Liverpool fans heap praise on Alisson

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Loads of Liverpool fans have been reacting to the weekend’s action, and they’re once again absolutely full of praise for summer signing Alisson Becker.

Liverpool were forced to settle for a draw at Old Trafford on Sunday, spurning a golden opportunity to move three points clear of Manchester City.

The Reds started brightly against their old foes, but completely lost their rhythm as the game waned on, failing to create any clear-cut chances.

The Red Devils weren’t exactly carving their opponents up either, as they were limited to just one golden chance.

Romelu Lukaku’s smart pass found Jesse Lingard six yards out, but Liverpool’s Brazilian shot-stopper smothered it instantly and expertly, looking completely comfortable in an extremely hostile atmosphere.

Alisson arrived at Anfield last summer for a fee worth up to £66.8m, per BBC, and the 26 year-old has fixed perhaps the club’s most long-running weak spot in the squad.

He has 15 clean sheets already in the Premier League this season, just two less than the last Liverpool goalkeeper to win the league’s Golden Glove award – Pepe Reina kept 15 clean sheets in the 09/10 season.

You can find some of the best Twitter reactions down below, where fans have highlighted the number 13 as Sunday’s silver lining…

West Ham fans react to Andy Carroll departure rumour

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Hopeful West Ham United fans have been reacting on Twitter to news that striker Andy Carroll could be leaving at the end of the season when his contract at the London Stadium expires, per The Daily Mail.

Post-match comments made by Manuel Pellegrini after the defeat to Cardiff City on Saturday afternoon suggest that the injury-prone striker has another knock, having been left out of the matchday squad, and it’s not known when he will return.

Carroll has made just three league starts this campaign under the Chilean and with fans getting increasingly impatient with the tall forward’s injury record and poor form, it’s understood that the club are not so keen on renewing his contract at the end of 2018/2019. Not least because it would involve giving the 30-year-old a substantial pay rise.

Since joining the Hammers at the start of the 2012/2013 season, initially on loan, the 6 foot 4 frontman has made just 142 appearances and frustrated the club no end with his continuing injury woes.

This, coupled with the pay rise and the fact that he’s netted just once in all competitions in the best part of a year, fails to make a contract renewal an attractive proposition for Pellegrini.

Check out some of the best Twitter reactions from mostly-joyous Hammers, below…

Leeds ready to let Kemar Roofe’s contract run down, taking a big risk

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According to a report in The Daily Mail, Leeds United have postponed new contract talks with top goalscorer Kemar Roofe until the summer when he will only have 12 month remaining on his deal, and they will live to regret it.

What’s the word, then?

Well, The Daily Mail says that owner Andrea Radrizzani could be forced to sell unless the Yorkshire outfit win promotion this term, but their financial concerns with the Yorkshire outfit reportedly going “all in” on going up is behind the club policy to delay contract talks.

As a result, the Whites are clearly willing to let Roofe’s deal continue to run down rather than acting and rewarding him for his performances this season now.

The 26-year-old has scored 14 goals in 26 Championship appearances for Leeds during the current campaign, although he is out for the foreseeable future after suffering a knee injury.

What happens in the summer?

Well, according to The Daily Mail report it seems clear that the attacker’s situation will be resolved when it is clear what division the Yorkshire club find themselves in for the 2019/2020 season.

It is hardly a good sign for Roofe however that such an important player finds himself with just one year remaining on his contract come the summer, and there are certainly more than a few parallels to the fiasco regarding Chris Wood in the summer of 2017, when he was offered new terms on a soon-to-be ending deal before leaving for Burnley.

In addition, the marksman was linked with a number of Premier League teams including Newcastle United during the January transfer window, and whether the Whites return to the ‘promised land’ or not come what May, he could be tempted to take one of them if there is still interest later this year.

Tottenham aren’t good enough for Harry Kane and Christian Eriksen

Tottenham have seen their title challenge typically ripped apart over the last seven days, and it proves why their biggest stars need to move on before they win silverware.

Losses to Burnley and Chelsea and a draw against Arsenal on Saturday took them from being almost two points behind then leaders Man City to now being 10 points behind them. It’s been followed by an exclusive in the Sunday Mirror claiming Real Madrid are prepared to use Gareth Bale as a makeweight to brink Spurs maestro Christian Eriksen to the Bernabeu.

This move would be ideal for the Dane, who must be getting rather disillusioned at spending the prime of his career at a club who can’t even organise the building of a stadium, nevermind win a trophy. This is probably the reason he’s reportedly stalled on signing a new deal at the club, and who could blame him if he leaves?

Harry Kane is the other star who simply needs to be playing for one of the best clubs in world football and not one that can’t even mount a challenge of a domestic trophy. In the opinion of most, he’s the best striker in the world at the moment, but the game is fickle and he could quickly be overshadowed by another fresh talent in the years to come.

He, like Eriksen, needs to make a move now.

Madrid would be ideal for both considering the club are going through what they’d probably deem as a crisis at the moment, because they’re not in line for any trophies the way they’re playing. However, it just proves the difference between them and Manchester United compared to Spurs who are applauded when they come close to challenging.

The gap is huge, and it’s too huge for even those two great players to fill.

It would be a huge shame if they both wasted their careers merely competing in competitions rather than challenging to win them, but that appears to be what they’d be resigned to if they stay loyal to Spurs.

What do you think is the next best step for Christian Eriksen and Harry Kane?

Sheffield Wednesday fans heap praise on Rolando Aarons

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Sheffield Wednesday took a step closer to the play-off places with an impressive 2-0 away win against strugglers Bolton Wanderers on Tuesday.

The win meant that Owls boss Steve Bruce remains unbeaten in his time in charge at Hillsborough, having now taken charge of nine games. 

Steven Fletcher’s fine form continued too. The 31-year-old Scot opened the scoring, marking his fourth goal in his last five Championship outings, as per Transfermarkt’s stats. Wednesday’s second goal came courtesy of a newer addition though, as Newcastle United loanee Rolando Aarons opened his account for the club.

The 23-year-old winger arrived on loan from St James’ Park in January, and has since established himself as a regular in Bruce’s side. In recent weeks, the young Englishman looks to have grown in confidence and his goal comes as a reward for his consistently impressive performances.

After the match, plenty of Owls fans took to Twitter to congratulate the attacker on his fine display…

2 crucial things Solskjaer must do to ensure Man United cement top four finish

Manchester United sit just two points outside of the Champions League places after their recent resurgence in the league seems to have dipped a bit.

Manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has turned things round at Old Trafford, and he deserves tremendous credit for getting the club back to winning ways following a miserable spell under Jose Mourinho.

With the top four in sight then, we at the Tavern feel that there has to be a few things on the mind of Solskjaer as he prepares to get his team ready to mount a charge at securing a top four spot, and there will no doubt be a host of things the Norwegian needs to do.

That got us thinking here in the Tavern in a bit more detail, and with that thought in mind, we looked at TWO crucial things that Solskjaer must do in the coming weeks to ensure Man United finish in the top four…

Balance the Champions League with the Premier League

Soccer Football – Premier League – Newcastle United v Manchester United – St James’ Park, Newcastle, Britain – January 2, 2019 Manchester United interim manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer gestures REUTERS/Scott Heppell EDITORIAL USE ONLY. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or “live” services. Online in-match use limited to 75 images, no video emulation. No use in betting, games or single club/league/player publications. Please contact your account repres

United’s progression past PSG in the last round of the Champions League ensures that the Red Devils remain in with a big shout of winning Europe’s premier competition.

However, this could well be to the detriment of their league form, with the games coming thick and fast at this crucial stage of the campaign.

Soskjaer will need to ensure he gets the balance just right to make sure United keep progressing.

Keeping his squad motivated

Soccer Football – Premier League – Manchester United v Liverpool – Old Trafford, Manchester, Britain – February 24, 2019 Manchester United interim manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer applauds the fans at the end of the match Action Images via Reuters/Lee Smith EDITORIAL USE ONLY. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or “live” services. Online in-match use limited to 75 images, no video emulation. No use in betting, games or single club/league/player publicat

In such a talented group of players, there is never going to be room for everyone to get regular minutes, and this is a crucial thing for Solskjaer to keep on top of.

The likes of Romelu Lukaku and Jesse Lingard are top talents, but don’t always get the minutes they might want, while big names such as Alexis Sanchez are struggling to be selected at all.

The United boss will need to ensure all his squad remain bought into his ethos in what is the crucial phase of the season.

Everton fans react to Idrissa Gueye’s performance vs Cardiff

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Everton finally got back on the right track with a 3-0 win over Cardiff on Tuesday night, thus ending a terrible run of results that has seen them lose five of their last six games in all competitions.

There were plenty of rare positives to be taken from the comfortable victory, including the clean sheet and Gylfi Sigurdsson’s return to form. But Marco Silva and co can usually count on Idrissa Gueye to thrive in their midfield – and he stayed true to form in Wales.

The 29-year-old showed exactly why the likes of Manchester City, Arsenal and PSG were in for his signature in January with a battling display in the middle of the park, while also adding some rare skill and flair to his game – the Senegalese nutmegged Sol Bamba before feeding Dominic Calvert-Lewin, who wrapped up the points in added time.

Watch how to cross the road like a boss with freestyler Ben Nuttall in the video below…

Gueye will surely remain a key player for the Toffees this season if they are to achieve the highest possible finish in the Premier League table, even if some of the Goodison Park faithful are already preparing for his departure in the summer.

Here’s how the fans on Twitter reacted to his latest performance…

بايرن ميونخ يتوصل لاتفاق مع مارسيليا لضم بونا سار

توصل نادي بايرن ميونخ الألماني إلى اتفاق مع نظيره مارسيليا، بشأن التعاقد مع بونا سار، خلال فترة الانتقالات الصيفية الجارية.

بونا سار صاحب الـ28 عامًا، أصبح أحد أهم اللاعبين في سوق الانتقالات بالنسبة لـ بايرن ميونخ، لتدعيم مركز الظهير الأيمن.

طالع أيضًا.. بايرن ميونخ يقترب من ضم مهاجم باريس سان جيرمان

إذاعة “RMC” الفرنسية، أفادت بأن بايرن ميونخ توصل لاتفاق مع مارسيليا، بشأن التعاقد مع اللاعب الفرنسي من أصول غينيه، لتدعيم الجبهة اليمنى.

بايرن ميونخ كان يريد التعاقد مع سيرجينو ديست، لكن اللاعب الأمريكي قرر الرحيل إلى برشلونة من أياكس، وهو ما دفع الفريق الألماني للبحث عن ظهير أيمن آخر.

وشددت التقارير، على أن بايرن ميونخ توصل لاتفاق مع مارسيليا، للتعاقد مع سار مقابل 10 مليون يورو، قبل عامين من انتهاء عقده.

سار انتقل إلى مارسيليا في 2015 قادمًا من ميتز، وبعد 5 سنوات، سنحت له الفرصة للالتحاق بعملاق الكرة الألمانية، وبطل دوري أبطال أوروبأ.

Perfect for Pochettino: Tottenham eyeing right-back overhaul

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Tottenham are reportedly planning a mass overhaul at the right-back position, and it could just be one of the smartest bits of business the club has managed in years.

What’s the story?

Well, according to The Sun, Everton are eyeing a move for Trippier with Mauricio Pochettino intent on replacing the Englishman this summer.

The report claims that the Spurs boss is not keen on Serge Aurier either, so there could be a total overhaul on the right side of the Lilywhites’ defence.

Tottenham are “extremely interested” in Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Max Aarons continues the report, so with two players potentially leaving, why not sign both?

Perfect for Pochettino

Daniel Levy has infuriated Spurs fans in recent transfer windows, not offering up a single penny for Pochettino to spend on his squad.

The manager has clearly felt the effects of the club’s poor transfer dealings too, as his trademark flying full backs have not been the same since Kyle Walker left the club and Danny Rose faded into obscurity.

There can be no complaints if Levy pulls off this double move though, assuming that if both Trippier and Aurier leave then two new signings will be required.

Wan-Bissaka in particular would be a stunning capture from the club, as the 21 year-old has started 27 league games this season while averaging an incredible four tackles per game.

Aarons on the other hand would offer more on the attacking end, grabbing three goals and five assists so far this campaign for Norwich, playing a crucial role in their surge for promotion.

By signing both players and shipping out the underwhelming Aurier and Trippier, Pochettino would have two young, hungry full-backs with all the athletic requirements to bomb up and down the wing week in week out, just like he did when Walker and Rose were at their best.

It would also give the boss loads of options with how he wants to set his teams up, due to the different strengths and capabilities that both players boast.

After starving him of any signings for consecutive transfer windows, Levy owes Pochettino what would be a masterful double swoop, and the boss would finally have the strength at right-back that he has been crying out for since Walker left.

Garth Crooks says James Ward-Prowse is ready for huge career step up

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Southampton’s excellent performances of late finally translated into a result as they came back from one down to win 2-1 against Spurs at the weekend, with James Ward-Prowse netting for a third consecutive game to ensure all three points remained on the south coast.

The 24-year-old’s stellar showing – and free-kick – earned him a spot in Garth Crooks’ team of the week, with the BBC Sport pundit making a bold claim that his recent performances should make him at least a possibility for Gareth Southgate’s England squad:

“It’s about time England manager Gareth Southgate introduced James Ward-Prowse into the England squad to add to the single cap he won in 2017.

“His performances against Tottenham and Manchester United in recent weeks are proof enough that the lad is ready.

“His work rate is phenomenal and his ability to take free-kicks is a tremendous asset”

Indeed, the Saints academy graduate has been in fantastic form in recent weeks and if the St Mary’s Stadium outfit evade the drop, he will have surely have been instrumental.

Watch the video below to see the most insane overhead kick you will see this week…

Ward-Prowse’s skill-set is unique and perhaps one that the Three Lions don’t yet have – sure, Kieran Trippier can take a free-kick and Jordan Henderson’s engine will ensure he always has a place in Southgate’s considerations, but Ward-Prowse offers both and more in one package.

Whether or not the number 16 would fit into the 3-4-1-2 that Southgate found success with in the summer or not is unclear but he would certainly add a different dimension to the team. Crooks may be spot on with this assessment.

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