All posts by h79snht.top

After Liverpool’s loss to PSG in the Champions League this week, very few players did themselves proud at the Parc des Princes. 

One player that can hold his head high is midfielder James Milner, who came away with a goal on his 150th appearance for the club. He was the only midfielder in the Liverpool setup who made an impactful contribution throughout the match, as he was at his usual tireless best.

Milner has consistently been one of Liverpool’s best performers over the past few seasons. Of course players like Mo Salah have stolen the headlines, but Milner has never put a foot out of line in red. The fact that Liverpool signed him for free from Man City makes this even more remarkable.

What’s even more staggering about this signing is the players around him. In Liverpool’s game in Paris, Milner was partnered alonside Jordan Henderson and Georginio Wijnaldum, neither of which played well. The latter was largely anonymous all game, but still cost Liverpool £25m when he signed from Newcastle.

Then again, at least Wijnaldum was able to make the starting XI. On the other hand, Liverpool’s summer signings Fabinho and Naby Keïta were on the bench. The two of them combined cost The Reds almost £90m. That means between three midfielders, Liverpool spent well over £100m, but they have consistently been outshone by a player they bought for free.

Milner is the perfect example that money does not always buy a team success. He bucks the trend in this modern era of football and has shown the character and attitude to become a huge success at Liverpool- shown by his willingness to play at left-back. Milner is a clear example of how a team can be shrewd, and don’t need to spend money for the sake of it.

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Loads of Liverpool fans have been reacting to the latest transfer news, as reports in France claim the Reds are chasing Lyon wonderkid Houssem Aouar.

According to RMC reporter Mohamed Bouhafsi, both Liverpool and Chelsea are chasing Aouar, who has five goals and four assists in his last 11 Lyon appearances.

RMC were one of the first to break Fabinho’s move to Liverpool, so the report should perhaps be taken with more credence than your average tabloid transfer rumour.

Watch Playmaker FC’s Thogden react to England’s dramatic second-half comeback against Croatia in the video below…

The move also makes perfect sense for the Reds, who are yet to find a creative midfielder to play on the left side of Jurgen Klopp’s midfield three.

Philippe Coutinho was of course the playmaker from that position, and Aouar’s silky dribbling, immense work rate and unique vision make him the perfect replacement.

While the 20 year-old doesn’t score the wondergoals that Coutinho does, the Brazilian’s scoring rate wasn’t exactly a sight to behold at Aouar’s age.

Loads of fans have been giving their verdict on the links, and you can find some of the best Twitter reactions down below…

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The Guardian recently reported that West Ham United are willing to delay contract negotiation talks with Declan Rice until the end of the season.

The 19-year-old has been a revelation for the Hammers so far this season, bringing vital defensive awareness, physicality and composure to the middle of the park for Manuel Pellegrini’s team.

However, as per the aforementioned report, Rice is thought to be slightly unsettled at the London Stadium due to his wage demands not being met. The versatile teenager is presently on terms of £3,000-per-week, and the Irons are currently unwilling to grant him the £30,000-per-week he wants.

With only 18 months left to run on his current deal, the east London outfit are taking a significant risk by allowing his contract to run down even further. However, if the Hammers are forced into a sale, they are certain to attract a big fee for Rice, who has a Transfermarkt valuation of £13.5 million.

Despite this low estimate, many West Ham fans already think he is worth far more. 41% of those who took part in our poll stated they felt Rice to be worth more than £40 million already, with 12% even voting for in excess of £60 million. See the full results below.

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As of their 3-2 defeat at the hands of West Ham on Saturday, Crystal Palace have now recorded just one win in their last 11 Premier League games and this poor run has ensured that, once again, the second half of the season is going to be a hard-fought battle to remain in the top flight – the Eagles currently sit just two points above the drop.

Felipe Anderson is truly starting to justify his price tag now as his long-range, curling effort proved decisive but, while the Brazilian stepped up to the plate and delivered for his manager, there was one man on the pitch in particular who failed to produce when his side needed him most.

Wilfried Zaha is the kind of player that can be both a blessing and a curse for Crystal Palace – on his day, there are few defenders in the league who can stop the Ivorian in full-flight but, when he is off the boil, as was the case against West Ham at the weekend, he oozes a negativity that undoubtedly rubs off on teammates who would usually look to him to drag them out of a tough spot.

Feared for his bamboozling feet and bags of pace, the 26-year-old surely had a point to prove after his side’s apathetic showing in the 3-1 loss to bitter rivals Brighton at the Amex earlier in the week, but showed no such desire as he was more or less pocketed by a 33-year-old Pablo Zabaleta throughout proceedings.

The former Manchester United man has been mostly deployed as an unorthodox striker in the absence of a goalscorer this season but, while it doesn’t take a genius to see that he is far more effective out wide, his 90 minutes at the London Stadium should prove to Roy Hodgson that he is truly wasting his most dangerous asset.

Completing just 69% of his attempted passes, the number 11 struggled to link up with his teammates and was therefore detrimental to creation in a system where neat and tidy link-up play is so important – this was also only the fourth time this season that the 8-cap international completed zero key passes in a game.

The speedster did, however, complete three dribbles – commendable numbers, especially on an off day, but was unable to give Lukasz Fabianski or his defence much to worry about as he took on just one shot.

Despite struggling to get on the scoresheet in recent weeks, Zaha can usually depend on his close control being exquisite, however he took three unsuccessful touches against the Hammers as he struggled to hold onto the ball in the manner which he usually would so effortlessly.

Palace look lost when their talismanic winger isn’t performing and if someone else doesn’t grab a hold of the game in his stead, they will surely continue in this exhausting vein – Hodgson must find a way to win without the Selhurst Park hero, and fast, as he is suspended for the upcoming Leicester clash after picking up his fifth yellow card.

According to The Birmingham Mail, stats have been revealed which show that West Brom have earned 16 points this season from losing positions. 

That means that 41% of the points that The Baggies have earned this season have come from losing positions.

However, when most fans think of West Brom, they think of the free-flowing, ruthless attacking football that has seen them top the scoring charts in the Championship this season. The trio of Dwight Gayle, Jay Rodriguez and Harvey Barnes have taken all the plaudits so far this season, and have forged an impressive reputation for The Baggies.

However, something that people would not readily associate the club with is their ability to come back from losing positions. Now, of course, this stat certainly has negative connotations, as it suggests that they slip behind more often than they would like. But the positive in this stat is that the club have the determination and resolve to get themselves out of these terrible situations that they find themselves in.

This ability is surely down to having experienced heads in the heart of the field. The likes of Gareth Barry and Jake Livermore have played at the highest level, and have ‘seen it all’, as it were. Having those figures in a team helps them bounce back during tricky situations in a game. This was clearly shown last Friday, where Barry found the equaliser against a Sheffield United team that were dominating up until then.

Ultimately, this gritty determination, combined with this scintillating attack, shows things are looking very encouraging for The Baggies.

Watford have been mightily impressive under the management of Javi Gracia, and the Spaniard was rewarded for his performances with a new contract until 2023.

But never mind his 40% win rate, the Vicarage Road hot seat has your name on it and Football FanCast are here to help make you a success with a Football Manager 2019 team guide.

The board’s expectations

There’s nothing too crazy to expect if you take charge of the Hornets, with the board happy to settle for a mid-table finish again, having finished the 2017-18 season in 14th place.

The Hornets would also like a run in both cup competitions, with the fifth round of the FA Cup and Carabao Cup fourth round both desirable.

The transfer war chest

There’s a large transfer pot on offer at Watford, despite the club being in debt, mostly thanks to Everton stealing Richarlison in the summer.

£37.1million is set-aside for any players you wish to bring in as the Brazilian’s replacement, and top talent can be lured with a wage allocation of £100,000.

Three players to buy

Ruben Dias

Watford have a few stand-out centre-backs that can take must of the brunt the Premier League has to throw at the Vicarage Road outfit, but the backups are a different story.

Younes Kaboul, 32, Sebastian Prodl, 31, and Adrian Mariappa, 31, are the best the club has to offer, so why not look to bring in a wonderkid in the shape of Benfica product Ruben Dias.

The Portuguese defender has already represented his country at a senior level, yet comes in with a value of £10.5million and the potential to be world class.

Gianluigi Donnarumma

With Heurelho Gomes 37-years-old and Ben Foster 35, it’s time for the Hornets to also focus on a young goalkeeper.

No one is better in that respect that AC Milan wonderkid Gianluigi Donnarumma, with the 19-year-old hotly tipped to be a future great and already a first-team regular at one of Italy’s biggest clubs.

The £19million-valued shot-stopper already holds 18 jumping reach, 17 reflexes and 15 one-on-ones.

Lee Kangin

The best, and realistically only, player Watford have to offer for creativity behind the strikers is Roberto Pereyra. Giving the Argentine the support of a number two will save the 27-year-old from burning out over the course of the season.

An ideal player to pick up, especially with the future in mind, is Valencia’s Lee Kangin.

The South Korean is a wonderkid on Football Manager 2019, with 14 technique, 14 passing and 14 vision, despite being just 17-years-old. Reports from Spain already suggest he is rated as a €80million player, but luckily his value in FM19 is just £145k.

Watch the video below to check out the hilarious things footballers get up to at Christmas…

Three players to sell

Adrian Mariappa

Adrian Mariappa is the first name to hit the transfer list at Watford, as the defender is the valued at £8.75million – the most of the three 2.5 star centre-backs that can understudy for Christian Kabasele and Craig Cathcart.

Daryl Janmaat

The Hornets are blessed with three solid right-back options that can all compete for the first-team spot.

Daryl Janmaat, however, can be sold as two options is enough and the £45,000-a-week star has the best residual value to tap into.

Etienne Capoue

There are plenty of options for central or defensive midfielders at Watford, just unfortunately Tom Cleverley is a long-term absentee when you take charge, otherwise the former Manchester United star would be the one for sale.

Instead, the former Tottenham star Etienne Capoue should be transfer listed in order to free a further £40k from the wage budget and could add around £15.5million to the Hornet’s bank account.

Three for the future

Juan Hernandez

If you love nurturing a teenage wonderkid into the next world-class forward, then look no further than Juan Hernandez.

The Colombian prodigy earned his first senior international appearance in 2018, netting twice, and can be the future star at Vicarage Road.

Adalberto Penaranda

Venezuela international Adalberto Penaranda may yet to be handed his first appearance at Watford, but the 21-year-old striker can understudy for Troy Deeney under your management.

Despite his age, the 12-cap international has 16 dribbling, 14 finishing and 16 pace – work on his strength and the Watford number 17 can become a top goal-scorer.

Ryan Cassidy

Young Hornets striker Ryan Cassidy may never reach the same heights as his youth teammates, but the 17-year-old can become a great player at the club or at least an investment in your future transfer plans.

Tottenham fans have taken to Twitter to react after the news of a contract extension for Toby Alderweireld was announced. The Belgian international saw his current deal with the club extended until 2020, but there is a catch.

Alderweireld’s deal was set to run out at the end of the current campaign, but in triggering an extension clause, Spurs have also included a £25m release clause, which would see the former Atletico Madrid defender leave the club if anyone meets that fee – one would assume a lot of clubs would see that as a bargain for a top-class defender.

Fans of the north London club have been crying out for the 29-year-old to sign a new contract, but they were not expecting any fresh terms to come with such a low release clause, which pretty much means Alderweireld’s time with the club is almost up.

Let’s see how Spurs fans react to the news…

Manchester United will be looking to build on their impressive run of Premier League results under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer when they take on Newcastle United at St. James’ Park tomorrow.

Since Jose Mourinho’s sacking and the hiring of Solskjaer, Manchester United have gone on to win games against Cardiff City, Huddersfield Town and Bournemouth, scoring 12 goals in the process.

In Newcastle, though, Solskjaer could be provided with his hardest test yet.

While it has not be the greatest of seasons for the Magpies, defensively, they have been far from poor. They have conceded less goals than a lot of teams both below and above them, and are only topped by the the Premier League’s top four and Crystal Palace when it comes to clean sheets.

Under Rafael Benitez, Newcastle have become a sturdy side and have often given the division’s elite a lot of problems in encounters since their promotion last season.

Every expectation is that this revived Manchester United team, now playing free-flowing football thanks to the presence of Solskjaer in the dugout, will easily come out on top when they make the trip to St. James’ Park. However, considering the above, that may prove to be far from the case.

According to ESPN, Man Utd are interested in Kalidou Koulibaly, but they’re willing to hold off on making a move until the summer. Koulibaly is, undeniably, a great defender, but the reality of the situation is that Man Utd need a solution now.

One man that the club have continually been linked with over the last year is Toby Alderweireld, and now, after all that speculation, is the time for the Red Devils to move for the Tottenham defender.

Alderweireld – who is rated at £36m by TransferMarkt – has proven once again this season that he’s one of Europe’s best defenders. He’s a strong tackler, he’s great in the air, and best of all, he’s incredibly consistent. Man Utd have lacked all of those traits for years now, with defenders like Chris Smalling, Phil Jones and Victor Lindelof flattering to deceive for much of their respective tenures in Manchester.

With Man Utd improving over the last few weeks under their new manager, it’s imperative that the club strike while the iron is hot. If they upgrade over the next couple of weeks, they may have a chance of finishing in the top-four, but improving the squad is essential.

Tottenham may be open to selling, given that he’ll be a free agent in summer of 2020, meaning that in the summer he’ll have just one year left on his contract. Selling now gives them the best chance of bagging a significant sum, but that’s where Man Utd come in. They just need to pay what Tottenham demand. The rewards, namely Champions League football, are clear, and they’re worth the sort of outlay that would likely be demanded.

They could get him for cheaper in the summer, likewise perhaps they could spend big and land Koulibaly in the summer, but the next few months are imperative – and Alderweireld seems like the answer.

Thoughts?

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As reported by the Express, Tottenham are lining up a summer move for Sunderland’s precocious young forward Josh Maja, who has recently rejected the offer of a new contract on Wearside as he looks for a move away.

The 20-year-old has been in blistering form for the Black Cats this season with 14 goals to his name in League One so far, but was missing for Saturday’s game against Luton due to an ‘illness’, which many Sunderland fans were sceptical about to say the least amid Premier League interest.

Mauricio Pochettino is a known developer of promising young talent, having overseen the progress of Harry Kane and Dele Alli whilst with Spurs, and can also be credited with the rise of Luke Shaw at Southampton.

Having failed to find Kane’s backup in Fernando Llorente and Vincent Janssen in the past, a shrewd move for Maja on the cheap could be the perfect solution to the club’s lack of striking depth.

Would you like to see Maja at the new White Hart Lane, Spurs fans? Have your say down below…