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In terms of the first Premier League game of the season, things couldn’t have gone much better for Newcastle United on Saturday night.

The Magpies secured a superb 2-0 win against West Ham away from home, with debutantes Callum Wilson and Jeff Hendrick getting themselves on the score-sheet.

But whilst the duo will rightly take home some of the post-match plaudits, another new boy was equally brilliant: Jamal Lewis.

Think you’re a big Magpies fan? Can you name these former players by looking at their careers? Go on, give it a go…

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The left-back, who joined from relegated Norwich recently, put in a fantastic display, showing exactly why he could be a real star for both now and the future.

As per Sofascore, the 22-year-old provided a team-high three key passes, delivered four crosses into the box, and finished the game with 52 touches – the third-most of any Newcastle player.

And after seeing his debut, Magpies fans flooded to Twitter to hail the young man.

A couple of Newcastle fans seemed excited at the prospect of Lewis developing a fine partnership with Allan Saint-Maximin down the left-hand side.

To think that instead of Danny Rose, Newcastle have ended up signing Jamal Lewis seems like a stroke of genius.

Lewis has got plenty of time to grow even further, and the fact he picked up a season’s worth of Premier League experience with Norwich means he should be able to hit the ground running at St James’ Park, just like he did on Saturday.

The Magpies have got themselves an absolute gem.

The 2019/20 season has been a difficult one for Tottenham Hotspur after the highs of reaching the Champions League Final last year.

A poor start to the campaign resulted in former boss Mauricio Pochettino losing his job in November, only for the Argentine to be replaced with Jose Mourinho.

While the team have seen results improve it has not been all plain sailing under the Portuguese and with nine league fixtures to play they are seven points adrift of Chelsea in fourth place.

As it was confirmed last Thursday the Premier League will return on June 17, with Spurs preparing to face Manchester United in London on their return.

One reason to be cheerful for the North London club is the impending return of Harry Kane, who last played for the club on New Year’s Day in a 1-0 defeat to Southampton.

Kane has certainly been prolific in recent years, but on how many occasions was he actually top goalscorer as we run through the past 15 seasons at the club.

Liverpool will take to the Anfield turf for the first time since the Premier League returned as they host Crystal Palace tonight.

The rust showed against Everton in Sunday’s Merseyside derby as the Reds failed to snatch a win over their bitter rivals. A 0-0 draw marked a sobering return for the champions-elect and they will be hoping for a better result tonight.

Roy Hodgson’s side, on the other hand, will look to continue their positive run of form. The Eagles came away with a win over a struggling Bournemouth after Luka Milivojevic and Jordan Ayew both scored early in the game.

It will be a tough ask for Liverpool to shrug off the disappointing derby and do a number over Palace. Despite their last five meetings being wins for the Reds, they have all been by small margins (via 11v11). Can Hodgson and his men catch the runaway leaders with their pants down? Transfer Tavern have predicted how they think the fixture will unfold…

Georgia Goulding (2-0)

The derby was a learning curve for the Reds and they will know where they went wrong. They missed the presence of Mohamed Salah and Andy Robertson, so hopefully the duo are fit to start against Palace.

With some extra pace and maybe some better thought-out substitutions, they should be able to snatch a win. It won’t be comfortable, but I think they will get there in the end.

Liam Togher (1-0)

Liverpool looked disjointed against Everton and need Salah and Robertson back at their sharpest if they are to rediscover their fluid best. They got into good positions a few times on Sunday but were let down by indecision and poor first touches.

Palace travel to Anfield free of any pressure and on a fine winning run, and they’ve had plenty of joy at this ground in recent years. If the Reds have key men missing at the back, the likes of Zaha and Ayew could capitalise.

Still, Klopp should have given his Liverpool team a rocket and demanded a much-improved display for tonight. It will be tense but I think the Reds will just about get over the line.

Luke Seychell (1-1)

Liverpool will expect a tough match against a well-drilled Palace side who have not conceded in four. Salah and Robertson back in the side will provide the Reds with a greater attacking intent but I still see the Eagles bucking a point.

Adam Clancy (2-1)

This will not be easy for Liverpool. Palace have upset them before at Anfield and are perhaps the unsung heroes of the Premier League having moved up to ninth after another impressive win away from home.

However, Klopp will surely be looking to bounce back from the tame Merseyside derby and at home they are a different animal, even without the Kop cheering them on. Salah will be hungry for minutes too, so the Reds just scrape this one for me. 

How do you think the Anfield fixture will play out? Let us know your predictions in the comments below!

Arsenal fans have been reacting in masses on social media after their former winger Serge Gnabry was spotted donning this season’s Gunners away kit during a home training session for his current club, Bayern Munich.

The 24-year-old left the Emirates Stadium in 2016 for just £5m and has since gone onto become a superstar at Bayern Munich where he is now worth £81m according to Transfermarkt’s valuation.

Hilariously obscure Premier League players – Can you name them all?

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Gnabry struggled to make an impact in north London, contributing to just three goals in 18 first-team appearances. He also famously couldn’t even impress Tony Pulis at West Brom.

Last season, he picked up Bayern’s Player of the Season award as the Bundesliga giants clinched the title and this campaign alone, he’s managed to score 18 times whilst providing 11 assists, via Transfermarkt.

The Gunners’ faithful are clearly still hurt by Arsene Wenger’s great mistake of letting him leave the club as many are begging for him to come home. One supporter would even like to see Nicolas Pepe swapped for the German international.

Here’s what has been said…

AND in other news, Liverpool show interest in signing key Arteta man…

Newcastle United’s takeover is still yet to be officially complete and this week further doubts over the deal have emerged, leaving fans in a frenzy on social media.

The Guardian revealed late on Monday evening that new legal documents have raised ‘fresh questions’ over the Magpies prospective takeover by a Saudi-backed consortium.

It’s also claimed that Premier League lawyers are reviewing information which is said to establish a link between the Saudi government and a pirate streaming service which broadcasts English football illegally.

It means that any announcement that was expected this week has been pushed back and supporters aren’t happy whatsoever.

The news was relayed by popular Twitter account @NUFC360 and much of the St James’ Park faithful have responded in their masses.

Stuck in isolation? Our mega footy quiz will cure any boredom…

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Plenty are starting to worry if the takeover is even going to happen, and the longer this goes on without any substantial confirmation, then the more fans are going to worry.

Here’s how they have been reacting to the report…

AND in other news, Craig Hope claims Newcastle takeover will be further delayed…

Liverpool defender Trent Alexander-Arnold has responded to Andrew Robertson’s tweet mocking the England international.Robertson had taunted Alexander-Arnold with an initial post on the social media platform, the left-back sharing a GIF of himself grinning after assisting Mohamed Salah’s goal against Manchester City on Sunday with an inch-perfect cross.The delivery moved Robertson onto four assists in the Premier League for the season, one more than Alexander-Arnold has managed after 12 games.Watch Liverpool Videos With StreamFootball.tv Below

Alexander-Arnold and Robertson made top-flight history last season for their creative exploits, as they became the first defenders from the same club to provide ten or more assists in the same campaign.

They ended the season with 12 and 11 each, with Alexander-Arnold getting the better of his £54million-rated teammate after creating the joint-third most goals in the Premier League.

Going by their recent activity on Twitter, they are set to go to battle looking to better their tallies from 2018/19 to emerge on top come next May.

Here’s a look at their recent exchange…

This is not the first time this season that Robertson and Alexander-Arnold’s friendly rivalry to be the better creator has extended onto social media, as Liverpool’s No. 66 had shared “Robbo can’t get an assist if he’s scoring #CleverTrent” after the Reds’ 4-3 win against Red Bull Salzburg in the Champions League last month.

This article is part of Football FanCast’s The Chalkboard series, which provides a tactical insight into teams, players, managers, potential signings and more… 

Liverpool will play Crystal Palace this weekend as they look to consolidate their place at the top of the Premier League table. Fabinho’s midfield battle with Luka Milivojevic could set the tone for the match.

On the chalkboard

The Reds have started the season in fantastic fashion. They currently lead the way in England’s top tier, and are eight points clear of Leicester City and Chelsea. Manchester City, the current back-to-back champions, are a further point behind in fourth.

They will travel to Selhurst Park to face Palace this weekend. The Eagles started the season well, losing just two of their first eight league games, but they have since dropped down to 12th in the table. Still, the visit of Jurgen Klopp and co should galvanise them, and one midfield battle could play a big part in the final result.

Midfield metronome vs midfield enforcer

So far this season, Roy Hodgson has regularly used five midfielders in the middle of the park, whether that be in a flat 4-5-1 formation or as part of a 4-1-4-1 set-up. Milivojevic has played all but one match, and he has been one of the best players for his team. His 6.85 WhoScored rating places him at number four amongst his teammates.

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Liverpool’s Fabinho has also been in impressive form for the Reds this season. He scored a thunderbolt against City in his last match before the international break, and he has made the defensive midfield position his own, playing 17 matches there already. Although he has impressed defensively – he has 2.4 tackles per match in the league, which is more than any of his teammates – he has also had a role to play going forward.

His 59.5 passes per match is the most amongst his teammates in central midfield, while his 4.4 long balls per match has only been beaten by Adrian and Trent Alexander-Arnold. Once again, in terms of key passes, he leads the way amongst the midfielders, with 1.2 per match. In that position, he has become the team’s metronome.

It will be the Palace 28-year-old’s job to make sure the Brazil international does not exert too much influence on the game, whilst also trying to provide at the other end. He has impressed defensively so far, averaging 2.4 tackles per game, whilst he also has 2.2 interceptions. As part of that midfield five, he has helped contribute to a sturdy Palace defensive set-up that has conceded less than 12 other teams in the top division, including Arsenal, Chelsea, and Tottenham.

If he is able to prevail over Fabinho in their duels, he will then look to move the ball on quickly to the likes of Wilfried Zaha. With a team-leading 1.4 key passes per match, the Serbia international has the ability to cause Liverpool problems.

Fabinho has been imposing this term, and there is no reason why he can’t continue that on Saturday. But he must be wary of £18m-valued Milivojevic and if he allows himself to be overpowered, that could work to Palace’s advantage.

In our latest instalment of theÂFlashbackÂseries, we take a look back at a certain moment and look at how things might have changed those initial reactions.

Last Sunday, Celtic’s official Twitter account @CelticFC noted that it had been 21 years to the day since Lubomir Moravcik came to the club.

To say that there was scepticism about the 33-year-old Slovakian when he was brought to Glasgow by fellow countryman Dr Jozef Venglos for £200,000 from Duisburg in October 1998 (as per the Daily Record) would be an understatement.

As noted by These Football Times, numerous journalists scoffed at the manager’s decision to sign him. The Sunday Mail’s Hugh Keevins wrote: “I don’t know what I find more laughable; the fact that Celtic cannot find £500,000 from their biscuit tin to sign a proven talent like John Spencer, or the fact that they then spent £300,000 on one of Dr. Jo’s old pals, the unknown Lubomir Moravcik!”

Meanwhile, journalist John Traynor wrote that the signing of Moravcik has “merely caused [Celtic] further embarrassment”. [via These Football Times]

Within a month of joining Celtic, the Slovakian midfielder had given those critics plenty to mull over, scoring twice in a 5-1 hammering of league leaders Rangers. [via BBC]

He may have been approaching the twilight of his career, having represented the former Czechoslovakia at the 1990 World Cup, but Paul Murphy of These Football Times described him as “one of those players who seemed to have more time on the ball than those around him”, adding that he “dribbled superbly despite limited pace and scored many spectacular goals from distance with both feet”.

After Venglos left Celtic in the summer of 1999, Moravcik frequently found himself out of the team under John Barnes at the expense of Eyal Berkovic, who as the club’s then-record signing of £5.7m was often preferred by the manager but not by many Hoops supporters. [via Celtic Underground]

Once Martin O’Neill came to Parkhead a year later, though, the Slovakian’s fortunes rose rapidly. In the 6-2 drubbing of Rangers in August 2000, Moravcik set up two goals in the opening 11 minutes (as per BBC) to set Celtic on their way to an emphatic victory.

He again caused the ‘Gers nightmares later that season, scoring twice in a 3-0 win at Ibrox, Celtic’s first success at the home of their Glasgow rivals in seven years. [via The Guardian]

The 2001/02 season would be Moravcik’s last for the Hoops but he again came to the fore in memorable wins. He set up two of Celtic’s goals in the 4-3 win over Juventus in the Champions League in what BBC’s match report described as a “virtuoso performance” from the veteran.

Upon departing the club in the summer of 2002, the Slovakian had won two league titles, two Scottish League Cups and one Scottish Cup. He scored 35 goals in 129 appearances for the club (as per Soccerbase), a tremendous return for his paltry £200,000 transfer fee.

Celtic legend Henrik Larsson (a man dubbed the King of Kings by many supporters) picked him in a best XI of footballers with whom he played, testifying to Moravcik’s excellence at the club.

The Slovakian midfielder’s many magnificent displays at Parkhead ensured that the initial sceptics’ scathing remarks 21 years ago would subsequently appear very foolish.

Celtic fans, what are your favourite memories of Moravcik? Share your thoughts in the comments section below!

This article is part of Football FanCast’s Pundit View series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent quotes from journalists, pundits, players and managers…

Gary Lineker has said that he would like to see Trent Alexander-Arnold play in a similar role to Manchester City’s Kevin de Bruyne.

What did he say?

Alexander-Arnold is one of Liverpool’s most creative players – last season, he picked up 16 assists in all competitions as the Reds won the Champions League title despite being a right-back, a position more associated with defending.

Former England striker Lineker, though, has insinuated that he would like to see the 21-year-old take up a more central position in midfield like the Belgium international.

On his Twitter page, he said: “Would love to see @trentaa98 play a similar role to @DeBruyneKev.

If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it

This is not the first time Alexander-Arnold has been compared to de Bruyne.

Jamie Carragher told talkSPORT last month: “On the ball, he is probably better than what Liverpool have in those players. Those players have different strengths, but you could imagine him in that De Bruyne position – just tucked in on the right. You see the assists De Bruyne has from a different position than Trent, he’s obviously wider and he’s crossing it, De Bruyne is more passing it really. Maybe that’s something we could see in the future.”

Considering the youngster’s attacking threat, it is not a comparison without logic. Last term, no Liverpool player managed as many assists as him as he picked up those 16 in all competitions, whilst he also created 1.7 chances per game in the Premier League compared to De Bruyne’s 1.9. This term, the Manchester City midfielder leads the way again, but this time with four in the top tier compared to 3.6.

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In the middle of the park, there is of course the possibility that he would be more of an attacking threat. However, the system Liverpool use requires the full-backs to contribute heavily going forward. It is interesting to note that, whilst Alexander-Arnold had the most assists last season, left-back Andrew Robertson was second with 13. The Merseyside native also made two crosses per game, compared to the Citizens star’s 1.1.

Liverpool picked up 97 points in the top flight last term and won the Champions League, and so far, they top both the English first division and their group in Europe’s premier club competition. Why is there any need to change things? Alexander-Arnold contributes more than enough already and, as the saying goes, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.

Playing in the middle of the park, he would likely need to work on other parts of his game, especially if it were to be in a similar role to the former Chelsea man. For example, £117m-rated De Bruyne has 1.7 dribbles per match this term, whilst the seven-time England international has 0.6. At right-back in Jurgen Klopp’s set-up, he does not need to beat his man as much. Instead, he often crosses the ball from deep, to great effect.

Central midfield is more glamorous, but there is nothing wrong with being a creative full-back. Dani Alves, for example, regularly notched over 10 assists a campaign during his best years at Barcelona, and there weren’t any calls for him to move into the middle. Liverpool’s system works almost perfectly at the moment. There is no need to change it so dramatically.

This article is part of Football FanCast’s Opinion series, which provides analysis, insight and opinion on any issue within the beautiful game, from Paul Pogba’s haircuts to League Two relegation battles…

The Premier League is back in action as the international break comes to a close for the second time this season, much to the joy of the Wolves fanbase, you’d imagine.

Those at Molineux have had to suffer countless transfer reports over the past two weeks with mainstay pair Ruben Neves and Willy Boly linked to moves away from the club, both have started six or more matches.

Neves has attracted interest from La Liga giants Real Madrid while the 28-year-old centre-back could be the protagonist in a north London tussle between Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur in January – that’s if reports are to be believed.

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Some of the news has actually been positive, though depending on who you ask, as BirminghamLive revealed that Nuno Santo wants to sign central players in defence and in midfield once the transfer window reopens.

It would continue the trend from the summer where Wolves were continually linked with Benfica’s Ruben Dias as he is a client of Jorge Mendes, a super-agent who holds some influence in the west Midlands – though, it remains to be seen if he is one player they will go after.

Either way, the reports could spell bad news for Ryan Bennett as he may be the most likely figure to fall victim to any new centre-back.

The 29-year-old causes mixed opinion at Molineux – fans blasted him for his mistake against Braga, which ultimately cost them their Europa League group opener, but then they were full of praise for the defender after he reached the milestone of 100 games in the top-flight.

Are Gareth Southgate’s Aston Villa roots the reason behind the Wolves player in the video below being overlooked?…

Nuno did indeed sign cover in his position over the summer as Jesus Vallejo made the temporary switch to Wolves from Spain, but if BirminghamLive’s report is accurate, then the Portuguese boss clearly feels he is still weak in that area.

Bennett hasn’t started a league game since being dropped after the 3-2 defeat to Everton, which suggests that he may well be out of favour.

The potential arrival of another centre-back would only hinder his chances of returning to that starting line up even more.