All posts by z3u9t.icu

Michael Stewart has raised some concerns over Celtic’s current first choice goalkeeper Vasilis Barkas after the Hoops failed to come away with a result against AC Milan. The defeat at Celtic Park makes it two in a row for the reigning Premiership champions, who were sunk by rivals Rangers in the Old Firm on Saturday.

Now behind Steven Gerrard’s side by four points in the league, questions are being asked about Neil Lennon’s squad.

“Barkas has not stood out for me,” Stewart told BBC Sport (via HITC). “Compare him to Fraser Forster or even Craig Gordon, he hasn’t shown he can make the big saves they can yet.”

Indeed, the Greece international who is valued at £4.5m has conceded six goals in nine league appearances this season, whilst loan signing Forster finished Celtic’s title-winning campaign with 17 conceded goals in 28 Premiership matches (via Transfermarkt). Barkas could may well slump the Hoops’ defensive record if he continues his inconsistent run of form.

He earned a poor rating of 5.8 against Milan on Thursday after shipping three goals and making just one save. The 26-year-old also struggled with his distribution, misplacing eight of his 11 attempted long balls (as per Sofascore). However, Lennon has just one other goalkeeper to turn to, who made just two appearances last season due to a thumb injury.

Scott Bain is on the roster and could potentially be deployed if Celtic’s defensive struggles continue to become an issue. He played his side’s opening league match of the season before being dropped in favour of Barkas. It seems that Lennon doesn’t have much faith in either of his senior shot-stoppers at the moment, but he must make a swift decision before Rangers capitalise on their slim lead.

As it stands, they have conceded just three league goals this term and are unbeaten in their 11 games played. Their victory over the Hoops gave them the huge boost they needed to eye up a potential title – Lennon and co must shape up if they want to stop their fine run of form and keep hold of their crown. If Barkas keeps playing and producing below par performances like this, he could well cost them the title.

In other news, Celtic suffer blow ahead of Aberdeen as Odsonne Edouard not likely to feature…

In what was a sobering day, Everton fell to a dismal defeat away to Wolves on Sunday afternoon.

Carlo Ancelotti’s side were firmly in the contest until Lucas Digne was adjudged to have brought down Daniel Podence inside the penalty area just before the stroke of half-time, with Wolves going on to comfortably win.

How big of an Everton fan are you? Can you spot Mikel Arteta from Graham Stuart? This quiz will test your knowledge, try it if you’re brave enough…

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But whilst there were plenty of players who didn’t cover themselves in glory, Theo Walcott in particular really struggled in an unconventional right wing-back role for the Toffees.

The former Arsenal man just didn’t seem comfortable carrying out his defensive duties, and rarely offered anything in attack either. As per Sofascore, he lost possession 11 times, won just one duel, provided no accurate crosses, and only passed the ball ten times – it was no surprise that he was hooked just ten minutes after the restart.

After watching Walcott’s shocking performance, Everton fans flooded to Twitter to share their reactions.

Some Everton fans just seemed to have enough of Walcott, and urged the club to simply get rid of him this summer.

Having arrived from Arsenal a couple of seasons ago, Walcott just hasn’t really done the business at Goodison Park.

With a record of just ten goals in 79 total games for the Merseysiders, it’s difficult to argue how the Englishman has provided value for money.

And on the basis of his performance at Molineux, Ancelotti will surely think twice before putting him back into the starting line-up once again.

Another potential outgoing could be on the cards for Liverpool, with Joel Matip at the forefront of the attention. 

The centre-back has reportedly attracted interest from Paris Saint-Germain who are looking to pursue a move for his signature this summer. That’s according to @Jordan_MChoco (relayed via @LFCTransferRoom), who claims manager Thomas Tuchel and sporting director Leonardo are admirers of Matip.

The Cameroon international has been with the Merseyside outfit since 2016, after he joined on a free transfer from Schalke 04 (via BBC Sport). Matip has participated in some huge games for the Reds, including the winning side that took on Tottenham Hotspur last season in the Champions League final.

However, despite his influence on the team, he is often left on the bench in favour of Joe Gomez. Matip also has a history of injury problems, missing 20 matches this season through a knee problem (via Transfermarkt).

Many Liverpool fans are fully against cashing in on the 28-year-old and have taken to Twitter to express this. One supporter has tweeted ‘they cannot have him’, whilst similarly another has firmly stated Matip is ‘not for sale’.

Read more replies from the Anfield faithful here:

Do you think Liverpool should look to sell Joel Matip this season? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below…

Newcastle United’s takeover – as of this morning- has not yet been approved contrary to other reports, according to Duncan Castles.The Times and Daily Record transfer-breaker provided a latest update to fans on Twitter and it comes within 24 hours of the Express claiming that the Premier League had given the all-clear.He said:

Late on Wednesday evening, a story circulated suggesting that the PL had approved the takeover following the owners and directors test, but this now doesn’t appear to be the case as per Castles’ information.

The reliable journalist has been on the ball with updates throughout this whole process – last month he broke the news that Steve Bruce would stay as part of the process and the club would be run by PCP Capital’s Amanda Staveley.

Premier League Inflation: You won’t believe how much these famous transfers would cost today…

Another thing that’s on the plate of the Premier League is getting the season resumed whilst still having to deal with the consequences of this pandemic, so understandably things are taking a little longer than usual.

AND in other news, The Sun’s Neil Custis claims Newcastle takeover has been delayed

Newcastle United manager Steve Bruce has given an update on the future of Matty Longstaff as he was questioned by Sky Sports News ahead of his team’s game in the Premier League against West Ham United tomorrow.

Speaking to the outlet, the Englishman admitted that “we don’t want to be losing our best players” with reference to Longstaff, who has been enjoying a relatively impressive breakthrough season so far and is due to hold a fresh meeting with him to discuss his future.

The 20-year old has made 13 senior appearances in all competitions in the 2019/20 campaign so far, scoring three goals, according to Sky Sports.

This would be a major boost on his current £850-a-week wage and he would be earning nearly 18 times more what he is currently receiving at the Tyneside club. The prospect of moving to another country to play his football may also be attractive as a challenge for the England under-20 international, who may want to prove himself in a different climate.

On the other hand, Longstaff may be persuaded to stay if the proposed takeover by Amanda Staveley’s Saudi Arabian-led group is approved by the Premier League, with the consortium potentially splashing the cash in the upcoming summer transfer window providing that they abide by Financial Fair Play (FFP) rules.

Nevertheless, Bruce has claimed that he would like to keep him in the northeast, but the final decision ultimately lies in the hands of the player.

Geordies, should Newcastle tie down Matty Longstaff to a new deal? Comment below with your views!

According to the Mirror, Leeds United are prepared to sign on-loan stopper Illan Meslier on a permanent basis for £6m if they seal promotion to the Premier League, and such a decision makes the world of sense…

What’s the word?

It is claimed that Whites chief Marcelo Bielsa sees the 20-year-old as one of the best young goalkeepers in European football and has impressed massively during his spell at Elland Road this season.

Hilariously obscure Premier League players – Can you name them all?

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Meslier has been limited to just three senior appearances this campaign, keeping a clean sheet in back-to-back Championship outings and this, along with his performances for the U23s and his training ethic, is believed to be enough for the Argentine to want to keep hold of his services long-term.

The Frenchman is currently on loan from Ligue 2 side Lorient whilst he has also been capped at U20 level internationally. At 6 foot 6, he’s even been dubbed the next Thibaut Courtois.

Bye-bye Kiko

This move is a smart ploy from Victor Orta and co, not just because they’ll be in need of option in the top-flight, but also because he presents a viable upgrade to that of Kiko Casilla, whose future in west Yorkshire has to be in doubt given recent events.

The 33-year-old is serving an eight-game ban for racial abuse, which has left Bielsa unsure about his prospects of remaining at the club.

It would be even wiser to simply part ways with the Spaniard this summer as he’s costing the club a bomb – up until today, he’s made £2.2m in wages alone but has he been worth it? Going by the fans’ reaction, you’d be hugely inclined to say no.

At £35k-per-week, he has been robbing the pockets of Andrea Radrizzani for far too long, and the permanent coup of Meslier would surely push Casilla closer to the exit door.

Phil Hay certainly believes there isn’t much of a future for him either, as he mentions in one Q&A on The Athletic.

Therefore, landing the young shot-stopper this summer will not only give Bielsa a long-term option in a specialised role, but it’ll help them save millions as he’s going likely to be on far less than what the former Real Madrid veteran is commanding.

AND in other news, Phil Hay issues update on QSI’s potential Leeds takeover

Former England defender Danny Mills has said that the timing of the takeover bid at Newcastle United is “bizarre”, in an interview with Football Insider.

What did he say?

According to the Daily Mail, the prospective £300m takeover of the St James’ Park moved closer over the weekend, with the Saudi-led consortium paying a deposit to buy the club.

The deal is being brokered by Amanda Staveley and is now subject to ratification from the Premier League, despite the ongoing suspension of the football season.

The circumstances in which the deal has been done have certainly surprised Mills, who questioned why the move was made in the current climate.

“The timing is bizarre,” he told Football Insider.

“We do not know if the league is going to be canceled, if fixtures are going to be played behind closed doors or if the Premier League is going to have to pay money back to broadcasters.

“The takeover has been on and off for 10 years with different investors.

“Amanda Staveley is very sharp – the top echelon of business and what she does. It now looks like the takeover will go through.

“This group may have seen an opportunity, perhaps Mike Ashley’s other businesses are struggling and they have taken advantage of that.”

Quiz: How much to did Mike Ashley pay for these Newcastle players?

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Surprise timing

The timing of this move is definitely strange, with the footballing world facing one of its largest challenges in recent years.

Of course, current Newcastle owner Mike Ashley is not immune to the current business environment and his own struggles could have triggered the move, but nonetheless, it has taken many by surprise.

It gets better each time you watch it.Although I’m sure that’s not the case for the poor defender who had to deal with it.Any chance to relieve what happened on the weekend against their bitter rivals was always going to be lapped up by Forest fans, so naturally the Nottingham Forest Twitter account was more than happy to oblige in giving them some material to work with.

Tiago Silva’s performance against the Rams earned him a lot of praise from the supporters, but there was one moment above all else that really got the fans talking, and that was his ‘elastico’ (or flip-flap, whichever you prefer) against Duane Holmes during the second half.

Although it didn’t end in a goal so he gets minus points for that, still pretty good though.

I’m just glad nobody replied by saying he was ‘sent for a hotdog’, because that phrase really gets annoying after a while.

Former Premier League footballer Jamie O’Hara believes that Manchester United should waste no time in snapping up the services of ex-Tottenham boss Mauricio Pochettino after the Argentinian’s sacking earlier this week.

Pochettino saw over five years of work at Spurs come to an abrupt end on Tuesday amid a poor start to the season following their fairy-tale journey to the Champions League final in 2018/19.

With United in indifferent form both during and since the tenure of Pochettino’s successor Jose Mourinho, O’Hara has urged the Red Devils to act swiftly in order to bring the 47-year-old to Old Trafford immediately – even at the expense of current manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

Speaking on TalkSPORT, O’Hara feels that ‘Poch’ could be the man to deliver success at Manchester United, and is a talent too good to pass on.

He said: “I think Poch is taking over Man United.

“I’d get him in straight away. You’ve got one of the best managers in the world currently available for nothing.

“Get him in now, get his feet under the table.

“What he’s done is built a football club. [Tottenham] would never be able to get Mourinho if it wasn’t for Poch coming in and building the football club to where it is now.

“And I think if he went to Man United, that’s the statement: ‘We’ve got Poch, and we’re going to win things with him’.”

Looking at O’Hara’s comments, it could be argued he values Pochettino’s managerial talents higher than those of Mourinho’s.

While he has also suggested that Mourinho could lead Spurs to the Champions League title, he has backed Pochettino to win things at a club where Mourinho had ultimately failed himself.

Either he rates Spurs’ squad higher than United’s (which wouldn’t be surprising given his association with the club), or he believes that Pochettino can take United to where Mourinho and Solskjaer have been unable to – hence the calls to hire him as soon as possible.

Manchester United fans, would Pochettino be a significant upgrade on Mourinho and Solskjaer? Let us know below!

Manchester United fans on Twitter have been reacting to an incredible stat on Twitter.

The chief Manchester United writer at Manchester Evening News, Samuel Luckhurst, revealed that not a single United player has scored a league hat-trick since Robin Van Persie back in 2013 under Sir Alex Ferguson.

Considering the plethora of attacking talent United have had during that time it’s incredible to see this stat.

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The likes of Romelu Lukaku, Alexis Sanchez, Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial have all failed to score three times in a single league game for the Red Devils.

Fans had varying reactions to the stat being revealed.

Some fans seemingly didn’t care too much as their primary focus was getting points on the board rather than wasting time worrying about pointless stats.

Others were far from happy with what they were reading as one supporter called it embarrassing.

Here’s what the Old Trafford faithful have been saying on social media…