All posts by z3u9t.icu

While the Premier League season may not be over just yet, there’s a real argument to be made that Newcastle’s signing of Jeff Hendrick last summer has proven to have been an absolute howler.

The Magpies signed the midfielder back in the summer window on a free transfer after his departure from fellow Premier League side Burnley, and Steve Bruce made it clear just how satisfied he was at pulling off a deal.

Speaking at the announcement of his signing, he said: “I watched him when he was at Derby, then he went to Burnley for a lot of money and (we) couldn’t afford him, so I missed out then!

“He’s an experienced international footballer who can play all across the midfield so we welcome him aboard. He’ll be a big asset to us, on and off the pitch.”

And, after establishing himself as a key part of the starting eleven in the early weeks of the Magpies’ campaign, including scoring on his debut against West Ham, things have just gone downhill for Hendrick.

The Republic of Ireland international has completely fallen out of favour under Bruce, and has not completed the full 90 minutes in the Premier League since the 2-0 win over Everton back in late January.

Since then, Hendrick has spent most of his time on the bench as an unused substitute, and has played just 103 minutes of top-flight football since February 6th.

And, after the Magpies’ defeat to Leeds earlier this year, The Chronicle’s Lee Ryder lambasted him in his player ratings, simply insisting that he “doesn’t seem to be the answer in midfield”.

Dubbed a “liability” by The Northern Echo’s Scott Wilson, the £50k-a-week earning Hendrick just hasn’t justified Bruce’s decision to hand him a big-money contract to sign on as a free agent at St James’ Park.

With just two goals and one assist in 21 games in all competitions for the Magpies this season, the Irishman has shown nothing to really say that Newcastle have even got value for money in paying the midfielder that sizeable wage.

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In fact, out of those players who have started more than ten times for Newcastle this season, Hendrick has the lowest average match rating of any player in the entire Magpies squad, as per Whoscored, with just 6.36.

Mike Ashley certainly won’t be happy with how this transfer has played out for Newcastle, given his club have paid a signing fee and given a substantial salary to a player who is seemingly not good enough.

Meanwhile, Newcastle are eyeing a summer move for this Championship star…

Newcastle United play host to league-leaders Manchester City at St. James’ Park on Sunday as they look to add to their points tally.

The Magpies are 19th in the table and have only amassed 10 points from their first 17 games, winning once in the Premier League.

They now face a City side who have won 13 of their 17 matches, scoring a whopping 40 goals and conceding just nine in the process.

Eddie Howe’s team come into this clash off the back of a 3-1 defeat to Liverpool, but how many changes will he make to the team? Here is our predicted XI…

We are predicting that he will make four alterations to the side, with Matt Ritchie, Miguel Almiron, Joe Willock and Callum Wilson all coming in.

Starting off at left-back, Ritchie could replace the injured Jamal Lewis at left-back. The Northern Ireland international came off in the first-half against Liverpool, with Howe explaining:

“It’s a hamstring injury, which is a surprise with Jamal because he’s obviously so athletic.

“He’s been excellent in terms of his athletic work for us so far, so for that to happen so early in the game, I was surprised.”

In the middle of the park, Joe Willock could come in to complete a three-man central midfield combination. This would see Joelinton move into a wide left position and leave Ryan Fraser to be axed from the team, after he lost five of his eight duels and completed just 53% of his passes against Liverpool.

His poor display could now see him cut from the XI, with Willock able to start alongside Isaac Hayden and Jonjo Shelvey in an attempt to stifle Man City through the middle.

On the right, Miguel Almiron could start ahead of Jacob Murphy. The £74k-per-week gem has averaged 2.6 tackles and interceptions per game as a winger this season, suggesting that his defensive work rate could help the Magpies to defend against Man City’s threats from out wide. It may be harsh on the former Norwich winger, but rest and rotation could be important in this busy schedule of fixtures over the winter period.

We published an article explaining why Callum Wilson should return to the starting XI after being rested against the Reds. Howe stated his reasoning for benching the forward after the game, saying:

“We just felt it was the moment when we could give Callum a rest. I know important he is for the team and the club, and it was just a case of trying to manage his minutes.”

Allan Saint-Maximin is an injury doubt for this match and the ex-Bournemouth forward could slot straight into the team in place of the Frenchman at the tip of the attack.

AND in other news, Howe must unleash “hugely impressive” £92k-p/w Newcastle dynamo, he’s “outstanding”…

Aston Villa are ‘in the queue’ to sign wantaway Arsenal striker Eddie Nketiah in January, according to Ekrem Konur. 

The lowdown

Nketiah has yet to make the matchday squad for a Premier League game this season, having picked up an ankle injury just before the campaign started.

His only first-team minutes have come in the Carabao Cup clash with AFC Wimbledon, a game in which he scored.

Last season, the England Under-21 international was limited to just four Premier League starts.

Significantly, his contract is up come the end of the season and, according to a report from David Ornstein in August, ‘there is no sign’ of a forthcoming extension.

Arsenal may, therefore, be under pressure to sell their £14.4million-rated asset in January amid the risk of losing him for free.

The latest

Nketiah ‘plans to leave’ The Emirates at the turn of the year because he ‘wants regular first team football’, Konur says.

Villa can expect to face competition from newly-promoted Brentford and from Leeds United, where Nketiah had a spell on loan during the 2019/20 season.

The verdict

It certainly looks as if Nketiah will be leaving the Gunners, but it’s hard to see Villa being his next destination.

If he wants to be playing week-in, week-out, then he surely won’t go to a club where he’ll be behind two other strikers – Danny Ings and Ollie Watkins – in the pecking order.

Perhaps Villa should look in-house if they want to bolster the first team’s attacking ranks. Cameron Archer has been particularly impressive.

In other news, fans flocked to this update on Leon Bailey.  

Leeds United are stuck in a horrendous rut right now and if they don’t improve in the January transfer window, Marcelo Bielsa could lose his job with the Whites staring down the barrel of a potential relegation from the top-flight.

An added problem for Victor Orta and co is that the winter market is usually a tough one for Leeds to negotiate in with the famed Jean-Kevin Augustin move the nadir of the Spaniard’s work since arriving in Yorkshire.

What’s the word?

One area that Leeds desperately need to improve in heading into the New Year is in the middle of the park.

Kalvin Phillips enters 2022 injured while Mateusz Klich is desperately out of form too.

One player that they could sign is Macedonia international Ejif Elmas. That’s according to Talha Arslan via The Express who claim that Leeds are prepared to bid £15.3m for the Napoli midfielder.

However, that may fall some way short of the Italian club’s estimation of the 22-year-old with CIES valuing him at a mighty £59.2m.

The new Alioski

The comparisons with livewire and former Leeds player, Gjanni Alioski, are all too obvious.

For starters, they both hail from Macedonia, and secondly, they are both goal scoring wide players.

Although Elmas is capable of playing in the middle of the park too, he is a rampant threat when afforded the opportunity to play down the left flank, an area of the pitch that Alioski thrived in for Leeds.

The 29-year-old scored 22 goals and registered 19 assists while in Yorkshire but was never the most consistent of players.

That being said, he was a mainstay under Bielsa for years and developed nicely from an attacking winger into a full-back.

Elmas wouldn’t necessarily make the same transition but his ability to play in a multitude of positions, specifically in the centre of midfield, makes him an appealing proposition this winter.

However, his ability to score goals, like Alioski, is also a major plus point.

The North Macedonia international has bagged six times for Napoli this term while creating three goals for his teammates too.

Speaking about him in April, his agent commented: “I think Napoli have a jewel. A young footballer, a leader of his national team who often scores goals.”

With that sort of attacking threat in mind, he’d be a wise addition from the Leeds hierarchy this term and in the process, Bielsa could just discover his next Alioski; a vibrant and versatile attacking threat from Macedonia.

AND in other news, Orta can finally axe Leeds flop who left Bielsa “furious” by signing 28-goal “rocket”…

Leeds United winger Raphinha has shone for the club this season and his performances have clearly not gone unnoticed as Manchester United are reportedly interested in him.

The latest on Raphinha

According to UOL Esporte, the Red Devils have launched an official enquiry for Raphinha as they want to know how much it would take to bring the South American to Old Trafford.

The report added that Manchester United midfielder Bruno Fernandes is ‘one of Raphinha’s best friends, with whom he maintains almost daily contact’, amid the possibility of the duo linking up once more following a shared spell at Sporting Lisbon previously.

Leeds need to keep a hold of the winger

Earlier this season, Hay waxed lyrical about the Brazilian, tweeting: ‘Raphinha btw. Seventeen million squids. Bargain.’ It is easy to see why he said this – in his 21 league appearances (including three from the bench), the 24-year-old has picked up five goals and five assists (Transfermarkt), a fantastic return for a relatively young player in a new league with a promoted team.

His underlying attacking stats show that he is unlucky not to have more goals, too, as he has averaged 2.3 shots, 2.1 key passes and 1.7 successful dribbles per game for the Whites (WhoScored), figures which rank him highly among his teammates – he is second for shots and right at the top for key passes and dribbles among Leeds’ squad.

Therefore, it is crucial that the Elland Road club do everything in their power to keep Raphinha, even amid potential temptation from close friend Fernandes.

In other news, one Leeds player is on the lookout for a new club!

Carlo Ancelotti doubts that James Rodriguez will be fit for Everton’s trip to Chelsea on Monday night but is hopeful that Tom Davies will be able to make his return at Stamford Bridge.

The Toffees duo missed each of last week’s 1-0 wins over Southampton and West Bromwich Albion with minor knocks, while Seamus Coleman and Robin Olsen were also sidelined.

Rodriguez had penned his eighth assist of the season across all competitions during his last appearance, setting up Richarlison to break the deadlock in February’s 2-0 Merseyside derby win away to Liverpool.

Ancelotti is optimistic that Rodriguez will be able to feature in Everton’s clash with Burnley on Saturday. But, as the Colombian is unlikely to play a role at Stamford Bridge, here’s a potential line-up that the Goodison Park natives could name against Chelsea…

Ancelotti has stated hope that Davies will be fit to earn his 17th appearance of the Premier League season in Monday’s trip to the capital, which could see Everton move above their hosts and replace Chelsea in fourth-place with a win.

“I hope Tom can recover soon and that he will be available against Chelsea,” Ancelotti said during his pre-game media duties on Sunday.

“With James, I don’t know. I think we have to check. I think maybe he is not ready for the game against Chelsea. But for the next game against Burnley, yes [he could be available].”

Yerry Mina has missed Everton’s last three games with a calf injury and it is uncertain if the Colombian defender will be fit to feature at Stamford Bridge, alongside Coleman and Olsen, while Fabian Delph played no role in his side’s last two games with a tendon issue.

Midfielder Allan made his first start since sustaining a hamstring injury in December’s 2-0 win over Leicester City during last Monday’s victory at home to Southampton and was initially rested away to West Brom as a precaution.

The Brazilian made an instant impact from the bench once he was introduced against the Baggies, and will be expected to open the action against Chelsea to help Everton gain control in the engine room battle beside Davies and Abdoulaye Doucoure.

Allan and £14.5m-rated Davies both being recalled to the starting line-up will see Andre Gomes and Alex Iwobi fall out of the XI, having featured from the off at The Hawthorns.

Iwobi was hauled off in the 58th minute for Allan’s introduction after wasting a handful of promising opportunities to create attacking chances, while Gomes’ standards slipped as the game wore on following a strong start to proceedings.

Bernard, who was named in the starting line-up for only the third time in the top-flight this season against West Brom, will also be expected to be axed for Monday’s clash with Chelsea after an ineffectual return last week.

Gylfi Sigurdsson will likely take the Brazilian’s place after providing his fourth assist of the league campaign on Thursday.

Richarlison, who has scored in each of his last four league games, and 13-goal top-scorer Dominic Calvert-Lewin will lead the attack, while Lucas Digne, Ben Godfrey, Michael Keane and Mason Holgate will line up in an unchanged backline after three-straight clean sheets.

AND in other news, Everton eye summer transfer of £4.5m-rated titan raised by Carlo Ancelotti…

Manchester United travel to London in a clash against their top-four rivals Arsenal, that could make or break their pursuit for Champions League football next season.

Ralf Rangnick’s side have the opportunity to make some progress in the Premier League if they can seal a victory over the Gunners this afternoon – with the Red Devils currently sitting in 6th, three points behind both Tottenham and Arsenal.

With that in mind, the interim boss must get into the game early and select the right players to give Manchester United the best chance of taking all three points from The Emirates home today, and one player who should not be near the starting line-up is Marcus Rashford.

Rashford was shocking in the midweek clash at Anfield, with the 24-year-old making just 11 passes and having no attempts at goal over the 90 minutes of the humiliating 4-0 defeat – with this performance not being a one-off for the winger this season.

The £180k-per-week flop was dubbed “absolutely terrible” by Glen Waddle following Man United’s exit from the Champions League last month: “Marcus Rashford looked absolutely terrible when he came on. Why do they keep playing him when he doesn’t want to be there, supposedly? I don’t get that.”

Rashford has only managed four goals and three assists in the Premier League this season, while averaging a shocking 0.5 shots on target per game, losing the majority of his ground and aerial duels (65%) and missing two big chances in his 23 appearances, proving that there is no way Rangnick should be relying on the winger in the game today.

Luckily, the German coach confirmed that Cristiano Ronaldo will be available for selection and is back in training following compassionate leave, which means Rangnick can deploy a front three of Jadon Sancho, Ronaldo and Anthony Elanga instead – leaving Rashford on the bench.

The return of Ronaldo will surely give this lacklustre Man United team the vital boost they need to have an advantage in getting the victory in North London this afternoon, and the opportunity should not be squandered to close the gap on their opponents in the league table by starting players who can’t be relied on in this important clash.

AND in other news: Ten Hag targeting £42m talent as his first MUFC signing, it could be bye-bye Maguire

This has been a rather unsavoury festive period for Sunderland and Lee Johnson.

He’d only been in the Stadium of Light hot seat a matter of weeks before the club came to a grinding halt following a bout of Covid.

Fortunately, that is now over and done with.

On the chalkboard

Sunderland have seen their last four games postponed because of the ongoing pandemic but thankfully, we’ll finally get to see them back on the pitch this Saturday.

What’s more is that Johnson nearly has a full squad of players to pick from. Josh Scowen is set to return in a few weeks after a scan revealed that he hadn’t actually fractured his shin. Meanwhile, Luke O’Nien and Denver Hume are the only other players missing.

Therefore, the new boss has a wealth of individuals he could choose from. He’ll have plenty of dilemmas too, particularly in defence. Left-back Callum McFadzean gave away a penalty against Wimbledon and they were also without Tom Flanagan.

The Mackems conceded in the process and as a result, only walked away with a solitary point.

The solution

We’ve already suggested that young full-back Cieran Dunne should get a run out at left-back, but Johnson needs to stick by his centre-back pairing of Bailey Wright and Dion Sanderson. Thus, there should be no room for the fit-again Flanagan.

Although the pairing shipped a goal, they looked comfortable throughout and should remain together for the Northampton clash.

Wright came up with Sunderland’s equaliser and Sanderson looked particularly assured, doing everything to near perfection. The Wolves loanee won 75% of his duels and completed an eye-catching 93% of his passes against Wimbledon.

On top of that, he used his tricky frame to draw two fouls from the opposition. Clearly, he is a player that’s a handful to play against.

Sanderson’s usual position is at full-back but he did a stellar job filling in centrally last time out and if he plays on Saturday, he could frighten the life out of Keith Curle and his players.

Alex Dicken, Wolves correspondent for Birmingham Live, once described Sanderson as a player with “lots of pace”, so it’s clear to see why he can bully attackers.

The 21-year-old has only made five appearances in League One this term but deserves more game time. That starts this weekend.

AND in other news, Johnson must unleash rapid SAFC prodigy who Sam Greenwood destroyed…

A number of Liverpool fans have been angered by the choice of referee for this week’s Premier League clash with Manchester United.

The Reds picked up a vital 2-0 win at home to Southampton last Saturday, keeping their top-four hopes alive this season.

On Thursday night, the champions make the trip to Old Trafford to face bitter rivals United, in what could be another pivotal evening in the battle for Champions League football.

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Jurgen Klopp is still yet to win there as Liverpool manager, and if that is still the case come Friday morning, his side’s top-four outlook could look extremely bleak.

Clashes between the Reds and United can often be feisty affairs, with referees crucial, in terms of keeping control of the contest.

It has been confirmed by a Premier League announcement that Anthony Taylor will take charge of Thursday’s match, which is a little baffling, considering he was born in Manchester. Paul Tierney, also of Greater Manchester, is on VAR duty.

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Liverpool fans unhappy with referee choice

These Liverpool supporters took to Twitter to provide their unhappy thoughts at Taylor’s appointment, saying it makes no sense.

“This surely has to be investigated @premierleague @LFC”

Credit: @LKingofeurope

“Should we even bother watching?”

Credit: @FullbackRole

“Couldn’t write it”

Credit: @DPrescott95

“I mean…..how?”

Credit: @GraemeKelly1

“They might as well just let Neville ref it.”

Credit: @tonymc589

“This better be fake, Bruno better get that peno spot polished”

Credit: @od_jay

“Might as well bring back Howard Webb out of retirement”

Credit: @hartsfortworth

In other news, some Liverpool fans are unhappy at the Reds being linked with one Premier League star. Find out who it is here.

Tom Davies put in a solid performance as Everton won away to West Ham United on Sunday.

Having played just four minutes in the win over Arsenal and then watched on from the bench as Everton lost to Aston Villa, Davies was recalled to the starting line-up at the weekend as Andre Gomes dropped to the bench.

How did Davies fare at the London Stadium?

Davies earned a SofaScore rating of 7.0 for his display at the London Stadium, completing 23 of his 26 passes – an accuracy of 88% – and both of his long balls found their target. The 22-year-old won three of his six ground duels and pitched in with two clearances, two interceptions and one block.

The victory, secured by Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s first-half strike, moved Everton to within a point of seventh-placed Tottenham Hotspur with a game in hand, and Davies will be hopeful of keeping his place for their trip to Villa Park on Thursday evening.

Everton’s official account tweeted ‘VIVA TOM DAVIES’ on Monday morning, and here’s how supporters reacted, with many calling out Carlo Ancelotti for overlooking the 22-year-old in recent fixtures.

Tom Davies proves a point to Ancelotti

“Yet Gomes will start over him against Villa. VIVA TOM DAVIESSS”

Credit: @S34nR

“Should never have been dropped recently over Gomes”

Credit: @Neilo_m

“Yep! Shouldn’t have been dropped, especially for Delph. Get in”

Credit: @nikki_harg

“Should never ever ever have Gomes or Delph ahead of him”

Credit: @Bill_adelphia

“Has to start every game”

Credit: @TMRushton1

“Baffling how he’s sat out for weeks while Delph was the midfielder of choice off the bench then Davies starts over him today. Makes no sense”

Credit: @Poggymac87

In other news, Dominic Calvert-Lewin has been advised on his Everton future…