Chelsea have a lot on their plate at present, and that’s likely to leave fans dreaming of better times. Unfortunately for them, though, there’s still no end in sight for the Blues’ struggles, and it seems as though one of their arch rivals is enjoying exactly what most Chelsea fans would love. 

Since the departure of Jose Mourinho, Man Utd have exploded into life, with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer impressing at the helm at Old Trafford. That, on its own, is enough to frustrate fans. The Red Devils and Chelsea have been rivals for years, yet the Blues have, as of late, not been very competitive.

For Chelsea fans, however, the latest comments from Solskjaer are going to only make the mood at Stamford Bridge worse.

Discussing the Red Devils’ youth contingent, the Man Utd boss said: “Angel has been in that successful England U17 team, with (Jadon) Sancho and (Callum) Hudson-Odoi and (Phil) Foden, so he’s been a big part of that. I’m definitely sure that if he gets a chance he’ll do well. Jimmy Garner, he’s a Michael Carrick but 20 years younger, so I’m sure he’ll do well, and Chong, he’ll definitely be taking people on if he comes on.”

He added: “They’re ready, they’re kids”.

Chelsea have become infamous for their lack of focus on young talent in recent years, and that’s only worsened under Maurizio Sarri. Callum Hudson-Odoi is arguably one of the best young players in Europe, yet he’s not made a single Premier League start so far this season.

Meanwhile, Solskjaer is talking up the chances of three youngsters; and that just shows how different the two managers are. Sure, Man Utd have a few injury problems at present, but Chelsea’s form has been so poor lately that the manager has had more than enough chances to include a few youngsters. But he hasn’t.

He just doesn’t trust them, and Solskjaer clearly does.

Chelsea fans want to see young players make it at Chelsea, make no mistake, and if Sarri isn’t going to give them chances, that will only increase their desire to see change.

Thoughts?

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Newcastle United have a truly excellent striker in their ranks.

Elias Sorensen is just 19 and has been in quite brilliant form for the club’s youth teams. This season alone, he has scored 12 goals in 14 Premier League 2 games and has also netted four in five in the EFL Trophy, all of which came against senior sides – Doncaster Rovers, Notts County, Grimsby Town and Macclesfield.

His step up from the Under-18s to the Under-23s has been seamless. After netting 15 goals in 33 outings for the U18s, including six assists, Sorensen found a ruthless streak upon his age jump.

The same is true of his international career. Sorensen played for the Under-17s and the Under-18s for Denmark but did not score. But he has two in two for the Under-21s.

The Shields Gazette quote senior manager Rafael Benitez from November, when the Spaniard claimed that the teenager was knocking on the door of the first-team after training with them.

He said: “We’re lucky to have some young players coming sometimes to help the first team. He did well. He has energy and movement.

“We’re just talking about a couple of training sessions, but you could see the lad has the effort and desire to play in the first team.

“It depends on him. The players have to knock on the door by what they do on the pitch.”

His latest test came in January. Fresh from signing a new contract with the Magpies, he was loaned to Blackpool, in League One. He has made one appearance so far, managing just 32 minutes.

Chronicle Live report that Sorensen spoke to Sean Longstaff about his move, with the midfielder having played for the Seasiders before making his breakthrough at Newcastle. He has made six Premier League appearances this season.

He said: “You see Sean getting a few games in the Premier League now and he went away to Blackpool and Kilmarnock, so a few loan spells for him worked very well.

Former Wigan & Fulham man, Jimmy Bullard recently showed that he’s still got it! Check out the video below…

“I spoke to him about it and he liked it when he was here. I thought it would be a great opportunity for me as well.

“I’m excited to see what it brings. Hopefully, I can get a few games in League One and show what I’m capable of.”

If his record in the youth teams is anything to go by, Sorensen will take the third-tier by storm.

Newcastle fans should keep an eye on him. If he can reach his potential, he could well be the club’s next great No.9.

رد المدير الفني للفريق الأول لكرة القدم الجديد بالنادي الأهلي، بيتسو موسيماني، على رسالة وداع مهاجمه السابق بنادي صن داونز، ثيمبا زواني، بعد رحيله عن بطل الدوري الجنوب إفريقي.

وأشاد زواني كثيرًا بقدرات موسيماني التدريبية على مدار السنوات الماضية والتي جعلتهم يفوزون ببطولة دوري أبطال إفريقيا على حساب الزمالك في عام 2016، وختم مشواره مع صن داونز بالتتويج بالثلاثية المحلية بالموسم الماضي. (طالع تصريحات زواني)

ورد موسيماني على تصريحات زواني عبر حسابه الرسمي على موقع التواصل الاجتماعي “تويتر”، وكتب: “مشيكاشيكا!، شيكابالا!، سأفتقد رؤيتك تتزلج على أرض الملعب”.

وتابع: “سأفتقد مهاراتك وأهدافك الرائعة ورقصة الزومبي التي تشتهر بها!”.

ومن المعروف من تصريحات موسيماني الصحفية على مدار السنوات الماضية أنه يحب ويقدر قائد نادي الزمالك السابق، محمود عبد الرازق الشهير بـ”شيكابالا” وبالتالي، فهو يرى في زواني أنه يمتلك نفس مهارات النجم المصري.

الجدير بالذكر أن زواني يلعب بصفوف صن داونز منذ عام 2011، أي قبل عام من حصول موسيماني على مهمة تدريب صن داونز ولمدة 8 سنوات.

Mahikashika! Shikabala! I am going to miss seeing you skating on the pitch ! Amashibobo, Goals and the famous Zombie dance!😭😭 https://t.co/mUJncePAWh

— Pitso Mosimane (@TheRealPitso) October 1, 2020

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Luke Murphy has explained why he left Leeds United for Bolton Wanderers.

Murphy departed Elland Road last summer, moving to the Macron Stadium after terminating his contract with the Whites.

What’s the word?

Murphy joined Leeds in 2013, playing 111 times for the club.

However, he twice went on loan to Burton Albion, making a total of 61 appearances.

And he has explained that Leeds were ready to sign another player to replace him and that he was subsequently keen to leave for Bolton.

He told The Bolton News: “The season prior to leaving, I went out on loan twice and with one year left on my contract, they were looking in other directions and looking to bring in people from abroad.

“We ended on good terms and it was fine as I had the chance to come to another big club in Bolton.”

Landed on his feet

Murphy has landed on his feet with his move to Bolton.

The 29-year-old stayed in the Championship and, while has yet to truly make his mark at the club, he has been playing recently.

Murphy featured for 45 minutes against Birmingham City and also played the entire 90 minutes against Norwich City last time out, in a 4-0 loss.

He has handled his departure with genuine grace and good humour, and his exit is totally understandable.

Murphy remains an experienced Championship campaigner and has made a total of 168 appearances in the second-tier – he will remain an asset to Bolton in future weeks and months.

أعلن نادي لاتسيو الإيطالي توصله لاتفاق مع مانشستر يونايتد الإنجليزي للتعاقد مع أحد لاعبيه.

وتعاقد لاتسيو مع أندريس بيريرا على سبيل الإعارة من مانشستر يونايتد حتى نهاية الموسم الحالي، مع خيار شراء  بقيمة 27 مليون يورو.

اقرأ أيضًا.. بوروسيا دورتموند يعلن قراره النهائي بشأن انتقال سانشو لمانشستر يونايتد

بيريرا تواجد في لاتسيو صباح اليوم للخضوع للفحص الطبي وظهر بقميص نسور العاصمة بالفعل.

لعب بيريرا دورًا أساسيًا في فريق أولي جونار سولشاير في النصف الأول من موسم 2019-20، ومع قدوم برونو فيرنانديز ودوني فان دي بيك قلت مشاركته.

🏥 Visite mediche d’idoneità per @andrinhopereira in @ClinicaPaideia pic.twitter.com/lC6cpEq8vJ

— S.S.Lazio (@OfficialSSLazio) October 2, 2020

According to the reliable ExWHUemployee on Episode 124 of ‘The West Ham Way’ radio show, West Ham United attacker Andriy Yarmolenko is ahead of schedule in his injury return, and could feature earlier than expected at the end of the campaign.

What’s the word, then?

Well, the Ukraine international injured an Achilles tendon during the defeat against arch-rivals Tottenham Hotspur back in October, and The Independent reported at the time that the big-money £17.5m signing could be out of action for six months after undergoing surgery.

ExWHUemployee suggests in his latest update that the 29-year-old was only expected to be available for maybe the final one or two Premier League fixtures of the season, but the forward could now be available for the last month of action, meaning he could potentially feature in the trip to Old Trafford on April 13.

Yarmolenko had started to find some form prior to the issue, scoring twice in the 3-1 win against Everton before following that up a fortnight later with an assist in the win against Manchester United by the same scoreline.

Big boost?

It certainly is.

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…

West Ham may have little to play for in terms of European qualification or domestic cup success, but they will still want to finish as the best of the rest outside of the top six in the top flight.

As things stand ahead of their fixture against Fulham at the London Stadium on Friday night, they are six points adrift of seventh-placed Wolves with a dozen matches left to play.

Potentially have Yarmonlenko back in action earlier on in their run-in will be a big boost for the Irons in the final third, with the Ukrainian having the ability and quality to make a real difference alongside the likes of Manuel Lanzini, Marko Arnautovic and fellow summer addition Felipe Anderson.

Recent comments by Everton winger Bernard shows just why manager Marco Silva is the right man to steer the club to better results and ultimate success.

The Brazilian revealed to Portuguese outlet Record (via the Liverpool Echo) the squad is still fully dedicated to Silva’s structures at the club and have complete confidence in his style of coaching and managing.

The former Watford manager has been under a huge amount of scrutiny since the start of the New Year, following a bad string of results.

One win in their last six matches in all competitions has seen the manager change his team in almost every encounter and their FA Cup defeat at Millwall certainly raised question marks over Silva’s capabilities as the man in charge.

But, Bernard’s comments on how Silva prepares for every match and the detail he focuses on proves why he needs a little bit more time to get the best out of the Everton players.

According to the 26-year-old, Silva is excellent in his preparation before matches and provides a lot of insight into set-pieces, an aspect of the game where the Toffees have been really poor at this season.

Patience and maybe one or two more transfer windows could finally lead to Everton achieving new heights under the Portuguese manager.

The comments by Bernard should also be encouraging to Evertonians, who might have feared that Silva had lost the dressing but that clearly isn’t the case.

The off-weekend might also have been just what the club needed to regroup and get their campaign back on track with a Premier League clash against Cardiff City at Goodison Park coming up next week.

The encounter with Neil Warnock’s men could be the ideal opportunity for Everton to hit their stride again and get an all-important win under their belt.

Everton may have secured an uncharacteristic 3-0 win over relegation candidates Cardiff on Tuesday, but it was not enough to distract fans from major underlying problems facing the club. And it is becoming increasingly evident that some of those ‘problems’ are players who want to leave.

From what started as a relatively positive period under Marco Silva has now turned into a nightmare for players and fans alike.

Sitting in 9th place with very little to play for other than the Merseyside derby, new and old players alike will be scratching their heads wondering where their futures lie at Everton Football Club.

So, who are these likely doubters?

Yerry Mina

Fans are probably wondering how Colombian defender Yerry Mina has managed to con his way into Barcelona and Everton, despite rarely performing for either side.

It is not uncommon to see the words ‘erratic’ and ‘Mina’ in the same sentence in the wake of some of his appearances.

And that is the next issue.

‘Absent’ is the best word to describe Mina, who has managed a dismal 695 minutes in the Premier League since making his £27.19m move from Spain in the summer (source: BBC Sport).

Whether he’s sincerely injured we have no idea, but it is worrying that we would even entertain the thought that the player was simply skiving his way through the season.

Ademola Lookman

Lookman was brought back from Red Bull Leipzig at the end of last season despite the German outfit expressing their interest in signing the player on a permanent basis (as per: Sky Sports).

Presumably on the promise that he would be played more, Lookman ultimately stayed at the Everton but has struggled to get meaningful minutes under his belt ever since.

Having tasted top-level football elsewhere there’s no doubt the youngster will be weighing up his options at the end of the season to help revive his career.

We’re now in to the business end of the season and there’s still so much to play for across Europe.

Liverpool are back on top of the Premier League table with victory at Fulham, Manchester City’s comeback victory over Swansea in the FA Cup means they’re still on for an unprecedented quadruple and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s honeymoon period as caretaker Manchester United boss appears to be over.

That’s just in England. On Sunday, Lionel Messi produced yet another fine display in Barcelona’s 4-1 victory at Real Betis. In doing so, the Argentine ensured that while Cristiano Ronaldo no longer plays in Spain, the debate over who is best between the two world class stars rages on thanks to his latest record.

Everyone loves a stat and there were so many interesting ones to come out of the weekend. So here’s a whole load for you to impress your mates with this weekend. The Messi stat may also have you questioning whether Ronaldo should now be considered the best out of the two…

Milner On Point

Liverpool’s James Milner extended his Premier League record of never losing a game in which he’s scored – it now stands at 51 games (W40 D11 L0).

Hazard Drawing Blanks on Merseyside

Chelsea’s Eden Hazard has now failed to score in each of his seven Premier League games at Goodison Park – his most appearances at a single away venue without finding the net in the competition.

Kings of Norway

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer (91) is the only Norwegian player to score more Premier League goals than Bournemouth’s Joshua King (41).

Brilliant Brighton

Brighton have qualified for an FA Cup semi-final for the second time in their history – previously doing so in 1983 when they finished as runners-up.

Misbehaving Foxes

Leicester City have been shown more red cards than any other Premier League team this season (five).

Hammers Continue Impressive Run

West Ham are unbeaten in 17 Premier League games in which they have scored a goal since a 3-1 defeat at Arsenal in August.

Honeymoon Period Over For Ole

Manchester United have lost back-to-back games for the first time under Solskjaer, last doing so in December 2018 in Mourinho’s last two matches in charge.

Pickford’s Record

Everton’s Jordan Pickford (25 years 10 days) became the fifth youngest English goalkeeper to make 100 Premier League appearances – after Scott Carson, Joe Hart, Ian Walker and Paul Robinson.

Not Fulham’s Saviour

Scott Parker became the first Fulham manager to lose his first three Premier League games in charge since Roy Hodgson in January 2008.

Mr. West Ham

Mark Noble became only the third player to score 40 Premier League goals for West Ham after Paolo Di Canio (47) and Carlton Cole (41).

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Former Manchester United and Everton player Phil Neville has heaped praise on Liverpool star Andrew Robertson, hailing the former Hull man as the best left-back in Europe right now.

What’s he said?

As well as that bold statement, Neville went on to make another huge claim. The England Women’s team manager also thinks that the Scottish international is the most improved player he’s ever seen in the Premier League – praise of the highest order, most definitely.

Neville said on BBC’s Match of the Day (via the Liverpool Echo): “What Liverpool have got in Robertson and Trent Alexander-Arnold are players that have got unbelievable energy and the capacity to run 40, 50 yards.

Are the media letting Jurgen Klopp off lightly for his lack of silverware? The Pl>ymaker FC squad have their say in the video below…

“They’ve both got massive, massive energy and a big job to play and it gives them so much balance.

“Robertson, I think he’s the most improved player I’ve ever seen in the Premier League.

“His energy, his quality, he’s the best left-back I see in Europe at this moment in time.”

Solid Assessment

Of course, the part about Robertson being the most improved player in Premier League history is hard to argue with. Having suffered relegation to the Championship with Hull after previously plying his trade in Scotland’s lower leagues, nobody could’ve foreseen this remarkable turnaround in the 24-year-old’s career.

In regards to whether or not the former Queen’s Park full-back is Europe’s outright best, Robertson is certainly up there.

Currently, he would perhaps be mentioned in the same bracket as Barcelona’s Jordi Alba, Bayern Munich’s David Alaba and Juventus’ Alex Sandro – but right now, it is hard to argue that any of the aforementioned left-backs are any better than Liverpool’s No.26. Based on current form, he’s the best of the bunch.