Football clubs can be an integral part of the lives of those who follow them, whether that person goes around the country watching them or do so from the comfort of their own home.It is much easier for them to have an impact when they are on the pitch, but with the Premier League currently suspended, one Crystal Palace fan, who goes by J__CPFC has shown on Twitter how the club did that for their grandfather.Someone phoned to check on him, and while that may seem like something small, it has clearly made its mark on that person.
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Football clubs are pillars of their communities, and even when a ball is not being kicked, they can play an important role in supporting their fans.
The Eagles have shown a way of doing this, which should definitely be commended, and other Premier League clubs should be taking notes.
The Palace fan’s original post can be seen below:
Meanwhile, Palace fans have been showing their love for one man.
West Brom take a break from league action, probably something they could do without at this stage of the season, but alas the FA Cup fifth round has arrived.
The Baggies host Premier League outfit Newcastle United at the Hawthorns later this evening as this stage of the competition has switched to midweek due to the winter break.
Slaven Bilic’s side recorded their first defeat in seven attempts on Saturday afternoon, allowing Leeds United back in the title race, although they still hold a six-point cushion to the playoff positions.
The Croatian has rotated in the cups this campaign, and that isn’t likely to change here either, here’s our predicted XI…
Bilic could make as many as nine changes as he hands an opportunity to a range of fringe players whilst resting some of his first-team stars for the final season run-in.
There’s a swap between the sticks with Jonathan Bond replacing Sam Johnstone for what will be only his fourth senior appearance of the season.
The backline is rejigged with Kyle Bartley returning to the fray along with Kieran Gibbs. The 30-year-old makes a long-awaited comeback from injury and takes the reins from Conor Townsend – a move Bilic has already publicly confirmed.
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Dara O’Shea moves centrally with Ahmed Hegazi out injured with Darnell Furlong coming in at right-back over Lee Peltier, who may appear on the bench for the very first time since joining.
Bilic keeps the new 4-3-3 system, but there are plenty of switches further afield.
Rekeem Harper keeps his place but will have a very experienced duo next to him with Chris Brunt and Gareth Barry being handed a rare chance to start.
On the wings, loan duo Callum Robinson (cup-tied) and Matheus Pereira are rested which means Matty Phillips returns on the right with Kyle Edwards likely to hold down the other side.
Filip Krovinovic is also dropped for a breather ahead of the weekend.
Life after football: Do you know what all of these former players did next?
While Charlie Austin wins the battle for the number nine role with fellow 30-year-old Hal Robson-Kanu earning a rest. Kenneth Zohore could feature from the bench.
Kamil Grosicki is cup-tied and will not be involved, and there should be a place for youth talent Rayhaan Tulloch after he missed the U23 game on Monday night.
And in other news, The Athletic provide a latest update on the dubious future of Nathan Ferguson…
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…
West Ham United midfielder Declan Rice shone in his side’s 2-1 win against Southampton at St Mary’s on Thursday night, and his performance didn’t go unnoticed by Liverpool fans on Twitter.
The 19-year-old Republic of Ireland international spent the majority of his time playing as a centre-back under David Moyes at the London Stadium last season, but Manuel Pellegrini has used him effectively as a defensive midfielder in recent months.
The teenager, who extended his stay with the east London outfit on Friday, is strong and clearly has a reading of the game well beyond his years, and he snuffed out plenty of Saints danger on the south coast.
While Liverpool look to have plenty of depth in central midfield right now, James Milner is getting no younger and Jurgen Klopp could soon look to replace Jordan Henderson, and the Anfield faithful are clearly impressed with what they saw from Rice in his latest showing.
Reds supporters took to social media to give their thoughts on the Irons star, and while one said “can see him in a LFC shirt”, another said “I’d be signing him in the summer to replace Milner”.
Here is just a selection of the Twitter reaction…
Has Alisson been Liverpool’s most important signing of the season? Check out the video below to find out why Jurgen Klopp thinks so…
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Liverpool host Manchester City this Sunday at Anfield in the first meeting of the season between the two title favourites.
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Both sides are coming into this one with unbeaten records in the Premier League so far. However, the Reds’ recent results in all competitions don’t make for comfortable reading. Jurgen Klopp’s men will certainly have to be back to their best on Sunday if they’re to stand any chance of avoiding their first league defeat of the season at the hands of the reigning champions.
For the home side to thrive, they need their attacking contingent to produce the scintillating football they’re capable of and the Citizens certainly ought to be wary of the threat that Liverpool’s front three pose.
For that reason, Guardiola should not be tempted to select club legend Vincent Kompany in his starting XI. As fine a servant as the captain has been to City, the 32-year-old has looked to be past his best so far this season.
Nicolas Otamendi should be tasked with the responsibility of marshalling the backline in the Belgian’s stead. The Argentine has grown into a calm, confident and authoritative Premier League defender under Guardiola’s tutelage and can now lay claim to being amongst the finest centre-backs in the division.
Alongside the Argentine, the City boss has a tough call to make in selecting between Aymeric Laporte and John Stones. He should, however, favour the Englishman for this clash. Stones’ greater experience of the Premier League and ability on the ball will serve City well in avoiding too much pressure when the Reds push up the pitch.
What do you think, City fans – who would feature in your ideal centre-back pairing to face Liverpool?
According to the Daily Mirror, West Brom are preparing to approach Newcastle United about the signing of Rolando Aarons.
Aarons spent last season on loan with Hellas Verona in Serie A, where he was a solid, if unspectacular, performer.
Following some impressive showings for the Magpies in the 2015/16 Premier League season, Aarons has since struggled to make his mark at St James’ Park and looks set to move on from the club permanently this summer.
The Breakdown
It would be a gamble for Darren Moore to attempt to bring the 22-year-old to the Hawthorns, but one he might once to consider taking if he can get the former England under-20 international at a good price.
When young players’ progress plateaus or regresses it can be incredibly difficult to judge what may be a blip or what may be evidence that the player doesn’t have what it takes to make it at the highest level. In the case of Aarons, Moore appears to believe that it is the former.
If Darren Moore could pick up Aarons whilst his form is on this downward trajectory and somehow manage to turn it around then the Baggies will have a real game changer on their hands.
What’s more, Aarons will be a player with a point to prove. If the youngster does depart from Newcastle this summer he’ll be desperate to make his way back to the top. Doing so with West Brom could be his best bet if the Championship side decide to roll the dice on him.
West Ham have a lot of work to do across pre-season if they are to rectify the wrongs that were so evident during their first season at London Stadium.
Slaven Bilic’s side were woefully inconsistent last time out, only managing three wins on the spin on one occasion, and trouble away from the pitch only added to their problems upon settling in Stratford.
Having signed thirteen new players last summer there was plenty of hope, however, Bilic soon found himself with a squad ill suited to the challenges of the Premier League, emphasised by the premature departure of their big name summer addition – Simone Zaza – after eleven games and no goals.
Things seemed to click behind the scenes in the January window, with Premier League experience the target in any additions and, while Jose Fonte and Robert Snodgrass have been far from miracle makers, there was a slow progression there.
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This summer is the complete antithesis of the last, with the powers that be in east London going about things behind closed doors and in a much more meticulous manner.
That, at least, is a start for a club in need of a big statement over the next nine months-or-so having committed to the London Stadium move and embarked on a new era, delayed by a poor first term. However, there is still plenty more to be done and some big decisions to be made, starting in midfield.
Irons captain Mark Noble has been an exemplary servant to his beloved club and, although at times he looked back to his best last term, it is becoming clear that time is running out on his playing career at West Ham. While there may still be areas in which he can be of great help to Bilic and his staff over the coming seasons, change is needed.
The Hammers struggled to create from midfield last season, often relying on their Player of the Year Michail Antonio to be the sole creative source, meaning they were fairly easy to nullify from an opponent’s point of view. With confusion between who would sit and dictate play, to allow others to move freely and create from central areas, between both Noble and Cheikhou Kouyate, it wasn’t often things came together nicely for Bilic.
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While there are no long term options that spring to mind to fill such a role and allow Kouyate the freedom to link up with the likes of Antonio and Manuel Lanzini ahead of him, there is one old hand who could take the West Ham midfield up a notch.
Everton fans have been rejoicing over the return of former boy-wonder Wayne Rooney from Manchester United over the last week, and there is no reason the Hammers should not take a leaf from Ronald Koeman’s book and look to bring one of their own back after thirteen years away.
United midfielder Michael Carrick left Upton Park for Tottenham in 2004 and, since joining the Red Devils from north London, has developed into one of the best dictating midfielders out there.
Although five years Noble’s senior, there is absolutely no sign of the Champions League winner’s game slowing down at the same rate as the Hammers skipper, and his stats show as much.
The United man may not be picking up as many minutes as some of his West Ham counterparts, but with the likes of Paul Pogba and Ander Herrera at Jose Mouirnho’s disposal, it’s hard to blame Carrick for that.
In both Edimilson Fernandes and Pedro Obiang Bilic has two midfielders who have the potential to be key for West Ham over the coming years, but still neither look solid in that holding role, meaning a season or two of Carrick holding things together could allow the club the time to find the next Idrissa Gueye or, dare we say it, N’Golo Kante to facilitate the attractive, flowing football that was so long associated with east London.
It would be a tough ask to prise Carrick from the clutches of Mourinho, given the Portuguese is such a big fan of the West Ham academy graduate, however should David’s Gold and Sullivan manage to do so it could be a masterstroke after months of scrutiny from the claret and blue support.
Gerard Deulofeu is turning out to be embroiled in the saga of the January transfer window, after a confusing sequence of events.
What’s happened?
Well, it all started with what many assumed was the end; AC Milan confirming on their Twitter feed that they have signed 22-year-old Gerard Deulofeu on-loan until the end of the season. In fact, it appears they haven’t.
In a tweet, which has since been deleted, AC Milan released a graphic image of Deulofeu in a Milan jersey- but he may not be adorning the black and red, with the bitter situation possibly seeing the collapse of a deal.
Everton, who were furious with the premature announcement, denied a deal had been agreed and it leaves the saga hanging in the balance, with nobody too sure on what on earth will happen next.
Will he seal a move?
Well, the 22-year-old’s future is certainly on the rocks. Everton initially rejected one swoop from AC Milan but the indication from the Italian side suggested progress had been made. Despite Everton’s disputing the claim, talks must have surely been held.
Given AC Milan’s confusion, you’d have to assume that talks went quite far- but the premature announcement has riled Everton and they may throw a spanner in the works now, as their unhappiness on the situation could scrap a deal.
Either way, this isn’t the last we’ve heard of the saga.
After a season and a half of Louis van Gaal reign in the red half of Manchester, United fans are starting to get a little bit restless.
The team finds itself in the same position they finished last season in, but now has the Europa League to deal with. Instead of a run at the Champions League, as United fans had been used to over the past two decades, they are starting to become accustomed to settling for less.
Indeed, that’s sort of what United have done since the departure of Sir Alex Ferguson. Bringing in David Moyes could be seen in that light. The Scot has become something of a punchline since taking over at United, and his next job will hardly be a club at the level of Manchester United.
His signing of Marouane Fellaini for £27.5m looks like steep money for a man who epitomised Manchester United’s current lack of ideas – lumping it to Fellaini might be some sort of plan B, but for a long time last season, and at times this season, it’s been very much plan A.
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Last week against Bournemouth, United fans saw another ‘settle for less’ performances. A club that has inexplicably spent nearly a quarter of a billion pounds since the arrival of Louis van Gaal saw a back four where Daley Blind was the senior centre back.
Guillermo Varela, Paddy McNair and Cameron Borthwick-Jackson may all be fabulous players in the years to come, but as a back four they illustrate the problem at Manchester United at the moment – there’s a distinct lack of class throughout the squad.
The signings of the past year emphasise that. The likes of Bastian Schweinsteiger, Morgan Schneiderlin or even Memphis Depay and Anthony Martial were never going to make United significantly better, just incrementally better.
Had United bought Schweinsteiger prior to Euro 2012, for example, then maybe we’d be talking about a world class player, but instead we’re talking about a player whose legs don’t match his brain. Depay and Martial will both be quality players in a few years’ time, but they’ve both proven very little so far. Apart from Juan Mata, none of United’s signings have been first-teamers to turn United into a squad that can win the title.
But the purveyors of United’s settle for less approach have the chance to set that straight and change that.
The rumours that Pep Guardiola is set to quit Bayern Munich are gaining speed and power, and with Louis van Gaal’s team stuttering their way through a sleepy season, the chance to replace him with one of the world’s truly special coaches should surely be jumped at.
United’s new approach under Van Gaal should be the perfect groundwork to pave the way for Guardiola’s arrival. United are being drilled in the ways of patient passing, a possession-based approach which sees depriving the opposition of the ball as being the best form of both attack and of defence.
It’s just that in Van Gaal’s version of it, you have to pass it around carefully until there’s an obvious opening. Naturally creative players like Juan Mata – perhaps the only signing of the past few seasons that you can’t argue was a waste of money – have to be curtailed, because in order to be creative, you need to take a risk. That’s just not something that Van Gaal is prepared to let his players do – he has been bitten too many times on the counter attack.
Pep would bring a verve and a purpose to Manchester United’s flagging possession game. His attitude towards the game and the way he sets his teams up to play in that image are exactly what United need in order to move from Van Gaal’s vision into one that the fans will accept and enjoy watching. If Pep is available, United should do everything they can to sign him.
But what do we really expect from the suits who beg United’s fans to settle for less?
Former Premier League standout Christian Benteke scored a brilliant hat-trick for D.C. United in their win over the New England Revolution.
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DC United playing New England RevolutionBenteke scores brilliant hat-trickWin 3-1 in season openerWHAT HAPPENED?
To open te scoring, the Belgian striker leapt into the air off a brilliant cross from Pedro Santos, smashing the ball with his head. Revolution goalkeeper Henrich Ravas, did however, initially save the shot from going in – or so he thought. After a brief VAR review, the center official gave the goal to the DC striker in the 36th minute.
He followed it up with two second half goals, first tapping in from close range off a deflection and then adding his third for the hat-trick in stoppage-time off another brilliant header.
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The former Liverpool striker, who also crafted his trade in the Premier League with Crystal Palace, net 14 goals for DC last season in his first full campaign with the club. He'll be looking to not only better that in 2024, but help lead his squad into the playoffs for the first time since 2019.
Just one game into the campaign, though, he's already net nearly one-fourth of his total from 2023. He's off to a flying start after leading DC to a 3-1 victory.
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Getty ImagesWHAT NEXT FOR DC UNITED AND BENTEKE?
The club based out of the United States capital will travel coast-to-coast in week two, when they take on the Portland Timbers. They'll be looking to earn their first road points of the season, while Benteke will be looking to add to his account.