In a tight and tricky second leg of the League Cup semi-final, it was Arsenal who came out on top at the Emirates Stadium. The Gunners hit back after Eden Hazard’s opener with two fortunate goals but Arsene Wenger will feel his side made their own luck, especially during a second half in which his side firmly imposed themselves on the opposition.
It was a solid team performance from Arsenal that required commitment in all departments, but midfielder Jack Wilshere – who has been enjoying a fine flurry of form since returning from injury – once again stood out in central midfield. His ability to maraud through the middle of the park was a key factor in the match, completing the most dribbles of any player on the pitch, while the 34-cap England international weighed in with the most tackles of any Arsenal midfielder, three, and completed an impressive 93% of his passes.
It goes down as the latest in a string of fine displays from the 26-year-old, who now looks a shoo-in for England’s World Cup squad if he can keep fit until the summer. But it does also leave Wenger facing something of a selection headache in the engine room; likeminded midfielder Aaron Ramsey, who shares Wilshere’s penchant for surging forward into attacking positions, is now available for selection as well after recovering from his own injury layoff.
The Welshman was in fine form at the start of the season but due to his offensive tendencies, there are doubts over whether both he and Wilshere can fit into the same midfield – especially if Wenger reverts back to 3-4-3 in the coming weeks. With both performing well this term then, Wenger has a decision to make; does he choose between one or the other, play both together or push Ramsey further forward? Let us know by voting below…
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With the new year comes a new transfer window and for Rangers it’s a chance to perform surgery on a squad that again must undergo significant changes after another lacklustre season.
During the summer transfer window it was Pedro Caixinha’s remit to improve the squad and inspire the side to the kind of results that allows them to compete at the top of the Scottish Premiership and for the domestic cup competitions.
However, the Portuguese failed to win over supporters and after a series of debilitating results, the club have turned to former U20s coach Graeme Murty until the end of the season at least.
The club confirmed he will have a say in their January recruitment and working with Director of Football Mark Allen, the club must not only attract the right calibre of player to Rangers, but also decide which players to move on, even if it means cutting short their careers in Glasgow after only a few months.
These are THREE players Rangers should be looking to sell this January…
Carlos Pena
Carlos Pena’s move to Rangers simply hasn’t worked out in the way the player, the club or supporters wanted it to when he made the switch from Guadalajara last summer.
One of Pedro Caixinha’s marquee signings, his career at Ibrox never really got off the ground, initially severely struggling to reach match fitness and then failing to win a regular place either in the Portuguese’s first or Graeme Murty’s.
The Mexican has only made six starts in the Scottish Premiership since joining and while he’s popped up with some crowd pleasing goals, he isn’t offering enough to justify his wages or his place at the Light Blues.
If Rangers sell him this January, they can at least recoup some of the money paid for him during the last transfer window and it’s not as if he is going to increase in value sitting on the bench in the second half of the season.
Doing that can allow them focus limited resources elsewhere and bring players to the club that are going to work hard for their place in the team.
Bruno Alves
Soccer Football – Scottish League Cup Semi Final – Rangers vs Motherwell – Hampden Park, Glasgow, Britain – October 22, 2017 (L – R) Rangers’ Bruno Alves looks dejected REUTERS/Russell Cheyne
Bruno Alves is a big name and has won more trophies than any other player in Scotland, so when he arrived at Ibrox in the summer it justifiably got supporters pretty excited indeed.
When he signed he was less than a year out from winning the European Championships with Portugal and still considered to be a quality centre-back at the elite level, the kind of signing that might have allowed Rangers to progress not just in Scottish football, but on the continent too.
However, injuries and a lack of form have contributed to an underwhelming time in Rangers colours, with the veteran defender failing to live up to his illustrious pedigree or justify his likely high earnings at the club.
He’s missed over a third of Rangers’ matches this season and when he has been fit an available has helped contributed to only four clean sheets in the Scottish Premiership. At times he’s even been outshone by rookie defenders David Bates and Ross McCrorie.
Another knock picked up against Celtic in the new year derby means he is again on the sidelines and it’s becoming difficult to justify his presence at the club.
Moving him on would allow Graeme Murty to focus on Rangers’ emerging defensive talents and also free up room on the wage bill to either bring in a defender who can consistently perform or divert resources to another position.
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Eduardo Herrera
Of Pedro Caixinha’s multiple summer signings, few have contributed less in Rangers colours than Mexican striker Eduardo Herrera.
He may have a decade of experience in his home land and international caps for his country but at Ibrox he’s been a massive flop, scoring just once in the Scottish Premiership this season in 19 appearances, a goal which came way back in August.
While most of his appearances have admittedly come from the bench, he’s failed to show much at all and it’s time to cut short his career in Glasgow, even if it means making a loss on the transfer fee paid for him last summer.
Rangers need a player who can complement Alfredo Morelos, ideally someone who has a proven track record of finding the net in Scottish football.
Another half season of Herrera will only further frustrate supporters.
Delve into West Brom’s history and there is a lot to love and a lot to admire. A roll call of alumni ranging from Jeff Astle to the incomparable Laurie Cunningham evoke a warm smile while the more seasoned supporter will recall Vic Buckingham’s magnificent, free-flowing side that illuminated the nineteen-fifties. Then there was that yellow and green kit. You know the one, the one that rightfully still makes grown men swoon decades on.
Now though, what are they? Who have they become? After finally shedding their yo-yo status and enjoying seven consecutive years in the most lucrative league on the planet what adventures have they delighted in? What model of entertaining excellence have they aspired towards?
Well, they exist; that’s one thing we can definitely say about them. They exist and they breathe and they show up each weekend on the dot dulling whatever passes for the Premier League’s soul that little bit more with every fulfilled fixture.
Aside from that I’m done bar the occasional splendidly taken goal thrice a season and that 5-5 draw with Manchester United a few years back. In comparison to the swashbuckling sides of their past they are Fun Bobby from Friends and where once they were the party now they only deign to poop it.
Year after year the TV bonanza continues to pour in and their top flight credentials grow ever stronger yet there is scant evidence of the Baggies loosening their firm grip on caution, a strategy that amounts to safety first, second, third and so on with little consideration to contributing anything meaningful beyond survival.
The campaign that saw them promoted in 2010 also brought Blackpool up and though the Tangerines plummeted thereafter they could be said to have made more positive impact on the Premier League in that one rollercoaster season than West Brom have in seven. If you believe that to be a deeply flawed correlation, in effect counter-intuitive praise for Albion’s pragmatism given that the Seasiders are now residing in the third tier while Alan Pardew’s men have gone to-to-toe with Arsenal and Manchester United in recent weeks, then consider too other clubs who have hauled themselves into the elite in that time period.
There was Swansea six years ago, Southampton and West Ham five years ago, Crystal Palace four, Leicester three, Bournemouth two and Burnley in 2016. If I was writing about their stints in the highest echelon within a much shorter time-frame – how they have developed and progressed and took flight with ambitious verve – then even discounting the Foxes’ incredible title triumph I would be spoilt for choice, picking out exciting individual talent and memorable moments.
With West Brom nothing comes to mind unless I Google, and that would be cheating. Nothing but banal mental images of James McClean and Chris Brunt mouth-breathing like Sunday League cloggers and an endless sequence of set pieces.
Seven years is an eternity in top class football yet in that whole time West Brom’s brand has never deviated from being muscular and industrious and this perhaps isn’t very surprising when it’s factored in that former chairman Jeremy Peace loves nothing more than to employ stolid fare in the dug-out. From Roy Hodgson to Steve Clark, from Alan Irvine to Tony Pulis it is a litany of uninspiring choices that lays down a template for competency and little more. And now there is Alan Pardew, which is just perfect.
Imagine being in a pub with all of them. They’d probably line up at the bar in a 4-4-2 formation, each ordering the craft ale and paying just for their own, before indulging in a twenty minute conversation about spark plugs.
Presently rooted to the bottom of the table it’s starting to look ominous for the Baggies this term. Relegation looms and should they indeed ensure the drop will there be any regret at eking out their tenure in the Premier League without ever daring to explore what might have been possible had they rolled the dice?
Probably not, after all this is a club who have had fifteen attempts at domestic cup competitions since becoming one of the ‘big boys’ – each an opportunity to discard the suffocating pressure of league commitments and chase a dream – and with the exception of a singular quarter final appearance all have resulted in early exits, usually as a result of fielding severely weakened line-ups.
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Whoever is in charge this is a club happy to get by, do enough, and all the while take up a spot in the top flight rota over a club who might have admirable ambitions to expand and enthral.
In their third most successful era, West Brom have only succeeded in devaluing their past becoming the team that deflates enthusiasm when they’re scheduled for Super Sundays or paired with your club. They’re the ad break in the greatest show on earth.
There’s no accompanying pleasure in saying this, but perhaps it’s time that West Brom boinged again.
Supporters of Jurgen Klopp’s side have taken to Twitter to express their thoughts on the side that will face Arsenal in their critical Premier League game.
Liverpool have performed admirably this season, having only lost twice in 18 league games. However, there have been far too many draws that have negated the Reds’ ability to make a serious attempt to deconstruct Manchester City’s dominance in the division.
The Reds have recorded seven draws in the Premier League and conceded 20 goals in the division, which is illustrative of their inability to secure the three points in games.
If Liverpool are to maintain their status as a Champions League side, they must defend with greater cohesion, and tonight’s game against Arsenal is an opportunity to testify their credentials as a top team.
Here’s how the Liverpool fans reacted to their team news on Twitter…
Former Tottenham Hotspur midfielder and Sky Sports pundit Jamie Redknapp has told The Debate that the club made a “huge mistake” when they sold Kyle Walker to Manchester City during the summer.
Spurs have struggled for form in the Premier League in recent weeks despite qualifying for the knockout stages of the Champions League as group winners with a game to spare, taking just five points from the last 18 available.
Injuries to the likes of Toby Alderweireld and Victor Wanyama certainly hasn’t helped matters, but Redknapp says that the club’s reported £100,000-a-week wage cap is starting to hold the north London outfit back.
The 44-year-old believes that some of the current Tottenham players will look at Walker and the money and success he is enjoying at Man City and feel that they deserve the same, and it could be affecting their performances on the pitch.
He told The Debate: “Letting Kyle Walker go in the summer looks like a huge mistake.
“I thought it was good business at the time but now what it’s has done is set a precedent in the dressing room. It looks to me that the players know what the going rate is.”
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Despite challenging for the Premier League title over the course of the last two seasons, Mauricio Pochettino’s men lie 18 points behind leaders City with 15 matches down this term, and they face quick-fire home games against Stoke City and Brighton and Hove Albion at Wembley next week.
Nowadays, matches between Premier League heavyweights struggle to live up to their billing, but the contest between Arsenal and Manchester United at the Emirates on Saturday lived up to the hype.
The match ended in a 3-1 victory for Jose Mourinho’s team, but the game was not as one-sided as the scoreline suggests.
The Gunners created a whopping 33 shots compared to United’s eight, but they were unable to build on the goal scored by Alexandre Lacazette.
That was largely down to goalkeeper David de Gea, who made 14 saves to prevent the North London outfit from getting anything out of the game.
The majority of Arsenal fans were pleased with their team’s efforts, but one player came under fire.
Granit Xhaka has started all 15 of the Gunners’ Premier League games, but he has struggled to win over every supporter in the stands.
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The Switzerland international, who moved to the Emirates from Borussia Monchengladbach last year, was criticised on Twitter for his performance against United.
West Bromwich Albion sacked Tony Pulis on Monday following a disastrous run of form, and Baggies fans want the Welshman to be replaced by former Everton boss Ronald Koeman.
The Dutchman was also relieved of his duties by the Toffees last month following a disastrous start to the campaign after a big summer of spending, but he had a great record with the Merseyside outfit and Southampton prior to this season.
The 54-year-old led Saints to seventh and sixth-place finishes in the Premier League respectively, before he also came seventh with Everton last term.
The west Midlands outfit certainly need someone who will make a difference to stop them being dragged into a relegation battle, as they have won just two of their last 21 top flight fixtures.
West Brom supporters have been quick to have their say on who should succeed Pulis, and while one said “Koeman would be the first name on my list”, another said the Dutchman should be “given a chance”.
According to reports on HITC, Newcastle United could reignite their interest in Hamburg midfielder Lewis Holtby after he was left out of their squad for the win against Stuttgart on Saturday.
ESPN FC reported in June of this year that the Magpies were keen to bring the former Tottenham Hotspur and Fulham man back to the Premier League, but a move never materialised.
While the 27-year-old was a regular for the Bundesliga outfit earlier in the campaign he has found first-team opportunities harder to come by in recent weeks, and with his contract due to run out next summer the latest blow of missing out on the 18-man squad suggests he is definitely on his way.
Meanwhile, after a fine start to their Championship campaign Leeds United have hit a real poor run of form – losing seven of their last nine league games – and manager Thomas Christiansen could be looking to add to his squad during the January transfer window to ensure their promotion bid doesn’t falter for the second successive season.
Here are three reasons Leeds should hijack Newcastle’s interest in Holtby…
Attacking midfield competition
While summer signing Samu Saiz has probably been Leeds’ standout player so far this season, the likes of Pablo Hernandez, Kemar Roofe and Ezgjan Alioski haven’t really done enough in the attacking midfield positions.
It seems clear that more competition and quality is needed in those areas if the Whites are to turn their season around and challenge for promotion, and the versatile Holtby would certainly bring that as he can play on either flank or as a number 10.
Prime/Potential
At 27 years of age, Holtby should be in or approaching the peak years of his football career and if Leeds could sign him at this stage of his career then it could prove to be quite the coup for the Championship club.
With Premier League experience with Tottenham and Fulham – albeit he struggled to make an impression with the former in particular – the three-capped Germany international would also be ready to make the step up to the English top flight at the end of the season if the Yorkshire outfit do finally make a return there after a 14-year absence.
Transfer fee
Soccer Football – Bundesliga – Hamburg SV vs Borussia Dortmund – Volksparkstadion, Hamburg, Germany – September 20, 2017 Borussia Dortmund’s Lukasz Piszczek in action with Hamburg’s Lewis Holtby REUTERS/Fabian Bimmer DFL RULES TO LIMIT THE ONLINE USAGE DURING MATCH TIME TO 15 PICTURES PER GAME. IMAGE SEQUENCES TO SIMULATE VIDEO IS NOT ALLOWED AT ANY TIME. FOR FURTHER QUERIES PLEASE CONTACT DFL DIRECTLY AT + 49 69 650050
With Holtby’s contract due to expire at the end of the season and with little sign that the 27-year-old will sign a new one with the Bundesliga outfit, an exit seems highly likely either in January or next summer.
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The midfielder will be able to sign a pre-contract agreement with clubs in the New Year if that is the path that he wants to go down and if a team wants to sign him for free, but a cut-price fee may also be enough to get him for the second-half of the current campaign.
That is an option that could be tempting for Leeds as they look to mount a promotion push, and they have plenty of money left in the bank following the big-money sale of Chris Wood to Burnley during the summer.
Former Liverpool captain Jamie Carragher has claimed that Ronald Koeman needs to be given time to make his mark at Everton.
Everton have only won two of their 12 matches in all competitions this season, and will enter Sunday’s Premier League clash against Arsenal down in 16th position in the table.
A late Wayne Rooney penalty saw Everton avoid defeat at Brighton & Hove Albion last weekend, but the Merseyside club then lost at home to Lyon in the Europa League on Thursday night.
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It has been suggested that a poor result against Arsenal could see the Everton owners relieve Koeman of his managerial duties with the Toffees.
Carragher, however, has insisted that the former Barcelona centre-back has the experience to overcome what has been a testing period in his managerial career.
Carragher told Sky Sports:
“Almost every Everton fan I speak to wants Ronald Koeman gone. They’re on a terrible run of form – of course they are – but you look at people who could replace him… it’s nothing to write home about.
“What I’d say about Ronald Koeman is that we’re seven or eight games into the season. Ronald Koeman has been a Premier League manager for three years. “At Southampton for two years he finished fifth and seventh and then sixth with Everton – and he was probably overachieving at Southampton.”
Everton have also only scored five times in their eight Premier League matches this season, conceding 13 times in the process.
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After hosting Arsenal, they will visit Chelsea in the EFL Cup on Wednesday night, before travelling to Leicester City in the Premier League next weekend.
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain has failed to make a mark since his deadline-day move to Liverpool in August.
The England international looked for new beginnings after deciding to leave Arsenal following a five-year spell.
However, the 24-year-old has played just 86 minutes of action in the Premier League and Champions League.
Manager Jurgen Klopp has played the midfielder in nine games in all competitions, but only one of them included the player in the first XI, and that was in the Reds’ Carabao Cup defeat to Leicester City.
There were suggestions that Oxlade-Chamberlain would be handed a starting spot for this evening’s Champions League group match against Maribor, but once again, he has had to settle for a spot on the bench.
Instead, the midfield consists of Emre Can, Georginio Wijnaldum and James Milner, who has been preferred to captain Jordan Henderson.
After the teams were announced in Slovenia, the fans tweeted their thoughts on the exclusion of Oxlade-Chamberlain, who is yet to be played in his preferred position of centre midfield.
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Also, Andrew Robertson’s absence from the squad was a talking point among the supporters.