynamic in the final third. This should give the Tykes the confidence to be aggressive and take the game to the visitors. In doing so, they should also be able to test Ross’ rearguard, which will be without Flanagan and James.
Sunderland’s injury crisis gives Barnsley an opportunity that they cannot afford to fail to take advantage of. If Stendel’s side aren’t able to put the weakened Black Cats outfit to the sword then it could have dire consequences for their promotion ambitions.
Southampton head into the international break in high spirits after a sensational 2-1 win over Spurs last weekend, with two of Ralph Hasenhuttl’s young guns – Yan Valery and James Ward-Prowse – both netting in consecutive games.
The faith placed in the more youthful Saints cohort has been a big part of Hasenhuttl’s relative success since being appointed in December, with Josh Sims the latest player to benefit.
The 21-year-old, who had disappeared into obscurity despite bursting onto the scene two years ago, was excellent after coming off the bench against Tottenham and looked very dangerous.
Watch how to cross the road like a boss with freestyler Ben Nuttall in the video below…
Now, the boss has had his say on the attacker’s performance, lauding his aggression and decision-making – two things essential from each player if the Saints are to evade the drop.
With the aforementioned Valery and Ward-Prowse flourishing in the starting XI, could Sims become a regular starter in the coming weeks or perhaps next season?
The St Mary’s Stadium faithful certainly seem to think so, as they responded to Hasenhuttl’s comments on Twitter – you can find the best of the reaction plus what the Austrian said below…
The Mirror have reported that Unai Emery’s Arsenal have been put on alert by comments made by Dalian Yifang and Belgium winger Yannick Carrasco.
What’s the word, then?
The 25-year-old who is a target of the Gunners has admitted that he wants out of the Chinese Super League in the summer transfer window, and that he tried to force a move away in January.
Carrasco also suggested that a lot of clubs have shown interest in him and that losing his starting place in the Belgian national side has been a big incentive for the desired move, per the original report.
The versatile left winger started his senior career at Monaco before a big-money transfer to Atletico Madrid and a rather baffling switch to China in February 2018, where he has started the new Chinese top-flight season brightly with three goals in two matches.
The Gunners must dodge the bullet
In terms of a possible move to the Emirates Stadium, Yifang could demand a high fee for their star man, having forked out the best part of £10 million on him just over a year ago – they will want to make a profit.
Perhaps the biggest part of this deal that makes it a bullet to dodge for the Gunners and not an asset to gain is the wage situation.
Currently, Carrasco, if various different reports are to be believed, is earning in the region of a lucrative £9 million per year.
Whilst CSL clubs are renowned for paying criminally high wages, it’s much of a bigger deal for a team in the western hemisphere to put a player on this kind of salary, although wages are still high in European football.
If Carrasco is demanding something similar, Emery is likely to have a problem on his hands because if one star earns so much, why shouldn’t any of the other players?
This would undoubtedly have a negative impact on the harmony of the squad without even delving into the numbers the North Londoners currently have in the left-sided attacking area, and rifts between teammates are the last thing the Spaniard wants as he continues to try to bed in at the Emirates.
Tottenham Hotspur have been in quite terrible form recently.
After breathing the rarefied air of the title race for so long, Spurs headed into a week that saw them face Burnley, Chelsea and Arsenal in quick succession. Win all three games and many believed that the battle for the title would become a three-horse race.
Instead, Mauricio Pochettino’s men lost to the Clarets and the Blues and drew with the Gunners. A loss to Southampton last time out put the cherry on top of a particularly sour cake for Spurs and they are now locked in a battle to qualify for the top four.
They are just one point clear of Arsenal in fourth and three clear of Manchester United, while they sit just four ahead of Chelsea.
Here at Football FanCast we’ve taken a look at how Pochettino can arrest the slump and ensure that Spurs qualify for the Champions League.
Rest Kane
Soccer Football – Premier League – Burnley v Tottenham Hotspur – Turf Moor, Burnley, Britain – February 23, 2019 Tottenham’s Harry Kane applauds fans after the match REUTERS/Andrew Yates EDITORIAL USE ONLY. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or “live” services. Online in-match use limited to 75 images, no video emulation. No use in betting, games or single club/league/player publications. Please contact your account representative fo
This is a difficult one, of course, such are the talents of Harry Kane.
But the fact remains that, since the England captain’s return from injury, Spurs have not won a game.
He has scored three goals while half-fit but there are no signs that his workload will lighten any time soon. Gareth Southgate has called him up for England’s Euro 2020 qualifiers against the Czech Republic and Montenegro and he is likely to start both games.
Pochettino, then, should consider giving Kane a rest when he can.
The ability of Son Heung-min has been proven this season – he scored in every Premier League game that Kane missed – and he can step in at any time.
Kane is incredibly likely to play against Liverpool at the end of the month but, after that, Spurs face the likes of Crystal Palace, Brighton & Hove Albion and Huddersfield Town. There will be plenty of opportunities to give the forward some respite.
Trust Son
As mentioned, Son enjoyed some of his best form in a Spurs shirt while Kane was injured.
If Kane is to be put on the bench, Son has to be trusted to replace him.
Pochettino has a fascination with striker Fernando Llorente, routinely throwing him on in an attempt to rescue games when they are not going the club’s way.
But the South Korea international is a more multi-functional player and is a better finisher to boot.
Placing some faith in Son, allowing him to play through the middle, and giving Kane a rest kills two birds with one stone.
Pochettino should consider it, particularly with a soft run of fixtures to come after a tough encounter with Jurgen Klopp’s title-chasers.
Stop rotating the defence
There is too much uncertainty in the defence.
Supporters and players alike do not know which full-back will play from week-to-week, while Toby Alderweireld was strangely rested against Southampton at the weekend.
This is not sustainable if Spurs want to challenge at the top end of the league.
Pochettino has to make a decision on the club’s first-choice full-backs and central defenders and stick with it until the end of the season, fitness permitting.
Rotation leads to mistakes and it has cost Spurs all too regularly this term.
This long-term policy needs to end to re-establish defensive solidity.
Go for the jugular when leading
Spurs loss to Southampton came about after Kane had given his side the lead at St Mary’s.
Spurs also took the lead in losses to Watford, Wolves and Arsenal.
There is a complacency problem at Spurs; all too often they appear to take their foot off the accelerator in the hope that what they have done is enough.
Soccer Football – FA Cup Fourth Round – Crystal Palace v Tottenham Hotspur – Selhurst Park, London, Britain – January 27, 2019 Tottenham’s Kieran Trippier reacts REUTERS/David Klein
Pochettino’s men often play down to their opposition too, allowing them to set the tempo of the game and appearing passive when confronted with problems.
That has to change. If Spurs take the lead, they have to double it, triple it and quadruple it to ensure that those three points are in the bag.
They have thumped the likes of Bournemouth and Everton this season so we know it’s possible. Pochettino has to ensure his players are going for the jugular in every game, regardless of the situation.
Play every game like a Champions League tie
Spurs have enjoyed a quite remarkable turnaround in Europe.
After losing to both Inter Milan and Barcelona in their first two games, a draw with PSV Eindhoven appeared to have consigned Spurs to an early exit.
However, they showed amazing fortitude to rally and beat both PSV and Inter at Wembley, before earning a creditable 1-1 draw with Barcelona in the Camp Nou to seal their unlikely qualification to the last-16.
A 3-0 win over Borussia Dortmund then earmarked Spurs as genuine contenders, and a 1-0 triumph at Signal Iduna Park added even more fuel to that particular fire.
If Spurs play with such discipline and flair in the Premier League, they will have little to worry about in the battle for the top four.
Playing every game as though it is in the Champions League might well see Spurs pick up a fair few points between now and May.
There is a serious vibe around Leeds United at the moment that can only mean success is brewing.
How many times have we seen Leeds United scraping their way through the season, providing that little bit of painful hope to their ever-faithful fans, before cruelly ripping it away at the last because of poor results? Too many to count.
Indeed, ‘so close yet so far’ has been the all too common theme of Leeds United on their 15-year struggle back to the Premier League; players, managers, controversies and diabolical performances all marring the iconic clubs revival.
Then Andrea Radrizzani arrived: the Italian messiah who restored footballing faith back into West Yorkshire.
Minus a Paul Heckingbottom shaped blip at the beginning of Radrizzani’s reign, we simply cannot fault his contribution.
He lifted them from the horrors of their former owner Massimo Cellino, who was singlehandedly sapping the lifeblood out of the club, and worked absolute wonders investing cleverly in the market and, of course, recruiting Marcelo Bielsa.
But he is not finished there.
According to Yorkshire Evening Post columnist Phil Hay, Radrizzani has dangled a golden carrot in front of his team and promised the players a trip to Las Vegas if they secure promotion at the end of the season.
Of course, a trip to Las Vegas alone should not be the main incentive behind their efforts, but we cannot ignore the fact that in a race of such fine margins, the smallest of benefits could make all the difference.
Elland Road seems like a very happy place at the moment and fans will be hoping this continues under their owner.
Leeds United fans, is Radrizzani the best thing to happen to your club in recent years? Let us know in the comments below…
Injury: that short, unmistakable word; the heart wrenching ping, snap, twist, pull, tear or break.
It is a harsh reality sportsmen must face when competing at the highest level: that their bodies could, at any point, give in on them.
The tragic event which could befall anyone – the end of their career as they know it, at least.
Louis Saha is one of these people, one of the unfortunate few that were chosen and could do little to battle their way through the trials and tribulations of recovery.
The former Manchester United man made the switch from Craven Cottage to Old Trafford in 2004¸ presumably full of hope and anticipation for his then fledging career at one of the world’s most iconic clubs.
At 25-years-of-age there were no immediate signs of ill-health or physical fatigue – he was in the prime of his career, having already established himself as a talent at his former club Fulham, netting an impressive 26 league goals in 73 appearances.
From January to the end of the season Louis Saha was everything Manchester United could have hoped for.
He released some of the immense pressure which had been piling on Ruud van Nistelrooy in the wake of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s injury, scoring seven times in 12 Premier League appearances.
It truly was very promising stuff.
But fate reared its ugly head and cruelly struck the forward down the following season.
Saha would spend a month out of action after picking up an injury on international duty – a largely unnecessary risk players faced during the period of obsolete ‘friendly’ matches, pre-UEFA Nations League.
He returned but was never the same. Indeed, like with most injuries, players carry scarring; not the kind you can see, but the type that harbours itself inside the players head – those niggling worries that the injury may hit again.
And it did – a savage blow of stark similarity rained upon him – the same infliction under the very same circumstances on international duty.
He would spend two months out.
And again. Three months sidelined at the start of the following season.
In an amazing display of defiance Saha would return and re-establish himself in the first-team scoring 15 goals during the 2005/06 campaign, later replacing the outbound Ruud van Nistelrooy, who joined Real Madrid in summer 2006.
Saha burdened the responsibility well. He had become the player Manchester United initially invested in; the pacey, mercurial, goalscoring talent that belonged in the starting line-up.
There was some consistency about his game until he was hit with more complication – this time affecting his groin and hamstring.
A single, paltry goal would sit solitarily alone on Saha’s record that season – a sad indication that the injuries had taken their toll.
An absence from Manchester United’s famous Champions League victory would be the final nail in the coffin for Saha, and he would agree to be moved on later that year.
Injuries would ultimately hamper his career at Everton, Sunderland and Lazio, where he eventually retired.
When asked by Shortlist who the best forward he played with was Wayne Rooney answered: “That’s so hard. There are so many… [thinks hard] I’m going to say Louis Saha. He’s a fantastic player; a real handful for anyone and I just really enjoyed playing off him. He was so lively and made great runs in behind. Always making space for others.”
This is both a testament to his quality and the catastrophic turn his career took.
Despite only being 22-years-old, Jack Harrison has already experienced a whirlwind of a career to date.
The winger moved to the United States as a teenager and emerged as one of the most promising talents in high school football. After one year of representing Wake Forest University in the Atlantic Coast Conference, he was drafted as the number one pick in the Major League Soccer SuperDraft in 2016 by Chicago Fire, before immediately being traded to New York City FC.
After two impressive seasons with the club, Harrison moved to Manchester City last year, spending the remainder of the 2017/18 campaign at Middlesborough. Now on loan at Leeds United, the England under-21 international has shown glimpses of his talent under Marcelo Bielsa with his latest appearance against Millwall particularly catching the eye of the club’s supporters.
With the Whites currently fighting it out with Norwich City and Sheffield United for automatic promotion in the Championship, Harrison has the opportunity to make a crucial impact in the final seven games. If he is able to demonstrate an improvement to his ability in the final-third, he could create an ultimatum for Bielsa to have to consider in the summer.
The winger clearly has the potential to develop into a player who could easily thrive in the top flight of English football and so if Leeds do secure promotion in May, they could consider permanently signing him at the end of the season. A move to Elland Road could benefit Harrison as he is unlikely to start for a City side who boast the likes of Raheem Sterling, Leroy Sane and Riyad Mahrez in the positions that he currently occupies for the Whites.
Therefore, for the sake of his career, it may be a good idea to consider a switch to the Yorkshire-based outfit if Bielsa decides that he wants to keep him at the club. Leeds themselves – potentially missing out on Daniel James – would be picking up a real talent and one with a huge sell-on value, so it’s a deal that’d make sense, despite Noel Whelan criticising him earlier this season when speaking to BBC Radio Leeds, relayed by HITC.
What do you think Leeds fans? Should the club consider a permanent move for Harrison in the summer? Or should they focus on bringing in another player in his position? Let us know below.
Everton appear to be concerned about the future of left-back Lucas Digne at the club after enjoying a stellar first season in the Premier League, which has made him a firm favourite at Goodison Park. Not since Leighton Baines have you had Toffees had such a popular defender.
Indeed, the Toffees have reportedly expressed their interest in Benfica defender Alex Grimaldo out of fear of losing Digne in the upcoming summer transfer market. The Everton administration believe they are set to be hammered with offers for the Frenchman after his good showings this campaign and are looking to find the perfect replacement for Digne, should he leave the club in the summer.
The Sun on Sunday (via the Daily Star) now reports that Everton have lined up Grimaldo to fill that void and try and replicate a similar kind of consistency as Digne at left-back.
The 23-year-old Grimaldo has been at the Portuguese club since 2015 and has become a regular first-team player since that time. He is, however, yet to get the nod in the Spanish national team but has represented them at youth level in the past.
Should Digne indeed leave Everton in the summer then Grimaldo looks quite a solid and appropriate replacement given his young age and previous performances for Benfica. But, the club should not give up that easily in accepting Digne might be on his way out and should rather consider offering him a bigger deal to remain at the Merseyside club.
The 25-year-old, who is valued at £22.5 million (by Transfermarkt), has undoubtedly been the club’s best player this season and he’s been a stalwart in both defence and attack, while Everton have looked vulnerable whenever he wasn’t playing.
Given the struggles Marco Silva has had this season to find his best combinations and starting lineup, losing Digne would just worsen those problems.
Keeping him at the club should, therefore, be one of their main priorities between now and next season so that Everton can head into next season with some consistency and knowing that they will have Digne as part of the back-four again.
Everton can’t give up that easily. For a building project, it’s vitally important they keep their best players to move forward, not constantly rely on player trading.
Everton fans, would you be gutted to see Digne depart? Join the discussion by commenting below…