All posts by hc12369.com

No matter which side of the #WengerIn/#WengerOut debate you stand on, it’s hard to argue that Arsene Wenger’s players put in a real shift for him last night as Arsenal slipped to a humbling 5-1 loss at Bayern Munich’s Allianz Arena.

The Gunners were always likely to come away with a negative scoreline for the second leg of their Champions League last 32 tie against the German giants, but the manner in which they were out-played and the fact that, barring a bizarre turnaround, they’re out of Europe once again has sent some supporters of the club into meltdown.

In an attempt to harness this energy for good (well, sort of good) we asked Gunners fans to name and shame the 14 players who took to the pitch and here are the THREE biggest offenders. Amazingly, six-passes-completed-in-77-minutes midfielder Francis Coquelin got off lightly, with his name not making the trio of shame…

3) Granit Xhaka

Quickly becoming a questionable signing, the hot-headed Swiss midfielder was expected to shine vs. Bayern Munich. After all, he knows the Bundesliga giants well having played for Borussia Monchengladbach up until his £30m+ summer switch to London and has that spiky streak that is always needed in the biggest games.

Alas, he and his midfield partner Francis Coquelin were anonymous vs. the Bavarians as the home side ran riot and exploited the space between the engine room and defensive line.

2) Alex Iwobi

A youngster thrust up against Philipp Lahm – a player whose won it all at international and club level – there was always the potential for the Gunners ace to struggle. And struggle he did, with the German veteran running the right side of the pitch for his team by producing overlapping surges that were a constant thorn for Wenger’s side. Iwobi offered very little going forward, too.

1) Mesut Ozil

In at number one we have big game bottler extraordinaire, Ozil. The midfielder attempted the same number of passes as Bayern goalkeeper Manuel Neuer, which is a damning stat given that he’s hailed as the Londoners’ main playmaking talent.

FootballFanCast General: Subscribe and never miss what matters Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.

---

Subscribe By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.

Ozil is often slated for not showing up when it really matters, and those criticisms will surely continue off the back of this.

CLICK THROUGH FOR THE FULL RESULTS

Results

Joe Hart is an apparent transfer target for Arsenal this summer as the Emirates Stadium side look ahead to life after Petr Cech, according to reports from the Daily Mail.

Cech is enjoying, or not so in this case, his worst season to date in an Arsenal shirt. The Gunners have conceded 28 goals in the Premier League thus far – one more than Middlesbrough – and are struggling defensively as they again slip away from the title conversation.

The Czech Republic international has been their No 1 since signing for £10m in 2015, joining after Thibaut Courtois became Chelsea’s first choice. However, after two brilliant seasons with the Gunners, where he has more than repaid the measly fee paid for him, it looks as if his time as first choice keeper at the Emirates could be coming to an end.

A number of options for Arsene Wenger are available as they look to potentially replace the former Chelsea man, including the aforementioned Hart, and Roma loanee Wojciech Szczesny, who remains an option heading towards 2017/18.

We think it would be the right thing for Arsenal to do, and here are FOUR reasons why …

Rivals

Petr Cech hasn’t been really poor this season, but has he been good enough between the sticks for a side that should be challenging for the Premier League title?

If the stats are anything to go by, no. Cech has kept only eight Premier League clean sheets this season, fewer than rival ‘keepers Hugo Lloris, David de Gea and Thibaut Courtois. Manchester City are the exception to this rule, but in general it is not a good sign when your goalie in unable to keep the same amount of clean sheets as your closest title challengers. A solid man between the sticks is one of the trademarks of any title-winning side, something Cech himself will know perhaps better than anyone.

Goals Against

As previously mentioned, Cech has conceded 28 goals this season in the Premier League for Arsenal.

That alone doesn’t sound great, and comparatively it looks even worse. Kasper Schmeichel, Victor Valdes, Lee Grant, Darren Randolph and even the heavily criticised Claudio Bravo have conceded fewer goals this season in a similar amount of games played.

If you combine the fact that Cech has more clean sheets than all of these keepers, too, it shows us something interesting: this ‘keeper is prone to conceding more than one. Is it a confidence thing? Who knows, but when your goalie is conceding multiple goals-per-game, there is a clear problem.

Better Options

One of the reasons Petr Cech simply isn’t good enough for Arsenal anymore is that they have better options.

Firstly there’s current No.2 David Ospina. Bar his battering in the recent 5-1 thrashing against Bayern Munich, the Colombian ‘keeper has been excellent when given the chance this season.

FootballFanCast General: Subscribe and never miss what matters Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.

---

Subscribe By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.

Secondly, we have Roma loanee Wojciech Szczesny, whose form for the Serie A side has been a major factor in them challenging for their first title since 2000/01.

Lastly, Joe Hart has been linked with a move to north London, and the ‘keeper has out-performed Cech in almost all departments this year, including clean sheets kept, goals conceded, saves-per-game and distribution accuracy.

Age

Age is just a number, some may say. However when you are a professional footballer that fact is unfortunately not true, and age is certainly something that can begin to decide when a player’s career is coming to an end.

At 34, Cech has enjoyed a marvellous career at both Chelsea and Arsenal, however, his age is now beginning to show. His reflexes aren’t once what they were, nor is his speed off the line. While mentally he may still be on a level with most of the top most ‘keepers around, it is becoming evident that his physical powers is are fading.

Leicester City have released a statement giving their backing to manager Claudio Ranieri, and fans think that it only means one thing.

The Italian has been experiencing a completely different season to the last as his Premier League champions are now in a relegation fight.

The Foxes are just one point above the relegation zone after losing 13 of their 24 games and winning just five of them.

This time a year ago, Ranieri’s men were on their way to claiming their first ever top-flight crown and they did it in remarkable fashion by sealing it with a 10-point margin.

[ad_pod id=’now-tv’ align=’centre’]

Leicester lost a pivotal player in N’Golo Kante to Chelsea in the summer, but the likes of Jamie Vardy and Riyad Mahrez have failed to match last season’s form.

Despite the disappointing spell, the club’s hierarchy have thrown their support behind the former Chelsea boss.

The statement read:

“In light of recent speculation, Leicester City Football Club would like to make absolutely clear its unwavering support for its first-team manager Claudio Ranieri.

“While there is a collective appreciation from everyone at the club that recent form needs to improve, the unprecedented success achieved in recent seasons has been based firmly on stability, togetherness and determination to overcome even the greatest of challenges.

“The entire club is and will remain united behind its manager and behind its players, collectively and firmly focused on the challenges ahead.”

Unfortunately for Ranieri, generally in these circumstances, a vote of confidence tends to eventually end in a sacking.

FootballFanCast General: Subscribe and never miss what matters Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.

---

Subscribe By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.

Some supporters have reacted to the news by urging the club to keep hold of the Italian, while others, as well as fans of rival clubs, believe that it is only a matter of time before he’s gone.

[ad_pod id=’playwire’ align=’center’]

West Ham had already suffered continental elimination in the qualifying faze of the Europa League, a disappointing league campaign and a near-disastrous move to their new London Stadium home, so when Dimitri Payet downed tools mid-way through the current transfer window in an attempt to force a move away from the Hammers, it must have felt like punch in the gut.

The Frenchman, who has only been in the east of London for 18 months, was the driving force behind the club’s impressive 2015/16 campaign and had won the hearts of Irons supporters after fulfilling the potential many suspected he had after a somewhat up and down career in his homeland.

[ad_pod id=’now-tv’ align=’centre’]

A switch back to Marseille – whom he joined West Ham from – looks to be the most likely outcome of this saga, and with the capital outfit looking at Robert Snodgrass of Hull, it seems that if their latest bid – which is greater than Burnley’s £10m offer, as per BBC Sport – is successful it’ll be one in, one out…

Although the Scotland international may seem like a bit of a step down from the EURO 2016 finalist, his stats suggest he could be an ideal replacement. Indeed, in an underwhelming Hull side, Snodgrass has made 42 key passes and scored seven goals, all while maintaining an 84% pass success rate. Interestingly, he’s also scored two direct free-kicks, which suggests he could fill Payet’s boots in terms of dead-ball prowess.

[ad_pod id=’Shoot-Xmas-Survey’ align=’left’]

FootballFanCast General: Subscribe and never miss what matters Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.

---

Subscribe By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.

[ad_pod id=’playwire’ align=’center’]

Liverpool supporters have been awarded by FIFA for their touching tribute to the victims of the 1989 Hillsborough disaster.The Reds’ faithful will share the FIFA Fan Award, which was presented at the inaugural Best FIFA Football awards in Zurich on Monday night, with Borussia Dortmund supporters.Before kickoff in last season’s Europa League quarter-final second leg at Anfield, both sets of fans showed solidarity by singing Liverpool’s anthem ‘You’ll Never Walk Alone’.[ad_pod id=’now-tv’ align=’centre’]The rendition was delivered the night before the 27th anniversary of the tragedy, in which 96 Liverpool fans lost their lives at Hillsborough Stadium ahead of an FA Cup semi-final against Nottingham Forest.Liverpool and Dortmund beat Iceland’s fans, who created the ‘thunderclap’ celebration at Euro 2016, and supporters of Dutch club ADO Den Haag.

Manager Jurgen Klopp, who coached Dortmund for seven years, gave his thoughts on the award to Liverpool’sÂofficial website:

“Of course, this award honours both sets of supporters and the respect shown by our friends from Dortmund was absolutely typical of the world-class values that club upholds. To honour the 96 victims, their families and the survivors of Hillsborough was very poignant.

“I know we won the match and the tie, but I think everyone inside Anfield that night and watching at home – whether they were wearing red or yellow and black – knows that football can be very proud of how they represented their club.”

The timing of the Hillsborough tribute was even more special as just 10 days later, it was found by an inquest that the victims were ‘unlawfully killed’.

Fans were also exonerated of any blame for the disaster.

FootballFanCast General: Subscribe and never miss what matters Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.

---

Subscribe By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.

[ad_pod id=’playwire’ align=’center’]

Everton are planning to add a new goalkeeper to their squad when the transfer window reopens in January, according to the Liverpool Echo.

What’s the story?

The Merseyside outfit signed Maarten Stekelenburg just last summer as a replacement for the outgoing Tim Howard.

However, it is understood by the local media that manager Ronald Koeman has drawn up a three-man shortlist as he is not currently satisfied with the goalkeeper situation.

Stekelenburg has taken the number one spot this season, while Joel Robles is below him in the pecking order.

Koeman said in August that he wanted an additional shot-stopper to challenge the duo, but a transfer never materialised.

The report suggests that the Dutchman wants a recruit who can come in as the club’s new first-choice keeper.

Who does Koeman want?

The Toffees were rumoured to be interested in snapping up Joe Hart when the Manchester City player was shunned by manager Pep Guardiola.

At the time, Koeman insisted that he had no interest in signing the England international, and the 29-year-old ended up joining Serie A outfit Torino on a season-long loan.

Would Everton consider making a summer move? Well, in a recent interview with Sky Sports, Hart suggested that when his loan stay in Italy comes to an end he will not return to City but rather keep his options open.

Hart would be a great signing for the Merseyside outfit as his experience and ability would tighten up a defence that has conceded seven goals in the last three Premier League games.

FootballFanCast General: Subscribe and never miss what matters Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.

---

Subscribe By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.

Elsewhere, Southampton shot-stopper Fraser Forster has been touted as a potential option.

Koeman knows him well having signed the Englishman while in charge of the Saints in 2014, but considering that the Dutchman left the coastal club rather abruptly at the end of last season, a deal is unlikely to go smoothly.

Not only that, Forster is a crucial member of the Southampton team under boss Claude Puel.

[ad_pod id=’playwire’ align=’center’]

Spurs gave their title challenge a welcome boost last weekend as they saw some of their rivals lose ground.

Whilst Manchester City lost against Chelsea on Saturday and Liverpool conspired to lose at Bournemouth on Sunday the Lilywhites battered Swansea 5-0 at White Hart Lane.

It was a performance that restored some faith in Mauricio Pochettino from our resident Spurs fans here in the Transfer Tavern who were beginning to worry about some of the club’s recent lacklustre performances.

Indeed, their failed Champions League campaign will still take some getting over but the victory against the Welsh side will undoubtedly have boosted morale amongst the Spurs squad.

They’ll need that, too, as they head into a huge game against Manchester United this weekend with the Red Devils eager to try and get themselves a little closer to the top four after a struggle of a start.

Our landlord reckons Spurs could take the win, though, providing they go with this line-up…

 GK: Hugo Lloris

The two best goalkeepers in the league will go head-to-head here as Lloris tries to get one over on David De Gea. With the Frenchman in goal Spurs have a chance in any game.

 RB: Kyle Walker

The right back hasn’t been at his flying best this season and needs to start finding that, particularly against United. The Red Devils aren’t the most mobile and that could be exploited by the England international.

 CB: Jan Vertonghen

Vertonghen has done well without Toby Alderweireld alongside him and faces a huge test against Zlatan Ibrahimovic this weekend. He’ll want to prove he’s every bit as good as his Belgian compatriot here with a top display.

 CB: Eric Dier

Helping out Vertonghen will be Dier again who has done a decent job of deputising at centre back. He’ll be hoping that he’ll be able to get back into central midfield, though, once Alderweireld returns.

 LB: Danny Rose:

Like Walker Rose needs to start flying up and down more and should be set for a right battle with Antonio Valencia. Both are rapid and whoever wins that battle could help their side win the game.

 CDM: Mousa Dembele

The Belgian midfielder is key for every game let alone the huge ones like this weekend’s. He’ll need to hassle United’s, at times, pedestrian midfield and then drive forward to give Spurs the edge.

 CDM: Victor Wanyama

Alongside Dembele should be Wanyama who also needs to harass the United midfielders. If the two can get on the ball and get their team forward Spurs could be on for a vital victory.

 RAM: Christian Eriksen

Eriksen looks to be back to his best now after a poor start to the season. Goals in his last two games have seen him remind us all of what he can do and now he needs to show that against United.

FootballFanCast General: Subscribe and never miss what matters Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.

---

Subscribe By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.

 CAM: Dele Alli

Alli bought Spurs a penalty at the weekend so he’ll want to remind everyone that he’s got more to his game than that against United. He’s not quite hit last season’s heights but a big performance here would ensure that gets forgotten.

 LAM: Heung-Min Son

The Korean scored the pick of the goals at the weekend and has had a far better season this year. He should start again, then, and aim to give United extra to think about defensively.

 ST: Harry Kane

Kane is back to scoring ways and looks set to grab another load this season. He’ll fancy his chances against United’s defence, too, so expect to see his name on the score-sheet at least once.

Agree Spurs fans? Let us know below!

Tomorrow’s visitors Inverness Caley must be among the least attractive in the SPFL.

Other than Ryan Christie, they have barely produced a player of note despite almost a decade in the top flight.

Year-on-year a batch of free transfers arrive from the depths of the English game and get moulded into a team that is rarely pleasing on the eye.

Despite relative success, the messy merger in 1994 to obtain league status still hangs over the club, with little in the way of affection or affinity between the team and the town.

Richie Foran took over from John Hughes at the end of last season, with the Irishman continuing the industrial style football that rarely wins over neutrals.

After a slow start to the season, Caley Thistle have lost just once in their last eight matches, at home to Rangers, but there has been more draws than wins with last Saturday’s 3-3 draw against Hearts unusually entertaining.

Celtc could do without a repeat of that scoreline tomorrow. Here are three Caley Thistle players to keep an eye on.

JOSH MEEKINGS

Skipping past this week’s court appearance there is only one incident that Meekings is famous for – alongside Stevie McLean and Alan Muir.

Rather than lie low after that outrageous ‘honest mistake’, Meekings revelled in his great escape, making a mockery of all of the fair play initiatives.

With two bookings and one goal to his name this season, the main threat from Josh will be around his own goal and the special relationship he enjoys with officials.

LONSANA DOUMBOUYA

With four goals from seven SPFL starts, the Frenchman will be looking to add to that total in front of his biggest audience of the season.

Nine goals for Cercle Brugges last season suggest a decent pedigree, although his career details before then are rather patchy.

With three goals in his last three matches, against Kilmarnock, Motherwell and Inverness, the Celtic scouting network will be well are of the threat posed by the 26-year-old.

FootballFanCast General: Subscribe and never miss what matters Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.

---

Subscribe By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.

OWAIN FON WILLIAMS

Was in inspired form when Celtic drew 2-2 at Inverness earlier in the season although some of the finishing left a lot to be desired.

As part of the Wales squad at Euro 16, he would probably have hoped to earn a move somewhere more glamorous during the summer but that failed to materialise.

After conceding three goals at home to Hearts last week he’ll be anxious to avoid a repeat, whilst Brendan Rodgers will be keen to ensure that there is no repeat of his early season form which denied Celtic a 100% record.

Ryan Giggs makes his debut on Monday Night Football (Sky Sports 1) tonight alongside regulars Gary Neville and Jamie Carragher.

The Manchester United legend is the special guest on the show as Liverpool host Manchester United in a monster clash between two of the Premier League’s greatest ever clubs.

Giggs made nearly 1000 appearances for United in his 23 years at the club as a professional, scoring 168 goals along the way and forever writing himself in the annals of Red Devil’s history.

The Welshman is also the most decorated player in Premier League history, having picked up 13 Premier League titles, 4 FA Cups and 2 Champions League trophies amongst the 10’s of titles he has won with the club.

The once dazzling winger has proven he has got what it takes on the pitch, but as a pundit, judgement will be reserved till after more than one appearance on MNF.

That hasn’t stopped Twitter reacting to his appearance though, and some of the results are downright hilarious …..

Not sure what this has to do with his punditry, but fair point …

It’s Liverpool vs. United in the studio too …

Truth hurts …

Turn your mics up boys.

Well, not exactly like they’re the most popular men in the country.

Snoozefest.

You tell him, Michael. Not exactly a fascinating man to listen to and doesn’t exactly have the most intelligent comments

[ad_pod id=’playwire’ align=’center’]

Arguably, Liverpool’s biggest test so far this season is upon them this weekend.

Yes, they’ve played Spurs, Chelsea, Arsenal and Leicester but the Reds have a very good knack of turning up for those big games – it’s the ones against Burnley, and this Saturday against Hull, they need to be wary of.

If the Reds are serious about challenging for the top four or even the title they need that consistency that has left them wanting for so long. Sure, they can go an outplay Chelsea but if they don’t beat Hull this weekend that’ll all have been for nothing.

These are the games that define a season arguably more than the ones the TV companies pick and Jurgen Klopp’s men need to show this weekend they understand that with a win.

Here at FootballFanCast we’re expecting a Reds triumph and reckon this line-up should do the business, providing they perform how they can…

Loris Karius

Karius kept a clean sheet against Derby in the EFL Cup and will surely start this weekend.

Nathaniel Clyne

If he’s fit, Clyne starts – it’s that simple.

Joel Matip

Matip is growing into the role at Liverpool and looks a shrewd buy.

Dejan Lovren

Lovren is a nailed on starter, highlighting his progress.

James Milner

Liverpool’s first choice left-back, who’d have thought it? He’s done well though.

Georginio Wijnaldum

Wijnaldum put a top performance in against Chelsea and is looking very at home for the Reds.

Jordan Henderson

Nearly ripped the net against Chelsea, Reds fans will be wanting more of the same.

Adam Lallana

Lallana is key to how Klopp wants the Reds to play, so must start.

FootballFanCast General: Subscribe and never miss what matters Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.

---

Subscribe By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.

Sadio Mane

Mane has started very well but now needs to do it against every side, not just the big ones.

Philippe Coutinho

He must be the first name on the team-sheet. He must play.

Daniel Sturridge

Roberto Firmino is back but Sturridge could get the nod after his last performance at Anfield, it’s a nice problem for Klopp to have anyway.