Newcastle United face a tough second half to the season as they try to retain their Premier League status.
Rafael Benitez and his men stormed back into the top flight from the Championship in the 2016-17 campaign, but they have since struggled for consistency.
As it stands, the North-East outfit are just two points above the relegation zone, but four clubs sit between themselves and the bottom three.
The Magpies have won just six league matches out of 22 and across November and December, the team picked up just four points from a possible 21.
Recent results have looked slightly positive as they are unbeaten in two, but they scored just once.
This weekend, Newcastle will switch attention to the third round of the FA Cup, in which they will play League Two club Luton Town at St James’ Park.
Former Arsenal player Charlie Nicholas thinks that the North-East outfit will struggle to ease to victory.
In fact, the football pundit has predicted that the lower-league side will force a replay with a 2-2 draw.
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The Scotsman told Sky Sports:
“After a great result at Stoke I’m expecting Rafael Benitez to make changes given it has only put Newcastle two points above the drop zone. He’s not got a big squad and they don’t score a lot of goals, so the idea of a comfortable afternoon is foreign for the St James’ Park faithful.
“In contrast all we hear with Luton is they’re scoring four or five. They also have their problems defensively and will come to attack so I’m going for them to get a replay here in what is a really awkward one for Newcastle right now.”
Luis Suarez’s absence has brought about a number of positives in the Liverpool camp, one being the obvious desire from Daniel Sturridge to step forward and take responsibility at the tip of the attacking sword.
It’s far too early and certainly too much of a long shot to say that Sturridge is the internal solution to the Suarez issue over the short term. Despite holding a place at two big clubs in the Premier League is his career prior to Liverpool, the England forward has never really had an opportunity to show his worth on a regular basis, bar one season at Chelsea. Falling down the pecking order was routine at both Manchester City and Chelsea, though now there is a clear path for him to forge his own legacy at a club who are more than willing to place confidence and faith in him.
Sturridge’s two Premier League goals in two games hold a lot of promise. Whatever happens with Suarez and a possible replacement, Brendan Rodgers knows he has a forward in his ranks who is good enough to lead the attack and make a difference. But even the most optimistic of supporters shouldn’t over think the good performances thus far. We’ve seen nothing to suggest Sturridge is a striker capable of 30 goals in a season. His form may be good, and it certainly is, but is he the type of striker that will go through dry spells? We simply don’t know that yet. The almighty upside, however, is that he is still only 23 and already looks like a player who is completely at ease with the demands of playing for a top club every week.
What can also be said about Sturridge is that he is a player with a point to prove. As talented as he may be, he hasn’t delivered at international level with the England U21s or the Olympic team of last summer. He has his flaws, including his desire to go it alone rather than looking for a teammate. But the environment at Anfield currently is clearly one he can thrive off. The focus is elsewhere and the team are set up to offer younger players the opportunity to build towards something in the future. It doesn’t matter if he isn’t a 30-goal-a-season striker now, Liverpool are focusing on their youngest and brightest, and Sturridge clearly falls into the category alongside Coutinho.
The important factor of all of this is that the club cannot rely solely on Sturridge for goals. If he’s going to develop into a leading striker for a top club, that transition phase clearly needs to take place – a transition which is likely to happen this season and builds on his 10 league goals for the club last season. But supplementing the attack remains paramount to achieving the club’s objectives. Without Suarez, Liverpool have put together a run of six games in which they’ve only lost once. It can be done without the Uruguayan, but complacency shouldn’t be allowed to set in.
For now though, Strurridge looks to be fulfilling the potential that was so often held back in previous seasons. The clinical striker Liverpool need over the long term could certainly be sitting in house.
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Is Sturridge good enough to take over the reins from Suarez over the long term?
The Barclays Premier League may only be a couple of weeks old, but even by the notoriously fickle standards of our fabled top flight, we haven’t half heard some wild conclusions already. After two games, Andre Villas-Boas’ project is apparently already doomed to failure, Arsenal are set to become the first English team to finish a season goalless and Wayne Rooney’s Manchester United future is up the swanny.
Now while the above can be said for the most part with tongue firmly in cheek, it appears that a few people have given some serious credence to a perceived degradation to Rooney’s United career. In fact, the whispers and speculation have become so prominent in the last few days, that the man himself has had to come out and reassure fans his future lies at Old Trafford.
How could a man who scored 35 goals in all competitions for the Red Devils last season and someone widely regarded to be one of the best forwards in Europe, possibly be consigned to the scrapheap after the first two games of the season?
On paper, it seems to be verging on the absurd and in reality; it appears pretty far-fetched as well. But football isn’t as simple as black and white or facts and figures. As the 26-year-old faces at least a month out after his gory leg gash against Fulham, there is every chance that it could turn out to be a bigger blow for the player than it could be for his club.
This summer has seen, in some ways, history repeat itself for the nation’s most talented footballer. Not for the first time, Wayne Rooney found himself heading into a major tournament on the back of a superb goal scoring season. Rooney scored 27 league goals last term, one more than his pre-World Cup 2010 haul, to find himself heading into Euro 2012 with the weight of serious expectation upon his shoulders. This is the national team of course – it was never going to be any different.
And as in 2010, Rooney duly failed to live up to the burden of expectation, even if it was in slightly different circumstances to the farcical performances in South Africa. Suspended for the first two games, Rooney came into Roy Hodgson’s set-up woefully short of match fitness and seemed to be visibly blowing after half an hour against Ukraine in the final group game. Two consecutive tournaments, two consecutively poor Rooney showings.
But concerningly for Manchester United, that’s not where history has stopped repeating itself. After his World Cup disaster, Rooney endured a nightmare return to domestic football. A whole array of issues, including revelations about his private life, an ankle injury and that contract debacle, affected his form. But he still seemed to be lacking fitness and match sharpness in abundance. It wasn’t the Rooney of the season before. How much you contribute that to conflicting factors is arguable, but he seemed to have trouble adapting back after the World Cup.
So you can imagine Sir Alex Ferguson was mortified when he saw Rooney’s showing against Barcelona in their pre-season friendly at the start of the month. Rooney missed a penalty that wouldn’t have gone down particularly well, but he again looked well short of match fitness – in August. Rooney had sat out the bulk of United’s pre-season preparations as he was supposed to be undergoing an intense, in-house fitness regime at Carrington. No one is claiming United’s fitness staff haven’t been up to the task, but something seems to have gone wrong down the line.
Consequently, his nasty injury at Fulham last Saturday could not have come at a worse time. The only way he can regain sharpness and form is with long, hard game-time, of which he seemed to be in dire need of. Spending anything from four to a possibly touted eight weeks on the sidelines is an absolute nightmare for Rooney. If he really was behind in pre-season, then he is going to have to put in a monumental shift during his rehabilitation this time round.
But it’s here that we get into uncharted territory for Rooney and Manchester United. Because for the first time in his career, there is a genuine chance that he will have to battle to get back into the first team line up.
You can always make wild assumptions from 120 minutes of football, but few would argue that Manchester United have looked a far better prospect when Rooney has been off the pitch for them, rather than on it. It’s not rocket science to work out why, either.
When you invest £24million in a striker, as Fergie did in Robin van Persie, you tend to play him. When that man scored 37 goals in all competitions last year, you definitely play him. And when he links up as tantalizingly as he has done with fellow new boy Shinji Kagawa, you don’t look elsewhere. Including to Wayne Rooney. Ferguson took the bold move of dropping Rooney after his sub-standard showing in the 1-0 defeat to Everton, in favour of his new Dutch and Japanese additions. The fact is, even if Rooney hadn’t got injured during the weekend, he’d probably be back on the bench for this weekend’s trip to Southampton.
Equally, as much as we are reading a lot into Rooney’s tentative minutes on a football pitch this season, we are also reading more than enough into Van Persie and Kagawa’s time in United shirts. They are both class and acts and surely have wonderful seasons ahead of them this term. But regardless of why that is, Rooney cannot be fully judged until he’s been given the chance to try and shine with the pair fully fit. The problem is, that if they push on like many expect them too, he could struggle to find the chance.
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Many are quick to bash Rooney with his often-disappointing exploits for his country but he remains a class act for Manchester United. And if anyone is going to be able to hold their own and fight back from adversity, it will be Rooney. But this United team appears to be evolving. We’ve seen flashpoints of a new, seemingly more mobile and fluid Manchester United side. Quite how Rooney, Kagawa and Van Persie can co-exist in the same team, remains to be seen. One things for sure, if the newly signed duo fire United to the top of the table in Rooney’s absence, he is going to be under real pressure to perform when he gets his chance.
It’s going to be hugely interesting to see how this United team shapes up and exists when Rooney does return. It seems uneasy and wide of the mark to even speculate about his possible departure as many are currently indulging in at the moment. But if he does face a fight to get back into the starting XI again, he’s going to have to get his head down and worker harder than he arguably ever has before. Certainly harder than what we’ve seen since the end of last term, anyway.
How do you view Rooney’s role in this new look Manchester United team? Does he need to raise his game or is it all a load of overblown nonsense? Tell me what you think on Twitter: follow @samuel_antrobus and bat me your views.
West Ham United announced on Wednesday that manager David Moyes would be leaving the club following the expiry of his contract at the end of the season, and Shakhtar Donetsk manager Paul Fonseca is one of the frontrunners to replace the 55-year-old at the London Stadium.
The east London outfit finished the Premier League season in 13th position after taking seven points from a possible nine available in their final three fixtures, but poor performances and results – and discontent among the London Stadium faithful – among other things, meant that the Scot wasn’t offered an extension to his deal.
It is no surprise to learn that Fonseca could be near the top of the list of potential targets given his brilliant record with Shakhtar – it is a rumour Hammers fans on Twitter are delighted with – and the fact that he will soon be a free agent unless his own contract is renewed in the next few weeks.
The Portuguese boss has overseen 73 win in 93 matches in all competitions, with his team scoring 205 goals during that period, conceding 82, as per Transfermarkt.
The fact that the Ukrainian outfit were only narrowly knocked out of the Champions League in the knockout stages by eventual semi-finalists AS Roma shows that they have plenty of quality available in their squad, and some of those individuals could make a real difference for the outfit from the English capital in the 2018/19 campaign.
Here are three Donetsk stars Fonseca should bring to West Ham with him, if he is appointed…
While Pablo Zabaleta generally impressed at right-back and right wing-back for West Ham this season, he is getting no younger and has just one year remaining on his contract.
It is clear that the east London outfit need to find a long-term solution on the right-hand side, and they could get their answer if Fonseca is appointed and brings Butko with him to the London Stadium.
The 27-year-old Ukraine international is a regular in the XI for Shakhtar, and as well as showing his defensive skills he has also shown that he can get up and down the pitch and is a threat in the final third too by providing eight assists in 29 appearances in all competitions this term – something Zabaleta often struggles to do now he is 33 years of age.
Cheikhou Kouyate and Mark Noble impressed in the final couple of fixtures of the season after below-par seasons, and it remains to be seen whether those displays will be enough to ensure that they start the 2018/19 campaign in the starting XI.
Kouyate in particular probably needs replacing if the Irons are to kick on, and it seems certain that a new defensive midfielder will be arriving at the London Stadium this summer.
If Fonseca is appointed as Moyes’ successor, he should look to bring the impressive Stepanenko with him, and the 28-year-old would arrive with plenty of experience having made 238 appearances in all competitions for the Ukrainian outfit.
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It was often West Ham’s defence rather than their attack that let them down this season, but while they have the likes of Manuel Lanzini, Marko Arnautovic and Joao Mario – if he returns following his loan spell from Inter Milan – on their books, they shouldn’t pass up the opportunity to add quality players in those attacking areas.
One player Fonseca could look to bring to the London Stadium with him if he gets the Irons job is Bernard, with the left-sided Brazilian one of Shakhtar’s key men in recent years with 28 goals and 35 assists in 157 appearances.
The fact that he will soon be available on a free with his contract due to expire next month is just another reason why he should arrive alongside the Portuguese boss.
According to reports in the Daily Star, Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger is considering bidding for Manchester City captain Vincent Kompany if Pep Guardiola tries to sign contract rebel Alexis Sanchez during the January transfer window.
What’s the word, then?
Well, the Daily Star says that Gunners boss Wenger is desperate to boost his backline and while he holds an interest in Chelsea’s David Luiz, he could be tempted to make a move for Kompany if City want Sanchez in the New Year.
The Daily Star says that the runaway Premier League leaders are set to reignite their interest in the Chile international having failed to bring the forward to the Ethiad during the summer transfer window, with the 29-year-old unwilling to commit his future to the north London outfit.
How has Kompany done this season?
As they have been over the course of the last few years, the Belgium international’s campaign has once again been blighted by injury.
While he captained City and played the full 90 minutes in their opening three Premier League matches this term, the 31-year-old then picked up a calf injury which kept him out for 14 games in all competitions.
The skipper did play four times in the top flight on his return, but a muscle problem that he suffered in the win against Manchester United has kept him on the sidelines for the victories against Swansea City and Tottenham Hotspur over the course of the last seven days.
According to WhoScored.com, Kompany has won 20 of the 27 aerial duels he has faced in his seven Premier League outings this season, while he has made 25 clearances and has an impressive passing accuracy of 92.5%.
Would he be a good signing for Arsenal?
It’s difficult to say.
While there is no doubt that he would certainly add some leadership and quality to the Arsenal backline, his injury worries would certainly be a concern.
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According to Transfermarkt, the 31-year-old has missed 47 matches in all competitions since the start of last season, and that is something that Wenger would be seriously thinking about before he brings him to the Emirates.
Considering he has 18 months left on his contract however, if he could be bought for a reasonable price then it could turn out to be a low-risk transfer.
With this season in many ways marking the end of an era for Manchester United, following the retirements of Paul Scholes and Sir Alex Ferguson, incoming Red Devils boss David Moyes will be keen to start a new period in the club’s history from the start of next season.
But before we get to the opening fixtures in August, the former Everton manager has the summer transfer window to contend with. Whilst many will be looking at whom he will attempt to bring in, citing former Toffees’ players and one of Europe’s top strikers up for sale during the off-season, he will also have to balance out his new recruits by shifting some of the deadwood at Old Trafford.
Just in case Moyes is not yet well acquainted enough with the United roster, we’ve complied a list of the Five players who’ve become surplus to requirements for Manchster United.
Click Here or on Anderson to reveal the FIVE players that David Moyes should ditch this summer.
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According to various reports, Stoke City winger Xherdan Shaqiri has a €14.5million (£12.75m) relegation clause in his contract – but who should sign the Swiss international?
Stoke City were relegated on Saturday courtesy of their 2-1 home defeat at the hands of Crystal Palace, and there will surely be multiple Potters looking to leave the club this summer.
West Ham fans have been discussing the possibility of signing Shaqiri and teammate Jack Butland, but the Swiss winger has been linked with a whole host of Premier League clubs.
Though Shaqiri certainly struggles with consistency, he possesses an absolute star quality that very few players have, so plenty of managers will be queuing up for the relatively low £12.75m release clause.
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The Hammers and Toffees have both been linked with moves for the 26 year-old, who has eight goals and six assists in 35 league appearances this season.
Both clubs could be going into next season under new management, so it would be no surprise to see them swoop for some new talent to freshen up their squads.
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One would have to think West Ham have the upper hand, as the Swiss man could relish the opportunity to link up with former teammate Marko Arnautovic.
So, Everton and West Ham fans, where would Shaqiri be the best fit? Let us know by voting in the poll below…
Kevin Mirallas has hit out at Everton for their treatment of him over the latter half of the season, accusing the Merseysiders of ‘breaking promises’.
The Belgium international has long been thought of as one of the Toffees’ key players after impressing for Roberto Martinez’s side.
He attracted interest over the winter period from clubs such as Atletico Madrid and Dortmund, while Spurs have also been aligned with a raid for him.
WANT MORE? >> Everton transfer news | Spurs transfer news
A potential swap including Aaron Lennon – on loan at Everton from Tottenham – has been reported as an option, and now Mirallas has now opened the door for a switch.
The 27-year-old has revealed that he’s frustrated at the lack of game time he’s been given, claiming that it goes against the reasons he was kept at the club in January despite strong interest:
“Borussia Dortmund and Atletico Madrid were interested [in January], but Everton obliged me to stay at the club,” he is quoted by Goal.
“I understood because our young group performed below expectations. So I had to stay, but in the second half I was suddenly playing less games.
“There are promises broken and yet it makes for a somewhat awkward relationship with the coach. Soon I will have a conversation with him.
“I have had a beautiful two and a half years with Everton. I have experienced many great moments and for that I must thank the club.
“So I don’t know whether I will leave, it is a decision I have to make in consultation with my family.”
Mirallas played 1,424 minutes of Premier League football for Everton during the season just gone, scoring seven goals from his wide role.
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Norwich will pitch fit-again keeper John Ruddy in to face West Brom at Carrow Road on Sunday following his five-month injury absence.
The England international has battled his way back from a long-standing groin problem and, despite being fit in the past few weeks, boss Chris Hughton was unwilling to throw him back into the first-team too soon and risk doing any further damage.
However, it seems Ruddy will get the nod ahead of Mark Bunn for Sunday’s visit of the Baggies, as the Canaries still require a win to be almost certain of Premier League football next season.
Winger Robert Snodgrass has recovered from cramp which saw him substituted in last weekend’s late 2-1 home defeat by Aston Villa, but centre-half Michael Turner is still sidelined with a groin injury.
Meanwhile midfielder Anthony Pilkington insists the squad is in good spirits ahead of the game as they look to secure only their third win in 20 outings which would take them six points clear of third bottom Wigan.
“Everyone’s been positive around the dressing room, all around the club, and everyone’s behind each other,” said Pilkington.
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“Everyone was disappointed and gutted after the defeat to Aston Villa. But the boys have picked each other up and the staff have picked us up as well.”
Newcastle United supporters have been pretty downbeat in the Transfer Tavern this week after seeing their team’s four-match winning run in the Premier League come to an end at the hands of Everton on Monday night.
Rafa Benitez’s men went into their clash with the Merseysiders off the back of beating Arsenal, Leicester City, Huddersfield Town, and Southampton in their preceding four games, a run which saw them breach the 40-point mark and thus all but seal their place in the top-flight next season. Yet they were unable to keep their impressive run going on Monday night as a Theo Walcott effort six minutes into the second half was enough to clinch all three points for Sam Allardyce’s side, thus leaving Newcastle tenth in the division.
As such, there have been many quiet Magpies supporters in the Tavern in the last few days, several of whom are hoping that their team can finish the season strongly to build momentum ahead of the 2018/19 campaign.
In the meantime though, there has been much for our resident Newcastle fans to discuss, not least recent reports linking their club with a move for Hull City striker Abel Hernandez.
And while the 27-year-old might well be a useful addition to Benitez’s squad, the Magpies must forget about a move for the forward and instead land £13.5 million-rated Championship star Tom Cairney (as per Transfermarkt).
Ultimately, while Hull’s Hernandez has been in fine form for the Tigers this term in netting eight goals in just ten appearances, he has suffered repeatedly from injuries in the last few years, hence his lowly appearance tally this time round.
Even his Premier League record, in which he has netted eight times in 49 games, isn’t horrendous, but it would be too big a risk for Newcastle to take given his injury problems over recent years.
Whereas they know exactly what they’d get with Fulham’s Cairney, who has without doubt been one of the best attackers outside of the Premier League in the last few years.
The 27-year-old inspired Slavisa Jokanovic’s side to the Championship play-offs last season with 13 goals and 11 assists for the Cottagers, and while his first half of this season was disrupted by injury, he has still managed four goals and five assists in their run to second place in the table.
Thus, it’s just a matter of time before the Scotland international makes the step up to the Premier League, and if Newcastle are keen to move to the next level themselves in the coming years, a peak and in-form Cairney can certainly help them with those aims.
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Ayoze Perez has performed much better recently for the Magpies, but one still senses that they need a number ten with greater attacking pedigree and an ability to make things happen out of very little – Cairney can do just that.
Obviously, it would be a risk given the 27-year-old hasn’t played much in the Premier League, but given his fine form for Fulham in the last few years, and indeed the age he is at, the Magpies must forget about Hernandez and instead focus their efforts on luring Cairney to St James’ Park.