Southampton fans react to FA charge

Southampton fans have been reacting to the news that both they and Sheffield United have been charged after failing to control their players.

The Saints faced the Blades of Saturday March 6th, and ended up winning 2-0 thanks to goals from James Ward-Prowse and Che Adams. However, tempers flared in the latter stages of the game after John Fleck made a late and reckless challenge on Adams.

Both sides have now been charged by the FA after they were unable to control the tempers of their players (Sky Sports). As of yet, no punishment has been dished out.

The news was shared by Twitter account @SouthamptonPage, and it attracted plenty of attention from the Saints supporters. They took to the social media platform to share their thoughts, with plenty pointing the blame to the officiating, which has of course been abysmal throughout the season.

Let’s see what the Southampton fans had to say below

“And What did the VAR and the Ref fail to do”

Credit: @1960msr

“Literally nothing happened”

Credit: @Callum999

“Should charge the ref, dangerous tackle, Adams was lucky not to suffer serious injury”

Credit: @spmooney68

“Couldn’t handle Vestergod. Their problem…”

Credit: @SamuelR75523948

“I’ll be quite honest this made my day! Finally some passion and fight more please!!”

Credit: @Watcha_Dave

“What a joke! Nothing in it except a bit of passion after a late challenge. Nobody was sent off which shows there wasn’t that much in it. The FA need to put more of their time into sanctioning players who have been seen to diving & cheating”

Credit: @andrewwells68

In other news, Southampton fans react to news on this defender.

Crystal Palace fans slam van Aanholt

Many Crystal Palace fans have been slamming the display of Patrick van Aanholt despite their side’s 2-1 away win at Newcastle United in the Premier League.

Roy Hodgson’s men actually fell behind to a goal from Jonjo Shelvey within the first two minutes of the match before a great strike from Jairo Riedewald and a towering header from Gary Cahill gave the Selhurst Park faithful the goals they needed to take all three points and ease off any possible fears of relegation.

While there were some very good performers in an Eagles shirt, Van Aanholt flattered to deceive.

The former Chelsea and Sunderland man lost possession of the ball no fewer than 24 times in the match, the most out of any outfield player, and also failed to make a single successful dribble, key pass or accurate long ball, as he earned himself a quite measly 6.5 overall rating on Sofascore, the second-lowest out of any of his teammates to have started against Steve Bruce’s team at St. James’ Park.

Crystal Palace fan reaction to van Aanholt display

These CPFC supporters slammed his performance on Twitter, with a couple of fans even going as far as to describe the Netherlands international as ‘awful’:

“Van Aanholt had been terrible this 2nd half”

Credit: @TomTcoyp

“That van Aanholt is useless. #cpfc”

Credit: @shave_stuart

“He should be criticised for that. He had a bad game. PvA just keeps having bad games whereas Mitchell consistently performs to a level more often.”

Credit: @SamuelMargo

“PVA completed pass ratio is more of a disgrace tonight than that miss by Townsend. Shocking for a professional footballer.”

Credit: @Scottnesbitt

“PVA’s passing has been awful”

Credit: @matthew_poole30

“PVA is unbelievably awful”Credit: @CieronHemIn other news, find out how fans have reacted to Hodgson’s comments about his future here!

Leeds look to sign Eduardo Camavinga

Leeds United are reportedly eyeing up a move for French wonder-kid Eduardo Camavinga ahead of the summer transfer window. According to the Yorkshire Evening Post, the Whites are said to be in the running to rival Liverpool and Real Madrid for his signature.

The 18-year-old is into his last 18 months of his current contract with Rennes and the pressure could be on the Ligue 1 outfit to cash in. Camavinga is currently valued at £54million by Transfermarkt, but this could be slashed if the club get too wary of losing him on a free.

Leeds being in the running for his services is a very bold move from Victor Orta and co, but would he fit in with the dynamic squad at Elland Road?

Should Leeds sign Eduardo Camavinga?

Having such a high market value as a teenager is impressive. Camavinga is following in the footsteps of fellow French talent Kylian Mbappe, who has been highly sought after since he was a very young man.

However, this may be a worry for clubs like Leeds, who aren’t particularly known for having money to burn. However, Andrea Radrizanni has proved he’s a man for the cause after splashing out decent amounts on several new players last summer.

Bielsa’s midfield is arguably where the issues lie – only Mateusz Klich and Stuart Dallas can say they contribute to the goalscoring action on a regular basis. The two have a combined eight goals and seven assists this season and rank behind only wingers Jack Harrison and Raphinha and star striker Patrick Bamford in terms of goal involvements, as per BBC Sport.

The Whites would certainly benefit from some more creativity in the engine room, but signing Camavinga would heap a lot of pressure onto Jamie Shackleton. The latter is already three years the Frenchman’s senior and he is struggling to make a name for himself at Leeds.

According to Transfermarkt, Shackleton has featured in just 12 Premier League games this season, starting only four. He has been pushed out of the squad on numerous occasions and signing a talent younger than him, one with more playing experience would only make things even harder for him at Elland Road.

Camavinga has missed just two league matches this season and that was due to injury. He is a first-team regular and even has Champions League experience. He was described as a “huge talent” by France national team manager Didier Deschamps, who has already given him his first senior cap.

It would be a hefty, but very wise, investment to splash out on his services, but Shackleton may need to look over his shoulder if the midfielder does make the switch to Yorkshire.

In other news, Leeds must act fast as Ezgjan Alioski looks for a new club…

Crystal Palace must avoid signing Newcastle defender Ciaran Clark at all costs

According to The Telegraph’s Mike McGrath, Crystal Palace are interested in signing Ciaran Clark from Newcastle United.

What’s the word?

It’s claimed Palace are reportedly eyeing up a move for Clark with a view to him replacing Mamadou Sakho, who’s been heavily linked with the Selhurst Park exit.

Roy Hodgson has managed to get the Eagles out of the Premier League relegation zone and may look for January additions to keep them out of the bottom three and McGrath reports that he could try to steal a march on one of their closest rivals by snapping up Clark from right under their noses.

Worse than Gary Cahill

This just reeks of yet another panic buy, doesn’t it?

Whilst the £4m-rated 31-year-old, whose current deal at St James’ Park ends this summer, wouldn’t necessarily be a bad option as he wouldn’t cost Palace chairman Steve Parish a lot of monet, the Eagles simply must aim to look a little higher in the winter transfer window if they want to improve their squad.

Hodgson has struggled to find consistency alongside Cheikhou Kouyate, with Gary Cahill and Scott Dann battling for the spot, but there are still questions over both centre-backs, while James Tomkins has done very little to impress when called upon too.

Clark, who has won 34 caps for his country, has provided one goal in 11 appearances across all competitions this season so far, via Transfermarkt.

But Hodgson may be reluctant to pursue a bid if he takes a deeper look at his defensive contributions in terms of the numbers. 3.9 clearances per game in comparison to Cahill’s 4.4, a pass success rating of 79.9% to 86.3% – not exactly figures that scream out that Clark is worth his reported £35,000-per-week wages.

He’s also been criticised in the past for his poor performances while away on international duty with the Republic of Ireland.

With Palace’s squad the oldest in the Premier League at present by a country mile, Hodgson may be better off looking for a considerably younger and more suitable replacement instead.

AND in other news, Crystal Palace missed a trick with Brentford striker Ivan Toney…

Adama Traore showed why Leeds must sign him

If Victor Orta was at Molineux at the weekend to watch Leeds United transfer target Adama Traore, then he would have been left in no doubt as to why he would be such an incredible signing for the Whites.

Reports in recent weeks have suggested that the Spain international is on the radar of Marcelo Bielsa’s side and that Elland Road is being seen as his main destination in this January transfer window.

And on Saturday afternoon in Wolves’ 3-2 defeat at home to West Brom, Traore proved why he would be Bielsa’s game-changer.

Despite Nuno Espirito Santo’s men falling to a surprise loss to the relegation-battling Baggies, Adama produced flashes of brilliance that would add a different dimension to Leeds.

As per Sofascore, his 7.4 match rating was the second-highest of any attacking Wolves player, and when you look at his stats, it’s easy to see why.

The Spaniard’s physicality was there for all to see, and he won an impressive 10 of his 13 total duels, proving that he’s becoming more and more of a Premier League tested and battle-hardened winger – only Nelson Semedo won more duels for Wolves.

He also completed five of his seven dribbles on the day, the joint-highest of any player on the pitch, and his ability to go through the gears so quickly makes him a massive danger for opposition defences – The Express and Star’s Joe Edwards noted that he “had the beating of (Kieran) Gibbs on a fair few occasions and got some shots off”.

Former Liverpool striker Michael Owen hailed Adama as someone who can “scare any team”, and that’s a testament to the winger’s raw pace and directness – nobody in the Premier League has a better average this season than him with his 3.7 dribbles per game.

Bielsa’s fondness for his wingers is evident by the very simple fact he’s signed an abundance of them in his time in charge at Elland Road.

But in Traore, he wouldn’t just be an ‘option’. The Spaniard has proven that his style of play would be a game-changer for Bielsa, and Saturday’s display against West Brom showed that.

Meanwhile, Leeds should hand this “supremely-gifted” starlet a chance in the Premier League…

Liverpool talisman Mohamed Salah was far from his best vs Ajax

Despite Liverpool winning 1-0 against Ajax on Tuesday night in a result which secured the Reds’ place in the Champions League knockout stages, there will be questions asked about the performance of Mohamed Salah.

The Egyptian winger, who recently returned to the first-team after a brief period out due to the current viral outbreak, played 89 minutes against the Dutch champions but never really got going.

As per SofaScore, the former Roma man received a 6.3 rating for his display, ranking him as the worst player of any who started the game.

The 28-year-old had two big chances to score against Erik ten Hag’s side and missed them both, with the Reds relying on Curtis Jones’ second-half goal to earn them a crucial three points.

Salah also had just 34 touches of the ball during his time on the pitch and was able to complete just 15 passes, resulting in a pass accuracy rate of 75%.

Liverpool ‘keeper Caoimhin Kelleher, who started in goal in Alisson’s absence, completed 30 of his passes during the game, which was obviously more than Salah.

That only suggests further that the Egyptian international was something of a passenger on Tuesday night, in a match which Klopp needed him to perform, as defeat against Ajax would’ve blown the group wide open.

Salah even lost possession on 11 occasions during the game and was successful with just one of his dribbles, with the Ajax defenders seemingly getting the better of him.

He also struggled from a defensive point of view, winning just six of his 13 duels during the game, which should infuriate Klopp more as he was second-best for a lot of the game.

However, it has still been an excellent start to the season for the Liverpool winger, who is currently valued at a massive €150m (£135m) by CIES Football Observatory, as he has notched eight goals in nine Premier League appearances, resulting in a superb WhoScored average rating of 7.53.

Hopefully, for Reds fans and Klopp alike, the Egyptian will be back to his best in Liverpool’s next game against Wolves at Anfield, as he was nowhere near the level required on Tuesday evening.

And, in other news… Forget Thiago: Klopp already has his Milner replacement in teenage prodigy loved by Ljinders

Liverpool: Sadio Mane seriously underperformed in Fulham draw

Liverpool squandered their chances of going top of the Premier League table after they were held to a 1-1 draw by Fulham this evening.

The reigning champions looked hugely off their game at Craven Cottage and as a result, they conceded after just 25 minutes of play.

Bobby Reid punished Jurgen Klopp’s sloppy defence with a curling effort that left Alisson stunned.

Even after some tactical changes, Liverpool only got themselves back into the game through a late penalty. Mohamed Salah slotted away the spot-kick in the 79th minute but didn’t look like they would penetrate Fulham’s defence any more than this.

One player who was particularly disappointing tonight was Sadio Mane. The fiery winger who usually causes huge problems for the opposition was kept quiet far too easily by the Cottagers’ defence.

Mane let Klopp down vs Fulham

In what looked to be an easy win for Liverpool on paper turned out to be a very difficult fixture. The Reds couldn’t capitalise on Fulham’s poor form and still trail to Spurs who are top of the table.

Klopp’s entire front three were almost anonymous, aside from Salah’s penalty deep into the second half.

Mane was especially quiet, despite playing the full 90 minutes at the Cottage.

According to Sofascore, the clinical winger failed to register a single shot on target and he lost possession 14 times. He also missed a huge chance to find the back of the net and he made even fewer passes (17) than goalkeeper Alisson (24).

The £100,000 per week attacker was hugely off his game and will be furious with himself for putting in such a disappointing shift, so much so that he badly let his manager down.

He can only reflect on his errors and look to rectify them on Wednesday when the clash of the title contenders goes down.

Liverpool will play host to Spurs in what promises to be a very entertaining match, but it will be a must-win for Klopp and his men, who are desperate to retain their first-ever Premier League title.

In other news, Liverpool handed transfer blow with RB Leipzig’s Dominik Szoboszlai…

Southampton’s predicted XI to challenge league leaders Everton

Southampton will hope they can keep their positive run of form going after upsetting Chelsea last time out with a surprise 3-3 draw at Stamford Bridge. The Saints will host Premier League leaders Everton this afternoon in a quest to deliver them their first defeat of the 2020/21 season.

As it stands, the Saints are just one point behind ninth place Spurs and could really make headway up the table with a win over the Blues. Ralph Hasenhuttl announced that Mohammed Salisu will still not make his debut this week, however. Fans must wait a bit longer before they see their new signing take to the big stage.

Football FanCast has predicted how Southampton might line up against the Toffees this afternoon…

Whilst Hasenhuttl is onto a winning formula, it’s unlikely he will make many changes where he doesn’t have to. But Theo Walcott will be unavailable for selection against his parent club, meaning the right-hand side will open up for new personnel with Stuart Armstrong having been suffering with Coronavirus. The Austrian could opt to shift James Ward-Prowse a bit higher up the pitch with Nathan Redmond, deploying both Ibrahima Diallo and Oriol Romeu in front of the defence.

Dominic Calvert-Lewin has been on fire for the Blues and it will be imperative to keep him quiet and shut out any potential attacks. With no Richarlison, he will be starved of his usual reception, which is a huge boost for Southampton, but they will still need to be on the look out.

Shifting Ward-Prowse further to the right will also allow him to link-up with Kyle Walker-Peters at right-back, nullifying the attacking threat of Lucas Digne. The former Spurs man enjoys joining the attack and could overlap the midfielder to keep Everton on their toes and create some surprise counter-attacks.

In an unchanged attack, Che Adams will pair up with Danny Ings, who will be looking to continue his impressive record against the Toffees. The ex-Liverpool striker has scored more goals against his former rivals than he has any other team, a goal for him will be almost sure to upset the league leaders.

In other news, Southampton made shrewd profit on Nathaniel Clyne just in the nick of time…

Tottenham: Ndombele lavished with praise %%title%% %%page%% %%sep%% %%sitename%%

Writing on Twitter, reliable Spurs correspondent Alasdair Gold heaped praise on midfielder Tanguy Ndombele as the one ‘real ray of light’ after his first-half performance against West Brom at the Hawthorns.Â

Ndombele, who impressed during a somewhat lacklustre first 45 minutes, made two key passes over that time whilst standing out above the likes of Harry Kane, Son Heung-min and Gareth Bale – with that front trio tipped to take the game by storm.

Ndombele praise

However, during the first period, one man who really stood out for Gold was Ndombele – and the journalist called him a ‘real ray of light’ for his brilliant showing after he has seemingly been rejuvenated under Jose Mourinho.

Spurs went through a scare with the star man going down in a lot of pain at one stage, and was substituted soon after, with supporters potentially hoping it isn’t serious.

A report by Get French Football News earlier in the summer claimed both the Frenchman and Mourinho had a behind the scenes bust-up, with his future looking severely in doubt at one stage.

Transfer Tavern take

Signed for a club-record £53.8 million, a significant investment by chairman Daniel Levy, Spurs supporters could now be glad they’re currently seeing the very best of Ndombele after a brief spell of tension at the club.

Indeed, the ‘phenomenal’ 23-year-old has shone in a role more further forward recently in central attacking midfield, arguably a tactical masterclass by Mourinho which has allowed him to express his ability in a less shackled role.

Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg and Moussa Sissoko, the enforcers sitting just behind Ndombele, give license for the player to wreak havoc with his boundless energy and creativity.

After his first-half showing, as Gold says, it’s safe to assume Spurs won’t want to lose him.

In other news: Fans were in full reaction after Mourinho’s comments, find out more here.Â

West Ham fans fume at Moyes for leaving out Cullen against Arsenal

West Ham United fans had more to be pleased about against Arsenal than they had done against Newcastle United, though that isn’t a very high bar for them to have got over.

It was a resolute performance at the Emirates, though it eventually wasn’t enough, as Eddie Nketiah’s goal in the 85th minute meant the Hammers remain pointless after two Premier League games.

Hilariously obscure Premier League players – Can you name them all?

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While the claret and blue army will give certain players credit for their individual performances, it is unlikely Moyes will be getting too much appreciation for the decisions he made.

One of those which has caused fury among West Ham fans is the decision to leave Josh Cullen out completely, with the Republic of Ireland international not even being given a place on the bench.

A fan looked back at how Carlos Sanchez was often given a place on the bench as a benchmark, while another hinted that this attitude is what led to the departures of Grady Diangana and Jeremy Ngakia.

This feeling is only made stronger following his performance in the Hammers’ 3-0 Carabao Cup win over Charlton Athletic, in which the 24-year-old was named Man of the Match.

During that match, he completed three tackles, two interceptions and maintained a pass success rate of 92% – one of those passes, which was clipped over the top to Andriy Yarmolenko, created Sebastien Haller’s second of that match.

Whether he should have started against the Gunners is another question, but fans have been left frustrated after he wasn’t even afforded a place on the bench.

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