All posts by rastrear-estafeta.com

[ad_pod ]

Leeds United kept their title charge on track on Saturday with a 2-1 win over Championship strugglers Bolton Wanderers at Elland Road.

The Whites weren’t at their scintillating best, and missed a number of very presentable chances to ensure a more comfortable margin of victory, but ultimately the three points are the most important thing at this stage of the season. A Patrick Bamford penalty and an Ezgjan Alioski strike were enough to secure the win for Marcelo Bielsa’s side. 

Bamford will have been particularly glad to get on the scoresheet to boost his confidence. Injuries have ravaged much of his campaign so far, and he still looks to be lacking a bit of match sharpness, but following the injury sustained by top scorer Kemar Roofe Leeds need the 25-year-old No. 9 to build up all the self-belief he can get.

Following the win over Bolton, plenty of Leeds fans took to Twitter to give their verdict on Bamford’s performance…

Southampton are on the verge of Premier League relegation, despite the boardroom’s positive move to recruit of Ralph Hasenhüttl – so what can the Austrian do the salvage the Saints’ season?

Their 0-2 defeat at the Emirates the other day makes it six games in a row without a clean sheet and contributes to a more alarming record of only five in 27 league games.

Shocking stuff for any side who have hopes of survival.

Jack Stephens, who’s been a feature at the heart of Southampton’s diabolical defence this season, added another poor performance to his collection on Sunday.

The former England under-21 man only managed 45 minutes and was responsible for Arsenal’s second of the game before being taken off at halftime. His distribution was extremely poor, his positional awareness was way off what is required at this level, and his commitment is withering.

This most recent display of ‘defending’ has prompted fans and critics alike to explore the prospect of using more capable options. But who?

Maya Yoshida is surely the man for the job now he’s back in contention.

Japan international Yoshida is one of the longest-serving players in the current Southampton squad and has proved himself, season after season, to be a very capable Premier League defender.

His last appearance for the Saints before leaving on international duty with Japan was the last time the club kept a clean sheet – a 0-0 draw in which Yoshida won Man of the Match for his valiant efforts – and it’s evident they’ve been missing him ever since.

Something new (and experienced) is desperately needed.

[ad_pod ]

It feels like Tottenham’s season has petered out over the last few weeks, but we shouldn’t forget about some of the real success stories behind this campaign, one that has seen the north Londoners keep themselves in the title race for much of the season despite not spending a penny throughout the last two transfer windows.

And speaking of success stories, Football FanCast’s writers debate below who has been Spurs’ most improved player this season…

James Beavis – Moussa Sissoko

“For so long the decision to sign the France international for £30m from Newcastle United was a baffling one, and you could hardly believe that he was still a Tottenham player even going into the current season.

“However, with the likes of Eric Dier, Victor Wanyama and Mousa Dembele – who of course has now departed – suffering injury issues, the 29-year-old has had a consistent run in his preferred central midfield position and shown Christian Eriksen up. The Frenchman has been absolutely brilliant, and his strength, power and box-to-box tendencies have been a big part of Spurs’ success this term, and he appears to be getting better and better. The POTY contender no one predicted.”

Billy Meyers – Heung-min Son

“Given their lack of activity in the transfer market, there was always going to be an opportunity for someone in the Tottenham squad to step up in the absence of new faces. A number of players have noticeably improved, but one man who has stepped up significantly is Heung-min Son. The South Korean missed the start of the season, as well as a chunk of January through international commitments, but he has still hit 16 goals – just two off his tally from last season with plenty of football still to play.”

Jack Saville – Moussa Sissoko

“The Frenchman has been transformed from club whipping boy to colossal midfield enforcer within the blinking of an eye. Eulogisers will naturally point towards his physical prowess when analysing the extent of his impact, but it’s been his ability to combine his power with technical and tactical nous that has made him a vital player at Spurs this season. If Sissoko can add goals to his game he will become truly unstoppable.”

Christy Malyan – Harry Winks

“We always knew this kid had talent but he’s made the loss of Dembele much less of a problem than it should be. He’ll never be a Frank Lampard or Steven Gerrard but if you want a midfielder who can take the ball and shift it forward with positivity, you’ll find few better than Winks at his age. It’s been a campaign of exciting growth for the 23-year-old who now feels like one of the first names on Tottenham’s team-sheet.” 

[ad_pod ]

Tottenham Hotspur are lining up a summer move for PSG left-back Layvin Kurzawa, according to Calciomercato.

Kurzawa has struggled with injury thus far this season and has played just seven times in Ligue 1.

What’s the word?

The defender’s current contract expires in 2020, and the aforementioned report claims that he has an offer on the table to extend his deal.

However, Spurs, along with Manchester United and Atletico Madrid, are monitoring developments as they continue to formulate their plans for the summer.

Spurs, of course, have good business relations with PSG and have signed both Serge Aurier and Lucas Moura from the French club in recent years.

Kurzawa moved to PSG in 2015 from AS Monaco and has won Ligue 1 twice, along with three Coupe de France titles, three Coupe de la Ligue titles and three Trophee des Champions’.

He has made a total of 87 appearances at Parc des Princes, scoring 12 goals and laying on 19 assists in total; he has won 11 caps for France.

A return to the well

Spurs’ previous business with PSG has not appeared to bear much fruit.

Aurier is a yellow card machine at right-back, while Lucas has struggled to make much of an impact on the right of midfield.

Spurs are looking at bolstering the correct area; they have been lacking at left-back for a while and need reinforcements.

Kurzawa, though, is perhaps not the man to fix the issues.

Ligue 1 is a remarkably softer division than the Premier League and it remains to be seen if the Frenchman would merely become another Aurier in north London.

We all expected better from Rangers on Tuesday night, didn’t we? They were favourites to push through the Scottish Cup home replay against Aberdeen but the poor showing proved just how far this squad has to go to return the club back to its former glory.

Their first major trophy since the club returned to the big time was just two more games away if they’d have won last night, but they never really deserved to take a spot in the competition’s final four. Fans thought that they should be winning the tie considering it was at Ibrox, but the new team can’t be mistaken for the old one.

The Gers’ faithful remain the same, but this is far from the Rangers pre-2012, and their squad simply isn’t good enough to challenge for these trophies yet. Steven Gerrard brought on substitutes around the 60-minute mark, but there wasn’t much change on the field. It seemed like the expectation got the better of the squad.

The reality of playing for a club like Rangers means pressure to win trophies, no matter whether the club in its original form liquidated or not. Expectations weren’t as high before this season, but the introduction of Gerrard and their league position as comfortably second has amplified the pressure.

It’s easy to get carried away on the ‘Rangers are back’ wave, but in truth, they still have a long way to go to catch up Celtic and, first of all, learn to deliver in the biggest of games at the top level of Scottish football. Gerrard, too, has a lot to learn as a new coach and his changes last night appeared reactionary rather than pro-active.

The manager and the squad are playing catch up with the fans. The Gers’ supporters know the Scottish game, the club and its history, and what it means to play for that club. However, those on the field and on the touchline are still acclimatising.

Rangers fans, what do you think needs to change to challenge for honours next season? Join the discussion by commenting below.

[ad_pod ]

Marco Silva should stray away from his preferred lone striker system for the big match against Chelsea, and instead deploy a two-man attack with Cenk Tosun partnering Richarlison up front.

Why should he do this?

Despite having a fantastic first half of the season, summer signing Richarlison has endured a woeful 2019, in which he has scored just three goals in three-and-a-half months, compared to nine goals before the turn of the year.

At times, the big-money striker signed from Watford has looked lost upfront, with little aerial support or any form of hold up play from those around him such as Bernard, Theo Walcott and Gylfi Sigurdsson.

In this era of ‘big 6’ dominance, has finishing 7th become as good as winning a trophy? The Pl>ymaker FC squad have their say in the video below…

In Tosun, Silva has a decent frontman who has been criminally underused this season, despite a fantastic end to the previous campaign in which he hit five goals in 12 starts.

The Turkish international is a far more physical presence than his Brazilian teammate Richarlison, but much less mobile – combined, however, the two could be the perfect foil for each other’s talents and wreak havoc up front against the Blues.

Who would make way?

A much maligned figure who somehow keeps his place in the team week in, week out, is Walcott.

The former Arsenal man, who turns 30 today, has managed to score just twice in the league this season, whilst setting up three more, but has somehow made 29 appearances, 23 of them from the first whistle.

A much more effective looking attack would be for Silva to switch his preferred 4-2-3-1 system into a 4-2-2-2 formation, with Bernard and Sigurdsson as the central attacking midfielders, and Tosun and Richarlison in the two central striking positions.

By doing this, the Toffees will hopefully see Richarlison return to his best form, whilst they would also be able to afford Tosun some much needed game time which could put him in the shop window for the summer if he performs well – the 27-year-old has made just nine league starts this season.

History is set to repeat itself as Newcastle United are rumoured to be selling their star player far too soon.

Results may have improved for the Magpies in recent times, and the immediate threat of relegation has all but disappeared for another season, but there are still major threats to the clubs future stability.

Rafael Benitez is yet to pledge his long-term future to the club surely due to doubts over Mike Ashley’s future financial commitment, whilst the latter is unwilling to release funds unless the Spaniard signs an extension.

It is a vicious cycle that the Newcastle faithful unfortunately find themselves in the midst of – and they are understandably unhappy.

And the situation will likely descend further into chaos if reports from Chronicle Live are true, who have suggested that Jonjo Shelvey could be on the way out of St James’ Park if the club receive a “significant offer” this summer – West Ham have previously been linked.

The English midfielder played a key role in hoisting Newcastle out of the Champions a couple of seasons ago and has since excelled as one of the club’s most consistent players – so why are the club trying to cash in now?

Understandably, the atomic rise of Sean Longstaff has injected a healthy bit of competition into the starting line-up, which Shelvey is currently absent from due to injury – but that surely is not enough to validate a sale.

The club should take inspiration from the Florian Thauvin mistake, who has since dominated in Ligue 1 for Marseille scoring 13 goals in 26 appearances this season alone, winning the World Cup along the way.

Newcastle United fans, would selling Shelvey this summer be a calamitous mistake? Let us know in the comments below…

[ad_pod ]

Sunderland take on Portsmouth on Sunday in by far the biggest match of their season to this point, but what must the Black Cats do to ensure they come back to Wearside as Checkatrade Trophy champions?

With no disrespect intended towards Lincoln City and Shrewsbury Town, who occupied Wembley for the final last season, this one just feels a bit more special.

Perhaps it is due to the two sides being separated by just one point in League One or more likely it is the sheer nostalgia of seeing two of the biggest clubs in England both bouncing back from recent struggles for a solitary day of agony or ecstasy.

Either way, Jack Ross will be chomping at the bit to win just his second piece of managerial silverware, so what can he do to make it happen?

Striking support

It is absolutely crucial that the Black Cats do not leave Will Grigg isolated on the massive Wembley pitch. The turf at the iconic ground is measured at 115 by 75 yards, while the Stadium of Light comes closer to 109 by 72 yards.

Pl>ymaker FC Exclusive: Jermaine Jenas reveals why Tyne-Wear is a more intense derby than anything London can offer – check out the video below….

The Northern Ireland international has bagged three goals in ten games since joining Sunderland, but all too often he is left to struggle against two towering centre backs all by his lonesome.

Ross must instruct one of George Honeyman, Aiden McGeady or Lewis Morgan to play as close as possible to Grigg, even if it means sacrificing some defensive responsibility.

Men in the middle

If the likes of Honeyman and Morgan are indeed playing closer to Grigg, then Lee Cattermole and Grant Leadbitter will have to have the game of their lives in front of the defence.

With all due respect, none of Ross’ options at centre back particularly fill you with confidence, and stopping Pompey’s key men like Gareth Evans before they even get to the back four will be crucial.

Key man

Finally, Ross needs Luke O’Nien to have a great game. It sounds odd to single out one player so specifically, but whenever the little bundle of energy at right-back plays well the Black Cats play well.

Whether it be by instructing the right-winger to drop deep and help defend, shifting the defence more heavily to one side or just asking the men in the middle to fill the void when he romps forward, O’Nien simply must have an impact on the game, because when he does it is usually a positive one.

[ad_pod ]

Newcastle United and Crystal Palace will both be looking to edge nearer to the ‘magic 40-point mark’ when they meet at St James’ Park on Saturday, with Stuart Attwell being appointed to officiate the match on Tyneside earlier this week.

Both teams come into the clash having suffered defeats this week, with the Magpies losing 2-0 to Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium on Monday, and the Eagles on the end of the same scoreline just a few miles down the road at Tottenham Hotspur’s brand new stadium on Wednesday night.

The south London outfit’s form in their previous six games in all competitions has certainly been up and down – mainly the latter in all truth – as they have been beaten four times and picked up all three points on two other occasions.

One of those was against already-relegated Huddersfield Town at Selhurst Park last weekend, where they really toiled before getting two goals later on in the proceedings.

The frustration with manager Roy Hodgson is there for all to see, especially at home where they have the 18th-best home record in the division.

Compare that to seventh-best away and it is clear to see where Palace are stronger, and the presence of Attwell in the middle of the park on Saturday may just be a lucky charm that hands Hodgson yet another reprieve.

The 36-year-old has officiated in 17 Premier League matches this term, with 41.2% of those ending with the away team winning, as per stats-based website WhoScored.

That is the fifth-highest percentage out of the 18 referees that have taken charge in the top flight during the current campaign.

When you combine that statistic with Palace’s record on the road, you would have to fancy Hodgson’s men to record another memorable away day – they’ve certainly had their fair share of those already this season.

A Crystal Palace fan shares his most gutting moment of the last 10 years supporting the Eagles in the video below…

The hosts will certainly have something to say about though and while they flatter to deceive on their travels, they have actually won their previous five fixtures at St James’ Park.

An interesting spectacle awaits, and Hodgson will hope that the gods are shining down on him against the Magpies to give him some more breathing space from an irritated and demanding set of supporters.

Middlesbrough’s terrible run of late shows no sign of ending, and with a tricky looking away game at a Swansea side who will be playing with no pressure due to their mid-table position, it could be set to continue.

Fans are rightly unhappy, and although the players need to burden some of the responsibility themselves, it is manager, Tony Pulis, who is receiving the most heat from the Riverside faithful.

Boos have become commonplace at home games now, but they were accompanied by chants against the manager during the Bristol City defeat this week, and chairman, Steve Gibson, is under pressure to do something about it.

But the Daily Star report today, that Gibson will not wilt under the growing calls to replace Pulis, and will continue to stand behind him until the end of the season.

It is a big call from Gibson, although he will feel that to replace him now will not give a new man enough time to bond with the squad and get the best out of them.

But an alternate view would be that a change could see a boost to morale, and, as is often the case, results improve for the new man during the so-called ‘honeymoon period’.

But that short upsurge in fortunes may be enough to get Boro’ back on track and into the play-off hunt — a scenario that looks ever more unlikely as they plod on under Pulis.

Certainly, another defeat at Swansea tomorrow will see the dissenting voices become ever-louder, and it will be hard to see a way back for Pulis or Boro’.

Many fans were calling for the former West Brom boss to walk away, in the best interests of the club, but Pulis steadfastly refused to do so.

He said, after the midweek loss,: “I have been in this position before. I don’t determine my job, that is up to Steve. I will just keep going.

“It’s (his future) nothing to do with me, it’s up to Steve, ask him. I will carry on, keep going, but the important thing is the players keep performing the way they are playing and results will come. I said that four games ago, mind.”

That last seven-word sentence should tell Gibson all he needs to know. If, four games after he vowed things would get better if they just kept going as they were, they are in a worse position than then, surely he is not capable of getting anything more from his side.

He has to go, and for the sake of any slim play-off hopes the Boro’ fans have — regardless of tomorrow’s result — it has to be now!

What do you think, Boro’ fans? Is it too late to replace Pulis now? Should he go and let someone else try to resurrect your season? Or should you just bring someone in temporarily and consolidate for next year? Let us know what you think…