Celtic returned to competitive action this weekend, demolishing Scottish Championship strugglers Brechin City 5-0 in the fourth round of the Scottish Cup.
The Hoops looked refreshed after their mid-season training camp in Dubai as Brendan Rodgers named a strong starting eleven, with seven of the players who featured in last season’s final also playing on Saturday.
It was a match that the trophy holders were always expected to win and they dominated the entire 90 minutes, finding goals through James Forrest, Scott Sinclair, Olivier Ntcham, Dedryck Boyata and Odsonne Edouard.
One talking point coming out of the match was the decision to exclude Moussa Dembele despite being fit, with Rodgers again opting to start Paris Saint-Germain loanee Edouard, with the former Fulham man spending the afternoon as an unused substitute.
Despite scoring his fifth goal of the season late on in the match, Celtic fans weren’t particular impressed by Edouard’s performance, with some hoping to see Dembele reintroduced to regular action in the green and white hoops.
Supporters took to Twitter to share their thoughts on Edouard’s display…
Andros Townsend’s midweek heroics have propelled England to the cusp of World Cup qualification. The Tottenham man put in a stunning display on his full international debut to guide the three lions to a comfortable 4-1 win over Montenegro.
The youngster has been showered with glowing praise from all corners of the footballing world, and many have already tipped him to go on and develop into one of our brightest international assets for many years. Surely if he can continue anything like the form he showed last week he has every chance of matching the lofty targets many have already set for him.
Success in the international game is one thing, but realising his potential at club level may be a totally different prospect. Tottenham are a club deep in transition and who of late have pieced together one of the strongest squads in the whole of the Premier League. Whereas in the national set-up Townsend may only be competing with say Walcott and maybe Milner, at club level he has the likes of Lamela, Lennon, Chadli and Sigurdsson all in his way.
So will Townsend continue to be afforded opportunity at Spurs?
With the return of Lennon and gradual integration of Lamela you may think otherwise.
Personally though I think Townsend will continue to be given ample chances to shine in AVB’s revolutionised side. AVB is a man of principle and keen to instil some sense of meritocracy within the Tottenham set-up. Hence the slow start for Hugo Lloris last year and the current persistence with Gylfi Sigurdsson this term.
AVB has no reason to drop Townsend because as it stands he is the club’s main source of attacking craft, a commodity of importance for Spurs. I’ll admit though pressure does come when there is a £30m club record-signing sitting on the bench, with the board keen to see the fruits of their summer spending.
This isn’t an issue because I fully expect Lamela to eventually break through at Spurs; it is more a question of when than if. A wide combination of both Lamela and Townsend is for me the most likely long-term scenario. Sigurdsson has been playing incredibly well and I don’t doubt his footballing abilities, but for me he just isn’t the wide man Spurs are looking for and if anything he should be competing with Eriksen for that number 10 role.
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The return of Aaron Lennon though could be a much more interesting proposition. Lennon has been a tremendous servant for the club and has offered Spurs pace and width in abundance. Often criticised for a perceived lack of end product, the Englishman is recognised as a significant menace amongst opposition defences and clearly still a huge asset for AVB this season.
AVB doesn’t pick though on reputation or name, and it is my firm belief that Lennon will have to work like the rest of the squad to prove his worth. That said I think even at such an early stage of his career, Townsend still offers Spurs so much more. Comfortable off both feet and with a much better delivery than Lennon, which doesn’t say much, he is for me the better option.
This wont concern AVB because with the bulk of work ahead for the squad it will be crucial for him to have at least four first team wingers to choose from. Pace down the flanks is something that wins games in the final 20 minutes and if AVB has the option to bring on say a Lennon or Chadli with the clock ticking down then who knows what Spurs could achieve.
The issue may be more as to whether a peripheral role is enough for Lennon at his age. Cup football with a smattering of Premier League action is usually something afforded to younger players, would an internationally capped winger really settle for this?
Personally I think he may. Spurs are on the verge of something big and as a player you want to be involved in these kind of projects as much as possible. I may even be understating the amount of playing time that Lennon would get. Injury and loss of form will likely necessitate AVB shuffling his pack from time to time and someone of Lennon’s experience will be the man to fill the berth.
I amongst many other may be extremely quick to laud the emergence of Andros Townsend, but for those who have watched him mature beyond the last week will be in agreement over this prodigious talent’s enormous potential.
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At Spurs he may be in one of the most competitive sides in the League but for me this will only make him stronger. Battling with a collection of the world’s best for a starting spot can only be a good thing and I expect him to continue featuring for the club in the future.
Liverpool midfielder Jonjo Shelvey has been added to Roy Hodgson’s England squad for the upcoming World Cup qualifying fixtures against San Marino and Poland, Sky Sports report.
The Reds midfielder has grown in stature and importance at Anfield, and despite being sent off against Manchester United in a recent Premier League fixture, has impressed for Brendan Rodgers’ men.
Shelvey has scored a number of goals in the Europa League also, and has been promoted from the England under-21 side as cover for Frank Lampard.
The Chelsea man limped out of his side’s win over Norwich at the weekend, and at this stage is a doubt; Shelvey has been picked ahead of Manchester City’s Gareth Barry.
Meanwhile, Ryan Bertrand has also been added to the Three Lions’ contingent, after continuing his strong start to the 2012-13 campaign.
The versatile wideman comes in as a straight replacement for Arsenal’s Kieran Gibbs, who has dropped out with a thigh injury.
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According to CalcioMercato, Newcastle United are considering an approach for Sassuolo defender Gian Marco Ferrari in this summer’s transfer window.
Ferrari has a contract with Sassuolo until the end of the 2020-21 campaign, but he has not actually made a first-team appearance for his current club.
Indeed, the centre-back has spent the last two seasons on loan at Crotone and Sampdoria respectively, and he impressed for the latter during the 2017-18 campaign.
The 26-year-old scored twice in 31 appearances last term, and it is understood that his performances have attracted the interest of Newcastle.
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That said, Fulham, who booked their spot in the Premier League by beating Aston Villa in the Championship playoff final last weekend, are also said to have an interest.
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The Newcastle fans, who have also recently commented on Spanish midfielder Mikel Merino’s future, have been offering their views on the transfer speculation surrounding versatile defender Ferrari, and a selection of the Twitter reaction can be seen below:
Alexis Sanchez has dominated the transfer gossip pages in the last few days, particularly now that Manchester United have reportedly entered the fray.
According to Sky Italy, the Red Devils are interested in making a move for the Chile international, who has been heavily linked to Manchester City for some time.
It was widely expected that the attacker, who will come to the end of his current Arsenal contract in the summer, was poised to join Pep Guardiola’s title-challenging side.
Recent reports have suggested that it may not be as straightforward as first anticipated, with United now in contention.
However, Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has attempted to play down the speculation by insisting that the two Manchester rivals are not fighting it out for Sanchez’s signature.
According to talkSPORT, the Frenchman told reporters:
“A bidding war is always beneficial to the club who can take advantage of it. We are not in that. I maintain what I’ve said many times. Normally, he should stay here until the end of the season but we’ll see.”
Sanchez’s contract situation means that he is eligible to sign a pre-contract agreement with another club before the end of the month.
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If Arsenal do not sell Sanchez in this window then they will not receive a fee for the Chilean come the summer.
Liverpool’s name among those in contention for a place in the top four come May has been greatly owed to by the scoring exploits of Daniel Sturridge. We already know what Luis Suarez is capable of – 23 league goals last season. But Sturridge, always in need of a solid run in the first team and prior to his move to Anfield always lacking, has proven himself to be a more than able supplement or substitute for the Uruguayan.
The Merseyside derby on the weekend was one of the Premier League’s standout matches up until this point of the season. But not only did it highlight the consistency of Liverpool’s attacking duo in front of goal, it also showcased the frailty of the backline when performing in high-profile matches.
There’s nothing wrong with advocating open, free-flowing football. More often than not, though, it’s married with a shaky defence that is prone to leaking goals. Everton may have scored three, but the opportunities presented to Roberto Martinez’s team could have increased their tally had, for example, Gerard Deulofeu taken his chances.
What has been perhaps overlooked from Liverpool’s surprisingly good start is the lack of options to add to the goal scoring contributions of Suarez and Sturridge. Again, there’s nothing wrong with the mentality of scoring more than the opponent over a watertight defence, but more is needed in the way of consistent scoring threats.
Sturridge and Suarez are among the top three leading scorers in the Premier League – Sergio Aguero is currently top – but beyond them, Liverpool’s next top scorer is Steven Gerrard with two in the league. It’s simply not enough to ensure a stay in the top four, especially during a league campaign where even at this stage there is little certainty about who will finish first.
Brendan Rodgers was clearly interested in Henrikh Mkhitaryan during the summer, losing out to Borussia Dortmund for the Armenian’s signature. At Shakhtar, Mkhitaryan proved himself to be a highly reliable source of goals from midfield. Rodgers also reportedly targeted former Shakhtar midfielder Willian, but the Brazilian never carved out a reputation like Mkhitaryan in front of goal.
Despite the additions of Iago Aspas and Victor Moses, it’s a sign that Rodgers is looking ahead to what this team are in obvious need of. Every good side has scoring options throughout the team. Liverpool have been aided by the lack of midweek commitments, but had they been without an entire week’s break between league games, there’s a real possibility that the goals from Sturridge especially would have dried up for a run of games.
What is also key in much of this is that Sturridge, regardless of what he’s doing so far, doesn’t have a reputation as a consistent goal scorer. His record may be impressive since arriving at Anfield in January – 19 league goals – but we have no reference as to whether he’s a striker who is prone to scoring droughts, nor can you ever really prepare for the injury of a key player.
Steven Gerrard isn’t what he was. It would be unrealistic to expect the Liverpool skipper to produce scoring in double figures as he has done in the past. He offers much to this youthful Liverpool side, but goals aren’t one of them.
In January, and with funds likely to be made available if it helps the team prolong their stay in the top four this season, another goal scorer, specifically a midfielder, is needed.
Rodgers has shown his tactical flexibility by switching formation to either include both Sturridge and Suarez in the first XI or just one, as he did against Everton. There is likely to come a point where one isn’t available, and with the deploying of Moses and Coutinho on the wings, there simply isn’t enough to guarantee maximum points each and every game.
Let’s also not look past the fact that there are some very good defenders in the league who are capable of keeping both forwards quiet for the entire ninety.
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Nothing has changed in the fact that this Liverpool team is still a work progress: their current position in the league doesn’t alter the need for further investment and possibly replacements if Suarez eventually leaves. For now, countering an uncertain defence with further options in attack is a priority.
Arsenal continued their strong start to the season smashing six past Southampton who still searching for their first point since returning to the Premier League.
The Gunners were unbeaten in their first three games and had yet to concede a goal whilst their newly promoted opponents had endured a difficult start to life back in the top-flight.
It didn’t get any better for Nigel Adkins’ men at the Emirates Stadium as they were comprehensively outplayed by the home side and found themselves behind after just 11 minutes courtesy of a Jos Hooiveld own goal. Hooiveld was hauled off a minute before the Gunners scored again just after the half hour mark with Lukas Podolski curling a stunning 25-yard free kick past the despairing Kelvin Davis.
That kicked off a spell that saw Arsene Wengers’ men score twice in two minutes with the first coming courtesy Gervinho’s fierce strike before Nathaniel Clyne turned Kieron Gibbs’ cross into his own net. However the Saints were to have the last word in the first half as a mistake from Wojciech Szczesny gifted Danny Fox the opportunity to reduce the deficit.
Despite their dominance in the opening forty-five minutes Arsenal took their foot off the gas after the break and almost allowed the visitors a route back into the game but the usually reliable Rickie Lambert dragged his effort wide. That scare prompted the hosts to take control once again and Gervinho was on hand to make it 5-1 tapping in from close range after Aaron Ramsey’s effort came back off the post.
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Theo Walcott then came off the substitutes bench to apply the gloss with three minutes remaining latching onto Santi Cazorla’s through ball and finishing confidently past Davis to compound the misery of his former club who remain rock bottom.
A day does not seem to go by when Tottenham Hotspur fans do not discuss the future of Toby Alderweireld.
Many are desperate for the Belgian centre-back to stay at the club, but because he is yet to put pen to paper on a new contract, doubts have risen.
The uncertainty has not been helped by the fact that manager Mauricio Pochettino played Alderweireld in just four Premier League games following the defender’s return from a hamstring injury in February.
There has still not been any official word from Spurs regarding the Belgian’s future, but it became a talking point among fans when the North London club made an announcement on Tuesday.
Tottenham confirmed that they had extended their deal with betting partner William Hill.
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In fairness to the club, in the last few days they have announced fresh contracts for Kyle Walker-Peters and Davinson Sanchez, but many wished that the news was related to a certain someone.
When a young player fails at a top club, there is often an assumption that they’re not mentally equipped to be a success at that level. But no two footballers are precisely the same and no journey of development takes exactly the same course. Sometimes players need to go down the pecking order to bounce back up again, and sometimes that failure is the motivation they need to drive them to reach their fullest potential.
Sometimes too, they simply make the move too soon or at the wrong time; that may well have been the case with Wilfried Zaha who, after firing Crystal Palace to the Premier League in 2012/13, made just four senior appearances for Manchester United as a 21-year-old before returning to his boyhood club.
In any case, there’s no better way to prove you belong at the top level than consistently performing against that bracket of football club, which is exactly what the Ivory Coast winger did last season.
His twelve performances against last season’s top six were instrumental in keeping Palace in the Premier League after a disastrous run under Alan Pardew, producing a return of one goal and five assists – that’s more than half of his setups for the entire campaign coming against the very best the English top flight has to offer.
More than just output, though, which was the biggest criticism of Zaha during the early stages of his career, the winger-forward’s all-round performances against top quality opposition have shown an aggression, intelligence and work-ethic you wouldn’t necessarily expect of a young wide-man who has already failed to take one chance at the top and tasted the often-debasing fame and fortune that comes with a club of Manchester United’s stature. Just look at Adnan Januzaj, once English football’s most coveted teenager who is now trying to rebuild his career at Real Sociedad.
In stark contrast to the young Belgian who always had a knack of reverting back into his own shell, Zaha showed incredible responsibility both with and without the ball against the Premier League’s top sides in 2016/17.
While we’ve come to expect dazzling dribbling displays on the counter-attack, Zaha also demonstrated the intelligence to bring his team up the pitch by winning fouls in dangerous areas and the tenacity to play a key role in Palace’s many rear-guard displays by averaging 2.3 tackles per match. In fact, against all opposition, Burnley’s George Boyd was the only winger to complete more tackles than Zaha in the Premier League last season.
While that’s partly a consequence of Palace’s counter-attacking style of play, and something that’s required far more of wingers outside the top six, the combination with Zaha’s deadly dribbling and impressive output makes him a unique proposition amid a Premier League era in which high pressing and energy from the front is more prevalent than ever before.
Liverpool, Manchester City and Tottenham all pride themselves on the aggression of their attacking personnel but according to the statistics, Zaha made more tackles than all of them last season.
This term, Zaha’s season has taken something of a different course. While he’s continued to impress, his best performances have come against those closest to Palace in the table; goals against Everton and West Ham who have been involved in the relegation scrap as well, alongside productive displays in the 2-1 win over Stoke City and the 2-2 draw with Bournemouth.
Although that’s far more conventional and expected, it should be acknowledged in similarly impressive terms nonetheless – when boiled down, Zaha is quite simply producing upon facing the teams Palace need results against to turn their abysmal start around.
But having been linked with Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester City ahead of the January transfer window, this coming week represents a pivotal audition in Zaha’s career as Palace prepare to face the Gunners and the Citizens before the turn of 2018.
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Not only will the 25-year-old have the chance to flaunt his abilities against two potential future managers, should tabloid gossip be believed, but also the chance to show those managers last season’s returns against the top clubs wasn’t simply a fluke or statistical quirk. And while an attacking player who can consistently perform against the big clubs or the small clubs is one thing, one who can perform against both is something else altogether. In fact, it makes Zaha pretty much the total package.
The big question, however, is the viability of a mid-season move. He’s valued at just £16.2million by Transfermarkt but Crystal Palace will expect far more if they’re to part with their most valuable attacking outlet amid a relegation fight. At the same time, while an Alexis departure may force Arsenal to move for the eight-cap international, City’s ginormous margin at the top of the table could convince them and Chelsea that any reinforcements can wait until the summer, when they’ll have another half-season of evidence to determine Zaha’s suitability and when the deals usually feel less extortionate.
In any case, though, this week feels like perhaps the biggest yet in Zaha’s career. Consecutive impressive performances against the calibre of club once deemed beyond him won’t go unnoticed, and it might well be what convinces Pep Guardiola, Arsene Wenger or Antonio Conte to put some money on the table – be it in January or the summer.
Manchester United have been here before, a talented youngster on the books who sees his future elsewhere in spite of the persistent overtures from his current club.
Adnan Januzaj’s performance against Sunderland on the weekend will inevitably spark memories of Paul Pogba’s departure from Manchester United last year, but are the club well off the beaten path in terms of handling fresh talents?
Why are United in this situation again? For one, the club has its principles, and shelling out £20,000-£60,000 on an unproven youngster isn’t the way they want to do things. Should that be criticised? Yes and no. There is a balance that needs to be preserved in terms of hierarchy within the squad, and if United wish to stray along the path of reality despite their financial wealth – how many 18-year-olds are worth that sort of money? – then in some way they should be applauded.
But there can be a way of fine tuning the situation and getting the best of both worlds. The current United regime will rightly have many fans worried. The failed efforts to properly strengthen the squad in the summer could dictate the outcome of Janazaj’s contract negotiations. Questions need to be asked as to whether United have people capable of effectively handling contract extensions and transfers.
The thing is, United will do their best to play this one down to the wire, unless of course they land on a financial deal that suites them. While the club have been here before with Paul Pogba, it’s also worth remembering that young stars can fizz out into nothing, such as with Federico Macheda. The large majority of fans and many onlookers will say that Janazaj is a different proposition, a different calibre of talent and one who will justify a large layout in the near future. But we simply don’t know that. As fickle as football fans can be, the game itself has its ways of offering up one thing and then completely shifting course soon after.
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United are right to be cautious with Janazaj’s extension, though David Moyes in particular and the club as a whole should not become slaves to the idea that every young player wants to play for United. That may be the case for British youngsters and it certainly may have been true with Alex Ferguson at the helm, but United isn’t the pinnacle of every football culture, and with Bayern Munich, Juventus and Real Madrid reportedly after Janazaj, there is reason to be concerned that the player may hold greater personal affection for any of those clubs than he does his current.
But away from that, United have a duty to restore some face after the loss of Pogba a little over a year ago. There is every possibility that Janazaj is a one hit wonder who won’t amount to much in his future, but losing another player with his projected potential would become something of an embarrassment for the club.
The finer details of the Janazaj situation behind the scenes aren’t too clear: we don’t know what has been said by Moyes and specifically what his intentions are for the youngster. But it shouldn’t be overlooked that another youngster two years older than Janazaj scored a similar volley in midweek against a Champions League side, not a team propping up their domestic league table. Lewis Holtby is a proven talent and Schalke know exactly what they have with him. He could have jumped ship earlier this year but his club found a way to strike a balance that suited both parties. It’s not impossible for United to do the same, but much better handling than we’ve seen in the past is paramount.
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