All posts by h79snht.top

Former Tottenham Hotspur midfielder and BBC Sport pundit Jermaine Jenas believes current Spurs star Dele Alli should pip Chelsea duo Eden Hazard and N’Golo Kante to the Premier League Player of the Year award.

The Blues are currently seven points clear of their London rivals and look set to reclaim the title they last won in 2015, and the Hazard and Kante have been two of the key men for Antonio Conte’s side this year.

However, Mauricio Pochettino’s men continue to push them all the way and they closed the gap to four points for a short amount of time on Saturday after thrashing Watford 4-0 at White Hart Lane.

Alli scored his 16th Premier League goal of the season against the Hornets – and his 13th in his last 15 top flight games – when he unleashed a brilliant curling strike beyond Heurelho Gomes from outside the penalty area.

The 20-year-old continues to get better and better and in a conversation with fellow pundit Garth Crooks during the Spurs match on Saturday, Jenas said that he believes Alli should be crowned as the Premier League Player of the Year.

Speaking his weekly BBC Sport column, Crooks said: “The moment Dele Alli bent his super shot around the well-beaten Heurelho Gomes in the Watford goal, former Spurs midfielder Jermaine Jenas said: “He’s the player of the season for me.”

“Jermaine instigated a frightful debate prior to the programme around who deserved to win the PFA Player of the Year. Dion Dublin, Dan Walker, Martin Keown and myself immediately engaged in the argument with differing opinions but generally agreed the prize would probably go to either to Eden Hazard or N’Golo Kante.

“Jermaine seemed incredulous that none of us had mentioned Alli and said that he wanted more flair from his midfield players which suggested Kante came up short in that department as far as he was concerned.”

Alli will be looking to help his side keep the pressure on Chelsea when they host Bournemouth at White Hart Lane on Saturday, with the Blues facing Manchester United at Old Trafford the following day.

Though Liverpool at least look like finishing in the top four this season, for only the second time since 2009, the fact Champions League football is within touching distance has done little to stop some of their best players being linked away.

With Barcelona in desperate need of a rebuild, the Reds have seen star man Philippe Coutinho touted as a potential target for the Blaugrana. Having grown up with current Nou Camp superstar Neymar, links with a move to Spain are natural for a player of Coutinho’s calibre.

Still, since the departure of Luis Suarez for the Catalan giants in 2014, the former Inter Milan playmaker has taken over as the club’s best player. While Jurgen Klopp’s current system focuses far more on the collective, the 24-year-old is undoubtedly a cut above the rest at Anfield and it’s hard to argue against the notion of him fitting in at Barcelona with relative ease.

Though history would suggest the La Liga giants will ultimately get their man should they firm up their reported interest, Liverpool fans online are obviously wary about the idea of losing him.

With that in mind, here’s a closer look at how they reacted to the Coutinho rumours.

Rangers face the unenviable task of having to beat Celtic this Sunday if they are to progress through to the Scottish Cup Final in May.

As everyone knows, the Hoops have gone the entire domestic season unbeaten and with a just a few more wins will go down in history as one of best Celtic teams of all time. The Light Blues, of course, can stop all of that talk with a supreme performance this weekend.

Pedro Caixinha has restored a bit of steel and bit of pride back into this Rangers team, which was careering out of control under Mark Warburton before the Englishman’s departure.

However, the upcoming match at Hampden is his biggest test and Gers fans will get a great sense of what the future has in store for them over the next 12 months when the referee blows the final whistle on Sunday afternoon.

How does he get a result? Who does he play? Which are the key areas of the pitch?

We answer it all in our how-to-guide to beating Celtic this Sunday…

The Big Return: Hodson in for Tavernier

James Tavernier is arguably the best right back in Scotland, in an attacking sense, but as we know Rangers may well be on the back foot this Sunday and that’s where his weaknesses lie.

His positioning can be dire. He’s found himself out of position, ball watching and generally at sea for large chunks of the season and if the Hoops turn up with an attacking flow at Hampden, that could well be curtains for Rangers’ Scottish Cup bid.

Bringing in Lee Hodson worked at Celtic Park when Tavernier was unavailable and Pedro Caixinha should be looking to match that performance as closely as possible this Sunday.

He managed to keep Scott Sinclair very quiet in that March match and as we’ve seen many time this season, when you nullify Sinclair, Celtic are half as effective going forward.

This is a switch that could have a key bearing on the outcome of the match.

Focus on Dembele

It’s safe to say Moussa Dembele is not at the peak of his form right now. After a stretch of games where he scored an incredible 12 goals in 6 matches for the Hoops, he now has failed to find the net in his last four, starting with the draw that Rangers earned at Celtic Park.

There are reasons for that, limited minutes due to an injury is the main one, but he looked pretty ineffective from the start of the match against Ross County last week.

However, it would be a danger to switch Rangers’ attention away from the young Frenchman, even though he’s not firing on all cylinders.

As we’ve seen many times already in his short Celtic career, he’s a player who thrives on the big occasion and could punish the Gers massively at the national stadium if he even senses a hint of a suggestion he’s getting a bit of space in the final third.

He is still the key attacking threat to shut down and that requires a massive performance from whoever the Rangers centre-back duo is.

Ensure Beerman has support

Myles Beerman has still only played a handful of matches for the Gers and while he’s coped with the tests thrown at him so far, he’s not faced anything like a motivated Celtic side.

He’ll be up against James Forrest or Patrick Roberts on the left hand side of the Gers defence and that could be bad news with both having the pace and trickery required to expose his lack of experience as a professional footballer.

It’s going to be absolutely vital that Pedro Caixinha instructs his midfield, most likely Jason Holt to protect the young left-back on Sunday. Adding more cover to that area of the pitch will help him cope with the Celtic threat, at least in the initial stages, as he grows into the fixture.

The last thing Rangers need is to concede an early goal, making an unlikely task almost impossible.

Play everything through Miller

Perhaps the most important thing Rangers do on Sunday is realise the importance of Kenny Miller in this fixture. He’s reliably scored against, or even for, Celtic in this derby for years and years. He clearly loves hitting the headlines when an entire nation’s gaze is on one match and you wouldn’t bet against him finding the net at some point on Sunday.

The Gers must ensure he is on the ball as much as possible, even if it means deviating from their usual team focused game plan. He’s the key to victory and if he gets a chance he will put it away.

He’s already scored against them this season of course, putting the Gers ahead in the New Years Eve match. He also played a big role in Joe Garner’s goal in the 5-1 game.

As we saw recently against Aberdeen and Partick Thistle, he’s in peak scoring form, also having the experience and mentality to produce the goods when the pressure is on.

Feed Kenny Miller consistently over the 90 minutes and he’ll get the job done.

3-4-3 has taken the Premier League by storm this season. Rather tellingly, the formation has been used most frequently by the two sides at the top of the table, whilst three-at-the-back systems have been attempted by all-but three of the division’s twenty clubs on at least one occasion this term.

That includes Arsenal, with Arsene Wenger fielding the club’s first three-man defence since 1997 following a 3-0 defeat to Crystal Palace, which has since inspired a run of four wins in five games and helped the Gunners reach the FA Cup final.

One of the real heroes of the new system has been Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, who has thoroughly excelled as the Gunners’ right wing-back.

As shown above, the England international has produced arguably the strongest form of his Arsenal career – a refreshing deviation from an otherwise largely underwhelming Gunners tenure which has seen the 23-year-old jostled around a variety of midfield roles without truly excelling.

With that in mind, we asked Arsenal fans earlier this week whether right wing-back is now Oxlade-Chamberlain’s best position and although the result of our recent poll was by no means conclusive, his latest role received the most votes by quite some distance.

Good news for Oxlade-Chamberlain, then, who has seemingly finally found a home in 3-4-3. But should Arsenal continue with the system long-term? Let us know by commenting below…

Harry Kane has transformed himself into a hero for Tottenham Hotspur over the last few years, and he strengthened that status on Sunday by scoring in an historic match.

Not only did the England international find the back of the net in Spurs’ final ever match at White Hart Lane, he scored against Manchester United for the first time.

The roaring crowd helped Mauricio Pochettino’s side jump out of the blocks and the pressure paid off when Victor Wanyama headed in the opening goal in the sixth minute.

Kane struck four minutes into the second half, and even though Wayne Rooney pulled a goal back, United were unable to spoil the party for Tottenham.

There will be a slight dark cloud over Spurs’ season given that they failed to maintain a Premier League title challenge for a second year running, but they have secured second place and will compete in the Champions League once again.

After the match and closing ceremony festivities, Kane took to Twitter, and the fans responded in exactly the way you would expect.

According to reports by Sport Witness, Manchester United could be ready to reignite their interest in Paris Saint-Germain winger Lucas Moura this summer.

What’s the word, then?

Well, Red Devils manager Jose Mourinho is keen to sign a right-sided player this summer to provide more competition for Jesse Lingard and he had been keen to sign Willian from Chelsea.

However, that looks like it will be a difficult deal to complete considering his past with the Blues and the fact that the Premier League champions don’t want to sell the player to a direct rival, meaning the Portuguese boss has had to turn his attentions elsewhere.

United came close to signing Moura in 2012 before he moved to the French capital, but now they look to be interested once again.

How has he done this season?

He has done very well despite it being a disappointing PSG as they missed out on the Ligue 1 title to Monaco, while also suffering a humiliating defeat against Barcelona in the Champions League.

The 24-year-old scored 19 goals and provided a further 11 assists in 53 appearances in all competitions for the French giants, but he is said to be open to a move away after becoming less of a regular starter in the closing stages of the campaign.

What would be bring to United?

As well as a real goalscoring threat and creativity, Moura has the ability to be especially effective on the counter-attack.

The Brazilian is lightning quick and his brilliant dribbling ability means he often causes headaches for opposition defenders.

He would certainly add to the attacking quality the United side already possesses and him on one wing and Anthony Martial on the other could be particularly exciting.

How much would he cost?

Seeing as he is contracted with PSG for another two years, they would certainly be looking to recoup most of the £40m they paid to sign Moura from Sao Paulo in 2012.

What’s the verdict, then?

Well, if Mourinho wants to sign a right-sided winger that can make a real difference for them in the Premier League and Champions League next season then there is no doubt that Moura would be a good addition, and he certainly wouldn’t break the bank either.

After completing the signing of Jordan Pickford on Thursday, Sky Sports revealed that Ajax captain Davy Klaassen has now joined Everton for £23.6million.

The Ajax captain has just completed an incredible season for the Dutch side, scoring 16 goals and leading his club to a Europa League final appearance.

Now, the midfielder has completed a move to Everton, who are set for a busy few days in the transfer market.

On Thursday morning the club completed the £30million signing of Sunderland ‘keeper Jordan Pickford. Davy Klaassen also completed his move to the club on Thursday evening and now M’Baye Niang is also rumoured to be close to signing for the Toffees from AC Milan

With an enormous flurry of activity at their club in the last few days, Everton fans took to twitter to express their delight and disbelief at their second signing of the summer…

England manager Gareth Southgate will have been left disappointed by his sides’ performance against France as, with almost half the match played against ten men, they lost 3-2 in Paris.

The Three Lions boss reverted to the three-at-the-back formation which was so popular after being debuted against Germany, and things looked to have started well.

After nine minutes Tottenham striker Harry Kane, who scored a late equaliser against Scotland at the weekend, opened the scoring.

However, after goals from Samuel Umtiti and Djibril Sidibe, it was 2-1 to the hosts at the break.

Just minutes into the second half, though, and it was advantage England when Rafael Varane was sent off and Kane converted from the following penalty.

With France down to ten men England should have taken the initiative, but it was a sloppy ball from Gary Cahill which let Les Bleus in once again, allowing Ousmane Dembele to bag his first goal at international level, which turned out to be the winner.

There was one Three Lions man who took the brunt of the criticism. Arsenal man Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain started in his supposedly preferred position of central midfield, and did not put in the best of shifts.

Fans on social media were quick to turn on the Gooner, who ended the season with a string of top performances…

According to reports in the Newcastle Chronicle, Newcastle United striker Siem de Jong wants one last chance to impress for the Magpies this summer.

The 28-year-old attacker moved to St James’ Park from Ajax in 2014 for a fee in the region of £6m, signing a mammoth six-year deal.

However, things haven’t gone to plan for the Netherlands international on Tyneside, and a number of injury problems and freak accidents have meant that he has made just 26 appearances in all competitions for the newly-promoted Premier League side in the last three years, scoring two goals.

He spent last season on loan at Dutch side PSV Eindhoven, and showed signs that he could be getting back to the form that could see him make an impact for the Toon Army in the English top flight next term.

Rafa Benitez will certainly be keen to take a closer look at the 28-year-old during pre-season as he continues to build his squad for their return to the Premier League.

Here are three reasons Newcastle must give De Jong one last chance to impress…

Goalscoring record

While he has struggled to find the net during his time with Newcastle, there is no doubt that from other spells during his career that De Jong has the ability to find the net on a regular basis.

The 28-year-old scored 57 goals in 168 Eredivisie appearances for Ajax – and six in 19 for PSV last term – and if he can recapture that form he would be able to take some of the pressure off of the shoulders of last season’s top marksman Dwight Gayle next term.

He has been unfortunate

Even though a thigh injury ruled him out for considerable time at the start of his Newcastle career, the problems he has suffered since have been unfortunate to say the least.

The forward was sidelined for two months with a collapsed lung towards the end of the 2014/15 campaign, while his eyesight was threatened in January 2016 when one of his contact lenses was pushed into his eye.

Following such a strange set of events, it would only be fair to give De Jong one last chance to showcase his ability during pre-season.

He could be like a new signing

Magpies manager Rafa Benitez is keen to significantly strengthen his squad to ensure that they aren’t involved in a relegation battle in the Premier League next season, but in De Jong he could have a forward that has recpatured his best form and is ready to make an impact in the top flight.

If the Netherlands international proves his goalscoring ability during pre-season, it could mean that his Spanish boss has less of a need to dip into the transfer market to bring a new striker to the club this summer.

Do you agree, Magpies fans? Let us know below.

As reported by The Chronicle, Newcastle United are ready to make a major signing this summer after moving for Norwich City winger Jacob Murphy.

What’s the story?

Having already signed Christian Atsu and Florian Lejeune this summer, Rafa Benitez has made some moves in this summer’s transfer window but is still far from finished tweaking the Magpies squad into one capable of competing well in the English Premier League.

Supporters have been crying out for more signings and it appears they’re on the verge of making a major one this week.

The Chronicle report that Newcastle have made a significant £10m offer for Norwich City winger Jacob Murphy, an increase on a previous bid that failed.

The paper say that he is one of Rafa Benitez’s top targets and the Spaniard wants t the club to complete the deal as soon as possible.

Good enough?

Murphy is untested in the top-flight so any move for him has an inherent risk in that regard, although coming off the back of the season he just had, he’s well placed to make the step up and be a key talent for a team like Newcastle.

Last term he scored 13 goals in all competitions from the wing, assisting six more for Norwich. That’s the kind of attacking prowess that would improve most teams in England. With caps and goals for the English U21 side too, he may even be a future international for his country.

He could provide the right flank spark the Mapgies are looking for next term and although doesn’t come cheap, in the long-term his acquisition could prove a bargain.

WATCH THE LATEST 442OONS VIDEO BELOW…