Harry Kane has been a dominant figure in the Premier League this season, and seemed unstoppable in front of goal for Tottenham Hotspur in the early stages of the campaign.The 24-year-old seemed to be a shoe-in for the Golden Boot, but now Liverpool star Mohamed Salah has eclipsed him as top scorer.In fact, in our recent poll, the majority of fans think that Kane will fail to earn his third success individual award as he currently sits five adrift of his opponent’s tally.The last couple of weeks have not been the best for the Tottenham hitman as he has been regularly ridiculed for claiming Christian Eriksen’s winning goal against Stoke City.https://video.footballfancast.com/video-2015/harry-kane-100.mp4Kane swore on his daughter’s life that the ball from his teammate’s free kick brushed his shoulder before it hit the back of the net.Tottenham launched an appeal and were successful, but as a result, the England international has been the butt of the jokes.Even PFA chairman Ben Purkiss got involved by making a comment during Sunday’s PFA awards in London, according to The Times journalist Henry Winter.
Tottenham fans have since given their reactions on Reddit.
Comment from discussion Comments by the PFA Chairman about Harry Kane.Comment from discussion Comments by the PFA Chairman about Harry Kane.Comment from discussion Comments by the PFA Chairman about Harry Kane.Comment from discussion Comments by the PFA Chairman about Harry Kane.Comment from discussion Comments by the PFA Chairman about Harry Kane.Comment from discussion Comments by the PFA Chairman about Harry Kane.Comment from discussion Comments by the PFA Chairman about Harry Kane.Comment from discussion Comments by the PFA Chairman about Harry Kane.
Failure and flop are both words continually being hurled at Radamel Falcao this season. He must be seriously wondering what alternate universe he is currently living in.
Just eight months ago he signed a lucrative one-year deal with Manchester United worth a ridiculous £6million for just one season’s worth of work.
He was always likely to struggle to produce enough goals to be considered value for money but few would have predicted that he’d have only found the net four times, and become the laughing stock of English football.
Falcao was once the Europa League’s top goal scorer two years in row and was praised by Lionel Messi, who admitted he’d like to get the chance to play with him. But his fall from grace has been shocking and doesn’t look like improving anytime soon. So is he just a bad player now, or is there another reason?
The 29-year-old featured for United in their last league match against Everton, where they were beaten 3-0. Falcao was given all of the second half after ex-Toffee Marouane Fellaini was taken off and like always things didn’t go to plan. In the 82nd minute Falcao got on the end of a Daley Blind ball and pulled back a consolation. Or at least that’s what would have happened if his goal hadn’t been ruled out for offside.
Even when Falcao gets the ball in the back of the net the fates convene to take the goal away from him.
Now the Colombian has only four games left to convince manager Louis van Gaal that he is worth a permanent contract with the Red Devils, though you’d think his time has been up for a while even if it has been luck rather than a talent which has been holding him back.
I guess it is inaccurate to say that it has only been a lack of chances which has stopped Falcao from making a decent impact for United as he has missed the sharpness in front of goal that most would associate with him, but he has been playing for a new club in a new country for only one season and maybe he just needs more time to settle.
Also, Falcao suffered a serious knee injury last year which put him out of action for around six months, and some have questioned whether he has fully recovered physically and mentally from the incident. Similarly, teammate Fellaini picked up a wrist injury soon after he joined United, which led to some hesitancy in matches and made his first season at the club quite dismal. He was rumoured to be moving on last summer but Van Gaal kept faith in him and his contributions have helped United reach the top four.
Maybe Radamel Falcao has been unlucky. Unlucky to have damaged his knee, unlucky to not have fully healed before signing with a major club and unlucky that his contract fee is so expensive that it almost sets him up to fail. If his parent club AS Monaco were willing to sell him for a reduced rate then there could be a chance for a permanent transfer, but I’m sure all they care about is getting as much money for him as possible.
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Perhaps Falcao can have a better season next time around but the likelihood of him staying at Old Trafford is low. With interest coming from rivals Liverpool let’s hope that the Red Devils don’t regret being too trigger happy with the Colombian.
Sunderland goalkeeper Simon Mignolet has revealed that new boss Paolo Di Canio is engineering team spirit and mirroring the Belgium side.
The new Black Cats boss has only been in situ for a couple of weeks but he is already changing a few things behind the scenes in an effort to stop the free fall down the table.
One of the things he has changed is that he makes the whole squad do everything together – even when it comes down to eating in the canteen.
Mignolet told the Sun: “The gaffer wants us all to be together and to go out as a team onto the training pitch.
“He wants us to do everything together, just the same as his tactical work he does on the pitch.
“He wants us to eat in the canteen together as a group – if we eat, he wants us to eat all together.”
“It’s similar to what I know with the Belgian national team, how we do it in Europe. He brought that over from Italy, probably,” he added.
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“He wants us to win games not by individuals, but as a whole team.”
It’s been a difficult season for everybody at Southampton, one that could well end in the club’s relegation to the Championship, and according to The Sun that will result in a summer transfer battle for the services of Ryan Bertrand – with Tottenham one of the four clubs interested in the England international as they eye potential replacements for Danny Rose.
But that doesn’t mean the former Chelsea youngster’s individual form should be excused and considering his reputation as one of the Premier League’s most consistent full-backs outside of the Big Six, Bertrand’s efforts this season have certainly underwhelmed.
Indeed, there’s an almost superficial assumption that Bertrand is one of the Premier League’s most proven and dependable left-backs, but the statistics this season don’t quite back that up.
The 28-year-old has averaged only slightly more than one tackle and one interception per match this term, although he’s only been dribbled past on eleven occasions – only six players to make more than 10 Premier League appearances at left-back this season boast a better return in that regard.
Offensively too, there should be key doubts for Tottenham. The Lilywhites should surely be eyeing an offensive-minded and dynamic left-back this summer to compliment the more solid and sturdy styles of Ben Davies, someone who is of a similar mould to Rose like Ryan Sessegnon or Luke Shaw.
While Bertrand has made important contributions going forward this season, particularly in terms of chance creation, he lacks that ability to surge on the counter-attack and beat a man in quite the same way, as shown by his modest dribble return.
Considering how important attacking full-backs are to Pochettino’s game-plan to the extent that he often utilises them as wing-backs, that could prove to be a real problem in terms of the balance of the team.
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So, Tottenham, with The Sun valuing Bertrand at £25million, would you back a summer swoop for his services? Let us know by voting below…
With just two months and 10 games of the Premier League season remaining, the pressure on Manchester United is increasing once again. Dumped out of the FA Cup on Monday thanks to a winning goal from a former player in the form of Danny Welbeck, they are in real danger of relinquishing their top four spot, should performances on the pitch fail to improve.
A slender two point advantage over fifth-placed Liverpool has cranked up the pressure on this weekend’s crucial clash with Tottenham, at the beginning of a difficult run of fixtures for the Red Devils.
Somewhat surprisingly, it appears manager Louis van Gaal is still searching for a way to get the best of out a talented squad of players, and with the personal and formation changing on a regular basis, it’s clear he is yet to come up with the ultimate solution. The uncertainty surrounding this scenario begs the question; just what is Manchester United’s best eleven?
The one position where there can be no disputing is in goal, where David De Gea continues to impress. The fact he has been United’s star man this season, says all you need to know about the problems they have, particularly in defence. A string of world class saves continues to improve his reputations as one of the best goalkeepers in the world, but with constant links to a move to Real Madrid, United would be advised to do all they can to secure him to a long-term contract.
The back four, or five, or three as it has often been this season, is clearly where the team needs most improvement. Whether this be through the signings of new personnel, or a step up in consistency from their current defenders, something needs to change. As shown this season, a back four is the way forward for van Gaal, and is something that works best for them when they get it right.
But choosing a settled back four week in, week out has been difficult for the Dutchman, and hasn’t helped as his players struggle to settle into a consistent rhythm.
Luke Shaw appears the preferred option at left-back, with Marcos Rojo appearing the strongest option at centre back. This gives van Gaal the choice of three to partner the Argentine, where Jonny Evans could be the best bet.
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With English duo Phil Jones and Chris Smalling failing to deliver the consistency of performance required, whether they have the necessary quality to hold a regular first-team place is up for debate.
Antonio Valencia has become mainstay at right-back in recent weeks, with Rafael taking a back seat. Another position where they may be looking to reinforce this summer, for now the Ecuadorian provides a solid option thanks to his work rate and attacking ability.
With a number of options in midfield, choosing the right system to accommodate his star players has proven difficult for van Gaal. In Daley Blind and Ander Herrera, they have the perfect platform for their attacking talents to flourish, with both providing good composure on the ball to help bring those further ahead of them into play.
A front three of Juan Mata, Angel Di Maria either side of Wayne Rooney on paper appears to be United’s strongest option, but the former two have struggled for consistency this season, and look to be the most notable casualties in van Gaal’s ever changing system, as Ashley Young and Marouane Fellaini continue to gain preference in the team. But the sight of these three on the team sheet would cause concern for any opponents, and if the manager can start to get the best out of this pair, when alongside Rooney, they can prove an impressive attacking force.
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This leaves space for just the one striker; a toss up between Radamel Falcao and Robin van Persie, who have both failed to deliver on a regular basis this season. A lack of fitness and first-team opportunities looks to have hindered Falcao’s progress as he strives to hit the high standards he set prior to a career threatening knee injury last season. Van Persie would be the preferred option, but again he looks off the pace and has struggled to have his usual impact in front of goal.
On paper the above eleven looks strong enough to comfortably secure a top four place, but a lack form has raised question marks over a number of these players, as the search for United’s best team goes on.
Tottenham are through to the last 16 of the Europa League and competing for a Champions League place in the Premier League under new manager Andre Villas-Boas, who has done a very good job in his first season at White Hart Lane. Spurs have played some great football and achieved some good results so far, but the biggest test is yet to come as they face a difficult fixture list in the closing weeks of the season and with the added pressure of extra games in their campaign to win in Europe it begs the question – is their progression abroad a blessing or a curse?
The upside of still being in the competition is that it gives Spurs experience of European football and how to play against teams with a different style of play to what they’re used to domestically. They deserve to be in this competition after they were unfairly knocked out of Champions League football last season by Chelsea and they have done so well to get this far. They gain more confidence with every match played and as they go further they are realising they can actually win a trophy this season, something they haven’t managed for a number of years.
The curse of still being in this competition will only affect Spurs if they allow it to and that will be lack of form due to exhaustion or a sudden disappearance of confidence. The do have a tendency to panic at this time of the season and with some hard games coming up they will have to make sure they focus on both competitions with equal measure. With double the amount of fixtures they could find themselves a bit tired but AVB has proved many a time this season that he can rotate players when needed and the squad players have grasped their opportunity with both hands. If it all starts to go awry then AVB will need to pick which is more important and aim to reach that goal, even if it is to the detriment of the other.
Despite losing their last two league games Spurs are in good form and if they can manage to win their next few games this will take them closer to that hallowed Champions League place. They have some tough opponents to come with Everton, Chelsea and City still to play, and then they face FC Basel in the Europa League but Spurs overall are a stronger team this year and I don’t think they will make the same mistake they did in conceding points and risking losing CL football.
They will almost certainly be aiming for third to guarantee them a place in Europe and they stand every chance of making it. If there was ever a time for Spurs to prove that they can play in the Champions League that time would be now, but to win the Europa League and get a Champions League place would be the perfect end to an impressive season.
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Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has provided an injury update on Joe Gomez, who suffered an ankle injury last Friday.
The full-back was forced off the field just 10 minutes into England’s 1-0 victory over the Netherlands in an international friendly.
Given that there are just eight Premier League games – plus the Reds’ Champions League campaign – left before the season comes to an end, there were fears that Gomez may not play again in the 2017-18 term.
However, while speaking to the club’s official website the manager confirmed that the 20-year-old should be back in action before the season is out, but is likely to miss the club’s next two fixtures.
The Merseyside outfit will face Crystal Palace in the league at Selhurst Park on Saturday before taking on Manchester City in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final at Anfield the following Wednesday.
“After the initial shock, we got the best news we could get. At the moment, it’s serious – and serious enough to rule him out for the next couple of games. But I think we will see Joe back on the pitch this season, it’s pretty sure, how it looks at the moment. He feels much better already but of course we need to be careful. I don’t know exactly how long but we hopefully have a lot of games to come and he will be part of a few.”
Gomez has started 19 games in the top flight this season and has come off the bench in a further two, creating two assists in that time.
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In total, the defender, who has impressed the fans with his performances, has made 28 appearances in all competitions for Liverpool.
The supporters took to Twitter after Klopp gave an update on Gomez’s fitness.
Lee Clark, the unpopular manager of Championship side Blackpool, has already admitted defeat.
Blackpool have been at the bottom of the Championship for the majority of the season and look set to be relegated in the next few games. Clark who has been manager since last October when Jose Riga was sacked has come out and told reporters that he has already started planning for League One.
Since he took over, Clark has seen only three wins with a win percentage of 12%. Blackpool fans know there is pretty much no chance they will survive relegation, but to hear that their manager has already given up when they aren’t technically relegated cannot have been nice to hear.
Tuesday night’s match against Charlton had an attendance of 4,100 as reported by the Blackpool Gazette – rather than the 9,000 that was announced at the game – and for those who were there it appeared there was no tactical plan from the man in charge. The game felt like the players had been told ‘every time you get the ball just kick it as hard and as far as you can’. Players just hoofed the ball up the pitch and only a couple of times did a player keep the ball and run with it.
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While fans are resigned to relegation – and have been for some time – it is still not fair to them to know that everyone involved in the club has given up. Nyron Nosworthy, one of the more experienced players at Blackpool, has been sent out on loan to Portsmouth. He’s one of the highest earners, so you know the team are resigned to being relegated when they decide they may as well save some money.
When Blackpool were relegated from the Premier League it wasn’t as painful as it could have been because the team went onto the pitch and played with pride and passion; they were not going down without a fight.
This season there has been no fight – and no passion – and Lee Clark’s comments are just another on the long list of things that show the team do not care about what happens to Blackpool Football Club. The only ones who care are the couple of youth team players who have been picked in the squad. In fact, they should just play the youth team for the rest of the season; at least they would try.
Some fans have the impression that Blackpool fans are just moaning for the sake of it, but if this was your team you would feel the exact way the Seaside Army feel right now: lost and hopeless. The club they love the most is combusting around them and there is no one trying to stop it. Other fans might not get it but Blackpool fans aren’t just moaning they are trying to fight.
Lee Clark’s comments angered many fans. They just show clearly how bad the decline of the club really is; nobody on that pitch or off it is trying anymore. Clark has said he is in it for the long run – and can be a success at Blackpool – but after the comments like that no one believes him or really wants him to stay. Fans want people in a club who will fight to the very end for the interests of the club.
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The harsh reality is Blackpool are down. The club has given up.
Let’s just hope for all Blackpool fans’ sake that Bolton aren’t the ones to relegate them live on Sky.
Sunderland manager Martin O’Neill has quashed rumours that goalkeeper Simon Mignolet will leave the North East in the summer.
The Sunderland boss has revealed that he plans to hold contract talks with the Belgian stopper in the coming weeks and that he believes there will be no problem in doing the deal.
Mignolet has been on inspired form for an inconsistent Sunderland side who appeared to have turned a corner in late January before slumping to three consecutive defeats.
The 24-year-old has fought off impressive competition in the form of Craig Gordon and Keiren Westwood to be first choice at the Stadium of Light and O’Neill hopes it will remain that way for the long term.
Atletico Madrid were reportedly tracking Mignolet in recent weeks with a view to a summer move and it was thought that Champions League football could tempt the ‘keeper to the Spanish capital.
However, O’Neill is looking forward to contract talks to get under way so Mignolet can focus on playing for Sunderland.
“We would really like to try to tie him down to a longer contract,” O’Neill told Sky Sports.
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“There have been talks about that for some time, but I think we would really want to try to firm that up as soon as we could. I think he’s receptive to it.”
Everton fans are furious with BT Sport after the broadcaster released a one-sided promotional video for Everton’s clash with Manchester City.
The Toffees welcome league leaders Manchester City to Goodison Park on Saturday, but if you watched BT’s promo for the match you could be excused for thinking it was just a Manchester City training exercise.
It’s not been a great season for the blue half of Merseyside, and they’ve fallen way below expectations, but fans are fuming with the broadcasting giants.
Not a single Everton player was shown in the promo video, which can be seen below.
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If there’s one thing Everton fans will take confidence from ahead of this weekend, it’s that they are the only current Premier League side to have not lost to Pep Guardiola. The Toffees smashed City 4-0 at Goodison last season.
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Guardiola’s men will be looking to avenge the reverse fixture, where Everton grabbed a 1-1 draw courtesy of a Wayne Rooney goal, making them the only team to take points off City at the Etihad this season.
Fans have been reacting to the video on Twitter, and some of the best reactions can be found below…