Tag Futebol

This article is part of Football FanCast’s Pundit View series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent quotes from journalists, pundits, players and managers…

He’s made an impression, now time to see if he can turn it into being someone who can’t be dropped.

Former Forest man Kenny Burns believes that Tiago Silva can be a driving force for Nottingham Forest this season, having put in a really impressive performance away at Kenilworth Road.

What’s he said?

Speaking in his usual column for Nottinghamshire Live, Burns pointed out that Silva brings something different to the game, making comparisons with his compatriot Joao Carvalho.

“He has a greater impact on the game and not only is he much more consistent than Joao Carvalho, he’s also got a tackle in him, unlike his compatriot. If you didn’t know that one of the Portuguese lads cost £13m and the other didn’t, you’d think it was Silva – he’s a different class.”

Find out what happened when a world-record-holding freestyler attempting skills with the worst pair of boots available on eBay in the video below…

Constant chopping and changing

It’s true that Silva had a good game against Luton Town, completing 26 passes for an average of 84% (via WhoScored), but he is just one example that if someone is good enough to be in the team, they need to stay there.

He has played in all 14 games for Forest this season, but only starting eight of them. The problem with Forest is that there doesn’t seem to be one set team. They have only named an unchanged team once this season, and that was for the first two games of the campaign against West Bromwich Albion and Leeds United.

Whether it be a small change like who plays on the right-hand side between Albert Adomah or Joe Lolley, or major changes like switching formations from his 4-3-3/4-1-4-1 hybrid to more of a 4-4-2, there is always something up the Frenchman’s sleeve to keep the opponents and to an extent those associated with the club as well guessing.

Whilst those methods seemed to work very much in his favour during their ten-game unbeaten run, it’s a system that can’t be sustainable through the season. This article from FourFourTwo in the wake of Leicester winning the title back in 2015/16 laid out precisely why keeping the same eleven can be a huge benefit to a side.

Eventually, Lamouchi has got to come up with his best side, and get a settled one together. A change every now and then is fine to deal with injuries/suspensions/rest, but to do it every week would just be asking too much of the players.

Some QPR fans have taken to Twitter to express their concerns over the defence, following the 2-2 draw against Reading on Tuesday night.

Mark Warburton’s side conceded their 22nd and 23rd goals of the campaign against the Royals, who are unbeaten since Mark Bowen stepped into the hotseat on the 14th October.

The R’s remain the only side in the Championship yet to keep a clean sheet after 13 league games, which is an extremely worrying statistic to say the least.

The Londoners have no problem scoring goals, having scored 23 in 13 games – the same amount as they have shipped, but no other side in the top 14 have conceded more than 20.

Warburton’s men have scored the joint second-most goals in the division alongside Fulham, but only bottom-placed Barnsley have conceded more – their is a real imbalance between defence and attack at the Kiyan Prince Foundation Stadium.

Let’s take a look at what the concerned QPR fans on Twitter were saying after the 2-2 draw…

The first Madrid derby of the ongoing 2019/20 La Liga season is now behind us.

Unfortunately, however, it ended with no goals on the night as Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid shared the spoils of war in a goalless draw.

Be that as it may, Zinedine Zidane will definitely be happy that he managed to avoid defeat at a rather difficult venue and against a tricky opponent.

Watch Spanish Football Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

The fans also voiced their opinions and it seems that they were really impressed by one individual’s great performance at the Wanda Metropolitano stadium.

Toni Kroos is very much a key part of Zidane’s squad and if their reactions and comments on social media and Twitter are anything to go by, lots of the fans were delighted with his display against Atletico Madrid.

Many of them called the 29-year-old the man of the match and swarmed his account with compliments such as “maestro”.

You can see some of those replies down in the collection of tweets below:

Tottenham Hotspur’s frustrating start to the 2019/20 season went from bad to worse as they were thrashed 7-2 on their own patch by Bayern Munich on Tuesday night.

A Champions League clash against the Bundesliga giants in their new stadium should have been an occasion to remember for the club, but it turned into a nightmare in the second half as the north London outfit collapsed and conceded three goals in five minutes in the latter stages of the contest.

While Jan Vertonghen started in defence, Christian Eriksen only had the chance to make a difference from the substitutes’ bench when he replaced Tanguy Ndombele – one of the only players on the night to receive any credit from Spurs supporters – in the 64th minute, but he failed to do so.

Both players looked dejected and had looks of anguish on their faces as they left the pitch at full-time, and you wonder whether the result could have an impact on their respective futures.

Vertonghen is reported to be in talks with Tottenham over a new contract with his current one due to expire next summer, although the north London outfit are seemingly unwilling to offer the 32-year-old more than a 12-month extension.

Meanwhile, Eriksen is in a similar boat to his Belgian teammate in terms of his deal expiring, but he appears determined to make his exit either in January or at the end of the season given he has rejected every offer he has had from Daniel Levy, as per Marca.

يعتقد رئيس كالياري توماسو جوليني أن كريستيانو رونالدو كان يجب أن يتلقى بطاقة حمراء، في مباراة الفريق أمام يوفنتوس.

كان رونالدو الشخصية الرئيسية بلا شك في ساردينا أرينا، حيث سجل 3 أهداف في أول 32 دقيقة في مباراة حسمها يوفنتوس بالفوز (3-1) في الدوري الإيطالي.

رونالدو أصاب الحارس أليسيو كراجنو في الذقن بحذائه، خلال تحركه في إحدى الكرات قبل ثلاثية يوفنتوس.

تم منح رونالدو بطاقة صفراء للعب خطير، لكن يعتقد الكثيرون أنه كان يجب أن تكون بطاقة حمراء مباشرة.

اقرأ أيضًا.. رونالدو: لم أكن أحلم بتخطي رقم بيليه.. ورحلتي مع يوفنتوس لن تنتهي

وقال الرئيس جوليني لشبكة “سكاي سبورت إيطاليا”: “لم نقدم شوطًا أولًا جيدًا، حيث افتقرنا إلى الشراسة والعدوانية واللعب من القلب”.

وأضاف: “آمل أن أرى موقفًا مختلفًا تمامًا عندما نلعب مع سبيزيا الأسبوع المقبل، لم نحصل حتى على بطاقة صفراء واحدة وأعتقد أن هذا يعكس مدى خجول أدائنا”.

وتابع جوليني: “أشعر بخيبة أمل حقًا من الطريقة التي تعامل بها اللاعبون مع هذا الأمر، لكنني قبل كل شيء منزعج لأن رونالدو لم يتم طرده، ذلك كان سيغير المباراة”.

واستطرد: “كانت لعبة خطيرة، لقد عرضت سلامة حارس مرمانا للخطر وبالتالي يجب أن يعاقب ببطاقة حمراء، هذا ما تنص عليه اللوائح”. 

وأتم جوليني: “ومع ذلك، آمل أن يكون هذا الأداء مجرد عثرة، لأنني لم أر نفس الموقف كما في المباريات الأخيرة، إذا أردنا البقاء في السيريا آ، فنحن بحاجة إلى نهج مختلف تمامًا”. شاهد تدخل كريستيانو رونالدو على حارس كالياري 

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Some Tottenham fans have taken to Twitter to react after Pep Guardiola called them ‘the second best team in Europe’.

The Manchester City boss was speaking ahead of his side’s fixture against the north Londoners at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday, where the Spaniard will presumably be looking for revenge after last season’s Champions League tie at the same venue.

Mauricio Pochettino’s men knocked the Citizens out of the Champions League at the quarter-final stage thanks to some late VAR-assisted dramatics, resulting in the former Barcelona boss sinking to his knees after finding out Raheem Sterling’s goal had been chalked off.

Whether or not Guardiola is simply speaking his mind or trying to play mind games with Tottenham is a mystery to us all, but if he is being genuine, then it’s a real compliment from arguably the best manager in the game right now.

Let’s see how some Tottenham fans on Twitter reacted to Guardiola’s comments…

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Sky Italia report via Sky Sports that Manchester United are plotting a £72m bid for Sergej Milinkovic-Savic, who enjoyed another impressive season with Lazio in 2018/19, scoring five goals and chalking up three assists from midfield.

The Red Devils have already spent pretty big this summer, with Aaron Wan-Bissaka arriving from Crystal Palace for £50m and £15m-rated Daniel James trading the Liberty Stadium for Old Trafford, although Ole Gunnar Solskjaer isn’t done there – departures in 2019, including Marouane Fellaini and Ander Herrera, have left the Norwegian short of options in midfield.

Spaniard Herrera joined PSG after the expiry of his contract with United despite having been the 13-time Premier League winners’ second-best performer last term, averaging a 6.96 rating according to WhoScored.

The task of replacing the former Athletic Bilbao man’s well-roundedness in the middle of the park is neither enviable or cheap and, if the Serb is the player Solskjaer wants, Milinkovic-Savic has some key improvements to make if he is to be a suitable replacement. Read on to find out the three key stats which expose the 24-year-old’s shortcomings…

Tackles

In this department, Herrera blew his United competition out of the water last term, completing an impressive 2.5 tackles per game – Matteo Darmian comes close with 2.3, although the Italian managed just five league starts. Even Nemanja Matic, whom Jose Mourinho described as “everything we want in a footballer”, averaged a measly-in-comparison 1.8 tackles per game – he’s the defensive hub of the team!

How did Matic’s countryman, Milinkovic-Savic, fare in this area of the game then? Well, he recorded 1.4 tackles per game and, while this isn’t key to his style, it’s crucial that he makes improvements in this area if he is to even replace Herrera, let alone be an upgrade on the 29-year-old.

Interceptions

If the 6 foot 3 powerhouse’s tackling needs some work, then he should be putting plenty of hours into improving his ability to intercept the ball, too – the 20-cap international cuts out a pass just 0.9 times per game, whereas Herrera did so 1.7 times per game last term.

The PSG new boy is excellent at reading the game, with his ‘ball interception’ and ‘defensive contribution’ both listed as ‘Very Strong’ by WhoScored – he shares the latter with Milinkovic-Savic, but the Spanish-born star’s numbers don’t come close to Herrera’s.

Of course, given that the gigantic midfielder has Lucas Leiva, who completes an astonishing 3.4 tackles and 2 interceptions per game, behind him at Lazio, there is less of a requirement for Milinkovic-Savic to help his team out on the back foot – with Paul Pogba thriving given freedom of the field at Old Trafford, though, ‘Sergej’ will have to get used to getting his hands dirty should he sign for United this summer.

Passing accuracy

Herrera is far from being just an enforcer, with the 6 footer averaging a healthy passing success rate of 87.8% last term – the fourth-highest of all Red Devils players – and this is an area in which Milinkovic-Savic suffers, as the Biancocelesti number 21 finds a teammate with just 79% of his attempted passes. Had he played for United last season, this figure would place him below even Fellaini, according to WhoScored.

If you think the rumoured £80m for Harry Maguire is too much, check out how much his potential replacement will cost in the video below…

What Milinkovic-Savic does excel at, though, is playing the passes that matter – the Serb completed 1.5 key passes per game last campaign, whereas Herrera managed 0.7.

There is little doubt that the former Genk man offers far more on the front foot – he takes more shots, completes more dribbles and is fouled more often (according to WhoScored) but, if he is indeed to replace Herrera, then these weaker areas of his game need fixing.

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Tottenham Hotspur fans are in love with the club’s new kits.

Spurs released their strips for the 2019/20 season on Thursday via a series of tweets.

Made by Nike, the home strip obviously retains the iconic white, while also looking to honour the club’s motto of “To dare is to do”.

The away kit is a blue number with a pattern in the top half and a white AIA sponsorship and Spurs badge; the home kit has a red AIA logo.

The club have yet to announce the release of their third kit after last season’s green effort became iconic, as it was worn in the club’s phenomenal comeback victory over Ajax in the second leg of the Champions League semi-final.

Despite that, fans are thrilled with the kits already released as the 2019/20 season looms.

Spurs will first wear their kits in pre-season, with games against Juventus and Manchester United looming.

Watch Tottenham Hotspur Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

Take a look at the best of the reaction below!

Manchester United are very, very interested in Barcelona centre-back Samuel Umtiti as a backup to Harry Maguire, according to Le10 Sport (via Sport Witness).

It is being reported by the French publication that the Old Trafford giants would be willing to put down a bid just short of the Catalan club’s valuation of the France international.

However, Manchester United aren’t the only club in the north-west interested in Umtiti, with rivals Manchester City also said to have made an enquiry for the 25-year-old.

The interest in Umtiti comes after a hold up in negotiations with Leicester City for Maguire, which is said to have the player feeling furious.

With the holdup in negotiations with Leicester City, having a contingency plan is beneficial for the club. It seems the former Olympique Lyonnais man forms part of a centre-back target list. Just last week the club were said to have made a bid for Benfica centre-half Ruben Dias, as well as having been linked with moves for West Ham United’s Issa Diop and Napoli’s Kalidou Koulibaly.

Given Ole Gunnar Solskjaer side’s poor defensive record last season, reinforcements are a must. However, the Frenchman comes with one big red flag and that is his recent injury history. In the last two seasons, Umtiti has missed 40 games, 28 last season and 12 in the 2017/2018 season.

While Manchester United definitely need reinforcements in defence, Umtiti is ultimately not the man for them. Maguire, Koulibaly, and Dias all have far better injury records and would provide less hassle than the 25-year-old in that sense.

As well as Umtiti’s injury record, he doesn’t fit the mould of what Solskjaer is seemingly attempting to build at the club: buying homegrown players. Someone like Maguire fits that mould and should be chased instead.

Manchester United fans, would Umtiti be a good alternative to Maguire? Let us know your thoughts in the comment section below!

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According to Sky Sports, Crystal Palace have rejected a bid worth up to £50m from Manchester United for Aaron Wan-Bissaka, although the report also states that the Eagles would accept the same fee up front, with the Red Devils currently offering an initial £35m plus £15m in add-ons.

If this discrepancy is to be the final obstacle between the player and a switch to Old Trafford, then it seems possible that the 21-year-old will leave Selhurst Park this summer. However, there is no doubt he will be sorely missed, even at that price.

On the chalkboard

Palace’s number 29 is likely to only get better and – especially considering the premium placed on young, English talents these days – he could command a greater fee even after just one more season of top flight football with the SE7 outfit.

On the other hand, the 6 ft talent has just one full season of Premier League action under his belt and full-backs, generally speaking, are amongst the more replaceable players in any team. Palace would arguably be more than justified, then, in snapping United’s hand off if they do indeed come back with £50m upfront.

So why would Wan-Bissaka’s departure be felt so much at Selhurst Park?

A significantly weaker right side

With £50m in the bank, Palace could easily sign a solid right-back and then have some to spare, but rarely can full-backs get fans on their feet if they’re not whipping in inch-perfect crosses or firing home long-range efforts – Wan-Bissaka is a key exception.

The academy graduate’s timing in his tackle and sheer determination to get back and snuff out danger has made him a fan favourite amongst the Selhurst Park faithful, while also making the Eagles’ right side near impenetrable.

Are Crystal Palace right to slap a £100m valuation on Wilfried Zaha’s head? Check out the video below to see why they are…

Last season, Wan-Bissaka averaged 3.7 tackles and 2.4 interceptions per game. To illustrate how impressive that is, he ranked in the top ten of all Premier League players on both fronts. The local lad was also dribbled past just 0.3 times per game in 2018/19 – the least in his position for players who have made more than 15 appearances.

It’s pretty safe to assume then, barring some incredible scouting, that Palace will struggle to replace that level of solidity this summer – a level of solidity that has the club rating Wan-Bissaka at £50m. And for a team whose survival last term very much owed to a mean defensive record, ranking sixth for clean sheets, losing such a reliable presence could have a very big effect. It chips away at Palace’s greatest strength, Wilfried Zaha’s talismanic performances excepting.

£50m is a lot of money for a team like Palace, but that doesn’t mean they’d be better off in Wan-Bissaka’s absence.