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Speaking exclusively to Football FanCast, ex-Southampton player Carlton Palmer gave his opinion on the style of football his former side are playing.

Under Ralph Hasenhuttl, the Saints have gained a reputation for pressing, something the Austrian has discussed in the past. Earlier in the season, while acknowledging that pressing is part of their game, Hasenhuttl was quick to make it clear that there was more to this Southampton team than just running around.

Since then, the south coast club have been under the microscope for a dreadful run of form, which has included a 9-0 thrashing at the hands of Manchester United, and Palmer believes this pressing approach to matches is playing a part.

Discussing the subject in an exclusive interview with FFC, Palmer said:

“Maybe they’ve looked at the way that they’re playing the pressing game and whether they can actually play the pressing game for 90 minutes. It’s very difficult to play that pressing game for 90 minutes.

“If you look at the way Man City do it, to be fair, Man City have 90% of the ball, but the way Man City do it, it’s not a full-court press for 90 minutes and it’s more of a pushing people into areas to intercept the ball. It’s a much more educated and structured way of doing it at Man City.”

Heading into their clash against Sheffield United at Bramall Lane, Southampton have lost eight of their last nine Premier League fixtures. Whatever the issue is, Hasenhuttl must address it quickly before the south coast club end up getting dragged into a relegation battle.

And with games against teams around them, such as Brighton, Burnley, West Brom and Crystal Palace, there is not a better time than now for the former RB Leipzig manager to get the team going again.

Glasgow Rangers have received a major injury boost after Scott Arfield returned to first-team action ahead of their Europa League tie with Antwerp on Thursday.

Arfield made his long-awaited injury return against Kilmarnock on Saturday, playing his first game for Steven Gerrard’s side since Boxing Day.

And while the stats were too inconclusive to suggest that he had any real impact – he only played a couple of minutes after all – there’s no doubting the fact that Arfield’s brief cameo will give the club a boost as they enter the business end of the season.

Rangers remain far ahead of their arch-rivals Celtic in the Scottish Premiership title race and are also still in the Scottish Cup and UEFA Europa League.

Arfield had been enjoying a solid, if unspectacular season before injury struck. The workmanlike midfielder has scored seven goals and provided five assists across all competitions for the Gers, with three of his goals coming in the Europa League.

The sprained ankle he sustained during the 1-0 win over Hibernian saw Gerrard strengthen his midfield in the January transfer window, bringing in Scott Wright from Aberdeen and Nnamdi Ofoborh from Bournemouth, with the latter immediately sent out on loan to English Championship club Wycombe Wanderers.

However, his return to fitness will be welcome news for Gerrard and the 54-time Scottish champions as they prepare for the trip to Antwerp.

No other Rangers player has scored more goals in the Europa League than Arfield this season, as he has contributed to 15% of the team’s goals (13), whilst he scored the winning goal against Standard Liege to ensure his side qualified for the knockout stages with a game to spare.

Therefore, with the Gers juggling both domestic and European duties, the return of Arfield, who earns a reported £16,000-per-week at Ibrox, has come at exactly the right time, as he is a well-respected player in the dressing room and has become an integral part of Gerrard’s side.

The Gers boss should be buzzing with the return of one of his first-team stars, and is on course to make a real impact in the business end of the campaign, starting with the round of 32 Europa League clash against Antwerp on Thursday night.

AND in other Rangers news, Rangers must tie Steven Davis down to a new deal after Steven Gerrard’s recent comments…

Tottenham Hotspur boss Jose Mourinho will have some interesting decisions to make over his current squad in the next month, and certainly heading into the summer.

Bye-bye Winks?

A lot has been made about the future of academy graduate and first-team midfielder Harry Winks in north London in recent weeks.

Eurosport’s Dean Jones believes Spurs will listen to suitable offers for him if any were to come in during the January transfer window, whilst he has also claimed that a reunion with Mauricio Pochettino at Paris Saint-Germain is possible.

Back in November, the 24-year-old described his situation as “difficult” ahead of the European Championships at the end of the season, a competition in which the eight-time England international will want to be featuring in.

La Liga outfit Valencia and Premier League rivals Everton are another two teams that have been linked with moves for Winks.

And here’s why Mourinho can afford to let the £36m-rated (€40m) maestro go…

Skipp successor?

Oliver Skipp.

Those two words are exactly why Spurs can say goodbye to Winks anytime in the near future.

The fellow homegrown midfielder has come on leaps and bounds during his first loan spell away from N17 this season, so surely it is only a matter of time before he breaks into the senior set-up under Mourinho.

At Championship outfit Norwich City, Skipp has recorded a total of 47 tackles at an average of two per game, whilst also managing to hit an 88.5% passing success rate from an average of 57 passes per outing, via WhoScored.

The 20-year-old is simply dominating matches at that level, as seen in his average of 69 touches per match, having helped the Canaries to top spot in the division.

His impact has been so good that his loan boss Daniel Farke has been left blown away, he said to reporters:

“To prove this for such a young lad in really his first full season, where he plays every three days, in the toughest league in the world is outstanding,” before adding: “With his character and how he behaves within the group it underlines why Jose said he could be a future Tottenham captain. He has this pedigree.”

Indeed, the ‘Special One’ has stumbled across his next gem, dubbing him a “future captain” – something first noted by Pochettino, who claimed Skipp was a “top player” all the way back in 2018.

Winks’ exit could fund other areas in the squad all whilst knowing that Mourinho has his perfect successor ready in waiting right under his nose.

AND in other news, Levy can secure Spurs their next Ricky Villa in “rare” £36m speed demon…

Ahead of Tottenham Hotspur’s Carabao Cup semi-final clash with Brentford this evening, Jose Mourinho has been dealt some worrying news…

What’s the latest?

According to the Evening Standard’s Dan Kilpatrick, attacking midfield maestro Giovani Lo Celso is now set to miss the whole of January through injury.

The 24-year-old was withdrawn early during Spurs’ 2-0 defeat to Leicester City last month and did not feature against Wolves or Leeds United.

Lo Celso has been in the headlines for all the wrong reasons over the festive period after he was pictured breaking strict tier-4 Covid regulations, along with teammates Sergio Reguilon and Erik Lamela.

Although this news comes at a bad time for Mourinho too.

Attacking midfield worries

The Portuguese tactician has labelled tonight’s match his biggest game since arriving in north London over a year ago, and he’ll have to steer his side to victory without one of his best players.

Lo Celso has contributed to six goals in all competitions this season and has been their most creative midfielder in the Premier League, averaging 0.8 key passes per game, which is more than Tanguy Ndombele and Dele Alli.

Only Harry Kane and Heung-min Son have managed more (of any player that has started four or more matches).

The duo combined for their 13th goal of the season, tying a top-flight record, but if Mourinho is to successfully negotiate the busy fixture list, he’ll need to find inspiration from elsewhere.

And without Lo Celso that is so much harder. The £28m (€32m) signing has been noted for his creative output before – Alasdair Gold lauded his urgency and desire back in September, whilst Harry Winks dubbed the gem “technically gifted” and “exciting.”

He clearly doesn’t fancy Dele Alli, who has been snubbed from the matchday squad in ten of 16 Premier League matches. He’s also been linked with an exit following Mauricio Pochettino’s appointment at Paris Saint-Germain.

Ndombele also carries question marks as he won’t be able to cope with the additional workload in Lo Celso’s absence as he’s barely able to complete a full 90 minutes – something he has accomplished only twice in 21 appearances this term.

This all leaves Mourinho with quite the headache, and he’ll have every right to be fuming given the lack of alternatives ahead of such a big game.

AND in other news, Spurs could find their own VVD with swoop for £36m leader…

Leeds United head to London today to face Crystal Palace in the Premier League. It is a big game as both sides are level on ten points. However, Phil Hay has provided a statistic which fans of Leeds will not have wanted to hear before kick off.

What Phil Hay had to say before the Palace match

The journalist for the Athletic said: ‘Back to London where Leeds last won three years ago. Will promotion break the run?’

This record gets even worse as in their last 20 away games, Leeds United have won just one against London sides (drawing six and losing 13). This was when they managed to beat Queens Park Rangers 3-1 in December 2017.

Can Leeds get their victory today?

Crystal Palace had a good start to the season as they beat Southampton and Manchester United, but they have only won one of their last five (Sky Sports). This came against recently-promoted Fulham. At Selhurst Park this season, Roy Hodgson’s side have got a win, draw and a loss.

Meanwhile Marcelo’s Bielsa’s side will be full of confidence that they can manage to beat an inconsistent Palace. This is due to the fact that they have beaten Aston Villa and Sheffield United away from home, and only narrowly lost 4-3 to Liverpool at Anfield.

Hopefully Bielsa will be able to get rid of this awful record, as it will constantly get brought up until it is changed. The South London side have not looked too great in recent weeks, and so if the Whites want to get a win in London, today would be a rather appropriate time to do so.

In other Leeds news, the club have attempted to hijack a deal for a young defender? Have a read who it is here!

MatériaMais Notícias

O técnico Muricy Ramalho fez um esboço do time titular do Flamengo, no treino da manhã desta segunda-feira, em Mangaratiba, Costa Verde do Rio. O treinador comandou uma atividade tática e dividiu os jogadores em duas equipes. Três reforços atuaram no time titular. O argentino Mancuello não participou da atividade. Ele voltou ao país de origem para resolver questões burocráticas, como o visto de trabalho, e deve retornar ao Rio até quarta-feira.

A equipe principal treinou com Paulo Victor, Rodinei, Wallace, Juan e Jorge; Márcio Araújo, Willian Arão, Alan Patrick, Everton e Emerson; Guerrero. Márcio Araújo jogou na contenção, enquanto Arão e Alan Patrick distribuíam o jogo. Sheik e Everton jogaram abertos pelas pontas, enquanto Guerrero atuou como a referência na frente. A dúvida é saber quem deixará a equipe para a entrada de Mancuello.

Os goleiros jogaram com os pés e não houve chutes a gol. O objetivo era carregar a bola até ultrapassar linhas delimitadas no campo.O volante Willian Arão teve boa movimentação e agradou a Muricy Ramalho. O treinador disse ‘Que beleza’, após ótimo lançamento do volante. O atacante Emerson também se movimentou muito e buscou o jogo.

Já os reservas treinaram comMuralha, Pará, Antônio Carlos, Cesar Martins e Chiquinho; Jonas, Canteros, Jajá, Thiago Santos e Gabriel; Douglas Baggio. O zagueiro Rafael Dumas entrou no decorrer da atividade, no lugar de Cesar Martins.

Marcelo Cirino, Arthur Henrique, Dumas, Nixon e Ederson fizeram um trabalho à parte, à beira do gramado. Há chances, portanto, de mais mudanças no time titular, em breve, além da entrada de Mancuello.

Paul Robinson has criticised Carlo Ancelotti for his decision to drop Jordan Pickford for Everton versus Newcastle United.

Speaking to Football Insider, the former Spurs and Leeds United goalkeeper did not think that the England international should have been dropped for Robin Olsen:

“I do not like that, as a goalkeeper. I do not see what that achieves.

“Yes, he has taken him out of the firing line but he has then doubled the firing line for the next game.

“There is going to be so much scrutiny on him against Manchester United. People are going to expect him to respond.

“It shows a real lack of trust and confidence in Jordan Pickford by taking him out for one game. It shows that he is obviously has questions and doubts over Pickford.

“It raises more questions than answers in my opinion. It creates even more of a stigma around the position. A position that has already been questioned.”  

Pickford in the firing line

Indeed, Pickford has been in the firing line ever since his challenge on Liverpool central defender Virgil Van Dijk in the Merseyside derby, which has since seen him ruled out for a long time with injury.

The 26 year-old could have received a red card for his tackle, but VAR did not deem his challenge to be a sending off offence.

He also received no retrospective action after the game finished, which was quite heavily criticised.

Reds goalkeepers Adrian and Alisson have also heavily scrutinised the challenge made by Pickford, but Robinson, a former ‘keeper himself, still believes that he should not have been put on the bench by Ancelotti against the Magpies.

Was Ancelotti right to drop Pickford?

Perhaps Ancelotti was wrong to drop Pickford for the match as it might have damaged his confidence going into the game versus Manchester United at Goodison Park over the weekend.

The former Sunderland star has shown that he can be ‘immense’ if he is given a run of games, exemplified by the some of the plaudits he received courtesy of his pretty impressive displays in the 2018 FIFA World Cup for the Three Lions under Gareth Southgate.

That said, only time will tell if Ancelotti or Robinson have called this one correctly, and a big performance at the weekend could silence Pickford’s critics.

In other news, find out which star the Toffees are fighting Liverpool to sign here!

Chelsea opened up their 2020/21 season with a 3-1 win against Brighton at the Amex.

Despite the Seagulls pulling a goal back through Leandro Trossard, it was overall an easy outing for the Blues to get their first three points on the board.

After Timo Werner made an immediate impact by winning a penalty inside the first 25 minutes, Chelsea shifted into a higher gear and made sure to put the game to bed. Trossard’s strike to force the game level commanded an instant retaliation, followed by a third  goal just ten minutes later.

Reece James was involved in both of these goals and showcased the reason why Frank Lampard continues to put faith in him.

A sublime long-range strike from the right-back put the Blues back in front and he couldn’t help but get involved in the third goal as well. It was James’ corner that allowed Kurt Zouma to extend their lead – earning him a FotMob Player of the Match rating of 8.8.

Along with an 88% passing accuracy rating, the 20-year-old made two clearances and won 100% of his tackles attempted. He also created the most amount of chances in the game with three, which only further highlights his threat going forward as well as his strength across the backline.

Cesar Azpilicueta made a brief cameo after being left out of the starting lineup. James’ Monday night performance could seriously put the Spaniard’s place in XI under threat.

Lampard will definitely have a big decision to make moving forwards over which of the right-backs he would rather have in his line-up.

Who do you think Lampard should start, Azpilicueta or James? Have your say in the comments below…

MatériaMais Notícias

O Água Santa, clube que ascendeu à Série A1 do Campeonato Paulista, ainda não sabe se jogará a competição em 2016. Para disputar a elite do estadual, é necessária a adequação de seu estádio às exigências da Federação Paulista de Futebol (FPF), ou seja, uma capacidade mínima de 10 mil pessoas.

Caso isso não aconteça, o clube será impedido de disputar a competição em 2016, e será substituído pelo Mirassol, quinto colocado na disputa da última Série A2.

No último sábado (07), três pessoas ficaram feridas após um desabamento durante a reforma do estádio. O Água Santa faz obras de expansão em seu estádio para cumprir as exigência da FPF e jogar o Paulistão.

Na Bahia, a situação é diferente. As equipes que não apresentarem laudos que cumpram às exigências da Federação Bahiana de Futebol não jogarão em seus estádios, mas disputarão a competição.

Cinco das oito equipes que disputam a Copa Governador do Estado da Bahia não estão jogando em seus próprios estádios. O “sacrifício” é feito para melhorias nas respectivas praças a tempo para o estadual do ano que vem.

As reformas estão acontecendo no Lomanto Junior, mando do Vitória da Conquista; Joia da Princesa, casa do Fluminense e Bahia de Feira de Santana; Adauto Moraes, da Juazeirense; e o José Rocha, estádio do Jacobina.

A previsão de entrega das “casas” é até 30 de dezembro, data final para apresentação das situações das praças esportivas. O orçamento de cada obra gira em torno de R$ 1 milhão. “As reformas e a melhoria dos gramados vão evitar muitas lesões e elevar o nível da qualidade das partidas do nosso estadual”, afirmou Ednaldo Rodrigues, presidente da Federação Bahiana de Futebol.

Caso as obras não se encerrem até o prazo estipulado, os clubes terão que jogar em “casas alternativas” o estadual do ano que vem. Porém, a equipe não será excluída por não jogar em seu próprio estádio.

“Os clubes terão até o dia 30 para apresentar o que foi pedido. Caso algum clube não termine no prazo, ele será deslocado para outra praça esportiva, mas continuará com a vaga e o direito de disputar o estadual”, comentou o mandatário.

Jose Mourinho claims Tottenham Hotspur won’t stop Kyle Walker-Peters from leaving in the summer.

Walker-Peters started the season as Mauricio Pochettino’s first choice right-back after Serge Aurier picked up an injury, but struggled under Pochettino’s successor.

Spurs have largely failed to fill the void left by Kyle Walker ever since he left for Manchester City. Aurier has stamped his authority in that position, although his conduct has been scrutinised by the club for breaking the government guidelines during the nationwide lockdown.

Mourinho lacks options at right-back and is scouring the market to try to find a suitable candidate.

After initially struggling at St Mary’s, Walker-Peters has impressed for Southampton ever since the Premier League restarted last month.

Speaking to a press conference ahead of Tottenham’s clash with Bournemouth, the Portuguese spoke about his future and recent performances.

“I’m not in control of the transfer decisions but the general feeling is there’s a place for him here. But if his desire is to leave the club in search of happiness I don’t think we’d stop him.

“He’s a player with a good value in the market but I don’t think we’d stop him doing it.”

Aurier has struggled to convince the critics while Spurs are tired of his antics on-and-off the pitch.

Meanwhile, the £7.2m-valued 23-year-old has played every single minute of Southampton’s two games prior to their fixture against Everton, keeping Raheem Sterling in his back pocket during the 1-0 win over Man City.

Despite the fact he was making just his third start for the Saints, he didn’t look rusty at all, registering 6 clearances, attempting 6 interceptions, and completing 3 tackles via SofaScore.

City failed to score for the first time in five games, in part due to his heroics on the right.

Although he didn’t do himself any favours after taking a pot-shot at Mourinho during an interview with the Saints’ official website, his recent displays should have been enough to convince Spurs to keep him for a little while longer.

It could come across as a bit of a shock if he decides to quit, as he has shown a different side to him on the South Coast in recent weeks.

He harried the Citizens up and down the flank and this tenacity is something the Lilywhites have lacked all season, after they slumped to a disappointing defeat at Sheffield United.

The Portuguese appears to be willing to let Walker-Peters leave if he wants to, which could be a big mistake, as the youngster has shown he has much more to offer.

Tottenham fans, do you think Mourinho should give Kyle Walker-Peters another chance? Let us know down below!