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تمكن الدولي الأرجنتيني، ليونيل ميسي، نجم هجوم برشلونة، من إحراز الهدف الثالث للنادي الكتالوني في مرمى ريال بيتيس، بالدوري الإسباني.

برشلونة يواجه ريال بيتيس، على ملعب “كامب نو”، ضمن لقاءت الجولة التاسعة من الليجا، وتشير النتيجة إلى تقدم البلوجرانا بثلاثة أهداف مقابل هدف (طالع المباراة مباشرةٍ لحظة بلحظة).

حكم المباراة احتسب ركلة الجزاء، في الدقيقة 58، بعد العودة لتقنية الفيديو، وقام بطرد الجزائري، عيسي ماندي، بعدما لمس الكرة بيده على خط المرمى.

وانبرى ميسي، الذي شارك في المباراة كبديل في الدقيقة 46، لـ ركلة الجزاء، وسددها بطريقة رائعة على يمين الحارس كلاديو برافو، أعلى المرمى في الجهة اليمنى. شاهد هدف ميسي في ريال بيتيس

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Liverpool fans have taken to Twitter to say that they’re not bothered about missing out on a deal for Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Adrien Rabiot, who looks set to join Real Madrid.

The France international has been frozen out by the Ligue 1 champions after his conduct following the last-gasp defeat to Manchester United in the Champions League, in which he reportedly went out partying in a nightclub.

Are the media letting Jurgen Klopp off lightly for his lack of silverware? The Pl>ymaker FC squad have their say in the video below…

The 23-year-old was said to have been a target for Liverpool, who were interested in signing the midfielder this summer on a free transfer at the expiry of his contract with the Parisians.

Whilst you would have assumed that most supporters may have been disappointed at missing out on a player of clear pedigree, the Reds supporters on Twitter don’t seem to be too downhearted by the news of his reported transfer to Madrid, due mainly to the player’s attitude and behaviour.

Let’s see what the Liverpool fans have been saying on Twitter…

Momentum is always a massive factor when it comes to deciding who achieves promotion from the Championship.

England’s second tier is one of the most competitive leagues in the world as no matter where you are in the standings, becoming complacent can be incredibly costly as everyone can beat each other on any given day.

Aston Villa’s resurgence in recent weeks has seen them win their last four games with their latest victory coming against play-off rivals Middlesbrough at the weekend. Goals from Anwar El Ghazi, John McGinn and Albert Adomah allowed the Lions to move up to 6th in Championship, leapfrogging Derby County, who have played a game less.

Yet although it cannot be argued that Villa’s form under Dean Smith makes them serious contenders for promotion via the play-offs this season, it is extremely important that they maintain their focus in their last eight fixtures.

If they are still in the hunt by the time they face Leeds United on April 27th, the Lions know that the result at Elland Road could easily make or break their season. Smith’s side will be eager to avenge their 3-2 defeat in the corresponding fixture and will know that they could also play a huge role in deciding who goes up automatically to the Premier League this season.

With the top three sides in the Championship separated by just five points, the promotion race is looking increasingly likely to be going down to the wire. After their trip to Leeds, the Lions will host leaders Norwich City at Villa Park on the final day of the 2018/19 campaign on May 5th.

Whereas two wins in two games against the Whites and Canaries would provide the emphasis needed for Villa to launch their own push for promotion, back-to-back defeats could prove disastrous with Smith’s side maybe facing the possibility of missing out on a top six finish.

The next six games are by no means less important for the Lions but in terms of building a platform for the play-offs, their results against two of the Championship’s best will go along way to determine whether they are capable of returning to the Premier League after three years away.

What do you think Villa fans? Are you confident that your side can clinch their place in the play-offs by the end of the season? Or will the Lions’ fate be determined by their results against Leeds and Norwich? Let us know below.

Things are going very well at Manchester City because not many would have predicted that the Cityzens would still be in with a chance of securing the quadruple this late in the season. Well, aside from the fans reading this, I suppose. 

Indeed, for all the quality that is oozing throughout their team in every position, it doesn’t take away from the fact that achieving a four-trophy haul in one season is extremely rare – almost unprecedented – and would take a fantastic club and manager to do exactly that. So, with Pep Guardiola in-charge of a world-class group of footballers, it is no surprise really to see City striving to achieve great things this season.

As good as their current options might be, teams like Manchester City will also be looking to progress the talented players they have in their youth set-ups right now, in a bid to bring through the next generation. How nice does total domination of the footballing scene sound, Sky Blues?

Pretty good.

With a potential transfer ban as well, City may have no other option but to entrust the youth.

In one specific position that shouldn’t be a problem. Ederson has been a very reliable shot-stopper for City but every time Arijanet Muric has been called upon this season, he has also delivered.

Muric, (who is valued at £900k on Transfermarkt) came into the first-team set-up this season after Claudio Bravo sustained an injury at the very beginning of the campaign.

The 20-year-old, relatively unknown to every football fan, has impressed as a number two to Ederson, especially when he was the hero in City’s Carabao Cup progression – after saving two penalties against Leicester. After struggling to replace Joe Hart initially, the arrival of the aforementioned Brazilian and now the rapid rise of Muric will certainly be music to the ears of the City faithful.

And it should be to those making transfer decisions at the Etihad. Rather than move for another ‘keeper, putting their trust in the Kosovo international would save Sheikh Mansour millions in the market.

Claudio Bravo has one year left on his contract but instead of giving time to the 35-year-old, Muric must continue to be trusted in cup competitions and whenever else called upon by Pep Guardiola.

Manchester City fans, how impressed have you been by Muric? Join the discussion by commenting below… 

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Everybody loves an underdog. In football, David vs Goliath encounters are typically thrown up on a weekly basis between two sides at opposite ends of the spectrum.

Individually speaking, though, it takes a relentless work-ethic and a touch of unseen natural talent to help underdogs rise to the top level.

For players plying their trade in non-league football, the prospect of playing in the Premier League sits in the realm of fantasy, but there are exceptions who climb to the peak of the ladder.

The centre-forward position is the most niche and difficult to master of all the outfield positions. Get it right, though, and it’s certainly easy to get noticed.

Just look at Jamie Vardy, for example. His well-documented journey from Fleetwood Town goal-machine to Premier League title-winner in 2016 is the ultimate started-from-the-bottom-now-we’re-‘ere story in recent footballing memory.

Callum Wilson may not be donning a Premier League winners’ medal on his mantelpiece just yet but his ability to resurrect his career in non-league football with Tamworth is a comparable story worth noting.

And, while he may not have needed to spend much of his senior career in the depths below League Two, Birmingham City’s Che Adams could yet be the next electric forward to follow in the footsteps of both Wilson and Vardy by making the transition to top-flight football.

The Birmingham City hitman has been in clinical goal scoring form this season, bagging 21 goals from 33 Championship appearances, a return which averages out at a goal for every 125 minutes of football played.

Former Birmingham defender Michael Johnson has already suggested that the 22-year-old is a perfect fit for Mauricio Pochettino’s style of football. As quoted by football.london, he said…

“I could see Adams at Tottenham, with the way they play. He loves the ball in and around the box and I think he has what it takes to play at the very top.”

Tottenham fans should be familiar with Adams from their League Cup semi-final clash against Sheffield United back in 2015. Then 18, Adams came off the bench and scored a brace within six minutes of being introduced into the action, but the teenager’s endeavours were undone by a late Christian Eriksen goal which sent them crashing out of the competition.

Just two months after leaving non-league Ilkeston, Adams’ brimming quality was there for all to see. Pace, power and a clinical eye for the back of the net left Spurs stunned.

It was the type of stunning cameo which will have resonated with everybody involved with Spurs, and four years later they would be wise to consider him as a potential transfer target.

First and foremost, Adams fits the profile of the type of player Pochettino has actively looked to integrate into his squad in recent years: English and bursting with potential. Add in both the powerful forward’s prolific return and the glaring need for a long-term understudy for Harry Kane at Spurs and it’s difficult to argue against his compelling case.

And, for the notoriously tight-fisted Daniel Levy, Adams should be available at a price which will offer the prospect of future profitability.

The Times reported earlier this month that Birmingham have slapped a £22 million asking-price on his head which, in the context of the modern economic climate, is peanuts – even chief pantomime villain and apparently penniless Mike Ashley splashed just shy of that figure on Miguel Almiron.

Tottenham have a multitude of reasons to host the next rags to riches story by signing Adams in the summer window.

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Leeds United attacker Tyler Roberts produced a poor display in his side’s 1-0 defeat against Queens Park Rangers at Loftus Road on Tuesday, but he can play a big role against former club West Bromwich Albion at Elland Road on Friday night.

On the chalkboard

With the likes of Adam Forshaw, Kemar Roofe and Jack Clarke missing through injury and illness right now, Roberts has started the Yorkshire outfit’s previous two Championship fixtures having found consistent starts hard to come by previously.

The Wales international has played alongside Mateusz Klich through the middle in something of a No.10 role behind Patrick Bamford, but he certainly wasn’t at his best in the capital and gave the ball away cheaply on a number of occasions – something that didn’t go unnoticed by Whites fans on Twitter as he was heavily criticised.

Despite that, Bielsa has confirmed that the same starting XI that was beaten on Tuesday will be the same one that faces the Baggies, meaning the 20-year-old will get another opportunity to impress.

Can he make a difference?

He certainly can.

Not only will Roberts be motivated when he comes up against a former employer, but he only needs to take a look at West Brom’s 1-0 defeat to Sheffield United last weekend to see the difference he can make from his position.

Kieran Dowell, who featured in behind the two strikers for the Blades at The Hawthorns, ensured his side took the three points after finishing off a swift counter-attack in the 14th minute.

Leeds’ young player will be featuring in a similar role on Friday, and he needs to stamp his authority on proceedings and exploit the gaps that could appear between the midfield and the backline to get his team back to winning ways in the promotion race – Gareth Barry and Jake Livermore are certainly there to be got at.

On Sunday the World T20, an event that lasted three and a half weeks, will end. On Tuesday the Champions League T20, a tournament that will go on for two and half weeks, will start. The 48 hours in between may offer a chance for some perspective.If Sundar Raman, IPL chief executive who is also a member of the CLT20 technical committee, is correct, that time enough will create a “continuum,” of the format. Many fear the opposite: that it will be a time when overload is reached.Since September 8, the only international cricket that has been played is T20 cricket. South Africa and England played three matches, India and New Zealand played two (one was abandoned), teams warmed up for the World T20, played a group stage, a Super Eight round and a knockout stage. A total of 43 T20 matches will have been played by Sunday and by the end of October, that number will sit at 72 over seven weeks.But Raman does not fear spectator fatigue and is confident the tournament has a place in the calendar despite the challenges it faces. “This was the window of time that was available currently. All the countries have their international seasons after this and there was an opportunity that was available here,” he said in Johannesburg. “We hope the World T20 has created enough of an appetite. The timing of the broadcasts are also pretty good and the schedules are done in a manner that will provide the opportunity for every country to watch their teams.”Reaching out to fans in different countries is what the CLT20 claims to be about. They hope that process will start in South Africa, which is the reason Raman gave for moving the event here from India. “We thought it is only fair to come back to South Africa; to reach out to new markets,” he said. The tournament was last previously hosted in South Africa in 2010 and crowd turnout was better than at both events held in India.More of the same is expected by Jacques Faul, CSA acting CEO. He said even though the CLT20 clashes with South Africa’s domestic rugby competition, the Currie Cup, he expects seats to be occupied. “Rugby is a serious contender when it comes to crowds,” Faul said. “We did take it into account but we did as much as we could to make sure we will have crowds.”The thinking may well be that the cricket and rugby market are different and in some ways, they are. The CLT20 has also brought in spectators who may not attend other forms of the game, or sport at all, and Faul hopes those types of people will grow in number. So far, it does not look like it. There are a maximum of 380,000 tickets available for sale and only 18% have been bought – around 70,000.Nassei Appiah, the tournament director who is also CSA CFO, said the numbers should pick up this week. “We know that most of the tickets will be sold a few days before the event or when people know the actual teams playing,” he said, referring to the three-day qualifying event which will take place before the tournament proper. “But 30% of tickets for the final have already been sold.”The sales figures did not dampen Raman’s confidence in South Africa delivering an event that meets expectations. “It’s a great country with a sport loving public,” he said. “All the infrastructure is here, 14 teams can be put up in a city like Johannesburg and the stadium atmosphere is also good. The stadium sizes are also smaller than places like India or Australia.”Australia are the third shareholders of the CLT20 and have not yet hosted the competition. Raman said it is unlikely they will be do so in the near future, primarily because their time-zone is unsuitable. “Obviously that is a problem,” he said. He did leave the door open to other countries to host the event, saying anyone from England to Sri Lanka to Bangladesh could come into contention in the future.”As a tournament we are evolving,” Raman said. “In 2008, we had an eight-team format. We’ve evolved from there to be able to accommodate more teams and now we have 14 teams from around the world.”Despite that, the 2012 edition will take place without representatives from either Zimbabwe or Bangladesh, both of whom hold their own domestic twenty-over tournaments. That too, could be revised looked at in future. “As we go forward to future editions, we will try and be as inclusive as we can,” Raman said.It may mean an even longer qualifying phase since only the shareholders’ teams gain automatic entry. India, as the largest shareholder, has four teams while South Africa and Australia have two each. This unbalanced nature of the tournament has also caused it to be criticised. England have indicated they will not take part in next year’s event because of the large impact CLT20 has on their domestic season which is cut three weeks short even though the teams that qualify for the qualifiers could end up playing only two matches.Raman is bullish that issues like those do not detract from the CLT20’s success and the standing it has among participating countries. “There is a significant interest because people are looking forward to playing in another tournament because of their domestic success,” Raman said. “CLT20 has re-energised domestic twenty-over cricket. Players like Sunil Narine have come through CLT20. It gives players the confidence and the ability to believe in themselves and that for me is very heartening. “

According to Daily Mail, Crystal Palace are in talks over a possible January loan deal for none other than Dalian Yifang winger Yannick Carrasco, as Roy Hodgson is on a lookout for reinforcements due to their mounting injury list.

But if the former Atletico Madrid star really were to join, there would definitely be a clear winner and clear loser amongst the Palace ranks…

Did he really play for us?! No Palace fan has managed to name all of these obscure Eagles signings….

Winner: Wilfried Zaha

Zaha has been one of Crystal Palace’s biggest stars in recent times. Back in 2018/19, the now 27-year-old forward has managed to tally ten goals and ten assists throughout the campaign but his record has somewhat taken a dip in the ongoing season. As of right now, the winger has only scored three goals and assisted a further four in 25 games across all competitions.

With Carrasco potentially joining the team, albeit just on loan, there could finally be someone on the other side of that pitch providing Palace with a similar output and quality, lessening the burden on Zaha’s shoulders along the way. With 24 goals and 17 assists for the Chinese team, the 26-year-old Belgium international still has a keen eye for rattling the inside of the net and helping his teammates score as well.

By adding the 41-cap man to the squad, Zaha would get more space and the support he needs to thrive in Hodgson’s system even more.

Loser: Jordan Ayew

Even though we’re talking about Crystal Palace’s top goalscorer in the 2019/20 Premier League season with six to his name, Ayew could be the one to suffer the most from Carrasco’s potential arrival. With Cenk Tosun’s loan spell, the centre-forward position has become much more under threat for the 28-year-old Ghana international but as a result, he has also been deployed out wide from time to time.

As per Transfermarkt, he was predominantly used as a centre-forward, playing there in a total of 19 games, but has also been used as a right-winger and a left midfielder as well. But interestingly enough, with Carrasco’s arrival, even the wide areas would be more contested and Ayew could find himself pushed out of the entire starting XI.

At the moment, that seems rather strange when talking about one of their best players this term, but with so much competition across the pitch, it’s more than just a possibility.

After the Championship leaders slumped to a 4-2 defeat at the hands of Nottingham Forest on New Year’s Day, many concerns were raised about the fact that the Elland Road outfit have leaked ten goals in their last four games, but manager Marcelo Bielsa maintained after the recent loss that there are no problems at the back.

The Argentine told reporters at The City Ground post-match that, although his side’s defence of corners could do with some work, that they still boast a solid rearguard, saying:

“We don’t have any problems in defence. If you take out the goals that are scored at set-pieces, we are the team who have conceded the least.”

Admittedly, the Peacocks were not helped by the fact that makeshift centre-back Kalvin Phillips was rightly dismissed in the first half for a dangerous challenge on Adlene Guedioura, but Bielsa has done more than analyse one game with these comments – the former defender is in fact out-lining that they don’t need any reinforcements in the transfer window.

Leeds fans on Twitter were quick to deplore Bielsa’s dismissal of a dodgy defence, with one even calling the 63-year-old deluded – you can check out the best of the reaction below…

Who are the best away fans in the Championship? Playmaker FC’s Thogden gives his top 10 in the video above…

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Arsenal are looking to bolster their defence with a move for Manchester United outcast Eric Bailly, according to The Daily Star.

What’s the word?

Unai Emery’s rebuild at Arsenal involved numerous defensive players during the summer after signing Sokratis Papastathopoulos and Stephan Lichtsteiner, along with goalkeeper Bernd Leno and midfielder Lucas Torreira.

After a slow start, the Gunners have bounced back to enjoy nine consecutive victories across all competitions heading into the international break but Emery is still eyeing defensive improvements, as The Daily Star states a move is being targeted for Manchester United’s Eric Bailly.

The Ivory Coast international has become disillusioned at Old Trafford after becoming an outcast under Jose Mourinho, starting just five games this season and being hauled off at half-time in the 3-2 victory over Newcastle United at the weekend.

A good addition?

While Arsenal’s attack seems to have found their rhythm, questions continue to be asked defensively as the Gunners have kept just two clean sheets across eight Premier League matches this season, showing there is still room for improvement.

[brid autoplay=”true” video=”305269″ player=”12034″ title=”Are Emery’s Arsenal Silently Gunning For The Title”]

Sokratis has proven to be a valuable addition but Shkodran Mustafi continues to attract vast criticisms, while the Gunners’ depth at the back has been depleted by Laurent Koscielny’s long-term injury absence and, on top of that, a long-term replacement for the France international is yet to be recruited.

Bailly could become that figure for Arsenal but his signature would raise queries regarding the futures of Calum Chambers, on loan with Fulham, along with Rob Holding and Konstantinos Mavropanos. Persuading United to sell to a direct rival would also be a very tough task.