The Chalkboard: Osborn to replace suspended Robinson, Forest fans won’t be happy

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Nottingham Forest left-back Jack Robinson will miss the upcoming home Championship clashes with Hull City and Aston Villa after picking up his 10th booking of the season in the 2-0 defeat against Stoke City at the Britannia Stadium on Saturday, with Ben Osborn likely to fill in.

On the chalkboard

The versatile Robinson, who has also played at centre-back on occasions this term, picked up the caution after arguing a referee’s decision, before being replaced in the 71st minute by Leo Bonatini and reacting in a frustrated manner.

It was the Reds’ first loss in five league matches and it now means that manager Martin O#Neill has a dilemma on his hands ahead of two huge City Ground fixtures.

However, more often than not when the 25-year-old has featured at the heart of the defence, it is Osborn who has stepped in to cover at left-back, as he has done against Bristol City, Wigan Athletic and Brentford since the former Republic of Ireland boss took charge.

Unpopular decision?

It will be with some, yes.

The 24-year-old may be Forest through and through and made 221 appearances in all competitions for the club, but the following fans on Twitter were unimpressed with what they saw from him from the left-hand side against the Potters.

Nevertheless, O’Neill looks to have been left with little choice but to play the Derby-born player at full-back as the east Midlands outfit look to keep their play-off hopes alive, and supporters will be praying that the gamble pays off against tough opposition.

Southampton fans bemoan transfer woes after Cardiff setback

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Loads of Southampton fans have been running the rule over Saturday’s setback at the hands of Cardiff City, as the Bluebirds stole all three points in a thrilling finish at St. Mary’s.

Late goals are becoming a real problem for Southampton, as once again the Saints crumbled just moments before the final whistle.

Leicester City, Brighton, Burnley, Everton and Cardiff have now all scored in the last few minutes against the Saints this season, and Gylfi Sigurdsson’s strike for Everton was the only one of those that didn’t cost any points.

Check out Neymar’s controversial new haircut for 2019 and Xherdan Shaqiri as you’ve never seen him before in the video below…

This was perhaps the most infuriating of all though, as this Cardiff side is so bereft of genuine Premier League quality.

This was a match that Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side would have identified on the fixture list as a very winnable game, but Sol Bamba opened the scoring for the visitors in the second half.

Jack Stephens then looked to have rescued a point in the 91stminute, only for Kenneth Zohore to bag at the other end just moments later.

The side has been far better since Hasenhuttl’s arrival, but fans are furious with the lack of January investment, and you can find some of the best Twitter reactions down below…

Everton eyeing summer move for Ruben Aguilar

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Everton are in desperate need of an upgrade at right-back, and one report from Italy claims they will fight Crystal Palace for the signature of Ruben Aguilar.

What’s the story?

Well, according to Calciomercato, both Everton and Crystal Palace are hoping to sign the Montpellier right-back.

The 25 year-old has risen from a relative nobody to one of the best right-backs in Ligue 1 in the last 18 months, coming on leaps and bounds since his move from Auxerre to Montpellier in 2017.

He has excellent defensive capabilities and is improving all the time in the final third, and he could be the perfect Seamus Coleman replacement.

Why do they need him?

The Toffees upgraded three quarters of their ageing back line last summer, with Coleman the only starter remaining of that iconic Toffees defence marshalled by the Irishman, Phil Jagielka and Leighton Baines.

The 30 year-old has struggled massively this season though, and he is surely next up on the chopping block for director of football Marcel Brands.

Jonjoe Kenny sure loves a tackle, but the 21 year-old has yet to show any signs of developing into the complete full-back that Everton require, so a move for the more reliable and experienced Aguilar makes a lot of sense.

Is he good enough?

Aguilar is nowhere near the attacking threat that Coleman was in his prime, but the Frenchman is an absolute beast on the defensive end, which is where the Toffees are really struggling.

He averages a whopping three tackles per game this season, as well 1.2 interceptions and 1.2 aerial wins per game.

While he is still no slouch at the other end, recording one goal and two assists so far this season, it is this defensive stability that will appeal to Marco Silva and Brands.

The 25 year-old is not a dynamic game-changer who will inject pace and attacking intent into the Everton side, but he is calm on the ball, good enough to chip in with the odd assist, and most importantly of all he will not make costly errors at the back.

رئيس المقاصة يكشف السبب الحقيقي وراء رحيل إيهاب جلال المفاجئ عن تدريب الفريق

كشف محمد عبد السلام رئيس نادي مصر للمقاصة، عن السبب وراء رحيل إيهاب جلال عن تدريب الفريق الفيومي.

وقرر إيهاب جلال تقديم استقالته من تدريب المقاصة، بسبب تأخر الحصول على مستحقاته، وتم قبول الاستقالة من مجلس إدارة الفريق الفيومي.

طالع | وكيله: إيهاب جلال لا يمانع قيادة الأهلي خلفًا لـ فايلر.. ويكشف حقيقة مفاوضات بيراميدز

وقال عبد السلام خلال تصريحات عبر برنامج البريموعلي قناة تن: “المقاصة قادر أن يستوعب موضوع رحيل إيهاب جلال، وليست مشكلة فظيعة، وجود إيهاب كان يجعلنا مطمئنين، صنع فريقا جيدا ونشكره على فترة تواجده معنا”.

وأضاف: “اعتقد أن وكيل أعمال إيهاب جلال هو الذي خطط لرحيله”.

وتابع: “إيهاب جلال له بعض المستحقات المتأخرة وهذا الكلام متواجد في جميع الأندية، وكيل أعماله هو الذي بدأ يتحدث عن الموضوع في السوشيال ميديا وبدأ الأمر بهذه الطريقة”.

وأتم: “لا توجد مشاعر طيبة بينا وبين وكيل أعمال إيهاب”.

يذكر أن مصر المقاصة يحل بالمركز السابع في جدول ترتيب الدوري برصيد 37 نقطة.

Arsenal fans on Twitter hate latest links to Matthias Ginter

Arsenal fans have been waking up to some strange news this morning. The transfer window closed last Thursday, yet the rumours and links continue to go on, even though we’re now months away from any kind of deal being able to materialise. This latest story comes courtesy of Sky Sports News and it’s linking Arsenal with Matthias Ginter.

Tottenham and Arsenal are both linked with a swoop for the Borussia Monchengladbach defender, and whilst he may look like a bright prospect on paper, the Gunners are keen to see their North London rivals beat them to this one. Ginter is a player who came to prominence as a young player around the time Germany won the World Cup.

The 25-year-old was apart of the successful German squad after impressing with Freiberg, and in that same summer, he made a move to Borussia Dortmund, where things didn’t quite work out. He lasted three years in Dortmund before making the move to Monchengladbach, and now it looks like he could be making yet another move with the links to both of the Premier League’s North London clubs.

You can read the Gunners’ thoughts on the Ginter links here:

The Gunners aren’t keen on a move for Ginter and would rather give this one a miss as they look ahead to what they’re desperate will be a successful summer window.

Reaching the international break unscathed will give Manchester City the edge in title race

Manchester City’s 0-1 win away at Bournemouth was dominant but perhaps didn’t tell the whole story of just how much they need the international break to keep their quadruple dreams alive.

More injuries to Kevin De Bruyne and John Stones added to the growing injury list of Benjamin Mendy, Aymeric Laporte, Fernandinho, Fabian Delph and Gabriel Jesus. Aside from that, the performances in the Carabao Cup Final against Chelsea and then against West Ham last week were well below par.

It seems only a matter of time before something gives.

City have played 25 games in 93 days averaging a game just over every three days, and no matter how strong people claim their squad to be, no team can cope with that for a season and play to their highest ability. Guardiola surely knows City are on the ropes yet are still capable of winning every single trophy on offer to an English side, but fatigue and injuries will play a massive part.

Before the international break in two weeks, City have a home game against Watford in the Premier League, a crucial Champions League round of 16 second-leg at home to Schalke then a trip to Swansea in the FA Cup. If they can win all of those games, it could mean more than just progression in the cups and keeping the pressure on Liverpool.

The break gives Laporte and Fernandinho time to recover ahead of the final run-in as well as a week for the whole squad to take a collective breath after a tumultuous period of football. Going into that break having won every game in the last two weeks proves City can indeed cope with an injury crisis, and it can give them the mentality that says ‘if we got through that, we can get through this’.

Liverpool have a lighter fixture schedule and so injuries have been kinder to them, so it’s an uphill battle for Guardiola’s men to win as many trophies as possible, but how many do you think they’ll win?

The Chalkboard: Tottenham must drop two struggling stars for Chelsea clash

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Tottenham suffered their seventh league defeat of the season on Saturday, and Mauricio Pochettino needs to ditch two players who are massively struggling when the Lilywhites visit Chelsea on Wednesday.

On the chalkboard

Spurs missed a golden opportunity to gain ground on Manchester City and Liverpool on Saturday, falling to a 2-1 defeat at Burnley.

The Clarets have not lost in the league since Boxing Day, and they showed exactly why in the first half, stopping their guests from getting anything going with a stern defensive display.

Chris Wood then nodded the hosts in front with a second half header, though Harry Kane was able to equalise from a tight angle.

Ashley Barnes ultimately decided the match with one of the easiest goals he’ll ever score, and Mauricio Pochettino must now be ruthless with his players after perhaps their worst performance of the season.

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

Stopping Hazard

Unfortunately, the first player that needs to miss out when Spurs visit Chelsea on Wednesday is Juan Foyth.

The 21 year-old has shown real character to bounce back from his shocking display in the 3-2 win at Wolves, but his lack of experience and maturity was on full display at Turf Moor.

Davinson Sanchez may be a bit rash at times, but the beastly Colombian international will have a far better chance of stopping the irresistible Eden Hazard than Foyth, who looks like an accident waiting to happen at the moment.

Extra protection

The next man that needs a rest is surely Moussa Sissoko, who had a run of fantastic form earlier this season, finally proving why the club shelled out £30m for him back in 2016.

The 29 year-old’s performances have dipped a little bit in recent weeks though, and he was back to his old self against Burnley – flying all over the pitch with plenty of effort but offering nothing of any quality or substance.

With Chelsea sure to be absolutely desperate for three points, Victor Wanyama might be the best choice to replace the Frenchman, offering that extra bit of defensive security in front of the three centre backs.

The Kenyan international has been in the squad for the last three Premier League games and played for ten minutes against Leicester, so if he is not ready now then he never will be.

So, Spurs fans, do you think Foyth and Sissoko should lose out? What other changes would you make for the trip to Chelsea? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below…

Swansea fans want to see more of Luciano Narsingh

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Luciano Narsingh made his first Swansea City appearance of the season in their 2-1 defeat at Leeds United in the Championship on Wednesday night.

A 2017 arrival from PSV Eindhoven, Narsingh scored once in 18 Premier League appearances for Swansea during the 2017-18 campaign.

The 28-year-old has not been in the plans of Swansea boss Graham Potter this season, but he did appear as a second-half substitute against Leeds.

There is absolutely no question that the winger – a 16-time Netherlands international – has a lot of talent and Swansea need to find a way to get him fit and firing for the final months of the campaign.

It is safe to say that the Swansea fans were delighted to see Narsingh back in action on Wednesday night.

And a number have called on head coach Potter to hand the attacker more minutes between now and the end of the season.

A selection of the Twitter reaction from the club’s fans can be seen below:

Sheffield Wednesday fans were impressed by Michael Hector’s derby display

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The Steel City derby ended in stalemate on Monday night as Sheffield United failed to break down their bitter rivals Sheffield Wednesday at Hillsborough.

The Blades did much of the attacking, but Steve Bruce’s Owls held firm throughout. The result dents Sheffield United’s title hopes too, with Chris Wilder’s side having missed this chance to really close the gap on Leeds United and Norwich City.

Did Chris Wilder get it wrong in the Steel City derby? Check out the thoughts of Ingood Nick below…

The home side produced a very disciplined and determined performance to keep the Blades at bay. United’s strike-force, featuring Billy Sharp, Gary Madine and substitute David McGoldrick, struggled to find space and create chances. The Owls defenders deserve great credit for this, especially 26-year-old Michael Hector.

The 6’4” Chelsea loanee was a giant at the back for the hosts on Monday. Performances like that should convince Wednesday to sign the 22-cap Jamaica international permanently this summer.

After the match, plenty of Wednesday fans took to Twitter to praise Hector’s display…

Jordan Pickford is filling the Everton backline with nerves and should be dropped

Jordan Pickford. A man who is far from the calming presence you want your keeper to be. Whether he’s goading the Newcastle fans before making a match-losing error, or having ‘Get the rave on’ stitched into his boots (yes, really), the England international is proving to be far too erratic for his teammates to rely on him right now.

It has been a while now since he has endured a spell out of the firing line – the Sunderland academy graduate has started 81 consecutive Premier League games over the course of the last three seasons with the Black Cats and now with the Toffees.

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Whilst that is obviously good news in terms of him being able to develop his obvious potential, it hasn’t really allowed him to take a step back and analyse the things that he could perhaps be doing better with – being England’s number one on the way to a World Cup semi-final won’t have helped that either.

Against the Magpies last time out, Pickford gave away a stupid penalty which he then saved, only to goad the home support after and again throughout the game.

The 25-year-old then bundled the ball into the path of Ayoze Perez for Newcastle’s equaliser – Everton were 2-0 up – before the Tynesiders went on to win 3-2.

He looked visibly distracted by the back-and-forth goading that he had instigated with the St James’ Park faithful, and that isn’t the first mistake he has made this season – his last-gasp blunder at Anfield against Liverpool also backs up the fact that he allows himself to get caught up in raucous atmospheres.

Maarten Stekelenburg represents a solid back-up option for Marco Silva and one the club seemingly trust having offered him a new contract back in the summer, and the Dutchman should be drafted in for the last eight games of the season in order to bring Pickford back to reality a bit.

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