As you’re probably well aware, Daniel Sturridge announced his return to Stamford Bridge on Saturday with a huge bang. Just minutes after coming off the bench against his former club he struck a worldie against The Blues that gave Kepa Arrizabalaga no chance as Jurgen Klopp’s side went on to claim a point. After the game, Klopp spoke about his striker on the Liverpool website.
That strike was Sturridge’s fourth goal of the season and what a team it was for the England man to get it. His previous three goals have come against West Ham, PSG and Chelsea and it seems the 29-year-old has got his mojo back completely under Klopp. During pre-season, there were hints that Sturridge may be finding his feet again, but no one quite expected him to be back with this much of a bang.
Sturridge is the perfect option for Jurgen Klopp and it seems so coincidental that he’s come good. In Roberto Firmino The Reds have a striker who’s game isn’t all about goals as the Brazilian drops deep and provides space for the likes of Mo Salah and Sadio Mane to run into. In contrast, Sturridge is all about goals and will do anything he can to get on the scoresheet. Klopp will be delighted to have both of the two available and to be able to pick and choose who he needs for which game is a wonderfully useful resource to have, as it showed on Saturday.
You can see what The Kopites have been saying about Sturridge here:
Loads of Tottenham fans have been reacting to their win at Huddersfield, and they’re absolutely fuming at the performance of Eric Dier.
Mauricio Pochettino’s side continued their road back to winning ways on Saturday with a comfortable victory over Huddersfield, but fans aren’t happy with Dier.
Harry Kane put the visitors in the lead when he glanced home a cross from Kieran Trippier, and the Tottenham talisman doubled his tally nine minutes later from the penalty spot.
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While the lead never really looked threatened, it wasn’t a vintage Tottenham display by any means, and Dier had a bit of a nightmare.
The 24 year-old struggled in midfield in the first half, and it didn’t go any better for him when he moved back into defence after the break.
He completed just 78 per cent of his passes, and fans are urging Pochettino to drop him.
The boss is clearly a big fan of the Englishman due to his versatility, but have a look at the Twitter reactions down below…
Former West Ham United target Dusan Tadic continued his impressive start to the season for Ajax with an assist in his side’s 1-1 draw with Bayern Munich in the Champions League at the Allianz Arena on Tuesday night, and the Irons should be regretting not signing him.
What’s the word, then?
Well, former Hammers boss Slaven Bilic was reportedly keen to sign the then-Southampton star in the summer of 2017, but a move failed to materialise as they signed Marko Arnautovic from Stoke City, with the Serbia international remaining with the south coast outfit.
The attacker did make his Saints exit 12 months later though as he returned to the Eredivisie with Ajax in a deal worth an initial £10m, and he has hit the ground running for his new team.
That includes a brilliant assist as the Dutch giants picked up a credible draw against Bayern, and he showed his versatility in attack by playing in a false-9 role against Niko Kovac’s men.
Why should West Ham regret not signing him?
While they currently have decent first-choice options out wide in summer additions Felipe Anderson and Andriy Yarmolenko, you have to wonder whether Michail Antonio and Robert Snodgrass – despite his impressive form in recent weeks – are good enough back-ups both now and in the long-term.
Tadic has shown with seven goals and a further seven assists in 15 appearances in all competitions for Ajax this term that he could have been a huge player for the Irons, and he is undoubtedly a clever player who would have linked up brilliantly with Arnautovic – as he did with Graziano Pelle at Southampton for two campaigns.
At 29 years of age he is experienced and still has plenty to offer, and the fact that he has already captained the Amsterdam-based outfit in the early stages of his career with the Dutch club shows just how effective he can be.
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Serie A champions Juventus are ready to make an offer to Arsenal’s Aaron Ramsey in January, according to The Daily Mail.
What’s the word?
Arsenal’s decision to pull out of contract negotiations with Aaron Ramsey has left the Wales international extremely likely to leave the Emirates Stadium in 2019, with his current deal due to expire at the end of the season.
The 27-year-old has already emerged as a potential target for a number of Premier League clubs, including Liverpool and Manchester United, but The Daily Mail states Serie A champions Juventus are looking to use an advantage that they have in the market.
Clubs outside of England will be able to discuss a pre-contractual agreement with Ramsey in January and the report states that Juventus are looking to do exactly that, as they plot a move to bring the player to Italian football.
The ideal solution?
While Arsenal seem to have decided that Ramsey is surplus to requirements, seeing another player move to a Premier League rival would be a real kick in the teeth for the Gunners and they would, therefore, love to see Ramsey move abroad.
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However, the player himself may be reluctant to move his young family to the continent and a stay in the Premier League looks to be the most likely outcome and, due to his contract situation, Arsenal have very little control over what happens.
All that Emery can do is hope that Juventus manage to persuade Ramsey to move to Turin at the end of the season as that would see the Gunners avoid having another fan favourite jump ship to join a rival.
We’re now a quarter of the way through the season and the narratives of 2018/19 have been formed. We know that Manchester United are entrenched in a crisis that isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. W
e’re almost certain that the title race will be a three-way affair with City most likely to prevail. Given the swiftness in which they’re adapting – while accumulating a healthy haul of points in the process – we’re sure that Arsenal and Chelsea will be just fine under Emery and Sarri respectively and could very conceivably scale great heights in the not too distant future.
Lowering our gaze, we can also definitely attest that Cardiff are destined to revisit the Championship post haste while Burnley and Huddersfield are each, in their own way, experiencing the debilitating trauma of Second Season Syndrome.
There are a hundred more too as the season takes shape and becomes a distinct entity in its own right.
Yet what really fascinates is the unknowns that still linger, offering up the possibility of one thing or the other; teasing us with probables that lead only to personal opinion and debate.
Some of the examples below have already been prematurely decided upon. In reality their truths are still to be revealed.
Will Liverpool’s front three fire into life?
An assumption has been made; an entirely understandable assumption and because it’s entirely understandable it’s been made by pretty much everyone.
It goes something like this – considering how awesome Liverpool’s defence have been so far and considering too that it’s only a matter of time before Mane, Firmino and Salah explode back into the devastating form that wreaked so much havoc last term then when the latter inevitably happens the Reds will be an unstoppable force.
Admittedly this is more likely to occur than not and additionally eight league goals from the trio is hardly a meagre return. Yet we’re seen sustained drop-offs in form before from players who were nothing short of exceptional throughout the previous campaign and with every passing week it’s becoming apparent that Mo Salah in particular but Firmino too are producing blurry photocopies of last season’s manifesto.
The longer this continues the more Klopp’s newly configured solidity will be viewed less as a bonus and more as something to rely upon.
Will Leeds implode under Bielsa?
The arrival of El Loco to Elland Road was one of the summer’s biggest talking points and our intrigue has only grown as the tactical innovator has successfully forged his high-pressing, thoroughly entertaining brand of football into a young team that was previously drifting aimlessly in the Championship.
Leeds have lost only once and boast the second highest amount of goals in the league while their high-energy commitment to Bielsa-ball has made for compulsive viewing for fans of the Yorkshire giants and neutrals alike.
But before we rub our hands in anticipation at the thought of the intensive Argentine prowling Premier League touchlines next August, taking on the managers who he has directly inspired (Guardiola, Pochettino, and Pellegrini to name but three), some caution is required.
At Lille the coach was suspended then relieved of his duties just 13 games in. At Lazio he quit after two days. At Marseille he resigned one game into his second term in office.
When it goes well for the fiery genius is can go brilliantly. When it goes awry however it ends very suddenly.
Is Celtic’s dominance slipping?
Soccer Football – Scottish Premiership – Celtic v Rangers – Celtic Park, Glasgow, Britain – September 2, 2018 Rangers manager Steven Gerrard and Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers Action Images via Reuters/Jason Cairnduff
Brendan Rodgers’ two years in charge at Parkhead has been an unmitigated success presiding over an era of dominance that borders on the extraordinary.
Consecutive titles have nudged the Hoops closer to an unprecedented ten in a row while a historic 63 games unbeaten domestically helped sweep up all of the silverware in Scotland. Last season Celtic secured the treble for the second time running.
An early Champions League exit to AEK Athens back in August however prompted rumours of ‘issues’ emerging within the Glasgow club and that was swiftly followed by substantial whispers of the former Liverpool boss leaving town.
Presently Celtic lie third in the Scottish Premiership after losing two of their opening eight games. Above them are Hearts and Hibs offering a symbolic transferal of power from Glasgow to Edinburgh even if at this juncture symbolism is all it is.
It’s hardly a crisis. But then again, when the bar has been set so meteorically high anything below that is deemed a failure.
Are Lacazette and Aubameyang masking Arsenal deficiencies?
After a worrying start to Unai Emery’s succession at the Emirates his side have now strung together nine straight wins across all competitions and all is swell in North London. “We’ve got our Arsenal back” is being sung with gusto in the stands. Their expensively-assembled strike force meanwhile is taking it in turns to tear defences apart with ten goals between them already.
Yet there are some statty types who are insisting that Arsenal are dramatically over-performing according to their XG and that it’s simply not sustainable to expect your forwards to convert 25% of the chances that arise throughout the course of a season.
How much this matters is up for debate (because surely the fact that the Gunners are in a period of transition should be factored in?) but even so it will be an interesting one to follow, particularly if and when their prized hit-men begin to dip in their prolificacy.
Spurs. Just Spurs.
For the past three years Spurs under Pochettino have finished no lower than third and for each of those years we’ve been told on numerous occasions that they are a great example of how a Premier League club should be run. They had a fantastic and what’s more likeable man at the helm. They resisted the temptation of shelling out fortunes and instead bought sensibly, nurturing their talents into a cohesive and high-achieving collective. They had a style of play that was distinctly theirs.
Now though, after precisely one summer of standing still what have they become? Who are Tottenham and what do they represent besides existing and awaiting their new stadium to be fit for purpose?
After a perfectly okay start can they now kick on and be a relevant force again? Like all of the unknowns above only time will tell.
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Speaking to Football London, Arsenal star Aaron Ramsey confessed that he is a little confused about his own contract situation and is still unsure as to why the previously tabled offer had been withdrawn.
The London club had supposedly agreed terms with the number 8 and he was prepared to sign, but the offer was revoked – much to the surprise of fans and the 27-year-old too, apparently. The Welshman, as it stands, will be allowed to leave either in January for a fee or on a free in the summer with the expiration of his contract, and the Gunners are preparing to lose one of their longest-serving players.
The former Cardiff man signed for Arsenal for a fee of £5m in 2008 and Transfermarkt now values him at £40.5m, so if a club manages to sign him on a free in the summer they will be very happy indeed.
Unai Emery’s side took their win streak in all competitions to 11 on Thursday night as they edged past Primeira Liga outfit Sporting Lisbon in the Europa League, with Ramsey captaining the side in Mesut Ozil’s stead.
Arsenal fans reacted to Ramsey’s strange comments on Twitter.
Unai Emery’s Arsenal are flying high as they enjoy an 11-match winning streak heading into tonight’s Europa League clash with Sporting Lisbon.
The Gunners suffered back-to-back defeats at the start of the season, losing to Manchester City and Chelsea, but have bounced-back to secure seven wins on the bounce in the Premier League, as well as two opening wins in their European campaign.
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While it is still early days under the guidance of the former Paris Saint-Germain boss, Emery has certainly led the Gunners to improvements and this is shown by the improvements displayed by four first-team players.
Mesut Ozil, Alex Iwobi, Granit Xhaka and Hector Bellerin have become core figures in Emery’s line-up but it is the performances of World Cup winner Ozil that have improved the most.
His match-winning display against Leicester City was one of the best individual performances Arsenal have had at the Emirates Stadium, where he also showed the leadership qualities to suggest he can be the Gunners’ next permanent captain.
Do you agree Arsenal fans? Have your say in our poll below…
Last week he was the villain after Arsenal were held to a 2-2 draw by Crystal Palace and this week he is somewhat of a hero for his performance against Liverpool on Saturday.
Or rather, that is how Shkodran Mustafi should be viewed this week after the shift he put in against one of the Premier League’s most feared attacks.
A poor and clumsy challenge on Cheickhou Kouyate at Selhurst Park last Sunday that led to Palace’s first penalty, saw the German being absolutely slated on Twitter for being too unreliable as one of the Gunners’ main defenders.
Mustafi, who joined Arsenal in 2016, has in fact often been the victim of strong criticism from the fan base for not being deemed a good enough defender.
But Saturday’s performance against Jurgen Klopp’s men was an indication that he could and should well be regarded as one of the club’s key players, despite one or two nerve-racking moments. Virgil van Dijk’s clear-cut chance in the 23rd minute of the match was due to Mustafi not properly marking, but he made up for that by immediately tracking back when the Dutch international looked as if he was going to score, clearing the ball from in front of goal.
Mustafi was also seen encouraging the rest of his Arsenal team-mates after James Milner opened the scoring for the Reds, motivating the likes of Sead Kolasinac and Rob Holding to refocus.
In general, the 26-year-old looked energised and confident when going in for challenges. He showed commitment that hasn’t always been on display when he took the field. The performance was a reminder of a similar showing he put in this time last year when Arsenal beat Tottenham Hotspur 2-0 at the Emirates where Mustafi was also seen as the weak link in the defence building up to the match and that the likes of Harry Kane would rip him apart. But on that day, the World Cup winner silenced his critics by stepping up to the occasion and handling Kane with complete composure.
From an Arsenal perspective the club and fans, however, don’t want Mustafi to put in these kind of performances only when the Gunners face bigger opposition. He, therefore, deserves a lot of the credit for Saturday’s result, that should spark him to deliver like Saturday on a more consistent level.
According to a recent report from The Liverpool Echo, Kieran Dowell has been frustrated by a lack of regular football at Everton this season. The 21-year-old came up through the ranks at the Premier League outfit and has since gone on to appear five times for the senior side at Goodison Park, albeit only two of those appearances have come so far this season.
And the midfielder has recently outlined that a lack of game time this term under Marco Silva has been ‘frustrating’, which are revelations that should be of keen interest to Nottingham Forest manager Aitor Karanka, who must seek to lure the £2.7 million-rated sensation (as per Transfermarkt) back to the City Ground.
The Breakdown
Ultimately, it was always likely that Dowell would struggle for regular football under new Everton boss Silva this season given the plethora of options available to the Toffees chief in the attacking ranks, which were bolstered even more during the summer following the arrival of Richarlison and Bernard.
And in failing to make the matchday squad in each of their last six Premier League games, and both of his appearances coming in their Carabao Cup run, it’s plainly obvious that the 21-year-old is down the pecking order at Goodison Park, and as such isn’t likely to earn many minutes between now and the end of the season.
And while the attacker has admitted that he is enjoying learning from those in the first team at Everton, one wonders whether another loan spell away from the club would do him good in aiding his development – and after his stint at Forest last season, that seems like the perfect destination.
The 21-year-old was excellent for the East Midlands giants on loan at the Championship side last time round, scoring nine goals and laying on four assists in 38 league games to help the Reds finish 17th in the second tier table, comfortably beating the drop.
And while his final few weeks at the club were far from ideal in failing to appear in each of their last six matches, Dowell can reflect upon a very impressive stint at the City Ground and one that will serve him well for the rest of his career – as such, it’s a move he should consider making again.
Forest may well have strengthened greatly in the attacking ranks over the summer to suggest that Karanka may not need Dowell or be able to guarantee him regular game time, but to have someone who impressed so greatly last term in the squad can only be of benefit to the Forest chief as he plots their return to the Premier League.
And with Dowell admitting his frustration at things at Everton, these revelations should prompt Karanka to bring the 21-year-old back to the City Ground come the New Year.
Liverpool striker Daniel Sturridge has been charged with misconduct by the Football Association for an alleged breach of their betting rules in January of this year.
What’s the word?
BBC Football report that it is said that he breached one rule relating to betting on football at the beginning of 2018, which covers providing information relating to football which has been “obtained by virtue of his position” and “is not publicly available”.
BBC Football report that a Liverpool spokesman says the 29-year-old has stated that he has never bet on football and he now has until November 20 to respond to the charge.
In the past, Joey Barton was banned for 18 months having been found guilty of placing more than 1,260 bets during a 10-year period, while Martin Demichelis was fined £22,000 in May 2016 for betting on 29 matches.
While it is unclear what Sturridge’s punishment would be if he is found to have breached the rules, Klopp will surely already be thinking about that he will do if the England international receives a length ban.
What would the Reds boss do?
Well, if Sturridge is ruled out for any significant amount of time then it would surely mean that Klopp wouldn’t be looking to offload one of Dominic Solanke or Divock Origi – or potentially both – during the January transfer window, which in the case of the former especially reportedly looks to be on the cards right now.
The latter in particular faces a real fight to save his Liverpool career given how he has been ostracised by Klopp so far this term, but his 29-year-old teammate being ruled out could give him the lifeline he has been desperate for – to not only battle for his future on Merseyside but even to secure a decent move away if he is still found to be surplus to requirements.
Otherwise, the German manager could look to delve into the transfer market for a short-term striker addition, with that likely to be a more cost-effective measure than signing a player who would likely only be back-up to Roberto Firmino.
Whatever happens to Sturridge, this is not what he needed when he was beginning to make an impact with just months remaining on his contract with the Reds.