Tag Futebol

Rangers take on their Old Firm rivals in the Premiership on Sunday, with Steven Gerrard’s side looking to finish the league season unbeaten having already brought title number 55 to Ibrox.

The Gers were knocked out of the Europa League in midweek after suffering a 2-0 defeat at home against Slavia Prague, which was their first home defeat in just over a year.

Gerrard has some big calls to make when it comes to deciding who to start against Celtic, with Kemar Roofe and Leon Balogun having both been sent off against the Czech side in midweek.

It also looks as if Nathan Patterson could miss the game at the weekend, which gives Gerrard a headache when it comes to selecting a right-back for the derby.

Here’s how Football FanCast expects Gerrard to line his side up, with three changes from the team which started against Slavia on Thursday…

Allan McGregor continues in goal, having been one of Rangers’ most impressive performers so far this season.

There’s one change in defence as, in the absence of Patterson, Leon Balogun moves to right-back, which sees Filip Helander come back in to partner Connor Goldson.

After receiving racial abuse on Thursday, Gerrard should perhaps be mindful that Glen Kamara might not be in the right frame of mind to play on Sunday, so he is rested and Bongani Zungu replaces him in defensive midfield.

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Joe Aribo and Steven Davis, the latter fresh from signing a new deal, start ahead of him in midfield, with the Nigerian dropping further back after featuring on the wing against Slavia.

This allows Ianis Hagi to return to the side in Gerrard’s third and final change, with Scott Arfield – who reportedly earns £17,500k per week at Rangers – dropping out after a disappointing display on Thursday.

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Hagi completes the dangerous trio of Ryan Kent and Alfredo Morelos, with those three likely to be the key to whether or not Rangers can come away with all three points on Sunday.

In other news… Wilson can sign Rangers’ ideal Defoe heir with swoop for prolific £6.3m-rated beast

Manchester City’s quadruple hopes are still alive and kicking after Pep Guardiola’s side secured a spot at Wembley with a 2-0 win against Everton at Goodison Park on Saturday.

Ilkay Gundogan finally broke the home side’s resistance with 86 minutes on the clock as he headed home the rebound after Aymeric Laporte’s shot came off the bar, before Kevin De Bruyne added a late second after running through and smashing a left-footed shot past Joao Virginia in the Everton goal.

Although there were plenty of impressive performances from City as they dominated proceedings against Carlo Ancelotti’s side, the standout performer was arguably Fernandinho in central midfield.

The 35-year-old is still going strong in Guardiola’s side and has shown himself to be a more than reliable cover for Rodri in recent months, which is ironic as the Spaniard was brought in as his long-term replacement.

As per SofaScore, the former Shakhtar Donetsk man would earn an impressive 7.6 rating for his display, with only Oleksandr Zinchenko rated higher from both sides, with the Ukrainian rated a 7.7/10 for his performance.

During the game, the experienced midfielder completed 63 of his 73 passes, which was the most of any City midfielder, whilst both of his long ball attempts also found a City shirt, per SofaScore.

Fernandinho, who reportedly earns £150,000 per week at City, was regularly the winner when in duels with Everton players, as he impressively won 13 of the 20 duels he contested during the game, which again was far more than City’s other midfielders Gundogan and Bernardo Silva combined, per SofaScore.

However, the most impressive and perhaps surprising part of the Brazilian’s performance were his driving runs from midfield, as he completed all four of his dribbles during his time on the pitch, one of which led to City’s best chance before the opening goal as he cut back to Raheem Sterling in the area after a lung-busting run into the area.

Considering he has averaged 0.4 dribbles per game in the Premier League this season, it was almost unprecedented how willing he was to run with the ball against Everton, which emphasises just how good he was.

Therefore, you could definitely argue that the Brazilian was the star for City in the FA Cup and he once again showed just how good he can be when selected by Guardiola.

And, in other news… Txiki can repeat Gundogan masterclass with City swoop for £7.65m-rated beast

Writing for football.london, Tottenham Hotspur correspondent Alasdair Gold has relayed the progress of youngster Troy Parrott as he continues his loan stint at Ipswich Town in League One – with the reliable journalist sharing how he has steadily improved for the Tractor Boys. 

He is yet to score a goal for Paul Lambert’s side, with his latest outing coming on Tuesday night as the Tractor Boys took on Lincoln City in a 1-1 draw at Portman Road.

Gold relays Troy Parrott update

However, despite still not being able to chalk up his first strike for Ipswich, Gold has relayed that Parrott has been making steady progress in east Anglia.

Indeed, the football.london correspondent shared, before his half an hour cameo against Lincoln on Tuesday as a substitute, that Parrott has racked up a few starts under Lambert recently – playing 87 minutes during a 2-1 win at Accrington and then 68 minutes in a 3-1 defeat to Gillingham at the weekend.

As well as this, the 19-year-old was lavished with praise by the East Anglian Times for his display against Accrington – as football.london quote, they branded him a ‘workhorse’ with ‘plenty of quality’.

Transfer Tavern take

At the centre of a public Jose Mourinho scolding last year, with the Portuguese questioning his attitude, Parrott slowly becoming an ‘asset’ for Ipswich could come as good news.

This isn’t the first time he has been praised this season either, with Millwall boss Gary Rowett branding the Irish starlet as ‘excellent’ after his debut for the Lions on another loan before the new year.

A previous update by Gold highlighted that a decision over Parrott lingers at the end of the season for Tottenham – whether to send him back out on loan or give him a shot in the first team.

Lilywhites supporters will surely be hoping he can live up to his potential and notch that first goal for Ipswich soon.

In other news: Tottenham remain keen on this ‘shining’ attacker, find out more here.

At long last, Wolves supporters have a new signing to cheer about.

Their rather drab 1-0 win over Chorley last Friday was followed up by the confirmation of Willian Jose’s arrival on loan. Though, Jeff Shi might not be done in the window just yet.

What’s the word?

The priority for Wolves this January was to find a new attacker and in their loan acquisition from Real Sociedad, they have found that.

Despite his arrival, another forward could be arriving at Molineux. According to The Daily Mail, Wolves are one of a number of teams interested in signing 87-cap Nigeria international Ahmed Musa.

The 28-year-old is available on a free transfer and has a host of willing suitors. West Brom are another interested party from the Premier League while Fulham and CSKA Moscow are also pondering a move.

Wolves’ next Costa?

With Musa available on a free transfer, there is little risk to this deal, especially with Wolves in such diabolical form.

They have won just three of their last 11 outings so need all the help they can get. That being said, the decision to bring Musa to the Midlands – if that’s what they choose – would be a poor piece of business.

The fact of the matter is that the forward has already struggled to produce consistent numbers in the top-flight of English football.

The Nigerian signed for Leicester in a then-club-record fee of £16m back in 2016 but departed after playing just 33 times for the Foxes. In the process, Musa found the net on only five occasions.

Clearly, this was not a worthwhile investment and it would be unwise if Wolves brought him back to the Midlands. After all, he beat the goalkeeper on just four occasions in the Saudi top-flight last season.

With numbers like that, there’s no reason why he’d thrive in the Premier League at the second time of asking.

Though, what do statistics like those remind us of? Helder Costa, of course.

Another tricky forward, the Portuguese was sublime in the Championship, scoring 15 and registering 14 assists across two years. However, after their promotion, he beat the goalkeeper on a solitary occasion and provided two assists for the Old Gold.

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Things haven’t got easier for Costa with Leeds. He’s contributed to four goals this term and is already being touted with leaving Elland Road.

Clearly, the duo both struggle in the Premier League but there are closer similarities too, specifically in terms of playstyle.

They both have plenty of pace and are equally creative, beating opponents with similar regularity. For example, in both of their opening Premier League campaigns, they were closely matched for shots per game.

Costa managed one per match compared to Musa’s 0.8. In terms of average dribbles, there was only a minimal difference between the two. The former managed one dribble a game in the 2018/19 season compared to the latter’s 0.7 dribbles in 2016/17.

Musa has clearly matured since that campaign. He scored more goals (2) than Lionel Messi did at the last World Cup for instance. Though, it would appear that like Costa, he isn’t quite cut out for the Premier League and the lack of time you get on the ball.

This is a move that Jeff Shi needs to swerve.

AND in other news, Time to go: Wolves must wield the axe on £10k-p/w flop, he’s ransacked Shi’s pockets…

أكد ممدوح عباس رئيس نادي الزمالك السابق، أنه سيقدم طعنا على الدعوة الانتخابية للقلعة البيضاء.

وكان مجلس إدارة نادي الزمالك برئاسة المستشار مرتضى منصور أعلن بشكل رسمي عن فتح باب الترشح للانتخابات، بداية من غد الأربعاء الموافق 22 ديسمبر، وستستمر لمدة أسبوع. طالع التفاصيل من هنا.

ونشر عباس عبر حسابه الرسمي بموقع التغريدات القصيرة “تويتر”: “أول من سيطعن على ما يسمى بالدعوة للانتخابات في نادي الزمالك والتي لم أر لها مثيل لا هي دعوة و لا هي بانتخابات سيكون أنا حتى يبلغ الحاضر الغائب”.

طالع أيضًا.. محامي هاني العتال: انتخابات الزمالك مهددة بالبطلان.. وحصلنا على 5 أحكام ضد مرتضى منصور

واختتم: “وعلى من يتولى الأمر وأقصد اللجنة الأولمبية أن تصحح هذا الأمر احتراما ليس فقط لعقول الجمعية العمومية، ولكن ايضا احتراما لتاريخ مائة و عشرة عام لنادي الزمالك”.

جدير بالذكر أن الزمالك يستعد لمواجهة المقاولون العرب اليوم الأربعاء في إطار الجولة السابعة من الدوري المصري الممتاز.

West Brom are hoping to secure Hamza Choudhury on loan this month, though one thing is standing in their way.

According to the Express & Star, Baggies boss Sam Allardyce is keen to add a holding midfielder to his squad before the end of the transfer window, and is understood to have the Leicester City man among his top targets.

However, Foxes boss Brendan Rodgers has hinted that he’d prefer a permanent exit, which may not suit Albion as transfers in excess of £2m have already been ruled out by reliable journalist John Percy.

“A loan deal isn’t an overly attractive one at this moment in time,” said Rodgers.”If he does go out, it may be to get games. He wants to play, which is natural,” before he added: “If someone is looking to buy him, or sees his qualities to buy then that’s a different matter. We’ll see what January brings on that front.”With Choudhury valued at £7.2m by Transfermarkt, he would seem out of West Brom’s price range which is why they’re chasing a temporary deal, but it might be time for chairman Guochuan Lai to open his tight wallet to fill Big Sam’s glaring need in defensive midfield.As we have seen this season, Albion lack an out-and-out option in the role as academy graduate Sam Field has spent most of the time on the treatment table.Romaine Sawyers, who has been deployed there for much of the campaign, has proven repeatedly that he’s not up to the standard of starting in the Premier League – especially as an anchorman.Only Jake Livermore has recorded a worse average rating than the 28-year-old’s 6.21 of any regular Baggies starter (those that have started eight or more of their 17 matches), per WhoScored.Indeed, three other midfielders (Livermore, Field and Conor Gallagher) have managed more tackles per game than Sawyers (1.6), so it raises further questions to why Big Sam continues to put such faith in him.Clearly, it is because of the lack of alternatives, which is why the addition of Choudhury is needed this month – even if they have to ‘break the bank’ for him on a permanent deal as he’d be an instant upgrade.The 23-year-old hasn’t been given a proper opportunity at the King Power, but when he was given a run of matches in the 2018/19 season, he displayed very promising attributes – managing 2.7 tackles and 1.7 interceptions per game, via WhoScored, which are two major facets of a lynchpin’s game.Those tackling figures would sit him above Sawyers by quite some distance as well as Field and Livermore, whilst in terms of interceptions, only Darnell Furlong is averaging more this term, per WhoScored.Choudhury has also been tipped to play for England one day as former Foxes coach Steve Walsh told Football FanCast: “Yes, he can [get into the England side],” before adding: “He’s a player with great tenacity, he reads the game well.”Whilst pundit and ex-pro Gary Lineker once lauded the British Asian enforcer an “extremely talented young player” to Twitter.Big Sam can wave goodbye to playing Sawyers in defensive midfield, just as long as sporting and technical director Luke Dowling can sanction a move for the young talent.

AND in other news, Imagine him and Pereira: West Brom must secure “creative” £57k-p/w maestro…

Liverpool have been linked with a move for Torino centre-back Gleison Bremer in recent weeks, as they perhaps look to find a solution to their current defensive injury crisis, and based on his performance at the weekend, the Brazilian would be an excellent addition to Jurgen Klopp’s side.

It was suggested by TuttoSport (via Sport Witness), earlier this month that the Reds were in the picture to sign the Torino ace, with Klopp reportedly pushing for his signing.

The German manager has lost key first-team centre-backs Virgil van Dijk and Joe Gomez to long-term injuries this season, whilst Joel Matip continues to struggle for a consistent run of games without suffering injury setbacks.

Despite this, Klopp suggested recently that it was unlikely that Liverpool would make any signings during the January transfer window but following another impressive display from Bremer, the Merseyside club should definitely reconsider.

As per SofaScore, the 23-year-old picked up a solid 8.1 statistical rating rating for his performance against AC Milan on Saturday, the joint-second highest rating of any player on the pitch, despite La Granata suffering a 2-0 defeat.

It was an impressive defensive display from the Brazilian, as he made four clearances, three tackles and one interception during his time on the pitch.

Impressively, he would also win 4/6 of his ground duels and 6/7 of his aerial duels in the match, suggesting he was able to dominate the Milan attackers with his tackling and strength in the air.

He would also enjoy 78 touches of the ball and completed 55/63 of his passes,  emphasising that he is an adept passer of the ball, which means, if he carried that form over to England, that he would fit in well with Liverpool’s style of play.

This was far from a one-off great performance from Bremer however, as he has averaged a solid 6.77 rating for his performances in the Serie A so far this season, averaging 2.1 interceptions and 4.5 clearances per game in the Italian top-flight.

For context, last season Van Dijk averaged 1.1 interceptions and 4.3 clearances per game for the Reds as they won the Premier League. Whilst it would be a stretch to say he’s anywhere near the level of Van Dijk at this time, the stats show that Bremer could potentially produce similar match day contributions to the Dutchman and that he could be a solid defensive addition to the Reds’ squad, especially as they never replaced Dejan Lovren when he was sold in the summer,

Therefore, if Liverpool do feel the need to bring in a centre-back during the winter transfer window to ease their woes, then sporting director Michael Edwards must consider bringing the £5.4 million-rated Bremer to Anfield, as he looks to have all the attributes needed to be a success in the Premier League.

And, in other news… Transfer update on “aggressive” 6 ft 2 LFC ace proves Klopp doesn’t trust him

After seeing Ross Barkley limp off with a hamstring injury in the opening moments of their clash against Brighton, Aston Villa may have been holding on to the hope that the England international would make a swift return to action.

The midfielder has been a revelation for Dean Smith’s side since joining them on loan from Chelsea, fitting in well in the number ten role and producing some stand-out displays, including scoring against Liverpool in Villa’s 7-2 thrashing of the reigning Premier League champions.

But in an update on his fitness, Smith admitted that this weekend’s game against Wolves is just going to come too soon for him, saying: “With the postponement of the Newcastle game, it’s one less game for him to miss. His recovery is going well so hopefully he will be back, not for the Wolves game, but some time just after that. We don’t have to push him so quickly, that’s for sure.”

With Villa not having too many out-and-out options to replace Barkley in the central attacking midfield role, that could potentially see a slight change to the tactics.

Bringing in someone like Marvelous Nakamba into the starting line-up could give Smith the chance to allow the likes of John McGinn and Douglas Luiz the freedom to play more offensively, and let the former take the bulk of the defensive burden.

Hailed as being “under-rated” by ex-Villa ace Alan Hutton, Nakamba has proven that he’s someone who can anchor the midfield, averaging an impressive 1.9 tackles and 1.3 interceptions per game in the Premier League last season.

This campaign has seen him feature far less regularly for the club, making just two appearances in the top-flight in total, managing only 13 minutes.

Barkley’s injury blow however has given Smith the golden opportunity to bring the Zimbabwe international back into the fold, and it could well turn out to be a masterstroke.

Recent reports revealed that Glasgow Rangers striker Chris McKee has signed a contract extension that will keep him at Ibrox until 2022. Now Rangers must focus on tying down the irreplaceable James Tavernier.

What was the story?

The club captain has been in electric form this season, having scored 14 goals and supplied 10 assists across all competitions, with nine of those goals in the Scottish Premiership so far.

Ever since Steven Gerrard first took charge of the 54-time Scottish champions, the 29-year-old has struck 34 times in 126 games in total.

Naturally, his performances haven’t gone unnoticed, with West Ham and Newcastle United among his admirers south of the border.

Despite Gerrard’s insistence the skipper wasn’t for sale in the summer, former Rangers midfielder Andy Halliday believes it is only a matter of time until they face a bidding war in the not too distant future.

Speaking on Open Goal, as quoted by The Herald, Halliday said: “Take away his penalties, he has still scored six goals. How can a team not be watching that? Everyone has their price, I think he would wait until the summer.

“But if a team sits down and offers double, triple your money – some people are going to get their head turned.”

Keep Tavernier at all costs by any means necessary

Halliday’s stark warning will come as no surprise to many, least of all Ross Wilson, who was the key figure behind Southampton’s recruitment strategy before he joined the Gers.

However, this doesn’t mean that his statement should be simply ignored, either.

Reports in recent months claimed that West Ham were considering a bid for the ex-Wigan star in the summer, and there’s no doubt that the right-back may be tempted by such a move, should the Hammers return for their long-term target before too long. After all, every footballer has a price.

So if Wilson can convince him that he would be best served by staying at the Govan stadium, and that Gerrard is the man to get the best out of him like he has done so far, then that would be a real statement of intent.

Gerrard has developed an attacking, possession-based brand of football that relies heavily on the backs bombing up and down the wings and providing width and Tavernier has shown he is a player who can do precisely just that.

The free-scoring full-back is the undisputed first-choice starter, and it would be a bitter blow if the Light Blues can’t convince him to sign a new contract, especially when you consider the fact that his current deal will run out in just over a year’s time.

AND in other news, Glasgow Rangers must act quickly to fend off Premier League interest in Borna Barisic…

Southampton continued their run of excellent form after a thrilling seven-goal fiesta played out at Villa Park on Sunday. The Saints put four past Aston Villa who came out fighting with all guns blazing. Luckily for the visitors, they were able to come away with all three points despite the best efforts of the hosts.

Not everything was a positive takeaway from the match though. Ralph Hasenhuttl could be staring down the barrel of a very dangerous gun and it’s lurking in the form of a triple injury blow.

Southampton injury news

In a scene that fans will have been watching through their fingers, star striker Danny Ings was taken off the pitch with just five minutes to go. The problem, as many dreaded, is a knee injury.

According to the latest update, his initial scan results “are favourable” but the striker is awaiting further tests to determine the severity of the injury. Hasenhuttl originally admitted that it did not “look good”, which will have struck fear to the Austrian’s core.

Ings has a morbid history with knee injuries which has crippled his playing career. At Liverpool, he was forced to the sidelines through ligament damage and missed a total of 85 matches for the Reds. This totals up to a painful 498 days out of action with ongoing knee problems (via Transfermarkt).

Ryan Bertrand also hobbled off the pitch after suffering a hamstring injury deep into the second half. The ever-present left-back has suffered two hamstring injuries on different occasions during his time with the Saints, which kept him out of action for a combined nine matches. Whilst this isn’t season-ending news, it could set Southampton back in their run for a strong finish this term.

The third of Hasenhuttl’s concerns comes after Jan Bednarek was also forced off after picking up a head injury during an aerial duel. The manager has described the collision as “brutal” in his recent comments, which could perhaps indicate there’s a slight case of concussion there.

Over the next few days, Hasenhuttl will need to draw up plans to prepare for a match without all three in question. Good news could come and surprise the fans, but things look bleak as they prepare to face Newcastle on Friday.

In other news, Jannik Vestergaard shines in Saints victory over Aston Villa…