Tottenham fans call on players to copy Liverpool in vital European clash

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Tottenham Hotspur and Liverpool could play each other in the first all-English Champions League final since 2008, leaving Spurs fans in a state of shock.

The Reds produced a genuinely miraculous comeback on Tuesday evening, overturning a 3-0 deficit against Barcelona with an astonishing 4-0 victory at Anfield.

Jurgen Klopp’s men will find out their opponents in Madrid on Wednesday, with Spurs set to take on Ajax in Amsterdam.

Tottenham lost 1-0 to the Dutch giants in the first leg in north London but will perhaps take heart from the amazing feats of their Premier League counterparts; they know that a victory by two goals or more would see them through.

And Spurs fans have called on their players to take inspiration from the Reds as the club yet again try to upset the odds in Europe.

They had taken one point from their first three games of the group stages, but staged a fight-back to qualify for the latter stages, before thumping Borussia Dortmund and somehow scraping past Manchester City.

Take a look at the best of the reaction below!

Injury News: Vetokele absence will help Sunderland nullify Lyle Taylor

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Sunderland have received a big boost ahead of the play-off final on Sunday, as Charlton striker Igor Vetokele is unlikely to be fit.

What’s the word?

Vetokele has missed four out of the last six games for the Addicks, including the last three because of a thigh problem.

And Lee Bowyer’s comments on Friday morning suggest it is unlikely that the striker will return for the big one at Wembley this weekend: “The boys are all looking sharp and fit. We were hoping Igor could be training today, but that looks unlikely,” he said, as reported by The Sunderland Echo.

Be sure to check out the incredible story of the man who rose from a Tanzanian refugee camp to become one of Australia’s biggest football stars in the video below…

Bad news for Taylor

Vetokele is by no means one of League One’s finest goalscorers, but his absence will definitely hurt Bowyer’s side.

The 27 year-old has taken a more prominent role since Karlan Grant left The Valley in January, and has formed an impressive partnership with Lyle Taylor.

The Angolan has mustered five goals and five assists in all competitions, while Taylor has benefitted massively from their partnership, scoring nine and adding three assists in his final ten appearances of the season.

Whenever Taylor is sniffing around there is always danger, but without his partner in crime the Charlton front man should be much easier to nullify.

Josh Parker is likely to start in Vetokele’s place if he is indeed not fit to return, and the 28 year-old has scored just once in 17 appearances as a centre forward this term, so should be much less of a threat to the Black Cats back line.

Make no mistake about it; Vetokele’s absence would make life an awful lot easier for Jack Ross and his defence.

Jorginho’s critics should shut up as he hits back with words and stunning Arsenal display

Chelsea absolutely bossed the midfield in their impressive 4-1 Europa League final win over Arsenal last week.

Mateo Kovacic and N’Golo Kante (who did not look injured!) were superb, with the former key in the west London club’s attacking play on the night.

But when it came to winning the ball and dictating the tempo of the game, a certain Jorginho was the real MVP and has since sent a message to his critics.

“They were not used to seeing a player with my characteristics before the defence,” Jorginho said when speaking about his doubters in a recent press conference for the Italy national team (Calciomercato).

“At that moment, when the results did not arrive, it was to point the finger. I always believed in what I do “I continued to work so hard. The work came out and I proved that they were wrong.”

When things went wrong for Chelsea, as Jorginho has pointed out, everyone was quick to single him out. But what was the 27-year-old to do about David Luiz’s crazy defending, Antonio Rudiger’s constant fouling that led to free kicks and Gonzalo Higuain missing sitters?

Make no mistake, Jorginho has been made a scapegoat. He is criticised for everything and praised for nothing despite bringing a lot to this Chelsea team.

It is a myth that he does not make tackles and cannot recover the ball, you only have to look at the Arsenal game to know that. When you consider that and his quality when in possession, Chelsea have a really good midfielder at their disposal and it is time people realise that.

Chelsea fans, do you think some of the criticism Jorginho has received this season has been unfair? Let us know in the comment section below!

The Verdict: Should West Ham United meet Salomon Rondon’s release clause now?

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As West Bromwich Albion tell Newcastle United that they won’t be settling for anything below his £16.5m release clause, West Ham United along with Wolverhampton Wanderers are also interested in swooping for front-man Salomon Rondon, according to The Daily Star.

The Venezuelan international striker has spent the entirety of the 2018/2019 season on loan at St. James’ Park from the Hawthorns, enjoying his most productive Premier League campaign with 11 goals and seven assists.

After several seasons of toiling under Tony Pulis, Rondon has finally shown his quality at Premier League level, scoring and assisting frequently despite limited service and forming an exciting partnership with his attacking accomplice, Ayoze Perez.

Whether the Hammers should be weighing up a move for Rondon has been a topic of discussion in Football FanCast towers this week, and three writers have given their verdicts on whether Manuel Pellegrini should activate his release clause below…

Matt Dawson

“Absolutely. Rondon would be a game changer for West Ham and suits the style that they’ve been renowned for in recent years. Felipe Anderson would be in dreamland if he had a player like Rondon to play off every week, and provide a supply line to from wide areas as well. The Hammers could do with more goals and although the Venezuelan isn’t too prolific, his ability to bring others into play could prove fruitful for West Ham should he join.”

Check out what the Pl>ymaker FC squad got up to at the Football Blogging Awards in the video below…

Harry Sherlock

“Probably, yes, but I maintain that Aleksandar Mitrovic would be the better signing – the Fulham striker has youth on his side while Rondon is 29 and approaching his twilight years. If Mitrovic proves to be out of the Hammers’ reach, though, a move for Rondon makes perfect sense given they are a similar profile of player. He should be a back-up though, and nothing more.”

Billy Meyers

“With the departure of Andy Carroll and a potential exit for Marko Arnautovic after January’s dramatics, it should be the dawn of a new era in attack for West Ham. To splash the cash on a player nearing his 30’s would be typical West Ham; a truly stupid move. A younger option should be prioritised.”

Rangers fans will be glad to see the back of Joe Worrall after Killie display

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Rangers failed to finish the season on a high at the weekend, losing 2-1 to third placed Kilmarnock at Rugby Park.

Steven Gerrard’s side have been showing excellent form of late, winning every match since a defeat to Celtic in March prior to yesterday’s visit to Ayrshire.

However, goals from Chris Burke and Eamonn Brophy sealed the victory that Killie needed to secure a UEFA Europa League qualification spot.

One of the most criticised Gers stars on the day was Joe Worrall, whose shaky defensive performance has done little to convince supporters he is worth making a transfer move for this summer after arriving on a temporary basis at the start of Gerrard’s reign.

With his loan expiring he will be heading back to parent club Nottingham Forest shortly and plenty of fans are keen to see the back of him, feeling he hasn’t contributed positively to their season.

His form has been pretty patchy since joining last summer and away from home especially he’s looked below the standard required for Rangers to compete for major trophies.

These supporters have taken to Twitter to share their thoughts on the 22-year-old…

Come on Roy! Palace fans are livid that Speroni didn’t feature vs Bournemouth

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Crystal Palace fans on Twitter are livid after Julian Speroni wasn’t even named on the bench against Bournemouth, in what was the last game before the club icon’s departure.

It was announced last week that the Argentine would be leaving SE25 after 15 years with the Eagles, time in which he has become a legend at the club and adored by the supporters who idolise him at Selhurst Park.

Should Crystal Palace keep hold of Max Meyer this summer? Harvey Jones discusses in the video below…

So, as a result of that, the fans were hoping that the 39-year-old would at least be on the bench so he could make a romantic cameo appearance before he departs south London for good.

However, Palace boss Roy Hodgson decided to go with Vicente Guaita in between the sticks, and chose Wayne Hennessey as his option on the bench, much to the disappointment of the fans on Twitter – one supporter even travelled to the game purely to see the former Dundee stopper!

Let’s see what the fans have been saying on Twitter about the decision…

فيديو | برايثوايت يسجل هدف برشلونة الأول أمام أوساسونا

تقدم نادي برشلونة بالهدف الأول عن طريق الدولي الدنماركي، مارتن برايثوايت أمام أوساسونا على ملعب كامب نو في المباراة التي تجمع بينهما على ملعب كامب نو.

جاء الهدف في الدقيقة 30، بعد تمريرة من ألبا إلى كوتينيو، وبعد تسديدة أنقذها الحارس، حاول برايثوايت مرتين لتدخل الكرة بشق الأنفس إلى المرمى، مع محاولة من ليونيل ميسي.

الحكم ماتيو لاهوز انتظر بعد الهدف لعدة ثواني، ولكنه قرر أحقية هدف برشلونة، ليتقدم البلوجرانا على ضيوفه. شاهد هدف برشلونة الأول أمام أوساسونا

Dodged Bullet: Tottenham and Ryan Babel

Tottenham Hotspur almost signed Ryan Babel in 2010 in what can only be described as a truly bizarre deal.

Deadline Day of a transfer window sends plenty of clubs into panic-mode, with many of them questioning whether they are ready for the upcoming campaign, or if they have strengthened all the areas they need to ensure they reach their targets in the final few months of the year.

Rumours can go into overdrive at times and the Babel to Tottenham one was one that just did not make sense, even if you were able to follow what was going on.

The summer of 2010 saw Liverpool looking to build their own side further and the Dutchman was seen expendable after a rather rubbish time at Anfield.

Media outlet Goal broke with an exclusive in the morning that Tottenham were interested in signing the winger on a season-long loan, although the Reds were only prepared to offload him permanently. Still following?

Then there were claims that he was in a helicopter over London (Guardian, 14:49 31/08/10), with West Ham United also being dragged into the mix as Carlton Cole was allegedly heading to Merseyside (yeah, we wrote about that one not making sense as well).

But, later that afternoon he posted a Tweet stating “I’m going nowhere… LFC all The Way… ynwa !!!” (via BBC, 17:15 31/08/10… Tweet subsequently deleted..).

However, a couple of hours later, and this is where Spurs come into the picture once again, Harry Redknapp made comments backing up their interest in Babel, but revealed they were nowhere near a deal.

“We were also interested in Ryan Babel, he was a player we made an enquiry about but it never came close,” he said (via BBC, 19:53 31/08/10). This was after it was claimed a £10million bid had come in for him by the Daily Telegraph’s deputy football correspondent Jason Burt on Twitter (again… Tweet has vanished, so we’ll have to take BBC’s word for it once again (16:16, 31/08/10)).

Everything understood? (We wouldn’t blame you if you needed a few minutes to wrap your head around that one… we did!).

What is easier to understand though is that Tottenham dodged an expensive £10m bullet.

Babel has never quite hit the heights that were expected of him since leaving Liverpool and has since had spells in TSG 1899 Hoffenheim, Ajax, Kasımpaşa, Al Ain, Besiktas and Fulham, where he showed glimpses of what he can offer in a season that was poor for everyone associated with the west London outfit.

However, their relegation to the Championship has left the 32-year-old to look for a new club, so it wouldn’t be a surprise to see a new stamp in that passport Ryan!

Tottenham fans, what are your thoughts on the whole Babel saga? Pleased Redknapp didn’t get close to signing him? Let us know below!

Pundit View: Neville digs at Grealish amid international allegiance debate

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Speaking to Sky Sports during their coverage of England’s Nations League encounter with Switzerland on 9 June, Gary Neville had a bizarre dig at Jack Grealish, per quotes relaid by Birmingham Live.

What’s the word?

Back in March, Gareth Southgate hinted that Grealish would have to be playing in the Premier League in order for him to receive an England call-up.

And following on from England’s defeat against the Netherlands last week, Aston Villa fans have since been calling for their star man to be included in the squad. However, a new debate surrounding the player has occurred.

Speaking about Declan Rice switching his allegiance from the Republic of Ireland, Neville chose to attack Grealish, another player eligible for the same nation.

In quotes relaid by Birmingham Live, he declared that it was nonsense that a footballer should ask for assurances over their place in a national side.

Describing an incident that arose when he was among the Three Lions’ coaching setup, he said:

“There was a situation when I was coaching with England when the FA at the time were trying to win the services of Jack Grealish and he wanted meeting with managers, assurances and other such things. It’s nonsense all of that!

“I don’t believe in the idea that you have to persuade someone to play for your country or give them assurances. How can you give them assurances in sport? You have to play well.”

Is he right?

Given the season Grealish has had, Neville’s comments feel very mistimed and rather unusual in their tone.

As the former Manchester United man has said, you need to play well first in order to warrant a place in the squad.

Regardless of the talent you possess, you won’t get an international call-up unless you’ve performed well for your club, or already earned your keep at the highest level of the game.

When Neville was coaching England, though, Grealish’s maturity was not of the level it’s at now and that perhaps explains what happened in the past.

“Finding a Lionel Messi in Sheffield… bit of a tall order!” – Watch Championship fans attempt to name their clubs’ Messi in the video below…

Now a couple of years older, the attacking midfielder has matured greatly, becoming a leading light for his side as well as being given the captaincy.

With Villa now returning to the Premier League, there is every chance Grealish may find himself in the England senior team for the very first time.

It’s highly unlikely that he’ll demand assurances over his place now he’s matured both on and off the field, and the standard of his performances might just give Southgate plenty to ponder over ahead of Euro 2020.

تشكيل الأهلي أمام الاتحاد السكندري في كأس مصر.. أفشة أساسي ومروان في الهجوم

أعلن الجنوب إفريقي بيتسو موسيماني المدير الفني للنادي الأهلي، تشكيل فريقه أمام الاتحاد السكندري لخوض المواجهة التي ستقام اليوم ضمن منافسات كأس مصر.

ويلاقي الأهلي منافسه الاتحاد اليوم في نصف نهائي كأس مصر على أرضية استاد السويس.

طالع | مباشر بالفيديو | مباراة الأهلي والاتحاد في كأس مصر

وقرر موسيماني الاعتماد في تشكيل الأهلي على نفس اللاعبين الذين دفع بهم أمام الزمالك في المباراة السابقة. تشكيل الأهلي أمام الاتحاد السكندري

حارس المرمى: محمد الشناوي

خط الدفاع: علي معلول – أيمن أشرف – ياسر إبراهيم – محمد هاني

خط الوسط: حمدي فتحي – عمرو السولية – جيرالدو – محمد مجدي أفشه – حسين الشحات

خط الهجوم: مروان محسن ‎

طالع | مباشر بالفيديو | مباراة الأهلي والاتحاد في كأس مصر

يذكر أن الأهلي تٌوج ببطولة دوري أبطال إفريقيا يوم الجمعة الماضي بعد فوزه على الزمالك ونجح في حصد اللقب للمرة التاسعة في تاريخه.

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