Everton fans are mercilessly bashing Yannick Bolasie, after the winger put in yet another woeful performance against Southampton on Saturday.
Yannick Bolasie’s Everton career has been pretty miserable so far, and it’s probably best he stay off social media for a while after Saturday’s showing.
The 28 year-old winger was an exciting addition when he joined the Toffees, but he has barely had a chance to showcase his dazzling skill set due to a lengthy injury layoff.
Since returning to the side this year, the DR Congo international has made virtually no impact in the final third, not something fans expect from a £25million signing.
Bolasie’s only goal of the season was a consolation strike in the 3-1 loss to Manchester City, and he struggled massively in Saturday’s 1-1 draw with Southampton.
The 28 year-old was hauled off after 45 minutes, having managed just 19 touches in the first half, completing zero dribbles, one cross, and just five passes.
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If fans were annoyed by his lack of end product before, they certainly aren’t pulling any punches about a £25m winger completed just five passes in 45 minutes, and some of the best Twitter reactions can be found below…
One deal is done and dusted, with plenty more action to occur for Manchester United over the coming weeks and months. But there could be as many players going out as there is coming in. Without realising it, have we seen some Manchester United players play their final game at Old Trafford?
There is a massive air of uncertainty surrounding David De Gea’s future at Manchester United. Rumours have been rife for months that Real Madrid are interested, and De Gea is willing to go. Team mate Juan Mata is unsure over de Gea’s future, as is the boss.
Louis Van Gaal addressed the situation: “He is Spanish and his girlfriend is Spanish and he can go to another great club, so it is difficult for him to decide.
“David De Gea shall not leave us so easily because we are a great club and he wants to participate.”
This is the first real indication Van Gaal has given that De Gea’s time as a Manchester United player is up. When Real come calling, it is hard to turn down. But could De Gea handle the pressure? Or will he even get the minutes ahead of Iker Casillas?
Radamel Falcao looks more certain to leave Manchester United. Based on the fact his contract is a season long loan deal with the option to buy, but the price tag is up in the air. At the beginning of the season, it was thought to be around £43million, but with Monaco in a financial situation with Financial Fair Play, it could be dropped.
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Even if his fee came at a cut price, it would not be enough to justify his season. Just four goals to his name is not enough for a world class striker, and you cannot just throw money at a player who will not deliver.
Or else, you take the risk and hope it pays off. As they share the same agent, it had been said that Falcao’s United future had to be linked with De Gea’s. Falcao waved off fans, presumably for the last time, as he was subbed off for another player who could be leaving.
That player being Robin Van Persie. He walked into the team in the first half of the season, despite suffering from a ‘World Cup hangover’ – seeing as he played under Van Gaal then, you can see why he was chosen. But with injuries, and an improved team performance since he hadn’t been able to play, things haven’t looked so good in the second half.
Louis Van Gaal also needs to be realistic. Van Persie, while he is still a good forward, and should be commended for his season despite his hardships, is at an age where the clock is ticking on his career. Rumour has it Juventus are interested in the Dutchman.
It just hasn’t been Angel Di Maria’s season, but the dream isn’t over just yet. He may not have many goals, but he has plenty of assists (second behind Fabregas for the season), and his recent comments suggest he is determined to prove himself at his new club. He has admitted he has struggled to adapt to English football, but he wants to become “part of the history of Manchester United.”
With a hefty price tag – the most expensive in English football – it’s easy to see why he wants to stick it out and prove himself. Fleeing off to PSG would put di Maria in the history books as a huge waste of money.
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He didn’t feature in the game, nor did he even make the bench, which gives a pretty clear indication that Jonny Evans will be playing elsewhere come August. The six match ban brought an incredible run of form for Manchester United, and highlighted how weak a link Evans is at the back. V
an Gaal has given more opportunities to younger players who have shown potential, while helping to push Evans out the door.
Manchester City boss Roberto Mancini is set to axe at least 12 players from his squad this summer as he looks to rebuild for next season according to The Times.
Mancini is not happy with a number of players’ effort levels this season as the Citizens surrendered their Premier League crown to their nearest and dearest without so much as a fight.
Equally poor performances and results in the Champions League has taught the Italian boss a thing or two about a number of his players and he won’t be pulling any punches when it comes to letting players go.
Samir Nasri, Edin Dzeko, Scott Sinclair, Jack Rodwell and Alexander Kolarov are among the dozen players that Mancini is looking to move on in order to bring in fresh blood to make a fist of success next season.
Uruguayan Edinson Cavani is top of City’s wish list to replace the departing players and reports suggest a deal could be on the verge of completion.
The new FFP rules will prevent City from a 2011-esque spending spree but an overhaul of the squad is just the start of the Etihad club’s long term plans.
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Joey Barton has revealed that he only wants to play for Marseille, as The Daily Mail state that the midfielder has offered to tear up his contract at Loftus Road.
The controversial battler is serving a 12-match ban after being dismissed for violent conduct in the R’s final game of last season against his former club Manchester City, and as such Mark Hughes is thought to want to sell him.
After training with Fleetwood Town, Barton has expressed his desire to move to the Ligue 1 side, who have been accredited with an interest in a loan move for the midfielder.
Barton has told his Twitter followers that he wants a switch to the Stade Velodrome side to be wrapped-up before the close of the transfer window.
“Marseille won again as well. Allez les Marseillais. Maybe I’ll see you all this week?” he stated on the social networking site.
“I am hopeful that things will be sorted out soon. Other clubs are in but I only want to play in Marseille. This is the place for me.
“Hopefully QPR and Marseille can finalise the deal in the next few days. My heart is already in the Velodrome,” he expressed.
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Kevin Friend has been appointed to officiate Manchester United and Arsenal’s Premier League clash this weekend, which could well end up being the last time Arsene Wenger faces the Red Devils and one of his most bitter rivals in Jose Mourinho.
And Friend has proved himself a referee of curious contradictions this season, at least compared to the rest of the 20 referees to work in the Premier League throughout 2017/18. Ranking in the bottom two for fouls per game, fouls per tackle and yellow cards per game, at first glance Friend is the kind of referee who allows physical challenges, wants the game to flow and shies away from making controversial decisions.
But that only represents a false sense of security for Arsenal and United, because Friend has awarded a staggering eight penalties during his 18 top flight outings this season. In fact, if the two referees to officiate one game apiece are taken out of the equation, he averages the most penalties per match of any Premier League official. Indeed, it seems that while Friend is usually prepared to let plenty go, different rules apply inside the penalty box.
Arsenal and United must be aware of that this weekend, but Friend has another statistical quirk that should breed confidence into the Old Trafford camp. It’s no secret that United often get the rub of the green from referees when playing on their own patch – well, that effect could be doubled or tripled this weekend, because no Premier League referee this season has a higher home win bias than Friend’s 61%.
Worrying news for the north Londoners, who also have a mixed record when Friend is in charge. While he oversaw their 2-0 win over Brighton back in October without awarding the Gunners a single yellow card, he was also in charge for the 2-1 defeat to Bournemouth. For United, meanwhile, this will be their first Premier League clash this season with Friend donning the whistle.
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Tottenham will not break into the top four this season, but should be competing once again in the continent’s second best tournament next term.
It doesn’t sound like a great campaign until you factor in the obstacles Spurs have had to face. New manager Mauricio Pochettino has had to familiarise himself with the squad and work out a viable formation.
This has not been easy considering that a number of key roles lack players who have the necessary ability to do the job right. It has been expected for a long time now that Pochettino will be dumping as many underachieving players as he can this summer in order to free up money for important signings.
Fortunately there have been a few very capable players this season that the club must hold onto and here are five of them…
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Harry Kane
No list of Tottenham’s most important players would be complete without a mention for Spurs wonder kid Harry Kane.
The 21-year-old has lit up the league this season by scoring 20 goals, becoming Spurs’ main striker and game changer. Kane has a bright future ahead of him, just as long as this spectacular year doesn’t turn out to be fluke.
If he really is that good then offers from the richest clubs in Europe will come flooding in and may already be on their way but Tottenham must do everything they can to convince him to stay put.
Hugo Lloris
A goalkeeper of Lloris’ quality was always going to be the club’s first choice between the sticks, so when he signed back in 2012 it was no surprise that long term keeper Brad Friedel was forced out.
Now in his third season, having been one of the Premier League’s best, there are rumours circulating that the Frenchman could be poached by a number of different clubs in the summer.
Lloris has made numerous important and impressive saves to keep Spurs in European contention and they’ll certainly need him once again next season if they want to break into the top four.
Christian Eriksen
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Christian Eriksen has had his ups and downs this season but when he has been on form then he is a vital cog in Spurs’ midfield.
The 23-year-old joined Spurs in 2013, and this season he has found the net 10 times – making him the squad’s joint second most prolific player.
The Dane still isn’t the finished article but given more time he can mature into a great attacking midfielder, and Spurs will want him in their ranks when that occurs.
Nacer Chadli
Like Eriksen, Nacer Chadli has scored 10 league goals for Spurs but he has gone one better and provided five assists, which is three more than the Dane.
Chadli only scored one league goal last season, so his improvement this campaign has been significant and is perhaps in part down to the arrival of Mauricio Pochettino.
The winger has made over 30 appearances in what has been a period of transition for the club, who are hoping that next year’s squad will return much stronger.
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Pochettino will have decided which of his players deserve to stay this summer and Chadli has proven he is definitely one of them.
Danny Rose
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Since joining Tottenham back in 2007 Danny Rose has been loaned out four times.
But in the last two seasons under both Tim Sherwood and Mauricio Pochettino, Rose has found himself featuring heavily at White Hart Lane.
Though at only 24-years-old, the left-back has drawn attention from big spenders Manchester City, who would like to add him to their ageing squad, but Spurs will reportedly ignore all offers.
Rose signed a new 5-year-deal last year that should keep him at White Hart Lane until 2019, which by then may finally see Spurs regularly competing in the Champions League as planned.
Manchester United’s Premier League title win proved that there was a lot of discussion and hysteria over nothing. Those who knew how talented David de Gea was from his days at Atletico Madrid always saw a title-winning goalkeeper in the making. In England, they were quick to shoot him down when the opportunity arose. But the turn of this calendar year proved once again that Alex Ferguson got it right with his investment in one of Europe’s most talented goalkeepers.
It doesn’t change too much, however. De Gea is sure to be one of two or three goalkeepers battling for the Spanish No 1 shirt when the time is right, but the day isn’t won yet. The youngster is still susceptible to mistakes at his age, and the wise move would be for United to bring in a veteran this summer to act as a reliever across four fronts.
And much of the same can be said about Arsenal. It many ways, both clubs are in the same boat in wanting to develop young goalkeeping talents for the long term.
Wojciech Szczesny was taken out of the firing line in March following a string of poor performances and the belief that his concentration was shaken. Lukas Fabianski came in and offered the Arsenal No 1 a taste of what it’s like to be rightly benched when standards are not met. After so many years of Arsene Wenger just making do with what he has in goal, the manager has finally found a solution to help bring the best out of Szczesny.
One of the highlights of Szczesny’s recent performances in goal was the save at Loftus Road against Loic Remy, diving to his left to tip the curling shot round the post. It was a save the keeper might not have made earlier in the season, and one that has gone a long way to keeping Arsenal well in the face for a top four spot.
It also said a lot about Szczesny that a save like that came up after so long without much in the way of shots on goal from QPR. It’s incredibly easy for players, especially younger, inexperienced players to lose focus and allow saveable shots to bundle past them. On that occasion, the Polish international looked like a player suited for a top Premier League club.
David de Gea’s emergence from the criticism has been far more emphatic, though. Here was a player who often conveys a shy, introverted personality coming to the fore when United desperately needed some stability in goal. Forget the issues about coming from crosses and taking charge of the penalty area, de Gea needed to be the focused and reliable last line of defence in a noticeably unspectacular United team. It’s a team who had to deal with the veteran centre-back pairing being broken up due to injuries or age while still fighting for dominance in English football. The transfer fee involved and the expectation to properly succeed Edwin van der Sar shows just how far de Gea has come.
You’d like to see more of the same of what has been some of the highlights of both de Gea and Szczesny’s season. Both are supremely talented individuals and have all the makings of becoming top tier European goalkeepers alongside prominent names such as Manuel Neuer. But where inconsistencies or fragile minds may dent rapid progress, the presence of a veteran goalkeeper who has been there and done it can be invaluable. It’s not just about both United and Arsenal (although Arsenal are in a far more needing situation) securing the short term, but also ensuring that the goalkeeping position is safe and well-guarded for many years to come.
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For Arsenal especially, there is a tendency to become lazy and content with what they have. Wenger has always been about offering younger players opportunities if he believed them to be just about good enough. But for too long we’ve seen how detrimental that mentality can be. This hasn’t been a full awakening for Szczesny, and much more work will need to go into proving he is the best player for the club.
We’re only days away from one of the biggest Celtic games of the season as they prepare to do with battle with eternal rivals Rangers at Hampden in the Scottish Cup semi-final.
Victory will be a major step on the road to a potential second successive treble of domestic trophies, making Brendan Rodgers and his team legends in the history of the football club.
One of the key decision that Rodgers has to make on Sunday is who he should play as striker, with Leigh Griffiths scoring against Hamilton recently to remind everyone he is back, fit and ready to go.
In contrast, Moussa Dembele looked well below his best in that game, leading some to suggest that it should be Griffiths who starts against the Light Blues.
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However, with a record of six goals in eight derby appearances, is Dembele still the stick on choice to lead the line at Hampden?
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Many Celtic fans think so, believing the Frenchman is still the man to get the job done.
They took to Twitter to share their thoughts on it all…
Arsenal’s superb victory over Liverpool on Saturday lifted them up to second place in the Premier League table, and having opened up a nine-point gap over their last opponents in the race for the top four, they look like certainties to qualify for the Champions League once again.
Nothing new there, then.
Over the last decade this has been the norm for the Gunners and while fans have enjoyed the consistency of top four finishes, there has been little else to celebrate as their side have rarely threatened a realistic challenge for Premier League or Champions League glory, lifting just a solitary trophy thanks to their FA Cup victory last year.
But recent weeks suggest things could be about to get a lot more serious at the Emirates and judging by their emphatic display against Liverpool, it looks like Arsenal are finally emerging as genuine title contenders.
There have been plenty of calls for Arsenal to get rid of Arsene Wenger over the last few seasons, and after an awful display at home to Monaco in the Champions League, the pressure piled back onto the Frenchman as fans vented their frustration.
But aside from that disappointing European night, Arsenal have been on a tremendous run of form that has created a real positive atmosphere around the club. Since defeat at White Hart Lane back in February, they have won six consecutive games in the league, as well as reaching another FA Cup semi-final thanks to an impressive victory at Old Trafford. Nine wins from their last 10 Premier League games mean they are the form side in the division, culminating in a manager of the month award for Wenger. And there is now even talk that they could possibly catch Chelsea at the top of the table.
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While this looks extremely unlikely, that fact it is even being mentioned goes to show just much Arsenal have improved recently and they can take plenty of positives going into next season where they can then really challenge for the title.
While Arsenal’s ability to beat the lesser sides in the division has never really been questioned, it was their inability to pick up points against the bigger clubs that often proved to be their downfall. But having left both Manchester sides with victories since the turn of the year, and then hammering Liverpool at the weekend, they seem to have turned a corner.
With the emergence of Francis Coquelin epitomising their new found resolve, they look a far more solid outfit defensively that has improved the balance of the side. Coquelin’s inclusion in the side has allowed their attacking quality to thrive in recent months, and there’s no doubt they have one of the best array of options available going forward in the division.
Alexis Sanchez has been superb since his arrival, and with the likes of Mesut Ozil, Aaron Ramsey, Santi Cazorla, Danny Welbeck and Theo Walcott all guaranteeing goals, Wenger is hardly short of options going forward. The ability of all these players to rotate and play anywhere across the midfield or attack gives the manager real options when selecting his team and allows his side to continue playing the attractive style of passing football that they have become famous for.
Add to this their in form striker Olivier Giroud and they really have all the ingredients to challenge for the league next season. The Frenchman joined Wenger in picking up the player of the month award for March thanks to his five goals last month. Since his nightmare against Monaco, Giroud has shown his class and importance to the team with seven goals in as many games, and he also netted for his country during the international break.
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If Arsenal can continue their impressive run of form until the end of the season, they could ultimately end up with a second-placed finish as well as another FA Cup trophy, which would have to go down as a successful campaign. With one or two new recruits in the summer, Wenger will be quietly confident that his team could then go one better next season and end their wait for another Premier League crown.
Providing they can stay clear of injuries, which have proved a real burden over recent seasons, Arsenal may well be about to step it up another level.
What a perfect week it has been, a trip to Wembley to look forward to and a pretty easy derby away win? That’s what we do.
Let’s be honest I didn’t think we’d have much chance at Blackburn in the replay, yes we played well and deserved to win, but I thought “That’s it, we’re out”. Didn’t exactly happen like that…
Danny Shittu, you are slowly becoming a legend. His goal just before half time secured a semi final against Wigan and a third trip to Wembley in four years, a goal and an absolute rock at the back, nothing was getting past him.
‘Wall was the superior team over two games but I really expected more from Blackburn. They were poor, really poor. The tactics from Michael Appleton were inept, hitting the long ball, Danny Shittu vs. Jordan Rhodes in the air, only one winner. This turned out to be Appleton’s second to last game, as he was sacked yesterday.
Now the Lions fans are looking forward to their Wembley day out, we all said at the start of the season we would take a decent league position and a cup run. Looks like we’ll get it.
And when it looked like it couldn’t get any better for ‘Wall it did, with a 2-0 derby day win away at Charlton. Well that’s what usually happens when Charlton play ‘Wall… A ‘Wall win.
Most fans were expecting maybe a somewhat poor performance as the players may have one eye on Wembley, and not wanting to get injured or suspended.
This wasn’t the best game on a very bad pitch, like something you’d find up Hackney Marshes, whoever scored the first goal, was most likely to win it.
And that turned out to be Millwall with Jermaine Easter with his first touch in a Millwall shirt. I couldn’t see the reason behind signing Easter from Crystal Palace on loan, but goals like that will change my mind.
And then came a absolute belter from Shane Lowry from 30 yards out. A screamer of a free kick from you’re left back, very unusual, well unless your Gareth Bale. Well let me say, Gareth would be very proud to have scored this.
This weekend highlights how crazy the Championship is. Any of 12 teams could steal be relegated into League One, and it seems one or two big teams will be heading through the trap door, but the big day out against Wigan will be a nice distraction.
Hopefully this cup run will have a positive effect on the team, KJ has already said anyone not pulling their weight in the team will be dropped, so it seems a few places at Wembley will be up for grabs, hopefully this will see the team rise up the table.
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Que Sara Sara, whatever will be will be, were going to Wembley, Que Sara Sara.