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This article is part of Football FanCast’s In Numbers series, which takes a statistical look at performances, season-long form and reported transfer targets…

Pressure, what pressure?

West Bromwich Albion returned to the top of the Championship table with a comfortable 2-0 victory over basement boys Stoke City on Monday night.

The Baggies had slipped down the table slightly over the weekend, but only because those around them competed 48 hours earlier.

Watch West Bromwich Albion Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

A goal from Matty Phillips, who snagged his sixth of the season, and a penalty from super-sub Hal Robson-Kanu was enough to secure all three points up in Staffordshire.

Following the match, talkSPORT pundit Adrian Durham made a bold claim surrounding another one of Albion’s key players.

He believes that despite being the best ‘passer of a ball’ in the division, Leeds United’s Kalvin Phillips is the best overall player in the division.

There’s no doubt that is enough to back up his viewpoint – Phillips is United’s top-rated player on WhoScored (7.45), while no other player has recorded more tackles (four).

But to discount Sawyers entirely from the argument on that basis is a little naive, he offers so much more than just his passing ability.

The 28-year-old is the key orchestrator to the entire squad – averaging 80.3 touches per game. He is the metronome, the engine.

Without him, there is an argument to be made that the Baggies wouldn’t be where they are.

Sawyers has played every minute of every game this season, which only three other players have managed, and they are all in defence, a position that probably requires less energy.

The midfield maestro is averaging a vast 92% passing accuracy and nearly 70 passes per game, which ranks him as the best overall in the division for the first category, and the best midfielder in the division for the latter.

But he also offers other aspects to his game as seen with his 1.3 tackles and 75% aerial duels won per game, via SofaScore.

Sawyers is even a player that Leeds fans were drooling over after his performance on Monday night as they clearly regret not trying to sign him in the summer – despite having Phillips.

In the same clip linked above, former Premier League striker Darren Bent claims he cannot believe that the Baggies man isn’t playing in the top-flight.

This only goes to show his importance to Slaven Bilic’s side, and given the lack of options he has at central midfield, taking him out of the team would be so much more disastrous than if Phillips was absent for Marcelo Bielsa.

If Sawyers gets injured or picks up suspension it will result in a rapid recall for either Gareth Barry, who hasn’t played since his ‘career-threatening’ injury, or Rekeem Harper, who has played just six league minutes all season while centre-back Semi Ajayi is also an option.

Whereas Leeds have multiple options to fill any void left behind by Phillips – for example, Adam Forshaw has a better passing success rate than the 23-year-old at 89.7%, which is the highest in their squad, per WhoScored.

It is this sort of ‘MVP’ status that makes Sawyers the best in the division as he’s just ever so crucial to Albion’s promotion hopes and given they are top of the table, and that he’s played every game, he should currently be the number one name on Durham’s lips.

يرى جون ألديردج أسطورة ليفربول، أن روبرتو فيرمينو أصبح مشكلة أساسية في الريدز، بعدما سجل المهاجم البرازيلي 6 أهداف فقط هذا الموسم.

فيرمينو يواجه موسمًا صعبًا، حيث سجل 6 أهداف فقط في جميع المسابقات مع ليفربول، ما انعكس على أداء الريدز الذي سيخرج من الموسم بدون التتويج بأي بطولة، وينافس على مركز مؤهل إلى دوري أبطال أوروبا.

طالع أيضًا.. تقارير: ليفربول يبدأ مفاوضات ضم مهاجم فيورنتينا

وقال ألديردج لموقع “ليفربول إيكو” الإنجليزي: “من وجهة نظري كمهاجم سابق، لا يوجد إيمان حقيقي بالمهاجمين، ومن المروّع رؤية فيرمينو بهذا المستوى”.

وأضاف: “أنظر إلى مستوى فيرمينو، إنه يمثل مشكلة كبيرة، لقد فقد سحره تمامًا، كنت أحد أكبر المعجبين به، لكن الأمر كان في الماضي، الآن إنه واضح للجميع، مستواه سيء جدًا”.

واختتم: “فيرمينو الآن مشكلة في ليفربول، لكن كلوب يرى بأنه مناسب لأسلوب اللعب، لا أعرف لماذا يؤمن به حتى الآن؟”.

This article is part of Football FanCast’s Opinion series, which provides analysis, insight and opinion on any issue within the beautiful game, from Paul Pogba’s haircuts to League Two relegation battles…

Sunderland have struggled in recent matches and while Aiden McGeady played well against Gillingham in the FA Cup, his performance should really be treated as a reason to be frustrated.

The Irishman stepped up last year and made his quality known for most of the year, helping to propel the Black Cats into the play-offs with 14 goals and six assists.

So far this term, however, the story has been a bit of a contrast to that. Prior to his cup goal against the Gills he had delivered just four goals in 16 appearances, which is simply not good enough for a man who is supposed to be one of the team’s – and division’s – best players.

After all, he was brought to the club back in the Championship season for a reported fee of £250,000, and given his pedigree in the game he is likely earning a healthy amount too.

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Sunderland need him to step up, then, particuarly as the team has only scored 22 goals in 15 league games, and since Phil Parkinson has taken over they have scored more than one goal in just one of his seven matches.

What’s more, the Irishman proved against Gillingham that he is more than capable of being a quality performer.

He opened the scoring with a fine strike that found the bottom corner, and almost added to his tally late on in the second half. If he can provide that threat from running with the ball from deep more often – and getting a shot in at goal – he should begin to deliver in the final third.

That could be vital in getting the strikers scoring more, as they may be able to feed off rebounds or crosses from the winger, but unless he finds some consistency the Black Cats will likely continue to look bereft of ideas going forward at times.

A lot is expected of McGeady, and for good reason, but if Parkinson can’t get him playing at his best then that is a big concern. There aren’t many whose quality matches the 33-year-old’s, and that means Sunderland would face an uphill battle to get promoted.

أعلن المدرب الأرجنتيني رودلفو أروابارينا، المدير الفني لنادي بيراميدز، قائمة فريقه لمباراة الزمالك مساء غدٍ الأحد.

المباراة مقرر إقامتها في إطار منافسات الجولة التاسعة عشر من عمر الدوري المصري الممتاز، على استاد القاهرة الدولي.

طالع أيضًا | اتحاد الكرة يعلن حكم مباراة الزمالك وبيراميدز في الدوري قائمة بيراميدز لمباراة الزمالك في الدوري

حراسة المرمى: شريف إكرامي – أحمد الشناوي.

خط الدفاع: أحمد أيمن منصور – عبد الله بكري – محمد حمدي – أحمد فتحي – أحمد سامي.

خط الوسط: عمر جابر – إيريك تراوري – إسلام عيسى – رمضان صبحي – أحمد توفيق – نبيل دونجا – إبراهيم حسن – عبد الله السعيد – محمود حمادة – إبراهيم عادل.

خط الهجوم: جون أنطوي – دودو الجباس – دييجو رولان.

ويخوض الزمالك مباراته وهو محتلًا صدارة ترتيب بطولة الدوري برصيد 40 نقطة، فيما يأتي بيراميدز ثالثًا برصيد 30 نقطة.

Manchester United having Anthony Martial back has finally given Ole Gunnar Solskjaer the chance to play Marcus Rashford on the left wing where he’s arguably the most affective.

Jose Mourinho said he’s not a number nine on Sky Sports, and the fact he hadn’t scored for exactly a month before his goal for England down the left in October backs that up. Since Martial’s return against Liverpool, Rashford, playing on the wing, has scored twice and assisted once in three games.

The 22-year-old slotted the ball into the bottom right corner wonderfully against Kosovo on Sunday after coming on as a substitute, and United fans will be hoping to see more of that when the international break comes to an end. He’s scored six goals in 12 appearances for United this season, which wouldn’t be too disappointing if he hadn’t been playing down the middle for most of the time. He isn’t at his best at centre-forward, and it seems Solskjaer has realised that now.

Gareth Southgate has the pleasure of playing Harry Kane up top, so Rashford doesn’t need to play centrally. Manchester United tweeted a video of Rashford’s goal and fans were quick to praise the finish and how good he is down the left wing.

You can see some of their reactions to the tweet below:

Man United, who does Ole Gunnar Solskjaer need to sign in January?

أكد إبراهيم سعيد نجم الأهلي السابق، أن مصطفى محمد لاعب الزمالك المُعار لجالطة سراي التركي، هو أفضل مهاجم في مصر.

وقال سعيد خلال برنامج “العرافة” على قناة “المحور”: “الأفضل من ناحية الأهداف وتأثيره مع فريقه هو مصطفى محمد”.

وأضاف: “مروان محسن مهاجم الأهلي بعد الإصابة لم يصبح الأفضل”.

طالع | إبراهيم سعيد: كنت الابن المدلل لـ الجوهري.. ولست في عداوة مع إدارة الأهلي

وعن محمود كهربا لاعب الأهلي، أوضح: “أنا لا أكرهه وهو بمثابة أخي الصغير، أنا كنت أقصد من انتقادي له أنه جاء الأهلي من أجل أن يلعب ويظهر مجهوده، وليس من أجل أن يتواصل مع الجماهير من خلال حركاته و(الني ني ني بتاعته دي)”.

أكد الجنوب إفريقي بيتسو موسيماني، المدير الفني للفريق الأول لكرة القدم بالنادي الأهلي، على صعوبة مواجهة صن داونز غدًا السبت.

المباراة تقام في خضم منافسات ذهاب دور ربع النهائي ببطولة دوري أبطال إفريقيا، على ملعب استاد الأهلي we السلام.

وأوضح موسيماني خلال المؤتمر الصحفي الخاص بالمباراة، أنه بصدد مواجهة فريق قوي يمتلك العديد من العناصر المميزة ويحقق نتائج جيدة.

وقال: “مؤمن بقدرات لاعبي الأهلي بعد أن قدم الفريق أداءً قويًّا في كأس العالم للأندية أمام بايرن ميونخ الألماني وبالميراس البرازيلي، وكذلك أمام الزمالك، مما يجعلني متفائلًا للغاية قبل مواجهة الغد”. 

طالع | بطولات يكشف سبب استبعاد أكرم توفيق من قائمة الأهلي أمام صن داونز

وأضاف: “دائمًا نلعب بروح وعزيمة، وبالتالي نثق في تقديم عرض قوي وأؤكد أن لاعبي الأهلي يمتلكون الكثير من الخبرات خاصة في مثل هذه المواجهات”.

وأشار إلى أن صن داونز يمتلك فرص المنافسة في دوري أبطال إفريقيا، وكذلك في الدوري الجنوب إفريقي، وأنه يعرف جيدًا قدرات لاعبيه، لافتًا إلى أن الأهلي جاهز لمواجهة الغد، ويسعى بالتأكيد لتحقيق نتيجة إيجابية تساعده قبل السفر لجنوب إفريقيا لخوض مباراة العودة.

واختتم أن كرة القدم تحمل العديد من المتغيرات، والتأهل أول أو ثاني المجموعة في دور المجموعات لا يعطي مؤشرات للنتائج اللاحقة، وأن الجهاز الفني يعمل على تطبيق فكره وتطوير كافة الجوانب لتحقيق أفضل النتائج.

This article is part of Football FanCast’s Opinion series, which provides analysis, insight and opinion on any issue within the beautiful game, from Paul Pogba’s haircuts to League Two relegation battles…

Jose Mourinho has the perfect opportunity to turn Spurs’ form around this weekend and kick off his spell at the club with a bang.

Tottenham Hotspur face West Ham United in a London derby that is likely to be packed with incident.

Indeed, this is a game that Spurs really need to win. They haven’t picked up three points in the league since September and haven’t won away from home since January. West Ham, though, are in a similar boat. They, like Spurs, have won just three times in the top-flight but they have lost five times and also recorded four draws.

The fact is that they have been simply woeful for as long as Spurs have.

Since beating Manchester United 2-0 in September, they have lost 4-0 to Oxford United in the Carabao Cup, drawn 2-2 with Bournemouth and 1-1 with Sheffield United and been beaten by Crystal Palace, Everton, Newcastle United and Burnley. In those seven games, they have conceded 17 goals and scored just six.

On the same weekend that the Irons beat United, Spurs lost 2-1 to Leicester City.

Since then, they too have been knocked out of the Carabao Cup – by Colchester United – and have beaten Southampton and Red Star Belgrade in the Champions League twice. They were also thumped 7-2 by Bayern Munich in Europe and also lost to Brighton & Hove Albion and Liverpool. Draws with Watford, Everton and Sheffield United have seen them pick up three more points. In their 10 games since the loss to Leicester, Spurs have scored 17 goals and conceded 16.

The stats, then, show that the Hammers are coming into the fixture in worse shape than Mourinho’s men and that is pretty astonishing given the form of the north Londoners, so if the Portuguese can’t get his reign off to a winning start here, one has to wonder when they will be able to.

But by the same token, this really is a fantastic opportunity for Mourinho, and not simply because he’s playing a club enduring form worse than Tottenham’s.

First and foremost, there is no doubt that his appointment has divided opinion amongst supporters. Before it was made official, a number voiced their concerns on social media.

It is likely they have since become more accepting of the situation but regardless – and in light of how his spells with Chelsea and United ended – the Portuguese has some winning over to do.

While West Ham may not be the calibre of club Spurs see as direct counter-parts, this is unquestionably a bitter rivalry between two sets of supporters who do not like each other one bit. A win, under any circumstances, will always win some favour amongst fans.

At the same time, Mourinho can provide evidence that he is in fact the right candidate for the job by instantly correcting one of Pochettino’s failings – Spurs’ abysmal away form. Their last Premier League victory on the road came against a now-relegated Fulham in January, but West Ham, for reasons expressed above, are the ideal opposition to flip that trend on its head.

Combined with the huge potential to win over disgruntled fans, this match is a golden opportunity for Spurs’ new gaffer.

Manuel Pellegrini is a man under pressure, with West Ham United’s board holding crunch talks about his future, according to Football Insider.

The 3-2 loss against Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday will not have helped his cause, due to the fact that his side were appalling for a large period of the game, initially going 3-0 down.

ExWHUEmployee has reported that Eddie Howe would be interested in taking over at London Stadium should the dugout there be vacated by the Chilean.

There are plenty of West Ham fans who would be thrilled to see the AFC Bournemouth manager taking over at their club.

The 41-year-old has taken the Cherries from League Two through to the Premier League, where they currently sit 11th in the table.

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He has done this while showing an ability to develop young and exciting talent, as indicated by his decision to promote Aaron Ramsdale to first-choice goalkeeper. He has started every Premier League match this season while he’s also signed players like Dominic Solanke, Jordon Ibe and Nathan Ake.

West Ham’s academy has been causing plenty of excitement under Dmitri Halajko, so having someone who can shape talented youngsters into first-team players can only be a positive thing.

It is characteristics such as this that have got many West Ham fans excited about the prospect of him coming in.

There is a sense of scepticism from some fans, as they don’t trust the West Ham board to make this deal happen.

This may also be linked to Howe’s longevity at Dean Court, as he has been there since 2012, having spent another three years before his brief spell at Burnley.

West Ham also won’t be helped by the fact that Bournemouth are currently above them in the table.

However, not everyone is unanimous in their desire to have Howe coming in as Pellegrini’s replacement, with some preferring Burnley boss Sean Dyche.

ExWHUEmployee has reported that the former Watford man has already approached West Ham about the possibility of becoming their manager.

In other news, there has been another manager linked with the job if Pellegrini leaves, outside of Howe and Dyche.

تحدث صلاح محسن مهاجم النادي الأهلي، عن الفوز اليوم، أمام صن داونز الجنوب إفريقي، في دوري أبطال إفريقيا.

الأهلي تفوق على صن داونز، بهدفين دون رد، في إطار منافسات ذهاب ربع نهائي دوري أبطال إفريقيا، على ملعب الأهلي وي السلام.

وقال محسن خلال تصريحات عبر قناة “الأهلي”: “اللاعبون كانوا رجال وحققنا الفوز على فريق صعب، الفترة كلها كانت ضغط مباريات، وإن شاء الله سنتأهل إلى الدور المقبل”.

وأضاف: “اجتهدت الفترة الماضية وربنا كافأني، وليس المهم أن أحرز هدفًا، الأهم فوز الفريق”.

طالع | موسيماني: لن نقع في فخ ليفربول وبايرن ميونخ.. واحترامي لـ صن داونز منعني من الاحتفال

أكمل: “موسيماني دائمًا يطلب مني التركيز عند المشاركة على أن أخرج بالكرة للأمام، بالإضافة إلى الدفاع مع أيمن أشرف”.

ومن المقرر أن يلتقي الأهلي مع صن داونز، يوم 22 من شهر مايو الحالي، في إياب دور ربع نهائي دوري أبطال إفريقيا، في مدينة بريتوريا.