Tag Futebol

With all the talk of William Saliba (ESPN) and Kieran Tierney (BBC Sport) potentially coming to Arsenal, it’s easy to forget that the club are still in need of a new central midfielder.

With Aaron Ramsey on his way to Juventus, it’s easy to forget that the Gunners are in need of replacing the Welshman who was easily one of the club’s most important players in past few years, scoring the winner in two separate FA Cup finals as well as playing 371 times for the north London side.

Replacing a midfielder of Ramsey’s reputation at the club will be a challenging ordeal, and although the rumours of a new central midfielder have slowly died down in recent weeks in large part due to Arsenal’s search for defenders, a new name has entered the fold recently.

The Daily Mail reports that Arsenal are interested in Borussia Dortmund midfielder Julian Weigl, who the Bundesliga club are willing to sell for a reported £27 million.

Although Weigl has seen more use last season as a centre-back, the 23-year-old made his name playing in central midfield, acting as Dortmund’s metronome in the middle of the park and keeping the ball and flow of the game moving with intelligent positioning as per a scout report on the youngster from talkSPORT.

The German midfielder is different from Ramsey, preferring to sit back just in front of the centre-backs rather than break into the attacking third when transitioning, according to the scout report. Considering the fact that Arsenal used the 4-2-3-1 formation ten more times than any other system last season, the scope for a midfielder to sit in that engine room pivot is certainly there.

Granit Xhaka, Lucas Torreira and Matteo Guendozi can all operate there but Mohamed Elneny (Fotomac via KingFut) has reportedly been in talks with Fenerbahce, so perhaps there would be even more space to sign him.

Weigl has shown over the years that he can be an expert midfield maestro from the centre of the park as seen from his passing stats via WhoScored which show an average pass completion rate of 90% as well as an average of 68 passes per game, and a player of his quality would fit not only the Emery system but also the Arsenal philosophy of playing attractive football.

Arsenal fans, would you take Weigl this summer? Let us know!

اختار إيهاب جلال المدير الفني لفريق الكرة بنادي المقاصة 22 لاعبا للدخول في معسكر مغلق اليوم بأحد فنادق القاهرة، استعدادا لمباراة الزمالك.

ومن المقرر إقامة مباراة الزمالك ومصر المقاصة في السابعة والنصف مساء غد الخميس باستاد بتروسبورت، ضمن منافسات الجولة العاشرة للدوري.

طالع ايضا.. بيان رسمي | المقاصة يطالب اتحاد الكرة بتعيين حكام دوليين لمباراة الزمالك قائمة مصر المقاصة لمباراة الزمالك في الدوري

محمد كوكو ومحمود حمدي وبلتاجي سمير وأسامة العزب ومحمد دسوقي وأحمد مودي وعصام صبحي وحسني فتحي وعاصم سعيد وهشام محمد وخالد أوتشو ومصطفى شبيطة وعلي محمد ومحمد عادل “أمو” ومحمود الغزالي وعماد فتحي وأحمد صبيحة وعبد الله مجدي ومفتاح طقطق ورجب عمران وشميلس بيكلي ومروان حمدي.

فيما يغيب اللاعب باولن فوافي لإصابته بشد في العضلة الخلفية.

ويخوض فريق المقاصة مساء اليوم مرانه الختامي استعدادا لمباراة الزمالك على الملعب الفرعي لاستاد الدفاع الجوي، وعقب المران ينتظم اللاعبون المختارون ضمن القائمة في المعسكر المغلق بأحد فنادق القاهرة حتى موعد المباراة.

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Liverpool fans have been bowled over by Naby Keita’s latest quotes to CAF via the club’s official website.

The midfielder, who enjoyed an exceptional debut season at Anfield, says that forward Mohamed Salah decided to take him under his wing during his first few months in England.

He said: “He always gives me some advice on the pitch in Liverpool.

“He’s a nice guy who works hard. When he works at the gym, he always asks me to join him.

“He looks after me like I’m his little brother.”

Both Salah and Keita are currently playing at the African Cup of Nations, with the former representing Egypt and the latter playing for Guinea.

Keita made a total of 33 appearances in all competitions in 2018/19, as the Reds finished second in the Premier League behind Manchester City and won the Champions League, though he was injured for the final victory over Tottenham Hotspur in Madrid.

Watch Liverpool Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

And supporters have been impressed with the fact that manager Jurgen Klopp has managed to build a squad of players that seem to really love playing with one another.

Take a look at the best of the reaction on Twitter below!

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There’s been a few selection shocks for the upcoming international friendlies due to take place at the end of the season.

Alexandre Lacazette has been excluded from the France squad along with Manchester City’s treble-winning Aymeric Laporte, James Maddison has missed out on a place in the England squad to the inconsistent and injury-plagued Jesse Lingard, and in happier news Santi Cazorla has made his long awaited return to the Spanish squad after four years away – a joy for anyone who follows football.

Whilst it’s the news about Cazorla that has caused the most delight, it’s actually the news about Lacazette, Laporte and Maddison that is most interesting.

The reasons for the Arsenal striker’s exclusion from the squad are probably applicable to all, but it’s only right to dissect exactly why a forward who’s played so wonderfully for his club hasn’t been given the chance to thrive for his country, especially as it’s coming at the expense of footballers in decline who haven’t enjoyed the same form as the Gunners no. 9 – such as Olivier Giroud.

It’s important to remember that the managers in question here, Didier Deschamps and Gareth Southgate, have enjoyed incredibly successful spells in their jobs at two nations who had lost their dominance and identity in international football for a very long time. Deschamps won the World Cup last summer, and it’s vital to understand how he did it in order to appreciate why Lacazette still hasn’t forced his way into the squad.

The France boss found a winning formula that he believed in, persisted with over Euro 2016 and then watched his plan come to fruition in Russia 2018, a devised approach that earned the French that golden globe trophy. In an era where one or two months of good form is rewarded with two or three international caps, Deschamps and Southgate are bucking that trend. It’s no longer enough to just be a good player, or to play out of your skin for a few weeks. To earn a call-up for these nations, you need to not only be better than your competition but also be good enough to penetrate your way past the years of preparation, team-bonding and trust that’s been built by these managers for their players.

Lacazette is a better player than Giroud, no one could possibly dispute that, but that’s not enough these days. And to be honest, this approach is admirable. For years international squads lost their values and it felt anyone could earn a call-up, but these two managers are pioneering a change in attitude for what it means to play for your country – quite frankly it’s incredibly refreshing.

Giroud has spent years working with Deschamps, executing his instructions selflessly and perfectly, and it’s delivered success on a global scale. It’s only right that this is rewarded and built on further.

Jesse Lingard has had a poor season by his standards and has been totally outshone by Premier League debutant Maddison. However once again, that’s not enough. Southgate has preached that his squads will include leaders to make up a core element of his side, with every player understanding their role precisely, and the Leicester player’s exclusion is the clearest example of this yet.

As long as the door is not firmly shut on these players, there seems nothing wrong with making the squad harder to break into. It’s a fine balancing act though, because Joachim Low arguably went too far the other way as he omitted Leroy Sane from Germany’s World Cup squad filled with the same ageing names from Brazil 2014. The side were a tired, worn out group that struggled immensely in Russia. So, everything in moderation.

Lacazette is a phenomenal player, in fact he’s probably under-rated by those who don’t watch Arsenal regularly. However, Deschamps’ approach can only be respected, as he’s making the France squad his own. He’s not just pooling together a group of the best players he can, he’s considering very carefully who matches his footballing philosophy and building a group of specially selected players to make the best team he can. This can only be great for international football, and what it means to play for your country.

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Marcelo Bielsa and Leeds United fell at the Championship play-off semi-final hurdle on Wednesday night with the Yorkshire club consigned to yet another year away from the Premier League, and Celtic fans have explained why they wouldn’t want the Argentine to be their next manager.

Following the failure to win promotion, question marks will certainly be raised over the Argentine’s future – the Elland Road faithful will certainly want him to stay, but he has proved in the past that he doesn’t always stay on for the long term.

Meanwhile, the Celtic hierarchy have a decision to make this summer on whether they are going to stick with Neil Lennon, who steered the club to the Scottish Premiership title but was disappointingly beaten 2-0 by Rangers last weekend, or opt for a new face.

“Lionel Messi is Barcelona’s James McFadden!” – Watch Scottish football fans name their clubs’ Lionel Messi in the video below…

Bielsa is surely someone that would interest the Glasgow giants if he did end up becoming available or choose not to stick around at Leeds, and he would be an exciting appointment in many ways because of the style of football he likes to play.

However, not all Bhoys supporters are convinced by the 63-year-old, who is known to work his teams hard on and off the pitch.

While one individual described the South American coach as “far too volatile”, another said “he’s a nearly man” who “never gets over the line”.

Here is just a selection of the Twitter reaction…

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The fact that Chelsea have been unsuccessful in their bid to appeal a FIFA-imposed transfer ban is potentially extremely bad news for Everton.

On Wednesday, it was announced that the Blues had been unable to successfully appeal the transfer suspension, which stands until the end of January 2020.

Everton have had Kurt Zouma on loan this season, and it has been widely reported that the Toffees are keen to sign the centre-back on a permanent deal, which is not a surprise.

Indeed, Zouma has been excellent for the Merseyside outfit this term – scoring twice in 31 Premier League appearances for Marco Silva’s side.

The 24-year-old is now expected back with Chelsea for pre-season, and a number of Everton fans feel that the transfer ban will make it almost impossible for their club to be able to secure a summer deal for Zouma.

In this era of ‘big 6’ dominance, has finishing 7th become as good as winning a trophy? The Pl>ymaker FC squad have their say in the video below…

A selection of the Twitter reaction from the supporters can be seen below:

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Pundit Paul Merson has backed West Ham United’s disappointing Premier League form to continue away to Manchester United on Saturday afternoon.

What’s the word?

Merson told Sky Sports:

“I expect Man United to win this one. They’ll do well to turn their Champions League quarter-final with Barcelona around at the Nou Camp, so they’ve got to fight to get into the top four now.

“This is a ‘must win’ game for them. They’ve got to get this game won and then focus on that Barcelona second leg. West Ham have flip-flopped and they can’t really go anywhere.

“They had good stages in the Chelsea game, but it’s a bad run of games and their season’s finished. It’s just a case of getting through it.”

West Ham will certainly be the fresher of the two teams, having had since Monday evening to recover for the clash in Manchester.

Man United, on the other hand, were at home to Barcelona in the Champions League on Wednesday night – suffering a 1-0 defeat to the Spanish champions.

Merson has claimed that West Ham’s season has effectively ‘finished’, with the club’s players just waiting for the season to end.

The Hammers have now lost three of their last four in the Premier League and currently sit 11th in the table, five points off seventh-placed Leicester City.

Is Merson right to make the hosts favourites?

There is no question that Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side will be desperate to collect all three points this weekend following a disappointing run of form.

Indeed, for all of the praise that has come United’s way in recent months, the 20-time English champions have lost four of their last five matches in all competitions.

The Red Devils also lost 3-1 at West Ham in the reverse Premier League match earlier this season, but have not suffered a home league defeat to the Hammers since May 2007.

It is therefore not a surprise that Merson has placed the home side as the favourites, with their recent record against West Ham at Old Trafford very strong indeed.

What’s more, Manuel Pellegrini’s side have only recorded four away wins in the Premier League this term, scoring just 14 times in their 16 fixtures.

It is not very often that a swap deal works out for both parties, but that is exactly what has happened with the deal that saw Dwight Gayle head to the Hawthorns and Salomón Rondón head to St James’ Park.

Gayle has scored 17 goals in 34 appearances for West Brom this season, while Rondón has bagged 10 in 28 for Newcastle.

Both Rafa Benitez and the fans, have urged The Magpies to make the Venezuelan’s stay on Tyneside a permanent one, while Albion fans are making similar noises about Gayle.

But Benitez has insisted there could still be a St James’ Park future for the former Palace striker.

Speaking to the Newcastle Chronicle about Gayle’s future, Rafa said: “Dwight is doing really well.

“It’s good when players are doing well for their teams and you have to consider them for the future.

“OK, you never know what can happen but it’s good when they are doing well and enjoying themselves.”

It is certainly not the biggest endorsement of the player’s likely return to Newcastle next season, but it has left the door ajar.

The problem is, the preferred scenario would surely be for Gayle to be used as a make-weight in a deal to secure Rondón’s future on Tyneside, while getting a high earner off the wage bill at the same time.

Whether that comes to fruition relies on several permutations: whether West Brom get promoted — at which point the asking price rises; whether there is rival interest for the player — something that has looked increasingly likely in recent weeks; or whether Gayle fancies a permanent switch to The Baggies — which would likely see him take a wage cut.

But of course, one of the major unknowns, is whether Benitez will remain manager next season. If not, then it remains to be seen what personnel a new man in charge would want to keep, or let go.

In truth, despite Rafa’s public comments, it is hard to see a future for Gayle at Newcastle, regardless of who is in charge next year.

He is, in some ways, a victim of his own success in the Championship, with him scoring goals in the division for fun, at both Newcastle and West Brom, but never looking so prolific in the Premier League.

Time will tell who stays and who does not, but whichever way you look at it, it is going to be a very interesting summer in the North East.

What do you think, Newcastle fans? Would you welcome Gayle back to St James’ Park? Or would you like to see him go, regardless of what happens with Rondón? Let us know your thoughts…

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Rangers fans have taken to Twitter to heap praise on Scott Arfield, after the attacking midfielder netted a treble against Motherwell to help his teammates to a resounding 3-0 win.

The 30-year-old – who joined the Ibrox ranks last summer – grabbed his eighth, ninth and tenth league goals of the season to earn all three points for the Gers, where his link up with Jermain Defoe in attack was particularly impressive.

Check out Keith from C’mon the Hoops’ fascinating video on the origins of the Old Firm derby below…

The win sees Steven Gerrard’s side move onto 66 points for the season, although they are still someway behind bitter rivals and league leaders Celtic.

Specifically, however, Arfield’s performance was a display enriched by clinical finishing, whilst his all-round game and decision making up top helped contribute to a very easy-on-the-eye victory for the Gers.

Some fans may have been fearful of a result in the absence of Alfredo Morelos, but Arfield stepped up to the plate as Rangers’ star man missed out through suspension.

Let’s see what the Rangers supporters have been saying on Twitter about Arfield’s performance…

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Aston Villa continued their excellent run of form with a 3-0 home win over Middlesbrough in the Championship on Saturday afternoon.

Anwar El-Ghazi, John McGinn and Albert Adomah scored the goals for Villa, but the club’s supporters were keen to pay tribute to experienced midfielder Glenn Whelan.

According to WhoScored, Whelan – a 2017 arrival from Stoke City – had a pass success rate of 93%, while he had two shots and won two headers during his 90 minutes on the field.

The likes of McGinn, Tyrone Mings and Jack Grealish have received a lot of praise in recent matches, but Whelan was outstanding against Boro and that has been recognised.

The win on Saturday has moved Dean Smith’s side into the top six and they will fancy their chances of staying in the playoff spots between now and the end of the season.

Thogden has ranked his top 5 sets of Championship away fans for Pl>ymaker FC. Did your club make the list? Find out in the video below…

A selection of the Twitter reaction to Whelan’s display can be seen below: