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Journalist James Pearce has waxed lyrical over Thiago’s superb performance in Liverpool’s 3-2 win over Manchester City on Saturday.

The Lowdown: Thiago immense in Liverpool win

The Reds beat their title rivals at Wembley in a pulsating clash, with Jurgen Klopp’s men holding on late in the day to reach their first FA Cup final under the German.

On a day full of outstanding individual performances, Thiago was undoubtedly one of the star men, producing a sensational display in the middle of the park.

The Spaniard enjoyed a 90% pass completion rate, according to Sofascore, and also played six out of seven accurate long balls and won eight out of nine ground duels.

The Latest: Pearce lauds Spaniard

Someone who was clearly impressed with what he saw was The Athletic’s Pearce, who took to Twitter to laud the midfielder:

“Thiago was so good yesterday. You could see what it meant to him after the heartbreak of missing out on Wembley in the Carabao Cup final. Such a special player.”

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The Verdict: Truly special player

Thiago’s performance was a joy to watch all afternoon, with the 31-year-old showing exactly why he is arguably one of the best midfielders of his generation.

The level of control he brought was huge in Liverpool outplaying City and he produced some moments of magic, not least one outrageous pass to Mohamed Salah.

Thiago staying fit is vital to the Reds’ hopes of winning the quadruple this season, with the three-man midfield of himself, Fabinho and Naby Keita beginning to purr together.

In other news, one Liverpool player is reportedly on the verge of joining another club. Find out who it is here.

Former Premier League referee Keith Hackett has revealed that Tino Livramento was close to being sent off for Southampton against Manchester City in the teams’ 0-0 draw last Saturday.

What’s the talk?

The Saints youngster was issued a yellow card for a challenge on Raheem Sterling, with Hackett believing that the 18-year-old was given the benefit of the doubt by on-field referee Jon Moss.

Hackett told Football Insider: “It’s close to a red card. There’s no question. I would go with the on-field referee because of his position.

“Moss has given the benefit of the doubt there. He’s in an excellent position to see that challenge.

“He hasn’t overreacted. The body language of the Southampton player is not good.”

Relief

Southampton fans will surely be feeling a sense of relief after reading these comments from Hackett, which suggested that Livramento could easily have been sent off on another day, with Moss erring on the side of caution instead of brandishing a red card to the teenage defender.

Losing the youngster for three games could have been a big blow for the Saints, as he has been a crucial member of the squad so far this season. He has started all five Premier League matches since his summer move from Chelsea, ousting Kyle Walker-Peters out of his natural position.

Hasenhuttl lauded Livramento as a ‘fantastic’ player earlier this season and raved about how much he has enjoyed working with him. The Southampton manager said: “Yes, I must say I’m super happy with this guy. He shows every week how strong he is and when you play against such players like these you have to be good and one against one he is.

“He never stays, he is always going and that’s what I want from him. Physically he is a good guy, a good height for a full-back, a fantastic player. But keep it calm – don’t talk too much about him!”

This shows how quickly the 18-year-old has settled in at St Mary’s, with Hasenhuttl lavishing praise on his performances. Livramento has averaged a SofaScore rating of 6.80, making two tackles and 1.8 interceptions per game from right-back.

He has been a rock in the back four and clearly caught the manager’s eye, which is why him being sent off and suspended for three games would have been frustrating for Saints supporters. In light of Hackett’s comments, they must now be feeling relieved that Moss opted against showing a red card, with Livramento available to face Wolves at the weekend.

AND in other news, Semmens disasterclass: Former Southampton beast has seen his value soar 317% since St Mary’s exit

Ligue 1 expert Adam White insists that Leicester City will be desperate to keep hold of defender Wesley Fofana for the foreseeable future after his breakthrough at the club.

The £36m-rated French defender is currently on the sidelines after suffering a leg fracture in pre-season.

He is likely to be out until 2022 at the earliest, but he had developed into one of Brendan Rodgers’ first-choice stars at the King Power Stadium.

Indeed, Fofana has made 38 first-team appearances for the club and played 90 minutes in the FA Cup final victory over Chelsea at the end of last season, keeping a clean sheet in the 1-0 victory.

Fofana developed at Saint-Etienne but he has consistently been linked away from the club.

Manchester United were linked with an interest prior to his injury, although reports suggested that Leicester would demand a massive fee to let him go.

And White insists they will attempt to keep him for as long as humanly possible.

He said: “Yeah I think he definitely is someone that Leicester City are going to keep hold of. In France, he’s regarded very highly having come through at St Etienne.”

Many Glasgow Rangers fans have been left buzzing as a post emerged showing Borna Barisic’s fantastic form for Croatia.

The left-back managed to bag himself the match’s highest rating (7.8) on Sofascore after an impressive international display for Croatia in their 3-0 FIFA World Cup qualifying home win over Slovenia on Tuesday night.

Barisic won no fewer than six of his duels in the game, and also managed to record one successful dribble, two clearances, four tackles, one key pass, one accurate cross and three accurate long balls, as well as achieving a 96% pass accuracy in the match (Sofascore).

It was certainly a performance he should be proud of, and the 28-year-old will now hope that he can carry his international form on at club level.

Rangers fans on Barisic news

These Light Blues buzzed as the ‘class’ news of Barisic’s rating was shared on Twitter, with one Gers supporter even going as far as to claim that he was ‘excellent’:

“Class but expected, best LB in the world”

Credit: @robertmcnaught

“1 corner vs that lot and BOOOOOMMMM BornaBear is back”

Credit: @imacdougall8

“Class but expected”

Credit: @trickymcfingaz

“He’s back.”

Credit: @wmwscgbm87

“Borna is back”

Credit: @EveryOtherSatu1

“He was excellent last night. Although, with the emergence of Sosa & Gvardiol at LB, I think BB will find it harder n harder to keep his place. Croatia producing excellent talents in that area of pitch, right now.”

Credit: @Noceros84

In other news, find out which Premier League club tried to sign this ‘magnificent’ Ger here!

Sunderland and Elliot Embleton’s representatives have started talks over a new contract at the club for the midfielder, according to Sunderland Echo journalist Phil Smith.

The Lowdown: Emerging talent

The 22-year-old has become a key figure in the Black Cats’ squad this season after helping Blackpool earn promotion to the Championship last term with two goals and four assists in 21 appearances while on loan at Bloomfield Road.

This season, the midfielder has already contributed to five goals (two goals and three assists) in eight League One games as Lee Johnson’s men sit top of the table, but his contract is set to expire at the end of the current campaign.

The Latest: New contract

According to Smith, who was talking on a Q&A for the Sunderland Echo, Embleton’s contract situation is a priority for the club.

The journalist said: “Elliot Embleton is the obvious priority and Sunderland have already made moves to start that process. Krisjaan Speakman is understood to have started talks with his representatives and at the moment, there seems to be a will on all sides to get that done.

“It’s by far the most important contract to get sorted at this stage, both in terms of protecting a real asset and also in retaining a player who has quickly become central to Lee Johnson’s plans.”

The Verdict: Needs to be done

Embleton showcased his talents last season for Blackpool and has continued his fine form into the current campaign since moving to the Stadium of Light. The midfielder has completed 81% of his passes and, as highlighted above, been a regular source of goals in terms of scoring them or setting them up, quickly justifying why the Wearsiders wanted to bring him in.

The left winger has formed a good partnership with Alex Pritchard and Aiden McGeady in Johnson’s 4-2-3-1 formation and has been a strong factor as to why they sit top of the table early in the campaign. Hopefully club and player can quickly come to a satisfactory resolution in contract talks, thereby securing his future at Sunderland for another few years.

In other news, Sunderland have received a boost ahead of this weekend’s game with Portsmouth. Find out more here.

Ipswich have had a less than ideal start to their new season, with a draw and a loss from their first two competitive matches.

The Tractor Boys were held to a 2-2 draw by Morecambe on the opening day of the League One campaign, twice going behind in the match. They then bowed out of the Carabao Cup with a 1-0 defeat at home to Newport County, with a trip to Burton Albion now on the horizon for Paul Cook’s side.

Burton beat Shrewsbury 1-0 in their league opener last weekend before being knocked out of the Carabao Cup by Oxford United on penalties after a 1-1 draw.

On the Chalkboard

Although Ipswich scored twice against Morecambe, a couple of the players in Cook’s attacking line-up failed to make their mark. Wes Burns (6.4) and Joe Pigott (6.5) registered unimpressive WhoScored ratings and were not directly involved in either of the goals, and that could tempt the Blues boss into a change for this weekend’s match.

The former Wigan manager should unleash Louie Barry for his League One debut for the club, having been an unused substitute against Morecambe. He is a versatile forward who is capable of operating on either flank and down the middle, which means that Cook could bring him in for Pigott or Burns, depending on which role he believes is best for Barry, as the pair were unable to stamp their authority against Morecambe.

Former England international and Ipswich academy product Darren Bent has backed Barry to score ‘many goals’ for the Blues. He told Football Insider: “He can go and show what he can do, get some first-team experience. It’s just a perfect move to go and show Dean Smith what he is capable of.

“So it makes sense to go out on loan to League One and prove yourself. He can get himself into the first-team next season.

“Barry needs to focus, work hard, train hard. I’m sure if he does all that then he will score many goals.”

Bent clearly feels there is a talented player in Barry and the Ipswich boss seemingly agrees. Cook called the 18-year-old an ‘exciting’ player upon his arrival from Aston Villa on loan and his unpredictability could hold the key for Ipswich.

Given Barry’s inexperience at first-team level, Burton may not know what to expect from him, and that could give him the element of surprise in the game, potentially allowing him to flourish. He scored 19 goals in 25 youth team appearances for Villa last term, but it is now down to him to turn up against Burton and prove that he can do it at senior level.

If he can come good and surprise the opposition, he could be a real game-changer for Ipswich. The teenager could come in and contribute with a goal from out wide or through the middle and help the Tractor Boys get their first win of the season. Worth the gamble? We think so.

AND in other news, Ashton could land next Chambers for Ipswich with deal for beast with “football brain”…

Many Glasgow Rangers fans have ben left slamming the display of Ianis Hagi in their game away at Lyon in the UEFA Europa League on Thursday evening.

The Romania international was largely an anonymous figure on the pitch, recording fewer touches (30) than his own goalkeeper Jon McLaughlin before being hauled off by Giovanni van Bronckhorst just after the hour mark for Juninho Bacuna (SofaScore).

Hagi failed to record a single shot on target, dribble, key pass, accurate cross or long ball in the entire match, and was also guilty of giving up possession seven times (SofaScore), in what was a frustrating evening individually for the midfield player.

It means that he is yet to score under the new manager, while he has only managed one assist (Transfermarkt), and will no doubt want to improve on his recent performances.

Rangers fans slam Hagi

These members of the Ibrox faithful slammed his performance on Twitter, with one Light Blues supporter even going as far as to claim that he was a ‘let-down’:

“Hagi was a let-down tonight”

Credit: @DefNotJKen

“Hagi angry about coming off he’s been anonymous”

Credit: @redviper84

“Hagi vastly underperforming tonight, great to see rolling subs for a change though”

Credit: @lnheritant

“Hagi has been very poor under Gio so far imo”

Credit: @EveryOtherSatu1

“Hagi and Roofe are terrible footballers. Doing nothing out there tonight.”

Credit: @Robertc_12

“Hagi frustrating yet again.”

Credit: @RABERTO55

In other news, find out what off-field news has Gers gushing here!

After an impressive 5-1 win over Club Brugge in midweek, Manchester City are back in Premier League action this weekend with a trip to face Brighton & Hove Albion on Saturday evening, with the Seagulls fourth in the table just one place and two points behind Pep Guardiola’s side.

On the chalkboard

Looking ahead of the match against Graham Potter’s high-flying side at the Amex Stadium, one City player who we feel should definitely be in the starting XI on Saturday evening is Ruben Dias.

After coming on as a substitute in the second half of City’s previous Premier League match against Burnley, the 24-year-old centre-back played the full 90 minutes in their hefty midweek win in Belgium.

During the match against Brugge, he made five tackles, three interceptions and four clearances, as well as winning five out of his eight ground duels and racking up an average passing accuracy ratio of 90%. Those returns ultimately earned him an impressive overall match rating of 7.2/10, making him the third-highest rated City player who started the game according to SofaScore.

This game saw Dias, who has been described as “fantastic” by Jose Mourinho, show why he is so important to the Premier League champions and why he should be in the starting XI against Brighton at the weekend to possibly terrify their attacking players.

City signed Dias back last year from Portuguese club Benfica for a reported fee of £65m. In his debut season in England, the £67.5m-rated defender (according to Transfermarkt), made 32 appearances in the Premier League which earned him the Player of the Season award, an impressive feat considering it was his first campaign in the division.

With City knowing that defeat tomorrow would see Brighton leapfrog them in the table, as well as potentially losing ground on Chelsea and Liverpool, Guardiola must include the imperious 24-year-old in his starting XI on the south coast.

In other news: Signed for £1.8m, now worth £25.2m: MCFC struck gold with ace who’s “fundamental” to Pep

Glasgow Rangers have reportedly now made a big transfer decision on Amad Diallo.

The Lowdown: High hopes

There were high hopes for when Diallo first walked into the door on loan from Manchester United, as sporting director Ross Wilson described it as a ‘really exciting signing’ when he first arrived.

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He managed to score on his debut in the 3-3 draw away at Ross County in the Scottish Premiership back in January, but has not managed to score or assist since (Transfermarkt).

The Latest: Transfer decision

As per Football Insider, a source from Ibrox has revealed that Diallo will now be let go ‘at the first opportunity’ as his bright start fades away.

There are currently ‘no plans’ to extend his deal until next season, or attempt to make it into a permanent one.

The Verdict: Shame

It is a shame that Diallo’s move to the Teddy Bears has not quite worked out how they would have hoped, and so it is the right decision to let him go back to the Red Devils.

There is no doubt that the 19-year-old is a promising talent, but he has just not been consistent enough in a Light Blues shirt, and so needs to move on somewhere else.

Nonetheless, Giovanni van Bronckhorst might as well keep him in the squad for now as an option, until his immediate future gets resolved.

In other news, find out what ‘massive blow’ has now emerged for Gers here!

Leeds United are tracking FC Koln defender Timo Hubers ahead of a possible summer swoop, according to The Daily Mail.

The Lowdown: Hubers profiled

The 25-year-old has established himself as a regular in the Bundesliga over recent months, starting 12 of the last 13 league games for Koln.

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His contract runs until 2023, and the 6 foot 2 centre-back appears to be at the peak of his powers with a career-high £2.7m Transfermarkt valuation.

He was named as a substitute against Jesse Marsch’s RB Leipzig earlier in the season, and it seems as if the new Leeds manager could be working with the German next season.

The Latest: Leeds interest on Hubers

The Daily Mail shared a transfer story on Hubers on Monday, name-checking Leeds with an interest.

Premier League rivals Crystal Palace, Newcastle, Southampton and West Ham are also tracking the defender, who could be on the move for just £6m over the coming months.

The Verdict: Defensive shake-up?

The Whites have had a season to forget when it comes to goals conceded, shipping 68 in 31 games, so Victor Orta and Marsch could be interested in shaking up the club’s defensive ranks.

Neither Marcelo Bielsa nor Marsch have had a settled centre-back pairing all season, with recent reports suggesting that Robin Koch could be on the way out in the summer.

Should that be the case, Hubers could be viewed as a possible replacement, with the aerially strong Koln brute also capable of covering at full-back and in a holding midfield role.

In other news: ‘Bad news from Elland Road…’ – Big Leeds injury update now emerges on Joe Gelhardt