All posts by n8rngtd.top

After riding on a high for the past few months, Newcastle United were cruelly brought down to earth by Arsenal.

Indeed, the Gunners displayed ruthlessness in exposing their frailties, running rings around their defence and putting on an absolute masterclass for their fans as they chase Champions League qualification.

Wouldn’t that be nice, Newcastle fans? Oh, memories.

For the Magpies, it was anything but pretty. They were barely able to get the ball up field and were really rather poor defensively. However, the most shocking display came from captain Jamaal Lascelles, who was terrorized by Arsenal’s menacing flurry of hugely talented attackers.

On a day when his teammates needed someone to rely upon, he failed to be the influential leader they required and, to be fair, had become accustomed to.

Rather than making strong challenges to get his side forward, the England defender cramped up in a shell to invite pressure, looking a shell of the rock-solid star who had established himself as the club’s best captain in years. Eventually, it cost Newcastle, who were made to pay for being too defensive with Lascelles’ poor error leading to Lacazette’s goal, where his poor reading of the move allowing the French striker to lob past Martin Dubravka.

It wasn’t the first time he’s made consequential errors for the Magpies. He’s done it time and again this season, costing Newcastle points with his poor decision-making and, sadly it’s looking as if he’s believing his own hype.

Lascelles might be a strong, hard-tackling defender who can neutralize opponents on his day but crumbles up too often to be a captain. Linked with big moves to Liverpool, Chelsea and Tottenham following his exploits last season, has it gone to his head? It’s certainly looking like it.

Rafa Benitez should reevaluate his decisions on who should represent his side’s spirit on the field. He has more than enough options in central defensive areas and, more symbolically, he should give the captaincy to a more influential, stronger figure, as Lascelles is still too inexperienced and shaky to lead his side to stand up to intimidating opposition.

Newcastle fans, who do you want as the Magpies captain? Join the discussion by commenting below…

Rangers will be hoping that the season draws to a swift conclusion because, with nothing to play for anymore, all attention has shifted to the summer. So, with the right summer signings, the Gers will be capable of challenging Celtic for the entirety of next season. 

After starting the season well, Rangers obviously gradually fell off the pace and that proved detrimental for their season.

Steven Gerrard would have hoped to become an instant success at Ibrox but so long as he’s backed financially over the summer, he can make sure the second campaign is one to remember for him and the club.

Money won’t be required but a lot of effort certainly will be to try and lure out-of-contract Nick Powell to the club this summer, a signing that could do wonders for Rangers.

Powell, (who is valued at £3.1 million on Transfermarkt) is set to leave Wigan this summer and whether that’s because he’s joining Rangers or someone else is ultimately down to Steven Gerrard. The Rangers boss will surely realise what a huge coup Nick Powell could be for the club and after registering their interest in the January transfer window, they must return to try and secure his signature this summer instead.

Rangers don’t have a player quite like Nick Powell (who was touted with a move north of the border by the Scottish Sun in January) and therefore, it makes complete sense for their time to be invested in trying to sign him once again.

Having enjoyed another strong campaign despite Wigan’s struggles this season, the 25-year-old is the type of player that can win a game on his own, feeding the strikers and adding that bit of class to lift backsides off of seats at Ibrox.

Six goals and seven assists thus far show his influence and proves yet again what a top signing he would be for Rangers.

Rangers fans, do you agree the Gers should sign Nick Powell? If not, why not? Let us know!

[ad_pod ]

West Ham United targeted Marcelo Bielsa in 2015, prior to appointing Slaven Bilic, according to reliable source Ex-West Ham United Employee.

Bielsa is now Leeds United manager, with the Hammers choosing to replace Sam Allardyce with their former defender instead of the then-Marseille manager.

On the chalkboard

It is fair to say that West Ham’s squad might have looked different had Bielsa taken over.

In the 2015/16 summer transfer window, the Hammers signed Dimitri Payet, ironically from Marseille, with Bielsa having transformed him into a star in France. Had he moved to Upton Park, he may well have brought the playmaker with him.

Manuel Lanzini also arrived – a player Bielsa would surely have admired – but the likes of Pedro Obiang, Carl Jenkinson and, in January, Alex Song may not have been trusted to adapt to Bielsa’s high-intensity way of playing.

The eccentric boss prides hard running and high pressing over anything else and works his players to the bone.

Song and Obiang are statuesque midfielders, while Jenkinson is not blessed with any sort of pace.

Nikica Jelavic, a £3 million addition from Hull City, would never have been scouted, let alone signed, though a deal for Michail Antonio may well have been struck – he is a player with pace and energy to burn and may well have worked well under Bielsa.

Mauro Zarate was sold in January and he is exactly the kind of full-throttle forward the Argentine loves.

He could have been gifted another chance under Bielsa’s stewardship, while, conversely, it is difficult to imagine the likes of Andy Carroll, Mark Noble and James Collins getting much of a look in.

A formation change

Leeds tend to line up in a 4-1-4-1 formation in the Championship.

Under Bilic, the Hammers played mostly with a 4-2-3-1 system that allowed Dimitri Payet to thrive.

Bielsa tends to partner attacking thrust with defensive solidity and there may well have been an alteration to the way the Irons played.

There would, naturally, have been many changes to the playing staff too, as well as the coaching team.

One can be absolutely sure that West Ham will have run that little bit harder and pressed that little bit higher had Bielsa been on the touchline.

[ad_pod ]

Loads of Liverpool fans have been weighing in on a possible transfer target for the summer – Bournemouth winger Ryan Fraser.

According to The Mirror, Bournemouth are “agonising” over whether to allow Fraser to leave this summer.

The Scottish international is enjoying the season of his life, racking up seven goals and eleven assists in the league, but he will enter the final year of his contract next season.

This leaves the Cherries in the difficult position of having to cash in now or risk losing him for free in 2020, leading to Arsenal’s interest, which is also mentioned in the report.

While Liverpool aren’t thought to be in the running at the moment, could they jump in if the price is right?

Jurgen Klopp’s diminishing use of Xherdan Shaqiri means there is still a need for a back-up winger in the squad, so could the 5 ft 4 Scot be Shaqiri’s replacement? In terms of end product there’s simply no questioning that he would be an upgrade on the Swiss international.

You can find some of the best Twitter reactions down below, where fans are split on making a move…

[ad_pod ]

Having not featured in Charlton red – first team or otherwise – since early October, Lewis Page was surely thrilled to get 60 minutes under his belt for the Under-23’s on Tuesday against Burnley and could yet be a part of the Addicks’ push for promotion with four games remaining.

Despite the impressive showings of the deputising Ben Purrington at left-back, the 22-year-old has been sorely missed during yet another extended spell on the sidelines – Page missed a whopping 50 games between March 2017 and March 2018 due to a hamstring injury.

The defender hasn’t been alone this time around, though, with Jake Forster-Caskey, who also featured on Tuesday, on a similar road back to fitness. Page has identified his teammate as a huge help during a testing period:

“It’s been good, we’ve been in the gym most days together. It’s been nice because I’ve been doing a lot of running with him, instead of being on my own like I was last time, which was even tougher, so it was nice to have him alongside me, and to return together today.”

Check out what happened when two of Charlton’s best players faced-off in a game of ‘Splat’ in the video below…

Both players will be chomping at the bit to get back into action and have a part in their team’s final sprint to success although they must be careful not to rush back too soon, as that could see them ruled out for an even longer period of time.

[ad_pod ]

For months Leeds fans may have laughed off talk of the famed ‘Bielsa burnout’ as they were flying at the top of the Championship.

The premise is that Marcelo Bielsa’s style of play proves too physically demanding for a team to continue high levels of performance throughout an entire season.

Seemingly avoiding the burnout

Leeds had seemed to escape the dreaded fatigue that comes with playing under Bielsa this term, as they seemed to constantly dig in to score late goals and secure themselves points late in games.

Many mistook these late surges as evidence to disprove the fact that Bielsa’s teams wilt with tiredness. However, this phenomenon isn’t to be studied throughout 90 minutes of a game, it is about the team’s capability to continue playing up to standard throughout a full season.

Fans of the Yorkshire club were quick to tell everybody that they knew better, the Bielsa burnout is a myth and the club will storm through and be promoted to the Premier League with no problem at all.

Perhaps the club should have heeded the warnings of Ander Herrera who played under Bielsa at Athletic Bilbao, when he said (via iNews): “I can’t lie to you, in the last months we couldn’t even move. We had five games to play in the league and were in two cup finals and I think we lost all of them.

“Our legs said ‘stop’. We used to play always with the same players and were not at our best in the finals. We were a completely different team than we had been before.”

Happening before our eyes

It’s happening to Leeds right in front of us. Since the halfway point of the season, they have lost nine of their 20 Championship games but their storming start to the campaign left them in a strong position to be promoted, their league position blinding fans to what was really happening.

The Yorkshire outfit haven’t been the same team since Christmas but it has taken many fans until their automatic promotion hopes were dashed to admit it.

Losing their last two games against 10-man Wigan after leading early on and being comfortably dispatched by Brentford shows the regression Leeds have gone through in recent weeks.

On top of that the players can’t hold themselves together whilst playing this rigorous style, Gjanni Alioski had to come off against Brentford whilst Liam Cooper struggled throughout the match.

The numbers don’t lie, Leeds’ form has deserted them at the worst possible time and it is no coincidence that their players look dead on their feet late on in the season after running their socks off under Bielsa for over 40 games.

[ad_pod ]

According to Le10 Sport, Manchester City are monitoring Strasbourg right-back Kenny Lala with a view to a summer move, although Arsenal are also interested in signing the defender.

What’s the word, then?

Well, the Citizens have been keeping a close eye on the 27-year-old, who has been in impressive form this season with four goals and ten assists in all competitions.

Pep Guardiola reportedly sees Lala as a potential back-up to first-choice Kyle Walker, and he shouldn’t cost the reigning Premier League champions a huge sum of cash either – Lala is expected to cost in the region of £13m.

Relive all the drama of Man City v Spurs through the eyes Spurs’ fans in the video below…

Lala is under contract with the Ligue 1 side until 2021, but with Danilo looking likely to join Inter, City will be in need of another right-back to keep Walker on his toes.

Deviating from the strategy?

Why are Manchester City targeting a 27-year-old to play second fiddle to Walker, who himself is a year older?

Guardiola’s side have been impressive in the market in recent years, signing young players such as Aymeric Laporte, Benjamin Mendy, Ederson and Oleksandr Zinchenko to form a spine that should help the club compete at the top for many years.

So, their decision to target a 27-year-old seems odd, in that respect. Guardiola should really be targeting a player roughly four or five years younger than Walker, who will be able to replace the former Tottenham man when his powers start to wane.

In addition to that fact, if they do sign Lala, City will probably need to replace the pair of him and Walker around the same time in a few years.

This is a strange deviation away from City’s usual strategy in the transfer market, and wouldn’t represent good or sustainable business for a club who always seem to take the right steps in terms of recruitment – no matter the bargain fee of just £13m.

[ad_pod ]

According to the Liverpool Echo, Everton will face competition for Barcelona midfielder Andre Gomes in this summer’s transfer window.

Gomes has spent the 2018-19 campaign on loan at Everton, having joined the club from the Spanish champions ahead of the start of the season.

The 25-year-old has been impressive for the Toffees this term and according to the Liverpool Echo, Marco Silva’s side are the favourites to sign him this summer.

However, the same report has said that the likes of Tottenham Hotspur, Roma and Inter Milan are closely monitoring developments.

It remains to be seen what plans Barcelona – eliminated from the Champions League after a 4-0 loss at Anfield on Tuesday night – have for the Portuguese this summer.

In this era of ‘big 6’ dominance, has finishing 7th become as good as winning a trophy? The Pl>ymaker FC squad have their say in the video below…

Everton are seemingly well-placed to secure a deal, though, and the Merseyside club’s fans have been on social media offering their views on the latest developments.

A selection of the Twitter reaction can be seen below:

Manchester City wrapped up the Premier League title with a 4-1 win at Brighton and Hove Albion this weekend, beating Liverpool to the top prize in English football.

A superb run of form which saw the Manchester club win 14 games in a row ensured the title remains in Manchester for a second consecutive season.

However, manager Pep Guardiola will be perfectly aware that there could be a big period coming up for the club in terms of the transfer market, and the Spaniard will know full well he has some big players to try and replace in the coming seasons.

That’s why we here in the Tavern believe the club need to act swiftly to try and convince Dortmund and England starlet Jadon Sancho to move to the Etihad.

Sancho has reportedly pledged his immediate future to the German club and it is unsurprising given his form and the amount of game time he gets with the Bundesliga giants.

However, City are a club who can surely have the lure to get Sancho to move to the Premier League, and he would slot in nicely to the style of play and attacking footballer that Pep Guardiola employs amongst his squad.

Sancho has plenty of ability already, but his scope for improvement is the thing which separates him from many other players across the continent.

Despite only leaving City for the German league a few years back, there will surely be an element within Sancho that feels he has a point to prove in England, and in particular at City.

If Sancho is to fully develop and reach the potential he so obviously has, then a move to a club with the size and ambition of City is something which needs to happen sooner rather than later.

The "Beast" was anything but by the time he left Manchester.

As we found ourselves aimlessly foraging through the Manchester City archives looking for something to dissect now the season has come to a close (cue jokes about the club having no history – ha, ha ha), we came across one particularly hidden dusty name. Full of anticipation we brushed off the off the proverbial grub, clicked our mouse and stared in astonishment as the name “Alvaro Negredo” was revealed.

Now, we will be the first to admit that the Spaniard – affectionately referred to as the “Beast” – slipped our memory. However, like a smell or taste which ignites a flurry of lost memories, we were soon swamped with vivid recollections of the juggernaut forward barging his way through Premier League defences alongside Argentine marksman Sergio Aguero.

Keep in mind, this was a man who was on a run of 19 goals in 20 games at one point in his fledgeling City career. He’d left dent marks in just about every team that had had the displeasure of encountering him and had sent numerous kids home crying about how life wasn’t far, and how they quote “wanted to take up tennis instead”.

He was a tyrant, so when two inopportune injuries struck during the 2014/15 season we imagine the streets were filled with excitement and celebration. At least they were everywhere other than the Blue side of Manchester.

When his City career came to a grinding halt, Negredo was sent back on loan to Spain, Valencia the suitors. Despite a relatively lukewarm spell, in which he claimed just five goals in 30 appearances, the big man earned himself a permanent transfer to the Mestalla at the end of the 2014/15 campaign.

Like a 1000/1 racehorse which needs to be retired, the Spaniard coughed, spluttered and crashed his way through the following year netting just five times in La Liga before being moved on a temporary deal to none other than Middlesbrough. But this wasn’t the end of his misery, not by any means. The newly promoted Premier League side played a brand of “football” that was, shall we say, not exactly conducive to goalscoring, and after nine goals in 36 league appearances, he was returned to Spain a broken man with soured memories of the English topflight.

Negredo spent a brief spell at Turkish outfit Besiktas before moving to UAE Gulf League side Al-Nasr, where admittedly he seems to have found his level again – scoring 15 times in 17 appearances. Whatever that’s worth. The Gulf League is hardly the pinnacle of sporting glory, is it?

Manchester City fans, what are your standout memories of Alvaro Negredo? Let us know in the comments below!