Celtic fans swoon over Leigh Griffiths’ goal

Celtic enjoyed another important win on Sunday as they overcame Kilmarnock 3-1, which will have been made even sweeter by the fact that Rangers were held to a draw in their game.

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Following goals from Kristoffer Ajer and Odsonne Edouard, it was Leigh Griffiths who gave the Bhoys some breathing space for the last half an hour of the game.

This led to plenty of Celtic fans swooning over the 29-year-old and the impact he has been having for the team.

The goal came when Edouard split the defence with a pass to Ryan Christie, who cut the ball back for Griffiths to dart in and finish off the move.

This led to plenty of celebrations among the fans, who exclaimed “super Leigh Griffiths”, showing their appreciation for his contribution.

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It turned out to be a telling one, as Kilmarnock failed to get on the scoresheet again after the goal.

There have also been those who have taken the opportunity to shut down anybody who has criticised the frontman, with one fan stating “for a guy who won’t be playing football, he sure does score a lot”.

This comes after there was an original spell after his injury earlier in the season, that saw him make eight consecutive substitute appearances.

However, he has since gone on to start eight league games in a row, scoring four goals and assisting another two, highlighting how useful he can be.

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Spurs fans react to interest in Ben Chilwell

Tottenham Hotspur manager Jose Mourinho denied claims that there would be a squad overhaul this summer earlier this week, but that hasn’t stopped the transfer rumour mill from circulating north London.

According to The Times, Spurs are one of several Premier League clubs keen on signing Leicester City left-back Ben Chilwell this summer and the Foxes boss, Brendan Rodgers, has already begun the process to replace him.

It has left fans at the club discussing the potential of seeing the England international line up for them next season.

The club have seemingly cut ties with Danny Rose despite a lack of options in the role after he was shipped off to Newcastle United on loan, but Football.London claim there’s no way back for him as he’s not wanted anymore.

Here’s what has been said on social media…

Some supporters were all for signing Chilwell this summer – one suggested that he would be a “proper replacement” for Rose while another claimed he was one of the best left-backs in Europe before this season.

In the Premier League this season, the 23-year-old is averaging 2 clearances, 1.6 tackles and 1.2 key passes per game and has also managed two goals and three assists in 23 appearances, per WhoScored.

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However, plenty more were completely against the idea, blasting the defender for being “overhyped” and “overrated”.

Chilwell was even slammed for being a “Leicester reject” as well as being their alleged weak link.

In the minds of others, they wanted alternatives with some of the names listed including Benfica’s Alex Grimaldo, Everton’s Lucas Digne and AC Milan’s Theo Hernandez – all current first-team starts for their respective clubs, so it remains to be seen if they’d be keen or if Spurs even hold any interest in them.

There were even comparisons made to Spurs’ current options with Chilwell being brandished a “glorified Ben Davies” whilst he was also described as “another version of [Serge] Aurier”.

Transfermarkt currently value the England international at £45m, but it remains to be seen what sort of fee he could command this summer, particularly if he makes the Euro 2020 squad and subsequently plays well.

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And in other news, Jose Mourinho’s biggest FLAW is coming through at Spurs…

Tottenham exit for Harry Kane could set off a domino effect

It was January of 2019, when Mauricio Pochettino made it abundantly clear that Tottenham needed to spend more heavily if they wanted to compete for the biggest titles on offer.

“At the moment we operate in the same way as we operated in five years ago when we arrived. But if after we want to win titles we need to operate in a different way. The other day I saw a stat that in the last 10 years in England and in Europe how the teams were spending money, and I think we were on the bottom, in England and Europe. Of course we’re doing a fantastic job but if we want to be real contenders we need to operate in a different way in the future.”

Fast forward a year and a couple of months later, and of course, Pochettino is no longer the man in the Spurs dugout. That honour goes to Jose Mourinho, who has historically been at clubs who have splashed the cash – you only have to look at the signings of the likes of Paul Pogba and Romelu Lukaku at Manchester United to see that.

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But what Pochettino was suggesting, is that Spurs currently have a major dilemma on their hands. To compete with the best, they desperately need new signings and big money being spent. Otherwise they risk simply coasting, or even slipping backwards.

And that is exactly why the recent reports surrounding the north London side’s talisman, Harry Kane, is particularly worrying. There are suggestions that the England international would consider a move to Old Trafford this summer, “as he would prefer not to stay at Spurs while they undergo an extensive rebuild”.

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The 26-year-old is the undisputed star for the Lilywhites, a player who fans proudly claim as ‘one of their own’. And when you look at his eye-watering goal-record, it is easy to see why he is heralded as a world-class player. In 278 games for the club, he has smashed in 181, whilst he has also provided 30 assists too.

The £135m-rated star represents the beacon of hope that Spurs can achieve great things. Teammates no doubt look to him as a source of inspiration, whilst transfer targets may also view him as the player who legitimises the north London side as a genuine destination.

Losing him could spark a domino effect whereby some other key players follow suit, and also head for the exits. After all, what kind of ambition would be shown if the club’s big star is allowed to leave? A mass exodus would set Spurs on their way to a downward spiral, with potential signings also taking a step back before thinking about joining them.

Spurs have arrived at a crossroads. Get it wrong, and they could be staring down the barrel of years of yet more misery.

Meanwhile, this man’s exit is yet another mess created by Daniel Levy.

Liverpool need to tread carefully before bringing in Werner

Timo Werner remains a Liverpool target as the summer looms but what would the RB Leipzig man bring to the Anfield table and could he destroy their front three?

On the chalkboard

The Athletic have reported that the Reds have a time limit on a £51m move, and that Werner is being lined up as competition for Sadio Mane, Mohamed Salah, and Roberto Firmino.

Per Transfermarkt, however, he is very rarely utilised as a winger by Leipzig and has scored the majority of his goals from a central striking position; he has netted 107 goals in 198 appearances through the middle, and 10 in 59 as a winger on either side.

That likely means that it will be a straight battle between Werner and Firmino for the No.9 spot in the team, and the Brazilian doesn’t come out of this well from a purely statistical angle.

Indeed, Werner has scored 27 goals in 36 games this season; Firmino has 11 in 43. The latter is also 29, whereas his prospective new team-mate is 24.

However, to remove the Brazilian ace from the team would leave a massive void in the centre of the club’s attack.

Indeed, he does not tend to operate solely as a centre-forward, he is more of a hole player, able to drop into pockets of space and link attack and defence, as he plays as a false nine. He has more key passes per game, on average, than every single Liverpool midfielder, via WhoScored.

That is telling, because it allows the likes of Jordan Henderson, Fabinho and Georginio Wijnaldum to do the dirty work and then pop the ball off to Firmino.

Werner doesn’t offer the same attributes. He is a purer centre-forward, looking to run off the shoulder of defenders and get in behind. That isn’t to say that he isn’t a creative player – he and Firmino have both registered seven league assists this season, while Werner averages 1.4 key passes to his counterpart’s 1.3. The difference there is negligible.

But the question has to be asked as to how the rest of the front three would cope.

Tellingly, Firmino is the joint-top assist-maker to Salah in the Premier League this season, with twelve setups overall.

Throw it into disarray

Liverpool’s front three works because it is so in tune.

Firmino drops deep to fill the creative void and allow Salah and Mane to do their thing. He is integral to the trio.

Removing him could throw a spanner into the works.

Werner is, at least, a similar type of player but his predatory instincts mean that he is often in the box instead of outside it. He would be looking to fire Liverpool to glory instead of perhaps being willing to take a back seat and let Mane and Salah be the water-carriers.

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It would also mean that Liverpool would probably need to recruit some genuine creativity in midfield to step into that No.10 role and make things happen.

Finding a way to fit Werner in, at the expense of Liverpool’s chemistry, feels a risky move and one that could ultimately undo the inner workings of a side that has been machine-like at times this season.

Jurgen Klopp should tread carefully.

Meanwhile, Liverpool fans have reacted to a huge midfielder update!

Crystal Palace surely put off by Alfredo Morelos

Back in January, Crystal Palace were believed to be keen on signing Rangers frontman Alfredo Morelos.

The Rangers hitman had bagged 28 goals before 2020 began, while also amassing nine assists, which appeared to catch the eye of Crystal Palace’s Sporting Director Dougie Freedman.

Of course, given his importance to the Gers, he wasn’t going to come cheap – Steven Gerrard even said that he wouldn’t sell the Colombian for £50m.

However, since the New Year began, the 23-year-old’s form – and discipline – has tailed off so much that Freedman has surely lost interest in him, if we were to presume.

Morelos has scored just one goal so far in 2020, and even that came against a Hamilton side who are currently sat second from bottom in the Scottish Premiership.

Rangers’ No.20 can’t even defend himself by saying that he’s been laying on the assists either, as he only has one of them to his name as well this year, which came in the same game as his only goal.

Aside from his performances on the pitch, he has been just as unattractive away from it.

He was left out of the squad by Gerrard for the Scottish Cup quarter-final defeat to Hearts for ‘disciplinary reasons’ – the Rangers boss later revealed that the striker had been allowed to return to Colombia for family matters, but came back to Ibrox 24 hours late and also failed to report for training. To make matters worse, the Gers went on to lose the game 1-0.

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So, as a result of that disciplinary slip-up, and also his terrible form on the field, surely Crystal Palace have been put off by the striker’s antics so far in 2020 – not just the Eagles, but we presume that any club who were previously interested in him won’t have been pleased to see how he has behaved this year.

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Spurs’ Cameron Carter-Vickers should be given final chance

Anyone still remember Cameron Carter-Vickers?

The centre-back made his first-team debut for Tottenham all the way back in September 2016, when he was part of a side that thrashed Gillingham 5-0 in the third round of the League Cup.

Speaking after the game, Carter-Vickers declared: “I got a little nervous when I found out I’d be starting but I think that helped me. It kept me on my toes and it was good for me. Now I’m going to keep my head down, keep working hard at the training ground and try to push on.”

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Sadly for him, the now 22-year-old has struggled to do just that. In fact, since playing his first game for the senior side more than three years ago, he has featured just four times in total for Spurs’ first-team. Hardly the number of games for a player who the club may have had high hopes for.

Since the 2016/2017 campaign, Carter-Vickers hasn’t even had a sniff of the first-team back in north London, instead spending season after season on loan to the likes of Sheffield United, Ipswich, Swansea, Stoke and now Luton.

This campaign saw him start off at Stoke, before moving across to Luton in the January transfer window. He has played quite regularly in the Championship, making 19 appearances in the division, with his current manager whilst on loan speaking highly of him when he arrived on loan back in January.

Luton boss Graeme Jones said: “I’m delighted with the signing of Cameron. He can play anywhere across the back four, with centre-half being his preferred position. Graham Potter is one of my best friends and I spoke to him about Cameron, having had him on loan at Swansea last season. He said the character he’s got is incredible, so I’m looking forward to working with him.”

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Even Mauricio Pochettino himself spoke highly of the kind of potential he saw in Carter-Vickers back in 2016, several months before his debut. He said: “We have another youngster from the academy – Cameron Carter-Vickers. He is still young but has enough quality and he is training with us from the beginning of the season and playing for the Under-21s. It’s a good opportunity to stay with us now more consistently.”

The fact that he is spoken highly by managers then and now, suggests Carter-Vickers still has something to offer, and shouldn’t be considered a lost cause, even despite him falling from the radar in recent years.

But with numerous loan spells under his belt, this summer should be make or break in terms of his long-term Spurs career. Jose Mourinho should give him one final chance during pre-season to showcase his credentials and lay down a marker. If he doesn’t, then it might finally be the end.

Meanwhile, Spurs must be thankful they missed out on this superstar last summer.

Wolves fans drool over Oskar Buur

Wolverhampton Wanderers fans have been drooling over one of their top young talents this week after the club’s official Twitter feed reminded them of a key landmark.

Oskar Buur became a 22-year-old on Tuesday, and both the club and supporters have been wishing him well on social media.

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The emerging Dane has become a part of Nuno Santo’s first-team setup this season, signing a contract extension in February. He has made four senior appearances across the Europa League, FA Cup and the EFL Trophy.

Buur provided the very assist that clinched Diogo Jota’s hat-trick against Besiktas earlier this campaign.

With Nuno deploying a small squad of players, the left wing-back has seen himself rise in the pecking order to play second fiddle to Matt Doherty, who one fan believes is the worse player of the two.

He’s clearly seen as one for the future as the club have tied him down until the summer of 2023, even despite landing Rochdale prodigy Luke Matheson during the January transfer window.

Here’s what supporters have been saying…

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Three moments in Manchester United history that riled the fanbase

Manchester United have relished in success and silverware over the years as they boast being one of the best clubs on the planet.

But like any other, there have been darker days – here are just three moments from the vault that really got Reds fans fuming…

Cristiano Ronaldo’s wink

A relic from both Man United and international football history. In the 2006 World Cup quarter-final between England and Portugal, Wayne Rooney was sent off after a stamp on Carvalho.

What looked like it would be a stern talking to or a yellow card at best, turned into a dismissal for the Englishman thanks to club teammate Ronaldo.

The Portuguese star can take credit for his side’s win after pleading with the referee to give Rooney an early bath. As if getting a teammate and friend sent off wasn’t enough, Ronaldo gave the famous wink towards the Portugal bench afterwards as if to say ‘got him’.

Football – England v Portugal 2006 FIFA World Cup Germany – Quarter Final – FIFA World Cup Stadium, Gelsenkirchen – 1/7/06 England’s Wayne Rooney appears to push Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo Mandatory Credit: Action Images / Andrew Couldridge Livepic

Not only did it rile United fans, but it had the English nation’s blood boiling after Portugal went on to knock the Three Lions out on penalties.

Gabriel Heinze’s Liverpool dream

United fans truly couldn’t forgive the Argentinian for this huge faux pas. Heinze joined Old Trafford in 2004 and claimed all his dreams had come true after signing on a five-year deal. However, those dreams didn’t last too long, considering he tried to force a move to arch-rivals Liverpool just three years later.

The last player to move from Manchester United to Anfield was in 1964 – it’s a completely unheard of notion. But Heinze was adamant he belonged on Merseyside and both he and Liverpool did what they could to make it happen.

Of course, it never did and Heinze moved to Real Madrid instead in 2011 but his relationship with the fans was completely broken and he will always be viewed as a Judas in their eyes.

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Paul Pogba’s fun with Kurt Zouma

In 2019, United’s controversial Frenchman was slammed for laughing and joking with Everton’s Zouma ahead of their match, which was literally about to unfold. In their kits and ready to go, the two were filmed together in the tunnel before going out and facing each other on the pitch.

Fans and pundits alike were baffled and irritated by the players’ exchange, with United fans especially annoyed with Pogba after recently sporting the captain’s armband.

International friendships can obviously blossom, but when battling it out in the top tier of English football, it really doesn’t go down well when it looks like your top players aren’t taking the game seriously.

Spurs fans react to Jan Vertonghen’s comments on his future

One of the major talking points heading into the summer at Tottenham is whether Jan Vertonghen will still be at the club once his contract expires.

Reports in recent weeks had suggested the Belgium international could be set to leave north London on a free transfer, but a recent update from Alasdair Gold suggested that Spurs may be inclined to keep him until this season finally reaches its conclusion.

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But speaking to Play Sports (via The Independent), Vertonghen himself seemed to open the door to a potential exit. He said: “I want to sign with the right club. It could be Spurs, or another club. It must be a club with ambition. I want to play in Europe as the national team is important for me.”

And after hearing about what the 6 foot 2 central defender had to say, Spurs fans took to Twitter to voice their thoughts on the situation.

Some Spurs fans questioned their own club’s ambitions, with one supporter in particular urging Vertonghen to “get out” while he can.

This promises to be a saga that could go either way.

With the issue of contracts and player registrations being a contentious issue, Vertonghen could quite conceivably spend more time at Spurs than he might have originally anticipated.

Clubs are highly unlikely to let go of first-team players when things are so uncertain, and the campaign hasn’t even finished yet. Vertonghen may have his heart set on an exit, but it may not come as soon as he thinks.

Predicted Manchester City XI vs Chelsea

Manchester City can clinch the Premier League title on Saturday evening with a win against Thomas Tuchel’s Chelsea at the Etihad Stadium.

Pep Guardiola’s side have enjoyed a superb season, recovering after a slow start to effectively run away with the league title, although the Spanish manager came unstuck against the west London side in the FA Cup semi-final recently, so he will be wary of the threat that Tuchel’s side possess.

The game is also an early preview of the Champions League final later this month after both teams secured their place in the final with wins against Paris Saint-Germain and Real Madrid respectively earlier this week.

Here’s how we think Guardiola will line up against Chelsea on Saturday, with four changes from the side which started against PSG on Tuesday…

Ederson keeps his place in goal, with the Brazilian showing just how important he is to this team with a superb ball to Oleksandr Zinchenko in midweek, which led to Riyad Mahrez’s opening goal.

There are two changes in defence as Aymeric Laporte comes in for the suspended John Stones, whilst Joao Cancelo replaces Kyle Walker at right-back.

Despite another superb display against PSG, Fernandinho drops to the bench for this one, with Rodri partnering Ilkay Gundogan in midfield and Kevin De Bruyne in an attacking midfield role.

Phil Foden and Mahrez both deserve to keep their places on the wings, and they support Sergio Aguero up front, with Bernardo Silva dropped to the bench.

The £22.5m-rated Argentine “legend”, as hailed by Guardiola, has an excellent record against Chelsea in his career, with 15 goals in 21 appearances against the Blues, whilst he has history in games of this magnitude, so who better to start up front for City for this huge fixture at the Etihad?

In other news… Txiki can sign Pep his ideal Erling Haaland alternative with Man City swoop for £22.5m-rated gem

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