All posts by z3u9t.icu

[ad_pod ]Almost unnoticed, Scott Bain has taken over as Celtic’s first choice goalkeeper.

What’s the word?

The 6 foot shot-stopper has played in Celtic’s last three matches, keeping clean sheets in each, after winning a friendly battle with Craig Gordon.

Airdrie, St Mirren and Hamilton have hardly peppered the Celtic goal but there was one incident just before half-time against Airdrie that no fan will forget – an incredible triple save.

Ideal for Rodgers

Sweeper-keeper is now the accepted model for clubs to aspire to and while he has some way to go to match the exploits of Ederson Moraes at Manchester City, there is no questioning Bain’s ability with the ball at his feet – something that is quickly proving an ideal fit for how Rodgers wants his side to play.

Celtic fans have been impressed by the way that Bain effortlessly releases the ball to defenders, with the respected Celtic by Numbers confirming a hugely impressive statistic…

What’s next?

Bain will continue between the sticks against St Johnstone on Wednesday night, making it a run of four consecutive matches after impressing during the Betfred Cup.

After his incredible debut at Ibrox, Bain became an instant hero of the Celtic support but has followed up his heroics that day with steady unspectacular displays.

Gordon has never looked truly at ease adapting to the style of play required by Rodgers. After ousting Dorus de Vries from the side he has a major task winning the jersey back from Bain.

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Jermain Defoe has hit the ground running at Rangers and scored his second league goal for the club in their 4-0 win over St Mirren on Saturday afternoon.

The 36-year-old took to social media in the aftermath of the match and it was not a surprise to see so many Gers fans respond with messages of praise.

The 5ft 7in ace failed to score for Bournemouth in the first half of the season, but was always likely to hit the back of the net upon his arrival at Ibrox.

Rangers have now won their last two in the Scottish Premiership without conceding, but they are still six points behind leaders and reigning champions Celtic.

Next up for Steven Gerrard’s side is a huge clash away to Aberdeen on Wednesday night, and Defoe will be hoping to continue his impressive start to life at Ibrox.

A selection of the Twitter reaction from the Rangers supporters in relation to the striker’s start to life at the club can be seen below:

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Tony Pulis has forever divided opinions with his glorified pub football style of play, but recent signing John Obi-Mikel is convinced he’s the man to bring promotion glory to Middlesbrough.

John Obi-Mikel, Premier League winner, Champions League winner, Europa League winner, FA Cup winner, and EFL Cup winner, believes his new boss Pulis is the man for the job. Even with all the negativity currently surrounding the team, Mikel’s positivity is remarkable, if not a little unfounded.

Off the pitch quarrels involving players laughing at away fans after their recent cup loss to Newport County is nothing short of disgraceful and, despite Pulis having very little control over the conduct of his players, could well spell the end of his career in charge (story via Gazette Live).

Indeed, there’s no doubt that the Welshman has really got to put his so-called managerial prowess into practise now heading into the final stages of the season if he wants to divert fans attentions away from recent controversies. And, fortunately for him, serial winner Jon Obi-Mikel is well and truly supporting him.

Mikel recently told The Northern Record: “We have to keep going, we have a very good team with a very good manager who we all believe in. We all know what he wants us to give on the pitch. If you give that he is happy. We have to keep going, we know we can achieve what we want.”

A trip up next against fellow promotion hopefuls Sheffield United, who will be keen to bounce back from their disappointment capitulation against Aston Villa, won’t be the easiest game for the club but providing they all carry their new signings optimism things may go to plan.

Without Pulis’ presence at the Riverside and the obvious promotion-related excitement that creates, someone like Mikel was attracted to the Middlesbrough project. With that in mind, like him or not – Pulis is clearly good for Boro in that regard.

Indeed, he’ll be even better if he can lead them back into the proverbial Promised Land.

Newcastle will know they need to continue performing if they want to fully distance themselves away from the relegation zone.

It’s been another season of ups-and-downs for Rafa Benitez and his team but that comes as no surprise because of the lack of investment in the club during the Mike Ashley era.

That has since changed slightly, now that Newcastle have finally broken their record transfer fee for Miguel Almiron but nevertheless, the Magpies need to do more in the transfer market to improve their league standing.

Goal-scoring has been Newcastle’s problem ever since they returned into the Premier League and that could be solved by linking Almiron with his partner at Atlanta United Josef Martinez.

Martinez, (who is valued at £9 million on Transfermarkt) was a goal-machine in the MLS last season as he recorded 35 goals in 39 outings.

Yes, you could argue that it’s an inferior league to the Premier League but his attributes could allow him to make a good impact in England.

With scintillating pace and an eye for goal, the Venezuelan international would be a huge coup for Newcastle, based on his incredible statistics.

Alongside his fellow countryman Salomon Rondon, the two could form quite the bond at club level, with Martinez using his pace to get in-behind and latch onto Rondon’s knock-downs.

The idea of a two-striker partnership hasn’t been a regular occurrence in the top flight for some time but with those two and Miguel Almiron in behind, goals won’t be such a lunar eclipse at St James’ Park.

Goals are needed to stay in the Premier League and although they seem to be managing it this season, Newcastle have to spend if they want to improve and Josef Martinez is the signing to make.

Do you agree… Let us know!

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Oliver Burke has largely been known as a winger or a central attacking midfielder throughout his career, and while he has played as a striker on occasion he has never really done it – and succeeded – on a consistent basis.

Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers has clearly seen something in the 21-year-old to suggest that he can do a job there, seeing as that is where he has largely been deployed since arriving from West Bromwich Albion on loan until the end of the season during the January transfer window.

Injury issues for Odsonne Edouard have left the Scottish Premiership holders short up top recently, and the Northern Irish manager has chosen to use the Nottingham Forest youth graduate to fill the void – as he did for the visit of Valencia to Parkhead in the last 32 of the Europa League on Thursday night.

Burke was showing some good signs that his boss had made a genius move after scoring three goals and providing a further two assists in seven outings, and that was enough for him to get the nod ahead of Edouard and fellow new arrival Timothy Weah against the La Liga outfit.

It wasn’t a great night for him personally or the club though as they were easily beaten 2-0 by the Spanish side, and the Scotland U21 international’s stats didn’t make for great reading.

The forward failed to produce a single shot or key pass in his 90 minutes on the pitch, while he only had an accuracy of just over 74% when he attempted to move the ball on to a teammate.

As well as failing to win a single aerial duel, he also suffered from bad control on three occasions, and his night was rounded off when he was booked for catching a Valencia player with an alleged high boot.

While Burke has done more than a good job in the centre-forward role in recent fixtures, now looks to be the time for Rodgers to abandon his experiment and put the 21-year-old back out wide in the role he knows best, and restore Edouard to the starting line-up through the centre.

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Tottenham Hotspur have released an injury update which states that Eric Dier remains unavailable for selection due to suffering with tonsillitis. 

The 25-year-old defensive-midfielder has endured an injury ravaged campaign so far. The Spurs man has only made 15 Premier League appearances so far this season, and has only featured twice in the club’s last eleven league matches.

Mauricio Pochettino will want the 38-cap England international to return to the fold as quickly as possible, though the likes of Harry Winks, Moussa Sissoko and Oliver Skipp have stepped up and impressed in his absence. 

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However, with tough fixtures against the likes of Chelsea, Arsenal, Borussia Dortmund and Liverpool coming up in the next few weeks, and with a Premier League title to chase, the Argentine coach will want his squad at full strength. This means that Dier could become a bigger miss in the coming weeks.

After the announcement, plenty of Spurs fans took to Twitter to bemoan Dier’s latest injury lay-off…

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Tottenham Hotspur came back from a goal down to secure a 1-1 draw with their bitter rivals Arsenal in the north London derby at Wembley Stadium on Saturday afternoon. A second half Harry Kane penalty cancelled out Aaron Ramsey’s early strike.

However, for a long time, it looked as though the goal that Spurs so desperately needed would never come.

On the chalkboard

For much of the match the Gunners were able to contain Mauricio Pochettino’s side with relative ease. Spurs’ midfield pairing of Moussa Sissoko and Victor Wanyama brought plenty of defensive diligence and physicality to the middle of the park, but they lacked forward drive, creativity and penetration in the final third.

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The hosts struggled to carve out genuine goalscoring opportunities and looked devoid of ideas. The back three system was hampering them as it deprived them of an extra attacker. However, in the 59th minute, with his side chasing the game, Pochettino made the chance that would turn the tide of the match by replacing Wanyama with attacker Erik Lamela.

Following this substitution, Lamela joined the front line and Spurs switched to a back four, with left wing-back Danny Rose taking up a central midfield berth and centre-back Jan Vertonghen filling in at left-back.

Changing the game

Rose is not known for his ability to thrive in the middle of the park. However, the 28-year-old brought the kind of pace, drive and dynamism that had previously been lacking for Spurs in this part of the pitch. 

All of a sudden, Spurs were able to commit more numbers forward, whilst in the midfield they had a player in Rose willing to surge forward with pace and directness. This transition into a more aggressive approach brought on the pressure that ultimately led to Kane’s penalty. It was all facilitated by Rose’s change in role though, which Pochettino deserves huge credit for instigating.

Roy Hodgson has successfully weaved his magic at Crystal Palace, that’s for sure.

The Eagles are finally playing the thrilling, attacking football fans had hoped for and the crushing victory at Burnley proved their ruthlessness going forward. After such a long stint in the Premier League, the South London outfit now look as if they are enjoying life there, not just enduring it.

While Wilfried Zaha and Aaron Wan-Bissaka continued their surge towards competing for Palace’s player of the year, Michy Batshuayi’s bright performance must’ve pleased Hodgson the most.

After being tormented by Christian Benteke’s inefficiency in the final third, the presence of a clinical striker must feel good, won’t it?

Benteke’s often held back the Eagles from playing to their best, being a wasteful and frustrating entity leading the charge. The Belgium striker’s been unable to score a single goal for his side in 9 appearances, missing big chances and looking a shell out his former self.

Indeed, the fact that Palace have lost five of those nine matches speaks volumes.

Comparatively, his countryman Batshayi, who only arrived at the winter transfer deadline day, has already scored 2 from 5 appearances. Those have come from only five shots on target, proving how clinical he is and showing a different side to Roy Hodgson.

Even at 71, he’s still capable of changing. While many would have seen the former England manager as a firefighter in the Allardyce/Pulis/Pardew mould (and Steve Parish has been through them all), Hodgson can create an attacking brand of football for the fans to enjoy.

Not only is Michy a more potent goal-scorer than Benteke, but he also suits Palace’s electric style better.

He allows Zaha and Andros Townsend freedom in the final third with his movement.

Unlike Benteke, he doesn’t need them to do all the hard work to lay balls in his plate. With Batshuayi, Palace can opt for a more grounded, incisive style and his mirrored performances to Benteke proves the latter should be sold in the summer.

Thanks to Roy Hodgson, Palace can leave the relegation battles behind. Thanks to Roy Hodgson, Crystal Palace don’t need Christian Benteke to work.

Palace fans, do you think Benteke should be sold this summer? Join the discussion by commenting below. 

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Tottenham Hotspur are lining up a summer move for PSG left-back Layvin Kurzawa, according to Calciomercato.

Kurzawa has struggled with injury thus far this season and has played just seven times in Ligue 1.

What’s the word?

The defender’s current contract expires in 2020, and the aforementioned report claims that he has an offer on the table to extend his deal.

However, Spurs, along with Manchester United and Atletico Madrid, are monitoring developments as they continue to formulate their plans for the summer.

Spurs, of course, have good business relations with PSG and have signed both Serge Aurier and Lucas Moura from the French club in recent years.

Kurzawa moved to PSG in 2015 from AS Monaco and has won Ligue 1 twice, along with three Coupe de France titles, three Coupe de la Ligue titles and three Trophee des Champions’.

He has made a total of 87 appearances at Parc des Princes, scoring 12 goals and laying on 19 assists in total; he has won 11 caps for France.

A return to the well

Spurs’ previous business with PSG has not appeared to bear much fruit.

Aurier is a yellow card machine at right-back, while Lucas has struggled to make much of an impact on the right of midfield.

Spurs are looking at bolstering the correct area; they have been lacking at left-back for a while and need reinforcements.

Kurzawa, though, is perhaps not the man to fix the issues.

Ligue 1 is a remarkably softer division than the Premier League and it remains to be seen if the Frenchman would merely become another Aurier in north London.

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The end of the season probably can’t come soon enough for Huddersfield Town. Already all but relegated from the Premier League, as they’re anchored to the foot of the table with fifteen points separating them from safety, the Terriers are likely ready to be put out of their misery.

Things are going to get worse before they get better at the John Smith’s Stadium though, as manager Jan Siewert now has a full-blown injury crisis to contend with.

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What’s the story?

In his Thursday press conference, the German coach revealed that there had only been fifteen fully fit players in training that day.

As reported by the Examiner, Adama Diakhaby, Jonathan Hogg, Laurent Depoitre, Terence Kongolo, Erik Durm, Danny Williams and Isaac Mbenza are all currently struggling with various fitness concerns. That’s seven first team players who are all potentially sidelined for this weekend’s clash with West Ham United.

How will Siewert cope?

The likely absences of Diakhaby and Depoitre, at least from the starting XI, should see Steve Mounie leading the line for the Terriers.

Elsewhere, Juninho Bacuna may come into the midfield in place of 30-year-old Hogg, alongside Aaron Mooy and Philip Billing.

The Examiner further confirmed that club-captain right-back Tommy Smith is once again fit, so he could take Durm’s place. Meanwhile, 23-year-old Slovenian Jon Gorenc-Stankovic could be called upon to slot into the rearguard to cover for Kongolo.

In any case, Huddersfield will almost certainly be fielding a weakened team against the Hammers. Considering the Yorkshire club are heading into the fixture as underdogs anyway, this must be a bitter pill for Siewert to have to swallow.