All posts by rastrear-estafeta.com

Birmingham City moved to within touching distance of the Championship playoffs after picking up all three points on Saturday afternoon.

Pep Clotet’s men defeated Luton Town 2-1 at St Andrew’s thanks to a late winner from striker Lukas Jutkiewicz.

The Blues opened the scoring on the stroke of half-time, quite literally, as Kristian Pedersen headed home a Maxime Colin cross with the last kick of the half.

Watch Birmingham City Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

The visiting Hatters pegged them back with just over 20 minutes left as Harry Cornick robbed the goalscorer of the ball before easily firing past goalkeeper Lee Camp.

But the 30-year-old forward was there to head home a corner to hand Clotet a vital three points at home.

Several of the Blues fanbase took to Twitter to share their thoughts on the match, with many of them singling midfielder Dan Crowley out for high praise.

One supporter claimed the former Arsenal man was playing like he’s worth £7.5m rather than the £700k they reportedly paid for him from Willem II this summer.

Another member of the St Andrew’s faithful called the 22-year-old ‘world class’ with ‘absolute bargain’ and ‘unreal’ being just two other phrases to describe his performance, while one fan went as far as saying Crowley is a Premier League footballer.

Here’s the best of the reaction:

It has been a fantastic start to his maiden season as Chelsea’s number nine for Tammy Abraham, and it’s been so good that talk of him replacing Harry Kane in England’s starting XI has emerged on social media.

The 21-year-old has scored nine goals in his first nine games in all competitions after being the given the opportunity to impress by new boss Frank Lampard.

After scoring 26 goals for Aston Villa in the Championship last season, he deserved his chance to shine, and he has taken it with both hands.

Who has been the most improved player in the EPL this season? Find out in the video below…

Of course, Harry Kane is the number one choice for Gareth Southgate, and rightly so. He is the captain, and has 26 goals in 41 games so far for the Three Lions. As such, he should start both games as England look to secure qualification for next year’s tournament.

However, it seems not everyone agrees.

A lot of England fans actually want the youngster to take the Tottenham forward’s place in the starting line-up.

They have taken to Twitter to share their thoughts, and you can see some of the best comments from the social media platform below.

This article is part of Football FanCast’s Opinion series, which provides analysis, insight and opinion on any issue within the beautiful game, from Paul Pogba’s haircuts to League Two relegation battles…

It seems that Adrien Rabiot is back on Barcelona’s radar after similar stories emerged at the beginning of the year.

Calciomercato suggest the Catalans might come back for the 24-year-old midfielder, who joined Juventus in the summer. But, really, that would simply be a pointless move by the Blaugrana.

On the chalkboard

Rabiot and Barcelona are well-known dancing partners.

The France international looked set to join the Catalan giants during the last winter transfer window but that move failed to go through and he ended up at Juve.

Watch Spanish Football Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

But, despite his obvious talent, he has failed to adjust to the squad’s needs and it seems that he’s already thinking of a possible way out to a team that can offer him more game time.

This season, he has only featured in three games in Serie A and has tallied just 194 minutes in the process. But it’s unlikely that Barcelona would be able to give him more than that for one simple reason – they have no actual need of him.

Completely overbooked

If Rabiot is looking for more game time and a bigger role away from Juventus, it’s unlikely he would find it in Catalonia.

Barcelona have far too many midfielders in their squad as it is.

Watch Lionel Messi and Gareth Bale answer the internet’s weirdest questions in the video below…

Currently, there are eight midfielders fighting for three spots in the middle of the park. So bringing in another one would potentially damage the development of their young stars such as Riqui Puig and Carles Alena, rendering the pursuit of Rabiot a rather pointless exercise.

That is not to say Rabiot is without quality. .

This season, in the limited chances he’s been given, he has managed to average 1.3 shots, 2.3 tackles and 1.3 interceptions per game, meaning he would make for a solid defensive midfielder.

But with both Frenkie de Jong and Sergio Busquets still going strong, it’s difficult to see any actual need of a new player in the middle of the pitch.

Calciomercato do suggest no contact has been confirmed as of yet.

Taking everything into account, it would probably be for the best if it stayed that way.

The defender’s attitude is exactly what Wolves need right now.

The Midlands club may not have won a game in the Premier League this season, but they haven’t stopped believing in the manager’s ideas yet.

Watch Wolverhampton Wanderers Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

The Spaniard realises that hard work is what’s needed to get through this brown patch, and if everyone is pulling in the same direction they should be able to get themselves out of the trouble they currently find themselves in.

Whether or not the players respond to the left-back’s call to action remains to be seen, but his attitude is seemingly impeccable at this point in time.

This article is part of Football FanCast’s Opinion series, which provides analysis, insight and opinion on any issue within the beautiful game, from Paul Pogba’s haircuts to League Two relegation battles…

When things are going well in football, there is always the possibility that everything could come crashing down.

The manager could get poached by another club.

A star player could potentially want out.

Or simply, the pressure of maintaining such good form could overcome the players.

In this instance, the first point is the one under the spotlight as far as Charlton are concerned, amid James Nursey’s report linking Lee Bowyer with a move to Stoke.

Potters boss Nathan Jones has overseen a club-record winless run of 10 games on home soil at Stoke, and his job looks on the line as results show few signs of improving.

As a result, Addicks boss Bowyer has been linked with a move to the bet365 Stadium along with David Moyes and Chris Hughton – as Nursey mentions in his tweet – and it is something that the south Londoners will simply have to get used to.

Bowyer has worked miracles since replacing Karl Robinson at The Valley, taking a side languishing in ninth place in League One – with just one win in their last eight games – to a side now sat sixth in the Championship following a start to the season that merited four wins and two draws from the opening six games.

It is always attractive to prospective suitors to see a manager perform such a significant transformation, while Bowyer’s work under tight financial restrictions with Roland Duchatelet looking to sell the club only adds more gloss to his work.

Clubs such as Stoke will presumably look at Bowyer and think: “If he can do that with such little resources, imagine what he could do for us with a bit more money”.

Nationality arguably makes Bowyer that bit more desirable too. While foreign managers can often do a fantastic job – such as Daniel Farke and David Wagner – knowing the nuances of the English game and being aware of good-value players in the lower leagues can go a long way to being successful in the Championship.

Sheffield United boss Chris Wilder is a fantastic example of the aforesaid. The Blades manager navigated his side into the Premier League from League One with a predominantly British side, his vast experience in the English game proving fruitful.

Tellingly, this specific Stoke link comes just weeks after Bowyer was also linked with a move to Huddersfield after Jan Siewert was sacked by the Terriers, although they later appointed Danny Cowley.

Unfortunately, amid the good times at The Valley, these pestering reports linking Bowyer with a move away is just something the south Londoners will have to get used to.

[ad_pod ]

Everton play their first game in over two weeks on Tuesday when they travel to Cardiff, and Marco Silva should attempt to replicate his former club’s performance against the Bluebirds.

When Silva swapped Vicarage Road for Goodison Park, Everton fans were certain he had made the right decision, but the manager has come under intense scrutiny recently.

The Toffees have lost five of their last six games in all competitions, and the only win in that period was a 1-0 victory over last-placed Huddersfield.

A trip to the Cardiff City stadium to take on the Bluebirds represents a chance to get back on track though after Watford pummelled the Welsh outfit 5-1 on Friday night, and Silva should take a page out of Javi Gracia’s book and deploy a 4-2-2-2 formation on Tuesday night.

On the chalkboard

Watford set up with a pretty traditional back four on Friday night, but Gracia switched things up in midfield, pushing his wide players further forward and more central.

By doing this, the Hornets were able to create situations where the attacking players outnumbered Cardiff’s back three, something Troy Deeney and ex-Toffee Gerard Deulofeu took full advantage of, scoring all five goals between them.

Silva and Everton have the players to replicate this strategy if Cardiff continue with a back three, and the pace, skill and guile of both Ademola Lookman and Bernard make them perfect for those advanced positions in midfield.

At the base of midfield, a combination of any two of Andre Gomes, Idrissa Gueye and Tom Davies should be more than capable of fulfilling the roles that Etienne Capoue and Abdoulaye Doucoure carried out on Friday night.

Boost for Richarlison

The biggest beneficiary of this system could be Richarlison, who has lost his way a little bit during the Toffees’ poor run of form.

The 21 year-old has bagged ten Premier League goals this season, but has cut an increasingly isolated and frustrated figure recently, particularly when deployed up front on his own.

Putting him in the Deulofeu role, with a traditional target man like Cenk Tosun carrying out Deeney’s duties, would allow him much more space to get on the ball and work his magic.

It may hurt Silva’s pride, but the man who replaced him at Vicarage Road dropped a master-class in Wales on Friday night and he would be a fool not to try and emulate it.

[ad_pod ]

A number of Aston Villa fans have insisted that Frederic Guilbert was the club’s best player in Monday’s Premier League clash with West Ham United.

On Tuesday afternoon, Villa asked the club’s supporters to pick their Man of the Match from the league affair – offering Bjorn Engels, Tyrone Mings, Marvelous Nakamba and John McGinn as the four options.

However, a number of the fans have claimed that Guilbert was the team’s star man in the goalless draw with Manuel Pellegrini’s side – and they have a point.

Watch Aston Villa Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

Indeed, according to WhoScored, the 24-year-old made four tackles, won three aerial duels and had one shot during an all-action performance.

Guilbert was actually replaced in the latter stages with Keinan Davis thrown on in an attempt to win the match.

However, the Villa supporters still insisted that the 24-year-old should have picked up the team’s MOTM award. A selection of the Twitter reaction can be seen below:

Donny van de Beek is undergoing a medical at Everton ahead of his loan move from Manchester United, Sky Sports News have revealed.

The lowdown

It emerged on Sunday that Van de Beek had opted to join The Toffees for the remainder of the 2021/22 season.

Crystal Palace were also interested in the Dutchman, but he’ll instead take up the opportunity to work under Frank Lampard on Merseyside.

Everton have agreed to foot the entirety of his £120,000-per-week salary for the duration of the loan period.

The £22.5million-rated midfielder has only played 380 minutes in all competitions this season and is yet to start a Premier League game.

The latest

Referring to Sky Sports’ ‘State of Play’ transfer tacker, presenter Tom White said Van de Beek’s move was now a step closer to completion.

“Everton are close to signing him on loan after agreeing a deal with Manchester United,” he said.

“It [the transfer tacker] says ‘in talks’. In the last few seconds, that has changed because [he’s having a] medical now.

“That has just come into us in the last few seconds, a fresh update to us.”

The verdict

Completing the signing of Van de Beek would make it a very solid January for Everton.

They’ve found a long-term successor for Seamus Coleman in the form of Nathan Patterson, and also moved quickly to replace Lucas Digne with the signing of another youngster, Vitaliy Mykolenko.

Anwar El-Ghazi, on loan from Aston Villa, adds depth to the squad, and Van de Beek, billed ‘close to perfect’ by BT Sport’s Owen Hargreaves, should inject real quality.

In other news, fans were buzzing over this news on a defender. 

Rangers have not been reluctant when it comes to spending money to bring new players to the club over the past few years.

However, one player with whom the Gers were linked in recent memory but didn’t end up making a move to Ibrox is Joey Veerman, and missing out on him could now be a great source of regret for the Light Blues.

Back in April 2021, The Scottish Sun reported that Rangers were interested in signing the Dutch midfielder from his previous club Heerenveen.

The 23-year-old, who has been described as a player who “looks beyond his years” by coach Robert Molenaar, ended up staying where he was last summer before eventually making the move to PSV Eindhoven in January in a deal worth a reported €6m (£4.9m).

In his 18 league appearances for Heerenveen in the first half of the current campaign, the midfielder scored three goals and provided six assists, earning himself an overall performance rating of 7.32/10 from WhoScored, making him their second-highest rated player.

Things have just been as impressive for the 23-year-old since joining PSV, having scored two goals and provided four assists in just nine league appearances, earning an overall rating of 7.29/10 to become third-highest rated player at the club according to WhoScored.

Taking all this into account, it’s safe to say that Ross Wilson dropped the ball by not securing a deal which would have seen Veerman join Rangers, based on what he has done on the pitch for Heerenveen and PSV this season.

Given the midfielder’s young age and the fact that Rangers currently have the likes of Aaron Ramsey, Scott Arfield and Steven Davis in their squad – who have all hit the age of 30 and are set to become free agents at the end of the season – Veerman could have been an ideal long-term midfield option for the Gers and would have been worth the investment.

Alas, it seems as though the Ibrox club will just have to live with their mistake and hope that they don’t miss out on any other reported transfer targets when the opportunity presents itself to strike.

In other news: Van Bronckhorst’s £3.6m-rated “leader” can be Rangers’ “real handful” in Old Firm

Newcastle United are reportedly now in talks to sign Benoit Badiashile in the January transfer window.

The Lowdown: Carlos closer?

News broke out on Tuesday evening that Diego Carlos has now handed in an official transfer request to Sevilla to try and force a move through to St. James’ Park.

However, a transfer fee has not been agreed between the two clubs yet, meaning that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) consortium may still be looking at other targets in the centre-back position given their desperation in that area.

One of those could well be Badiashile, of whom they have been strongly linked to this month.

The Latest: Badiashile talks

As per L’Equipe (via Sport Witness), talks between the North East side and AS Monaco have continued ‘in recent hours’, and the former have already made an offer worth €40m (£33.3m), which has since been rejected.

Monaco have ‘no intention’ of letting Badiashile leave in this window, unless the Tyneside outfit can come up with a much improved offer.

He is also injured and expected to be out for ‘three to four weeks’, which may complicate the deal further.

The Verdict: Pay the money!

Whatever sum of money it would take to bring in Badiashile this window, the Magpies should simply pay it.

They currently have the second-worst defensive record in the Premier League, and the Frenchman would certainly help improve that.

Dubbed as a ‘tenacious‘, ‘strong‘ and ‘fast‘ player by Football Talent Scout Jacek Kulig, Badiashile has everything that a modern central defender needs in the top flight, and at just 20 years of age, has so much potential.

He would be a great alternative to Carlos should that deal fall through, as he actually averages more tackles and interceptions than him in their respective domestic leagues so far this season (WhoScored), and so this is one that the new owners should not be sleeping on.

In other news, find out which former Prem star NUFC are now interested in here!