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Liverpool were lucky to emerge from their encounter with Crystal Palace last time out in the Premier League with a 4-3 win.

On Wednesday, Jurgen Klopp’s table-topping Reds will face Leicester City at Anfield. The Foxes ought to learn from what the Eagles did well and seek to make that part of their own game plan.

On the chalkboard

The Eagles pressed Liverpool intensely, and were able to harry their opponents into making mistakes. Producing those energy levels takes a physical toll, but in the likes of Jamie Vardy, James Maddison, Marc Alrbighton, Demarai Gray and Kelechi Iheanacho, Leicester have plenty of attackers to call upon capable of pressing in this manner.

Claude Puel’s side must be positive and confident and willing to take the game to Liverpool. If they do so then they could overcome the home side.

Be sure to check out the incredible story of the man who rose from a Tanzanian refugee camp to become one of Australia’s biggest football stars in the video below…

This off-the-ball game plan could be very effective for the visitors, but what they do once in possession is equally important.

On the ball

Liverpool themselves are a side that press relentlessly. Crystal Palace had the confidence and composure to try to play quick, neat, intricate passes around this press. When it worked it worked to great effect. Andros Townsend’s goal, and the fine build-up play that preceded it, is a good example of this.

Again, Leicester can take inspiration from this. In the likes of Wilfred Ndidi, Harvey Barnes, Ricardo Pereira and Maddison, they have players with enough technical ability to play passing football through Liverpool’s press, rather than resort to more hopeful long ball football which will ultimately only see the pressure mount up on them as they repeatedly return possession to Liverpool.

Nottingham Forest are interested in signing £180k rated Newcastle attacking midfielder Elliot Anderson who has been labelled “classy” and “like Peter Beardsley” by Graham Carr.

What’s the talk?

Forest are said to be rivalling QPR and Preston North End for the 19-year olds signature, according to The Mirror, via Football League World.

He has two senior appearances for Newcastle United to his name. With that said, they may want to hold onto him for a little while longer meaning a loan move might be more likely.

Given where Forest sit in the Championship table compared to the others vying for his signature, they should be in pole position.

He is currently on loan at Bristol Rovers in League Two where he has excelled contributing six goals in just 15 appearances for the Pirates, helping Joey Barton’s side in their push for promotion.

A perfect replacement for Johnson

Anderson could be the perfect replacement for ‘prospect’ Brennan Johnson who has been targeted by several Premier League clubs, including Newcastle.

They would be huge shoes to fill with Johnson topping the goal scoring charts at the City Ground this season with 14.

He may have less experience overall, but he is slightly younger than the Reds’ star who only burst onto the scene himself last season.

Forest is also the perfect place when it comes to developing young talents, this season their academy has achieved success by reaching the FA Youth Cup semi-final where they are still yet to face Chelsea.

There are also certain aspects of the game where Anderson is already excelling. When it comes to total shots per 90 minutes he sits on 3.62 compared to Johnson’s 1.96.

One thing his parent club would have to assess is how much game time he would get. If Forest do end up losing Johnson then it would make this move even more likely.

They will also be without striker Lewis Grabban whose contract is up at the end of the season.

As Newcastle have already shown interest in 20-year old Johnson, maybe a deal involving the two could be done. Either way, it can’t be long until we see both players at a higher level than they currently are.

IN other news: Nottingham Forest had a stinker with Nicklas Bendtner…

Wolverhampton Wanderers sealed a Premier League double over West Midlands rivals Aston Villa with a 2-1 win this afternoon.

The win cements bragging rights for the Molineux faithful in his particular rivalry and moves the Old Gold up to seventh place overnight.

Bruno Lage will be impressed with his side after they bounced back from the disappointing 3-2 defeat against Leeds United just before the international break, with Jonny Otto opening the scoring and an Ashley Young own goal ultimately giving Wolves the three points.

Although the victory means that they have now won three of their last four games, questions over why 19-year-old Fabio Silva has not featured more this season may become pertinent.

At such a young age, the Portuguese starlet has “enormous potential” according to Daily Mail senior sports reporter Ollie Lewis, and although his underlying stats do not flatter him, he put in a spectacular performance for Wolves this afternoon.

Silva realising his potential for Wolves

Whilst his hold-up play demonstrated maturity and his physicality caused issues among the Villa defence, Silva’s ability to create space for team-mates was reminiscent of an old-fashioned centre-forward from yesteryear, as he grafted throughout a display which more than repaid Bruno Lage’s faith in him in what was just his third Premier League start this season.

The former Porto prospect has struggled to get to grips with the English game, and those who solely rely on statistics would have believed that the 19-year-old capitulated today. Although the young striker had fewer touches than both goalkeepers and completed just 12 passes, the fewest of any Wolves starter, it was a performance which could only be valued through the ‘eye test’.

Writing in his post-match player ratings for Birmingham Live, Alex Dicken awarded the teenager an eight, with the summary of: “Other than a first goal of the season, there wasn’t a great deal missing from Silva’s display. In just his third Premier League start of the season, Silva showed intelligence and awareness to get the better of Villa’s physically imposing defensive duo. The 19-year-old’s link up play with Trincao and Podence was very good.”

Nonetheless, Silva will have been questioning how his name evaded the scoresheet, with his two big chances providing an xG total of 0.50. Those kind of chances from that specific area of the pitch would certainly go in for him on another day.

At a time when Raul Jimenez is serving his initial two-match ban, the Portuguese youngster has just put in a performance which will surely put him in contention to achieve his first back-to-back Premier League starts under Lage this season when Wolves make the trip to Newcastle next Friday.

In other news – Lage could finally unearth Wolves’ new Diogo Jota in “unpredictable” £33m creator

According to journalist Alan Nixon of The Sun, writing on his official Patreon, a transfer update has now come out of West Ham United involving Leeds United defensive midfielder Kalvin Phillips.

The Lowdown: West Ham make winter move…

During the January transfer window, David Moyes were at the centre of attempts to sign the 26-year-old, with marquee bids even being lodged for his services.

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Phillips, who partnered current West Ham star Declan Rice at the Euros last summer, is apparently re-attracting the Hammers’ interest as they wish to link the duo at club level.

The Irons, however, are apparently joined in their fondness by Leeds’ arch rivals Man United who have also been heavily linked with a move to sign the Three Lions man.

The Latest: West Ham to return…

According to Nixon, West Ham ‘will try again’ with another bid to sign Phillips after missing out with a ‘£55 million’ approach in January.

In a boost for the Hammers, it is believed that Man United are aren’t actually planning an immediate swoop for the Yorkshireman – potentially clearing their path to Phillips’ door.

The Verdict: Big statement…

It will take a lot to prise away Jesse Marsch’s top asset, but if they manage to reach an agreement, it would be a real statement of intent.

According to WhoScored, when compared to West Ham’s current midfield crop, only Rice has averaged a higher rate of tackles per 90 than Phillips – backing the point he could really partner Moyes’ star to great effect.

He could even come as a major upgrade on Tomas Soucek with the Czech Republic international’s form having been questioned this season.

Described as ‘one of the best midfielders in the world’ last year by teammate Liam Cooper last summer, West Ham could no better for a stellar defensive addition.

In other news: Newman opens West Ham dialogue to sign ‘one of the top’ number eights in Europe! Find out more here.

Adam Jones has now dropped some fresh Everton news involving a proposed new contract for Lewis Warrington.

The Lowdown: Contract expiring

Warrington’s current deal at Goodison Park expires in the summer, but the Birkenhead-born midfielder is reportedly in talks over a new one.

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He is currently on loan at Tranmere Rovers in League Two, where he has played 12 games, scoring one goal and providing one assist (Transfermarkt).

The Latest: Talks ongoing

Replying to a fan in a Q&A session for The Liverpool Echo, Jones has now shared that talks are ‘ongoing’ between Warrington and his representatives over a potential new deal, and added that giving him one would make ‘perfect’ sense given his progression this season:

“We believe that talks are ongoing with Lewis and his representatives over a potential new deal – which would make perfect sense after seeing the progression he’s made this season! Frank Lampard could easily be a big fan in the future, we’ll have to wait and see.”

The Verdict: Deserved

Warrington certainly deserves a new contract given his performances for Tranmere this campaign.

The central midfield player has ranked in the top 10 among his new teammates in terms of aerial duels won, tackles, interceptions, clearances, shots, key passes, dribbles, long balls and through balls per game (WhoScored), despite being just 19 years of age.

He has helped the club reach ninth place in the table, where they are just one point off of the play-off places with five games left to play.

Nonetheless, should the worst happen and the Merseyside club end up relegated from the Premier League, they could then use Warrington in the first team to help further his development.

In other news, find out what fresh Allan Saint-Maximin to Toffees update has now been dropped here!

Crystal Palace are having a quiet transfer window so far, with their team currently intact for the challenges of the second half of the season as Patrick Vieira attempts to compete for a top-half finish, but with three weeks left until the window closes, they could be about to lose one of their players.

What’s the word?

Journalist, Tom Barclay, has given his perspective on the current loan situation that Jean-Philippe Mateta finds himself in at Crystal Palace, and it doesn’t look like it’s good news for Palace.

Barclay told GIVEMESPORT:

“I know Mateta scored the other day, but unless he goes on an incredible run, I’m not convinced that Vieira is convinced by him, so I’m expecting him to return from his loan rather than Palace sign him permanently.”

Mateta was acquired on loan by the London club after he was putting in impressive performances for his parent club Mainz at the beginning of last season, with ten goals and one assist that had caught former Palace manager, Roy Hodgson’s eye, who signed the 24-year-old on an 18-month loan with the club last January.

Fans may be concerned

Vieira is clearly not convinced by the Frenchman’s performances so far in his presence since joining the club as head coach in the summer, and has only given Mateta two Premier League starts this season.

With rumours that the loan could be cut short fans have taken to social media to slam the potential decision to let him return five months early to his Bundesliga club. One supporter tweeted:

“I think we should just keep Mateta and forget about Nketiah and keep the money for positions that need improvements.”

The 30k-per-week star put in a fantastic performance against Milwall at the weekend in the FA Cup game, where in the 54 minutes played he scored the winning goal in the 58th minute to beat their rivals 2-1, as well as offering up some clinical play, with a fantastic pass accuracy of 93% during his opportunity for minutes on the pitch, according to SofaScore.

As a result, it seems perplexing that just as he begins to find form, he’s set to head back to his parent club.

Indeed, the supporter above makes a valid point that money on a potential successor could be better spent on other areas of the team that need improving, including the full-back areas where they are strapped for depth.

Although he’s not impressed since landing in London, fans could be concerned by the ongoing situation surrounding Mateta. After all, they’d just be losing a player and then having to fork out what could be quite a considerable sum to find a replacement.

The French manager has a big decision to make in a short amount of time on the future of his 24-year-old forward, as Saint Etienne are rumoured to be interested in swooping to offer him a loan deal this January.

With Palace linked to signing Arsenal striker Eddie Nketiah, Vieira clearly needs to make a quick decision on how he intends to see out the strike force of the side for the rest of the season.

In other news: Crystal Palace targeting January swoop for Marseille striker Bamba Dieng

A negative reaction to Celtic missing out on winning a treble this season would be ‘absolutely ridiculous’, according to former Hoops striker Frank McAvennie, after he witnessed their Scottish Cup semi-final loss to Rangers last weekend.

The Lowdown: Celtic miss out on treble

Ange Postecoglou’s side had the opportunity to seal a domestic treble this season, prior to last weekend’s Scottish Cup semi-final clash with Rangers.

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Celtic were beaten 2-1 at Parkhead, however, meaning they can now only add the Scottish Premiership title to their Scottish League Cup crown that is already sealed.

The Latest: McAvennie positive

Speaking to Football Insider, McAvennie said winning the league would be an incredible success, bemoaning any negativity surrounding missing out on a treble:

“It was a disappointing loss last weekend. I thought we would win, I think a lot of people did. But it wasn’t to be.

“Look at it this way. This season I was happy for us to just compete. I had no thoughts about us winning anything. The fact we are gutted about missing out on a treble is absolutely ridiculous.

“Next season we should be even better and I want to see us do better in Europe but what a job he has done. It will be just remarkable if we do win this title.”

The Verdict: Title matters most

McAvennie is spot on in his opinion, with a treble something that seemed highly unlikely at the start of the season, and not something to gauge the team’s success by.

If Celtic can wrestle back the league title from Rangers it would be a superb effort by Postecoglou and his players, ensuring last season was nothing more than a blip during a strange time in the world.

A double would still be deemed a hugely successful campaign, suggesting the Hoops are only going from strength to strength going into next season, when Champions League football will hopefully return to Parkhead.

In other news, Celtic are reportedly in advanced talks to sign one player. Find out who it is here.

Newcastle United have reportedly now made an offer to try and sign Alvaro Morata before the January transfer window shuts.

The Lowdown: One more striker?

On top of the arrival of Chris Wood from Burnley, it seems as if the St. James’ Park faithful are still pushing for another striker to come through the door.

It has recently been reported by reliable journalist Luke Edwards for The Daily Telegraph that the North East club are now closing in on signing Arsenal forward Eddie Nketiah, but the window has seen so many twists and turns already that more names could well be thrown into the hat.

Nonetheless, what looks more than likely is that at least one more striker will arrive on Tyneside before the deadline, so could it be Morata?

The Latest: Morata offer

As per journalist Juanma Castano (via El Partidazo de COPE), the Magpies, as well as both Tottenham Hotspur and FC Barcelona, have now put an offer on the table for Morata.

Atletico Madrid ‘could accept’ a loan from them, and his future is set to be decided very soon.

The Verdict: Avoid

While other options like Nketiah are available, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) consortium should avoid trying to bring in Morata, even on loan.

Yes, there are times when he has shown his credentials, for example at Euro 2020, where he helped guide Spain through to the knockout stages and his manager Luis Enrique even hailed him as ‘amazing’.

However, he is simply not consistent enough, as his current loan spell at Juventus shows, where he has only managed a mere five goals in the Serie A so far this season.

Morata has also big loss on the fee that they originally paid for him.

It would simply be too much of a risk, and there are other options out there to explore with the few days left remaining in the winter transfer window.

In other news, find out who NUFC are now ‘in talks’ to sign here!

A number of Liverpool supporters are delighted after Jurgen Klopp said Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain could be fit to face Crystal Palace this weekend.

The Reds made it into the Carabao Cup final on Thursday night, coasting to an impressive 2-0 victory away to Arsenal.

Diogo Jota was Liverpool’s hero at the Emirates, scoring both of his side’s goals as he stepped up in the absence of key duo Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane.

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Someone who was unavailable for the game was Oxlade-Chamberlain, however, who missed out on taking on his former club because of an injury sustained against Brentford last weekend.

Speaking in his pre-Crystal Palace press conference on Friday [via journalist James Pearce on Twitter], Klopp said the midfielder was back in training, meaning he could be available for the weekend trip to Selhurst Park.

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Liverpool fans react to Ox injury latest

These Reds fans took to Twitter to reveal their happiness at the news, no doubt relieved after the Englishman found form with a goal against the Bees.

“Fantastic”

Credit: @NegusSabali

” Oh wow”

Credit: @toyoblo

“Great news for Liverpool to have another midfield option back. But I would start with Fabinho, Henderson and Jones again. They were all pretty good against Arsenal last night. Having a consistent midfield line-up may help the team too.”

Credit: @ReviewFootball

“Great news but Jones deserves the nod after his performance last night”

Credit: @Declancarr96

“Let’s goooo”

Credit: @KopiteZac

“Phew, will be needed over the next couple of weeks”

Credit: @Nuggs_

In other news, some Liverpool fans have slammed one player’s performance against Arsenal. Find out who it is here.

Everton’s new signings Nathan Patterson and Vitaliy Mykolenko could be in line for their Toffees debuts on Saturday evening as the Blues travel to Championship outfit Hull City.

What’s the latest?

Everton manager Rafa Benitez has revealed that the two new signings could make their debuts against the Tigers on Saturday as the Spaniard’s side look to put together a cup run.

On potentially giving the signings their debuts, the 61-year-old said: “We know both players well and know the potential. Both players showed they want to do well.

“Are they ready? We will see. Today [Friday] we have another training session. If you have to play them, they can play.

“Maybe they can start, maybe one of them, maybe both. They’ve been 15 days without training so we have to consider if they’re fit enough.”

Everton fans will be buzzing

Patterson (Rangers) and Mykolenko (Dynamo Kiev) arrived at Goodison Park over the last week and will bolster Benitez’s full-back options with the former a right-back and the latter a left-back.

Moreover, both have the potential to be long-term servants to the Merseyside club, with Mykolenko being 22-years-old and Patterson 20 and signing deals until 2026 and 2027 respectively.

There has been particular attention on Everton’s left-back predicament, with Lucas Digne expected to leave Goodison Park this transfer window, with Sky Sports reporting that the Frenchman has told Everton that he wants to leave this window.

The club was in desperate need to find a left-back replacement before Digne was allowed to depart and Mykolenko will be able to provide that option.

Everton fans will also be desperate for a good result against Hull to kick-start a run in the FA Cup with the club enduring an underwhelming start to the season in the Premier League.

In other news, Everton linked with promising midfielder…