All posts by h716a5.icu

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On Friday, a Stoke City fan account on Twitter asked the club’s supporters which former player they would love to see back at the Bet365 Stadium.

It was certainly an interesting question when considering the talent that Stoke have attracted in the past.

There were a number of different responses, but one name kept cropping up, with Steven N’Zonzi selected on several occasions.

Pl>ymaker FC’s Matchday with Max caught up with Jamaica’s women’s team. See what happened when he met the history makers in the video below…

N’Zonzi currently turns out for Italian giants Roma, having made the move to Serie A from Sevilla in last summer’s transfer window.

The 30-year-old, who helped France win the 2018 World Cup, joined Stoke from Blackburn Rovers in 2012.

N’Zonzi made 120 appearances for Stoke, scoring seven times and contributing four assists in the process, according to Transfermarkt.

He has developed into a very, very good midfielder and was actually linked with Barcelona before joining Roma ahead of the 2018/19 campaign.

Stoke are now a Championship club and it would take a miracle for the Potters to be able to entice N’Zonzi back at this stage of his career.

However, it has not stopped the club’s supporters from thinking about it and indeed wishing that it would happen.

A selection of the Twitter reaction from the Stoke fans can be seen below:

Liverpool missed the chance to move seven points clear of Manchester City in the Premier League standings against Leicester.

The Reds took the lead after just two minutes thanks to a wonderful goal from Sadio Mane but their efforts fell flat not long after. Liverpool struggled on the snowy surface and Leicester squandered a number of chances to equalise. They levelled the scoreline on the stroke of half-time when Harry Maguire was left unmarked at the back post. Jurgen Klopp’s men were unable to find a winner to extend their lead at the top of the table further.

Injuries and suspensions forced Klopp to use captain Jordan Henderson at right-back and the England international struggled to cope with Demarai Gray. With Trent Alexander-Arnold still out for a number of weeks, Klopp should seriously consider signing a new right-back to add much-needed cover.

One man he should be targeting is Nice wonderkid – Youcef Atal. Valued at £4.5m by Transfermarkt, the 22-year-old swapped Belgium for France in the summer and has made an instant impact at his new side. Atal has been ever-present in Ligue 1, making 17 appearances thus far.

Atal is extremely versatile and can occupy various positions on the right flank making him a useful option for Klopp to have at his disposal. The youngster loves to get stuck in and reads the game brilliantly, averaging 2.4 tackles and 2.1 interceptions per game this season. Atal also loves to contribute to the attack, completing an incredible 3.5 successful dribbles per game this season (WhoScored).

There has been suggestions that Alexander-Arnold’s future lies in central midfield meaning Atal could prove to be much more than a rotation option.

Liverpool fans, thoughts?

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Loads of Rangers fans have been giving their verdict on Wednesday night’s momentous win over Aberdeen, and they’re absolutely delighted with the impact of Jermain Defoe.

Rangers kept the pressure on Celtic on Wednesday with a 4-2 win at the Pittodrie Stadium.

The Gers were the better side throughout most of the match, but it wasn’t all plain sailing for Steven Gerrard’s side.

Pl>ymaker FC Exclusive: Jermaine Jenas reveals he would have snubbed Tottenham for Arsenal if they’d come knocking in 2005…

Alfredo Morelos put the visitors in front when he pounced on a rebound from a Ryan Kent strike, and the Colombian international grabbed another courtesy of Kent to make it 2-1 after Sam Cosgrove had levelled for the hosts.

James Tavernier and Cosgrove then traded a penalty each, making the score 3-2, before both Morelos and Aberdeen’s Scott McKenna were sent off after kicking out at each other.

The ten-on-ten battle made life difficult for the Gers, but Defoe came on to seal the deal, finishing with aplomb when released late on by Tavernier.

Gerrard was clearly desperate to bring the 36 year-old to Ibrox in January and it’s not hard to see why, as he has already racked up three goals and four assists in a blue shirt.

You can find some of the best Twitter reactions down below, where fans are already in love with their new number nine.

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Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s long unbeaten run since he took charge of Manchester United came to an end as his team were beaten 2-0 by Paris Saint-Germain in the first leg of their last 16 Champions League tie at Old Trafford on Tuesday, and Liverpool fans were quick to react to midfielder Marco Verratti’s display.

The 26-year-old actually missed out on facing the Merseyside club at Anfield in the group stages of the competition earlier this season because of suspension, but he showed exactly what he brings to proceedings against the Red Devils.

The Italy international produced a tireless display full of tackles and using the ball well when he had it, and once again proved he is one of the best in his position in European football as the Ligue 1 leaders took a step closer to the quarter-finals.

Liverpool supporters took to social media to give their thoughts on Verratti’s performance, and while one said they would “love to have him at Liverpool”, another said “if there’s one player I would want us to break the bank for, it’s Marco Veratti.”

Here is just a selection of the Twitter reaction…

Jurgen Klopp has gotten quite inventive with his excuses this season. FFC’s James Jones think he has no one but himself to blame for Liverpol’s poor form in the video below…

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Rafael Benitez and Mike Ashley’s strained relationship currently seems to be more stable than it has been for quite some time, with the controversial owner finally granting the Newcastle boss appropriate funds in the January window.

The result of Ashley doing so was the high-profile arrival of Miguel Almiron, who signed for a club-record £20m and will add a different dimension to a Magpies attack that was becoming frustratingly predictable.

Benitez has found a system that works and the club finally seem to be entering a place where they won’t be certain relegation strugglers season after season, although, if he doesn’t sign new terms at the end of the season, they will be back to square one.

Wolves Fan TV give us their outsiders take on the turbulent situation behind the scenes at Newcastle in the video below…

As put by The Telegraph’s Luke Edwards, there is a growing fear amid Benitez’s refusal to answer questions concerning his future at St James’ Park that he will finally quit at the end of the season.

The Toon Army certainly aren’t convinced that the Newcastle camp is completely settled just yet, with many of the belief that Benitez will be clearing out his office regardless of whether he guides the Tyneside outfit to another season of Premier League football.

Here’s what they had to say on Twitter…

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West Ham have reportedly made a decision on the future of Andy Carroll, and the Hammers have elected not to offer the striker a new contract.

Carroll will be out of contract this summer, but West Ham do have the option to extend his deal by another year if they choose to do so.

However, according to a report from Claret and Hugh, the club will not exercise the option to extend Carroll’s stay in East London.

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The report claims the club may offer him a pay-as-you-play deal, such has been the extent of his injury issues since signing for the Hammers back in 2013 for around £16m.

Now 30, Carroll has managed just 141 appearances in five years in East London, scoring 34 times and adding 17 assists.

The Hammers could still lose Marko Arnautovic this summer, who of course was heavily linked with a move to China in January, so a complete overhaul of the striking department could be on the cards.

Maxi Gomez is the man fans want brought in as their new talisman, but with Carroll expected to leave, Lucas Perez struggling to find his feet and Arnautovic still looking unhappy, there could be more than one new centre forward on their way to the London Stadium this summer.

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Rafael Benitez has urged his Newcastle United side to stay grounded as they fight to avoid relegation.

The Magpies beat Burnley 2-0 on Tuesday evening to move seven points clear of the drop zone, but the Spaniard is taking nothing for granted.

What’s the word?

Newcastle have been on a good run of form lately, going unbeaten in their last three outings, against Wolves, Huddersfield Town and the Clarets.

Their latest win sees them move closer to 10th than 18th, but Benitez insists that his players cannot rest on their laurels now.

He told reporters, per The Independent: “Obviously winning games, you have more confidence and then the pressure is different, but still we have to have the same idea: one game at a time, the next game is the most important.

“If we are where we are now, it’s because we are focused on that and we have to do exactly the same. We cannot think the job is done, no chance.

“There’s no over-confidence. We have to keep going – we can lose games, but we have to approach every game with the same mentality as today.”

A timely reminder

Form can easily fluctuate in the Premier League and Benitez is correct in his assertion that Newcastle have to treat every game as though it is a relegation six-pointer.

His side have been impressive in recent weeks but defeats can easily sap morale.

Indeed, winning games is a habit that few teams can master, as losing is far easier.

With games against the likes of Arsenal and Liverpool still to come this season, caution is advisable and Benitez is right to be wary of a slide down the table.

A reality check being issued, then, can only be a good thing.

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Liverpool fans have taken to Twitter to discuss out-on-loan star Harry Wilson’s future on Merseyside.

The Wales international starred whilst out on loan at Hull last season, and has impressed even more this term with Derby.

What is behind Liverpool’s recent title race slip ups? The Pl>ymaker FC squad discuss in the video above…

Wilson has hit 12 goals and recorded four assists across all competitions for Frank Lampard’s Rams, and he managed to score seven goals and set up a further three in just 11 starts with the Tigers in the previous campaign.

The 21-year-old has been tipped to have a bright future at Anfield, and some people have even mentioned him as a potential candidate to replace Philippe Coutinho for the Reds, which is quite a bold statement.

Liverpool have been criticised of late for a lack of goals from midfield, with the likes of Jordan Henderson, Fabinho, Gini Wijnaldum and James Milner contributing to just six league goals between them this season – Wilson’s inclusion in the first team could help ease the burden on Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino.

Let’s see what the Reds supporters are saying about Wilson on Twitter…

Despite Chelsea dropping more points following their recent 1-1 draw versus Wolves, Maurizio Sarri seems to have weathered the storm after weeks of speculation about his future at Stamford Bridge. 

Without Eden Hazard, though, whose incredible equaliser earned the Blues a point over the weekend, the Italian might have not made it this far.

That, however, has not stopped Sarri from issuing criticism towards his talisman.

The Breakdown

“Hazard is a great player, he solved the situation in the moment. But during the match, was like the other players. He needs more movement without the ball,” Sarri told Chelsea’s official club website after the game.

Despite grabbing the all-important equaliser, Hazard was not at his best against Wolves. That being said, it is ludicrous for Sarri to identify the Belgian as part of the problem.

In this moment of time, much like last season, Hazard is the only player giving Chelsea a solution going forward consistently, even if that does not always translate into goals and assists.

No, instead, Sarri should be looking at his dreadful line-ups as a whole with his selections in defence and midfield continuing to cost the Blues points.

At the back, David Luiz is still getting stupidly drawn towards the ball before making an unsuccessful tackle, while Mateo Kovacic is offering very little in the middle of the park.

This campaign, Chelsea have had a lot of problems. Hazard, however, is not one of them and it is crazy to suggest otherwise.

Chelsea fans, do you agree with Sarri’s criticism of Hazard? Join the discussion by commenting below. 

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According to WhoScored, Liverpool midfielder Fabinho had a pass success rate of 91% in Sunday’s 2-1 win over Fulham, whilst he also made two tackles and won three aerial duels.

It would be fair to say that the overall performance from Liverpool was not exactly fantastic, but they did enough to collect all three points, with James Milner netting a late penalty.

It is results rather than performances that matter most at this stage of the campaign and Jurgen Klopp’s side boosted their title challenge in the English capital.

Fabinho – a 2018 arrival from Monaco – was making his 22nd Premier League appearance of the season against the Cottagers.

It took the Brazil international a little bit of time to settle at Liverpool, but he has now played every minute of his team’s last seven Premier League matches.

The Merseyside club’s fans have been delighted with what they have seen from the midfielder in recent weeks and that was again the case at the weekend.

A selection of the Twitter reaction to Fabinho’s performance can be seen below: