If you’re a Portsmouth fan, the chances are you’ll be pretty pleased with how your team has started the current season.
In Paul Cook, Pompey have found a manager that seems to have a recipe for success and it’s paying off on the pitch. They sit fifth after just eight games and things are looking good as the season progresses.
But this relative success has come at a time where it hasn’t at all been plain sailing for Portsmouth. They’ve endured years of financial turmoil, successive administrations and a complete exodus of players, managers and staff. It’s safe to say Portsmouth had to completely start again but with the backing of the Supporters Trust, who now own the club, they’re back on the up.
The finances are settling back down, the supporters are happy and the club are finally playing good football on the pitch. After a couple of years of close shaves and teetering on the edge of relegation from League Two, it doesn’t seem like the drop is going to be on anyone’s mind throughout this campaign.
The club have got a squad with plenty of depth and the likes of Curtis Main, Milan Lalkovic, David Forde and Michael Doyle are all players with experience playing at a higher level.
Former Chesterfield manager Paul Cook seems to have figured out what needs to be done on the pitch and his side are looking seriously good at times. Good wins over Crawley, Colchester and Wycombe Wanderers have put Pompey back on the map and they’re now expected to keep pace with some of the other sides pushing for promotion back into the third tier.
It’s going to be tough, though. The likes of Plymouth, Doncaster, Crewe and Morecambe are all pushing for the automatic promotion spots and they’ve been there and done it before. But so has manager Paul Cook. He led former side Chesterfield to the League Two title before comfortably maintaining their League One status the following campaign. It’s promising stuff – to have players and managers that have been there and done it before will only be an asset and for a proud club like Portsmouth, it’s great to see them on the up again.
The years of turmoil were times that no football supporter in the world deserves to go through. The days they spent trying to avoid winding up orders are hopefully in the past for good and for the fans, they can now have a real say on how their club is being run.
If Portsmouth can continue their good form then there is absolutely no reason why they can’t do well this season. They could very well be on the rise once again.
On the pitch it’s not been the best week for Gary Rowett and Birmingham City, who lost 2-0 to Burton Albion on Friday evening.
The game was a complete right-off from start to finish, with nothing seemingly able to go right for the City manager and his men on the night.
But off the pitch, there has been plenty of cause for real celebration. Why? Because for the first time in seven years, Birmingham City are now a club free from the clutches of Carson Yeung.
We could spend hours writing about the former owner and his part in the more modern era of the club’s history but we’re not here to do that. Today we’re here to look forward for perhaps the first time in years.
The protracted takeover of the Blues was completed by Chinese firm Trillion Trophy Asia at the beginning of last week and with the club’s parent company BIHL now trading on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, Birmingham City finally have new owners.
It’s a real mix between a fresh start and business as usual for the Blues, who won’t garner the financial firepower as some of their Championship rivals, despite the new owners.
Yet even so, this takeover seems very real and extremely authentic. There was no glitzy press conference awaiting Trillion Trophy’s Paul Suen and his colleagues. There was no red banner to cut with a bombardment of local press there ready to take questions. There was no signing of the official contract. And whilst some supporters may have wanted a glimpse at their new owners, Birmingham City fans just don’t care. They just want that security and now they have it in their grasps.
For Birmingham City, this is all about safety. For too long, the club has teetered on the edge of administration with financial worries constantly casting a cloud over St Andrews. But with £12million now ready to invest in the club as a whole, the finances – at least in the short term – feel extremely solid indeed.
As mentioned earlier, Birmingham City won’t be rubbing shoulders with the finest in the Championship straight away, rising straight to the top just because of a boardroom change.
This takeover is about keeping the hard work going and echoing the past few years of grit and determination. Say what you like about the Carson Yeung era, the constant lack of money and, at times, the despair of the supporters, but Birmingham City are still going and have plenty to shout about.
Manager Gary Rowett has done a terrific job of turning the club around despite the lack of investment, and now with owners that back his vision, his job could begin to get easier.
Birmingham are now no longer a club that have to sell their best assets for tuppence. The cut-price sales of Nathan Redmond and Demarai Gray can now stay in the past because they just don’t need that sort of finance to survive anymore.
The club is looking and feeling solid and respectable, the owners are in and ready to go and things are looking optimistic on the pitch.
This is a Birmingham City that could be set for a fully-blown revival and after the events of the past seven years, their supporters don’t half deserve it for “keeping right on til the end of the road”.
Do you remember a time when England fans were hopeful (yes, hopeful) that Manuel Almunia and Mikel Arteta were eligible to play for England? Then more recently it was Adnan Januzaj – and you get the feeling England dodged another bullet there. And it was only in August, before Sam Allardyce’s dishonorable discharge, that the FA announced that it would look into the possibility of naturalising foreign players so they could turn out for the English national team.
In the wake of the Brexit vote, and the increasing intolerance and fear of the Other in British society that came with it, that news garnered more toxic coverage than it should have done, as opposed to a more nuanced and reasoned take. Nonetheless, it is a worrying thought for English football. It has nothing to do with the birthplaces of the players in question, but rather to do with a mentality that should be worrying to England. At the same time, though, English football still appears to be in a healthy state in this regard.
The Premier League is now a global league and football is a global business. That’s a good thing: I wouldn’t have wanted to miss Gianfranco Zola, Dennis Bergkamp, Cristiano Ronaldo or Sergio Aguero at their peak. It’s probably also true that a stronger Premier League with worldwide talent helped to nurture the likes of Paul Scholes, Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard – when you play with better players, you get better yourself.
That welcoming of foreign players, though, is often blamed for English players not getting a chance in the first teams of the country’s biggest clubs.
Yet, the problem isn’t the presence of foreign imports themselves. Like so many problems in English football and, frankly, the country more generally, the problem is the perception, not the reality.
The perception gap is actually rather paradoxical. It’s almost as though we who cover the Premier League both build it up and knock it down all at once: we call it the best league in the world, but we probably don’t really believe it when we say it. The truth is, it’s probably just the best marketed league in the world, the best packaged. And that leads us to believe that players who come from other leagues are somehow technically better, and therefore more able. The flipside is, even if we don’t think it’s the best league in the world, we probably do see it as the most important: the money is so great and the fear of failure so big that the pressure to get results is back-breaking. And that means these foreigners who we feel are technically more proficient are the ones we trust; not the homegrown youth.
Take Vincent Janssen for example. Here’s a man playing only his second full season of top flight football. He had a wonderful second half of the season last year – and not a stellar first half – with AZ Alkmaar and got his big move to the Premier League, but he’s not much more proven than any of Tottenham’s other youngsters.
That’s not to moan about Spurs: their record at producing young players, English or otherwise, is top notch. It’s also the case that none of the other youngsters in the current squad are out-and-out strikers like Janssen is. And, well, if you’re going to moan about Tottenham not giving young English strikers their chance, just look who’s keeping Janssen out of the team.
But the funny thing is that this fetish for foreign talent is a problem on both sides of the perception gap: it stops young English talent from being relied upon (though let’s face it, it’s very likely many of them simply aren’t good enough) but it also piles immense pressure on a young Dutch kid like Janssen, who should still be nurtured like any of Tottenham’s other youngsters who only really had one good half of a season under their belts. Janssen is now one of the under-pressure strikers in the Best League in the World, a league where results are king, yet if he were English – Marcus Rashford springs to mind – he’d be given a bit more time to grow.
Which is strange, because the usual complaints are that English youngsters are hyped too much and have too much pressure to deal with. And that’s a good thing because it means, on the whole, we still see that young talent needs to be nurtured, not hyped.
And the reason Janssen has expectation on his shoulders and Rashford doesn’t right now is because Janssen cost millions of pounds, whilst Rashford has millions of pounds of underperforming talent around him. Which is also a good thing: despite the billions in the game, we haven’t totally lost sight of the value of money.
So English football is, at once, too excited by foreigners (leading to the Janssen case) and yet too afraid of them (leading to the N’Zonzi and English-youngsters-not-getting-a-chance cases). But it is also, at once, guilty of losing sight of what really matters by piling pressure onto youngsters and yet still able to understand some of the more basic values we thought it had lost.
Opinion is divided over this whole debate, and that’s probably what leads to the split and almost paradoxical views. It is encouraging that, on the whole, there is still nuance in the debate, but as more money comes into the league, and more and more teams are packed tightly together at the top of the table the pressure will only grow. And if that’s the case will we be able to keep hold of the nuance?
Aston Villa will be looking to continue their rise up the Championship table when they travel to an out-of-sorts Norwich City on Tuesday night.
Steve Bruce’s side bounced back from a 2-0 defeat to Leeds United – the former Hull City boss’ first loss since he took the managerial reins in October – by beating one of his old clubs, Wigan Athletic, 1-0 at Villa Park at the weekend.
Meanwhile, despite starting the campaign in good form, the Canaries have fallen by the wayside in recent weeks – losing six of their last seven league matches.
However, Alex Neil’s men will surely take some confidence from the fact that they thrashed Brentford 5-0 in their last Championship match at Carrow Road.
Both sides have influential players in their ranks, so Football FanCast have taken a look at three key battles that will decide where this huge clash – which was a Premier League fixture last term – is won and lost…
Jonathan Kodjia vs Sebastien Bassong
Britain Soccer Football – Aston Villa v Fulham – Sky Bet Championship – Villa Park – 22/10/16Aston Villa’s Jonathan Kodjia in action with Fulham’s Ryan SessegnonMandatory Credit: Action Images / Paul BurrowsLivepicEDITORIAL USE ONLY. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or “live” services. Online in-match use limited to 45 images, no video emulation. No use in betting, games or single club/league/player publications. Please contact your account r
Despite having the likes of Rudy Gestede and Ross McCormack to choose from, Kodjia has been Bruce’s preferred choice in the striker’s position and he’s certainly repaid the faith that’s been shown in him.
The Ivory Coast international is the club’s top goalscorer in the Championship with seven league goals, but will face a physical battle when he comes up against Canaries centre-back Sebastien Bassong, who is known to be one of the toughest defenders in the division.
Jacob Murphy vs Jordan Amavi
Football Soccer Britain – Norwich City v Wigan Athletic – Sky Bet Championship – Carrow Road – 13/9/16Jacob Murphy celebrates scoring the second goal for Norwich CityMandatory Credit: Action Images / Peter CziborraLivepicEDITORIAL USE ONLY. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or “live” services. Online in-match use limited to 45 images, no video emulation. No use in betting, games or single club/league/player publications. Please contact your acc
This could be one of the best battles in this fixture. Amavi is considered to be one of the top left-backs in the Championship while Murphy has been in exceptional form for the Canaries in his first season as a regular starter.
The 21-year-old winger has scored seven goals in all competitions for Alex Neil’s men and is the club’s top goalscorer.
Amavi, who likes to get forward, will need to be on his game defensively on Tuesday night.
Jack Grealish vs Jonny Howson
Despite having some controversial moments in his short career so far, Grealish is starting to make a positive impression where it matters – on the pitch.
The 21-year-old scored the winning goal in the triumph against Wigan Athletic at the weekend and it was a stunner too.
The attacking midfielder smashed the ball into the top corner from 25 yards to net his third league goal of the season, and he will be closely watched by Norwich central midfielder Howson on Tuesday night.
Make no mistake about it, Slaven Bilic’s job is hanging by a thread.
The West Ham board may have come out in support of their under-fire manager following a humiliating defeat to Arsenal on Saturday, but this is the Premier League we’re talking about – most tenures have a lifespan of less than a calendar year and there’s only so long the Hammers can continue picking up poor results.
For a club with such fantastic support and such an incredible new ground, a relegation battle seems practically inconceivable. So if the Irons aren’t a little further from the drop zone after their next four games (Liverpool, Burnley, Hull and Swansea), the club will feel compelled to make a change.
Bilic still has time on his side and could yet turn West Ham’s torrid campaign around – but he must act quickly. With that in mind, FootballFanCast look at FOUR ways Slaven can save his job.
The three-man defensive set-up provided some respite in results immediately following West Ham’s woeful start to the season but it’s really not produced the goods since – particularly during hefty batterings at the hands of Manchester United at Arsenal.
The back three aren’t offered enough protection from midfield and although an ideal candidate on paper, the wing-back role isn’t getting the best out of Aaron Cresswell defensively or offensively on the left-hand side. Likewise, we all know about Michail Antonio’s vulnerabilities when in his own third.
It’s time for West Ham to revert back to something familiar – namely, a 4-2-3-1 system – which is commonplace in the Premier League – that has two screening midfielders in front of a four-strong backline.
Of course, right-back remains the problem area with Sam Byram sidelined and the ageing Alvaro Arbeloa the only real alternative within the squad. But whether it’s a centre-half coming over or an industrious midfielder filling in, Bilic needs to find a candidate who can do the job and complete a four-man backline until reinforcements arrive in January.
Reduce games to set piece warfare
Only bottom-placed Hull City have scored fewer goals from open play than West Ham this season but in turn, the Hammers have scored the fourth-most goals from set pieces with an impressive seven.
Set pieces often decide games in the Premier League, especially for those at the more worrying end of the table, and although it may not be particularly befitting of the ‘West Ham way’, Bilic can’t afford to not take advantage of his side’s potency from such situations.
After all, the Hammers have some great options in the air – such as Winston Reid, James Collins, Angelo Ogbonna, Michail Antonio and Andy Carroll – and three fantastic deliverers of the ball in Dimitri Payet, Manuel Lanzini and Aaron Cresswell, so there’s no reason the Irons can’t further maximise their chances of scoring from dead ball situations.
Making sure set pieces are the difference may require keeping open play as tight as possible, adopting a – dare I say it – Sam Allardyce approach in the process. But set pieces are West Ham’s likeliest chance of scoring at the moment, so it’s down to Bilic to ensure their games are decided by them.
Image courtesy of Whoscored.
Cut the squad
Bilic’s revelation that some players aren’t pulling their weight in training is incredibly worrying at this point in the season, especially with West Ham currently just a point above the relegation zone.
Despite the fanfare surrounding many of their arrivals, it’s quite clear a number of summer signings just aren’t up to standard and that appears to have watered down the mentality of the entire squad, who arguably entered the campaign complacent anyway after being sold dreams of European football at their brand-spanking-new stadium during the summer.
Bilic may not survive until the January transfer window if the current results continue, but it’s at least close enough for him to use as a threat in the hope of getting some players to buck up their ideas.
Negativity and laziness can spread like wildfire in the dressing room, so Bilic needs to identify the biggest culprits, tell them they’ll be off in January and send them to train with the reserves in the meantime. That should get a reaction out of the team and make them aware of how serious the situation has become.
At the same time, West Ham have used the second-most players of any side in the Premier League this term, a whopping 26, and the sheer volume of options in each position is seemingly causing more problems than it solves. Trimming down the squad should save Bilic a few selection headaches and allow him to focus on key individuals rather than keeping everybody happy.
Image courtesy of Transfermarkt.
Tougher internal punishments for ill-discipline
West Ham have the worst disciplinary record in the Premier League so far this season, picking up 36 yellow cards and two reds in just 14 games. Admittedly, some have come out of frustration due to poor performances but nonetheless, that yellow card count is far too high at this point in the campaign – the Premier League average is under 28.
It may not seem a huge issue and West Ham fans undoubtedly like to see their team get stuck in, even if the referee doesn’t always agree. But yellow cards affect games; they give away free kicks and allow opposition attackers to run at certain individuals knowing they’ll be reluctant to challenge; and red cards affect team selections, which isn’t making Bilic’s job any easier.
It’s likely West Ham already have an internal punishment system in place for such indiscretions. But it’s proving to be a real thorn in their side this season and Bilic must look to improve discipline by bringing in tougher sanctions. Fewer bookings and suspensions could have a surprisingly big impact on West Ham’s campaign.
The Chelsea fans in the Transfer Tavern are toasting to reports of a few proposed new signings…
The Blues are on a roll this season, but ever the perfectionist – it would appear as though Antonio Conte is plotting a few upgrades for his already impressive team.
Despite both N’Golo Kante and Nemanja Matic forming a fantastic partnership this season, it seems as though Conte is not pleased with his lack of depth in the heart of the midfield – and the Italian has subsequently set his sights on a couple of Europe’s most impressive midfield stars.
One player that has been linked with the Blues is Bayern Munich midfielder Arturo Vidal, who, undoubtedly, would have a huge impact in the Premier League.
One less well-known target is Franck Kessie, who currently plays for Atlanta in Serie A, who is a box-to-box midfielder who would add a real dose of energy to the Chelsea midfield.
Should both players arrive, it appears likely that Conte would shift to a 3 man midfield as he looks to accommodate them all. Conte has seemingly set his sights on a midfield rebuild – and the results would produce quite the impressive midfield trio.
With that said, could this be the dream new-look Chelsea midfield under Conte?
DM – N’Golo Kante
N’Golo Kante would undoubtedly retain his place despite Conte’s proposed midfield rebuild – given that his first season in London has been very impressive.
A defensive midfielder by trade, Kante would sit behind the rest of the players in this midfield – offering protection whilst his teammates look to move forward and create chances.
He keeps it simple, but what he does is fantastic.
CM – Franck Kessie
Franck Kessie is a 20-year-old box-to-box midfielder, and in truth – he looks like one of the most impressive young footballers in Europe.
Currently plying his trade for Atlanta in Serie A, Kessie never stops running – and he would add a real energy to the Chelsea midfield.
He would likely come in in place of Cesc Fabregas who, whilst impressive when spraying balls forward, lacks the mobility to really play much of a role in the heart of the midfield.
He is young, so he would be a player for the future – though he would certainly make an immediate impact.
CM – Arturo Vidal
Arturo Vidal is one of Europe’s most well-renowned midfielders, and the Chilean would be a coup should Conte be able to land him.
The chances are decent, of course, due to Vidal’s relationship with Conte from their time together with Juventus – meaning that Conte does already have a natural relationship with him.
This would also, crucially, mean that Vidal would be able to immediately adapt to Conte’s methods – meaning that he could improve Chelsea’s midfield straight away.
Offering an offensive threat and defensive stability – he would be perfect in the Premier League.
Everton winger Yannick Bolasie has been spending his time out injured giving a helping hand to his former non-league side Hillingdon Borough.
The Spartan South Midlands League outfit came close to pulling out of the division because of limited support, but they later revealed on Twitter that things are back on track, largely thanks to Bolasie.
The 27-year-old is now earning the big bucks and playing at the top level in the Premier League, but he once took to the pitch for the Middlesex-based team as a teenager.
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The DR Congo international did not receive a wage when he played for the non-league outfit, but he was rewarded in burgers whenever he scored a goal.
After receiving support from Bolasie, chairwoman Dee Dhand told The Mirror:
“When Bolasie heard the news he got in contact to offer us his moral support. He’s always thinking of us and has a lot of respect for the club. He wanted to find out what was happening and how he could help.
“But it’s not a financial issue. We own our ground and generate funds from hiring our facilities. We just feel there’s a lack of support for the club and Non-League football in general.
“I wanted to sign him for £20-a-week, but others didn’t agree. I ended up giving him a burger for every goal. He once scored eight, so he shared them with his teammates.”
From the non-league outfit, Bolasie went on to play for Plymouth, Barnet, Bristol City and Crystal Palace, where he spent four years before joining Everton in a £24m deal last summer.
The winger started the campaign well, making 12 Premier League appearances before being struck down with a knee ligament injury, which could keep him out of action for an entire year.
Moussa Dembele has become an instant hit north of the border with Celtic and the young Frenchman has established himself as one of the most exciting young strikers within world football, standing as a huge coup for Brendan Rodgers’ side.Whether the Scottish champions can keep hold of the former Fulham man remains to be seen but the Bhoys have enjoyed his fine performances this season, with Dembele always being a threat to the opposition- even if he’s only just entered the field.In the dramatic 5-2 victory against St. Johnstone today, Dembele grabbed the headlines once again with a fine hat-trick, his second this season having netting three in the Old Firm, and this one may be even more impressive.
Coming on the field after 58 minutes, Moussa Dembele had got his name on the scoresheet after just three minutes and doubled his tally 14 minutes later. Another ten minutes after that, the youngster ensured he was taking home the match ball.
Massive highs and crushing lows have been the story of Liverpool’s season since they last faced Spurs back in August. The two clubs’ meeting this weekend is our Fixture in Focus here at Football FanCast, and we’re predicting another interesting battle between the Merseyside and London double act after their 1-1 at White Hart Lane.
Following that game, Liverpool went on a decent run that saw them talked about as title contenders, before a poor start to 2017, which, as things stand, is threatening to undo all of the good work put in by Jurgen Klopp’s side.
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Spurs’ campaign has been quite the opposite, with the Lilywhites struggling to get going through the Autumn before hitting a purple patch of form around Christmas that has catapulted them up to second place and made them Chelsea’s only realistic competition for the title at this time – however they are nine points behind the Blues.
In the run up to this tie, we take a look back at Liverpool’s season since they last played Tottenham in league action in the form of TEN incredible images. Enjoy
There’s no place like home
Due to the long-running summer work to expand Anfield’s Main Stand, the Reds didn’t take to their own home turf until the fourth game of the season, and boy did they enjoy it. Reigning champions Leicester came to town and were dispatched 4-1, with the only blot on Klopp’s side’s copybook being the wayward pass across his own area by Lucas Leiva that was gleefully turned in by Jamie Vardy. At the other end, Roberto Firmino (x2), Sadio Mane and Adam Lallana netted as the Merseyside club ran riot.
The above picture shows the redeveloped stand’s entrance with fans passing through for the first time.
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Chelsea left feeling Blue
It may seem like a long time ago, but Chelsea were wobbling a little but back in mid-September. The Blues had won their opening three games, but a draw at Swansea was followed by a loss at home to Liverpool, which in turn was succeeded by a 3-0 hammering at the hands of Arsenal.
We’ll focus on the Reds’ triumph in the west end of London, which was sealed by Jordan Henderson’s wonder-strike. Dejan Lovren had put the travellers ahead with a neat set-piece goal, but the skipper’s sumptuous curling effort from way outside the penalty area was stunning and left (as the picture above shows) Thibaut Courtois helpless as it flew into the net. The game ended 2-1 with Diego Costa pulling one back in the second-half.
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Performance of the season?
Still the joint-biggest win of the season so far, Liverpool’s 6-1 triumph over Watford may go down as their performance of 2016/17. Everything just clicked for Klopp’s Reds that Sunday in November, with Sadio Mane (celebrating above) opening the scoring just shy of the 30-minute mark. Philippe Coutinho, Emre Can, Roberto Firmino, Mane again and Georginio Wijnaldum all netted after the Senegalese star’s opener, while Daryl Janmaat pulled one back for a Hornets side that were riding high in the top half of the table before this result.
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Painful day on the South Coast
Liverpool had forgotten what losing felt like by the time they travelled to the Dorset coast to face Bournemouth on the first weekend of December having not tasted defeat since a shock result at Burnley during their second match of the season, but those feelings soon flooded back thanks to the Cherries.
The Reds dominated the opening exchanges of the match with Mane and Divock Origi scoring, but a Callum Wilson penalty in the second-half made things nervy. Can went straight up the other end to make it 3-1, somewhat calming those nerves in the process, however, Ryan Fraser netted before Steve Cook (celebrating above) equalised with a wonderful half-volley.
Then the drama really came as Cook again influenced play with a shot from distance that Loris Karius spilled at the feet of Nathan Ake, who gleefully poked home. 4-3, and the first sign that the German stopper was out of his depth in the Liverpool goal.
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Derby delight
Sometimes grubby wins are more satisfying than complete dominations, and Liverpool felt that when they edged past Everton at Goodison Park. As always, the Merseyside Derby was tightly contested and full of thudding challenges, but there was a distinct lack of quality from both sides as they battled under the floodlights on a cold December Monday night.
It looked as if the game was destined to be 0-0, but late substitute Daniel Sturridge’s dragged shot came back of Joel Robles’ post and into the path of Mane, who tucked it away FOUR MINUTES into the stoppage time. A nice early Christmas present for Kopites.
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Gini in a bottle
Liverpool fans didn’t know at the time that this would be their last win for over a month (still their most recent league win, too), and the feeling was that beating Manchester City would make it a two-horse race between themselves and Chelsea for the title. Wijnaldum scored the only goal of the game with a towering header as Klopp’s men once again showed their nous in the big games.
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Collector’s item
Before his header at Plymouth’s Home Park, Lucas had not netted for Liverpool since September 2010. Goals have never really been a part of the Brazilian’s game, but that’s a long stretch for any non-defender playing at the top level of football.
His effort in Devon won an FA Cup Third Round tie that had seen Klopp field a heavily rotated XI only to be held to a draw by the League Two men at Anfield. The return trip was again contested by a rotated team, but Lucas, one of the few senior players on show, stood up and did his job.
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The Saints go marching on
Perhaps the lowest point of Liverpool’s miserable 2017 up to this point, the Reds headed back to Anfield in their EFL Cup semi-final tie against Southampton having come away from Hampshire with a 1-0 loss. The stage was set for one for those famous nights under the floodlights on the banks of the River Mersey, yet a flat showing was produced with very few chances made and players all across the pitch lacking the verve and confidence that summed up their play earlier in the campaign.
Shane Long scored a breakaway goal late on to make it 2-0 to the Saints on aggregate, booking Claude Puel (above) a place in a major Wembley final in his first season in England.
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Hunted by the Wolves
Britain Football Soccer – Liverpool v Wolverhampton Wanderers – FA Cup Fourth Round – Anfield – 28/1/17 Wolverhampton Wanderers’ Richard Stearman celebrates scoring their first goal with team mates Reuters / Phil Noble Livepic EDITORIAL USE ONLY. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or “live” services. Online in-match use limited to 45 images, no video emulation. No use in betting, games or single club/league/player publications. Please contact your acco
Just days after the Southampton blow, Liverpool were knocked out of English football’s other domestic cup, suffering FA Cup elimination at the hands of Championship outfit Wolves. Defender Richard Stearman set the tone for a difficult afternoon by heading home from a set-piece with just seconds on the clock – he appeared to be offside, too – and Andreas Weimann made it 2-0 shortly before the half-time break. Divock Origi eventually pulled one back with just minutes to play, but Liverpool again failed to capitalise on their domination of play – a worrying trend from 2017 so far.
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To Hull and back
Following cup blows, a trip to Hull and a shocking loss saw Liverpool slide out of the top four, leaving their entire season on the verge of collapse. As has been the story of recent matches, the Reds hounded at the Tigers’ door but could find no answer before a set-piece error allowed Alfred N’Diaye top tap home. To rub salt in the wounds, Everton loanee Oumar Niasse wrapped up the points for Hull late on as he latched onto a long ball forward to put through Simon Mignolet’s legs.
Everton and West Ham have already started to make their approach to Manchester City veteran Bacary Sagna as the Frenchman reaches the end of his contract, SportWitness cite Le 10 Sport as reporting.
What’s the word?
34-year-old Bacary Sagna is out of contract with Manchester City at the end of the season and opportunities are arising for the Frenchman to remain in the Premier League, with both Everton and West Ham making an approach.
First arriving in English football a decade ago, joining Arsenal, Sagna is one of the most experienced defenders currently plying his trade in the Premier League and would be a significant addition to both the Hammers and the Toffees.
Remaining in England could be appealing to the veteran, as he’ll likely have hopes of playing for France at the World Cup at the end of the 2017/18 season, and with two top-sides in for his signature it’s set to be an interesting saga.
Who else is keen?
As well as suitors from the Premier League, Bacary Sagna is also said to be attracting the attention of Marseille and a move to the Ligue 1 side, who can be regarded as a sleeping giant, is an interesting prospect given the club’s takeover last summer.
Marseille are pushing for European football, as are Everton, and opportunities in continental competition may swing things in the favour of the offering party. Wages may also come into though and Marseille would be unlikely to be able to offer the same as Sagna would make in England.