All posts by n8rngtd.top

Southampton can get their season back on track with a win against Bournemouth in the FA Cup quarter-final on Saturday, with Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side having struggled immensely in the league since the turn of the year.

The Saints have won just one of their last 12 Premier League fixtures but have triumphed in FA Cup ties against Shrewsbury Town, Arsenal and Wolves in that time.

Last weekend’s 2-1 defeat against Brighton dragged Hasenhuttl’s side back into a relegation battle in the top flight but the Austrian will be hoping that his side put their league form behind them when they travel to the Vitality Stadium to face the Cherries, who are challenging for a play-off position in the second tier.

Here’s how Football FanCast expects Hasenhuttl to line his side up in the FA Cup, with three changes from the side which started against Brighton last time out…

Fraser Forster continues as first choice after Alex McCarthy’s poor recent form for the Saints, with the former Celtic loanee having kept clean sheets in all three of his appearances in the competition this season.

There’s one change in defence as Ryan Bertrand drops to the bench after some disappointing displays of late, with Mohammed Salisu replacing him at left-back, which should allow Kyle Walker-Peters to push further forward on the right.

Takumi Minamino is unfortunately cup-tied having featured in the competition for Liverpool earlier in the season, so Moussa Djenepo is likely to replace him on the left-hand side.

Finally, Nathan Redmond comes in for Nathan Tella in the attack, with the youngster ineffectual against Brighton following some strong performances, so the Austrian should go for the experience of the £16.2m-valued 27-year-old to partner Che Adams if he wants his side to go all-out for the FA Cup this season.

In other news… Southampton signing 11-goal beast could be bad news for 22 y/o gem Ralph loves

After slipping to an agonising, and rather undeserved, 1-0 defeat to Everton in midweek, West Brom are back in Premier League action on Sunday when they take on Newcastle United.

Sam Allardyce’s team were more than a match for the Toffees, having the same number of shots and shots on target as the away side, but fell to a Richarlison goal midway through the second-half.

With Newcastle up next, and the Magpies in the midst of some difficulties too – you only have to look at the apparent bust-up between Matt Ritchie and Steve Bruce to see that – there’s a real chance for West Brom to come away with all three points from the clash at The Hawthorns.

One man who Allardyce should seriously consider bringing back into the side is Callum Robinson.

The £7.2m-rated ace has been left on the bench for the past five games in the Premier League, and the time on the sidelines might have just given him the kick up the proverbial backside to come back firing.

After Matheus Pereira’s performance in midweek – one which arguably merits him being dropped for Sunday’s game – surely it’s time for Allardyce to bring someone new into the fold like Robinson.

Speaking earlier last year, former Baggies boss Slaven Bilic raved about Robinson’s abilities, saying: “He is present, he is dangerous and he fits in with the other players. He can also go by himself either with the ball or when he is linking up with other players on the pitch. He’s exactly the type of player that we wanted.”

Robinson’s natural instincts as a striker could ease the burden on Mbaye Diagne, who has been leading the line on his own. Having someone else in the team who can make runs in behind him, and fire away on goal, could be key to exploiting a Newcastle back-line which has conceded 44 goals this season in the Premier League – the joint-second worst in the division.

As Bilic says, Robinson can link up and do things by himself, and his brace against Chelsea earlier in the season is a perfect example of that.

When West Brom take to the field on Sunday against Newcastle, Robinson should be one of the names on the team-sheet when Allardyce makes his decision about who to start.

Meanwhile, this West Brom man should be dropped against Newcastle…

Many Crystal Palace fans are reacting to the latest comments from manager Roy Hodgson in which he discusses not utilising striker Jean-Philippe Mateta against Fulham.

According to The Athletic journalist Matt Woosnam, Hodgson was asked about the decision not to bring on Mateta and said: “Benteke was doing an excellent job & plays a role for us defensively, especially from (set pieces) I didn’t see what JP could do to make a difference in us seeing the game through as we did”

No matter how well a defensive role Benteke was playing, he is a striker and the attacking players are really struggling under the manager this season.

This was highlighted in the game against Fulham at Selhurst Park by the fact that the South London side did not even manage one shot on target (SofaScore), while the Eagles have only managed 29 league goals this season. With the Frenchman scoring a delightful goal in the 2-1 win over Brighton last Monday, it seemed like a weird choice to not even give him a go against Fulham.

The games are coming thick and fast at the moment, and now the Eagles have a very tough week as they face Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur.

Here is how Palace fans reacted to Hodgson’s comments on Mateta:

“Imagine being an emerging young player at Palace – hearing these carefully chosen words must really take the wind from your sails.”

Credit: @PalaceBySea

“It is little wonder that we struggle to attract new talent. There’s always going to be a more attractive proposition than participating in the ongoing decay that seems to the current game plan”

Credit: @AndyCamroux

“Beginning to wonder whether Roy is at the same games as we are”

Credit: @Paul_Romain

“He does know we are supposed to at least try and score occasionally, right”

Credit: @danofthesouth

“Says it all doesn’t it, but I don’t think the pundits do us any favors as they keep saying that Roy keeps you up playing boring football so not sure what else they expect really, without Wilf and Schlupp that’s how we play I’m afraid #CPFC”

Credit: @w9ole

“Seeing the game through, for a 0-0 draw with the team in 18th. Get this man out of my club.”

Credit: @_YTCP

“I hate the mentality Roy is sending the team out with. I miss us being exciting to watch.”

Credit: @LukeRemnant

In other news, Roy Hodgson discussed the contract situation at the club!

Manchester City are reportedly targeting Inter striker Romelu Lukaku ahead of the summer transfer window and the Belgian international would be a big upgrade on Gabriel Jesus if he were to join the Citizens.

Recent reports have suggested that Pep Guardiola will be given £200 million to spend this summer and the former Manchester United striker has been targeted as a potential striker to replace Sergio Aguero, should he depart on a free transfer when his contract expires.

The Belgian international has impressed since joining Antonio Conte’s side from United in the summer of 2019, as he has contributed an impressive 51 goals and nine assists in just 74 appearances for the Serie A side.

His form this season has been superb, as he has managed 12 goals and three assists in just 15 appearances in the Italian top-flight, which has seen him average a 7.45 rating.

He has also notched four goals in the Champions League, one in the Coppa Italia and five in five international experiences, suggesting that he is enjoying a prolific season in front of goal.

If we compare these stats to Manchester City striker Jesus, there is only one winner.

The Brazilian has just four goals for Guardiola’s side in 14 appearances in all competitions and the Citizens have performed well in recent matches by deploying the likes of Kevin De Bruyne and Bernardo Silva up front, which suggests that he is not currently favoured by the Spanish manager.

Lukaku has also outscored Jesus in every single season he has been with Manchester City, despite many suggesting that he was poor at Manchester United, so it seems clear that he would manage more goals than the Brazilian in Guardiola’s side.

In a recent Belgium win against Denmark, Lukaku emphasised just how effective he can be and worked brilliantly with De Bruyne, who provided the assist for the striker’s first goal by playing him in behind the Denmark defence.

The former Everton man then thundered in a header from a Thorgan Hazard cross for his second, emphasising how much of a threat he can be in the air, which is something that City currently lack up front.

Finally, Lukaku occupied the defender for Belgium’s fourth goal, allowing De Bruyne to come in and provide the finish.

Belgium manager Roberto Martinez was full of praise for the striker in 2019, saying:

“Everyone wants to tell him the first touch should be better, that he should be stronger in the air, that he needs to make more room. But what they miss is his outstanding trade as a goalscorer. Look at his stats. He is one of the most significant scorers at his age.

“In Romelu’s case, he’s always been a top goalscorer.”

Therefore, you could definitely suggest that he and De Bruyne would work well together at City, should sporting director Txiki Begiristain swoop for the 27-year-old in the summer.

And, in other news, Forget Stones: MCFC beast who played three key passes was Pep’s star vs Palace…

Ruben Neves is back, ladies and gentleman. If ever there was an opportunity to coin the phrase form is temporary, class is permanent, it was at full-time on Sunday.

As Wolves dug deep to find a late equaliser courtesy of Romain Saiss against Spurs, it was Neves who quietly ran the show in the middle of the park and played like a man possessed.

Nuno Santo has tinkered with his system in recent weeks and deciding on a four-man defence that was battered 4-0 by Liverpool only a few weeks ago was brave.

However, against a Tottenham side possessing the effervescent Harry Kane and Heung-min Son, they were made to look average. Very rarely did they have a chance to score and credit has to go to Wolves’ backline.

Saiss was considerably better than the performance he put in against Burnley but equally, Neves was better than we’ve seen all season. The Portuguese has struggled in 2020/21 and we’ll be the first to admit at FFC that we’ve doubted him.

Of course, it will take more than one performance to really start believing the midfielder’s hype again but against one of the title contenders, this was an excellent display.

That being said, it was a performance that is likely to go under the radar. Neves didn’t do anything too eye-catching but he quietly went about his business in a robust fashion. Throughout his time on the pitch, he won five tackles and five interceptions, making a mighty 11 ball recoveries.

His ability to reclaim possession of the ball was phenomenal and it was down to that reason that Son and Kane rarely had the chance to break. Neves was repeatedly in the way and then used his magnificent passing range to good effect.

The Portugal international completed 82% of his passes and was successful with all three of his crosses. This was a complete performance from someone who looked at ease playing against Spurs.

Neves’ place in the side has been called into question at times this term but this was a performance to silence the doubters. He definitely still has the attributes to thrive in this Wolves team.

Just imagine what he could do alongside a more mobile midfielder.

AND in other news, Wolves must swoop for 51-cap DEMON who’s “outstanding physically”…

Manchester United are back in Premier League action tonight as they welcome Wolverhampton Wanderers to Old Trafford on Tuesday.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side find themselves in the midst of a title race at the top of the table, having picked up three wins and two draws from their past five games in a row, with the Red Devils sharing the spoils with Leicester City last time out.

United have a number of fringe players who will be looking to make an impact tonight as Solskjaer prepares to rotate his side ahead of the clash with Wolves.

Here is Football Fancast’s predicted starting XI, which sees Solskjaer make four changes from the trip to the King Power Stadium for this evening’s entertainment.

David de Gea should be given the gloves once again, meaning Dean Henderson will have to settle for a place on the bench.

Even with Solskjaer taking the opportunity to rotate his squad, it’s hard to imagine Harry Maguire won’t be starting at centre-back tonight.

Alex Telles will most likely be handed a start tonight, giving Luke Shaw some time off before the weekend clash with Aston Villa; Victor Lindelof won’t be risked so Eric Bailly and Axel Tuanzebe will start on the right-hand side of the defence.

Paul Pogba is set to start in the midfield alongside Scott McTominay with Bruno Fernandes just in front of them as the classic No. 10.

Despite scoring against Leeds, Daniel James offered very little against Leicester, so recalling Mason Greenwood and keeping Marcus Rashford on the left wing with Edinson Cavani leading the line makes most sense.

That means that Anthony Martial will have to drop to the bench, such is the strength in Solskjaer’s squad right now.

AND in other news, Solskjaer must force Man Utd to sign Moises Caicedo from Independiente del Valle…

Matt Targett emerged a surprise hero for Dean Smith as Aston Villa beat Wolverhampton Wanderers in the West Midlands derby on Saturday.

The ex-Southampton full-back had his work cut out keeping Nuno Espirito Santo’s talismanic forward Adama Traore quiet, but excelled at the task to force the Spaniard into switching flanks with Pedro Neto after the hour mark.

Wolves had a clear gameplan of working the ball to Traore in the opening stages yet rarely enjoyed much success, with his only true break resulting in a tame effort on Emiliano Martinez’s goal early in the second half.

Martinez was inspired between the sticks to produce an array of pivotal saves as the game edged toward a draw, but a late mistake from Nelson Semedo gifted the Villans a penalty which substitute Anwar El Ghazi buried.

The win moved Aston Villa up to eighth and above their West Midlands rivals, while holding two games in hand, despite claiming just one win in five Premier League fixtures before travelling to Molineux.

Targett upstaged Traore magnificently to ensure his performance could not go unnoticed, as the £17million signing from 2019 earned his 10th-straight start of the top-flight season.

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The 25-year-old’s performance was not perfect, having recorded just a 56% pass success rate and was cautioned in the closing stages, yet excelled with a joint-team high 61 touches and the third-most total passes by a Villans player, per WhoScored.

Targett completed just 19 of his 34 total pass, one of which being deemed a key ball, while delivering four attempted but unsuccessful crosses and attempting nine long passes, of which only three found teammates.

He also lost possession 20 times – only John McGinn (21) turned the ball over more often, per SofaScore – but stood out with his back to Martinez’s goal with five clearances, three interceptions, three successful tackles and blocked one shot.

Smith never saw Targett try his luck on Wolves’ goal or attempt a dribble, but would have left Molineux mightily impressed by the former England U19 international’s efforts in behind youngster Jacob Ramsey, who was making his first-ever Premier League start.

Meanwhile, this Aston Villa ace badly let Dean Smith down against Wolves.

Tottenham Hotspur retained the top spot in the Premier League with an impressive victory over their arch-rivals, Arsenal, on Sunday evening.

Jose Mourinho once again has his red-hot goalscoring duo, Harry Kane and Heung-min Son, to thank as the pair combined for both goals in the 2-0 victory.

The South Korean needed just 13 minutes to get on the scoresheet as he fired home a scorcher from well outside the penalty area before the 27-year-old marksman rifled one in from close range right on half-time.

In the end, Spurs hung onto a deserved victory despite the Gunners’ second-half dominance but largely, it was all bark and no bite.

Mikel Arteta’s men managed seven attempts at goal to Spurs’ one in the final 45 minutes, and struggled to find a way past a defence that has now kept four successive clean sheets in the division.

However but for all the positivity, Mourinho will surely be unhappy with what he saw from Giovani Lo Celso, a play who has been on the receiving end of some flak in recent weeks.

The ‘Special One’ criticised the Argentinian playmaker last month:

“I feel that when he plays he’s not the Gio that we know, not the Gio that we know that he can be an amazing player. But with the ball of course great criteria and he knows what he’s doing of course, and understands the way we want to play. But we need more intensity to be fitter, to be more intense and to be stronger in the transitions.”

It was only his second start in the Premier League this season on Sunday, which only goes to show the lack of faith Mourinho currently has in him, and that’s also reflected in the fact that Lo Celso is only averaging 44.8 minutes per appearance at the moment.

That certainly feels a bit like Tanguy Ndombele from last season, and the £31.5m-rated star did himself no favours.

Per SofaScore, he won just two of eight duels (25%) and failed to register a single shot, tackle, successful dribble, accurate cross or key pass in his 72 minutes on the pitch.

Lo Celso was also wasteful in possession as he lost the ball 13 times – more than any other Spurs player bar Son – and made just 18 of 29 passes.

Given Mourinho’s comments and the lack of reaction since, it would be a surprise to see the former Betis man start again in the upcoming games, unless of course, Ndombele hasn’t returned from illness.

AND in other news, Spurs can land Mourinho his next John Terry with swoop for £50m monster…

Wolverhampton Wanderers are already plotting their moves ahead of the January transfer window, even if it’s still two months away…

What’s the word?

According to TEAMtalk, the Midlands outfit are one of several top-flight teams pursuing a move for Middlesbrough defender Djed Spence.

It’s claimed that the Championship outfit face an uphill battle to keep the 20-year-old with Everton, Crystal Palace and Newcastle United also interested in his signature.

After breaking into the first-team under Jonathan Woodgate last season, Spence signed a new long-term contract in February this year.

Future talent?

The young English sensation has continued to cement his place as Boro’s right wing-back this season, playing in eight of their nine Championship outings thus far.

Spence has scored one goal and has also averaged 1.3 dribbles, 1.1 tackles and 0.7 key passes per 90 minutes, via WhoScored.

During the summer, his manager Neil Warnock played down chances of his top talent leaving the Riverside Stadium, though evidently, it’s a saga that’s set to rumble on throughout the winter.

He’s handed him a glowing endorsement in the process too, comparing him to two current Premier League stars, he said: “If you look at one or two of the full-backs that are around now – the lad at Liverpool, Trent Alexander-Arnold, and the lad at Manchester United from Palace [Aaron Wan-Bissaka] – they are all the same type as Djed.”

Warnock went on to claim that Spence had “enormous ability” and how it would be “criminal” if he didn’t make it to the very top.

He has also been noted as having ‘blistering pace’ whilst at 6-foot-and-a-half, he offers intriguing physical attributes too.

As per ESPN, it’s believed that Boro value the promising right wing-back at just £10m whilst Spurs have previously been mooted with interest.

Nuno Santo brought in two players in the role during the summer window – Nelson Semedo, who is already making his presence felt and less so, Ki Jana-Hoever.

You’d imagine the latter is in most danger if Jeff Shi sanctions a move for Spence – a swoop in which he should absolutely follow through with as it not only meets Fosun’s long-term ambitions but hands the Wolf Pack a genuine talent ahead of their rivals.

Perhaps he can be Nuno’s next project – à la Adama Traore.

AND in other news, Wolves must rue not signing £30m monster better than Dendoncker…

Liverpool made easy work of derailing Atalanta in their Champions League group fixture last night. The Reds now top their group by a huge five-point margin after breezing to three wins out of three. The Italians shipped five goals as they struggled to deal with Liverpool’s attacking threat.

Diogo Jota was in sublime form yet again, netting his first hat-trick for his new club. The summer signing now boasts an incredible six goals in his last four appearances under Jurgen Klopp.

He was undoubtedly Man of the Match with his unstoppable performance in Italy. Another player also impressed and put in a fine attacking shift, but he’s perhaps an unlikely candidate.

Neco Williams shines against Atalanta

Young Neco Williams made his Champions League debut after replacing Trent Alexander-Arnold deep into the second half. With just eight minutes to go, Klopp deployed the teenager to give him a cameo run out in a game that had long ago been put to bed. His only job was to kick the ball about and let the clock run down.

However, Williams wasn’t happy settling for a casual appearance. According to Sofascore, the defender made one block and two tackles to ensure the Reds kept their clean sheet. He also contributed an impressive 100% cross success and made one key pass, creating a big goalscoring opportunity. This was more of an attacking performance in eight minutes than Roberto Firmino managed in 25 minutes.

The Brazilian was unable to muster up a chance for his side and continues an inconsistent run of form. Whilst he has been integral to this Liverpool side, he has come under a lot of criticism lately due to his lack of goalscoring action as a striker.

Similarly, Williams was hammered by social media trolls after he struggled against Lincoln in the EFL Cup. Assistant manager Pep Ljinders rushed to his aid and lauded him for being a risk-taker, which is something the club encourages in all of their players.

Fans have since changed their tune, with many praising his performance from last night. Along with many others singing his tune, one supporter described his display as “slick” and has encouraged him to keep doing what he’s doing.

With Liverpool holding such a strong lead in their UCL group, Williams could start the remaining games in order to rest Alexander-Arnold for the Premier League.

In other news, Liverpool missed out on exciting partnership between Jamal Lewis and Alexander-Arnold…