#how did Kevin De Bruyne get injured

[holyiker-blog1]

FC 25 Manchester City Rating Predictions

Champions again ole ole… After a treble-winning season in 22/23 it was always going to be hard to follow that up, but winning a 4th Premier League title in a row wasn’t a bad way to do so. It could have been another League and FA Cup double for City but Ten Haag’s Tricky Reds undid them in the final. Despite only winning the Premier League, we’re expecting plenty of upgrades for City, especially for the young stars!

Goalkeepers

Ederson (88>88) - A solid enough season for Ederson but no need for any change in terms of rating, but will there be a change of club? Links to the Saudi League have been around since the start of the summer, so don’t rule out Ortega taking the Number 1 spot next season.

Stefan Ortega Moreno (79>81) - Ortega may have only had a small part to play last season, but he was responsible for one of the biggest moments in the title race. His 1v1 save against Son in the dying moments kept City in the lead and secured a vital 3 points with just one game left. Deserves a +2 for that save alone. 

Scott Carson (65>65) – This man has the best job in world football and long may it continue. He gets paid to be Erling Haaland’s best mate and he’s great at what he does, kept his 65 rating after 2 years of doing nothing on the pitch, so we’ve gone for the same again. 

Defenders

Ruben Dias (89>89) - Ruben Dias has been in Manchester for 4 seasons and is yet to experience the feeling of losing a Premier League title race. We expect world-class performances from Ruben Dias but we need even more if he wants to hit that 90 OVR for FC 25. 

John Stones (85>86) - If it wasn’t for his injury issues, John Stones would be up there with the best in the world, and on his day there isn’t anyone better. It’s just a question of how often those injury-free days are. He only featured in around half of City’s games last year but was incredible when he did so. +1 for The General and maybe a CDM alternate position too?

Joao Cancelo (86>86) - Will Cancelo still be in Manchester by the end of the transfer window? Who knows, but he’s back for now so gets included. He had a good season on loan with Barcelona but missed out on the title to Real Madrid, we’ve kept him at 86 but would not be shocked to see him back to an 85. 

Kyle Walker (84>84) - Aside from a poor performance in the Euro 2024 final it was a decent season for Walker so we see no reason for change. Maybe a little downgrade in defending but across the board should stay fairly similar. 

Manuel Akanji (82>83) - Akanji’s showdown card will go down in the FC 24 Hall of Fame and we’ll be expecting to see a lot of him again at the start of 25. A brilliant season from the Swiss international, we’ve played it safe with a +1, but an 84 certainly isn’t out of the question. 

Josko Gvardiol (82>83) - Pep roulette can strike at any moment, but for now Gvardiol is safe. He locked down that left-back position towards the back end of the season and even started scoring screamers for fun. One more year like this and we’ll be expecting 85+ in 26, but for now, we’ve gone for a +1 at 83!

Nathan Ake (81>82) - Gvardiol made the LB his own last season but that meant Ake he’d play second fiddle and fill in where necessary across the back line. Was brilliant when he played so we’ve opted for a +1 here as well!

Midfielders

Kevin De Bruyne (91>91) - Kevin De Bruyne may have been injured for the first half of 23/24 but when he returned, he transformed Manchester City and helped them on their way to 4 in a row. The Belgian returned 18 Assists and 6 Goals in just 26 matches in all competitions. Manchester City only dropped 6 points in the matches KDB featured in this season, he is that guy.

Rodri (89>90) - There is an argument for Rodri to be the highest-rated player, not just in the Premier League, but in the game. He is the best player in the world and should win the Ballon d’Or, but we’re just not sure everyone sees it. 90 would be well deserved, but don’t be surprised if he edges into the 91 category…

Phil Foden (85>87) - If we were choosing ratings we’d have Foden at an 88 or 89 but we don’t think EA will be quite as generous. He was by far the best player in the Premier League last season and deserves a massive upgrade, but could range anywhere from 87 to 89. 

Bernardo Silva (88>88) - It’s not summer without a Bernardo Silva to Barca transfer rumor, but we expect him to stay in Manchester for the upcoming season. An average season for his standards so we’re keeping him at 88.

Mateo Kovacic (82>82) - The Croatian’s first season at City was one to be proud of, finally winning the Premier League and adding that to his trophy cabinet. Played a huge role in the team, filling in across all midfield positions.

Matheus Nunes (79>79) - Nunes struggled a little bit in his first season at the Etihad, but when called upon he did impress. We’ve kept him at a 79 due to limited minutes but hopefully, he can improve on this in 2025!

Rico Lewis (73>78) - Rico Lewis will hopefully be running the City midfield for the next decade, and has been putting in a shift at both DM and Right Back. A fantastic season in 23/24 so we’ve gone for a huge +5 for Rico.

Attackers  

Erling Haaland (91>91) - After a 52-goal debut season, it was always going to be hard for Erling Haaland to replicate that. He only scored a mere 38 goals in the 23/24 campaign, just about enough to keep him at a 91… The guy needs to grow up and score some proper goals to really earn a 92. Tap in merchant. 

Jack Grealish (85>85) - It was a disappointing season for Grealish and he’d say so himself, missing out on the England squad and not featuring for City as much as he’d like. He still showed his quality when he did play so we’ll keep him at 85.

Savio (70>83) - One of the biggest upgrades for City goes to their new summer signing, Savio. The Brazilian was key to Girona’s success last season, guiding them to the Champions League for the first time in the club's history. We’re expecting a HUGE +13 for Savio in FC 25. 

Jeremy Doku (77>81) - Due to how stacked the Manchester City attack is, we only saw glimpses of Jeremy Doku, but when we did it was unbelievable. He was the only player who decided to turn up in the FA Cup final and was their only outlet in that game. We’ve gone for a +4 for the Belgian. 

Oscar Bobb (64>75) - Ole ole, ole ole, Oscar Bobb Bobb Bobb. Another HUGE upgrade for a Manchester City winger and this time for Norwegian Oscar Bobb. Again maybe we’ve been a tad ambitious here, but the quality is there to see with Bobb. It wouldn’t surprise me if he stole the RW spot from Bernardo Silva this season and solidified himself as a starter for Pep Guardiola. 

Will it be 5 Premier League titles in a row for Manchester City? Let us know which team you want us to predict next!

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[rubendiass]

I was tagged by @voidnataxha (thank you cutes 💓) to list my top 5 favourite players from my team and tag 5 others to share their favourites! (I’ll do both my teams cos I have nun better to do @12:30am)

Barca:

1. Lionel Messi - ofc he’ll be first. The goat of the game and tbvh the heart and soul of barca rn. Without him barca could fully well be a relegated team. Yes barca depends on messi (way too much) but he shows time and time again his skills and why he’s considered the best.

2. Marc Andre ter Stegen - our own wall. I see people criticize MAtS a lot but without him and his reflexes we’d have lost so many matches this season. He’s so dedicated to the team and imo he deserves to be a captain he has the stature and capabilities to lead the team.

3. Clement Lenglet - probably one of the only good signings Barca has made in recent years. Idk if signing him was a gamble the board made but damn did it pay off in the end. Clement has so much potential to become even better and I really just love watching him play. I also really love it when he scored because he never knows how to celebrate but you can see the clear joy on his face ughhh he makes me soff. 🥺

4. Ansu Fati - barca’s wonder kid. I don’t think anyone expected Ansu to have such a great start that he did with the first team this season and already broke a few records. He’s a joy to watch and I can’t wait to see what he will add to the team as he develops into the player he wants to be.

5. Nelson Semedo - another player who gets shittt from people but honestly he tries so hard and if he had better coaches to work with they’d have unlocked his full potential by now. Semedo is amazinggg and I wish he’d get to show of his skills more but I really hope barca keeps on to him for a little longer because we need him.

Man City:

1. Sergio ‘Kun’ Aguero - ofcccc he’s my favvv for City😍; one of the main reasons I started supporting in the first place. Kun is an extraordinary striker and I wish he wasn’t injury prone now so we’d get to see him play out seasons and scoring so many more goals. Straight up legend for the club and I really dunno who City will get to live up to the expectations and legacy he has.

2. Kevin De Bruyne - the ginger goat 🤩 kdb is one of the best mids to play the game and he still has so much to go. Watching him play is just thrilling and exciting I hope he stays with City for as long as he can because he really adds so much to the team. One day I hope he’d be able win the b’do because he’s a player that would fully well deserve it.

3. Aymeric Laporte - when I call him city’s defense I am so freaking serious. This season alone was a testament to how important he is to the team and how much he is needed in the defense. He’s such an amazing defender and may he never ever get injured again I cannot suffer twice 😭

4. Raheem Sterling - Raheem is a player who is so dedicated and thriving for excellence. From what I’ve seen of him you can tell that he’s just getting better and better. You can see how hard he tries because of his love for the sport I hope he succeeds in all his endeavors.

5. Phil Fode - baby shark 🥺 I’ve never seen someone more sky blue than phil (tho i’ve only been watching City for a bit more than a year now so full bias akjsjsj). From the bit of games he played this season he did soooo well I can’t wait to see how much more his skills will develop and hope that he becomes the great player that he has full potential to be.

I tag (if you wanna): @hadikathefangirl @rpizarro @riquipuigg @geripiqay @nathicoroo

[rockinjoeco]

Is Jose Mourinho special no more?

It’s still a shock to so many people that Mauricio Pochettino was sacked as Tottenham Hotspur manager last November, particularly after finishing in the Champions League places four years in a row, developing home-grown talent like Harry Kane and getting to the Champions League final last season. His departure brought shock and dismay to many Tottenham fans, even though the club swiftly appointed serial winner Jose Mourinho as Pochettino’s replacement. Mourinho’s reign as Spurs’ manager so far hasn’t been smooth, having been knocked out of the FA Cup to Norwich, who are currently bottom of the Premier League, and have been knocked out of the Champions League by RB Leipzig. Tottenham are currently 8th in the league, 7 points behind fourth-placed Chelsea. Is the so-called ‘special one’ no longer special?

It has now been 12 years since Spurs last won a trophy, after winning the League Cup under Juande Ramos. When Pochettino was brought in as Tottenham manager back in the summer of 2014, becoming their 10th manager in 12 years, Tottenham had a very disjointed squad. The summer before, they spent over £100m on new players (Spurs did make a profit of over £6m that season thanks to the world-record sale of star player Gareth Bale to Real Madrid) and apart from Christian Eriksen, none of them had made the desired impact over the 2013-14 season. The Argentine manager was tasked with helping Spurs to Champions League football, which had been their for nearly 10 years and only achieved it once during that time. Pochettino earned plaudits for his previous job at Southampton, when he was controversially hired in January 2013, and produced great football as well as helping the homegrown talent there (namely Luke Shaw, Adam Lallana, Rickie Lambert and Jay Rodriguez) earn their first caps for England. Although Pochettino didn’t win any trophies at Spurs, his tenure there will be remembered fondly by Spurs supporters and the way he took a disjointed Tottenham team from being a Europa League team to a Champions League team has seen Pochettino being linked with management roles at Real Madrid, Bayern Munich and Manchester United.

You would’ve thought that if Tottenham wanted to start winning trophies again, surely there would be nobody better to help them do that than Jose Mourinho, who has won three Premier League titles in two spells at Chelsea and has won the Champions League twice. Even though his previous job at Manchester United brought a mixed verdict, he still managed to help them win the League Cup and Europa League in his first season. What was evident during his second spell at Chelsea, however, was his so-called ‘third season syndrome’. After he won Chelsea the league title, he become the first Chelsea manager during the Abramovich era to be awarded with a contract extension. Since then, Chelsea’s results have dipped badly, his media interviews had been questionable, including constant referee-blaming and a seven-minute rant after the home defeat against Southampton, and that infamous row with club doctor Eva Caneiro during the opening day draw against Swansea. What also came under scrutiny during that period was the style of football Chelsea were playing under Mourinho and his youth policy, having seen former young prospects Kevin De Bruyne and Romelu Lukaku establish themselves as world class talents elsewhere in the Premier League. Even though Mourinho has enjoyed plenty of success elsewhere prior to his return to Chelsea, it seemed that when he signed that new contract with them in the summer of 2015 that this would be where he would really build a dynasty at a club, as he has never been manager at a club for more than three years. However, seeing his misjudgement when it comes to youth suggests that he is a manager for the short-term and not as a long-term option, unlike the manager he had idolised; Sir Alex Ferguson.

If Jose Mourinho had been appointed as Tottenham manager in the summer of 2014 rather than back in last November, there would be a wave of excitement amongst the Spurs faithful. Now considering how great a job that Mauricio Pochettino had done, despite not winning anything, the mood is still one of scepticism, particularly given Mourinho’s reluctance to give youth a chance in the team, something of which that Pochettino was lauded for, and the style of football that Mourinho’s teams tend to play. Prior to Mourinho’s appointment, there were problems at Tottenham, such as not selling Christian Eriksen last summer when he had just a year left on his contract and the Danish international didn’t want to extend his contract. That would’ve been an opportunity to remove anybody who didn’t really want to be part of the team and get a suitable replacement in. The decision to sell Kieran Trippier to Atlético Madrid without getting a replacement was also questionable, as Serge Aurier is very erratic at right-back and inconsistent to be a first-choice right-back for Spurs. Tottenham are also lacking strength in depth in attack, especially with back-up striker Fernando Llorente departing for Napoli last summer and with Harry Kane and Son Heung-Min out injured. With this now being the second season in succession that he’s suffered a serious injury, there are concerns that Harry Kane may be becoming injury prone, not just from a Spurs perspective, but from England’s point of view too. Spurs definitely should’ve eased the goalscoring burden on Harry Kane and Spurs should’ve bought a new striker in January.

We can debate about whether Jose Mourinho is still ‘the special one’ or not, but you can’t argue with his track record. Hypothetically, if Spurs won the league cup, would it be a greater achievement than reaching the final of the Champions League? Probably not, but it may be more important. Winning a trophy, any trophy, may just be the catalyst for this Spurs team to go on to achieve greater things. While it was exciting seeing this young Spurs team develop under Mauricio Pochettino, there was a fear of whether the likes of Harry Kane, Dele Alli and Eric Dier would one day leave Spurs for a more elite club who specialise in winning titles. With Mourinho at the helm, considering the track record he has in winning things, would that tempt these key players into staying at the club? Even if Mourinho didn’t play the attractive football that Pochettino played and if he doesn’t qualify for the Champions League this season? That’s a question that many will keep asking, but also think about this; could one trophy under Mourinho be a catalyst for greater things, or a consolation for his upcoming failures?

[glitzgist-blog]

Kevin De Bruyne out for 3 Months as he flies to Barcelona for Treatment

Kevin De Bruyne out for 3 Months as he flies to Barcelona for Treatment

Kevin De Bruyne out for 3 Months as he flies to Barcelona for Treatment

Kevin De Bruyne will be out for 3 months due to a knee injury, confirmed by Manchester City but will not require surgery for treatment. (more…)

[jenniferggarner]

Manchester City v Cardiff City – Head To Head - Bitter and Blue

Manchester city cardiff - Manchester City - Cardiff City live - 3 April - Eurosport

View all Premier Manchester city cardiff Sites. More LaLiga News ». View all LaLiga Sites. More Bundesliga News ». We don't have any problems because we know he is going to play well. He's a guy who always has chances, he always is webpage. He's ready, he's absolutely ready to play ciity us.

He did everything well. Neil Warnock: "We're odds on to go down but we're going to give it our best shot. I think we've got six winnable games and even the tough ones I think we can get something out manchester city cardiff. Real Madrid.

Aston Villa.

Cardiff City football club: record v Manchester City

Leeds United. Weblink Palace. Danny Ward 63'. Bobby De Cordova-Reid. Brian Murphy. Sol Bamba.

Joe Bennett. Callum Paterson. Jazz Richards 51'. Josh Murphy 75'. Kenneth Zohore 63'. Aymeric Laporte. Fabian Delph. Kyle Walker. Fernandinho 74'. Arijanet Muric. John Stones 74'. All of Manchester City's squad will surely play some part in a the next few weeks, so it must have been reassuring for Mancheste to see some of his lesser-used players in such convincing form here. With Sergio Aguero injured and Raheem Sterling left on the bench, it was manchester city cardiff to Jesus to cjty the line and although he did not manage a goal himself, his non-stop running frequently opened up spaces for others.

Like Jesus, Riyad Mahrez has also been short of first-team starts recently. One early misplaced pass brought groans from his side's fans but he continued to look lively and should have had a penalty when he was fouled in the box in the second half. Foden forced Etheridge into a fine save and hit the post in the second-half as he looked completely at ease in his surroundings, understandable given his first-team appearances in other competitions, while a fit-again Manchester city cardiff Bruyne is clearly a huge boost to City's hopes.

The only cloud manchester city cardiff an otherwise pretty much perfect night was an early injury to Oleksandr Zinchenko, who manchester city cardiff made the left-back their website his own since the start of the year.

Huddersfield and Fulham have already been relegated from the Premier League and Cardiff are fighting to avoid joining them. The Bluebirds did nothing to improve their situation here, but their survival prospects were always going to depend more on how they fare in their next two games - away at Burnley and Brighton, who are two of the three teams immediately above them - than their result against Guardiola's team.

Several manchester city cardiff decisions went against the Bluebirds in their defeat by Chelsea on Sunday, bringing a furious reaction from manager Neil Warnock, but on this occasion he cannot argue that his side deserved more than they got. Their attempts to keep the home side out looked doomed to failure from the moment Jesus missed a De Bruyne cross by a matter of millimetres manchester city cardiff 30 seconds into the game, and things did not improve much from that point.

If Niasse had taken his chance when he ran clear, then the visitors might have made the final five minutes of the game into more of a contest, manchestrr Cardiff were clearly second best throughout. We started really well. A magnificent goal from Kevin de Bruyne. Unfortunately we missed a lot of chances; we need to score more goals. He did everything, arriving in the right positions with the right tempo. He always has chances, has a manchester city cardiff dardiff goal.

He's ready, we know it, mancheeter play any game manchester city cardiff any position. He trains incredible. I was disappointed to concede early doors. They move it so quickly, it is difficult. Manchrster shouted to Kevin de Bruyne at half-time: 'Kevin, did you mean that? Tell me the truth. On Cardiff's survival chances: "You can afford the odd draw but I think we have to win three at least, add a draw and who knows?

Cardiff have the weekend off. They are next in action at Burnley on 13 April Formation Catch the latest Manchester City and Cardiff City news and find up to date Football standings, results, top scorers and previous winners.

Football fans can find the latest Football news, interviews, expert commentary and watch free replays. See detailed profiles for Manchester City and Cardiff City. Manchester city cardiff all the upcoming competitions.

[tkmedia]

Euro 2020 quarter-final players - ranked

Euro 2020 is truly at the business end, with just four teams left and players staking their respective claims for individual honours.While many standout performers have departed the tournament, there are still plenty left keeping us entertained and on the edge of our seats.Using Opta's player index – which calculates ratings based on data collected from every game – Stats Perform power rankings can reveal the top 20 performers to date.Those eliminated at the group stage have been discounted, but all others to have played in the knockouts are in the frame...

Llorente made three chances against Swizterland / DMITRI LOVETSKY/Getty ImagesAfter starting the first two matches of the tournament out of position at right-back – two underwhelming draws – Llorente lost his place in the side and watched from the bench as Spain scored five times against each of Slovakia and Croatia to reach the last eight.Llorente was among the substitutes again for the Switzerland game but got on in place of Koke in a more natural midfield position and looked much more at home. The Atletico Madrid man had three shots and created three chances in that cameo, perhaps boosting his chances of a semi-final role.

Sanches in action against Belgium / Isosport/MB Media/Getty ImagesPortugal's last-16 defeat to Belgium meant Sanches was not involved in the most recent round of fixtures, but he again left his mark on a European Championship.Showing his dynamism, the Lille midfielder completed 91 per cent of his open-play passes but also led Portugal with three shot-ending carries. Only centre-back pairing Pepe and Ruben Dias topped his 21 recoveries.

Benzema scored four goals at Euro 2020 / Marcio Machado/Getty ImagesAnother player missing from the quarter-finals, Benzema is at least back on the international stage and made up for lost time with four goals prior to France's shock penalty shoot-out defeat to Switzerland.The Real Madrid striker had only 11 shots, leading the five players with four or more Euro 2020 goals with his shot conversion rate of 36.4 per cent.

Koke has been excellent / Stuart Franklin/Getty ImagesIf Llorente does not reclaim a starting role for Spain against Italy, it may well be because Atletico team-mate Koke – the man he replaced as a substitute on Friday – is also excelling.Like Llorente, Koke has a vast array of talents.He had two shots and played four key passes against Switzerland but also trails only Xaver Schlager and Toni Kroos – who have both now been eliminated – with nine tackles won at the tournament.

Blind's Netherlands were knocked out / Soccrates Images/Getty ImagesBlind bowed out early as the Netherlands were stunned by the Czech Republic in the second round, but he remains high up Opta's index thanks to four impressive performances.The Ajax defender led the Oranje in tackles won (seven) and was second behind Frenkie de Jong for recoveries (30). Blind was also involved in the team's build-up playing, with sequences involving the former Manchester United man leading to 12 shots worth a combined 2.0 expected goals (xG).

Christensen and Thomas Delaney celebrate the midfielder's goal against Czech Republic / Valetin Ogirenko - Pool/Getty ImagesThe defining image of Christensen from this tournament will surely be his thumping strike against Russia, but he and a previously rampant Denmark outfit were also required to do some defending against the Czech Republic.Christensen made two tackles, two clearances, two interceptions and one block to help limit Patrik Schick and Co to just the one goal, reaching a Wembley date with England.

Lukaku's Belgium are out / Alexander Hassenstein/Getty ImagesAlthough Belgium are out, Lukaku leaves Euro 2020 with his head held high, the Inter striker having scored four times over the course of the tournament. He certainly cannot be accused of going missing against Italy either, his successful penalty one of three shots on target as he attempted to carry the faltering Red Devils through.But with Eden Hazard out injured and Kevin De Bruyne not 100 per cent fit, Belgium just didn't have enough to see off the vibrant and solid Italians despite matching their 1.8 xG in the match, with Giorgio Chiellini and Leonardo Bonucci impressing at the heart of the Azzurri defence.

Stones and England are yet to concede a goal / Lars Baron/Getty ImagesEngland have kept seven consecutive clean sheets for the first time in their history, with five of those coming at the Euros. Only Italy, at the 1990 World Cup, had previously began a World Cup or European Championship with five straight clean sheets.And Stones is the only Three Lions defender to have started all five matches. His error against Poland in March led to the last goal England conceded, but the Manchester City man looks an assured presence right now.

Pedri has a bright future / KIRILL KUDRYAVTSEV/Getty ImagesWhile Spain have impressed and frustrated in equal measure, Pedri has been largely exceptional, especially considering he's only 18, and he was similarly integral to La Roja's system against Switzerland.He laid on five key passes in open play – a single-game figure that leads the way at Euro 2020 – as the Barcelona talent was heavily involved in Spain's build-up play. That has been a key element throughout and is underscored by the fact sequences involving Pedri have had an xG value of 7.8, with the next best of everyone in the tournament being 6.3.To have such influence and trust at his age is truly remarkable.

Forsberg was Sweden's main goal threat / Maxim Shemetov - Pool/Getty ImagesSweden did not always thrill in this tournament, but Forsberg provided a regular source of entertainment with some dazzling displays.He scored four goals, with the three from open play coming from efforts worth just 0.99 xG. The RB Leipzig forward was desperately unfortunate not to add to that impressive differential as he twice hit the woodwork with superb attempts in Sweden's defeat to Ukraine.

Vermaelen remonstrates with a referee / Matthias Hangst/Getty ImagesVeteran Vermaelen produced a defensive masterclass against Portugal in the last 16, with three tackles, five clearances, two interceptions and two blocks to protect a precious clean sheet.Belgium bowed out as Italy were able to breach that back line in the next round, despite Vermaelen again excelling. He had four tackles, four clearances, five interceptions and two blocks. Six blocks for the tournament ranks joint-second.

Shaqiri helped Switzerland reach the quarter finals / Anton Vaganov - Pool/Getty ImagesIt was fitting that Shaqiri should score against Spain in the quarters, such is his influence in this Switzerland team, also captaining the side with Granit Xhaka suspended.No Swiss player topped Shaqiri's five shots on target and three goals from open play at these finals, with his 1.61 open-play xG leading the way. Remo Freuler's red card unfortunately meant he was sacrificed against Spain prior to the penalty shoot-out pain.

Spinazzola has been great but his tournament is over / Claudio Villa/Getty ImagesItaly's marauding left-back was surely on track to be in consideration for individual awards at the end of this tournament given how effective he had been, but unfortunately his Euro 2020 is over prematurely after suffering an Achilles injury against Belgium.Prior to that, Jordi Alba was the only to defender to have created more chances in open play than Spinazzola (seven), who had delighted with his charging runs up the left, with only Joakim Maehle in the tournament matching his six shot-ending ball carries. He will be a big miss for Italy in the semi-finals.

Pogba was excellent throughout Euro 2020 / Daniel Mihailescu - Pool/Getty ImagesSo good were Pogba's performances at Euro 2020 that, even after their elimination in the round of 16, he is still present in the power rankings. With eight chances created in four games, he averaged two key passes per match and also got a stunning goal against Switzerland.He was very effective in that game as he laid on four chances and also recorded a team-high 12 recoveries, but you have to mention his role in the Swiss equaliser, as he lost possession. Either way, Manchester United fans will have been suitably excited by his displays over the past few weeks.

Schick scored one of the goals of the tournament / Alex Pantling/Getty ImagesThe breakout star of the tournament? Regardless of the Czech Republic's elimination on Saturday, Schick is certainly in the conversation given he's the only player to match Cristiano Ronaldo's five goals at Euro 2020, the latest of which came in the 2-1 defeat to Denmark.Schick's haul comes from an xG of 2.4, giving him a 2.6 over-performance that is unmatched by anyone in Euro 2020 having also become only the fourth player to ever score five goals for the Czech Republic/Czechoslovakia in a major competition. He may be heading home, but undoubtedly with his reputation enhanced.

Alba's Spain are in the semi finals / Kirill Kudryavstev - Pool/Getty ImagesSpain have been somewhat erratic at Euro 2020, but Alba has been consistently excellent and typically a menace up the left flank, with his shot leading to the opening goal against Switzerland as Denis Zakaria put into his own net.La Roja needed penalties to get past the Swiss, though it wasn't for a lack of trying on Alba's part. He took his open-play key passes to 10 – bettered by no one – and while he may only have one assist in the competition, his tournament-leading xA (expected assists) value of 2.3 suggests he's been let down by the finishing of others.

Dolberg has enjoyed a fine tournament / DAN MULLAN/Getty ImagesDolberg only got into the Denmark starting XI due to a Yussuf Poulsen injury. Two games on and he's already become the first Dane to score three or more at a single major tournament since Euro 2004.His effort against the Czechs – one of only two shots – proved to be the winner, and that combined with the fact his trio of goals have come from an xG of 1.6 highlights just how clinical he has been. If Denmark can get past England, it would be fair to assume Dolberg will have had something to do with it.

Jorginho has led Italy's midfield / Claudio Villa/Getty ImagesChelsea midfielder Jorginho continues to enjoy a fine tournament, once again playing his vital defensive shield role to near-perfection against Belgium. His two interceptions and nine recoveries, which were team-highs, helped get Italy back on the ball and his 71 successful passes from 72 attempts ensured they generally kept it.His involvement carries value as well, given he has contributed to 31 shot-ending passing sequences, a figure bettered by only Pedri, Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg and Lorenzo Insigne. While we perhaps have not learned much new about Jorginho in Euro 2020, his performances have confirmed his status as one of the world's best in his role.

Maehle has starred in defence for Denmark / Tolga Bozoglu - Pool/Getty ImagesWhile he may not top the rankings this time, Maehle's stock continues to rise after another fine performance in Denmark's 2-1 win over the Czech Republic in which he provided the decisive moment of inspiration.His stunning outside-of-the-boot cross preceded Dolberg's close-range volley and was his third goal involvement in three games (he had two in his previous 12 caps), which isn't bad at all for a full-back. 

Verratti has been influential for Italy / Matthias Hangst/Getty ImagesEyebrows were raised when Verratti, Italy's most creative player, was withdrawn with the game goalless 23 minutes from the end of normal time against Austria in the previous round. But he retained his place in the starting XI against Belgium and was tremendous.He was as influential as ever with more touches (104) and successful passes (84) than anyone else, while he took his open-play key passes tally to 10 for the tournament, a joint-high, as he teed up Nicolo Barella for the opener with a well-timed interception and pass. Read the full article

[rockinjoeco]

Chelsea Turbulence

In my first blog post, I will be talking about my beloved Chelsea football club and reviewing our season so far, including the bad run of form (including the Southampton defeat yesterday) that’s seen us lose 5 out of our last 7 league games, four of which were worryingly against teams in the bottom half of the premier League.

This inconsistency of ours is very reminiscent to Chelsea before Abramovich. There were times when we would get an amazing result, and then a disastrous result the next. For example, in December 2001, we won at Manchester United 3-0, a wonderful result considering the comprehensive nature of the win and that Man United were champions back then and the favourites for the title back then. However, a few days later, that 3-0 win at Old Trafford was followed up by a 1-0 home defeat to Charlton Athletic. For me this season, it’s easy for me to be in despair as a Chelsea fan as losing 5 out of 7 league games is relegation form, but what is important to remember is that we were on a transfer ban, therefore meaning we couldn’t buy anyone, including a replacement for our star player Eden Hazard, who departed for Real Madrid last summer, so at the start of the season, I would’ve just been happy to avoid relegation! Christian Pulisic finally being available to play for us has helped us though, even if he doesn’t fully compensate the departure of Hazard. Hiring Frank Lampard as our new manager, replacing Juventus-bound Maurizio Sarri, gave me some joy as seeing a Chelsea legend returning as our manager was always going to be good to see, but also seeing our former academy coach returning as assistant manager of the whole team rather than just managing academy players meant that our youth players will finally get a chance in the first team. I know we are a big club and therefore us Chelsea fans will be very demanding, but Lampard himself know how competitive we should be and while there’s no doubt that many of our young players have talent, it will take them time for them to become players of the highest standard.

Before the Man City game last month, we were in the top 4 by 9 points, and now after our bad run of form, we’re only 4th by 3 points. As disappointing as this collapse of ours has been, Chelsea have already exceeded expectations this season, playing great football and our youth players like fikayo tomori, Mason Mount and Tammy Abraham have performed well this season, with the latter getting 11 goals in the league. For years, us Chelsea fans have been crying out for our manager to start giving our youth players chances in the first team, and it shouldn’t have to take a transfer ban for that to happen. It still pains me to see how we let the likes of Kevin De Bruyne, Romelu Lukaku and Mohamed Salah go and then become excellent players elsewhere. Previous managers have been too hasty with our youngsters and that’s why we haven’t seen an academy graduate become a first team regular with us since John Terry. Yes, Maurizio Sarri have Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Callum Hudson-Odoi a run of games in the first team last season, particularly in the Europa league, but he was under pressure to do so. Prior to the start of last season, Ruben Loftus-Cheek said he didn’t want to be loaned out again, which Sarri had planned to do. Loftus-cheek said he wanted to be part of the Chelsea team or be sold to another club where he will play regular first team football. Therefore, Sarri has to keep him and make him part of the squad. In January 2019, Hudson-Odoi had been interesting Bayern Munich, and as he wasn’t getting into our first team and having seen how well Jadon Sancho had been doing in the bundesliga, Hudson-Odoi wanted to leave Chelsea and join Bayern. Knowing Hudson-Odoi’s potential, Sarri didn’t want to lose him and therefore had to give him a run of games in the first team. Both Loftus-Cheek and Hudson-Odoi impressed when they played in the first team and gave a positive indication of what they can bring to our team. The impressive form of tomori, Mount and Abraham has finally vindicated our loan system which had been criticised for a long time. Would the trio of youngsters have made the impact that they have made if they came straight from the academy without being loaned out? Possibly not. Roman Abramovich has invested a lot of money into our academy and the loan system was invented to give our younger players the chance to regular first team football at a competitive level. Previous manager have abused that system and used it to profit from our younger players by eventually selling them rather than actually developing them so they can eventually play for Chelsea one day.

Even when we were on a great run and won 6 league games in a row, defence was an issue for us. Defence was an issue for us last season too. Kurt Zouma and Andreas Christensen don’t seem to have developed as much as we had hoped for a few years ago. It was a bad injury back in 2016 that has stifled Zouma’s development when his style of play was reminiscent to Marcel Desailly and it looked like he could be our main centre back for the next decade. It’s never nice seeing bad injuries on footballers, particularly promising young players. As well as Tomori has done this season, he still has a lot to learn and unfortunately has a tendency to make silly mistakes that unnecessarily gift chances to the opposition. There are times when we have won games that we should’ve won more comfortably but then unnecessarily gift the other time a chance to get back into the game and make things more difficult for ourselves. I actually believe the biggest loss this season has been Gary Cahill. Even though he’s not as good as he was a few years ago, his experience could’ve helped tomori’s development while also covering for the absence of Antonio Rüdiger, who we have really missed when he’s been out injured.

Thankfully we can finally be allowed to buy new players in January, and the first half of this season has helped us have a better idea of where to improve. I think we do need a world class winger who can always make something out of nowhere just like Hazard did. I think if we look at those home defeats against West Ham, Bournemouth and Southampton, we didn’t have someone who is world class to create chances that could’ve got us back in the game. Not only could we not have gotten a goal in those game, we didn’t create enough clear chances to do so. Callum Hudson-Odoi struggled against Southampton yesterday, and it looked like it will take him time to become a world class winger. Willian has done well this season, but I don’t think he’s as world class as Hazard was and for me, he’s more of a squad player who can do a job when someone’s out injured or can make something happen from the bench. Christian Pulisic has also done well for us, although it’s taken him time to make his mark on the team, but I don’t think he’s consistent yet, bearing in mind he’s still a young player. Jadon Sancho would be my first choice. He’s done excellently with Dortmund and England, knows Hudson-Odoi and Tammy Abraham through the England under 21s and knows Pulisic from their time with Dortmund. We’ve also been linked with Crystal Palace winger Wilfried Zaha, who is an excellent player and can make something happen out of nowhere like Hazard did, but I think the £80m asking price is probably too much money for him as he’s 27 years old, whereas approximately £120m for 19-year-old Jadon sancho would arguably present better value for money.

Left back is another key position we have to improve on. Azpilicueta’s ability has unfortunately declined this season, having been a wonderful servant for us and can play anywhere in our back four, Émerson just doesn’t look like he’s good enough to be a starter for us and Marcos Alonso is more of a wing back than a left back, so when he’s been playing as a full back, he looks like he’s being played out of position. Ben Chilwell would be my first choice as left-back, who’s done so well with Leicester this season, and I hope a deal can be done with Leicester next month. If we have to wait till the summer to get him, I’d be happy with that, as I can’t think of any alternative targets for the left back position. The jury is still out on the centre back position, because I’m yet to see if Rüdiger and Tomori can pair up together in that position. It would be nice to see Nathan Aké back, who we shouldn’t had sold in the first place. Ake can also play as a left back too, which would be useful if we can’t get Chilwell in January. AC Milan’s Alessio Romagnoli would be good for us too, with many regarding him as the next Alessandro Nesta. There’s also been talk about Frank Lampard wanting you replace our goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga. I personally have no problem with Kepa, I know he is still only 25 which is a young age for a goalkeeper. The thing I don’t get, however, is that when we signed him in August 2018, the club came out and said we’ve been tracking this goalkeeper for the last few years, but his contract was about to expire six months prior to us signing him for over £70m, so if we knew that Kepa was the man we wanted to replace Thibaut Courtois, who had been vocal about wanting to return to madrid to be with his family, why didn’t we make a move for Kepa then? It seemed unnecessary to buy him for a record fee in the summer after he had just signing a new contract with Athletic Bilbao six months earlier.

We should sell Olivier Giroud in January as he doesn’t seem to fit in with Lampard’s style of play, and I think a new back-up striker is needed, and it’s so difficult to buy squad players as every great player wants to play regular first team football, and even warming the bench for a big club like Chelsea may not seem an attractive prospect for them. We’ve been linked with Moussa Dembélé and Timo Werner, who could be good players for us, but would they want to just be deputies to Tammy Abraham? Possibly not, but I think Abraham himself needs some serious competition as he’s only got 1 goal in his last 6 league games and that competition could help him up his game.

We need to be patient with our young players as this season is a transitional season for us and it’s a big learning curb for them. We also have to remember that Frank Lampard, while he’s a club legend, is a young manager and has shown great potential as a manager when he was at Derby last season. I know many will argue that maybe we should’ve gone for a more experienced manager, but there weren’t many managers who we could’ve attracted with a transfer ban, and the transfer ban actually was a blessing in disguise for Lampard as it buys him time. What I found interesting was upon being appointed, Lampard said he didn’t want any special treatment from the board. We know how ruthless Chelsea’s board is, as you’d expect from any big club, and Lampard knows that whatever decisions the boardroom will make as it will always be whatever decision is best for the club. We have exceeded expectations this season, but being a big club that we are, we must always seek to improve so we can start winning titles again in the future.

[fmlfpl]

Lineup Lamentations - GW3

Our Transfers, Captains, and Starting 11s for the week!

—

WALSH

TRANSFERS:

OUT: Aubameyang

IN: De Bruyne

Pretty straightforward swap here removing Aubz after the Wet game was always the plan before GW1 and feel fortunate to be in position to execute the plan. Kevin on pens was the deciding factor over Raz as I had it down to them two as my City guy to get.

Not sure what Raz will be up to with Jesus out now...up top or same spot, but either way Kevin still should be doing the same shit. Hopefully that bonk on the head was nothing much and he's ready to go this weekend.

Probably not a spot I will play with too much unless he gets injured but it feels nice to just get Kevin in nice and early here. Debated many different hit options and in the end nothing looked too attractive. .5 in the bank for a rainy day...we'll see where that belongs next week.

GK:

Ryan (MUN)

Maybe he'll get some saves in this game, unlike the previous. Never feel good for a clean against ManU so I'd take a 3 pointer or something.

Brighton dominating Newc was very promising though - pretty happy that I stuck with Ryan GW1. Could see owning him for a long while and possibly even through my first WC whenever that time comes.

DEF:

Dier (NEW)

Welp.

A clean would be most, most welcome here after no cleans through their first two. They look genuinely all sorts defensively so far and seem to just be all hands on deck throughout their games. Wondering if the disruption of the Thursday games is really fucking them, and I will be watching this one closely. Letting in two to Soton was kinda lucky - it could easily have been three or four - so it would be nice to see a suffocating performance against a team that just managed 0 shots on target last weekend.

Realistically, as long as Dier is starting, I probably won't bin him.

Shaw (bha)

Dunno how I seem to end up with thiccboi in my GW1 team every year but it feels like I do.

He's a really tough player to watch when you own him...very frustrating and just a bit shit. The rumors with Telles intensifying doesn't fill me with hope for the future. Again, like Dier, as long as he's starting I probably won't spend a transfer here and just need to back my preseason thoughts that Mou and ManU would be good for cleans.

Brighton looking a pretty tidy outfit so far this game should be good. Not really expecting a clean, unfortunately, so maybe get lucky with an assist or something.

Trent (ARS)

Trent looked back to being Trent against Chelsea. No Hendo is a bit annoying again so we'll see who is starting on his side.

Arsecast been pretty conservative setting up but we know how teams like to overload Trent to neutralize his attacking impetus which may well happen here.

Either way a win to nil is always on the cards for Livp and Trent is a great player. Good boy Trent.

MID:

De Bruyne (LEI)

Great player gets to play a shithouse team. Love it. One of the few (only?) things I got right last year was picking Kevin early and holding him. Will try to replicate that now. To the first of many happy returns Kev.  

Salah (ARS)

Still a livewire despite his blank last weekend I'm pretty happy to have Mo.

Definitely my safety blanket in FPL and hauls are always around the corner. Looking good and primed to bang. With the sudden increase in penos makes him even that more attractive. Not an easy fixture by any means but it doesn't really matter. Let's go Mo.

Trossard (MUN)

Spent a lot of mental energy on this wee lad this week. Done nothing but impress through two and return in both with the post last weekend away from a huge haul and yet I still am looking for reasons to sell him. I came full circle and despite the rough immediate fixtures I'm going to stand by him. He looks dangerous and even though there are f0dens and podencios around him, he's the one I have and he's the one I shall hold.

ManU were utterly diabolical last weekend and if Matic is out they could still be got at.

Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa (AVL)

Zambo did the business for me last weekend with the assist and with no better options he gets to go again against Villa. Dunno if Lemina comes in or something with Reed maybe he gets to push up a little more but ultimately he seemed to have a more or less free roaming roving role in the center of the park last weekend...and he bossed it. Absolute class player, Zambo is, and I really enjoyed watching him. He's definitely not showing much to be an actual starter in FPL...but needs must.

Certainly need to upgrade my 11th man soon, but with this good fixture maybe he gets something again.

Fernandes (bha)

Come on Bruno. Nothing would calm me down and my feelings about my team this weekend more than with Bruno points. I am expecting space so hopefully he doesn't get hockey assists but gets actual assists in this one. Feels weird that they played 90 and didn't get a peno as well.....time to revert to the mean with one this game probably too right? Yes.

FWD:

Werner (wba)

Werner been looking good and rested during the midweek so should be raring to go as he still searches for his first Chelsea goal. Hopefully Jorginho is out so he has pens in his locker this weekend as well.. but really just feel good with him in this fixture.

West Brom are bad and I am backing Chelsea to find some goals this weekend. Werner has been looking good, even if his team has not, and I'm just hoping that they click into some sort of gear against the weakest opposition they'll be facing in the league to date.

DCL (cry)

Tough fixture against the team they are tied for first place with in the table.

We will probably do’em but DCL, with the way he's looking, always a shout for getting in and around it. Not expecting a ton here, but am keen to see what Woy does with the lineup at home now that Eze and Bats have been around for a couple weeks. Maybe we play some attacking stuff and are there to be had? Who knows. Either way, DCL - great pick great guy.

BENCH:

Mitchell (EVE)

Brewster (ARS)

Ferguson (lol)

CAP:

Werner (wba)

I'm trying this new thing this year where I back myself for captain picks. I was on him last weekend when I looked at the fixtures and the games so just going to stick with that.

West Brom are bad, and a lot worse than Leicester (even tho Leicester suck), so I feel better about trying to expose heem than go with Kevin. 4 or 5 is possible against WBA and Werner could fill his boots. Playing the fixture here, we'll see how it goes.

—

ALON ON WILDCARD

TRANSFERS:

OUT: wildcard

IN: wildcard

I don’t even know what to write here. I’ve done two pods and a three hour stream today largely dominated by my Wildcard team. I’ve said all that needs to be said! Ended up here and feel pretty ok! Let’s go.

GK:

Martinez (ful)

Like him and rate him and hoping the Villains can be a tight ship and get some cleans. Duno.

TBH didn’t put much thought into this spot just gonna go Emi and not use a transfer until maybe second Wildcard popping 30 gameweeksish from now. GLHF Emi!!!

DEF:

van Dijk and Alexander-Arnold (ARS)

Great guys, great friends, and the epitome of set ‘n’ forget geniuses. Also planning on no transfers here until second wildcard. Keep dominating boys. Up the reds.

Dunne (SOU)

Temporary start over Lamptey’s much worse fixture in my opinion. Hail-mary of a Duon clean here and I think Lamptey ends on 0-2 points. Lamps is also sorta knocked so who knows what goes on there.

Maybe Burnley will sell Tark and Dunne’ll be a guy but mostly just fodder for rest of season...

Lamptey in general is my start every week guy and he is the “pressure point” of my squad for sure but also I’ve LOVED the fuck out of him since he came on the scene with Chelsea. He’s just great. Backing the boy.

MID:

De Bruyne and Sterling and Foden (LEI)

Going in big dick swinging with the City triple up for what should be back to back thrashings in Leicester and Leeds where I know I’ll want as much of their attack as possible and, crucially, the arm-band.

Foden minutes should get a large increase with no Kun and no Jesus and Kev and Raz are world class, not much else needs to be said. Going aggressively for the best attack in great fixtures and then we’ll reevaluate going to other premiums etc for future captaincy and what not.

Rodriguez (cry)

Did fuck around with Rich instead of Hamez but I’m just sticking with the extra 0.5 and my guy... I think it’s possible Rich distances himself from Hamez and has the best season of his career but also just Hamez is such a FML FPL player... oozes class, so confident and smooth and sick, just love him, and love owning him. Sticking by the guy. He’s coming for the assist crown lookout Kevin :P.

FWD:

Werner (wba)

Rolling with Timo and the incredible fixtures. He has a three match window to decide what to do with him and I love him for wba, CRY, SOU, so just letting it wash over me. Still rate him very highly and the goals and hauls are just around the corner. We’ll see if they come now or they come later. Willing to risk it for him before moving to maybe Tony or others.

Calvert-Lewin (cry)

So much love for DCL <3<3<3... Don’t think I need to add much he didn’t leave one single tinker for one second. And hasn’t left a tinker since the game opened pre-GW1. Good sign.

Wood (SOU)

Ole faithful. Not sexy. Not new not shiny not smooth or slick or an attacking team or anything. Just consistent and good... If you’re after MoTD highlight reel Vine merchant legendary screamer thunderbastard kinda guy then Wood isn’t the guy for you... But if you’re looking for a cheap guy to just blindly hold for 30ish GWs then hey Chris Wood is your guy. Good numbers, good consistency, great guy. His cheeks are just soooo red. Let’s go.

BENCH:

Anguissa (AVL) - Nailed and good.

Lamptey (MUN) - Gonna start almost every week for me. Great kid, looks incredible, is incredible.

Mitchell (EVE) - Hey. Whatev.

CAP:

Sterling (LEI)

I guess that I’m the only one concerned with Kev getting an elbow to the head? Fine with that.

Maybe Kev gets swaddled up in bubble wrap and subbed off early once this one is done and dusted? I don’t know man it’s enough of a reason to not captain Kev for me... If both guys were 100% fit I’d probably go Kevin here but Raz is also incredible and is actually 100% fit so I’m going Raz.

I expect complete domination and destruction and yeah that’s that. Didn’t really consider anyone else.

Go on City do the thing.

Wildcard team... ya got this.

[thisdaynews]

Jordan Henderson: How Liverpool star has become complete midfielder - Danny Murphy

New Post has been published on https://thebiafrastar.com/jordan-henderson-how-liverpool-star-has-become-complete-midfielder-danny-murphy/

Jordan Henderson: How Liverpool star has become complete midfielder - Danny Murphy

Danny Murphy joins Jermaine Jenas and Mark Chapman on MOTD2 on Sunday at 22:30 GMT on BBC One and the BBC Sport website for highlights of Liverpool v Manchester United.

Is Jordan Henderson underrated? No, not by me – or anyone who has played against him or watched him regularly.

I have been pretty vocal for quite a long time about his qualities and contribution for club and country – he was arguably Liverpool’s best player in the second half of last season and he has carried on in the same vein in the current campaign.

For me, he is now the first choice in his position for the Reds and for England, but he had to work hard to earn that status and win over some of his critics.

‘Coming out of Gerrard’s shadow’

Henderson, shown here taking the captain’s armband when Gerrard was substituted during a game in January 2015, was named Liverpool skipper when Gerrard left the club that summer

It has not always been plain sailing for Henderson at Anfield, and I think he suffered at first from being compared to Steven Gerrard – which was unfair.

That was an easy thing to say when he signed aged 20 in 2011, because he was a young England midfielder, but he was not like Gerrard, because no-one is.

It was always going to be impossible for him to live up to that. As a player he is the best he can be, but he will never be able to do the things that Gerrard did.

Playing alongside Gerrard at first was not very helpful because when you are around one of the best midfielders there has ever been, you are never going to look as good as him.

It is only since Gerrard left in 2015, and the team started evolving under Jurgen Klopp, that people have been able to see Henderson’s own qualities.

At 29, he has grown into a complete midfielder, and is a fantastic example of someone making the absolute maximum out of their ability.

Klopp has often pointed out how much he values Henderson. Speaking after Liverpool beat Sheffield United at the start of January to go a year unbeaten in the Premier League, Klopp said: “If anyone who is with us doesn’t see the quality of Jordan, I can’t help him. Is Hendo the perfect football player? No. Do I know anybody who is? No. Is he unbelievably important to us? Yes.”

‘A wonderful array of qualities you need as a midfielder’

Henderson’s reliability is one of the things that makes him stand out – he is an extremely consistent performer.

His athleticism is a big reason for that. It allows him to maintain his levels for the full 90 minutes.

But there is more to his game than just having high energy and being a player who is always full of running. He has a wonderful array of qualities that you need as a midfielder.

His influence and ability to lead others has just grown and grown over the past couple of seasons, and so has his quality on the ball.

Again, it is not something that has just happened recently but, as his confidence has grown, his range of passing has increased and he is now more productive and creative.

He used to get criticised for making too many sideways passes but it was not about direction, it is called playing safe. A lot of midfielders do that when they are trying to establish themselves in a team, or keep their place, because giving the ball away is the worst thing they can do.

Henderson does not have to worry about his place any more, because he plays such a vital role in this Liverpool side – well, not just one actually.

One of the biggest compliments you could pay him is that he nailed down the holding midfielder position and became pivotal there for a while. Then, with Fabinho’s emergence, he adapted back to being more of a box-to-box player.

While the Brazilian has been injured in the past few weeks, he has gone back to his old position and it has not affected Liverpool at all.

Jordan Henderson heat-maps vs Crystal Palace (23 Nov) & Wolves (29 Dec)

Henderson played in his regular position on the right of a midfield three in Liverpool’s 2-1 win over Crystal Palace on 23 November (left) and constantly got forward, but he has filled in as a holding midfielder while Fabinho has been out injured. His heat map on the right came in the Reds’ 1-0 win over Wolves on 29 December and shows how he takes up much deeper positions in that role.

‘Defensively sound, and an attacking threat’

His versatility is really important for Liverpool but he does not just fill a gap – he brings something to every position he plays.

When he plays on the right of Liverpool’s midfield three, I think it benefits Trent Alexander-Arnold so much more than when anyone else is there, because the full-back knows he can trust Henderson to fill in behind him, and they can work together going in both directions.

Jordan is an attacking threat there too – he has the ability to put some really good cballs into the box and, even from deep, his ability to run off the ball into attacking areas is really crucial for Liverpool as well.

On the defensive side of things, his speed makes him particularly effective at the press but he is also is great at spotting danger, is very disciplined positionally and is switched on so he tracks runners.

‘The perfect fit in this Liverpool team’

Jordan Henderson in the Premier League in 2019-20 (and rank* in midfielders)

*=minimum of 900 minutes played

Minutes played 1,443 / 1,980 (45th) Assists 2 (=23) Chances created 18 (=42) Passing accuracy 84.61 (24th) Passing accuracy in opposition half 79.75 (33rd) Passes into final third 165 (8th) Tackles 42 (17th) Blocks 3 (=46th) Interceptions 17 (=40th)

Some players seem to get defined by their statistics but that is not how you would ever try to evaluate Henderson, or his importance to his team.

None of Liverpool’s midfielders hit the numbers that, say, Manchester City’s Kevin de Bruyne does in terms of assists or chances created but you cannot measure Henderson’s role in the same way. Football is not about individuals, it is about the collective, and Henderson is crucial to what Liverpool do.

It helps he has got a manager in Klopp who loves the type of player he is, and plays a style that suits him.

A team that uses a low block and defends deep to try to make games into tighter and more tactical battles would not suit Henderson.

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Liverpool win Club World Cup for first time – the best of the action

But his energy and ability to do the yards and cover every aspect of midfield suit what Klopp wants perfectly. It is a great match.

He fits perfectly into this Liverpool team and the way they play, and it is the same with England. If he is fit, he will start every game at Euro 2020, because it is not just Klopp who appreciates him.

Whatever Henderson’s numbers are, ultimately he captained the champions of Europe last season and is leading a team that are breaking all sorts of records this time around.

I think that says more about him than any statistic ever could.

Danny Murphy was speaking to BBC Sport’s Chris Bevan.

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[winterolympicssports2018-blog]

Manchester City are crowned Premier League champions after United lose

Click here for More Olympics Updates https://www.winterolympian.com/manchester-city-are-crowned-premier-league-champions-after-united-lose/

Manchester City are crowned Premier League champions after United lose

Manchester City have won the Premier League after nearest-challengers and bitter rivals Manchester United were beaten by West Brom.

Darren Moore’s strugglers, who remain bottom of the table and nine points away from safety, won at Old Trafford on Sunday thanks to Jay Rodriguez’s second-half header.

The result means United can no longer catch Pep Guardiola‘s side, who put themselves on the brink of glory with victory over Tottenham on Saturday evening.  

Manchester City have been crowned Premier League champions following West Brom’s shock win at Old Trafford

Jose Mourinho’s players look dejected after Jay Rodriguez ended their faint title hopes with a second-half goal at Old Trafford

City club captain Vincent Kompany (centre) is pictured celebrating his side’s title win on Sunday afternoon

EARLIEST PREMIER LEAGUE TITLE WINS

00-01 Man United (14/04/2001) 

17-18 Man City (15/04/2018)

99-00 Man United (22/04/2000) 

12-13 Man United (22/04/2013)

03-04 Arsenal (25/04/2004)

Towards the end of the Old Trafford clash, Manchester City posted a video showing club captain Vincent Kompany celebrating the victory. 

The Belgium defender could be seen singing ‘Championes, championes,’ while club tweeted: ‘Our Time. Our City. Premier League Champions 17/18’. 

In the live video, Kompany also FaceTimed team-mate Kevin De Bruyne, who has been instrumental in their dominant domestic season.

Kompany said: ‘I’ve got Kyle (Walker) on one phone and Kevin on the other!

‘What we posting now to the City nation? The WhatsApp group is going crazy, I just need to send a little tweet then get on with the rest of the night.

‘Well done to all of you (staff). You can’t make it up. You could have another 10 years and not have another moment like this.’  

The Manchester City defender spoke to team-mate Kevin De Bruyne following West Brom’s incredible victory

The Belgian raised his phone to show his compatriot on the other end as the pair begin their celebrations

Kompany said he had De Bruyne on one phone and City right back Kyle Walker on the other and WhatsApp was going ‘crazy’

  Their manager, meanwhile, said on Saturday he would not watch United’s game with West Brom, preferring instead to enjoy a game of golf. 

It did not take long, however, for City’s stars to take to social media to express their delight upon being crowned champions of England’s top flight.

Walker tweeted a gif of Forrest Gump running and claimed it would be a relatively close likeness to how quickly he would be making his way to fellow defender Benjamin Mendy’s house to pick him up for the celebratory party.

Mendy, a popular member of this City side despite being injured for the majority of the campaign, replied to reveal his excitement.  

Following United’s defeat, manager Jose Mourinho offered a particularly scathing verdict on his side’s efforts against the Baggies.

‘I think we were deservedly punished because we were masters in complication,’ Mourinho said. ‘Everything was complicated, players they didn’t want to play simple. There was no fluidity in our football. We gave them the opportunity to win.’ 

Guardiola’s side have now secured the title in the second-quickest time in Premier League history. Only Sir Alex-Ferguson’s United team of 2000-01 won the league earlier than April 15.

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EXCLUSIVE:

Eden Hazard: "I want to show that I am made for Real"

(Words: Jürgen Geril / Photo: Kris Van Exel)

Fasten your seat belts. This is your captain speaking. The Red Devils kick off their European Championship in Russia tonight and then it is Eden Hazard (30). Not quite fit yet, but soon the captain who can lead us to the European title. Despite a season full of injuries, Hazard allowed us an exclusive interview in which he got quite personal. "My sons are very sorry if I can't play with them in the garden due to injuries."

Eden Hazard

The injections I got in both hips work, but I will never be 100 percent in that first match

You don't just arrange an interview with Eden Hazard. At Real Madrid he continuously held off the boat. Because Real is a world team that does not hand out its stars on a tray, but also because Hazard was injured more than fit and received a lot of criticism. Then you are not always in the mood to talk. At the Red Devils, the captain excelled in his absence for 17 months.

But a conversation is possible during this European Championship preparation. That is, if we can present a negative Covid test. So, one day after we let such a Swiffer stick tickle our eyeball, we sit down at Hazard's table. Eden slumps sprawled under a parasol. “During such preparation, I do have some free hours,” he says. “Okay, sometimes I play cards with teammates, but Mertens and co. don't always like it when I join. (grins) I'm not very good at it and then I cheat to tease the others. Creating atmosphere, huh. Fire your questions.”

Eden, there's been so much speculation about your thigh injury. You indicated that you will never be one hundred percent fit for the opening match. What about now? Can you play against Russia?

“The desire to appear at the kick-off is, of course, there. I can play a good match without training a lot, but – honestly – I don't want to start just to start. The good feeling in my legs will return and the injections I received in both hips work, but I will never be 100 percent in that first match. Even if I just come in, don't expect me to make the difference against Russia right away."

You played only 9 minutes against Croatia. Don't you need net matches to grow into your best form?

“I get better when I can play one, two, three matches in a row. Then the ball feeling returns and the rhythm returns, but I don't want to force it either. If I have to be more patient, so be it. Fortunately, I am not the only one in Belgium who can decide a match. We have so many good players who can score.”

What I wonder: is there no mutual competition among the Devils who is now the greatest world champion? You, De Bruyne, Lukaku,...?

“We don't participate in such games. The ranking is clear, isn't it? When it comes to passing, Kevin is the best, no one can finish better than Romelu, Doku is the sprint bomber and Thibaut Courtois is the best with his hands. Everyone has their specialty and that's what makes us so good. Where am I? I'm hanging in there. I'm good at everything, but I'm not the best at anything. I am a good mix.” (grins)

You say you don't want to force against Russia. Did you do that at Real Madrid? For example, you played in the Champions League against Mönchengladbach after two group training sessions.

(hesitating) “With all those injuries I forced once, yes. I had already been out twice and felt pain again during training. I thought to myself: This is no longer possible. If I now indicate that I am in pain, I have to stop for another two weeks . So I was silent and continued. At Chelsea I often played football with discomfort. Stiffness, a kick I got,... Once warmed up, it went well and in seven years that never led to major injuries in England. Unfortunately, at Real it was the other way around. The next day: Bam, more pain. ”

It all started with that kick by Meunier in the Champions League in 2019. Then you started having problems with that plate in your ankle and since then you have had one muscle injury after another.

“Ah, I played with that picture for two years at Chelsea without hindrance. It's just hard to understand. I do everything I can to not get injured, work hard in the gym – which is really boring – and then a new injury often followed. Bad luck. Hopefully that period is behind me now, because I've had it with it."

Belgium knows you as a cheerful French, but your eyes are dimmed.

“I'm still the same, you know. I still have fun, but I can't say I'm happy. That's only me when I can have fun on the field. That has not happened in the past two years at Real. If you have one or two injuries, you can easily turn the switch. You rehabilitate to come back stronger. If it's five, six, seven injuries, it's much more difficult mentally. But I continue. It's not that I'm 36 years old and can say enough is enough. I also get a lot of support during such periods. The whatsapp group with my parents and my brothers Thorgan, Kylian and Ethan does not stand still. My wife and children are also there. Although my sons find it especially bad because I can play football with them less in the garden.”

Are your four sons – Yanis, Leo, Samy and Santi – addicted to playing soccer with their daddy?

“We often play football. Then they try to play a ball through my legs and if they succeed, that's great. That's football. But for now I gate them more often than they gate me. My kids are starting to get it, because now they are constantly defending with their legs closed. They're not bad, but it's too early to tell if they have the talent of the Hazards."

Do they play with the youth of Real Madrid?

“No, Yanis and Leo play together in a team close to our house, Samy just started training there and the youngest is still too small. They should play football for fun. If I can, I'll look, but then I'm not constantly giving directions. That's the coach's job."

We don't really see a trainer in you later on. Not at a professional level, anyway.

“Never say never, but for now I share your opinion. I would be a bad coach. One that says: Grab a ball and do something fun with it . I don't like tactics. If we have an hour of video analysis, as a professional football player, of course I pay attention. You can always learn something, but it's not my favorite activity. I also watch less and less football on TV. Not to the Belgian league anyway, unless my brother Kylian participates at Cercle. In Germany I follow Thorgan at Dortmund, but for the rest? I am more concerned with my family.”

Do your children empathize with you?

“They are fans of Real, but they don't follow every match. During this European Championship they will support the TV with Belgian shirts. It's double. The more we win, the longer they have to miss their daddy, but okay: the boys hope that Belgium becomes European champion and above all that I am fit and healthy on the field."

What do you think of the statement that your injuries are due to stress? At Real you span your muscles through the nerves.

“ N'importe quoi . bland. Of course there is pressure. Real Madrid is the biggest club of all. When you play football there, people expect you to be the best in the world. But why should I be stressed? It's my dream club from when I was little. I looked at Zidane with admiration at Real...”

You are the record purchase of 120 million. Some argue that Chelsea got even more.

“I don't know how much it was myself. Hundred million or more? I am not concerned with money. I only think about the field.”

You also had to succeed Cristiano Ronaldo at Real.

"That is something else. I am not Cristiano Ronaldo. Ronaldo scores 60 to 70 goals in a year, I score 60 to 70 goals in seven or eight years. We are different. For example, I will never jump that high above a defender to head in a ball. Imagine. But I did not enter Madrid with the idea: I have to be the new Ronaldo here . I just have to be Eden Hazard.”

According to our analyst René Vandereycken, they are still not playing you well at Real. They should – according to him – also give you the ball if there are two men in your back.

“It makes sense that they don't, because I haven't shown anything at Real yet. If we play a match tomorrow and I dribble from between three players, they're going to play me more like that. Then confidence grows. That's how it was at Chelsea, that's how it is at the Red Devils. The European Championship can also help me show myself to Real Madrid.”

So are you one hundred percent sure you'll stay?

“Yeah, it didn't even occur to me for a second that I better leave. I'm not going to leave there a failure. I just want to prove that I am made for Real Madrid. The past two years have been difficult. I was in Madrid without actually being in Madrid, you know? And if I did play, it was difficult because of Covid. We played in that small stadium on the practice complex without fans, while I just signed to play football for a full Bernabeu. I hope that the works on our stadium will be finished soon and that the stands will fill up again. I need that.

Real remains another universe. A kilo too much or a bad match and you will be killed. The press and the fans are on your skin. Bale once said: 'When I come out, I immediately have fifty fans behind me.'

“Criticism is part of Real, just like the attention of the fans is part of it. Okay, luckily I live in a closed neighborhood where you don't just drive in. If the supporters could ring my door, it wouldn't be possible. (laughs) But I don't mind signing autographs elsewhere. I try to live a normal life.”

Fans and press were outraged when you laughed and joked with Chelsea players Mendy and Zouma after the elimination in the semi-finals of the Champions League.

“That was wrong, yes. What Mendy and Zouma said wasn't even funny, but I've played with Zouma and I know Mendy through the door. It's always nice to see friends again. Although I understand that I have damaged the image of Real Madrid. Everyone thought I didn't lose sleep over that shutdown, but nothing could be further from the truth. Deep down I was very disappointed. If there was one match I wanted to win, it was against my ex-club Chelsea at Stamford Bridge. I was shocked when I saw those images.”

How did your teammates react?

“I got some phone calls, but honestly: it's a very nice group of players. That is also one of the reasons I absolutely want to stay: the good atmosphere. You know, when I first stepped into Real's dressing room, I was impressed. That was my favorite all-star club, but guys like Sergio Ramos or Karim Benzema are just regular guys. The Spaniards sometimes take the whole group to quiet restaurants.”

Hold on... Eden Hazard was impressed?

“Yes, but I'm fast, you know. When a new talent arrives at the Red Devils, I quickly think: Wow, he can teach us something . Jérémy Doku, for example. What he shows in training speaks for itself. His dribbling, his acceleration.”

Do you recognize yourself in Doku?

“It is a dear guest. He's even faster and more explosive than the young Eden. Jérémy integrates well, but that is not difficult with these Devils. We grow older in age, but our minds remain young. I am still eighteen years old in that regard. I'm not saying that the previous generation of Devils was surly and unkind, but this core is more open to youngsters."

Have you asked Dries Mertens what it is like to work with Carlo Ancelotti? He will be the new coach of Real Madrid.

“Ancelotti has already messaged me. He told me that he is very happy to be coach of Real Madrid again, but that we will have time to talk at length later. He wished me luck at the European Championship. I didn't have to ask Mertens how Carlo Ancelotti is, because at Real there are still many players – Benzema, Modric, Kroos,...– who remember him from his previous visit in Madrid. They all say that Ancelotti is fantastic. A good person who knows how to play and lead a group. Last season Real won nothing, next season we want to take revenge.”

With Zinedine Zidane, your great patron left Real Madrid.

“I called him. It hurt me to see him leave. We had two years where we could show beautiful things and it failed. That is a disappointment to both him and me. Everyone knows the relationship I had with Zidane. He used to be my idol. Because of him I started to watch football with admiration. That goal he scored in the Champions League final against Bayer Leverkusen... Everyone knows that volley. Well, hopefully one day I will score such a beautiful goal. I must try that. Maybe at the European Championships.” (laughs)

Another great idol will return to the Red Devils: Thierry Henry.

“That's great. Better to have Titi with us than to have him elsewhere. A former player like Henry means an added value. He has experience in tournaments, won the World Cup and the European Championship. There are few ex-football players who have such an appearance.”

In what area does he help you the most?

“Actually, he doesn't talk much. Henry radiates calm, romps around the terrain and occasionally gives tips: Why don't you walk like that? There is the free space... He has a special aura. It is good for us that such an icon is now back in our staff. Moreover, it frightens the opponents. If we had to play against a team with Zidane as coach tomorrow, we immediately think: oh la la .”

Are we the favorites to win the European Championship?

“No, Belgium is a team that can win the European Championship, but the big favorite is France. They are world champions and still have the same team, supplemented by some new strong players such as Benzema. They are the team to beat. We are an outsider.”

Final question. You never played in Belgium. Will we ever see you play football in Belgium like Kompany did at a later age?

“All due respect to Kompany. He took Belgian football to a higher level, but I don't see myself playing in the Belgian league. I have been living abroad with my family for years: seven years in London and hopefully five years in Madrid. Returning with the whole family seems complicated to me. After my career I may live in a remote place. Laid back. But believe me: I still have five or six great football years ahead of me.”

(X)

[torentialtribute]

Martial can fill United’s No 9 void while De Bruyne is playing like a man possessed for City

After the drama of the opening weekend, Premier League teams again looked closely at each other this weekend.

Newly promoted Norwich City and Sheffield United showed that it really is a sweet home, while Dani Ceballos Arsenal left fans who are after lead role played against Burnley in his home debut.

Here, NATHAN SALT of Sportsmail retrieves 10 things from the last round of competitions …

Ruben Neves netted at second stunner to save a point for Wolves against Man United

Martial can void United No 9

When Ole Gunnar Solskjaer approved the departure of Romelu Lukaku to Inter Milan on the final day, he would not have time to step into a replacement, questions were asked about who fills the void.

Although the Belgian was often mocked for his technique, he scored 46 goals during his time at the club and his departure increased pressure on the results of Anthony Martial, Marcus Rashford and Mason Greenwood.

But Martial, fresh from the netting in the 4-0 routing over Chelsea during the opening weekend, showed that he is ready to close the No. 9 gap with a clinical finish in the 1-1 draw against Wolves.

The Frenchman seems to have gotten his nod in the 4-2-3-1 system of Solskjaer and his run of deep saw him click into Rashford & # 39; s through ball for his 50th goal in a United-shirt. If he maintains this form, many more will follow soon.

Anthony Martial got his 50th Manchester United goal when he shows that he can fill the void at No. 9

Mane means business (again)

The Senegalese settled himself as arguably Liverpool's most important player who is moving forward last season when he hit 22 goals in 36 league games, heading for second place.

After being equipped against Norwich in the 2019-20 curtain riser, Mane was quickly set aside and his goal in the halter against his former club Southampton set the Reds on their way.

The Mane strike means that he has scored more Premier League goals in 2019 than any other player (15).

And no punishment has been imposed to contribute to that total. Despite the lack of large arrivals at Anfield this summer, the rejuvenated man can continue to fire Liverpool for domestic and European success.

No player scored more Premier League goals in 2019 than Sadio Mane from Liverpool

Sheets show steel at home

Written by bookmakers at the start of the season, the overwhelming opinion was that Sheffield had an immediate back to the championship comes the end of the season.

But what Sunday's 1-0 win at Crystal Palace showed was that few clubs will enjoy their visit to Bramall Lane this season.

The side of Chris Wilder used floating support for the house and Palace simply could not bear it. John Lundstram got the only goal of the match – the club's first home goal in the Premier League in 12 years – and their watertight defense did the rest to see it.

If they can win most of their home games, the Blades have a fight to keep up.

Sheffield United must make a fort of Bramall Lane this season in an attempt to prevent relegation

Fit By Bruyne is like a possessed man

While Manchester City secured a domestic triple last season, the injuries injured troubled star-shaped Kevin De Bruyne remained concerned.

He was in and out of the team, but Pep Guardiola never lost sight of how much better they are with the Belgian pulling the strings.

He played as a possessed player against Tottenham. Two assists – the first for Raheem Sterling was a spectacular cross from the right, showing that he is fit and firing after a summer of recovery.

He created nine chances in the game, which is more than any other player who has succeeded in a game so far this season. With De Bruyne's orchestration, City looks as deadly as ever.

Kevin De Bruyne played like a madman against Tottenham while he shot two fine assists

Villa's bare run continues

The last time Aston Villa fans saw a home victory in the Premier League was February 2016 Norwich City were the visitors that day, but after the second round of games this season, the wait continues to end their bare run.

Norwich and Sheffield United provided a crucial home advantage, but for Villa they made the worst possible start.

Tom Heaton, an experienced goalkeeper on this level, gave away a penalty within the first minute that Joshua King was going to send. Harry Wilson got a second 10 seconds later and the hosts were completely 2-0 behind on time.

That is simply not suitable for Villa and boss Dean Smith this season. Losing away to Tottenham was largely to be expected, but the longer the wait for a win, especially at home, the more panic will occur.

The first minute penalty set the tone for Aston Villa their waiting for a victory at home rumbles on

[1945902] Norwich holding on to their guns pays off

When Daniel Farke refused to give up on Norwich principles for the opening day visit to Many Liverpool wondered if they were hiding from nothing.

In the short term, they fell 4-1 to unbridled Liverpool, but the Canary Islands continued to believe in the style of play that earned them promotion back to the Premier League.

Farke and his players were justified in front of a feverish audience on Carrow Road on Saturday when Teemu Pukki was the star of the show with a hat trick in the Newcastle route.

Like Sheffield United, the home form will be the key to their survival, but goals are vital for those who stay on top and in Pukki the club has a natural finisher in charge. It was a weekend in which Norwich saw that they could win top-flight competitions and stick to their beliefs.

Norwich & # 39; s dedication his playing style was confirmed as Teemu Pukki hit a hat trick

Ceballos can get fans off their seats this season

There are not much better ways to get yourself to announce during your home debut then two assists and one man from the competition performance.

That is exactly what Dani Ceballos did and the Real Madrid borrower has shown Arsenal what he can do.

Breaking between the lines, Ceballos may be wearing No. 8, but he is comfortable at No. 10 and could keep Mesut Ozil out of the team if he remains the playmaker behind Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Alexandre Lacazette .

With 90 percent fit accuracy and four successful dribbles, Ceballos could be the man the Gunners trust in bidding for those top four spots.

Dani Ceballos gave a glimpse of what Arsenal fans can expect with two assists

Potter has the magical touch as Brighton begins to dominate

When Chris Hughton was fired at the end of last season, Brighton fans were warned careful what they wish for.

But although it is too early to know for sure, the early signs look good under boss Graham Potter.

The seagulls followed their opening day against Watford with a dominant 1-1 draw at home against West Ham. Potter was one of the managers most likely fired before a ball was kicked at Watford.

Having changed the club's style of play and resolved their offensive shortcomings, he is now considered one of the safest in his seat in the division. Potter will improve as time goes on, but for now, fans are convinced that he has the magic touch.

Brighton fans were warned that the grass is not always greener, but Graham Potter has impressed on

Lampard's biggest problem is his senior players

the club has driven younger players into first team roles and so by far, that paid off for boss Frank Lampard.

Mason Mount, who scored the opener against Leicester on Sunday, is impressed in midfield three, while Tammy Abraham remains the No 9 option from the start.

But Lampard & # 39; s greatest challenge to move forward is to convince the best form of his senior players such as Cesar Azpilicueta and Willian.

Jamie Carragher called for both his performances on Sunday when he described the Blues & # 39; as a & # 39; basketball game & # 39 ;. If these older stars do not set a good example quickly, Lampard may face a real headache in his selection.

The biggest problem of Frank Lampard is the form of his manager from Chelsea his senior players

Everton proves a brick wall

Only Everton has to admit another goal in the Premier League this season.

Clean sheets were ruined throughout the country this weekend, whether it was a spectacular Snows attack in Wolverhampton or a penalty in Villa Park within a minute.

Everton and England No. 1 Jordan Pickford has had his critics, but he proved a motionless object together with Yerry Mina in the middle.

After spending a lot on reinforcing their attack this summer, Marco Silva will want to see more output at that end of the field. But with a solid base at the back, Everton & # 39; s plea for gatecrashing in the top six seems to be getting stronger every week.

Everton is the only team in the Premier League has to award only one goal so far this season

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Prem W2W4: Eriksen must play in Spurs’ big clash vs. Man City

The Premier League is back and this weekend has plenty of talking points. Nick Miller runs us through some of the biggest storylines.

Eriksen indispensable for Spurs 

In the end a 3-1 victory over Aston Villa last Saturday was perfectly satisfactory for Tottenham, on the face of things: three points, their big new signing Tanguy Ndombele excelled and Harry Kane notched up a pair of goals. Job well done, congratulations lads.

But there were things to concern Spurs fans, most specifically the curious omission of the apparently un-injured Jan Vertonghen from not just the starting XI but the match day squad, and the absence of Christian Eriksen. For the 64 minutes that the Dane remained on the bench against Villa, Spurs looked ponderous, occasionally devoid of ideas about how to unlock a stout defence, even leaden. As soon as he came on, that all changed and they scored three goals.

– ESPN Premier League fantasy: Sign up now! – All Premier League summer transfers – When does the transfer window close?

In the short-term the situation is rectified easily enough — he will surely start in this weekend’s big game against Manchester City — but looking further down the line it might be concerning that Spurs are seemingly so reliant for creativity on a player who, unless something significant changes in the coming months, won’t be around this time next year.

Of course, Giovani Lo Celso could turn out to be brilliant and Ndombele could pick up some of the slack and Dele Alli isn’t fit yet and so on and so forth, but it’s a little uncomfortable for Spurs that they apparently need Eriksen so much.

Who will play for Manchester City?

Pep Guardiola has a slightly different problem to Mauricio Pochettino. After their frankly fairly tedious, routine evisceration of West Ham last weekend, Pep Guardiola essentially admitted that he had picked Riyad Mahrez and Gabriel Jesus for that game to ensure that Bernardo Silva and Sergio Aguero don’t get complacent. It was almost a pleasing bonus that both men played superbly, Mahrez in particular instrumental in most good things City did.

So the question for Guardiola is: who will he select for a rather stiffer task than the Hammers on a Saturday lunchtime? Will he go for the tried and trusted Aguero and Silva, or the hungrier duo of Mahrez and Jesus? To a point, it doesn’t really matter that much, as City’s options are now of such high quality that it barely makes any difference who the individual bricks in the wall are, it only matters that they perform. And, going on the basis of last weekend (not forgetting Kevin De Bruyne, looking back to his best after last year’s injury issues), everyone is performing to an incredibly high standard.

Whoever Guardiola picks: good luck, Tottenham.

Adrian’s remarkable story enters the prosaic period

It was barely a couple of weeks ago that Adrian didn’t have a club, released after spending a season on West Ham’s bench. He was training with Union Deportiva Pilas, a team from the outskirts of his hometown Seville, who play in the Spanish sixth tier. Then Simon Mignolet went to Club Brugge, Liverpool needed a goalkeeper quickly, Alisson did something nasty to his calf and suddenly Adrian is saving the winning penalty in the European Super Cup.

– Ogden: Liverpool’s Super Cup win a glimpse of tough season

These are the odd, hazy days in a story like this, where strange things are possible, but soon enough Adrian will be deep in the weeds, and he’ll have to deal with the more prosaic business of keeping goal for Liverpool over the next few weeks. He’ll be doing that at Southampton this weekend, where his new team were given an awful fright last season as they chased the title, and when the slightly surreal afterglow of Istanbul fades, it will be interesting to see how Adrian fits in with Liverpool’s defence for a longer period of time.

Chelsea must turn good performances into a result

The broad consensus has been that Frank Lampard’s Chelsea have played well in both of their games so far this season, even if they won neither and lost the first handsomely. Little bits of luck in both the Premier League opener against Manchester United and the Super Cup loss against Liverpool would have made the difference to both results, and Lampard would be striding into this weekend’s game against Leicester with a big smile on his face.

– ESPN Luck Index: Man City should have won the league by a bigger margin

He probably doesn’t need to worry too much. Chelsea have arguably performed above expectations so far, which seems odd given they lost one game 4-0 and threw away a lead in the other before going down on penalties, but given the broader circumstances, with an already inexperienced squad impacted by injuries, Lampard will probably be quite pleased.

However, being pleased is all very well, but they do need to turn that into something tangible. If they don’t beat Leicester it probably won’t mean much in the general context of the season, but a win would serve as some sort of affirmation that they are doing something right, and thus give them something off which to propel into the rest of the season.

Will the promoted trio continue to be positive?

It’s a similar story with the three promoted clubs, after appearing in their first games back in the big boys’ league. Sheffield United grabbed a good point at Bournemouth, Aston Villa had Tottenham sweating and while Norwich’s defence was weak against Liverpool, the way they attacked at Anfield was at least encouraging for the season ahead.

Which is great, and congratulations to them all, but now all three have games at home against teams that should not, to say the least, put the fear of god into them. Sheffield United have Crystal Palace, Villa host Bournemouth and Norwich welcome Newcastle.

If there was one theme that ran through the three newbies’ opening day performances then it was positivity: to different extents, all three played their own games with conviction, and weren’t cowed by the prospect of facing established top flight teams. That will hopefully give them confidence that their approaches can work in the Premier League, and that they will continue in this vein.

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Kevin De Bruyne has hailed the performances of Man City’s youngsters in their opening friendly victory and has sent them a message of encouragement to continue pushing the senior pros ahead of them in the team. Though there was a rocky start when new signing Angelino gave away a penalty in the first half for the Hammers to take the lead, City soon turned the game around through goals from captain David Silva and young striker Lukas Nmecha. The second half saw City cruise to victory thanks to two goals from Raheem Sterling, but it was City’s young stars who stole the show. Due several of City’s stars still being on holiday due to international commitments this summer Pep Guardiola has brought 13 youngsters with him to Asia and many of them got a chance on Wednesday. Nmecha, Taylor Harwood-Bellis, Ian Carlo Poveda, Tommy Doyle, Adrian Bernabe and Aleix Garcia all got minutes, but it was Doyle and Bernabe who stole the show and really impressed. It was Spanish forward Bernabe’s magnificent ball that set up the equaliser and 17-year-old City fan Doyle didn’t look out of place alongside City’s established stars in midfield. Video LoadingVideo Unavailable Click to play Tap to play The video will start in 8CancelPlay now De Bruyne has praised all of the youngsters for their performances and has told them that the team need them to keep challenging them for a place in the team throughout the season. “I’m happy with the performance it’s the first game of the season, eight players just came back for four days to play 45 minutes is a great task but I am really happy,” the Belgian told Sky Sports News after the game. “Maybe a little more tired than happy but we just did our job really well and also the young players played great. “Yeah and that’s what we need, everyone knows the level they need to get to play in this team and the competition is very high between ourselves but we need that during the league and all the competitions we play, yeah it’s necessary.” De Bruyne also shared his thoughts on how he is feeling ahead of the new season after his last campaign was plagued by injuries and what playing in the humid conditions was like. READ MORE READ MORE “I just think it’s going to be easier for me because obviously I came back and I got injured after four days and my season was very disruptive,” he continued. “When I played I was happy with myself but I couldn’t reach the level that I had the year before because I played 70 games without interruption and to have to stop five times is more difficult but I’m just preparing myself easily and I know we have four weeks before the first league game. “It went alright I don’t think we were at the best level but we expected it, it’s been a tough couple of days because we didn’t know what was happening and travelling wasn’t the best to arrive a little more than 24 hours ago. “With the travel we did it wasn’t ideal but we just came here to prepare with the first game at the beginning of summer. I think we did a good job and we just need to work hard for a couple of weeks. “[The conditions were] very hard when we trained and it was much better than today I think because we were closer to the see there was more fresh air but it helps you get the fat off after the holiday so maybe it’s good.” Source link The post Kevin De Bruyne sends message to Man City youngsters after West Ham victory appeared first on 10z Soccer. #KevinDeBruyne #DavidSilva #ManchesterCityFC

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Premier League 2018/19 Tactical Analysis: Newcastle vs Manchester City

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Premier League 2018/19 Tactical Analysis: Newcastle vs Manchester City

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Rafa Benitez, former Real Madrid coach, against Pep Guardiola, born and raised in Barcelona. They didn’t coincide when leading the largest teams in Spain, but both have had quite a career. Newcastle have not been having an easy time battling near the relegation zone, while Manchester City needed to keep the pressure on Liverpool in the title race.

The visitors were in great form, having won their previous eight games and not conceded in the last six. In this tactical analysis, we dig into how Newcastle arrived as big underdogs and posted one of the biggest surprises of the week, along with Chelsea’s 4-0 loss against Bournemouth, by beating Manchester City 2-1.

Game over after one minute? 

Newcastle started the game with a 5-4-1 tactical setup, a common display by Rafa Benitez that has had some slight variations during games depending on the rival and the result. Even though Venezuelan international Salomon Rondon was left mostly alone up the pitch, he became a headache for Manchester City’s defence. Contested balls were very hard to win for City and he was always available for his teammates to receive the ball facing his own half.

Meanwhile, Manchester City started with a classic 4-3-3 with rotation coming again in the midfield, as the inside midfield positions were filled by David Silva and Kevin de Bruyne. Not even 30 seconds had passed before Manchester City were able to score the opening goal through a good combination between Sterling, David Silva and Agüero. The incredibly smart Spanish midfielder assisted Agüero with a headed pass after slipping. He was forced to use his head as a last resort to keep the ball in play.

It is common to expect a change in the tactical disposition after a goal, especially from the team that is losing trying to regain possession and press higher, but this was not the case. Newcastle kept their defensive positioning, patiently waiting for Manchester City to commit mistakes, leaving them to pass freely closer to the last third of the pitch.

Contrary to how other teams have played, Newcastle didn’t try intense pressure when Manchester City were closer to their defensive line. The line of four in the midfield, very coordinated with the defensive line, was devoted to reducing spaces and blocking lines of passing rather than trying to rob the ball.

They had no issues letting Fernandinho, Danilo and Walker pass the ball as long as they were not able to connect vertically with Silva or De Bruyne. Even when either of those two moved back to receive the ball, Newcastle didn’t rush to press them tight, as long as they were far from their goal area and they could block passing lines they felt comfortable. The result was that Manchester City had 11 shots during the game, below the 16.3 per game of the last calendar year according to Wyscout.

This positioning confused Manchester City. The champions are used to rotating the ball and open spaces through quick movements and short passes. Because Newcastle focused on zonal marking, those movements didn’t generate danger or confusion in the home team’s defence.

Newcastle allowed Manchester City to pass the ball as much as they wanted, but only lateral passes, including opening wide to Sane and Sterling, but not forward passes. This forced Manchester City to always have either De Bruyne, Silva, Agüero, Sane or Sterling moving back to be able to receive the ball, reducing the attacking strength of the visitors.

If they didn’t move back, it was very hard for them to find clear spaces, as seen in the picture below. Newcastle suffered more from their own mistakes with balls lost in their own half rather than on Manchester City’s attacking production.

This confusion resulted in Manchester City losing 106 balls during the game, according to Wyscout, compared to an average of 89.72 in the last calendar year. Even though possession was heavily in their favour at a whopping 76.5%, this didn’t translate into attempts. Newcastle had one third of the possession of Manchester City but they had six goal attempts, more than half of their opponnents’ tally.

Newcastle’s hidden attacking potential arose early

During the first half, Newcastle didn’t generate a lot of clear chances, but their attacking shape was a little bit more evident. They looked for long balls to Rondon for him to head the ball and take advantage of the speed of Atsu and Ayoze Perez, or hold the ball trying to pivot it back to the midfield line and build-up from there.

The strong Venezuelan striker was a nightmare for City defenders. Newcastle managed to successfully implement this strategy but without enough depth. It was a warning note that should have been picked up by Manchester City but wasn’t. The strategy continued during the second half.

The first goal for Newcastle may have not come from a long ball to Rondon, but it certainly came from the body strength of the Venezuelan and the passive attitude by Manchester City’s defence. The ball was sent into Manchester City’s goal area twice, and the second time there were three Manchester City defenders next to the ball. None of them attacked it clear the danger, while Rondon used his strength to run in between the crowd looking passively at the ball and hit it home for the equaliser.

The storyline of the game didn’t change much with Rondon’s goal. Manchester City kept possession trying to progress closer to Newcastle’s goal, but lacked enough creativity to move past the home team’s midfield line. They looked for some long balls, especially trying to take advantage of Sterling’s speed. The Newcastle defensive line performed very well though, especially with both centre-back covering the positioning of their respective wing-backs when long balls passed above them.

With Manchester City pressing higher, and with more target men closer to the area after Gabriel Jesus replaced Sane, an innocent mistake between Fernandinho and Danilo ended up in a well-taken penalty by Matt Ritchie to seal the win. Even though it was Fernandinho who lost the ball, Danilo did compromise the central midfielder after passing to him inside the area with the former surrounded by Newcastle players.

Lucky enough to be alive

Liverpool had a big chance to increase their advantage over Manchester City. They only managed to tie against Leicester City at Anfield, increasing their lead by just one point. It wasn’t a good round of matches for Manchester City but it could have been worse. Although they still depend on Liverpool losing points, the margin of error has been reduced even more.

Also of concern are some below-par individual performances. Kyle Walker has been very weak for several games now, not adding value going forward while looking very insecure when defending. Kevin de Bruyne still has work to do to get back to the level he was showing before getting injured. He has been more imprecise than usual and has lacked the mobility to be able to receive with enough space where he can inflict more danger.

Champions League knockout football is coming. Manchester City will hope that the last game was a bump in the road; a road that had been doing very well up until that point.

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The Big Match Tactical View: Manchester City v Liverpool

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The Big Match Tactical View: Manchester City v Liverpool Please share.

It’s a huge Thursday night clash in the Premier League, as the two title favourites face off at the Etihad. Michael Cox looks at the tactics, while Alan Thompson assesses the betting angles…

“Pep Guardiola’s main concern is at left-back. Benjamin Mendy is still out injured, Fabian Delph is suspended, and Oleksandr Zinchenko endured a difficult game against Southampton.”

Manchester City v LiverpoolThursday 20:00Live on Sky Sports Premier LeagueMatch Odds: Man City [2.1], Liverpool [3.7], The Draw [4.0].This is unquestionably the biggest game of the Premier League season so far, and it’s difficult to imagine anything else will come close for the rest of the season. Manchester City and Liverpool are the two title favourites, and a victory for the away side here would take them ten points clear of City. Considering the meagre number of points the top sides are dropping this season, that margin must be considered almost unassailable.The reverse fixture between these sides was a dreadful goalless draw – no Premier League game in 2018 produced fewer shots – but this one should be considerably more lively. Both managers have major selection dilemmas going into this game.City’s left-back position a concernPep Guardiola’s main concern is at left-back. Benjamin Mendy is still out injured, Fabian Delph is suspended, and Oleksandr Zinchenko endured a difficult game against Southampton. Guardiola may continue with Zinchenko, but there are other solutions. Danilo can switch to the opposite flank and play as left-back, or Aymeric Laporte could shuffle across and play there, as he did against Liverpool last season, albeit in a hybrid three/four-man defence. Something similar is possible here, although Guardiola has tended to stick to a back four this season.Vincent Kompany played in City’s last game, away at Southampton, but his lack of mobility would be a serious issue here and Nicolas Otamendi might return if Laporte moves across to left-back. Kyle Walker hasn’t enjoyed a good campaign but should return at right-back, with John Stones a surefire starter in defence after a brief stint in midfield.De Bruyne likely to miss outFernandinho’s return has certainly made City more secure without possession, but Guardiola is likely to still be without Kevin De Bruyne, who has suffered another injury. That said, Bernardo Silva has performed very well this season, pushing forward alongside his namesake David.Upfront, Guardiola is likely to return to his first-choice front three, fielding Leroy Sane and Raheem Sterling either side of Sergio Aguero, with the wide forwards stretching the play. Riyad Mahrez hasn’t performed well in recent weeks, although few players will be more desperate for a City victory after his missed penalty in the reverse fixture cost City the game.Liverpool back to 4-3-3?Jurgen Klopp’s big decision is about formation. Last season he stuck to 4-3-3, this season he turned to 4-2-3-1 against smaller sides, introducing Xherdan Shaqiri in the front four. However, Shaqiri has been so impressive in recent weeks that Klopp stuck with his 4-2-3-1 for home contests against good opposition in Manchester United and Arsenal.So what will he go for here? City are, it must be said, on a different level to those two sides and Klopp will be fearful of his side being overrun in the centre. It seems logical that he’ll return to 4-3-3 here, with Naby Keita or Jordan Henderson returning alongside Fabinho and Georginio Wijnaldum, with James Milner expected to miss out through injury. This is the zone where City could cause serious problems, perhaps with their full-backs tucking inside and allowing the two Silvas to push forward and link with the front three.The slight complication is that Keita’s presence doesn’t necessarily mean a 4-3-3. He played from the left against United, for example, and while he doesn’t entirely look comfortable in that role, it means Liverpool are tactically unpredictable.Salah could play from the right The benefit of the 4-3-3, though, is that Mohamed Salah could play wide-right, against City’s zone of weakness. Whether it’s Zinchenko, Danilo or Laporte there, Klopp will be confident Salah possesses the speed and intelligence to cause serious problems, and while he’s impressed upfront this season, it makes sense for him to revert to the right flank here. Roberto Firmino hit a hattrick against Arsenal while Sadio Mane’s movement from the left was terrific.Liverpool’s defence of Trent Alexander-Arnold, Dejan Lovren, Virgil van Dijk and Andrew Robertson has remained excellent in recent weeks, while Alisson continues to impress with his distribution.Liverpool start this game as underdogs, but I think they’re actually good value here. I can’t look past City’s left-back issue and the option of Liverpool playing Salah, the league’s most dangerous attacker, on that side. I’ll back Liverpool at [3.7].

The Betfair Trader’s View: Alan Thompson Manchester City’s unbeaten run last season came to an end when they travelled to Anfield and lost a thrilling 4-3 encounter. This time around the tables are turned and it is them that will be looking to do the same to the Reds as they attempt to claw back a seven-point deficit in the title race. In the league meetings between these two, Liverpool haven’t fared to well here recently, winning just one (Nov 2015 1-4) of their last nine visits to the Etihad. However, they did win here last season 2-1 in the Champions League on their way to knocking City out 5-1 on aggregate. The last meeting between the sides was 0-0 at Anfield in October, when Riyad Mahrez missed a late penalty – how costly that looks now! Traditionally, this fixture produces goals, with 29 in the last eight meetings, both teams scoring in five and only one having fewer than three goals. There is a feeling that Liverpool will play more conservatively as they don’t need to win this but, after blowing Arsenal at the weekend, they may want to push and put a huge nail in the coffin of City’s title challenge.While I am sure Liverpool will lose at some point in the season, I don’t think it will be at the Etihad and I will be backing Klopp’s men to get something out of the fixture on the Asian Handicap 0 & +0.5 @ [2.2].

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