All posts by n8rngtd.top

Nothing can dampen Leeds United’s spirits.

Leeds United’s meagre two wins in eight games certainly isn’t championship material and we dare say a concerning throwback to the misery of the previous 15 years. However, unlike Paul Heckingbottom, Thomas Christiansen, Garry Monk, Steve Evans, Uwe Rosler, and the rest of the utter failures, Marcelo Bielsa has something about him.

Definitely enough to pull them out of this rut, anyhow.

But how?

Step one: encouraging the players to believe in themselves

Talking to Yorkshire Evening Post¸ Pontus Jansson was weary that he and his teammates must overcome immense pressure heading into the final stages of the season. But was quick to add that they firmly believe they are in the best position to do so. And we’re inclined to believe him.

Leeds have repeatedly rescued a result in the dying moments of the game because of their relentless work ethic, most recently securing a tough point away at Middlesbrough.

Leeds have repeatedly rescued results in the dying moments of a game simply because of how hard they work. They did it against Rotherham (one of their two recent wins) and they’ve just done it against Middlesbrough. This is the kind of ethic that gets teams places.

Fans should have every faith in what Jansson is preaching.

Step two: cultural awareness

Jansson also expressed his awareness over the fact Leeds were carrying the hopes of a “city who have woken up.”

Leeds United have been without Premier League football for 15 years now, a criminal amount of time for one of the biggest and most culturally rich clubs in the country, and we’ve always got the feeling that, over the years, players and managers have never really appreciated what this club means to fans.

Bielsa, on the other hand, seems truly aware. As does the selection of young local talent he’s brought through into the first-team.

Wise.

Arsenal could have a shortage of goalkeepers in the summer after Petr Cech announced he will be retiring from football at the end of the season and loanee David Ospina, who is set to join Italian outfit Napoli on a permanent deal in the next transfer market.

Manager Unai Emery confirmed Ospina will make his stay in Italy a permanent one in the summer (as per the Daily Star) after impressing under Carlo Ancelotti this campaign.

Ospina became Ancelotti’s first-choice keeper this season and has been pivotal to Napoli being second in the league at the moment.

The manager appeared to be adamant on pinning Ospina down on a long-term deal.

The Colombian international made the temporary move to Naples last year after Arsenal completed the signing of Bernd Leno from Bayer Leverkusen. Having started the season on the bench, Leno soon got his chance in the first-team and quickly became the club’s first-choice keeper with Cech covering in the Europa League and all the Cup games.

But now, Cech is set to call time on his magnificent career, which means Arsenal will need to do some shopping in the summer window if they were to get a proper back-up ‘keeper for Leno.

Emiliano Martinez joined Reading on loan last month and will return to the North London club once the season ended but having joined the club in 2012 already, it is highly unlikely that he will take up the role as second fiddle.

Arsenal have given no indication on if they have certain goalkeepers on their radar and the transfer window is set to be an extremely important one for the Gunners, who will lose Aaron Ramsey to Juventus when the season concludes.

Mesut Ozil’s future at the club also remains uncertain after Emery continued to snub him from the first-team in recent matches. Indeed, it seems the post-Arsene Wenger era is far more uncertain than anyone could have imagined.

It’s every club’s dream that the mega-money of the Chinese Super League would come knocking for one of their flopped stars in the hope of recuperating their initial investment. Crystal Palace are no different.

Big Christian Benteke was lauded as the saviour of Crystal Palace’s offensive woes when he arrived from Liverpool in a deal estimated to be worth £27m in 2016, a relatively large sum for the time (source: BBC Sport), but has since only managed a meagre 18 league goals in 74 appearances.

Certainly not what the club were expecting.

Now, with time running out on the Belgian’s contract, Palace are dangling his services in front of the big spenders. Those who have already invested in the likes of Marouane Fellaini, Paulinho, and Jose Fonte, amongst many more, for astronomical fees.

According to Belgian outlet HLN, Crystal Palace ‘secretly hope’ for a bid from Asia before their season starts at the beginning of March.

However, there’s one major sticking point: Christian Benteke reportedly doesn’t want to leave.

Despite the arrival of compatriot Michy Batshuayi, who looks set to occupy the starting spot, Benteke would sooner see out his contract at Selhurst Park than move halfway across the world to play his football in China.

Probably a fair decision from his perspective.

Naturally, his current club will be pushing to make the transfer happen, as they prepare for a more successful 2019/20 campaign, but at the end of day it’s Benteke’s choice.

On reflection, when we consider the original costs and the current returns, we’ve got to say it’s been one of the club’s worst investments in the past decade, and once he does move on they’ll be hoping to be far more calculated in their scouting activity.

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According to The Scottish Sun, Brendan Rodgers could raid former club Celtic for centre-back Dedryck Boyata and left-back Kieran Tierney this summer, in a move which will do his already damaged reputation amongst their fans no favours.

What’s the word, then?

Well, former Manchester City defender Boyata is out-of-contract at Celtic Park in the summer, and newly appointed Leicester boss Rodgers is keen to swoop in and bring him to the King Power Stadium.

The aforementioned report states that Rodgers will be given a huge £200m transfer kitty to put his stamp on the Foxes’ squad this summer, and Boyata and Tierney find themselves amongst names such as Callum Wilson on the former Liverpool’s mans wishlist.

Tierney is being eyed as a potential replacement for Ben Chilwell, should Manchester City move for the England international, whilst Boyata is being lined up to provide depth to a defence consisting of the declining 35-year-old Wes Morgan.

Public enemy number one at Celtic

Rodgers has already made himself hated amongst the Hoops’ fanbase after bailing on them midway through the season, in which securing a treble-treble looks a real possibility.

Neil Lennon has since been appointed on an interim basis, but Rodgers’ exit is still lingering around Celtic Park – a banner reading ‘You traded immortality for mediocrity. Never a Celt. Always a fraud’ was seen at the Bhoys’ last home game.

Should the Northern Irishman return to the place he is now hated for Boyata, and arguably the club’s best asset in Tierney, the Celtic fans will be absolutely seething. He won’t find himself welcome back in that part of the world any time soon.

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Arsenal host Manchester United at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday in what could be a season-defining clash for both clubs.

The Gunners have generally been in good form recently but suffered a wobble in midweek as they slumped to a 3-1 defeat to French club Rennes in the Europa League, which followed on from a disappointing 1-1 draw with fierce north London rivals Tottenham Hotspur.

Arsenal also have a bitter rivalry with this weekend’s opponents, Manchester United, who will be coming into this clash full of confidence.

The Red Devils have been reinvigorated since the appointment of manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and secured a magnificent result in midweek by overcoming a two goal first leg deficit to prevail over PSG in the Champions League.

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

So, will the Red Devils’ fantastic form continue, or will the home advantage come to Unai Emery’s rescue at the Emirates Stadium? 

Here’s everything you need to know ahead of the 16:30 kick-off…

What History Tells Us

Arsenal and Manchester United have a long-standing rivalry. Iconic and long-serving managers Arsene Wenger and Sir Alex Ferguson, who were in charge at the Emirates and Old Trafford, respectively, clashed for years, continually duking it out for the top prizes in English football.

In more recent years, the Manchester outfit have enjoyed the majority of the success in this famous fixture. However, between 1998 and 2005, there was rarely anything to choose between the two sides, who regularly produced spectacular clashes when they met, including 2003’s ‘Battle of Old Trafford’.

Another memorable encounter between these giants of the game would be welcome on Sunday.

Key Battle

Both Arsenal and Manchester United boast one of the most exciting striker partnerships in the Premier League.

For the Gunners, Pierre Emerick Aubameyang and Alexandre Lacazette have been prolific all season. Their off-field friendship has also seen them become favourites with the Emirates Stadium faithful, and has prevented their healthy competition for places from descending into a toxic rivalry.

However, Aubameyang has looked low on confidence since his recent late penalty miss against Spurs, and the 27-year-old Lacazette also squandered some presentable chances in that match, so Emery could be dealing a with confidence crisis amongst his strikeforce on Sunday.

Marcus Rashford and Romelu Lukaku, meanwhile, ought to be on an all-time high following their performance against PSG. Both scored vital goals against the Ligue 1 giants to complete the miraculous turnaround. They may not have had the same levels of end product as the Arsenal partnership over the course of the campaign, but they’re certainly the pair in the ascendancy at this time.

The 21-year-old England man and the 6’3” Belgian will be keen to assert their authority again this weekend, and will believe they have what it takes to do so.

Ref in Focus – Jonathan Moss

Experienced referee Jonathan Moss will be overseeing this match. He will have to call on all his wisdom and skill to maintain control of this fixture, as meetings between Arsenal and Manchester United have been known to spiral into chaos in the past.

The enmity between the two clubs is such that their matches are often heated, feisty affairs. Moss, though, will know how to deal with that. The stats suggest that the 48-year-old will not shy away from asserting his authority on proceedings.

Moss certainly won’t hesitate to show cards when required. Of the 18 referees to have taken charge of a Premier League match so far this season prior to this weekend, only two have averaged more sending offs per game than him. It wouldn’t be a huge surprise to see him add to his tally of reds on Sunday.

Team News

Emery will remain without long-term absentees Hector Bellerin, Rob Holding and Danny Welbeck, whilst Lucas Torreira is ruled out due to suspension. This leaves the Spanish coach with some defensive riddles to solve, but also essentially ensures that Granit Xhaka and Matteo Guendouzi will be paired up in the middle of the park.

As for the backline, despite having given away a penalty against Spurs, 26-year-old Germany international Shkodran Mustafi will likely be called upon to fill in at right-back once again, with Henrikh Mkhitaryan ahead of him offering protection. Meanwhile, the impressive partnership of Sokratis and club-captain Laurent Koscielny will line up in the heart of the rearguard.

After Aubameyang’s toils against Spurs and Rennes, Lacazette will probably get the nod ahead of the 58-cap Gabon international. On top of that, as has so often been the case this season, the Gunners’ 30-year-old playmaker Mesut Ozil will likely be dropped as well – meaning Arsenal’s two highest earners according to Spotrac will, at best, start on the bench.

Solskjaer’s selection will be hugely influenced by the injury woes currently plaguing his squad. Due to this, 22-year-old academy product Scott McTominay and Andreas Pereira will retain their starting berths in midfield.

However, there’s a boost for the Red Devils in the shape of Anthony Martial, who is set to make a welcome return. The 23-year-old winger was in scintillating form prior to his injury, and has nine Premier League goals to his name this season. If the 18-cap France international can pick up where he left off then the Gunners will be in trouble.

Overall, that’s two changes from the starting XI Solskjaer fielded in Paris.

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Arsenal beat Manchester United 2-0 on Sunday to take pole position in the race to qualify for the top four.

Unai Emery’s men ended Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s Premier League unbeaten run at the Emirates, with Granit Xhaka and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang on the scoresheet.

On the chalkboard

Arsenal came into the game on the back of a truly horrific European result. On Thursday, they travelled to France to face Rennes in the Europa League and were beaten 3-1 in a fevered atmosphere.

On Sunday, though, it was the Emirates that was rocking as the Gunners turned in a polished performance to down the Red Devils and place themselves in the box seat to qualify for Europe’s elite club competition.

Emery’s men are now two points clear of United in fourth and just one behind Tottenham Hotspur in third.

It would be remiss not to mention that Spurs, on the face of it, are best-placed to qualify for Europe. However, momentum is key, and they will surely be getting twitchy.

They were 10 points clear of Arsenal just a few weeks ago but they are now in real danger of being overhauled by their great rivals, particularly after their 2-1 defeat to Southampton on Saturday.

Emery set his side out perfectly against United, inviting Solskjaer’s men to attack, and telling his players to pick their moments to go forward.

Xhaka scored a strange long-range goal that will be giving David De Gea nightmares for weeks, before Aubameyang converted from the penalty spot after Alexandre Lacazette was adjudged to have been fouled in the box by Fred.

Per WhoScored, Arsenal had 46% possession, and were second in a number of departments – including dribbles, aerials won and tackles – but they were clinical, and United had no answer when they fell behind.

With eight games remaining, there are sure to be twists and turns in the race to finish in the top four. The north London club, though, appear well set. They have momentum, they are just one point behind Spurs and are two ahead of United and three clear of Chelsea.

Momentum the key

It would be a startling success for Emery if he guides Arsenal to Champions League qualification.

They have endured a difficult season, struggling for fluency at times, but he appears to have the nous to get the Gunners over the line.

Finishing ahead of both Chelsea and United would be astonishing, not least because of the latter’s form since Solskjaer took over.

There is also the prospect of overhauling Spurs, which no longer appears to be a pipe dream.

A third-placed finish – the best of the rest behind Manchester City and Liverpool – would raise Emery’s stock considerably.

With their current form, they look well on course to make that dream a reality.

Newcastle have apparently offered Rafa Benitez a written offer to extend his contract at the club, in a sign that Mike Ashley and Lee Charnley want the situation that has dragged on for months — and often in public — resolved as soon as possible.

The Newcastle Chronicle report that Benitez is relaxed about the negotiations, and is clearly in no rush, claiming “we have plenty of time”.

But is that true?

It may be that Rafa is trying the Theresa May Brexit approach — run the clock down, and hope it gives you more chance of getting everything you want in a last-minute frenzy.

But Ashley may prefer the European Union method — make your pitch, refuse to budge and wait for them to blink first.

The problem is, of course, unlike the EU negotiations — where May needs the EU deal far more than the EU need the UK to accept it — Newcastle United need Rafa, whereas he does not need them, and all the problems that come with them, as much.

Rafa knows that. Rafa knows that Ashley knows that.

So looking at it from Benitez’s perspective, he is right, there is plenty of time.

But what about the fans? They need to have the situation sorted now. It is season ticket renewal time, and with #IfRafaGoesWeGo campaigns on Twitter, and the prospect of all-out rebellion if that happens, the supporters need answers before they commit sums of money to blindly follow the club amid more broken promises and lack of ambition.

So from their view, the time for progress is now, not the end of the season — by which time it may all be too late.

So does a written offer mean anything has changed? Well, bluntly, not really.

Everyone knows that offers have been suggested and put forward to Rafa. Everyone knows it is not about the salary. Everyone knows what it will take to keep the Spaniard at St James’ Park.

The fact that the latest offer is on paper, changes little. We are not privy to what the written offer contains, of course. But to think it would be to accept lock, stock and barrel everything Rafa has asked for, would be naive in the extreme.

So cynical fans will yet again point to this looking like another Keith Bishop publicity stunt, put out to hoodwink fans into believing Ashley is the proactive voice in negotiations.

To go back to the UK Government Brexit analogy – A deal is on the table, but it is not a great deal and will not be accepted without going back to the table and negotiating a better one for all sides.

What are your thoughts on Rafa’s future Newcastle fans? Is the report of a written offer a significant step? Let us know your thoughts…

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TalkSPORT pundit Darren Gough has claimed that Tottenham Hotspur could make four signings this summer as they prepare for their first full season in the new stadium.

Spurs pulled up the curtain on their new ground on Saturday as their Under-18s beat Southampton 3-1.

What’s the word?

Gough, a former cricketer and a Barnsley fan, is employed by TalkSPORT as a pundit and regularly weighs in with his opinion on football-related matters.

Indeed, after discussing the opening of Spurs’ new stadium, Gough claimed to have worked out exactly why the club have refused to make a signing in the past two transfer windows.

He said: “I think the timing about it is absolutely perfect, what Tottenham are doing.

“Because they didn’t want to win ‘nowt’ before they got in there! Because what will happen now, is I think they will not do what Arsenal did.

“I think they will go out – they’ve not made a signing now for 18 months – they will go out there and take four new signings with them into the new stadium.

“You watch, they’ve done it on purpose!

“There’s a reason they’ve saved their money and not gone and done anything.

He doesn’t know football

Where to start with this?

Firstly, Gough claims that Spurs have saved their money in order to buy four new players. That simply isn’t true and there is evidence.

Chairman Daniel Levy tried to spend last summer, after all, making a bid worth £25million for Jack Grealish of Aston Villa. It was rejected.

Secondly, Gough claims Spurs “didn’t want to win nowt”. Nonsense.

Every single football team in the land, from Spurs to Manchester City to the team you see playing in the park on a Saturday afternoon, wants to win matches and trophies.

Gough was a very good cricketer and played with distinction for England; he too wanted to win every game.

His words here are bordering on the farcical; perhaps he should stick to the bat and ball sport instead.

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James Daly’s red and blue return on Monday afternoon could hardly have gone any better – the striker netted twice in an emphatic 3-0 win over Sheffield United in his first game for Crystal Palace in months.

The 19-year-old was sent out on loan to seventh tier Isthmian League Premier Division side Kingstonian in the summer having struck nine times in 13 league games last season, thus firing the Eagles’ development side to a league title. He has picked up where he left off in his first start under Richard Shaw since.

Despite having only just returned from injury, the hitman looked likely to score all game and delivered – although perhaps fortunately – when Kian Flanagan’s effort rebounded off the cross-bar and bounced off Daly’s boot, beating the helpless Blades custodian. There was no such luck about his second, though.

The number 9’s excellent positional awareness was showcased as he darted into the 18-yard box and deftly fired home, although he was denied the chance for a hat-trick as he was substituted at half-time. Shaw obviously didn’t want to risk his star striker too much on his first match back from injury.

Considering the mood the Palace Scholar of the Year was in, you wouldn’t have bet against him netting his third in the second half  and United can count themselves lucky that he was withdrawn – the scoreline was flattering, anyway.

Did Gareth Southgate pick Kieran Trippier over “the best full-back prospect in the world”? Bhavs makes his case in the video below…

Comfortable on the wing also, the versatile left-footer could soon follow in Aaron Wan-Bissaka’s footsteps by making the step up to the first team if his form at youth level is anything to go by. There is no doubt that Roy Hodgson will need to find another prolific striker once Michy Batshuayi returns to Chelsea – perhaps he has just that right under his nose?

Christian Benteke is a shadow of the player he was when he first came to Selhurst Park and Alexander Sorloth has a lot of work to do to reach Premier League level, while the academy has proved helpful in recent seasons. Will we see Daly line up alongside Wilfried Zaha and co in the near future?

Everyone knows of  Kevin Keegan’s Newcastle’s years as ‘The Entertainers’, remembering them as Premier League runners-up in both 1996 and 1997 and Keegan’s rant at Sir Alex Ferguson in the first of those.

But the ‘entertainer’ seeds were sown in the years before that, when they had two sixth-placed finishes in their first two seasons in the Premier League.

With sixth place, came UEFA Cup football. No group stages back then, just a straight two-legged knock-out competition until the final.

A moment in time – Newcastle United, 1994

Newcastle’s return to European action saw them drawn against Belgian side, Royal Antwerp.

It was an eagerly anticipated game, with fans excited to travel abroad to watch their side, a luxury they hadn’t been afforded in years.

And so it was, over 4,000 Geordies made their way across the north sea to descend on the city that had been 1993’s European Capital Of Culture.

For many fans, the journey started at 3am on the Tuesday morning. Barrack Road outside St James’ Park a hive of nocturnal activity, as they boarded coach after coach to start their long trek by road and sea to Belgium.

On arrival in Antwerp — having emptied the beer taps on the ferry — they were met with a blanket of black and white, and a wall of noise from the thousands of fellow fans who had travelled by other means.

No signs of any misbehaving — just lots of drinking, singing and a massive buzz of excitement.

As the hoards made their way into the decrepit old stadium, the fencing was awash with Union Flags and St George’s Crosses, and the noise from behind the goal was immense — and there was still half an hour until kick-off!

When the game started, no one was quite sure what to expect. Having not played in Europe for so long, would Keegan’s attacking style work against continental sides?

It didn’t take long to get the answer.

53 seconds on the clock, and Rob Lee met a John Beresford cross to glance a header from 12 yards into the bottom corner to send the Toon Army wild.

It was a start Keegan and the fans could only dream of, but that was not the end of it.

Lee got on the end of a Ruel Fox cross to power another header goalward, to make it 2-0 in the tenth minute. Newcastle were announcing their European return with a bang.

Scott Sellars stroked in a third five minutes before the break and Newcastle fans were pinching themselves in disbelief.

Kicking towards the Geordie throng in the second half, Lee sealed his hat-trick of headers with a thumping nod into the corner from another pin-point cross.

Steve Watson came on as a substitute and latched onto a loose ball, rounded the goalkeeper and sealed a quite remarkable team performance with the visitors’ fifth of the night.

It was one of those nights that no one who was there would ever forget, and was the launchpad for an incredible few years for Newcastle fans, in what would become a surreal period in the club’s history.

In the return leg at St James’ Park, Newcastle were equally relentless, trouncing the Belgians again, 5-2 this time.

When Keegan took over as manager in February 1992, with the club looking destined for third tier football for the first time ever, no one would have thought a European night like this would be possible just two and a half years later.

It is history now, but for thousands of Newcastle fans, it will be cherished and remembered forever.

Did you make the trip to Antwerp for Newcastle’s triumphant return to European competition? Do you still reminisce over those years? Let us know below…