أعلن توماس توخيل، المدير الفني لفريق باريس سان جيرمان الفرنسي، تشكيله لمواجهة مانشستر يونايتد الإنجليزي. ويحل الريد ديفلز ضيفًا على باريس، بملعب “حديقة الأمراء”، ضمن مواجهات الجولة الأولى لدوري أبطال أوروبا.تشكيل باريس سان جيرمان أمام مانشستر يونايتدحراسة المرمى: نافاس. خط الدفاع: فلورينزي، ديالو، كيمبيمبي، كورزوا. خط الوسط: دانيلو، إدريسا جي، هيريرا خط الهجوم: دي ماريا، مبابي، نيمار.
[ad_pod ]
Scotland were humiliated by Kazakhstan on Thursday afternoon, and Aberdeen’s Graeme Shinnie is getting absolutely crucified for his performance.
Scotland travelled to the Astana Arena in Nursultan for their first Euro 2020 qualifier on Wednesday, and let’s just say things didn’t go to plan for Alex McLeish’s side.
The hosts took the lead after just six minutes when Yuriy Pertsukh capitalised on some awful defending before Yan Vorogovskiy did the exact same five minutes later to make it 2-0.
Former Wigan & Fulham man, Jimmy Bullard recently showed that he’s still got it! Check out the video below…
Stuart Armstrong had the only notable chance for the Scots, forcing a good save out of the Kazakh goalkeeper, but Baktiyor Zainutdinov’s header made it 3-0 and completed the rout.
Of course, mounting injuries forced McLeish to deploy a makeshift squad, meaning Dons captain Shinnie got the nod at left-back with Andrew Robertson and Kieran Tierney both out.
The 27 year-old was at fault for the third goal and didn’t cover himself in glory during the early onslaught either, constantly caught out of position.
You can find some of the best Twitter reactions down below, look away now Graeme…
[ad_pod ]
More than 24 hours removed from the north London derby, Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal fans are still arguing.
This is perhaps nothing new but the tone of the argument pivots around one specific event at Wembley.
As Harry Kane rose to challenge for a header, Gunners defenders Shkodran Mustafi and Laurent Koscielny wrestled with the England striker in the penalty area.
Kane hit the deck and referee Anthony Taylor pointed to the spot.
However, the 25-year-old was offside when the ball into the area was played by Christian Eriksen and there has been much debate surrounding the officiating.
The law, per Sky Sports News, states: “If a player in an offside position is moving towards the ball with the intention of playing the ball and is fouled before playing or attempting to play the ball, or challenging an opponent for the ball, the foul is penalised as it has occurred before the offside offence.”
The debate since has circled around whether or not Kane was challenging for the ball at the time he was fouled.
Former referee Dermot Gallagher, per the aforementioned Sky article, claims the decision was wrong because Kane was challenging for the ball by attempting to head it. Spurs fans maintain that, because he had not headed it, he was not yet active and thus the foul comes first.
This is the chicken and the egg argument all over again and it needs to change.
The offside rule right now is a mess. There are too many shades of grey and the referee’s decision, ultimately, hinges on his understanding of the word “challenging”.
The penalty, of course, was given and Kane scored. Tottenham subsequently earned a 1-1 draw in a game they had been losing.
Were the offside rule to remove the ability to argue such trivialities, perhaps it would not have been given.
A player, at the end of the day, is either offside or he isn’t. If the rule was changed to state that a team cannot be penalised for fouling a player in an offside position, all arguments would be solved.
There is also the idea that there should be clear daylight between the defender and the attacker because the current rule has been reduced to a nitpicking anality.
With the introduction of VAR to the Premier League next season, perhaps these arguments will stop. Or maybe the offside rule will become even more convoluted, as the action is slowed to within an inch of its life.
Changing the rule would be a great first step to removing these debates.
Rangers central defender Joe Worrall came in for plenty of praise after his side’s 1-1 Scottish Cup draw away at Aberdeen over the weekend with the 22-year-old grabbing the Glasgow club’s equaliser.
“I thought Joe was outstanding,” Rangers manager Steven Gerrard told The Scottish Sun after the game. “It was a man-of-the-match performance and he will be a captain of whatever team he plays for.”
Gerrard’s words on Worrall’s suitability to be captain wherever he plays is a clear hint that the Nottingham Forest loanee is likely to return to and remain at the City Ground next season.
And if that turns out to be the case, Gerrard will undoubtedly need to bring in a new centre-half with Martin Skrtel a possible candidate to come in.
Skrtel, who was linked with a move to Ibrox last summer (via Daily Record), is set to leave Fenerbahce at the end of the campaign when his contract expires and would be a name who could bring so much to Gerrard’s side.
A strong tackler and dominant presence in the air, Skrtel has the sort of experience that would give Rangers a huge boost in any potential SPL title race against rivals Celtic.
Should Worrall return to England, then Rangers should look no further than Skrtel when it comes to bringing in a replacement.
[ad_pod ]
Loads of Rangers fans have been giving their verdict on Wednesday night’s momentous win over Aberdeen, and they’re absolutely delighted with the impact of Jermain Defoe.
Rangers kept the pressure on Celtic on Wednesday with a 4-2 win at the Pittodrie Stadium.
The Gers were the better side throughout most of the match, but it wasn’t all plain sailing for Steven Gerrard’s side.
Pl>ymaker FC Exclusive: Jermaine Jenas reveals he would have snubbed Tottenham for Arsenal if they’d come knocking in 2005…
Alfredo Morelos put the visitors in front when he pounced on a rebound from a Ryan Kent strike, and the Colombian international grabbed another courtesy of Kent to make it 2-1 after Sam Cosgrove had levelled for the hosts.
James Tavernier and Cosgrove then traded a penalty each, making the score 3-2, before both Morelos and Aberdeen’s Scott McKenna were sent off after kicking out at each other.
The ten-on-ten battle made life difficult for the Gers, but Defoe came on to seal the deal, finishing with aplomb when released late on by Tavernier.
Gerrard was clearly desperate to bring the 36 year-old to Ibrox in January and it’s not hard to see why, as he has already racked up three goals and four assists in a blue shirt.
You can find some of the best Twitter reactions down below, where fans are already in love with their new number nine.
Wouter Verstraaten is a player on Sunderland’s radar, and he has spoken about his recent experience of the club and the possibility of him joining the Black Cats.
What did he say?
Sunderland took a look at the player earlier this year and allowed the Dutchman to take part in a match against Liverpool U23s, and the interest may not have stopped there.
Verstraaten came though at PSV Eindhoven but has struggled at the professional level and now finds himself at nearby South Shields.
He isn’t exactly young at 24 years of age, too, but he has been described as a “Rolls Royce” defender and if Phil Parkinson and Co like what they see, then signing him may be a worthwhile gamble.
The player has spoken about the chnaces of that happening and reflected on the trial period he had at the Stadium of Light.
Speaking to Dutch outlet Eindhovens Dagblad, he said:
“They had seen me play and showed interest. Special, yes. Half a year ago I played football at Geldrop and now I was allowed to test at Sunderland … I am realistic.”
The outlet also reports that Verstraaten is currently in negotiations with the club over a contract, which means he could join in the summer if accurate.
Worthwhile risk?
Phil Parkinson has built his relative success in the north-east on the strength of Sunderland’s defence, which he has proved drastically since coming in.
Sunderland’s record of eight goals conceded in 13 games underlines that point. The Black Cats have conceded the second-least amount of goals in League One and therefore Parkinson knows not only what makes a good defender, but how to get the best out of them too.
Watch Sunderland Videos With StreamFootball.tv Below
As a result, the arrival of Verstraaten, if he was to join, may rise a few eyebrows, but there is no need to doubt Parkinson or his decision-making, and signing the centre-back may prove to be inspired.
Given he is plying his trade in non-league he would also likely arrive at little cost, and if he learns from experienced players like Joel Lynch and Jordan Willis he is likely to improve.
Premier League experts will get full marks: The ultimate quiz on top flight transfer flops…
In other news, Sunderland fans were full of praise for a player who has rarely been seen this season…
Newcastle had a mixed transfer window in the summer but the addition of Jetro Willems is proving to be a very good piece of business, particularly as he is available for a relatively low fee.
A sum of £10m has been reported (Kicker, via The Chronicle) as the price that the Magpies will have to depart with to sign him from Frankfurt, but considering the level of performance he has put in so far that would be a bit of a bargain.
He has rarely put a foot wrong and also has two fine goals against Liverpool and Manchester City to boast about.
The fact Matt Ritchie hasn’t been missed since picking up an injury in August says everything about the contribution Willems has made, and if he continues then he could become a fan favourite at St. James’ Park, as several supporters already wish the club would make him a permanent Newcastle player.
The good news for the Magpies is that the Netherlands international is reportedly keen to extend his stay in the north-east, and that means the only slight hurdle would be providing the necessary funds.
Watch Man Utd vs Newcastle Live and Free with Amazon Prime on Boxing Day
There is a fixed price agreed, however, which means he should make the switch whenever the Magpies make the appropriate bid, and it is certainly a chance they shouldn’t miss out on.
Newcastle have spent a great deal on the striker department with little return, and that means they should do whatever they can to hold onto their best performers, which includes Willems.
A football legend: Can you get over 80% on this Gazza quiz? Find out now…
Fans are certainly impressed with the left wing-back and it is a little surprising that Mike Ashley hasn’t swiftly taken the opportunity to increase his popularity by making the deal permanent, as the 25-year-old has received some very high praise.
Newcastle have reportedly been monitoring other potential additions, too, so our Football FanCast writers shared their views on whether Mason Holgate would be a good addition.
[ad_pod ]
Cenk Tosun has shown in spells that he can be a positive asset to Everton, but his consistency has let him down.
The Turkish international failed to fill the gap left behind by Romelu Lukaku, and this season he has struggled to earn a regular spot under manager Marco Silva.
In fact, Tosun has not played a full 90 minutes for the Toffees since early October in an EFL Cup match against Southampton.
In total, the striker has netted only twice in 13 outings in all competitions, so perhaps it would not make much sense to throw him into the line-up for the Merseyside derby.
However, while speaking to Goal earlier this month, Tosun insisted that he will be motivated for the clash against Liverpool.
Jurgen Klopp and his team are likely to be expecting Richarlison to be positioned up front at Anfield, so perhaps springing Tosun on them would be a surprise.
Is it worth the risk, though? Let us know by voting below.
Playmaker FC’s Matchday with Max caught up with Jamaica’s women’s team. See what happened when he met the history makers in the video below…
After a great start to the season, Aston Villa have had a tough last two games as they’ve lost to Burton Albion and Sheffield United.
Tipped as one of the favourites to gain promotion this season, Villa currently sit 12th in the table but can’t be ruled out of getting into the automatic promotion spots just yet.
Over the summer, Steve Bruce struggled to bring in too many players to help him in his promotion push. However, towards the end of the loan transfer window, Villa managed to bring in Yannick Bolasie, Anwar El Ghazi and Tammy Abraham to heavily bolster their attacking options.
Speaking of their attack, it’s been reported by the Daily Mail that out of favour striker Ross McCormack is poised to join Australian side, Central Coast Mariners on loan.
The Breakdown
Once regarded as one of the bet most prolific strikers in the Championship, McCormack has fallen out of favour at the club and looks set to be sent out on loan for the season.
During his time at Fulham and Leeds, the 32-year-old was a superb goalscorer, scoring 28, 17 and 21 goals respectively in the three seasons before he joined Villa, but since making his move to the Midlands, he has found it hard to replicate that form and only scored three goals in 20 games in the Championship in his first season.
In the second-half of last season, he was sent on loan to Melbourne City. He did well there but in reality, he has no place at Villa and shipping him off to the A-League seems a great move.
What do you think Villa fans?
Christian Eriksen has become a key member of Mauricio Pochettino’s Tottenham Hotspur team, and he is in scintillating form heading into this weekend’s North London derby.
On Tuesday night, the midfielder starred for Denmark by scoring a hat-trick in a 5-1 rout over the Republic of Ireland in the nation’s World Cup playoff.
The result broke Irish hearts, but it was a positive one from Tottenham’s perspective as their man was the star of the show.
Not only did Eriksen score three times, he did it in style, which will give him masses of confidence when lining up against arch enemies Arsenal on Saturday.
It is fair to say that Tottenham fans were mightily impressed with their midfielder’s display.
So far this season, Eriksen has scored four goals and created three assists in 15 appearances for the North London outfit.
Currently, Pochettino’s men sit third in the Premier League table, level on points with Manchester United and eight adrift of leaders Manchester City.