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As reported by The Daily Mail, Celtic captain Scott Brown has stated his desire for the Hoops too continue playing with Brendan Rodgers’ tried and tested philosophy, even though it came undone against Hearts on Sunday.

What’s the story?

The end of Celtic’s 69-game unbeaten run was shocking at the weekend, not just because a team finally beat the Hoops, but because of the manner of the opposition’s victory. Hearts absolutely battered the Scottish champions, with their combative high press simply too much for Rodgers’ side to deal with.

It’s left some to question whether Celtic will need to adapt to maintain their success at the pinnacle of Scottish football.

Hoops captain Scott Brown believes that they can adjust their style of attack, while also maintaining Brendan Rodgers’ philosophy of playing out from the back and through opposition pressure.

As quoted by The Daily Mail, the midfielder said:

We have a lot of different ways we can play, the gaffer understands that as well. He knows sometimes we need to get the ball up to Moussa [Dembele] and Griff [Leigh Griffiths] and play off them. We have that in the locker as well. We can build in different ways. I think every team puts every team under pressure. You try to force mistakes. The team made mistakes on Sunday and that is why we got beat. But we have played against Aberdeen and we have played against Hibs when they have played a high press – and we have managed to play out of that pressure and get victories as well. We will just need to continue doing what we are doing. It is the gaffer’s philosophy, it is the way we want to play. We will build on this.

Celtic have the chance to bounce back from their first domestic defeat under Rodgers tonight when they face Partick Thistle at Celtic Park. Can the Bhoys prove that the Tynecastle result was merely a blip?

Found out?

The hope for the Hoops’ opposition in the coming matches that is that Hearts truly have found the blueprint to beating Celtic and that by matching Craig Levein’s tactics that they took can get at them and force them into mistakes.

Scott Brown claims they can adapt, but it’s now on Celtic to prove that and show they can deal with the kind of high press that the Jam Tarts threw at them at the weekend.

However, the captain is right to suggest that the likes of Aberdeen have tried to employ similar tactics in the past and come undone. Hearts didn’t really do anything different, they just did it better while also catching Celtic on a bad day.

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The likelihood is that by sticking to Rodgers’ trusted tactics they roll over most of Scottish football again this season and they have a chance to show before the winter break that they are far from vulnerable.

West Ham United boss David Moyes revealed on Friday that Reece Oxford is to be recalled from his loan spell at Borussia Monchengladbach.

All of the talk had been about Oxford’s potential permanent move to Gladbach having impressed for the German side in recent weeks.

However, Moyes recently confirmed that the 19-year-old, who is valued at £4.5m by transfermarkt.co.uk, was returning to the London Stadium with the view to breaking into the first-team picture.

West Ham’s official Twitter account posted the news on Friday afternoon, and the club’s supporters were on hand to react to Oxford’s return.

It is worth remembering that both Manchester United and Arsenal wanted to sign Oxford before he penned a long-term contract with West Ham, and it did appear a little bit strange that the Hammers were prepared to sell the teenage midfielder to the Bundesliga.

West Ham are not exactly blessed with a number of quality centre-backs, and the club’s fans want Oxford to be given the chance to nail down a position in the coming weeks.

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At 4-1 up, the Anfield crowd was cheering every ball, roaring their team on to what looked like a statement victory in front of the watching world.

And yet, there was always a sense that the game wasn’t done yet. And so Manchester City proved, threatening a late comeback.

In some ways, that just makes the Reds’ victory all the more impressive. Pep Guardiola’s side were hardly at their very best, but the nature of their revival – when they had a real chance to nick a point right at the death – showed that they’re the league leaders for a reason.

And yet, the fact that Liverpool could only just see the job through despite the blitz they subjected the City defence to midway through the second half, suggests that they’ll still need to tighten up over the coming weeks.

Going forward, you can argue there’s no one better. On form, Liverpool are as good as any team in world football. In order to get that stellar front three into the game and back into form, the midfield needs to be on song. On Sunday it was, but even that raises more questions for a Liverpool side who are coming to something of a crossroads.

Over the next year, we’ll learn a lot about Liverpool under Jurgen Klopp. Losing Philippe Coutinho is a blow, but one they can recover from. But the performance of Emre Can – the subject of recent transfer rumours – against City at the weekend shows that Liverpool’s progression will be better with the likes of the German still in the team.

This weekend, his contribution in a frenetic game was vital.

Getting on the ball and keeping things ticking over is vital in this Liverpool side, and Can is certainly more adept at that than Jordan Henderson, whose injury may well have helped Klopp’s side keep their heads in a game played at such a furious pace. With 52 touches of the ball and more touches than the majority of the Liverpool side despite being withdrawn for the final 15 minutes including injury time, Can showed his quality in a game with plenty of good players gracing the pitch, especially taking into account his pass accuracy of 89% – not bad in a game which provided fast-paced Premier League theatre from first to last.

More importantly, though, it’s when Can was replaced with James Milner that City came back into the game.

Perhaps it’s too much to suggest that City’s threatened comeback was all down to the absence of Liverpool’s German midfielder, but with the arrival of James Milner, his assurance on the ball was sorely missed, and City were able to gain a much firmer foothold with which to get further up the pitch. Indeed, it was Milner’s missed header which partly allowed Gundogan the space to poke home City’s third in injury time, setting up the grandstand finale.

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Perhaps that’s less surprising than it should be. Can wasn’t just the classy quarterback keeping the play ticking over. He also contributed with more tackles than any Liverpool player aside from Andy Roberton, who also had a great game, and you can add to that two further interceptions. But perhaps it’s not a stretch to suggest that he may have made more than the six tackles he contributed to his side’s defensive performance had he stayed on the pitch until the end.

One win doesn’t mean that things are completely rosy at Anfield, though it does point to what this team can achieve given time to improve and the players to make them better. But the performance from Emre Can might be the biggest takeaway from an iconic game – losing him on a free in the summer might well be a big mistake.

West Ham United shone in their 4-1 win against Huddersfield Town at the John Smith’s Stadium on January 13 – a result that moved them up to 11th in the Premier League table – and much of the reason for the impressive scoreline was down to the fine performances from Marko Arnautovic and Manuel Lanzini.

The former scored once and set up the latter to score twice in a convincing win that lifted David Moyes’ men away from the relegation places.

It was also a display that carried on Arnautovic’s brilliant run of form, and he had six goals and a further three assists in his last seven top flight appearances prior to the home match against Bournemouth at the London Stadium last weekend.

The club-record buy was actually playing in a centre-forward role with Andy Carroll and Diafra Sakho absent, and he was thriving and making far more of an impact than he was on the wing earlier in the campaign.

Meanwhile, Lanzini’s brace against the Terriers meant that he had three goals and five assists ahead of the clash against the Cherries – mainly from an advanced role through the middle – and Moyes would have been delighted with the quality he was showing as well as his successful link-up with Arnautovic.

However, things started to go wrong in the 1-1 draw against Bournemouth on Saturday when the Argentina international was replaced by Javier Hernandez in the 64th minute after suffering a hamstring injury.

Arnautovic completed the 90 minutes for the Irons but it was then revealed afterwards that he had also suffered a hamstring problem, with the reliable @ExWHUemployee since confirming that the Austria international will now be out for 3-4 weeks, while Lanzini will be on the sidelines for 4-5 weeks.

That news would have come as a huge blow to Moyes with his side still just four points above the relegation zone, and with crucial Premier League fixtures against Crystal Palace, Brighton and Hove Albion and Watford to come over the course of the next fortnight.

The Scot could be tempted to look for a replacement for the creative duo before the January transfer window slams shut, with new boy Joao Mario probably likely to play in a deeper midfield role.

However, instead of dipping into the market Moyes should look to give an opportunity to a player that he already has available to him – Domingos Quina, who is rated at £10m according to Football.London.

The highly-rated Portugal U20 international has made four first-team appearances – as well as four more in the EFL Trophy – for the Irons so far this season, and while he is still far from the finished product, he has shown glimpses in the EFL Cup that he has the potential to make a difference for the club in what will be a crucial couple of weeks.

The 18-year-old, who is being tracked by Manchester United according to reports by ESPN FC in November, started against Arsenal in the cup in December, has good agility and often looked for a forward pass – certainly no mean feat for a teenager playing on the big stage.

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The youngster is also capable of breaking forward with pace and there is no doubt that he could be a real threat for opposition defenders in the next few fixtures because of his unpredictability, as long as he can start to produce those key passes in the final third.

Moyes may think twice about blooding Quina for what would be his Premier League debut in the next few weeks, but if you can’t give him an opportunity against the likes of Brighton and Watford – with a solid defensive base behind him – then when can you?

The Portuguese youngster has the ability to create and bring something to the side in the final third, and the fact that he would be an unknown quantity for the opposition could play right into his – and his team’s – hands.

One of the first fixtures that Arsenal fans look for at the start of the season is the North London derby against arch rivals Tottenham Hotspur.

On Saturday, Arsene Wenger’s side will travel to Wembley to face their enemies in the Premier League.

The Gunners already have one up on their rivals given that the team sealed a 2-0 victory at the Emirates earlier in the season.

Both clubs are in good form as Arsenal head into the encounter on the back of a 5-1 hammering over Everton, while Spurs host the match after claiming a late, dramatic 2-2 draw with Liverpool, as well as a triumph over Newport in the FA Cup.

A question mark hangs over Arsenal’s goalkeeper selection, with Petr Cech a doubt due to injury.

If the former Chelsea shot-stopper does not make it, then second in command David Ospina is likely to step in.

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With the important match just two days away, Arsenal fans have been debating who should go in goal.

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As reported by The Daily Mail, Liverpool are tracking Tottenham Hotspur star Victor Wanyama’s situation at the London club, with a view to potentially replacing Emre Can.

Wanyama has failed to start a single Premier League match since returning from serious injury at the start of January, leading some to question his long-term future in Mauricio Pochettino’s first team.

The paper say that Liverpool, Manchester United and Chelsea are all keeping tabs on the Kenyan.

The player of course has already made an impact on Merseyside this season, blasting home a stunning goal when the two sides met at the start of February.

Reds fans though aren’t wholly convinced he would be a good fit for Jurgen Klopp’s side.

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Some are certainly keen and would love to see him at Anfield, but others suggest he’s a player that they should avoid this summer.

They took to Twitter to share their thoughts on the rumours…

As reported by ESPN, Tottenham Hotspur are interested in signing PSV winger Steven Bergwijn this summer.

What’s the story?

It’s only February and already we’re finding ourselves knee deep in daily transfer stories that keep fans dreaming of ever-improving Premier League squads.

Who will find the next emerging gem of a talent and polish it into something special?

One player Mauricio Pochettino is looking at is PSV winger Steven Bergwijn, who is showing excellent form in the Dutch top flight this season.

That’s according to ESPN, who say that Tottenham are one of a number of Premier League clubs looking to make a summer move for the player, having been a long-time admirer of the 20-year-old

Spurs have had success shopping in Eredivisie previously, bringing the likes of Christian Eriksen and Jan Vertonghen to the club from the division.

Rated at £4.5m by Tranfermarkt, will Bergwijn be the next big success story at Spurs?

Who is he?

A Netherlands U21 international, Bergwijn is showing significant potential as a versatile winger, having burst onto the PSV scene as a regular last season.

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Able to play on both flanks, this term he has pitched in with five goals and six assists in 22 Eredivisie appearances, helping them open up a seven point lead at the top of the table.

Mauricio Pochettino has proved previously he can take young players’ game to the next level and moving to Tottenham would surely help the winger realise his potential.

Unlikely to be an immediate starter, he would at least provide depth to the attacking areas and perhaps offer a different, more direct option in the final third, something that Spurs have arguably lacked at times this season.

Kyle Walker-Peters scored his first senior goal for Tottenham Hotspur in the club’s 6-1 win over Rochdale in the FA Cup on Wednesday night.

Rochdale earned a replay at Wembley in the fifth round of the competition, but could not prevent the Premier League club from reaching the quarter-finals.

Fernando Llorente bagged a hat-trick for the home side, while Son Heung-Min also grabbed a double during a match that was dominated by talk of VAR.

It also proved to be a very special night for Walker-Peters as the full-back came off the bench in the 82nd minute before getting his name on the scoresheet in the final moments.

The 20-year-old, who is valued at £2.3m by transfermarkt.co.uk, has now made eight appearances for Tottenham this season, and it seems that the club’s fans want to see more minutes handed to the defender before the end of the campaign.

A selection of the Twitter reaction can be seen below:

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Leeds fans are absolutely delighted for Hadi Sacko after the 23 year-old was called up for Mali’s international friendly with Japan.

There probably weren’t many Leeds fans planning on spending the international break watching Mali play Japan, especially after enigmatic Leeds loanee Yosuke Ideguchi was surprisingly left out of the Japan squad.

Now there’s another reason to keep an eye on the friendly though, as 23 year-old Leeds winger Hadi Sacko could make his senior international debut. The French-born winger has played through the youth teams for France, but has switched allegiances and earned his first senior call-up with Mali.

Sacko hasn’t featured much since joining Leeds permanently from Sporting CP last summer. He’s made 14 Championship appearances, 13 of them as a substitute, and he’s yet to find a league goal. Still, an international appearance could spur him into life and instil some confidence in the youngster.

Sacko has taken plenty of stick from fans since his arrival at Elland Road, but there is certainly still hope amongst many that he will blossom into the player they thought he could be.

Some of the best Twitter reactions to Sacko’s great news can be found below…

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Gareth Southgate’s England are an improving outfit but the inclusion of players such as Jake Livermore among the midfield options for the games against Holland and Italy was still somewhat depressing.

It highlighted the paucity of the choices on the Three Lions menu and yet one name who is not even in contention is a man who created a huge buzz before the last World Cup; Ross Barkley.

The Scouser allowed relations between himself and his boyhood club Everton to sour to the extent that he was an outcast for the first part of the season, before his January move to Chelsea drew ire because he would benefit personally – in the eyes of some Evertonians. 

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There is no doubt that the playmaker – valued at £22.5m by Transfermarkt – has lost his way, but he still has talent and the ability to drive a team forward from the centre of the park.

One team who could maybe do with that sprinkling of stardust is Newcastle United. Rafa Benitez has moulded the Magpies into a cohesive and organised unit but one that sometimes lacks a goal threat.

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Barkley could be the man to propel them to the next level but what do you think? Would he be a good signing? Let us know by voting in the poll below…