All posts by z3u9t.icu

Outcast Southampton winger Mohamed Elyounoussi appears to be flourishing during his time away from the south coast. His numbers at loan side Celtic have been impressive, but he also put in a solid shift on the international stage on Sunday.

As Norway made easy work of securing a 4-0 win over Romania in the UEFA Nations League, Elyounoussi dropped into midfield to operate behind his side’s double strike force. Alexander Sorloth and Erling Haaland both played superbly up front, but the midfield four helped command the play.

Elyounoussi could be important for Hasenhuttl

Although he wasn’t directly involved in any of the four Norway goals scored, Elyounoussi arrived with a lot of creativity. According to Sofascore, the Saints loanee made two key passes and 100% of his shots hit the target. He also contributed two tackles, one clearance and won 6/9 ground duels.

Elyounoussi boasts extreme versatility and could be an important asset to Ralph Hasenhuttl once he returns from his spell in Scotland. Not only can he play across any position in the front three, but is comfortable being deployed at both left and right midfield as well as in a more attacking role.

The 26-year-old was shipped out on loan after failing to make an impact at St Mary’s. However, since he joined Celtic he has unleashed his true potential. Last season, he tallied seven goals and six assists in just 20 appearances for the Hoops and has already made three contributions in front of goal this campaign (via Transfermarkt).

Whilst Theo Walcott is only with Southampton for the short-term and Nathan Tella yet to really prove himself, Elyounoussi could slot into the right side of the team when he returns. His goal and assist return alongside his driven work ethic will have certainly turned Hasenhuttl’s head.

In other news, Southampton should move to sign Troy Deeney before EFL window closes…

Paul Pogba ended his Manchester United drought and deepened Aston Villa’s relegation woes on Thursday. 

The Red Devils romped to a 3-0 win over Dean Smith’s side at Villa Park, partly inspired by Bruno Fernandes, who opened the scoring after winning a penalty at the expense of Ezri Konsa.

Mason Greenwood and Pogba added the extras in their own fashion, meaning Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side maintained their unbeaten run extending to 17 games in all competitions.

Solskjaer named an unchanged starting lineup to the team that thumped Bournemouth and United controlled the contest, leaving Villa second bottom, four points away from safety with as many games remaining.

Fifth place in the Premier League could be enough to secure a spot in the Champions League, if Manchester City’s ban is upheld, but Solskjaer will be looking to make a statement against Southampton.

Transfer Tavern worked on a predicted starting lineup, which sees Solskjaer make two changes to the side that humiliated Villa in their own home.

United seem to be on an upward trajectory ever since a defeat to Burnley at home in January. Solskjaer has started every game since the Premier League restart in a 4-2-3-1 formation and it is hard to imagine he will want to tinker with his preferred system at such a crucial stage in the competition.

Once again, Harry Maguire and Aaron Wan-Bissaka line up in front of David de Gea. Maguire has come under fire for his performances in recent weeks, but bounced back with a clean sheet at Villa Park.

Victor Lindelof has never looked particularly convincing alongside the captain, as he has received a below-par rating of 6.69 overall via WhoScored. In contrast, Eric Bailly is finally fully fit and raring to go, and his physicality could prove useful against Danny Ings.

As it stands, this may be the perfect opportunity for Bailly to stretch his legs and stake his claim for a place in the starting lineup, as he has only managed 328 minutes of football all season.

Meanwhile, Luke Shaw has started every game of United’s unbeaten run up until now. While he has impressed in recent weeks, Brandon Williams hasn’t started since the Premier League restart.

Former Red Devil Wes Brown insists Williams has given his teammate a real “problem” and Solskjaer could try to test his mettle against a side that have scored more goals than Everton this season.

Pogba and Fernandes continued to pull all of the strings in the middle of the park, as they finished the game with a goal a-piece. It is unlikely Solskjaer will want to break this partnership up anytime soon, which means Scott McTominay will miss out once again.

Similarly, Anthony Martial, Fernandes, Marcus Rashford and Mason Greenwood can’t seem to stop scoring at this moment in time, as Greenwood showed a killer instinct to put the game beyond the Villans. Fernandes set up Pogba’s sublime finish to increase his assist tally to six in the season.

The quartet are playing together so well, it wouldn’t make much sense to make any major changes, and Daniel James will likely have to watch from the sidelines after his brief cameo at Villa Park.

United fans, do you think this is how Solskjaer will line up at St Mary’s? Let us know down below!

Leeds United are said to want four or five new signings to bolster their maiden bow in the Premier League and one name stands out from the rest.

What’s the word?

According to The Athletic’s Phil Hay, the Yorkshire giants “rate” Brentford’s Ollie Watkins as one of several options they’re eyeing up from the division they have just won.

It’s claimed that the club believes the Bees talisman could suit Marcelo Bielsa’s system to a tee – strong link-up play, slick finishing and is a similar profile to Patrick Bamford, albeit one with a better conversion rate.

The Athletic have previously reported that the 24-year-old could be available for just £18m due to a release clause in the contract he signed back in August.

Exciting addition

One huge stumbling block to the deal will be down to whether or not the Bees join United in the Premier League – if they defeat local rivals Fulham at Wembley next week, then it could be curtains.

Although that shouldn’t stop Leeds trying to chance their arm, especially at just £18m as a deal like that presents far greater reward at a lower risk. It’s certainly not going to be Jean-Kevin Augustin 2.0.

As Hay says in his piece, Watkins is a glove for Bielsa’s style of football and one that is substantially better than Bamford.

Before the playoff final, the young Englishman has bagged 26 goals, averaging 2.6 shots, 1.5 key passes and 0.9 dribbles per game, via WhoScored.

Such a fit is emphasised by Brentford boss Thomas Frank who lauded him after their 1-o win over Preston last month, he said: “All the praise to Ollie – he’s done amazing. He’s a pleasure to work with in terms of his determination, his desire. The key thing for me to coach him this year was his position in the box for crosses and he has improved that massively, he has also improved his link-up play.”

The praise doesn’t just stop there with former Hammer Trevor Sinclair comparing him to Jermain Defoe. Leeds should absolutely try to snag Watkins from Brentford – there probably isn’t a better fit out there right now.

AND in other news, Bielsa can boost PL chances with swoop for Dutchman

Liverpool’s ongoing transfer saga with Timo Werner has been heightened to a new level following bold claims from The Athletic’s Raphael Honigstein.

Speaking on BT Sport’s coverage of the Bundesliga this weekend, the German journalist said (via the Evening Standard): “So far Liverpool have been linked closely and there has been a meeting between him and Jurgen Klopp, at least a virtual one over the last few weeks.”

The RB Leipzig frontman has been well-linked with a switch to Anfield for quite some time now with the Guardian suggesting that the Reds are still mulling over a move for him ahead of his €60m (£53.7m) release clause expiring in June.

Jurgen Klopp’s side won the Champions League last season and are on the verge of following that up with a maiden Premier League triumph, and fans are desperate to see the club continue to build on that through the addition of Werner.

The 24-year-old has provided 30 goals and 12 assists in 38 appearances, including a hat-trick at the weekend with arguably the whole world watching as Leipzig defeated Mainz.

Hilariously obscure Premier League players – Can you name them all?

World Class score: 95% | Expert score: 80% | Veteran score: 65% | Intermediate score: 45% | Amateur score: 30% | Try Again: 5%

It has led to some supporters pleading with sporting director Michael Edwards to sign him whilst others believe it is already happening.

Although Honigstein also added: “I think they’re a bit hesitant to pull the trigger because they haven’t quite figured out how much of a financial problem the coronavirus will present itself to football, coming over the next month in the Premier League.”

Here’s how the Anfield faithful have been reacting to these fresh claims…

AND in other news, Liverpool fans react to James Pearce as he reveals summer plans…

Key information about Tannadice Park

Tannadice Park, more commonly known as just Tannadice, was built, or put to proper use, in 1882 and is now the home of Dundee United FC. The stadium is located in Dundee in Scotland and lies just about 200 yards away from Dens Park, the home ground of their bitter city rivals, Dundee FC.

Its current capacity stands at 14,223 and the pitch measures 100m by 66m. The surface is covered with natural grass and has no running track surrounding but with undersoil heating installed.

The record attendance of 28,000 spectators at Tannadice Park was set on 16 November 1966 when Dundee United faced off against none other than Barcelona.

A history of Tannadice Park

Tannadice Park has been the safe haven of Dundee United ever since the club was founded as Dundee Hibernian back in 1909. But it was used long before its current tenants settled there. Before Dundee, Tannadice Park was known as Clepington Park and football was being played there as early as the 1870s.

But 1882 is often taken as the year when Tannadice Park’s history began properly as it was then that Dundee East End secured their tenancy at the ground. Of course, it wouldn’t last and they were gone by next year but soon after them, Dundee Violet, a junior club, would also use the stadium as their home during the 1883/84 campaign.

This dance of new owners went back and forth until Dundee Hibernian were born in 1909 and instead of looking to build a new stadium from scratch, the club’s secretary Pat Reilly decided to approach Clepington Park’s landlord and propose a deal that would exceed what they were getting from the stadium’s current tenants, Dundee Wanderers.

They were then informed of the new deal that was struck and were thrown out with the extent of their rage such that they would dismantle Clepington’s fixtures and fittings, removing the grandstand, changing rooms, fencing and even the goalposts. Needless to say, even though they had a ground to use, it was far from being a ready-made solution they had hoped for.

Still, the renovations started immediately and the Tannadice Park was finally born, its name stemming from the street on which the ground’s main entrance would be located. The club’s and the new stadium’s inaugural match was against Hibernian on 18 August 1909, and it attracted the crowd of 7,000 with their initial maximum capacity standing at 10,000.

The club was then renamed to Dundee United in 1923 and it took them until 1925 to start renovating the ground once they were promoted into Division One. The board would finally buy the land outright, construct some terracing, fix the slope towards the corner of the ground, renovate the pavilion, and add turnstiles. The next refurbishment would have to wait until 1953 due to the club’s financial and sporting struggles.

In more modern times, the main renovations happened in 1962, with the erection of the Main Stand – the first in Scotland with a with a cantilever roof and glass-fronted lounge – and between 1992 and ‘97 when Tannadice Park became an all-seater following the Taylor Report, which would also see numerous improvements to the existing stands.

In recent years, there have only been smaller adjustments to the stadium that would allow them to participate in European competitions. In 2009, the traditional floodlights were replaced with a roof-mounted lighting system, and in 2010 the original wooden seats in the Jerry Kerr stand were replaced with plastic seating.

Tickets to watch Dundee United at Tannadice Park

All tickets to watch Dundee United at Tannadice Park can be found on the club’s official website. The prices will vary depending on the category chosen but the adult ticket costs around £20.

All information on the season ticket scheme at the club can also be found on their website.

Related links

https://www.dundeeunitedfc.co.uk/ – Official website of Dundee United

It could well be a while before football starts up again with UEFA announcing today that the Europa League and Champions League are postponed until further notice, which doesn’t bode too well for the domestic game either.

So what better way to pass the time during this challenging period than testing yourself on all matters Crystal Palace?

Today’s quiz comes with a simple premise but you’d be foolish to think it’s an easy ride – we’re asking Eagles fans to name all 25 of these incredibly obscure former players, whose spells at Selhurst Park have no doubt regressed into a very distant memory.

So, will you prove to be a true Palace die-hard or an Eagles novice? There’s only one way to find out, and that’s by taking part in the quiz below.

Don’t be afraid to share your score on social media (providing it’s something to actually be relatively proud of), so all of your Palace chums can get involved as well!

Plenty of Newcastle United fans have been buzzing after a simple Twitter post from Allan Saint-Maximin sent members of the Toon faithful wild.

The tweet showed a figure staying quiet in two separate images, whilst they move their eyes as if they have heard something.

Loads of NUFC supporters have been speculating that this has something to do with the latest developments of the proposed takeover of PCP Capital Partners, run by businesswoman Amanda Staveley.

According to some reports, the fee agreed with Mike Ashley will be closer to £300 million rather than the original asking price of £340 million. This follows significant legal documentation from Companies House that showed that a deal was being put in place for both parties.

If the proposed takeover goes through, it means that the Saudi fund (PIF), controlled by Prince Mohammed bin Salman, will hold 80 per cent of shares in the Tyneside club, with Staveley holding 10 per cent and the final 10 per cent will be controlled by billionaire brothers David and Simon Reuben.

These Magpies were buzzing when they saw ASM’s tweet:

“Newcastle on the counter attack; Saint Maximin to Mbappe, Mbappe then squares to Sancho who finds Almiron, ALMIROOOOOON! GOAL NEWCASTLE!!” #NUFCTakeover

— Samuel Richardson (@richardson_sam) April 14, 2020

Missing football!? There’s still plenty of Newcastle discussion going on in the Vital Newcastle Forum! Click here to get involved!

This article is part of Football FanCast’s Pundit View series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent quotes from journalists, pundits, players and managers…

Speaking to GQ, former Manchester United striker Louis Saha has delivered a word of caution on Mason Greenwood.

What did he say?

The 18-year-old has enjoyed an impressive rise to the top in the past year or so, featuring in the Red Devils’ dramatic triumph over PSG in the Champions League last season. After scoring against the likes of Inter and Leeds on the club’s pre-season tour earlier in the summer, Greenwood has under-lined his first-team credentials with goals against Partizan Belgrade, FC Astana and Rochdale.

Despite his fine showings, Saha moved to temper expectations on the starlet, and bemoaned the fact he currently only has Anthony Martial and Marcus Rashford as his two ‘mentors’.

He said: “Maybe he has arrived six months or one year early and that’s not fair for him. He can’t be the only threat for Martial and Rashford at a big club like United. I had to compete with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, Ruud van Nistelrooy, Cristiano (Ronaldo) and Wayne Rooney. Greenwood is learning from two youngsters rather than two experienced players.”

Guidance

When you’re 18 like Greenwood and trying to break through into the team on a consistent basis, you invariably want to look for role models to follow amongst your teammates. Unfortunately for him, as Saha alludes to, Martial and Rashford are barely any older than him, at just 23 and 22 respectively.

The duo are still learning the tricks of the trade themselves, and are hardly the wizened professionals that could offer someone like Greenwood some much-needed career and life advice. And with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s struggling for goals in general this season – they have scored just 16 goals in 12 Premier League games – the teenager is playing in an environment that is arguably not the most conducive to his development. Signing a more experienced forward could be the key to unlocking the 18-year-old’s full potential.

This article is part of Football FanCast’s Opinion series, which provides analysis, insight and opinion on any issue within the beautiful game, from Paul Pogba’s haircuts to League Two relegation battles…

It has been a disappointing start to the season for Everton.

The Toffees currently sit 15th in the table after 12 games, having won just four matches so far. There was one particularly bad run, where they lost four games in a row in the Premier League and, although they have lost just once since then, they have still underwhelmed.

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That has partly been down to their problems in front of goal. Only five sides in the top tier have scored less than the Goodison Park outfit this term, which is just one of the reason why the pressure is on Marco Silva. It remains to be seen whether he can turn it around.

There are plenty of names to have been linked with a moved to the north-west should the Portuguese be relieved of his duties, with the latest being Bruno Genesio as per L’Equipe (via Sport Witness). Currently with Beijing Sinobo Guoan, he is best known for his four-year stint with Lyon, with them qualifying for the Champions League in three out of the four seasons he managed there. It was their prolific ability to score that was most noticeable from his reign.

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In the four Ligue 1 campaigns he spent at the Groupama Stadium, Lyon scored 67 goals, 77, 87 and 70. To put this into context, they have only managed to match or surpass the lowest of those four totals three times since the turn of the century outside of the 53-year-old’s time in the dugout.

Alexandre Lacazette, who now plays for Arsenal, benefited from his management – under Genesio, he had his most prolific season to date – whilst the quartet of Nabil Fekir, Bertrand Traore, Mariano Diaz and Memphis Depay bagged 84 goals and provided 38 assists between them in the 2017/18 season. Last term, six different players scored at least 10 goals for Les Gones.

Not only that, but he has a tendency to use younger players. For example, last season, the average age of the players who appeared for Lyon was 24.3. Only three teams managed lower in Ligue 1.

Just imagine what he could do with the likes of Richarlison, Alex Iwobi, Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Moise Kean, all of whom are 23 or under. By focusing on their attacking strengths, Genesio could really get the best out of a forward line that has the potential to be prolific. If it was decided that Silva could not take the team any further, Genesio would be a fantastic choice to replace him.

In other news, Silva will be impressed by one man’s form on international duty.

Southampton fans have taken to Twitter to react after The Sun reported that Erik Stoffelshaus is being lined up as a candidate to become the club’s Sporting Director, replacing Ross Wilson.

Wilson recently departed for Scottish giants Rangers, and the Saints are seemingly keen to find a replacement swiftly.

Stoffelshaus forged his reputation in Germany with Schalke, where he helped bring players such as Manuel Neuer, Mesut Ozil and Ivan Rakitic to the Bundesliga side.

Additionally, the man also wanted by Manchester United was a huge success in Russia, where he played a part in Lokomotiv Moscow’s captures of Jefferson Farfan, Grzegorz Krychowiak and Fyodor Smolov.

The south coast side are presumably still hurting from their embarrassing 9-0 defeat to Leicester at St Mary’s, so they will be hoping that Stoffelshaus can help get them back to the glory days under Mauricio Pochettino and Ronald Koeman – if he does replace Wilson, that is.

Let’s take a look at how some of the Saints support reacted to the news on Twitter…