All posts by h716a5.icu

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Tottenham Hotspur fans on Twitter were geed up by comments from France international midfielder Moussa Sissoko on Tuesday evening.

The quote was posted by the club’s official account on the social media platform and centred around how Spurs players want to come back from the international break “ready to finish the season well.”

This comes after a horrendous run of form for the Lilywhites prior to a 22-day break from action for the FA Cup and then the international break, which saw them lose three in four Premier League matches and pick up no wins.

The reaction from supporters of the north London club to the comments has been rallying, with one writing “No excuses, you’ve only got yourselves to blame for the position we’re in, now put it right.”

Meanwhile, others have focused their attention on Sissoko himself, thanking him for all of his hard work recently and urging him to save his energy for domestic matters, the 55-cap midfielder currently being away with France on international duty.

Check out some more of the responses from Lilywhites, below…

Pl>ymaker FC Exclusive: Jermaine Jenas reveals he would have snubbed Tottenham for Arsenal if they’d come knocking in 2005…

Leeds defenders have a tough job don’t they? The style of play Marcelo Biesla aims for often leaves the back four exposed, so their interest in Yohan Benalouane would be a great addition to make sure they don’t leak goals next season.

It’s unclear whether the Whites will be playing Premier League football next season, but either way, they need to shore up at the back. Things have got better over the last couple of months as the players start to learn and adapt to the situations they find themselves in every week playing this philosophy, but it still needs work.

Pontus Jansson has done a great job of organising his back line this season, but a man like Benalouane would mean there are more voices of experience to keep the defence tight when Leeds are pressed high up the pitch. The Guardian sport’s deputy news editor Ed Aarons linked Leeds to the centre-back via Twitter and he could be the level head required to take the club to promotion next season or keep them tight if they go up this term.

He’s been hugely impressive at the City Ground after joining back in January. The Tunisian is rated at £900,000 on Transfermarkt, so it wouldn’t bust the bank to seal his signature for next season.

His age doesn’t matter, because Leeds need success now, and if they don’t reach the Premier League this season, there’ll be even more pressure from the fans next time around. He could well be an invaluable short-term signing for Bielsa, building more trust in the back line to allow the rest of the team to press further up the pitch more often.

His nine games for Forest since January have looked promising.

Leeds are that team and Bielsa should fight hard for him in the summer.

Leeds fans, who do you think your team should sign in summer? Join the discussion by commenting below…

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Aston Villa have put any potential contract discussions with Albert Adomah to one side, according to Birmingham Live. But should fans have concerns about the news?

What’s the word?

Villa have yet to open contract discussions with Adomah which means he could be set to become a free agent in the summer. It appears as though the wide player would like to stay but after contacting the club various times about his situation, things haven’t come along any further.

This could be good news for Leeds who may look to revive previous interest in the 31-year-old. Last summer a return to Middlesbrough for Adomah collapsed whilst Villa approached Leeds about a potential move for their player. It’s also understood by Birmingham Live that the latter had two bids rejected in January.

Adomah’s saga has dragged on for a while now but it could be about to come to an end if he isn’t offered a new deal.

Let Green flourish

Coming off the back of a 14 goal season during a run to the play-off final, Adomah’s form in 2018/19 has been largely inconsistent. At 31, his best days look behind him and as a result, Villa should focus on the future.

In 20-year-old Andre Green, the Villans have a hugely talented youngster on their books and after returning from a short loan spell with Portsmouth, he’s begun to feature more often in Dean Smith’s plans.

With the pair of them both wingers, Adomah’s possible departure can pave the way for a more permanent spot in the team for the arguably more exciting Green. Fortunately for Villa, they haven’t had trouble scoring goals this season but the latter’s dribbling ability could give them an added dimension in the final third, especially now he’s receiving more first-team experience.

Aston Villa may finally lose Jack Grealish in the summer too. By bringing through another one of their own talents and using Green more, it would help soften the blow.

Leeds United’s season took a turn for the better this weekend as they saw off Millwall with a late comeback win at Elland Road.

The Whites were not at their brilliant best, but they never relented in their quest to get back into the game, and were rewarded with a Pablo Hernandez winner just before the end of the 90 minutes.

Marcelo Bielsa’s men therefore head back into the top two ahead of their nearest rivals, Sheffield United, and will be looking to build on this weekend’s win in the coming weeks.

With only seven Championship fixtures remaining, there is plenty to play for yet again in the second tier, and it’s all set to be an exciting finish to proceedings.

We here in the Tavern are loving watching the title race in the Championship, and Leeds’ late win this weekend got our tongues wagging even more.

Following the win then, we had a chat, and looked at TWO things Leeds showed the onlooking footballing world with their win over Millwall…

They are right up the fight

Twice going behind and on the back of a 1-o loss to Sheffield United last time out, it would have been easy for Leeds to down tools.

They didn’t though, and they showed just why they will be right in the mix come the end of the season.

If they can continue to show the fight they showed this weekend, then there could be no stopping them in their quest for the top two.

Pablo Hernandez is one of the Championship’s best

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It’s been obvious for some time, but Hernandez is simply a cut above most other players in the Championship.

He simply passed Millwall to death over the course of the second half, and was rewarded with the winning goal at Elland Road.

If he stays on this sort of form, it’s simple really, Leeds are up.

So far, despite showing signs of promise, it is probably fair to say Maurizio Sarri’s Gonzalo Higuain experiment has not exactly gone to plan. 

In the Argentine’s defence, he joined Chelsea at a time where they were struggling for form.

Had he arrived before the start of the campaign, things might have gone down differently.

What is done is done, however, and Sarri must now look to find a way to get his Blues side firing consistently, something they have been doing of late, with Olivier Giroud offering a potential solution as he’s scored 11 goals and provided seven assists in all competitions.

The France international, who is valued at £13.5 million (by Transfermarkt), has been in good goalscoring form recently and, while it is not something he usually maintains, he still manages to bring a lot to this Chelsea side overall.

And that often helps bring the best out of the likes of Eden Hazard and Willian. The former, in particular, thrives when he has Giroud to play off, constantly exchanging clever give and go passes with the former Arsenal man.

Ultimately, at this stage of the season with so much to play for, Sarri simply cannot afford to play favourites and stick with underperforming players.

Over the last couple of fixtures, it is a theme the ex-Napoli boss has moved away from by giving Callum Hudson-Odoi and Ruben Loftus-Cheek deserved minutes in the Premier League with Mateo Kovacic and Pedro struggling for form.

That must now continue with Giroud, or else Chelsea could be in for a miserable end to the campaign.

Injuries are hitting Tottenham at exactly the wrong time! Harry Kane could well be out for the rest of the season, Dele Ali has fractured his hand and now Harry Winks has a problem with his groin, as per the Evening Standard.

It all just proves Spurs need to spend big this summer.

Reaching the semi-finals of the Champions League would be massive for the club, particularly with it coinciding with the opening of their new stadium. Ambitions are high, though injuries have left fans feeling hard done by as they look towards Wednesday’s second leg.

Yes, it’s unlucky they’ve picked them up at the wrong time, but they should have a squad capable of dealing with absences like Winks’. Indeed, Champions League opponents Manchester City – for example – have been without Benjamin Mendy and Kevin de Buyne nearly all season, but they’ve got a squad that means they’re still fighting for the quadruple.

Even City look tired now, and that proves how hard it is to play on all four fronts, but that’s what Spurs surely aim to do next year. Liverpool had to throw themselves out of the domestic cups to be in the position they’re in now, but Mauricio Pochettino’s side want to be bigger than that.

After all that hassle with the stadium, they have to be.

Having faith in the players they’ve already got only takes a club so far. Those players could be the best in the world, which they’re not, but no player can play every three days. They need back-up in midfield, up top and in defence, so Daniel Levy had better start putting his money into the team.

There needs to be one hell of a shopping list in the summer, but that’s what it’s going to take if Spurs are to achieve their ambition of becoming one of Europe’s most successful clubs in the next decade.

Spurs fans, who do you think should be brought in to offer cover in midfield next season? Join the discussion by commenting below…

Arsenal fans will be reaching a new level of anxiety ahead of their encounter with Watford at Vicarage Road on Monday evening with the big possibility of out of sorts defender Shkodran Mustafi might have to be named in Unai Emery’s starting lineup.

The Gunners will be without talisman Sokratis Papastathopoulos due to suspension, which means Mustafi will most likely partner Laurent Koscielny at the back. Indeed, the German has had a terrible season and it won’t be a big surprise if he is sold off in the summer transfer market.

But, if Mustafi wants to salvage his Arsenal career and future he will need to step up the occasion big time from Monday onward as the Gunners can’t afford to drop any unnecessary points before the season concludes.

Arsenal are in a tight race for a top-four finish and will need to start picking up points on the road after some poor away performances this season.

If Mustafi, who is valued at £27 million (by Transfermarkt), continues to be as inconsistent as he has this whole campaign, then Arsenal will find it tough to beat the likes of Watford and Wolverhampton Wanderers, who they also still need to face away from home.

Emery is expected to play with a back-three formation again on Monday evening, which will make Mustafi’s responsibility even bigger and more important.

If he can remain calm under the pressure and focus on the job at hand then Arsenal might have a chance of putting the Hornets to the sword.

But, if he continues to make half-hearted challenges and not give his full commitment on the field then it could be another long 90 minutes for Arsenal.

The nerves. Oh God, the nerves.

Arsenal fans, what are your honest thoughts on Mustafi? Join the discussion by commenting below… 

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Joe Gomez made his comeback from injury as a second-half substitute in Liverpool’s 4-1 win over Porto in the Champions League on Wednesday night.

Indeed, Gomez played the final 24 minutes of the quarter-final second leg, which saw the Reds book their spot in the semi-finals of the competition.

It was the defender’s first outing since he fractured his leg against Burnley in the Premier League back in December.

And the 21-year-old’s return at this stage of the campaign is absolutely huge.

Indeed, Gomez – a 2015 arrival from Charlton Athletic – was excellent in the opening months of the campaign.

In fairness to Joel Matip, the 27-year-old has been pretty good in recent weeks, but Gomez and Virgil van Dijk would be Jurgen Klopp’s first-choice pairing when everyone is fit.

As expected, the Liverpool fans were absolutely delighted to see Gomez make his return to the field on Wednesday night.

And a selection of their Twitter reaction can be seen below:

Liverpool will be fully focused on the task ahead in terms of securing silverware in the Champions League and the Premier League at this moment in time. 

Supporters surely can’t believe how much their side have developed in the current campaign as they continue to overcome challenges that would have easily halted their progress in previous seasons.

Of course, one thing that’s helped their recent rise massively has been the club’s summer signings, as the likes of Naby Keita, Alisson Becker, Fabinho and Xherdan Shaqiri have all impressed.

And, it looks as if the Reds may already have their eye on a possible summer addition, as according to le10sport (via Metro), Liverpool are interested in signing Lyon’s Houssem Aouar.

Liverpool fans may not have heard too much about the youngster but one thing that will certainly interest them is the fact that the 20-year-old has been likened (as per talkSPORT) to former Red Philippe Coutinho.

The Frenchman has produced an impressive seven goals and eight assists from the middle of midfield. He loves to get forward and make things happen with his dribbling ability and trickery often helping him get the better of the opposition, which is a big reason behind his comparison to Coutinho.

Of course, the Reds have been linked (as per The Mirror) with a move for Hakim Ziyech recently but FSG should opt against splashing the cash on the Moroccan and instead go out all out to sign Aouar. Indeed, the young midfielder has so much more potential and he’d fit perfectly into Jurgen Klopp’s system as he has the ability to track back and ensure defensive solidity, whereas Ziyech is more of an attack-minded player who rarely gets back to defend.

Liverpool fans, who would you rather see join in the summer? Join the discussion by commenting below…

We’re getting closer to the end of the season for Liverpool. Yikes. 

Jurgen Klopp’s side might’ve played some of the best football in Europe this season, yet all their good work could all go to waste if they end another season trophyless.

Granted, they will still have achieved a remarkable amount, only being beaten by bad luck if they end up without silverware, the fans’ craving for gold must be fulfilled.

In this final stretch, the Reds should play their biggest cards and lay it all on the line.

This means they should go with players who work hardest and can put in the best effort in helping them play some non-stop, winning football. Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, who recently returned from injury, should be given his chance to shine. He’s much more suited to attacking football than Jordan Henderson, who despite his resurgence, isn’t the relentless workhorse Ox is.

Heavy metal and all that…

The £34.2 million signing from Arsenal played a pivotal part in helping them make the UEFA Champion League final last season and could replicate his heroics this time. Indeed, the Reds clearly need a relentless presser to counter Barcelona’s passing football over two legs, steal possession and rattle their core to prevail.

The former Arsenal man is exactly that unrelenting work-horse, who not only possesses unstoppable pressing technique but is more creative going forward. He can run at defences, destabilise them or score from all sorts of angles.

After the long lay-off, it’s time to replace Henderson with a more complete midfielder in Chamberlain, who’s fearless attitude can inspire Liverpool to latch onto silverware.

Liverpool fans, do you want Oxlade-Chamberlain to be given opportunities in this important phase? Join the discussion by commenting below…