Cardiff fans lavish praise on defender Sol Bamba

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Cardiff City earned a vital win over Southampton on Saturday.

The Bluebirds beat AFC Bournemouth last time out and climbed out of the relegation zone after a supremely important victory at St Mary’s Stadium.

Sol Bamba, the club captain, opened the scoring from a corner, only for Jack Stephens to peg Neil Warnock’s men back in the 91st minute.

The resilient Cardiff, however, would not be denied and a 93rd-minute strike from Kenneth Zohore ensured they took all three points.

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The Wales-based club are now one point clear of the bottom three, with the beaten Saints replacing them at 18th.

Newcastle United, who face Wolves on Monday, are 17th and sit level on points with the Saints, though they have a marginally superior goal difference.

And Cardiff fans have hailed the heroics of Bamba, who celebrated with supporters after setting the tone for a victory that could prove season-defining come the end of May.

Rangers: Fans pleased with journalist’s defence of Alfredo Morelos

A number of Rangers fans have voiced their approval of an article that was written about striker Alfredo Morelos this week.

Herald Scotland published a piece from columnist Neil Cameron in which he stood up for the 23-year-old following his red card at Motherwell last Sunday, with the article also shared on Twitter via @heraldscotland.

In the piece, Cameron wrote that the Colombian is “a serial victim” of vitriol from opposition fans in Scotland, citing instances of racial abuse, coin throwing and a defamatory banner about his mother.

He said that Scottish fans “deserve the ultimate snub” from the player and wrote: “This is a serial victim. He’s been racially abused, coins have hit off him and Aberdeen supporters even wrote a banner in Spanish about his mother. Oh, the Scottish banter.” [via Herald Scotland]

Last weekend, Morelos was sent off for a second bookable offence after he celebrated his goal at Fir Park in front of the home supporters by making a gesture that referee Don Robertson deemed offensive. [via BBC]

The 23-year-old has been in sensational scoring form this season, with his goal against Motherwell taking him to 27 for the campaign so far, but his red card on Sunday was his sixth since the beginning of last season.

These Rangers fans took to Twitter to commend Cameron for coming out in defence of Morelos:

Do you think Morelos gets a lot of undeserved criticism over his disciplinary record? Were you happy to see Cameron defending him in his article? Comment below with your views!

Ex-Spurs boss Pochettino tipped to manage Boca Juniors

Former Tottenham Hotspur boss Mauricio Pochettino has been backed to take over at Boca Juniors by Argentina legend Diego Maradona, per Ole via Goal.

What’s he said?

The Argentine has been out of work since his sacking by Spurs at the end of November.

Jose Mourinho was subsequently installed as his successor, with Spurs winning four out of five games under the Portuguese’s management.

While Pochettino has been linked with a number of potential jobs, including the Arsenal post, Maradona, who won the World Cup in 1986, has told him to manage Boca instead.

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Asked if he could take the job, he replied: “Boca have to take a technician to play and feel what Boca is. It’s not easy to sit in that chair.

“The best of all is Maradona [laughs].

“But now I will not go, there at some point it happens. But I would like Mauricio Pochettino.

“You have to call him and convince him to come to lead the biggest team in the world.”

Could be ideal

This is a superb shout.

Pochettino could return to his homeland and manage a club with a rich tradition of winning trophies.

Boca won the Argentine top-flight in 2016/17 and 2017/18, with the second being their 33rd title win.

No clues whatsoever: Which seasons do these iconic Spurs images belong to?

They have also won six Copa Libertadores trophies, three Intercontinental Cups and three Copa Argentinas.

Pochettino has spoken of wanting to manage in Europe again but this could be a good stop-gap; he could take over one of the biggest clubs in his home nation and potentially propel them to even greater success.

It would be a left-field move but it could just be perfect.

Meanwhile, Spurs legend Ledley King has tipped the club to do one thing. 

Everton should sell Cenk Tosun and Morgan Schneiderlin in January

Carlo Ancelotti’s Everton spell is now underway but it could do with a real kickstart in January by  making some changes to the squad that will take the Toffees away from relegation bother.

Bringing players in is the obvious solution but there’s plenty of deadwood at Goodison right now that just isn’t fit for purpose, so Football FanCast takes a look at two players the new Everton gaffer should axe next month.

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Cenk Tosun

Tosun has arrived at Goodison Park in 2018 as a signing that was supposed to give Everton the push they needed with extra goal threat.

A reported fee of €22m (£18.6m) definitely suggested he was a big arrival but he failed to hit the ground running. In 2018/19, he managed to tally four goals and three assists throughout the whole campaign while this season has seen him earn just two Premier League starts.

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Both Richarlison and Dominic Calvert-Lewin have mustered more game time and have been more prolific than the Turkey international who sits at just one goal for the 2019/20 campaign.

Aged 28, there just might be some re-sell value and Everton would be wise to cash in if they can.

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Morgan Schneiderlin

The midfielder has been at Goodison Park for a couple of years now but just hasn’t been the same player since leaving Southampton, where he’d won the club’s Player of the Year award for 2012/13.

The Frenchman endured a troubled spell at United that saw him make only 47 appearances and has never really recovered from that – so far this season, his average rating from Whoscored is just 6.26.

This has also prompted some of the fans to criticise him in the past, calling him a passenger and wanting him gone from the club.

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Schneiderlin still has about 18 months left on his contract that expires in the summer of 2021, meaning it’s really a case of selling him within the next two transfer windows before a free transfer comes into the equation.

Everton are a little light on bodies in midfield with Andre Gomes and Jean-Philippe Gbamin both injured but if they can find a direct replacement for Schneiderlin, they shouldn’t hesitate to get rid next month.

Leeds must avoid making the same mistakes as last term after poor run

On Boxing Day, Leeds were presented a chance, but within a few hours, they’d thrown it away.

There’s a joke to be made in there about a certain Wham song that is usually popular at this time of year, but we’re not sure that United supporters will be in too jovial of a mood at the moment.

Why would they be though? Leeds have failed to win for the third game in a row, and despite results going their way in the three o’clock kick-offs, the gap to third place remains at eight points.

It could have been worse had it not been for a later Stuart Dallas equaliser, but the Whites can’t allow the same thing that happened last season to reoccur this year.

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This time in 2018, Leeds were sitting pretty at the top of the Championship, but all the signs were there to suggest that their performances were dipping.

Indeed, United relied on late winners against Blackburn and Aston Villa during this period last term to maintain their comfortable lead at the top of the table, and a six-point gap to West Brom in third after 24 games made promotion seem almost certain.

Unfortunately, it seems as if nobody at the club spotted the inevitable slump, and United failed to strengthen in January and ended up finishing in third.

Many Leeds fans blamed Andrea Radrizzani’s lack of movement in the winter window for the club’s eventual capitulation, and it’s a mistake Leeds can’t afford to make again this season.

Their performance on Thursday was poor, they were bailed out by a last-minute goal and their comfortable lead remains only due to poor results from other sides challenging for the automatic promotion spots.

Victor Orta and Andrea Radrizzani must heed the warning signs and get their chequebooks out in January. This squad needs reinforcements to guarantee it’ll get over the finish line.

In other news, Leeds shouldn’t be too disheartened if they miss out on one of their January targets.

Liverpool fans react to Allan’s sale

Jurgen Klopp has already said that Liverpool’s incoming transfer business is all but over during this January window.

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Takumi Minamino has joined from RB Salzburg, and Joe Hardy has arrived from Brentford, and that may end up being the only new recruits at Anfield. There have also been some outgoings as well, though.

Rhian Brewster is perhaps the most high-profile, with him having completed a move to Swansea City on loan until the end of the season, whilst Brazilian Allan has also made a switch, back to his homeland. The 22-year-old will move to Atletico Mineiro permanently for a fee of £3.2m.

Call yourself a Liverpool expert? How much did each of these big-money January signings cost?

This has caused some reaction amongst the club’s supporters, with some sorry to see him go.

It is unlikely that there will be too many at Anfield who are sad to see him go. He never managed to play for the club due to work permit issues, as one of the prior tweets mentioned, but he didn’t really set the world alight at any of the other clubs he played for – he failed to register an average WhoScored rating of over seven in any loan spell.

Other are delighted with what they see as another great deal.

It certainly is fantastic work from the club’s hierarchy. He was signed for just £500,000, and yet a significant profit was made despite him never pulling on a Liverpool shirt.

Michael Edwards has received plenty of praise in particular.

In the three full seasons following his appointment in November 2016, the Reds have a net spend of just £81.7m. That is something for a team that lead the table by 13 points and are European champions.

The supporters will be hoping he can pull off even more fantastic deals likes this in the future.

Elsewhere, Liverpool are planning a move for this six-goal Premier League youngster.

Leeds knocked back in their approach for Andre Gray

Che Adams is apparently Leeds’ number one target when it comes to replacing Eddie Nketiah this month, but the Whites aren’t putting all of their eggs in one basket as they’ve enquired at another Premier League club about the availability of one of their strikers.Indeed, Phil Hay confirmed that United have looked into signing one top-flight attacker, but it seems as though that won’t be happening.

What’s been said?

One United supporter asked on Twitter whether or not Leeds had shown an interest in Watford’s Andre Gray, and Hay stated that the Whites had in fact asked the Hornets about the forward.

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Unfortunately, they were unsuccessful in their inquiry as they were immediately knocked back by Nigel Pearson’s side.

Ambition on show

When Leeds loaned in Eddie Nketiah last summer it was exciting, but it was certainly a gamble.

The striker hadn’t proven himself at this level, never playing in the Championship, and in the end, it backfired. The 20-year-old didn’t get much of a game, starting just twiceÂbefore being recalled by Arsenal.

Fortunately, Leeds aren’t looking like falling into the same trap once again as all of their reported targets are proven strikers at this level.

Billy Sharp, Dwight Gayle and Che Adams all netted more than 20 goals in this division last term, and Gray was the Championship’s top scorer and Player of the Year last time he played in the second tier.

Leeds haven’t landed one of these forwards yet, but they’re not messing about this time as they want someone who will guarantee them goals. Given the aforementioned names and their records in the division, Victor Orta is looking in the right areas.

In other news, it may be time for Leeds to drop one player after consistent poor performances.

Leeds should consider signing a left-back rather than a striker this month

Leeds United lost their grasp at the top of the Championship table on Saturday afternoon after they tasted defeat in the Yorkshire derby at Elland Road.

Marcelo Bielsa’s side suffered at the hands of Sheffield Wednesday, who won 2-0, courtesy of two late goals.

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The game had been petering out for a second successive 0-0 after the two drew at Hillsborough earlier in the season, but the Owls had other ideas.

Jacob Murphy first beat Kiko Casilla at his near post before Atdhe Nuhiu sealed all three points by firing home a quick counter-attack in injury time.

On the Chalkboard

It was only the first time since the end of October that Leeds had failed to score in a Championship game, ironically coming in that aforementioned meeting.

Marcelo Bielsa said after the game that he was still pursuing a striker to provide competition to Patrick Bamford, especially after Eddie Nketiah was recalled to Arsenal at the turn of the year and while it is an obvious need, attention should be put towards a different area.

The 26-year-old is doing his part considering he is the team’s top goalscorer with ten goals from 25 appearances, which is actually a pretty respectable attempt. He’s always going to be Bielsa’s first choice too as Nketiah’s return was down to a lack of game time.

It is at left-back where United’s most pressing concern should lie. Barry Douglas is looking like half the player he was for Wolves while Ezgjan Alioski is a loose-cannon who has looked pretty suspect defensively at times.

Against Wednesday, per SofaScore, Douglas was dribbled past twice and lost possession 11 times in just 56 minutes with his replacement, the Macedonian picked up the lowest rating of anyone on the pitch (6.1) and also won only one of his five duels and lost possession nine times.

Murphy, their opposite number bagged his goal after coming inside and slotting home from an acute angle, meaning Alioski should have done much better to stop him.

Can you get full marks on the Ultimate Leeds Quiz? Test your knowledge below…

The 27-year-old averages a foul per game and is dispossessed 1.1 times per match too. Douglas, on the other hand, is yet to even record an assist, a dire attempt considering he recorded 14 the season Wolves won the league while defensively, every metric is down considerably, per WhoScored.

This left side could actually be Leeds’ biggest weakness. Whether Bielsa will look to fix it remains to be seen.

While in other news, this young talent could be most at risk if the Whites were to clinch this impressive League One hotshot…

Wolves predicted line up vs Southampton in the Premier League

Wolves return to Premier League action this afternoon as they look to get back on track following several weeks of disappointment.

The west Midlanders crashed out of the FA Cup in midweek after Juan Mata’s second-half strike was enough to secure a victory for Manchester United.

It means Nuno Santo’s side are now on a run of five straight games without a win in all competitions, stretching back to their Christmas triumph over the blue side of Manchester.

Here’s how we predict Wolves will line up today…

Nuno could make two changes as he looks for an improvement to their fortunes, although, his hands are somewhat tied with injuries to players and a lack of options to step up to the plate.

He named a full-strength side on Wednesday evening and the majority of those players will remain.

One change is between the sticks as first-choice goalkeeper Rui Patricio takes the gloves from John Ruddy while a defensive reshuffle may be in order.

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Ruben Vinagre came on as a substitute and picked up a hamstring injury, which has resulted in Ryan Giles being recalled from Shrewsbury Town, he’s expected to be named on the bench.

Both Romain Saiss and Conor Coady keep their places in the back three while central midfielder Leander Dendoncker is dropped from his centre-back role with Max Kilman coming in to deputise.

The two wing-backs, Jonny and Matt Doherty remain as there are no suitable alternatives to replace them, and likewise in midfield, Ruben Neves and Joao Moutinho keep their places.

Call yourself a Wolves expert? How much did each of these January signings cost?

In attack, Wolves’ only senior striker in Raul Jimenez continues to lead the line alongside Pedro Neto and Adama Traore.

The Portuguese winger will be hoping to continue his rich vein of form, he should have three goals in his last four matches but two have been ruled out through VAR intervention.

And in other news, this 2009 promotion hero has been urging the club to sign rival 16-goal frontman this month…

One winner and one loser if Man United sign Bruno Fernandes this month

Manchester United’s recent 2-0 defeat to Burnley only served to further emphasise the need for quality reinforcements. The Mirror state that Bruno Fernandes remains the prime target for manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, who wants the deal done in January.

Last week, it was claimed that he could now cost United as much as £68m.

But if that were to happen, there would be one clear winner and one clear loser…

Quickfire Quiz: How much do you know about Man Utd’s history in the January transfer window?

Winner: Paul Pogba

Pogba has been quite vocal in his desire to leave Man United and to seek other challenges away from the club. The Frenchman even said so himself last summer when he admitted the time could be right for a change. At the time, The Guardian mentioned Juventus and Real Madrid as the most interested parties.

With Fernandes’ possible arrival, Pogba just might see his wish come true as the 25-year-old midfielder is someone well capable of filling his void at Man United. The Portuguese international has already netted 15 goals and assisted a further 14 in the first 27 games he’s played across all competitions in the ongoing campaign. Pogba, on the other hand, was involved in 22 goals in the Premier League last season.

Landing such an effective player that could replicate the Frenchman’s contribution may potentially increase the chances of Ed Woodward finally letting Pogba leave.

Loser: Juan Mata

Despite his rich career that has been marked with success and glory, Mata is now 31 years old and is slowly but surely approaching the twilight of his adventure at the top level.

With the Spaniard already struggling for game time in this Man United team – currently only registering 627 minutes in his 15 games played in the Premier League – the possible arrival of another young and prolific attacking midfielder would all but surely push Mata out of the picture.

It seems that he’s finding the current competition too tough as it is and this deal would likely be the final nail in his Man United coffin, as harsh as that may sound at the moment.

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