All posts by h716a5.icu

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Lucas Moura scored a quite incredible second-half hat-trick as Tottenham Hotspur booked their spot in the 2019 Champions League final at Ajax’s expense.

Ajax recorded a 1-0 win in the first leg of their semi-final last week, and led 2-0 at the interval of Tuesday night’s second leg to place themselves in a very strong position.

Spurs had other ideas, though, and Lucas netted a second-half treble – including a 96th-minute winner – to help the Premier League outfit make the final of the competition.

Mauricio Pochettino’s side needed someone to step forward in the absence of Harry Kane.

It was a tough first 45 minutes against a brilliant Ajax side, but Tottenham netted early in the second period and the pressure was always building late on.

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

It would be fair to say that the London club’s fans were absolutely delighted with Lucas’ contribution and his performance will go down in the annals as one of the very, very best.

A selection of the Twitter reaction to his performance on what was an unprecedented night of football can be seen below:

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Manchester United fans have taken to Twitter to discuss Jose Mourinho’s words on Scott McTominay from earlier in the season, and are in agreement that their former boss was spot on in his appraisal of the youngster.

McTominay’s emergence in the first-team has come amidst a terrible period for the club, and after the midfielder won the Player of the Month award for April, some cruelly suggested that it was merely down to the lack of quality at the club right now. Very harsh on the Scottish international, that.

Which “global superstar” has just been named Man Utd’s worst ever January signing? Find out in the video above…

The 22-year-old has made 21 appearances for the Red Devils this season, and his passion and desire to play for the shirt has been a breath of fresh air in comparison to the more entitled players surrounding him, who appear to be playing for themselves instead.

After the 3-1 loss to West Ham this season, Mourinho said: “He is a special character.

“He is a special personality and a team in a negative moment needs this kind of mentality that Scott McTominay has.”

After some United fans have been harsh on the academy graduate in recent weeks as a result of the club’s dire run of form, some of the club’s supporters on Twitter are now realising that the former Chelsea boss was right about McTominay and have changed their opinions on him…

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Speaking to the South London Press, Sky Sports’ EFL pundit Danny Higginbotham has helped highlight the key Lee Bowyer decision that could decide Charlton Athletic’s play-off tie against Doncaster Rovers on Friday night.

What’s the word, then?

Well, the Addicks go into the second leg of the semi-final clash at The Valley with a narrow aggregate lead following their 2-1 win in Yorkshire last weekend.

The south London outfit used a system deploying wing-backs to great effect at the Keepmoat Stadium, and it was something that clearly didn’t go unnoticed by Higginbotham.

He told the South London Press: “The wing-backs were excellent.”

Higginbotham is right too as Ben Purrington and Anfernee Dijksteel were both outstanding against Grant McCann’s men.

The fact that the formation worked so well against Rovers may well have provided manager Bowyer with quite the conundrum ahead of the big clash on Friday.

Vital decision

While the wing-back system worked so well against Doncaster on Saturday, Bowyer would have good reason to switch things up for the second leg.

Charlton have enjoyed great success using a 4-4-2 diamond formation on their own patch in League One this term, with it helping them pick up 53 points from a possible 69 available at The Valley.

Bowyer must make up his mind whether to go with the system that served him so well at Doncaster or revert back to his old faithful on Friday.

Lionel Messis have been spotted at The Valley, Boundary Park and even in Wales in the video below…

It is easily a decision that could decide the tie given the game is still firmly on a knife-edge, and the 42-year-old needs to make the correct call.

Given he has already told the players who will be playing on Thursday, the wait is on to see whether he decides to stick or twist when the team is announced at 6:45pm.

Having transformed the club’s fortunes since arriving at Elland Road last June, Marcelo Bielsa will be wanting to put the disappointment of losing in the play-off semi-finals behind him next season by propelling Leeds United to promotion.

Although it would be naive to suggest that the Whites did not crack under the pressure of expectations during the latter stages of the 2018/19 campaign, they were clearly not helped by losing several first-team players due to injury.

Due to this crisis, Bielsa was forced to continuously make alterations to his side which in turn disturbed the rhythm of their play.

In order to avoid this situation from happening again in the future, the Argentine must add some much-needed depth to his squad in the upcoming transfer window.

With it looking very unlikely that Leeds will be able to sign Jack Harrison due to Manchester City demanding a reported figure of £20m for the winger (according to The Sun), they should instead turn their attention to making a move for one of the Championship’s most exciting young talents.

Having initially been linked with a swoop for Callum O’Dowda earlier this year (via Sky Sports), Bielsa should consider re-igniting his interest in the Bristol City star this summer.

One of the Robins’ stand-out performers in the second tier last season, the winger was directly involved in nine goals for his side as they secured a top-ten finish under the guidance of Lee Johnson.

An undeniably gifted player, the £1.8m-rated ace (via Transfermarkt) is arguably a better player than Harrison and would almost certainly cost a great deal less than the former Middlesbrough loanee.

According to The Times, O’Dowda is reportedly willing to leave Ashton Gate having failed to agree a new contract with the Robins and may be available for a cut-price fee.

If this is indeed true, Leeds must do all that they can to convince him to make the switch to West Yorkshire as he would undoubtedly be a quality addition to their current squad of players at Elland Road.

What do you think Leeds fans? Should Bielsa re-ignite his interest in O’Dowda? Could the Republic of Ireland international hold the key to success next season? Get in touch below.

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Leicester fans are no strangers to a winger with a lack of end product. Just look at the performances Rachid Ghezzal and Demarai Gray have dropped this season.

So when their supporters heard that Jordon Ibe could join the club, something that was initially reported in The Sun, they weren’t best pleased.

Debating the Bournemouth man in a thread on Twitter, they launched a damning attack on the 23-year-old.

One supporter suggested that the player was overrated, claiming signing an inconsistent winger wouldn’t help them.

Other members of the King Power faithful made reference to Youri Tielemans, suggesting they should be moving for footballers of his calibre, rather than Ibe. With that in mind, a further fan urged the club to sort themselves out.

Ibe has been incredibly disappointing since making the move from Liverpool to the south coast in 2016. Arriving for a fee of £15m he hasn’t been worth it all.

This season he only managed one goal in the Premier League, starting nine times and appearing as a substitute on a further ten occasions, per WhoScored.

Here’s the best of the debate.

After two weeks of doom and gloom at Elland Road following Leeds United’s miserable play-off semi-final defeat to Derby County, their supporters were finally given something positive to shout about on Tuesday.

Having completely transformed the Whites’ fortunes over the past 1o months, the news that Marcelo Bielsa had agreed to a one-year extension to his current deal would have been a relief to many who were concerned that he was on the verge of leaving the club.

Yet whereas the majority of his players will be thrilled about the Argentine’s decision to stay, the same unfortunately cannot be said for Eunan O’Kane.

A regular starter in the two seasons that preceded Bielsa’s arrival, the £675k-rated ace (via Transfermarkt) has not played a single game under the 63-year-old’s tenure-ship and was loaned out to Luton Town last August.

Although he would make a bright start to his time with the Hatters, O’Kane’s move was cut short after he broke his leg during a clash against Bristol Rovers in September (via the Yorkshire Evening Post).

After spending the remainder of the 2018/19 campaign in rehabilitation, the midfielder would have been hoping that he would be in line to make his return to the team next season.

However, according to Football Insider, Leeds have reportedly told O’Kane to find another club with Bielsa unimpressed with his style of play.

If this is indeed true, it could be argued that the former Marseille boss is making the correct call as he already has better midfield options at his disposal in the form of Mateusz Klich and Kalvin Phillips and therefore letting O’Kane go would be no real loss.

Despite having some desirable attributes, the fact that the 28-year-old does not fit Bielsa’s 3-3-1-3 system means that a move elsewhere could be highly beneficial for his career.

What do you think Leeds fans? Should Bielsa cut ties with O’Kane this summer? Or does the midfielder deserve another chance to impress next season? Get in touch below.

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After Aston Villa achieved promotion on Monday, they’ve wasted no time in eyeing up suitable targets to help them achieve in the Premier League.

One man who could join is Neal Maupay. According to The Sun, Villa are preparing to bid £20m for the Frenchman who has had a superb season in the Championship.

After seeing the news, the Villa Park faithful took to Twitter to share their views on a possible deal for the Brentford striker. However, a host of them were divided.

Some supporters were keen to see him arrive, making reference to Tammy Abraham. One fan said with the Chelsea man unlikely to rejoin the club, moving for Maupay would be the answer. Another claimed he was a better prospect than Villa’s 26 goal loanee for the top-flight.

Further supporters focused on Scott Hogan, a player who made the switch from Brentford to Villa previously but failed to really cut it. One member of the Villa fraternity said they should be looking higher as a result.

Maupay scored 28 goals in all competitions for the Bees this term. He also laid on eight assists for his teammates.

Here’s the best of the debate.

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Wolves have some phenomenally gifted players coming through their ranks at the moment.

Given the fact they’ll need more depth next season amid European football, some of their fringe players could be on the verge of attaining more first-team minutes.

At the centre of that is likely to be Ruben Vinagre, a player who has undoubted amounts of potential.

The young left-back has been playing for Portugal’s U20 side at the World Cup in Poland recently but some of his performances have shown he still has plenty of work to do.

On the chalkboard

Based on potential, the 20-year-old is one of Wolves’ finest signings since Nuno Santo took over the club.

However, he has some way to go in order to dislodge Jonny, one of Wolves’ most important players since achieving promotion.

Going forward Vinagre is a fine player and is the perfect example of a modern full-back, something he showed on multiple occasions despite limited game time last season.

Getting in ahead of Jonny was difficult considering the performances of the Spaniard and although he might well do so down the line, the 2019/20 season could be too soon.

That’s judging by his performances at the U20 World Cup.

Once again he was brilliant in attack, something that was particularly evident in a 1-1 draw against South Africa. His crossing ability was on show and he was unfortunate not to claim an assist against Argentina.

However, in terms of Vinagre’s defensive capabilities, he was caught out. In a 2-0 defeat against the same opposition, he was at fault for their first goal.

He allowed the winger to get in behind down the left-hand side, caught flat footed. Although he made a recovery to get back to his man, he then allowed him to cut inside and pick out a player inside the box.

If he starts to play regular Premier League football then that aspect of his game will have to improve.

Is it unrealistic to expect another top half finish from Wolves next season? HRH discusses in the video below…

It could be the fact that playing in a four back doesn’t suit him. Among a five man defence, he’d have a left centre-back to cover the space behind him.

If he gets caught out in a similar fashion for Wolves, Willy Boly, who usually plays as the left centre-back, should be able to cover for him.

Despite that, it shouldn’t distract from the fact that Vinagre simply has to improve defensively.

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Times are quite tough over in Spain. The forever sunny place for football is far from being all sunshine and rainbows as of late, and the all-English finals in both of the biggest European club competitions was only the icing on the cake; the punchline to the one big joke neither Barcelona nor Real Madrid find amusing. Both of them crashed and burned in the Champions League: Barcelona did that weird thing they do in Europe and Real finally played the piper at the end of the two-legged bout with Ajax Amsterdam, the eventual semi-finalists of the competition.

A similar thing happened in the Europa League as Arsenal quickly dispatched the only real contender for the crown in the Bats of Valencia, while Chelsea made sure the world would get to enjoy two English champions of Europe whatever happened in either of the finals. It’s safe to say a rather dark cloud was suddenly over Spain, and when it started raining, they quickly realised it was not really raining, it was very much pouring, as the saying goes. It also made us all think: Is this the end of Spain’s dominance or can they make a comeback next season?

But this was not the first time Spain’s monopoly, or duopoly if you will, was broken. Remember, back in 2012/13 season, Bayern Munich prevailed in the all-German affair, beating Borussia Dortmund 2-1 in the Final of the Champions League, while Chelsea brushed Benfica aside with the same final result in the Europa League. The Spanish teams were nowhere to be seen. The machine that Pep Guardiola spent four years building was slowly getting figured out, Real Madrid got steamrolled by the eventual finalists, and the only Spanish team to make it past the Round of 32 in the Europa League was Levante. But Rubin Kazan made sure they would have none come the Quarter-Finals, as they swiftly netted two in the second leg, hitting the final nail into Spain’s coffin.

So this is very much something that, granted, hasn’t happened in a while, but is something that’s not much of a novelty either. But what’s even more interesting than that is the usual response the nation as a whole has in those scenarios. After Chelsea’s triumph in the Europa League, Spain went on to claim four out of the next six, involving Sevilla’s treble from 2013/14 to 2015/16 and Atletico Madrid bagging one in 2017/18. A similar thing happened over in the Champions League.

Ever since Bayern lifted the trophy in 2012/13, and before the latest iteration in 2018/19, all of the Champions League winners were of Spanish descent. That makes for five trophies in five years and, of course, four going Real Madrid’s way while Barcelona managed to salvage one for themselves in 2015. So, when everything is said and done, maybe we should rephrase the question posed earlier. It is not really a question of whether or not Barcelona, Real Madrid and the rest of Spain will get back on the horse after suffering a setback, but it’s rather can England sustain their run now that they have seemingly gotten back to the summit?

English football dominated Europe back in the late ’70s and early ’80s, and a case could be made for Fergie’s early Manchester United era but since then, the world has been catching up rather swiftly. The cycle of dominance, after all, is a never-ending one. In short, if you are at the top today, nothing guarantees that you’ll be there at the start of tomorrow. This is true for life in general, not just football. It’s a dog eat dog world out there, and we’re just living in it.

Liverpool look as dominant as ever, Chelsea were great in the Europa League, Manchester City are playing the most beautiful and tactically complex football on the planet and are, therefore, dubbed one of world’s best, despite failing in the Champions League. The future does look great for them, especially since both Barcelona and Real Madrid have ageing squads that are in dire need of refreshment. If there was ever a time to strike, it is now, because the chances are, their biggest rivals cannot be kept down for too long before they mount a comeback.

For now, though, it doesn’t seem like next season will see a dramatic shift in power, because processes and cycles like these take time. Currently, England once again have the best teams and the best coaches, and the results are showing. But the sleeping giants are known to cut their hibernations short when needed.

Will England withstand their strikes once the time comes? We’ll just have to wait and see.

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According to Sky Sports News, West Ham United have offered £13m for Eibar midfielder Joan Jordan in the hope of landing the Spaniard this summer.

Jordan scored four times and registered four assists in 36 La Liga appearances during the 2018-19 campaign.

According to Sky Sports News, the Hammers have launched a £13m bid.

And it would be fair to say that the capital outfit’s fans are excited by the prospect of the midfielder moving to the London Stadium ahead of the 2019-20 season.

It is shaping up to be a very, very interesting transfer window for West Ham.

Pablo Fornals has already arrived from Villarreal, although the club might have to hold off interest from Manchester United in Issa Diop.

Jordan could well be the next player to arrive at the London Stadium.

And the West Ham fans have been on social media reacting to the speculation – a selection of which can be seen below: