All posts by z3u9t.icu

Manchester City face Borussia Monchengladbach in the Champions League on Tuesday night and Pep Guardiola’s side will be confident of securing progression to the quarter-finals.

The Citizens hold a 2-0 advantage over Marco Rose’s side after goals from Bernardo Silva and Gabriel Jesus secured the win for City in the first leg.

There will be no home advantage for City, however, as they return to the Puskas Arena in Budapest for Tuesday’s game, due to the current travel restrictions in the UK.

Guardiola made plenty of changes to his side for the trip to Craven Cottage at the weekend and came away with an impressive 3-0 win, so it will be interesting to see if key players return against Monchengladbach, or whether he sticks with the more rarely-seen men who did well last time out.

Here’s how Football FanCast expects Guardiola to line his side up on Tuesday, with six changes from the team that started against Fulham…

Ederson unsurprisingly keeps his place in between the sticks as Monchengladbach still possess a lot of attacking threat, so should be taken seriously.

There are two changes in defence, as Oleksandr Zinchenko comes back in at left-back after a fairly disappointing cameo performance from Benjamin Mendy against Fulham, whilst Kyle Walker is a more than adequate replacement for Joao Cancelo at right-back, with City switching back to the tried and tested 4-2-3-1.

Ilkay Gundogan comes in for the “incredible” Bernardo Silva to partner Rodri in the centre of midfield, although it would not be a surprise to see Fernandinho come on for one of that duo if City are comfortable on Tuesday.

There are three changes in attack, as Kevin De Bruyne, Riyad Mahrez and Raheem Sterling all return to the side, and they support Gabriel Jesus, with the Brazilian back in a more familiar striker role despite his impressive performance as a winger against Fulham.

And, in other news… Bye-bye Aguero: City can reach a new level under Pep by signing £99m-rated “beast”

Former Manchester United academy product Keith Gillespie has told Football FanCast that Nicky Butt could link up with Celtic as speculation continues to swirl over the potential appointment of Roy Keane as manager.

Reports suggest the Scottish giants have opened talks with Keane over the vacant position, following the resignation of Neil Lennon earlier this season.

Celtic have watched on as Rangers have won the Scottish Premiership title, and they are currently 20 points behind their Old Firm rivals.

Butt has left United after nine years spent working with the club’s academy, and United released a statement claiming that he was seeking a “new professional challenge”.

That has heightened speculation he could link up with Keane at Parkhead as Celtic look to revive their fortunes and challenge Rangers once again.

Football Insider have reported that Butt could move to become Keane’s assistant.

And Gillespie thinks that his former team-mate will have something lined up, and he believes there could be a chance he is heading north of the border.

He told FFC: “I think with Nicky leaving the academy, he’s obviously got something lined up. So who knows? It could be that.

“We could just be barking up the wrong tree like happens too often. But I’d say that there’s maybe a bit of truth in it, the fact that the timing of Nicky leaving then all of a sudden, there’s this mention of Celtic. So I’d say that there probably is something in it.”

Butt spent 12 years at United, playing in central midfield, winning six Premier League titles, three FA Cups and the Champions League.

Dean Windass has exclusively told Football FanCast that he wouldn’t be surprised to see Danny Rose return to Leeds this summer.

Rose, who’s a product of the Leeds’ Academy, although he never ended up making a first-team appearance prior to his move to Tottenham, is out of contract this summer and will be available on a free transfer.

The England left-back was previously one of the most feared full-backs in the Premier League, but hasn’t appeared since playing for Newcastle on the day final of last season, with his only two outings this term coming for Tottenham Under-23s.

Rose spent the second half of last season on loan with the Magpies and was expected to leave Spurs in both the summer and then January, but a move never materialised, which saw him left out of Jose Mourinho’s 25-man Premier League squad.

But with the defender’s contract running out in June, he’ll finally leave the north London outfit, and Windass said he could see him return to Leeds, almost 14 years after his Elland Road exit.

He told Football FanCast:

“I could see that. If you were talking about a David O’Leary they would bring back players like Danny Rose and James Milner, but Bielsa is a tough nut to crack.

“But if you put Danny Rose in the team now at Leeds United, there would be no problems. He can get up and down, he’s a fit lad, and maybe he wants to go back to Yorkshire with his family and settle down.

“If you said to me Danny Rose is signing for Leeds United, I would say good signing, but will Bielsa want him? That’s the thing.”

Former Glasgow Rangers manager Alex McLeish believes Steven Gerrard could be banned from the touchline when the Gers officially clinch the Premiership title, and he has called upon the authorities to do the right thing.

Gerrard could be banned

At half-time during the Gers’ 1-0 victory over Livingston on Wednesday, Gerrard received two bookings in the space of a minute after confronting referee John Beaton. The official had given Alfredo Morelos a yellow card for diving during the first 45 minutes even though it was clear the 24-year-old had been brought down, and this frustrated the manager.

Speaking to Ibrox News, McLeish believes Gerrard may not be present when the Gers confirm their status as champions, and he has called upon the authorities to do the right thing. He said:

“I get that, but if they feel like it’s justifiable or too strong a decision, they can do the human thing.

“They can bring Steven Gerrard back from the touchline area. They can’t single out different actions for different managers in situations.

“I would think that if it was over the top, then sure, they have to do the right thing.”

Massive shame

Gerrard has done a fantastic job with the Gers this campaign. With just seven games left in the Premiership, the Ibrox outfit are 18 points clear of Celtic in second (BBC) and are within touching distance of picking up their first major trophy in 10 years. They have lost just one game in all competitions as they remain in the Scottish Cup and the Europa League (Sky Sports).

Without the former Liverpool captain at the helm, it is hard to imagine the Gers being so successful. If he were to miss out on the celebrations, it would be a massive shame. While Gerrard was clearly agitated, he didn’t appear to say anything that would warrant being sent off. Hopefully, the authorities will realise Beaton made a mistake and will therefore choose not to punish Gerrard further.

In other news, Rangers fans slam this journalist.

Jamal Lewis proved Steve Bruce got one thing right in Newcastle United’s 3-0 loss to Arsenal on Monday night by producing a strong display at left-back.

The Toon were void of confidence in most and comfortably beaten in the end, with a brace from Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and a second-half strike from Bukayo Saka proving the difference between an Arsenal side now unbeaten in six and a Magpies side winless in nine across all competitions.

Newcastle looked a team sapped of ideas and passion in north London, despite Bruce stating just days earlier that the “gloves are off” in a scathing attack on his players, who will likely be in the firing line once more as the relegation fight crept ever closer to Tyneside.

As part of his mission to get Newcastle’s season back on track, Bruce opted to recall Lewis to his starting XI at the Emirates, having been without the £15m summer signing from Norwich City in recent weeks due to a knee injury sustained in training.

Lewis showed his fighting spirit early in the first half to deny Saka a chance to break by taking down the Arsenal forward, but used a hand to the 19-year-old’s face to concede one of the two fouls referee David Coote would call against him.

Gunners full-back Cedric Soares was also forced to foul Lewis in the opening stages of the second period to prevent a Newcastle break, though the Toon failed to use the free-kick to their benefit with Jonjo Shelvey’s delivery flicked into Bern Leno’s arms.

That chance proved to be a rare bright spark for the Magpies, as a sole shot from centre-back Jamaal Lascelles ultimately went down as Newcastle’s only on-target effort against a Mikel Arteta side that struck 20 attempts on Karl Darlow’s net, per WhoScored.

Aubameyang only accounted for two of the Gunners’ efforts, despite netting twice, as the Gabon forward actually saw less of the ball than Lewis, who registered 45 touches even though Newcastle enjoyed just 33.6 per cent of the possession at the Emirates.

Lewis further stood strong to show Bruce made the right decision by favouring his services over those of Matt Ritchie or Paul Dummett to offer a game-high four successful tackles – twice the tally of any other Toon player on a night only five men returned to the north-east having recorded a successful challenge.

The £38,000-per-week defender was additionally never dribbled past, thanks partly to his first-half foul on Saka, made one clearance and came out triumphant in five of his seven ground duels, per SofaScore.

Lewis’ success in the duel was far above his seasonal average of 2.7 contests won with a 52% win rate, while also offering more than twice his average tackles (1.6) and successful long passes (1.3) with three from eight attempts finding a teammate on Monday night.

Pressure may still be on Bruce for his position at the helm, with no Premier League side claiming fewer points over the last seven games, but Lewis came out of the Arsenal defeat with his honour intact.

AND in other news, Newcastle United are being targeted to solve another PL side’s transfer crisis.

Many Manchester United fans were left slamming the display of Marcus Rashford in their 3-3 draw with Everton in the Premier League on Saturday night.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s team got off to a great start at Old Trafford, with goals from Edinson Cavani and Bruno Fernandes putting them 2-0 up and in a relatively comfortable position at half-time.

However, Abdoulaye Doucoure and James Rodriguez pegged the Red Devils back to 2-2, while a Scott McTominay goal was cancelled out by Dominic Calvert-Lewin in injury time.

Even though he got the assist for Cavani’s header, his overall performance flattered to deceive several Man Utd supporters.

The England international lost out on no fewer than 10 of his duels in the game, the most lost out of any player to have set foot on the pitch, and also lost possession of the ball the most times (20), earning him a very measly 6.3 overall rating on Sofascore, the third-lowest out of his teammates.

Manchester United fan reaction to Rashford display

These fans slammed his performance on Twitter, with one supporter even going as far to say that the 23-year-old was ‘awful’:

“Maguire, Lindelof and Rashford were awful, shocking. McTominay, Bruno and Cavani excellent, the rest ok”

Credit: @frankle444

“Rashford needs to visit the bench”

Credit: @Marqueage

“Rashford! He needs re-programming, something’s wrong, he keeps repeating the same mistake.”

Credit: @dizzydianajo1

“Still painful. I’m so disappointed in you yesterday, @ManUtd players most, especially @MarcusRashford for wasting those glorious chances. #MUNEVE”

Credit: @i_am_uchenna

“Rashford is just wasteful, poor decision making also. Yep better to deal with City than Liverpool. I don’t even have a single Liverpool player on my Fantasy Premier League team. If it were possible I’d want City and Liverpool to both lose tonight.”

Credit: @tonymillzk

“Still annoyed that Marcus Rashford didn’t take his chances again. He needs to work on his finishing. So poor in front of goal.”

Credit: @AraRedjeb

In other news, find out which ex-EPL referee was left baffled by one VAR decision versus Southampton here!

Gone are the days of Phil Parkinson’s timid football and Stewart Donald’s tired ownership at Sunderland and under Lee Johnson, the Mackems look a completely different outfit.

They are reinvigorated and are playing with a swagger rarely seen at the Stadium of Light over the last couple of years. For once, there are reasons to be positive.

On the chalkboard

Sunderland currently sit fourth in League One and now stand a real chance of achieving promotion back to the Championship.

A large factor has been the attacking football that Johnson has been intent on having his players play with.

Aiden McGeady has come back into the fray after being alienated by Parkinson and has been game-changing. No player has recorded more than his 11 assists in the division this term, a tally he’s accomplished in just 17 outings.

He has been different gravy and alongside Charlie Wyke, Johnson has conjured up one of the most feared partnerships in League One.

Wyke has racked up 25 strikes in all competitions and a large portion of them have been supplied by McGeady; the Irishman assisted all four of his goals against Doncaster for instance.

Though, what if another mouth-watering partnership is on the horizon?

Defoe heading back?

The name on the lips of Sunderland supporters over the last few days has been that of Jermain Defoe. The striker is out of contract at Rangers in the summer and he’s now widely expected to leave on a free transfer.

Kevin Phillips isn’t convinced a move could happen but speaking to Football Insider, Kevin Campbell was a little more hopeful. For the deal to happen, however, Sunderland need to achieve one thing.

[snack-amp-story url=”https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/latest-sunderland-news-and-gossip” title=” Latest Sunderland news and gossip!”]

Campbell commented: “The key is Sunderland getting promoted. That’s the spanner in the works. But if that is the case, I’m sure it’s an offer Jermaine will entertain.”

Defoe might be 38 years of age but in the words of David Moyes, he is a “priceless” entity. The fact of the matter is that the striker scores goals wherever he goes and even if he didn’t play a major part in Rangers’ title win this season, he was still finding the back of the net.

The former England international has scored 29 times for the Gers during his two seasons at the club, a tally that demonstrates he’s still got what it takes.

Indeed, if he features alongside a player like McGeady, it could be phenomenal. The Irish winger has been a revelation this term and has been laying balls on a plate for Wyke with great regularity.

Add a first-class poacher like Defoe into the equation and his assist tally may get even greater.

The duo are both in the twilight of their careers but this partnership has the potential to be devastating. McGeady has a wand of a left foot while Defoe’s finishing ability is second to very few.

For those reasons alone, they must try and tempt him back to the Stadium of Light.

AND in other news, Forget O’Brien: Sunderland gem who made just 16 passes fast becoming a “joy to watch”…

According to The Athletic, Watford are quietly confident that they can hold onto long-term Crystal Palace target Ismaila Sarr in January.

Parish must test the waters

Reports in recent times reported the Eagles were keen on bringing the Senegal international to Selhurst Park, with rumours continuing to circulate over Wilfried Zaha’s future at the club.

Fast forward several months later, and The Sun’s Alan Nixon has revealed Palace could be tempted to make an offer for the Watford winger but it “depends on the price.”

It’s claimed the star’s Championship employers seem to believe they are on the verge of receiving some sizeable bids in January, although they remain reluctant to sell him before the end of this season.

Imagine Sarr and Eberechi Eze

The Eagles will be closely monitoring the situation of the 22-year-old versatile forward who has been subject to a rejected £25m bid from Palace chairman Steve Parish on transfer deadline day in the summer.

But Parish could finally test Watford’s resolve by submitting an offer they can’t refuse, possibly an amount somewhere in the region of the £27m plus add-ons Palace paid Liverpool to prise Christian Benteke away from Anfield in 2016. That remains the club’s transfer record fee to this day.

However, it’s worth remembering Watford’s original asking price for Sarr in the summer was reportedly set at £40m, the price he cost the Hornets when he signed.

After failing to get a deal done in the summer, Roy Hodgson’s side find themselves in dire straits, with just three points separating them from the relegation battle and the chasing pack below.

The Senegalese would add strength and depth to a squad that has come under increasing strain as a result of the busy schedule over the winter break and would be able to slot into place opposite the likes of Eberechi Eze, Jeffrey Schlupp and Andros Townsend, or even replace Zaha upfront if he picks up an injury between now and the end of the season.

He has received rave reviews for his performances from former Sunderland and England striker Kevin Phillips, who told Football Insider he is a “top player” who will “only get better.”

You only have to look at the numbers – four goals and two assists in 17 appearances in the Championship, while he is averaging 2.4 shots and 2.1 dribbles per game, via WhoScored.

It’s about time Parish atoned for his past mistakes – say no more about Alexander Sorloth – and signing a player who is capable of playing anywhere across the midfield or playing second-fiddle to Zaha is surely a no-brainer.

AND in other news, Bye-bye McCarthy: Roy Hodgson must push Crystal Palace to sign Fenerbahce midfielder Ozan Tufan…

Liverpool travel to the Etihad on Sunday afternoon hoping to re-establish themselves at the top of the Premier League table with a win against Manchester City and Jurgen Klopp certainly has some big decisions to make with regards to his starting team.

Arguably the trickiest decision the German manager will have to make is whether or not to start Portuguese winger Diogo Jota after his electric start to life at Anfield, or whether Roberto Firmino will get the nod.

Jota continued his fine form since joining the Reds from Wolves this summer by scoring a superb hat-trick in the midweek thrashing of Atalanta, taking his Liverpool tally to seven in just 10 games (per WhoScored). 

Firmino meanwhile, has been a staple of Liverpool’s front three over the past few years and Klopp argued recently that the Brazilian has been a big part of the Merseyside club’s success in recent years, so his influence cannot be underestimated.

However, the former Hoffenheim man has just one goal in all competitions so far this season, so if Klopp were to base his starting XI on form alone, surely Jota should start ahead of him in the attack?

Here’s how Football FanCast thinks Klopp will line his side up at the Etihad…

The one other change we feel the former Borussia Dortmund boss should make is selecting Joel Matip to start alongside Joe Gomez at centre-back.

The Cameroon international is back in training after recovering from a recent injury problem and will add a lot of experience and height to Liverpool’s backline.

Although Nathaniel Phillips was an excellent deputy in Liverpool’s win against West Ham last week, with Jamie Carragher awarding the 23-year-old the man-of-the-match award, Manchester City are a very different proposition to West Ham, and we feel that the £28.8 million-rated defender is the more likely option in this game.

Other than bringing in Matip, there are unlikely to be too many changes from Klopp, with regulars Andy Robertson, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Gomez all starting in defence.

Gini Wijnaldum’s energy could be vital in midfield, so we feel that he will get the start but unfortunately, this game may come too soon for summer signing Thiago, as he only returned to training recently.

Captain Jordan Henderson and Naby Keita should start alongside the Dutch international in midfield, with the Guinea international replacing the inexperienced Curtis Jones, whilst unsurprisingly, Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane will most likely start alongside Jota in the Reds’ front three.

It will be interesting to see how Klopp sets his team up for an important game at the Etihad.

Whilst Leighton Clarkson might be stealing the limelight after his Champions League debut in midweek, the Reds also have Jake Cain in the academy who looks to have a very bright future with the Reds.

The 19-year-old travelled with the Liverpool squad to Denmark for their game against FC Midtjylland in midweek but failed to make an appearance, whilst fellow youngster Clarkson played the whole game.

However, it would not be a surprise to see Cain make another first-team appearance for the club this season, after he signed a professional contract with the Merseyside club in 2019, before signing a long-term extension earlier this year.

The young midfielder has been training with the first-team in recent times and made his first-team debut for the club earlier this year in the 1-0 FA Cup win against Shrewsbury Town.

More appearances for Klopp’s side are surely not too far away, as he has been superb in his performances for the academy team so far this season, with three goals and four assists in just seven appearances in the Premier League 2.

In an interview with the club in June of this year, Cain described his playing style, saying:

“Since a young age, I’ve been a very good passer. I can see passes which the opposition can’t defend really well. I like to get into positions where I’m behind the defence and thread balls through.”

Meanwhile, a scout report from Team Talk suggested that the youngster could be deemed a ‘set piece king’ due to his ability in dead-ball situations, which is something that could certainly excite Liverpool fans in the future.

The young midfielder has already drawn comparisons with Jordan Henderson for his style of play, and if he can have anywhere near the impact the Liverpool captain has had at the club once he establishes himself in the first-team, then he will surely prove to be popular amongst the Anfield faithful.

And, in other news… Sold for £15m, now worth £1.8m: LFC sold ace Klopp dubbed a “big talent” at the perfect time