If Liverpool are to win the Premier League this season, they will have Jurgen Klopp and Virgil van Dijk to thank for it.

The signing of van Dijk has been one of the best bargains in football this decade, which is impressive considering the Dutch international remains the most expensive defender in history.

His physicality and style turned Liverpool from a solid top four side to genuine title contenders overnight, but despite his impact on the Reds, he shouldn’t be labelled as the ‘Premier League Player of the Season’ just yet.

There’s no doubt that van Dijk has been the best defender in the Premier League this season by a country mile and has been amongst the best performing players in the league, but to call him as the ‘Player of the Season’ when there is still six games of the season left to go is a stretch.

The title race is yet to be concluded, and run-in for a Champions League place has only just started, and players are and have been performing on par with van Dijk, mainly Sergio Aguero and Raheem Sterling of Manchester City, are also in contention for the Player of the Season award.

The trio will likely be the favourites for the award, and if you are to argue who will likely be the player to get the accomplishment come award season you can make a good case for either of the City players claiming the prize.

We live in an era where defenders are the underrated stars, but in van Dijk Liverpool have a defensive superstar who has taken the Merseyside team from potential league chasers to genuine title contenders, and if the Reds can make it to the end of the season still top of the pile and unbroken by the pressure, the former Southampton man will emerge as the favourite for Player of the Season.

Liverpool fans, will van Dijk win Player of the Season? Let us know!

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Watford face Wolves this weekend in the semi-finals of the FA Cup and they will be hoping to reproduce the standard of performance which saw them put four past now-relegated Fulham with ease on Tuesday night.

The mood at Vicarage Road is high and Abdoulaye Doucoure has taken time to praise fellow midweek goalscorer Troy Deeney for his impact both on and off the pitch this season, per Watfordfc.com:

“I love to play with [Deeney] because he gives a lot of energy to us, and the fans as well. He is a strong striker, and he has a lot of quality.

“Against him it is very hard to defend, because when he is in a good mood he can beat anyone. He can fight against everyone. He is very good this season and I am very happy to play with him.

“Troy is the perfect captain for this team. He can be very friendly with you or can be shouting at you if you do something wrong. But you can do it with him as well. He can accept it if you have a good reason and he’s a very good captain.”

Indeed, Deeney is unafraid to make his feelings known during a game, at the training ground or even in post-match interviews – to the astonishment of Bournemouth’s Ryan Fraser – and this is why former Granada man Doucoure thinks he is the perfect candidate to both spearhead the Hornets attack and wear the armband.

Be sure to check out the incredible story of the man who rose from a Tanzanian refugee camp to become one of Australia’s biggest football stars in the video below…

The 30-year-old has struck up a lethal partnership with Gerard Deulofeu this campaign and has chalked up nine goals and five assists in 29 appearances – his best return since 2016/17 when he bagged 10, with six games still to play.

Can he lead the Hornets to FA Cup glory this season?

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In sizzling form, Marco Silva’s Everton make the trip to face Scott Parker’s relegated Fulham at Craven Cottage this weekend –  and victory can help to prove that the team really are the best of the rest in the Premier League.

The likelihood of three points

Even the most pessimistic of Toffees would be willing to admit that the likelihood of another three points on Saturday afternoon is very high indeed.

The Royal Blues have looked like world-beaters in their last three matches – dispatching of Chelsea at Goodison Park, West Ham United away and then Arsenal on home turf.

This unlikely run has not only cooled the heat on their new manager but also thrust them firmly back into the race for seventh place and to be the best of the rest in the English top-flight.

However, it’s not just the fact that maximum points on the banks of the river Thames could take them above Wolverhampton Wanderers and Leicester City and into seventh that means a triumph would be a big statement to all the other Premier League sides vying for what could be the final European spot.

How a victory can send a big message to Leicester, Watford, Wolves and co

As aforementioned, Silva’s men enter this weekend on the back of two fairly recent “Big Six” scalps but to be the best of the rest, you have to be able to beat the teams around and below you as well.

That has been the big problem for the sides battling it out for sixth place in 2018/2019, starting with the Blue Half of Merseyside themselves.

They’ve gotten Premier League results out of the likes of the Gunners, the Blues and bitter rivals Liverpool, but been bested by teams such as Newcastle United, Southampton and Brighton & Hove Albion.

It’s been no different for eighth-placed Wolves as they’ve taken three points from Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur, coupled with an embarrassing home loss to rock-bottom Huddersfield Town and away defeat at Cardiff.

By winning on Saturday, the Toffees would be showing they can be consistent against the smaller outfits as well as upsetting the bigger ones, thus staking a late claim for that all-important seventh position with the likes of Burnley and Crystal Palace, as well as Manchester United and Tottenham, still to play.

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News emerged yesterday that Newcastle United’s record signing is to miss the rest of the season with a hamstring injury.

On the chalkboard

This brings an end to the Paraguayan’s first season in England. Although he did not manage a single goal or assist, his pace in behind has completely transformed the Magpies’ attack.

Ayoze Perez has scored seven goals since Almiron joined, before that he only had three in the league,  as the speed and directness of the 25-year-old has allowed Perez and Salomon Rondon to have more space to work with, which they have exploited to great effect.

Sitting on 41 points and with Premier League safety secured for another season, Almiron’s injury is not the end of the world as it will now allow one of their summer signings to get some game time.

Perfect for Muto

Muto was signed from Mainz in a £9.5 million deal but he has found game time very hard to come by in the second-half of the season since the arrival of Almiron – he has only made 14 appearances for the Magpies so far.

He was not helped by the fact he was called up to the Asian Cup squad and thus missed December and January, before this he played in the Newcastle team that did not win in any of their first ten matches but was arguably the Magpies’ best player in that spell.

He scored a goal at Old Trafford in a 3-2 defeat  whilst he also looked busy and creative with pace and a willingness to run in behind in all of his early season performances.

Now that Almiron is out for the season, Perez and Rondon need that player who can make runs beyond the defence and create space for their partnership to blossom.

Muto would be a perfect replacement for Newcastle’s last games – they take on Brighton and Fulham with Liverpool sandwiched in-between.

The games against a relegated team and one battling relegation would probably be the best time to use the 26-year old, his pace and work-ethic would certainly trouble both defences.

Pl>ymaker FC Exclusive: Jermaine Jenas reveals why Tyne-Wear is a more intense derby than anything London can offer – check out the video below….

For Mainz Muto scored 27 in 72 appearances whilst his Japanese record is three goals in 29 games.

This suggests that Muto will be a success on Tyneside, he has had a disrupted season with injury and Asian Cup duties coupled with the arrival of Almiron, resulting in limited appearances, but these last few games should give the Japanese international a chance to impress the Toon faithful.

قررت المستشارة الألمانية، أنجيلا ميركل، ممارسة الرياضات الاحترافية خلف أبواب مُغلقة، بما ذلك في مباريات الدوري الألماني، في ظل مكافحة الحكومة الألمانية الموجة الثانية من جائحة فيروس كورونا “كوفيد – 19”.

وذكرت شبكة “espn” العالمية، أنّ قرار المستشارة الألمانية، سيم تطبيقه اعتبارًا من 2 نوفمبر القادم حتى نهاية الشهر.

وأوضحت الشبكة أنّ ذلك يعني أنّ مباريات الجمعة والسبت والأحد، في الدوري الألماني، ربما تشهد وجود بعض المُشجعين.

اقرأ أيضًا.. للمرة الثانية خلال شهر.. مارادونا يدخل العزل المنزلي بسبب كورونا

السلطات الصحية المحلية في ألمانيا، كانت وافقت على عودة الجماهير بنسبة 20%، وفي 3 أكتوبر الماضي، وشهدت مباراة بوروسيا دورتموند وفرايبورج حضورًا جماهيريًا بالفعل، حيث تواجد 11500 مُتفرج في الملعب الذي يتسع لـ81 ألف شخص.

ولكن لم يتمكن نادي بايرن ميونخ من الحصول على موافقة من السلطات على وجود حضور جماهيري، بعد تواجدهم في مباراة السوبر الأوروبي ضد إشبيلية.

As West Ham became the first team to score against and beat Tottenham at their new stadium, one man proved to be the difference in the game, defender Issa Diop.

The French centre-back was an imposing figure at the back, sweeping up anything that came his well and doing his best to tire out the Spurs attackers as they frantically looked for a goal that would further cement their top-four status, but Diop proved the difference maker and in doing so was named Man of the Match in the 1-0 win.

It wasn’t the first time the 22-year-old defender has stood out this season. Diop has quickly won over fans in east London for his impressive performances and has proven to be a shrewd signing for West Ham.

At £22 million, Diop is already paying back what the Hammers spent for him last summer from Toulouse, and whilst all the talk this season has been about Declan Rice and how he could become the next future star of West Ham, attention has been shone away from the French defender, who could be the real next sensation in east London.

Whilst Rice continues to be linked with the likes of Manchester United and Real Madrid, it’s apparent that the English international might not be around West Ham long enough to be considered the future of West Ham, especially if a club comes in for him for the reported £50 million that teams are willing to pay for the midfielder.

Diop, on the other hand, could realistically be a West Ham player for years to come.

The defender is still young at 22 and has plenty to learn in the game, but with an impressive first season in the Premier League already under his belt and the prospect of the Hammers getting better next season with new signings, Diop has what it takes to be the real future of the club.

West Ham fans, can Diop became a cult hero at the Hammers? Let us know!

A cup final win at Wembley, promotion still on the table, it’s been a brilliant season for Portsmouth, and the numbers are there to show it.

Pompey’s 3-2 win to Wycombe Wanderers last Saturday was the club’s 19th away win away from home in all competitions this season, a club record, and their 12th in the league, their best record equal to three other campaigns in the club’s 98 years of playing in the Football League.

A result on the road to either Burton or Sunderland will see the club break a new record for wins away from home in league football, and although this achievement seems possible, the club must be wary not to make this goal a primary objective.

Whilst it is nice to have a season so good that the club is breaking personal records that have stood for decades, the main goal for Portsmouth this season is to seal promotion to the Championship, with a second place finish the ideal outcome.

Focusing too much on getting wins away from home neglects the importance of other games in the season. Portsmouth have a fantastic opportunity to reach the Championship after dropping out of the English second-tier seven years ago, and if Kenny Jackett’s side are to accomplish that they have the be treating each game as important as the next.

With Barnsley showing cracks under the pressure and Pompey to travel to the Stadium of Light to face Sunderland in another must-win match, Portsmouth have the confidence and quality to sneak into the top-two and claim an automatic promotion place, but focusing on a personal record could make the club lose sight on winnable games at home, and Jackett can’t allow that to happen.

Portsmouth fans, can the club beat their away record this season? Let us know!

If there ever was a team to make the EFL Trophy interesting, it would be Portsmouth.

The final had everything. Dramatic late goals, a penalty shootout, a petition asking for the winner to be placed in the Europa League, it was truly the most memorable EFL Trophy final in years, and arguably the most talked in the edition of the final in history.

Even nowadays after the final, fans are still looking back at how good the game was and how this cup win could spur Portsmouth on to gaining promotion back to the Championship, and this final could send a ripple effect across the Football League that makes the EFL Trophy a competition teams actually want to win.

Of course, there will be some critics against this claim, after all a run in the EFL Trophy means more games are played meaning there is a greater risk to players getting injured, and the recent introduction of U-21 Premier League teams has seen fans boycott these games.

But Sunday’s final showed that getting to the final can be a big boost for the club in terms of mentality and lifting the spirits of a team and fans heading into the business end of the season and that winning the cup can act as a springboard for ending the league campaign on a high note.

Portsmouth now finds themselves as a club on a high after their first piece of silverware in over 10 years, and now both the fans and the players are more confident than ever on gaining promotion heading into the final month of the League One season.

The EFL Trophy might be the definition of a ‘Micky Mouse cup’, but the implications of a club winning it can act as a butterfly effect which ends in that team ending the season better than originally thought.

Portsmouth fans, how important will winning the EFL Trophy be in the long run for the club?

Who would have expected Fulham to be where there are now at this stage of the season?

April has only just begun, yet Fulham have already been confirmed relegated from the Premier League after just one season back in the top-flight and after a pre-season that saw the west London club spend close to £100 million on new players.

Fulham’s capitulation has been unpleasant viewing for neutrals, but their relegation provides a unique opportunity for Premier League clubs this upcoming transfer window.

With many of the Cottagers’ highest-paid players set to leave this summer, teams could find themselves with new first-team players on the cheap, and West Ham have already been linked with a move for one of Fulham’s prized assets, Aleksandar Mitrovic.

The Serbian striker has been one of the few bright spots for Fulham this season, scoring 10 goals in the league, and according to the Mirror, West Ham have their sights set on the former Newcastle frontman.

With the Hammers in need of a striker this summer, Mitrovic might just be too good an option for Manuel Pellegrini and the West Ham transfer committee to simply ignore.

Valued at £25 million on Transfermarkt, it is likely Fulham will sell the striker for a fee around this range, making Mitrovic a cheap signing for David Gold and David Sullivan, as well as being a player who ticks all the boxes for what the Hammers want from a frontman.

A force in the air, smart to break through defences, a great finisher and young enough to still grow, Mitrovic would be a great signing for West Ham this summer, and now it is up to the club to make it happen before other clubs come in for the Serbian striker.

The London Stadium needs a striking hero and Mitrovic could certainly be that, if used correctly.

West Ham fans, would you back a move for Mitrovic? If not, why not? Join the discussion by commenting below… 

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A number of Liverpool fans have called on their club to offer experienced professional James Milner a new contract at Anfield.

As it stands, Milner will see his deal with the Reds expire in June 2020. At that point, the former Leeds United youngster will be 34 years of age.

However, it seems that the majority of Liverpool supporters want the 61-time England international to pen a new contract due to his excellent form this season.

Milner has not always be in Liverpool’s starting XI, but has filled in at full-back when needed and does not give anything less than 100% when called upon.

It would not be a surprise to see Jurgen Klopp’s side move for a new midfielder in this summer’s transfer window.

Has Alisson been Liverpool’s most important signing of the season? Check out the video below to find out why Jurgen Klopp thinks so…

The club’s fans are clear when it comes to Milner, though, with many calling on the Reds to sort out a fresh deal.

A selection of the Twitter reaction can be seen below: