Crystal Palace fans have taken to Twitter to react after Jeffrey Schlupp was named as the club’s ‘Player of the Month’ for his performances throughout the month of February.
The Ghanaian international found himself on the score sheet twice last month, scoring vital goals against Fulham and Doncaster, the latter of which helped Palace into the FA Cup quarter-finals. The 26-year-old also recorded one assist, and won the penalty for Luka Milivojevic’s goal away to Leicester.
Schlupp beat Wilfried Zaha to the award by a slender 2% of the vote, which is testament to how well he has played recently, and is a fairly big shock given the fact that the Ivorian netted three goals in February.
The former Leicester man struggled earlier in the season playing on the left on a midfield three, but has grown into the role of late to become one of the first names on the teamsheet – his pace and energy adds a drive from midfield that James McArthur and Milivojevic lack.
Let’s take a look at how the Palace fans reacted to the news on Twitter…
David De Gea made a terrible mistake as Arsenal beat Manchester United 2-0 at the Emirates on Sunday.
The Spain international, usually so reliable for the Red Devils, was at fault for his side conceding a strange goal from midfielder Granit Xhaka.
The Gunners star took aim from distance and launched a speculative effort at goal.
The ball appeared to dip in the air and, with De Gea committing his weight to one side, the ball merely floated into the bottom corner. There was no deflection and nor was the goalkeeper unsighted, with the shot giving Unai Emery’s side the lead in north London.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang wrapped up the victory in the second half as he scored from the penalty spot after Fred fouled Alexandre Lacazette in the area.
Per Squawka, De Gea last saved a penalty in October of 2014, seeing 13 spot-kicks ripple the net in that time.
And United fans have agreed with Sky Sports pundit Gary Neville’s assertion, via Daily Mirror, that the goalkeeper has been distracted by contract talks in recent months.
United triggered a one-year extension in De Gea’s contract in November, but the London Evening Standard report that he is holding out for a bumper deal that will make him the club’s highest-paid player on over £400,000-per-week.
Take a look at the best of the reaction on Twitter below!
Unai Emery should be prioritising defensive reinforcements when the transfer window reopens in the summer.
The Spaniard has made a decent start to life as Gunners boss but their defensives woes are still present. Indeed, injuries have taken their toll in recent weeks, however, Shkodran Mustafi’s erratic displays cannot be ignored. With Laurent Koscielny approaching the end of his career, Emery should prioritise signing a new central defender when the transfer window reopens.
Reports in the Mail suggest that the former Sevilla boss will only be handed £45m to strengthen his squad during the summer. However, his budget will be bolstered through sales of fringe players. Mesut Ozil also faces an uncertain future at the Emirates and his departure would generate some valuable funds for Emery to reinvest in his squad.
One man he could look to sign is West Ham rock – Issa Diop. Valued at £22.5m by Transfermarkt, the Frenchman is a new arrival at the London Stadium having signed from Toulouse in the summer. The France U21 international was hugely impressive in Ligue 1 and made an excellent start to life in England. Reports from the Daily Mail a while ago suggested that Paris St Germain were interested in bringing the youngster back to France in January but Diop ultimately stayed put in east London.
The 22-year-old is an excellent tackler, averaging 2.3 tackles per game this season in the Premier League, more than any other Arsenal player this season. Diop also reads the game superbly, allowing him to step out of defence to make 1.7 interceptions on average. His physical presence means that the Frenchman is a dominant force in the air, winning 2.3 aerial duels on average (WhoScored).
Diop is still developing and improving – he will only get better under the tutelage of a world-class coach like Emery.
Brighton’s Chief Executive Paul Barber has proposed the prospect of the Premier League expanding to feature 22 teams next season, per BBC Sport.
What’s the word?
The competition has been suspended until April 3rd, with the next steps yet to be decided.
There is a debate to be had over whether the league could be declared null and void if it is unable to resume in the coming months, but Barber feels that steps must be taken to ensure that fixtures are completed.
He accepts that it would “unjust” for Liverpool not to be awarded the trophy – they lead the league by 25 points – but has suggested that the placings could be frozen, with no relegation, and the top two teams from the Championship promoted.
That would mean promotion for both Leeds United and West Bromwich Albion.
He said: “If we were to freeze the league it would be incredibly unjust for Liverpool to not be awarded the title, because everybody in the game appreciates what a fantastic season they have had. Equally it would be unjust for teams to be relegated with nine or 10 games to go in the Premier League.
“I think it’s a possible option to leave the 20 teams in the league as it is but bring the top two in the Championship up.
“It gives us a larger league, with four relegation places next season and then two teams coming up again. It has some merit but there are a lot of issues to be worked through.
“If we can’t complete the season we have to look at radical solutions to get over a short-term hump, as it is.”
As good an option as any
This could work.
But, at the same time, nobody seems to know what will be happening.
There is the option of potentially attempting to restart the league when everything is safe.
But if that isn’t an option, then allowing Leeds and West Brom to come up – the former are seven points clear of the play-offs, while the Baggies are six clear – seems to be a sensible way of resolving the current crisis.
Where is he from?! Can you name which obscure countries these famous players have represented?
However, it could well lead to legal challenges from those who can still mathematically achieve automatic promotion from the Championship. At present, Marcelo Bielsa and Slaven Bilic’s sides face challenges from Fulham, Brentford, Nottingham Forest and Preston who are all in the playoff places.
It remains to be seen if Barber is listened to; such a plan has problems but, at the same time, so does pretty much every other alternative that isn’t concluding the season normally.
Meanwhile, Liverpool deserve one thing amid the Premier League’s suspension!
Manchester United slumped to their fifth league defeat of the season against Watford last weekend, once again demonstrating their abysmal away form through another lacklustre display.
It seems to be one step forward and two steps back for the team this season, beating Man City one week to then lose to the team which was bottom prior to kick off.
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Eric Cantona has had his say on the current crop of United players and the team as a whole, and made a comparison which doesn’t reflect too well on the team, though it has humoured some fans.
He did, however, state that as such a big club the Red Devils will be back to their best at some point, though it is clear from the first half of the season that Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has his work cut out to make that happen.
Here is some of the fan reaction loving Cantona’s latest extraordinary analogy.
The Frenchman is no stranger to making interesting outbursts, whether the topic is seagulls or philosophy, and he is certainly the type of character that is perhaps missed at Old Trafford.
Quickfire Questions: Can you get 100% on this Man United prodigies quiz?
Some supporters have focused on the more serious part of his general observation – his claim that United will be back, but some fear that may not happen.
One fan points to Solskjaer as a figure who could prevent that comeback, and given he has won just 18 out of 39 league games in charge you can see why he feels that way.
Another is more optimistic, perhaps due to the performances of young players like Dan James and Scott McTominay this term, who more often than not have proven themselves capable, and shown they have the potential to serve the club long-term. James, for instance, has seven goal contributions while McTominay has netted against Arsenal this term.
Elsewhere, many fans have grown impatient with Solskjaer and think his time at the club is up.
Most of the time there is no love lost when a key player decides to leave a club for another.
When Romelu Lukaku left Everton to join Manchester United in the summer of 2017, there was some bitterness from the Toffees’ faithful.
It did not help matters when the striker goaded supporters after scoring against his former club in a United shirt.
However, it is worth remembering that some supporters can be fickle and non-hostile reunions to come to pass.
At the moment, Lukaku is struggling at Old Trafford as he has only scored four goals for the Red Devils since the season began.
In fact, the Belgium international has not found the back of the net since mid-September, but he did provide the assist for Marouane Fellaini’s goal against Young Boys in the Champions League on Tuesday night.
Check out the video below to see how Brazil fans reacted to being asked how Cristiano Ronaldo would perform for them in a hilarious prank by Playmaker FC…
Everton’s strikers have also been struggling, and as a result, manager Marco Silva has been playing winger Richarlison up front.
With there being a slight possibility that Lukaku could become available for transfer in the future, we asked you if Everton should try to re-sign him, and the outcome was tight, with the majority open to his return.
So far this year, Liverpool have shown that they are very much Man City’s main rivals for the Premier League.
The Reds remain unbeaten and worryingly for a lot of opposition fans, they finally look strong at the back.
Over the summer, Liverpool spent £163.98 million in order to try and finally win a Premier League title. The Reds signed Fabinho and Naby Keita to bolster their midfield and also signed Alisson for a then record fee for a goalkeeper. Klopp also signed Xherdan Shaqiri to back up Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane on the wings.
Up front, as it stands, Liverpool have Daniel Sturridge, Divock Origi and Dominic Solanke to back up Roberto Firmino. Recently, England Under-21s manager, Aidy Boothroyd admitted that he is concerned over the lack of playing time Solanke is getting at Liverpool.
The Breakdown
A highly rated youth talent during his time with Chelsea, Solanke, like many other young players at the club left in search of more game time.
However, since Solanke joined Liverpool he has struggled to make an impact on the club and only managed 21 games in the league, with only four being starts. So far this season he hasn’t made an appearance for the first-team and with Sturridge ahead of him in the pecking order, it seems unlikely that his game time will increase.
At 20-years-old, Solanke needs to be playing regular first-team football and Klopp soon needs to make a decision on whether he stands a chance of playing for the club.
Few West Ham fans could dispute a change was needed, and yet equally few have been impressed with the appointment of David Moyes.
The Scot’s stock is at an all-time low after overseeing Sunderland’s relegation last season, a campaign that he practically wrote off from the start and provided with little inspiration to try and turn around.
On top of that, the age-old issue of style of football can’t be ignored. It was the reason the Hammers parted with Sam Allardyce, yet the attacking play under Slaven Bilic was practically non-existent after Dimitri Payet’s departure and David Moyes’ Everton side weren’t exactly famed for their flair in the final third.
And thus, the resulting question is obvious; are West Ham any better off under Moyes than they were under Bilic or the former England boss? Let us know who you’d prefer to be Irons manager at this moment in time by voting in the poll below…
After spending so much money in the summer, Newcastle – and their Champions League winning manager – were criticised for sitting in second place in the Championship, while it looked like the much less moneyed Brighton would win the league.
It’s the kind of criticism that football does best: it neglects nuance and promotes only the facts that suits the argument while burying others.
For example, Newcastle’s net spend – thanks mostly to the sales of Moussa Sissoko and Georginio Wijnaldum – was the lowest of any promoted club since the Championship was renamed back in 2004/05. Brighton’s, on the other hand, was the second highest, beaten only by Cardiff in 2013.
All of that talk is deeply unhelpful, though. In fact, it’s thoroughly distracting.
The most important places in the Championship are the first and second places. Both are equal in their prize: a place in next season’s Premier League. That is genuinely all that matters. Newcastle were crowned champions and lifted the trophy, but it’s the kind of thing you only want to win for pride – you’d rather come second and avoid relegation the next season than win come 18th the next year. Newcastle should have bigger fish to fry.
And they do. But that in itself will pose the biggest problem for Rafael Benitez this summer: managing expectation.
Britain Soccer Football – Newcastle United v Barnsley – Sky Bet Championship – St James’ Park – 7/5/17 Newcastle’s manager Rafael Benitez celebrates winning the league with his medal Action Images via Reuters / Lee Smith Livepic EDITORIAL USE ONLY. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or “live” services. Online in-match use limited to 45 images, no video emulation. No use in betting, games or single club/league/player publications. Please contact your a
Already, people have started to talk about how well the Magpies will do next season. They have a huge, packed stadium, massive support, one of the biggest names in football management and, thanks to their net spend this season and a new Premier League TV rights deal, they should have more money to spend than ever before. As the only Premier League club in the North East, Newcastle should be aiming for glory. Right?
And yet that’s the last thing Benitez should want to promise. Clearly, he’s only the Newcastle manager because he thinks he can succeed there, but instant success is a dangerous dream, especially for a club who are newly promoted.
One of the reasons Newcastle’s season looks so underwhelming it because of their home form. It picked up in the final few weeks, but if only home games counted, the Magpies would be in the playoffs and only after a late surge.
Just like automatic promotion, though, it doesn’t matter how you do it, just as long as you do it. They won the league and they did it even though their home form wasn’t the best – their away form was. So what?
But unlike this season’s league position, home form will matter a great deal next season. The thought that Benitez’s side would sweep all before them in the Championship is what created an expectant atmosphere around St James’ Park this season. In turn, the team started to struggle.
Next season could be a similar story is expectations aren’t managed. Only worse. Struggling to draw with Bristol City at home is one thing, but that’ll only get harder next season.
And yet, there should be genuine optimism at the club for the first time in a long while. All of the reasons why someone would expect a great deal from Newcastle next season are still true, but the expectation should be that it should translate into long-term success, not breaking into the top half of the table next season.
At the moment, the Premier League is split into a top seven and the rest. Finishing eighth should be seen as winning the league, and yet Leicester City – who were said to be in a relegation battle not so long ago – are only two points behind that position. That’s how tight it is.
The question for Newcastle needs to be what they count as success next season. It is a town that thirsts for European football and its first major trophy in decades, but it’s the perception that’s damaging.
They’re not a team who spent big to get out of the Championship, they’re a team who did it intelligently. But the perception that spending millions of pounds and winning the league is probably what will translate into a clamour to spend again and achieve a top half finish, maybe more.
Benitez’s biggest job this summer is keeping feet on the ground.
After a first half goal bonanza, you could be forgiven for thinking that this game finishing 4-2 was almost underwhelming. We may not see another first half like this one in the Premier League this season, ludicrous is probably the only way it can fairly be described.
Jurgen Klopp and Alan Pardew were too emotionally invested to enjoy the first half fireworks and they will be left with plenty to consider. Such excitement often comes at a price and things were no different at Selhurst Park on Saturday evening. Questions will be asked of both sides’ defences in the respective post mortems and pondering will be done to find answers to problems that have crippled each team for far longer than they would wish to admit.
The match meandered throughout, with Liverpool always the favourites to claim a victory, but Crystal Palace do have their own nuggets of positive news they can cling on to despite the continuation of their abysmal league form in 2016.
More specifically, though, what did we learn from this cracker?
Changing Man
Britain Football Soccer – Crystal Palace v Liverpool – Premier League – Selhurst Park – 29/10/16Crystal Palace’s James McArthur celebrates scoring their second goal with Wilfried ZahaReuters / Toby MelvilleLivepicEDITORIAL USE ONLY.No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or “live” services. Online in-match use limited to 45 images, no video emulation. No use in betting, games or single club/league/player publications. Please contact your account repr
Aside from his two goals, James McArthur was superb against Liverpool. Crystal Palace’s midfielder has been given a little more freedom in midfield this season and produced some of the best form of his career to date.
The excellent header for his, and Palace’s, second goal topped off a strong all-round performance. His industry has been key for Palace previously, but he is developing into something far more significant for the Eagles’ midfield.
Brief Improvement, No change
Britain Football Soccer – Crystal Palace v Liverpool – Premier League – Selhurst Park – 29/10/16Liverpool’s Dejan Lovren in action with Crystal Palace’s Christian BentekeAction Images via Reuters / John SibleyLivepicEDITORIAL USE ONLY.No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or “live” services. Online in-match use limited to 45 images, no video emulation. No use in betting, games or single club/league/player publications. Please contact your account r
Despite a seeming improvement defensively of late, Liverpool reverted to type against Palace. Dejan Lovren’s mistake opened the floodgates and they looked extremely vulnerable throughout.
Liverpool’s defenders were all more effective in the opposition’s final third than in their own third and that is a running concern for Jurgen Klopp.
King Philippe
Britain Football Soccer – Crystal Palace v Liverpool – Premier League – Selhurst Park – 29/10/16Liverpool’s Roberto Firmino celebrates scoring their fourth goal with Philippe Coutinho and Sadio ManeAction Images via Reuters / John SibleyLivepicEDITORIAL USE ONLY.No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or “live” services. Online in-match use limited to 45 images, no video emulation. No use in betting, games or single club/league/player publications. P
Reaching a consistent level of performance has been the question that has surrounded Philippe Coutinho’s Premier League career. It finally now feels like the Brazilian has become a regular performer, producing the same excellent standard of football week on week.
Coutinho has flair to get people off their seats and the talent to pull off things most players wouldn’t dream of – the league is a better place for his consistency.
Missing Andros
Britain Football Soccer – Crystal Palace v Liverpool – Premier League – Selhurst Park – 29/10/16Crystal Palace’s Andros Townsend in action with Liverpool’s Nathaniel Clyne Reuters / Toby MelvilleLivepicEDITORIAL USE ONLY.No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or “live” services. Online in-match use limited to 45 images, no video emulation. No use in betting, games or single club/league/player publications. Please contact your account representative
Andros Townsend’s presence at Crystal Palace is vital. Signed as the replacement for Yannick Bolasie this summer, the former Newcastle and Tottenham winger offers pace and direct running on the opposite flank to Wilfried Zaha that gives any opponent something to worry about on fast breaks.
Lee was anonymous while he was on the pitch and this game could have played out rather differently had Townsend started.
Improved Alberto
Football Soccer Britain – Liverpool v Tottenham Hotspur – EFL Cup Fourth Round – Anfield – 16/17 – 25/10/16Liverpool’s Alberto Moreno Reuters / Phil NobleEDITORIAL USE ONLY. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or “live” services. Online in-match use limited to 45 images, no video emulation. No use in betting, games or single club/league/player publications. Please contact your account representative for further details.
Alberto Moreno had lost his starting slot at left-back to James Milner, which showed just how far out of consideration he had fallen for Jurgen Klopp.
Had Milner been fit, Moreno would unlikely have started this game. Milner was not fit, however, and Moreno grasped his opportunity like a desperate man.
No defensive calamities, energetic and intelligent offensively, Moreno has piled the pressure on Milner.