All posts by h716a5.icu

Tottenham Hotspur romped to a resounding victory in the Europa League on Thursday evening, defeating Ludogorets in their own back yard 3-1, and whilst Jose Mourinho will be happy with his side’s reaction, he himself is playing a rather risky game.

The north Londoners finally ended their hunt for a back-up striker after they brought in Carlos Vinicius on loan from Benfica, paying £2.7m in fees with an option-to-buy thought to be around €45m (£40.5m).

Although, the Brazilian powerhouse has struggled thus far but he isn’t the man to be blamed.

The 25-year-old scored 18 goals in 32 league appearances last season and has failed to get off the mark for his new club in three Europa League matches, per WhoScored.

On Thursday night, Vinicius was granted another opportunity – replacing Harry Kane at half-time – but failed to impress. Football.London’s Alasdair Gold graded his second-half display a 4/10, and said:

“Another 45 minutes for Spurs’ number 45, he skied an opportunity moments after the hosts’ goal which perhaps summed up his night. Worked hard but his quality was sorely lacking in the final third and this was the least promising of his three appearances so far.”

Well, it’s no surprise that he’s lacking in confidence after he was wrongly part of the four players that were hauled off during last week’s defeat to Royal Antwerp.

Mourinho launched a scathing attack on his squad, claiming that his future choices would now be “very easy,” It was a warning shot at the likes of Vinicius, Dele Alli and Steven Bergwijn.

The Benfica loanee would then be left out of their Premier League win over Brighton at the weekend.

At Ludogorets, Vinicius at three shots – none on target – and also won just 33% of his duels, was offside once and lost possession five times, via SofaScore.

Dubbed “exciting” by Spurs legend Glenn Hoddle on BT Sport (via the Daily Mail), Mourinho is on verge of making a huge blunder over his no.2 striker – they surely do not want another Dele Alli situation on their hands.

Nor will they want Vinicius to follow the same path of Roberto Soldado or Vincent Janssen. That would be inexcusable after Daniel Levy backed him to the hills this summer.

AND in other news, Spurs chasing “fearless” BEAST who has outperformed Milan Skriniar this season…

Carlo Ancelotti has been dealt a nightmare by James Rodriguez, after the Everton midfielder endured “by far” the “worst match” of his international career as Colombia were humiliated 6-1 by Ecuador on Tuesday night.

Rodriguez featured for the full 90 minutes at the Estadio Rodrigo Paz Delgado to earn his 80th senior cap, but again failed to impress after lacking his usual magic in Friday’s defeat at home to Uruguay.

Yet his performance against Uruguay paled into insignificance compared to his efforts against Ecuador, with Colombian outlet El Tiempo describing the 29-year-old’s display as “by far” the poorest he has ever produced on the international stage, leading to questions over what the former Real Madrid maestro actually brought to the side.

“He had already come from not weighing in the match against Uruguay, but this may be his worst match with the Colombian National Team by far,” they claim. “He only appeared to collect the penalty that meant the partial 4-1.

“What is James’ problem? He does not adapt to the system, he does not weigh, he does not feel.”

El Tiempo thought so poorly of Rodriguez’s performance that he was only awarded a three out of 10 rating, despite ending a 12-game goal drought with his side’s late first-half penalty that offered Colombia hope of a second-half comeback.

Ancelotti would have been hopeful of seeing an individual comeback from Rodriguez after his torrid performance against Uruguay, with the £90,000-per-week midfielder entering the international break on the wrong foot after asking to be substituted in defeat to Manchester United.

“He was OK, he was tired,” the Italian said following the 3-1 loss, via quotes by the Liverpool Echo. “This week he did 80-minutes and he asked me to change it because he was tired but no physical problem.”

Rodriguez has been struggling for form in recent weeks following the testicular injury sustained in contact with Liverpool’s Virgil van Dijk during October’s Merseyside Derby, which ruled the two-time Champions League winner out of Everton’s 2-1 defeat at Newcastle after passing a late fitness test to face Southampton.

He returned to the starting line-up against Manchester United, but again failed to register a goal or an assist to extend his run without scoring to three Premier League appearances and two without creating a goal, having struck thrice and assisted thrice in his first five outings.

Rodriguez finally scored again for Colombia in their brutal drubbing by Ecuador when he converted the 45th-minute penalty, while registering three key balls without creating a big chance, misplacing five of his seven crosses, eight of his 29 total passes and only attempting one dribble, per SofaScore.

While the talented 29-year-old beat his marker with his only dribble of the game, Rodriguez further lost four of his six ground duels and did not contend any aerial battles, lost possession 16 times, committed one foul and was dribbled past twice without offering any tackles, interceptions or clearances.

Ancelotti’s major concern will be to what extent playing 180-minutes in four days will have on Rodriguez, given his state when leaving Everton for international duty in south America, but also the level he was able to bring to the field once again.

AND in other news, Carlo Ancelotti appears set for disappointment with a “great striker” overlooking Everton’s interest.

Fabian Delph has landed the ideal chance to hand Carlo Ancelotti a “good headache” after Everton midfielder Allan sustained a potential injury while with the Brazil national side.

What’s the word?

According to Globo Esporte, Allan is a doubt for Brazil’s World Cup qualifying tie with Uruguay on Tuesday night after reporting pain in his muscle following last Friday’s 1-0 win over Venezuela.

Allan featured for the full 90 minutes to earn his 10th-cap as Brazil remained top of the CONMEBOL standings by two points to Argentina, but will need be re-evaluated ahead of kick-off to assess the situation.

Tite had planned to name an unchanged line-up against Venezuela, though is now expected to call on Juventus’ Arthur to come in and replace Allan should the Toffees star’s clinical issue prevent his involvement.

Allan has been a mainstay of Ancelotti’s plans at Goodison Park since his summer arrival from SSC Napoli, with the £21million enforcer starting seven of a possible eight Premier League games.

Ancelotti was without the 29-year-old for Everton’s 4-2 win over Brighton & Hove Albion last month through a groin strain sustained against West Ham United in the Carabao Cup.

Tom Davies started in place of Allan at home to the Seagulls but Delph will be hoping he is given the nod at Fulham on Sunday, should Allan return to Merseyside in a condition that will force Ancelotti into changes at Craven Cottage.

Last chance saloon

Delph would have hoped to see his name called when Ancelotti was without Allan at home to Brighton last month, and been ever-more disappointed to be omitted from the matchday squad against Manchester United prior to the international break through a minor problem.

The blow was only expected to force Delph to sit out the Red Devils’ trip to Merseyside, so should be an option for Ancelotti this weekend, offering the 30-year-old a chance to earn just his second start of the Premier League season.

Delph, described as “aggressive and clever” by Pep Guardiola following a Man City win against Chelsea in 2017, earned his sole start as Everton lost 2-1 at Newcastle United earlier this month and stood out despite the result. The £10million Marco Silva signing was tidy in possession and showed good awareness to help cover young left-back Niels Nkounkou, putting in a handful of strong challenges.

Silva lauded Delph for offering Everton multiple options during his tenure at Goodison Park, with the Portuguese able to call on the England midfielder alongside Andre Gomes, Morgan Schneiderlin, Davies and Gylfi Sigurdsson.

“It’s a good headache, it’s what I want!” Silva stressed, via quotes by the Liverpool Echo. “The players on the bench have the quality and are working hard to play – and the players that are playing have had a good performance like the situation was against West Ham.

“It’s a very good headache for me, it’s what I like and it’s up to them to keep working.”

Delph now has a golden chance to hand Ancelotti a “good headache” of his own by impressing against Fulham should Allan not be passed fit, offering the Italian an option who Pep Guardiola lauded for being Manchester City’s banker during his time at the Etihad Stadium.

“You cannot be the England captain and help the team if you are not a good guy. Fabian is an important player for us. Last season he helped us by playing in that position when Mendy was injured, and he did well,” said Guardiola, via quotes by The Express.

“It is not easy when you play in different positions, but he has. There is always room for the team to improve, but Fabian is always a banker for us – and the other players know it.”

But if Ancelotti overlooks Delph at Fulham this weekend, the writing may soon be on the wall for the £80,000-per-week outcast heading into January’s mid-season transfer window.

AND in other news, Marcel Brands can solve a “concerning” situation with a decisive call on Everton’s £54k-p/w enforcer…

Benjamin Mendy scored his first Manchester City goal in Saturday’s 5-0 win against Burnley but that may well have overshadowed what was a fairly poor overall display from the overall Monaco man.

The left-back volleyed home Kevin De Bruyne’s cross in the first half to make it 3-0 to the home side, which was his first goal for the Citizens on what was his 60th appearance for the club (per Transfermarkt).

Since joining from Monaco in 2017, the 26-year-old has endured a torrid time with injuries, which have seriously limited his game time for the club.

Although he will no doubt be happy to have returned to Premier League action for the first time since early October with a goal, his overall performance was not that good.

As per SofaScore, Mendy won just two of the seven duels he was involved in against Sean Dyche’s side, whilst also losing the ball on 19 occasions, which was the most of any Manchester City player during the game.

Of the 67 passes he played, only 55 found their mark, resulting in an overall pass accuracy rate of 82%.

His crosses, which are normally one of the stronger parts of his game, were also disappointing against Burnley, with none of his four attempts finding a Manchester City shirt.

Only one of his six attempted long balls was accurate too, suggesting that his passing could have been a lot better on Saturday afternoon.

Back in 2019, Guardiola was full of praise for Mendy after his performance against Dinamo Zagreb in the Champions League, saying:

“He has incredible physicality when he is fit when his mind is in the right position.

“He’s in an extraordinary player.” (per Manchester City)

Considering Mendy has only just come back from injury, however, it would not be a surprise to see Joao Cancelo return to the City starting 11 for their next game, which sees them face Porto away from home in the Champions League on Tuesday.

Manchester City travel to Old Trafford on Saturday afternoon hoping to pick up all three points against an out-of-sorts Manchester United side in the derby.

Pep Guardiola’s side rounded off their Champions League group stage campaign with a comfortable 3-0 win against Marseille in midweek but will have to be at their best if they are going to pick up a win against Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side.

The Norweigan manager has seen his United side win the past three Premier League meetings against City, so will be confident, despite a disappointing start to the season.

The Red Devils were also dumped out of the Champions League in midweek after suffering a 3-2 defeat against RB Leipzig, so may be low on confidence for Saturday’s game.

Considering a number of first-team players were rested for City’s game against the French side on Wednesday, it seems likely that Guardiola will ring the changes for the trip to Old Trafford.

Here’s how we expect the Spanish manager to line his side up on Saturday, with eight changes from the side that started against Marseille…

Ederson reclaims his place in between the sticks, with Zack Steffen having made his Champions League debut for the Citizens in midweek.

There’s three changes in the defence, as just Kyle Walker keeps his place, whilst John Stones and Ruben Dias will be hoping to continue their strong run of recent form, which has helped Guardiola’s side to eight clean sheets in their last 10 games in all competitions.

Earlier this season, Guardiola claimed that Aymeric Laporte was “the best left central defender in the world” but considering the recent partnership of Stones and Dias, there is no place for the Frenchman in the derby.

Meanwhile, Joao Cancelo returns at left-back, as whilst Benjamin Mendy has impressed in recent games, the Portuguese defender is slightly more reliable defensively, in what will undoubtedly be a tough game against United’s frontline.

Ilkay Gundogan looks as if he might miss out after going off injured against Marseille, so Guardiola will continue with Fernandinho in midfield, alongside Rodri, who should hopefully have recovered from the knock that kept him out in midweek.

Unsurprisingly, Kevin De Bruyne returns to the starting side, whilst Raheem Sterling and Gabriel Jesus replace Bernardo Silva and Ferran Torres in the City attack.

It will be interesting to see how Guardiola lines his side up at Old Trafford, but three points is arguably a must if City want to keep pace with the likes of Tottenham Hotspur and Liverpool at the top of the table.

And, in other news… Sold for £1.5m, now a PL winner: City made a huge error with “world class” leader

Manchester United moved one step closer to the top of the Premier League table after thrashing newly-promoted Leeds United at Old Trafford.

Scott McTominay opened the scoring from long-range and the hosts doubled their advantage inside three minutes after Anthony Martial picked out the midfielder, who scored his second goal of the game with a lovely left-footed finish.

Bruno Fernandes added the third and Victor Lindelof made it four from close range before Liam Cooper pulled one back shortly before the stroke of half-time.

But Daniel James nutmegged helpless Leeds goalkeeper Illan Meslier before Fernandes scored from the penalty spot yet again to complete a comprehensive victory, though there was still time for Stuart Dallas to score a sensational screamer from 20 yards out.

It always looked like it would be a long night for Leeds but they still had their moments as Luke Shaw struggled to deal with Dallas and Raphinha on the left wing.

Shaw, who earns £150k-a-week at Old Trafford came into the starting line-up at the expense of new summer recruit Alex Telles, who had to settle for a place on the bench.

It’s hard to pick many holes in Solskjaer’s side, but if there’s one area he urgently needs to improve before the EFL Cup clash with Everton, it’s the left-hand side of the back four.

SofaScore graded the 25-year-old as one of the worst United players on the pitch with a low 6.8 rating – second only to David de Gea who he had fewer touches than. Shaw also lost possession 13 times, failed to block a single shot or record a single interception, while he made one error leading to a shot and conceded one foul.

The Manchester Evening News gave Shaw a 6/10 and claimed he looked ‘lackadaisical at times and lightning at others’, which rather sums up his inconsistent performance.

Not only did he look lightweight, but he was also largely anonymous as well with even his teammate and club captain Harry Maguire taking more touches of the ball.

It’s no surprise he was pulled on the 60th minute and he ought be wary with Telles breathing down his neck and Brandon Williams chomping at the bit, so his place in the starting line-up is by no means guaranteed.

With the Toffees and Leicester on the horizon, Shaw’s 13th start of the season could be his last for some time after that showing, as Solskjaer will surely have to consider other options.

AND in other news, Ed Woodward must look to cash in on Manchester United outcast Jesse Lingard in January…

After thrashing West Brom 5-0 last time out in the Premier League, Leeds United were brought back down to earth somewhat with a 3-0 defeat to Tottenham on Saturday afternoon.

Marcelo Bielsa’s side failed to make the most of their opportunities in the first-half, and were punished for a couple of sloppy mistakes, including a dreadful error from left-back Ezgjan Alioski who had a rush of blood and brought down Steven Bergwijn inside the area.

That was a hammer blow for a Leeds team who could have, and probably should have, taken the lead, but for some profligate finishing from Patrick Bamford.

And the striker’s display has surely sent a message to Victor Orta about ensuring the Whites bring in a new centre-forward in this January transfer window, having already been linked to names like Fiorentina’s Christian Kouame in recent days.

As per Sofascore, he lost 80% of his duels over the course of the game, whilst he managed only 11 passes. Aside from struggling to really get a foothold in the match up front, he just didn’t have his shooting boots on, failing to hit the back of the net with a whopping seven attempts.

It was no surprise that Leeds Live gave him a five out of ten match rating, explaining: “Wasteful and tame with the chances he did get. One of those matches he never looked lethal or sharp around the box”.

So whilst Alioski may get some criticism for having been the man to really send Spurs on their way, Bamford’s performance should act as a reminder to Orta that there’s work to be done in the transfer market.

Fulham secured their place in the fourth round of the FA Cup after defeating QPR 2-0 at Loftus Road on Saturday afternoon, although they needed extra time to get past the Championship side.

Scott Parker named a much-changed starting side for the FA Cup tie, with the likes of Kenny Tete, Tim Ream and Josh Onomah all making rare starts.

However, it was the performance of Joe Bryan which may have impressed the English manager the most, as the left-back was superb throughout the 120 minutes at Loftus Road.

As per SofaScore, the former Bristol City man picked up an 8.1 match rating for his display, which, in terms of Fulham players, was only bettered by Marek Rodak in the Fulham goal.

During the game, Bryan would have 91 touches of the ball, with 45/58 of his passes finding a Fulham shirt, resulting in a solid pass accuracy rate of 78%.

Perhaps most impressively, the 27-year-old would contribute three key passes during the game, creating two big chances for his teammates in the process, which they were unfortunately unable to put away.

Bryan also superbly won 100% of his duels during the game, demonstrating that the QPR players rarely had the better of him.

Whilst the left wing-back would lose possession 22 times during the game, which was the joint-most of any Fulham player, he was a threat with his attacking play throughout the game and was solid defensively.

After scoring a brace in the play-off final to earn Fulham promotion last year, you would have perhaps expected Bryan to feature more this season and he is perhaps unfortunate that summer signing Antonee Robinson has done so well since signing.

However, today’s performance against QPR proves that Bryan can be relied upon to do a job in Parker’s side, so perhaps he should be trusted to start more often in the Premier League.

And, in other news, Fulham handed a huge boost in chances of signing “outstanding” winger; Khan must act…

Many Wolves fans have been reacting in horror after their club was linked with a move with Montpellier striker Andy Delort, according to reports.

The 29-year-old is a familiar face in England after his short stint with Wigan Athletic in 2014, but didn’t last long with the Latics after turning down an approach from the Black Country club.

Le Beuteur revealed that Wolves have once again made a serious offer for Delort’s services, with Newcastle United also taking a keen interest this month.

The Algeria international has a strong goalscoring record in Ligue 1 this season, finding the net on eight occasions and providing six assists from 17 appearances (TransferMarkt), the eighth-highest in France’s top tier (Fotmob).

Despite this, supporters were not convinced and had not forgotten his actions seven years earlier, making their feelings clear on social media.

Fans left fuming by Delort links

“Not good enough, might score goals in the farmers league but not good enough for prem…might as well just play Cutrone tbh”

Credit: @DodgyWolf

“Didn’t this donkey turn us down for Wigan?”

Credit: @NethertonWolves

“That guy sucks! Couldn’t even make in in Liga MX”

Credit: @Trev_Raul

“Rather get Andy Carroll on loan”

Credit: @LewyDeWolf

“Not this again.”

Credit: @Lem_WWFC

“Are we back in 2014?”

Credit: @daveazzopardi

In other news, Wolves back away from signing ‘ultimate professional’ as search for Raul Jimenez replacement continues.

Carlo Ancelotti has confirmed Everton will be without Alex Iwobi against Sheffield Wednesday after ruling a string of players out of the FA Cup fourth round tie.

The Toffees welcome Neil Thompson’s Championship strugglers to Goodison Park on Sunday night looking to reach the fifth round of the competition for the first time in five seasons.

The Owls are 23rd in the second-tier and only four points above basement boys Wycombe Wanderers, though are enjoying their best run of form since September with four wins and a draw across all competitions.

Top-scorer Dominic Calvert-Lewin missed Everton’s third round win over Rotherham United with a hamstring injury but is likely to start against Sheffield Wednesday, after a 12-day break between fixtures gifted the England international a prolonged period of rest.

But Ancelotti had sombre news to share on Iwobi and a crew of his Blues teammates while speaking ahead of Sunday night’s FA Cup showdown.

“We have Dominic available for the game,” the Italian tactician said. “Unfortunately, we have some players out like [Jean-Philippe] Gbamin, Allan, [Fabian] Delph, [Lucas] Digne, Iwobi and [Niels] Nkounkou.

“Iwobi and Digne will be unavailable for only this game – they will be available for the game against Leicester. The other players are in good condition and are ready to play this game and to compete. This competition is really important for us.”

Iwobi scored his second goal of the season in all competitions during Everton’s 2-1 Premier League win at Wolverhampton Wanderers last time out, ending the 24-year-old’s 499-day drought in the top-flight.

Ancelotti ruling Iwobi out of the FA Cup will likely now see the Italian forced to go for broke in hopes of beating Sheffield Wednesday, with the Italian having to rely on players he may have rather seen rested ahead of hosting Leicester City on Wednesday night.

The Foxes affair will be crucial for the Toffees’ hopes of qualifying for the Champions League by the end of the season, with Brendan Rodgers’ side currently third in the Premier League standings but having played two games more than the Goodison Park natives.

But if Ancelotti wishes to prove the FA Cup’s importance, he will now be expected to rely on either James Rodriguez or Richarlison to bring the width and creativity from the right-wing, which saw Iwobi prove to be the true hero of the Blues’ 2-1 win over Wolves earlier this month.

Richarlison was only deemed fit enough for a place on the bench at Molineux, while Rodriguez played 86 minutes in his first top-flight start since returning from a calf injury.

The £90,000-per-week Colombian also played 95 minutes in Everton’s third round win over Rotherham, of which Richarlison played no part after the £90k-p/w Brazilian was ruled unfit.

Ancelotti must now back one of the high-earning duo to guide Everton through to the fifth round, even if the former Chelsea boss would rather have kept them both fighting fit ready for the Foxes’ visit.

AND in other news, Everton are demanding no less than £9m to sell a Carlo Ancelotti outcast this month.