Christian Pulisic has been informed by AC Milan team-mate Davide Calabria that he can “steal the limelight again” after moving to San Siro.
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If Sarina Wiegman's side are to beat Spain and become champions of the world on Sunday, the back three will have played a huge role
How many teams have reached a major tournament final after switching to a completely new and never-before-seen formation midway through? Not many, if any at all. But England’s change of system, and the way the players have taken to it, is a huge, huge reason why the Lionesses have the chance to become champions of the world for the very first time on Sunday.
After starting the tournament in a 4-3-3 set-up, head coach Sarina Wiegman caught everyone on the outside off guard when she flipped it to a 3-5-2 for the final group game against China. The switch reaped immediate rewards, and at both ends of the field. After laboured 1-0 wins in their two previous group games, England routed China 6-1, with the only goal conceded coming from a penalty.
But while the partnership between Alessia Russo and Lauren Hemp in the front two has been crucial to England's improvement, the most important and significant improvements have been at the other end of the team where a back three of Jess Carter, Millie Bright and Alex Greenwood has made England look so much more secure and a lot better in their build-up play, too.
What did Sir Alex Ferguson once say? Attack wins you games, defence wins you titles. Going into Sunday’s Women’s World Cup final against Spain, the Lionesses will certainly hope that rings true because their back-line has been absolutely phenomenal on their historic journey.
Many Wolves fans have been left to rave as a transfer update emerged on Goncalo Guedes.
As per Football Insider, the Midlands club are confident of beating Everton to the signing of the Portugal international after early talks.
A recruitment source has told the news outlet that the Molineux faithful have talked about offering Patrick Cutrone in part exchange for him, and are in pole position due to their links with Jorge Mendes.
Guedes scored a decent seven goals and supplied a further seven assists in 34 matches in total across all competitions in the 2020/21 season (Transfermarkt), and at 24 years of age, he still has a lot of potential to fulfil.
If it also means getting one over on their Premier League rivals, the potential deal certainly makes sense for the Wanderers.
These WWFC supporters raved as the transfer update was shared on Twitter (via Talking Wolves), with one even going as far as to claim that Guedes would be an ‘amazing’ signing:
“This would be an amazing signing”
Credit: @Hardly_working
“That would be a genuinely incredible deal”
Credit: @Callum_Howen
“Agent Mendes! Make this happen!”
Credit: @MoHussain19
“Book it in now”
Credit: @MikeHorton_09
“Get it done”
Credit: @Dan__Vincent
“Niceeee”
Credit: @rylandavies16
In other news, find out what transfer update has left Wanderers buzzing here!
Tottenham Hotspur are reportedly one of the teams keen on signing Yves Bissouma this summer…
That’s according to the Daily Star, who claim the North London outfit have made inquiries but it appears their arch-rivals, Arsenal, are the front-runners to secure the Brighton and Hove Albion star.
The 24-year-old still has two years on his current contract at the Seagulls and is valued at around £30m.
Fellow Premier League sides Everton and West Ham United are also mooted with interest.
Spurs are currently managerless but any new appointment is set to have multiple midfield options at his disposal, ranging from summer signing Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg to the likes of Giovani Lo Celso, Dele Alli and Tanguy Ndombele.
But it is the Denmark international that has been a constant presence in the starting XI, playing every minute (3,060) of every league game this term – the only outfield player to do so.
Interestingly, Bissouma has exceeded the returns of Hojbjerg, who could be considered one of Spurs’ players of the season come the end of the campaign.
As per WhoScored, the Brighton midfielder has managed more tackles (2.8 vs 2.6), more interceptions (1.7 vs 1.3), and has committed fewer fouls (1.5 vs 1.8) per game in the Premier League than the £15m summer arrival.
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And unlike Hojbjerg, he offers far more going forward, which means he could be the perfect foil rather than a direct replacement or alternative in that role.
His 1.2 shots per outing is a better return than every single Spurs player barring the obvious two in Heung-min Son (two) and Harry Kane (1.4), whilst he’s not quite at Ndombele’s dribbling ability, managing only 1.5 successful attempts per game, he is a hard man to dispossess, having averaged only 0.8 dispossessions compared to the Frenchman’s 1.1 times per game.
Dale Stephens, a former teammate of Bissouma’s on the south coast, gave a glowing review about this aspect of his game to reporters in 2019.
“He’s got the ability of perhaps a winger playing in central midfield with the way he can go past players,” revealed the Burnley midfielder. “His feet are incredible and I’m sure he’s going to get better and better. He’s got everything you need to be a top player.”
The Mali international has also been dubbed a “wonderful talent” by ex-Seagulls boss Chris Hughton and described as “very skilful” by his old Lille colleague Lebo Mothiba.
It remains to be seen if Daniel Levy can afford to stump up around £30m for anyone this summer but if he can, then it should absolutely be on a player of Bissouma’s calibre.
Just imagine him and Hojbjerg in the heart of the engine room.
That would surely be enough to tempt anyone into the managerial vacancy – maybe even a certain Graham Potter? Only time will tell.
AND in other news, Spurs set for huge boost as Hotspur Way news emerges, Levy and Mason will be buzzing…
Southampton face Crystal Palace at St Mary’s on Tuesday night and Ralph Hasenhuttl should axe centre-back Jan Bednarek from his side, as the 25-year-old has been on an awful run of form.
Following Fulham’s 2-0 defeat to Burnley on Monday night, the Saints are now mathematically safe from relegation, which should hopefully ease the pressure on the players and the manager, after a dreadful 2021 thus far.
Results have seen Southampton slip from a potential European spot to relegation fodder and one of the main reasons for this has been the Saints’ leaky defence.
Only Sheffield United and West Brom have conceded more than Hasenhuttl’s side this season and whilst that has been partly due to injuries and a lack of depth at full-back, questions must be asked of the centre-back partnership.
Bednarek and Jannik Vestergaard looked to have formed an excellent duo at the heart of Southampton’s defence earlier in the season but whilst the Denmark international has maintained his form, the Poland international has not.
In his last seven appearances in the Premier League, Bednarek has earned above a 7/10 rating from WhoScored just once, in the 3-2 comeback win against Burnley back in April.
This run of form included extremely poor displays against Manchester City, Liverpool and Brighton, yet he is seemingly undroppable in Hasenhuttl’s side, having started all 34 of the Saints’ top-flight fixtures this season.
Despite Mohammed Salisu producing a superb display in the 1-1 draw with Leicester City recently, he was dropped for the trip to Anfield and now that Southampton are safe, surely he deserves a start alongside Vestergaard at centre-back.
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Earlier in his time in charge of the club, Hasenhuttl was full of praise of Bednarek, saying:
“He is very aggressive in the one-to-one duels at the back, and also with the ball he is calm and has a good view for the surrounding players.”
However, Southampton have been far from aggressive in their defending for much of the season and they have been out-fought and out-thought on a number of occasions.
Therefore, after his poor run of form, Hasenhuttl should drop the Polish defender for the game against Crystal Palace on Tuesday night.
And, in other news… Linked in 2020, now wanted by CL clubs: Saints missed out on “perfect” gem with 18 G/A
Despite earning a superb 1-1 draw against the reigning Premier League champions on Monday, there was one man who failed to impress for Leeds: Helder Costa.
The Portugal international was given the nod to start against Liverpool with Raphinha being out injured, and while those are some big boots to fill, he certainly didn’t show anything to Marcelo Bielsa that would warrant him keeping his place against Manchester United this coming weekend.
As per Sofascore, he missed one official big chance, failed to provide any accurate crosses, and managed just 12 successful passes in total – by and large, the game just seemed to pass the winger by.
Writing in his post-match player ratings, Leeds Live’s Beren Cross gave him a five, saying: “Never really figured as an option at any stage in attack for Leeds and was left for dead far too often by Andrew Robertson going in the other direction.”
Such was Costa’s ineffectiveness, that Bielsa took him off on the 67 minute mark, choosing to bring on the largely unseen Ian Poveda,
And, following his performance, former Leeds man Noel Whelan tore into the winger, even going so far as to saying that he’s simply been a “massive flop” for the price that they paid for him.
He said: “The one player that disappointed me was Helder Costa. Once again he was poor. There is something there that is not right because Poveda came on and did more in that short time than Costa did in the 60 minutes he was on the field.
“He is fourth in the pecking order in terms of wingers for me. Poveda has to come before him now. He is direct, exciting and wants to take people on. He wants to do his job as a winger and Costa does not. He plays it safe and he’s negative. For a player that cost £16m, I need to see a hell of a lot more from him.
“At least Poveda runs at people. He is positive and that is what a winger should do. Costa has been a massive flop. A real disappointment again.”
The winger has failed to score in his last seven Premier League appearances, and it’s been no real surprise that Bielsa doesn’t seem to trust him fully – he’s completed the full 90 minutes just once in the top-flight since November 2, and has either been hooked early or brought on as a very late substitute.
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With another clash against one of the Premier League’s big boys to come against United on Sunday, Bielsa has simply got to make a ruthless call on the £70k-a-week earning Costa and drop him from the starting line-up.
Meanwhile, Leeds should land this “exceptional” English striker…
Liverpool head into Wednesday evening’s meeting against Real Madrid aiming to avenge their UEFA Champions League final defeat of 2018.
Whilst not quite the same stage of the competition with two only meeting at the quarter-finals this time around, Jurgen Klopp’s Reds could deal a big dent in Los Blancos’ season with a victory at the Santiago Bernabeu.
The best chance they will have of doing that is by including the electric Diogo Jota from the start instead of Roberto Firmino.
Once labelled as a “monster” by Liverpool’s Assistant Coach Pep Lijnders, the Portuguese has been in electric form recently.
The 24-year-old netted three goals in just two matches over the international break for his country and continued that form upon his return to Merseyside by scoring twice in the 3-0 victory against Arsenal.
It all means that Jota has now scored 18 goals for both club and country since the start of September.
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This is a huge contrast to the form of Firmino who has found himself on the scoresheet on just seven occasions for the Reds this season.
Jota’s European form is also vastly superior to that of the former Hoffenheim man.
The 24-year-old has netted 11 goals in 23 European appearances for FC Porto, Wolverhampton Wanderers and the Reds which includes three hat-tricks against the likes of Atalanta, Besiktas and Espanyol.
Whilst Firmino betters that with 15 career strikes in the UEFA Champions League alone, he has scored just three times in his previous 24 appearances in the competition – statistics that will not strike any fear at all into Real Madrid.
With Zinedine Zidane’s men reportedly missing captain Sergio Ramos through injury, Wednesday’s clash is the perfect opportunity for the £36m-rated beast to extend his great European record and his stunning recent form.
Jurgen Klopp simply has to play him from the start at the Bernabeu – a move which could see Liverpool avenge their gutting 2018 final defeat.
AND in more news, take a closer look at Trent Alexander-Arnold’s excellent showing against Arsenal at the weekend…
Mike Ashley must block Steve Bruce from awarding Dwight Gayle a new contract as the striker is stealing a living at Newcastle United.
Gayle is one of six first-team players who are due to become free agents at the end of the season, at a time when funds for new signings are expected to be limited.
Newcastle could be left with a daunting summer if too many of those walk out the door as replacements would have to be sought, making new deals a key order of business.
Bruce revealed last month that talks were still “ongoing” with Gayle, Andy Carroll, Jacob Murphy and Federico Fernandez over new terms, but no player is yet to put pen to paper.
Gayle’s situation has long been a point of focus for Bruce, with the United boss declaring in December that the club would “do everything we can” to keep him at St. James’ Park.
Since then, little progress has been made and Gayle’s impact on the pitch has often been questionable, when the £40,000-per-week attacker has managed to get on the field.
Gayle has only started two Premier League fixtures all season with opening calls against Chelsea and Aston Villa in the past five weeks, while left an unused substitute on seven occasions and missing 10 games through injury.
His uncertain future has already begun to attract interest with Galatasaray linked with a potential move to reunite the 31-year-old with DeAndre Yedlin, while clubs in Qatar and Saudi Arabia are also said to be monitoring developments.
Championship outfits are thought to be keen if Gayle hits the market for free, as well, which should be how the forward’s time on Tyneside meets its end.
Gayle has now been a Newcastle player for five years after joining the club in a £10m deal with Crystal Palace in 2016, but has rarely shown top-flight skill in black-and-white.
In 66 games over three Premier League seasons, Gayle has only struck 11 goals with six coming in the 2017/18 campaign and four last term.
His only goal of the current season came against West Bromwich Albion in December, in what was his first appearance of the term after entering the action as a second-half substitute.
For that goal to steal three points against the Baggies, the Toon have effectively paid just over £1m in wages, with it now 27 weeks since Newcastle’s season began with a 2-0 win at West Ham.
Gayle’s £40k-p/w contract also breaks down to £540,000 a start, £98,000 per appearance or £3,500 a minute in the Premier League this season, and the £4.5m-rated dud is set to make a further £560,000 with 14 weeks remaining on his current terms.
With all that in mind, Newcastle should scrub their hands of the London-born forward and look to go their separate ways, as Gayle – who reportedly stormed down the tunnel at the full-time whistle against Brighton on Saturday – would only continue to steal a living next season.
AND in other news, Newcastle are ready to bring a “special” talent back to St. James’ for eight-times what they sold him for…
West Ham revealed on Tuesday that promising defender Ajibola ‘Aji’ Alese had committed to a new contract.
Alese has signed a two-and-a-half-year deal, with the option for a further year. He can operate as both a centre-half and a left-back, which appears to fit perfectly with the way David Moyes utilises both a back four and back three, depending on the fixture.
The Englishman made his debut for the Hammers in September as they thrashed Hull City 5-1 in the third round of the EFL Cup.
Football.london’s Sam Inkersole awarded him an eight out of 10 for his performance that night, writing that he ‘never looked overawed’.
In January, the 20-year-old was sent on loan to League Two promotion-chasers Cambridge United to gain more experience of the men’s game.
He has largely been a substitute at the Abbey Stadium, but did start last weekend in a 4-2 win against Oldham Athletic.
Alese has also caught the eye of England’s youth set-up. Having captained his country’s Under-16s in the past, he was called up to represent the Under-20s last October.
“Moyes is already doing great moves before the window started”
Credit: @ScoutSoucek
“Love seeing promising players come through the academy & sign a first-team contract”
Credit: @23HPork
“Great news. Very talented lad”
Credit: @whucoyi
“Great news, looked brilliant pre-season.”
Credit: @WHUHazz
“YESSSS”
Credit: @MuvSaid
“love that”
Credit: @jackkwhu
“Brightens up my day”
@calumv89
“That’s a vote of confidence for Alese. Be interesting to see how he develops & whether he’s moved into a LB role in the future.”
Credit: @mhare641
In other news, this Hammer’s agent issued a worrying update.
Glasgow Rangers fans have been reacting to a claim from Slavia Prague’s Alexander Bah that Gers fans stormed Ibrox after Thursday’s Europa League clash.
The 55-time Scottish champions were knocked out of the competition after losing 2-0 to Slavia at home and 3-1 across the two legs. However, the game was marred by a number of unsavoury incidents. Kemar Roofe committed a terrible challenge on Slavia goalkeeper Ondrej Kolar, while Ondrej Kudela allegedly racially abused Rangers midfielder Glen Kamara.
The fall-out has continued since the final whistle, and now Danish defender Bah has had his say on the events. He has claimed Rangers fans stormed the stadium in the aftermath of the game (Bold.dk) – but it appears that may not be the case. Journalist Graeme Hanna shared a picture from the outside of Ibrox after the game, and there was not a person in sight.
He shared the photo on Twitter, and it attracted plenty of attention from the Gers supporters. They took to the social media platform to share their anger.
“No one there as everyone is in the stadium, clearly”
Credit: @scaricus
“Connor Goldson is spot on, nothing will change while clubs and fellow players are lying to cover up what has actually happened. And this nonsense about it having been a dirty game, totally unbelievable!!”
Credit: @JBallany
“Slavia digging that hole deeper and deeper. Fans inside Ibrox…”
Credit: @55titles2021
“He’s a blatant lier and knows it… Been told by the club to say this”
Credit: @mightyger55
“Absolutely vile it’s been lie after lie after lie”
Credit: @conaghan_kathie
“We all know it’s a total lie. They are trying everything to deflect away the attention from what their player did. Seems to be used quite a lot in Scotland at the moment by certain people.”
Credit: @S_The_Invisible
In other news, Alan Hutton believes this Rangers ace may leave Ibrox this summer.