Tag Futebol

Dejan Lovren is reportedly about to ‘push hard’ for a move away from Liverpool this summer. 

According to David Lynch (relayed via @AnfieldEdition), the Croatia international is looking to leave Anfield in the upcoming window and will try his best to make sure a move happens.

Lovren has dedicated six years of service to the Merseyside outfit after joining from Southampton in 2014 for £20m (via BBC Sport). His time at the club has been a chequered one, however, with many fans turning on him due to his costly errors.

As Liverpool have recruited defensively over the years, the 30-year-old has fallen down the pecking order. Virgil van Dijk’s arrival in 2018 has helped transform the Reds’ backline, with Jurgen Klopp pairing the Dutchman with either Joe Gomez or Joel Matip for the majority of fixtures.

Plenty of Kopites have responded to the update and many are relieved to hear that Lovren could be heading out the door this summer. One fan has commented ‘finally some good news’.

Check out further feedback from the Anfield faithful below:

Liverpool fans, do you think the club should keep or sell Dejan Lovren this summer? Have your say in the comments below…

This article is part of Football FanCast’s The Chalkboard series, which provides a tactical insight into teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

Crystal Palace travel to Vicarage Road this Saturday to take on a Watford side who are seriously down in the dumps as things stand.

The side who knocked the Eagles out of the FA Cup at the quarter-final stage last season have just eight points to their name after 15 games of the Premier League campaign, having won just a single match all season.

Additionally, the Hornets have also already dismissed two managers in Javi Gracia and Quique Sanchez Flores, and are looking likely to be manager-less for this encounter unless a replacement is found before kick-off.

Despite their struggles, Watford still have a few players who can hurt Palace…

Ismaila Sarr

The Senegal international – who Palace tried to sign back in the summer (L’Equipe via GFFN) – scored his first Premier League goal for Watford recently against Southampton with a well-taken finish high into the net.

Sarr possesses blistering pace and has the ability to get in behind a creaking backline consisting of players such as James Tomkins, Mamadou Sakho and Martin Kelly, who are hardly the quickest men in the world.

The 21-year-old could prove to be a thorn in Palace’s side throughout this weekend’s affair with his directness – Hodgson must inform his defenders of Sarr’s best abilities so they can give themselves a few yards, in order not to get caught out.

Etienne Capoue 

While the Frenchman is a decent player, Capoue is a man that Palace must be wary of for slightly different reasons other than his footballing ability.

Last season, the former Tottenham man raked his studs down the Achilles of Wilfried Zaha during the league encounter at Vicarage Road, an incident that he really should’ve seen a red card for with Roy Hodgson also admitting that the foul negatively affected Palace’s talisman.

Having watched the game, Capoue also tried to gee up the home support following the nasty, studs-up challenge as if he had done something positive – his dirty gamesmanship must be something that the Eagles try not to be influenced by.

“It definitely affected Wilf. We didn’t see anything like the best of him until late in the game. One can understand that type of challenge affecting him.”

In other Crystal Palace news, the Eagles have been dealt a transfer blow after an update in the Championship…

This article is part of Football FanCast’s Pundit View series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent quotes from journalists, pundits, players and managers…

Speaking on BT Sport, Manchester United legend Paul Scholes delivered a ringing endorsement of Mason Greenwood’s potential after his goal-scoring display against Partizan Belgrade.

What did he say?

The 18-year-old impressed in the Europa League clash on Thursday night, capping off a fine performance with a well-taken goal in the Red Devils’ eventual 3-0 victory.

And, after seeing his display, Scholes waxed lyrical over the teenager, comparing him to former United marksman Robin van Persie, and also suggesting he would become a better goal-scorer than teammate Marcus Rashford.

Watch Manchester United Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

He said (as quoted by The Evening Standard): “I think they (Greenwood and Van Persie) both have that stylish way about them with that left foot. It’s almost like a bit of Velcro at times. They’re both great finishers, everything seems so smooth. We talk about United not having number nines, but he could be a number nine because of that sheer composure that he has in front of goal.

“He just calms himself down, takes a touch. We saw Marcus in the first half, where he should have taken a touch and he didn’t, we saw Mason take that touch and it made the big difference. I think Mason will be a better goalscorer than Marcus.”

Sky is the limit

After impressing on the club’s pre-season tour in the summer – he scored against both Inter and Leeds – much would have been expected of Greenwood coming into the season. And though Ole Gunnar Solskjaer hasn’t exactly gifted him with plenty of opportunities (he has played just 112 minutes of Premier League football), when it has come, he has invariably taken it with both hands.

How much money could you make busking for a week as a freestyle footballer? Find out in the video below…

The academy product scored in both games he started against FC Astana and Rochdale respectively earlier in the season, and once again showed on Thursday night that he has a certain calmness to his game. It is that ability to stay ice-cold and finish under pressure that understandably led to Scholes suggesting he has a big advantage over Rashford. And whilst the latter has transitioned to the left-hand side, Greenwood could go from playing on the right-wing as he did against Partizan, to a more central role in the future.

This article is part of Football FanCast’s The Chalkboard series, which provides a tactical insight into teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

Leeds vs Blackburn will certainly be an interesting affair this weekend, and there is one key battle that could decide where the points go.

Indeed, Bradley Dack has proven himself to be one of the more dangerous attacking midfielders in the Championship after contributing to 22 goals last season, while Kalvin Phillips has been dubbed as the best player in the Championship this week by Darren Bent.

A clash between these two should push both men to their limits, and it’ll certainly be interesting to see who comes out on top.

Watch Leeds United Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

On the chalkboard

On face value, this should be one of the most compelling clashes between two individual players in the Championship.

Dack’s creative ability as well as his goalscoring instincts are enough to land any side in trouble, but Phillips is a tough foe for any opponent at this level.

Interestingly, a look at the stats shows that this could be a rather one-sided affair, but there’s one area that Phillips needs to improve in this weekend.

One area to improve

The stats show that Phillips shouldn’t have too many problems dealing with Dack.

He makes more interceptions than the Blackburn man does key passes, he tackles his marker more often than the 25-year-old usually loses the ball, and he makes enough clearances so that he can capitalise on any unsuccessful touches the attacking midfielder.

However, with Dack managing to register 2.2 shots per game and Phillips only achieving 0.2 blocks per game, it’s an area of his game he could be significantly overwhelmed in.

The Blackburn talisman is deadly in front of goal, netting five times already this term, and if he gets a sight of the net he won’t hesitate to pull the trigger.

While Phillips may be able to stifle Dack’s creativity and dribbling, but if he doesn’t manage to block his shots the Rovers’ number 10 could still find himself on the scoresheet this weekend.

This article is part of Football FanCast’s Loan Watch series, which takes a closer look at those players who are aiming to galvanise their careers away from the spotlight of their parent club.

Since joining Kilmarnock on a season-long loan deal back in the summer, Niko Hämäläinen has thrived.

The QPR left-back – who can also play in the centre of defence as per his Transfermarkt page – has impressed over in Scotland after seven appearances for Killie.

Hämäläinen, 22, has played every minute in his seven appearances for the Scottish side this term, including all 120 minutes of their Scottish Cup win over Hibernian.

Specifically, the 1-cap Finland international has played his part in what has been a solid backline.

Kilmarnock have kept five clean sheets in the six Scottish Premiership games in which Hämäläinen has started, and he has also proven that he can be of importance at the other end of the pitch.

Hämäläinen grabbed the assist for the only goal of the game in Killie’s 1-0 win over Hearts on October 5th, showcasing his end product with a pinpoint cross onto the head of Chris Burke.

Following his performance in the 2-0 league win over Hibernian on September 14th, Hämäläinen was named in the SPFL Team of the Week for his fine contributions.

If Mark Warburton has been keeping an eye on Hämäläinen’s progress – which we hope he has – then one thing must spring to the former Brentford manager’s mind.

Hämäläinen can deputise for Ryan Manning upon his return to the Kiyan Prince Foundation Stadium.

Manning, who has been in excellent form for the R’s this term – has played both as a left-back and as a left wing-back for QPR this term, and to some effect.

The 23-year-old has grabbed three assists so far in the Championship this season, just one set-up off the summit of the assist rankings – four assists is the highest in the league so far.

While it would be far-fetched to say that Manning’s place could be under threat by Hämäläinen’s form, there is no reason to suggest that the 22-year-old’s impact on loan at Kilmarnock wouldn’t see him handed a place as the Irishman’s deputy upon his return – if he keeps his good form up, that is.

Behind Manning, there aren’t too many backup options, a point reinforced by the fact that the left-back has played every minute of the R’s Championship campaign so far, as well as the full 90 in both of their Carabao Cup matches.

If Hämäläinen keeps his form up, he could be the perfect deputy for Manning.

This article is part of Football FanCast’s In Numbers series, which takes a statistical look at performances, season-long form and reported transfer targets… 

In an impressive team performance against Liverpool, Marcus Rashford no doubt stole most of the headlines for appearing to kick-start his season at Manchester United with a goal. But one man who perhaps may have flown under the radar, was Andreas Pereira.

How much money could you make busking for a week as a freestyle footballer? Find out in the video below…

The Brazilian appears to be a trusted lieutenant of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, becoming a main-stay of the first-team picture this season. The 23-year-old has played nine times across all competitions, and has featured in all but one of United’s Premier league games. He has regularly deployed from the right-hand side, appearing there in six different matches. But against Liverpool on Sunday afternoon, the Red Devils boss entrusted him with the number ten role. And boy did it pay dividends.

As the likes of Mason Greenwood and Axel Tuanzebe continue to be the talk of the town as the most promising academy products, it is easy to forget that Pereira has come through the Red Devils academy too after joining the club back in 2011.

His display against Liverpool typified everything that Solskjaer is seemingly keen on implementing: a fast, attacking game, with a commitment to pressing from the front and doing the hard yards. As Graeme Souness testified to on Sky Sports, the United midfield bossed the visitors in the middle of the park, and that was in no small part thanks to Pereira’s dynamism.

Watch Manchester United Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

All the talk this summer revolved around the future of Paul Pogba and whether the France World Cup winner would be leaving the club. As a bona-fide star, it may be understandable if the United faithful are reluctant to see him go. But in Pereira, they have someone who can equally affect games in powerful ways both at the defensive and offensive ends.

As per Sofascore, he won five duels, two tackles and made three interceptions as he set about trying to hustle and harry Liverpool’s midfield trio. It was a tenacity and drive that filtered through to the rest of his teammates, and whilst he put in a lung-busting effort to help the side out off the ball, he contributed in equal measure whenever he was in possession. His three key passes were a joint game-high and his three accurate long balls were often the start of some promising counter-attacks for Solskjaer’s men.

So whilst United may be wary of letting Pogba go, Pereira’s unbelievable all-action display against their arch-rivals on Sunday may have just given the club a glimpse of a potential in-house successor to the Frenchman.

[ad_pod ]

This article is part of Football FanCast’s Opinion series, which provides analysis, insight and opinion on any issue within the beautiful game, from Paul Pogba’s haircuts to League Two relegation battles…

Tottenham Hotspur fans may well be on the verge of getting exactly what they’ve been demanding ahead of the Carabao Cup clash against Colchester United on Tuesday night.

It’s fair to say that Spurs have very rarely been the team they have shown they can be in the past so far this season, and their two recent results against Olympiacos and Leicester City sum things up.

However, they have the chance to bounce back against the League Two club, and it could allow Mauricio Pochettino to hand out a chance to some of the club’s younger players.

17-year-old striker Troy Parrott made a decent impression during pre-season and has made a big impact for the north London outfit’s youth teams, too.

As well as finding the net in the UEFA youth league match against Olympiacos last week, he also netted twice for the U23s in a 3-1 win against Manchester City last month, meaning he has three goals in just 151 minutes on the pitch, as per Transfermarkt.

In addition, he inspired the Republic of Ireland’s U21 team to a 2-1 victory against Sweden earlier this month with a second-half brace.

When the Colchester draw was made it led to plenty of calls from fans for him to be given a chance, and it does make sense in general with no out-and-out centre-forward competition for Harry Kane following the summer departures of Vincent Janssen and Fernando Llorente.

Football London report that Pochettino has admitted he is considering handing the teenager his debut against the League Two club, and that was further backed up by the fact he was left out of the squad as the U23s were beaten by their Blackburn Rovers counterparts on Monday.

It remains to be seen whether he will be in the starting XI or on the bench, but it does appear as though the wishes of Tottenham fans are going to be granted.

Should he play, it will be the moment of truth to see if he is ready to make an impact for the first team now.

[ad_pod ]

Rangers made it into the Scottish League Cup semi-final on Wednesday night as they edged hosts Livingston 1-0.

The result was settled early on as Glen Kamara scored for the away side and despite Livi looking determined to make their mark on the game – in more ways than one – the Gers held firm.

Indeed, the hosts were certainly robust with their approach as they went about getting an equaliser but their attempts eventually proved fruitless and it finished with just the sole goal between the pair.

Kamara was the winner, then, with his first goal of the season – though coach Michael Beale evidently got mixed up about that fact on Twitter with him offering these congratulations to the Finnish international:

Rangers fans were certainly quick to jump on this oversight, too, with it actually being the second goal of Kamara’s Ibrox career – and just the first of this particular season.

Indeed, a number of Gers followers wasted no time in correcting Beale’s claim on Twitter…

[ad_pod ]

This article is part of Football FanCast’s Pundit View series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent quotes from journalists, pundits, players and managers…

Former Tottenham Hotspur boss Tim Sherwood believes that defenders Toby Alderweireld and Jan Vertonghen could both move to China at the end of the season, per Sky Sports.

What’s he said?

Both defenders have contracts that expire at the end of the season.

Alderweireld had a £25m release clause that could have been triggered in the summer, though no club came forward with an acceptable bid, while Vertonghen was left out of the first three games of the season.

Sherwood, though, believes that they could both seek a move to the Far East in search of one last payday.

Speaking on Sky Sports’ The Debate, he said, initially speaking about Christian Eriksen’s future: “I really hope for Tottenham’s sake that he does (sign a new deal).

“Alderweireld looks like he’s going to move and at 30 years of age, it’s probably his last time, and Jan Vertonghen at 32, it’s probably the last time they’re ever going to fill the till up.

“It’s a short career. They need to do that. Perhaps China, Chinese clubs don’t take defenders very often but the last move of their career, they’re probably waiting for that big one just to come.”

Watch Tottenham Hotspur Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

A mistake

Vertonghen and Alderweireld both have the ability to play for the club for the next few years.

Yes, the former is 32 and the latter is 30, but they both show precious little signings of ageing on the pitch.

Vertonghen was probably the club’s best defender last season and he has formed an exceptional partnership with his compatriot in north London.

It would be an error for both players to head off to China, which is fast becoming a graveyard for elite stars who were once plying their trade in Europe; one only has to look at the career trajectories of the likes of Oscar and Ramires to see proof of that.

Keeping them at Spurs is key to the club’s future and chairman Daniel Levy should be pulling out all the stops to make it happen.

[ad_pod ]

علّق المدرب الفرنسي، زين الدين زيدان، المدير الفني لنادي ريال مدريد، على تعادل فريقه أمام فريق ريال سوسيداد، في الدوري الإسباني.

ريال مدريد سقط في فخ التعادل الإيجابي بهدفٍ لمثله أمام سوسيداد، في المباراة التي جمعت بين الفريقين مساء أمس الاثنين على ملعب “ألفريدو دي ستيفانو”، ضمن لقاءات الجولة الخامسة والعشرين من الدوري الإسباني (طالع تقرير المباراة). شاهد أهداف مباراة ريال مدريد وريال سوسيداد

وقال زيدان في تصريحات نقلتها صحيفة “آس” الإسبانية: “لقد لعبنا مباراة جيدة، لقد كانت لدينا فرص في الشوط الأول ولم يكن من الممكن التسجّيل، لقد خسرنا نقطتين على أرضنا، وهذا حدث لأن كان هُناك مُنافس جيدًا جدًا”.

وأضاف: “تغيير أسلوب اللعب؟ لم أكن سعيدًا بالضغط علينا، بعد 15 دقيقة غيرنا طريقة لعبنا مرة أخرى، وسارت التغييرات بشكل جيد في المباراة، لم أحب الضغط الذي مارسوه علينا، لقد تغيرنا سريعًا، وسيطرنا على المباراة، من المؤسف أننا سنحت لنا ثلاث فرص في الشوط الأول وفي الشوط الثاني، وسجلنا هدفًا واحدًا فقط”.

وواصل: “أنا أرى أننا كنا نستحق المزيد، نحن نستحق اليوم أكثر من نقطة، وخاصًة مع الفرص التي خلقناها، إذا سجلنا في الشوط الأول، لكانت تغيرت الأمور، كنا نريد تحقيق الانتصار الخامس على التوالي، ولكن الآن علينا الاستمرار، لأن لا يزال هُناك المزيد من المباريات”.

وأكمل: “كل الفرق هذا الموسم، تُهدر نقاطًا، نحن نعلم أنّ علينا أنّ نضيف المزيد من النقاط، وهذا ما سنحاول القيام به، لا تزال هُناك الكثير من النقاط مُتبقية”.

اقرأ أيضًا.. زيدان يكشف موقف بنزيما من التواجد أمام أتلتيكو مدريد في الديربي ويوجه رسالة لـ فينيسيوس

وتابع: “اليوم لعبنا مباراة جيدة، لا أعف ما إذا كانت المباراة الأفضل، لأن الأفضل كان تحقيق الفوز، أنا مُنزعج لأن اللاعبين بذلوا مجهودًا جيدًا ولم نحقق الفوز، ولكن علينا أنّ نكون سعداء بما نفعله، وخاصًة طريقة سيطرتنا على المباراة”.

وأردف: “اليوم قمت ببعض التغيرات لأننا كنا نريد هدف، ولأن بعد ساعة من اللعب اللاعبون شعروا بإجهاد كبير، أولئك الذين شاركوا، قدموا أداءً جيدًا، نحن سنكون هادئين، اليوم لعبنا مباراة جيدة، ولكننا خسرنا نقطتين هامتين”.

وأتم تصريحاته بالحديث عن المباراة القادمة ضد أتلتيكو مدريد في الديربي: “سنذهب إلى المباراة بنفس طريقتنا، لا نُغير شيئًا، لأننا سنلعب ضد صاحب المركز الأول”.