All posts by z3u9t.icu

Glasgow Rangers ace Bongani Zungu has arrived at the Ibrox outfit with the burden of expectations on his shoulders. Steven Gerrard recently described him as a “dominant” midfielder. And the Rangers boss told the club’s website “Bongani fits the profile of player that adds further strength and depth to our midfield.”

He added “we wanted a dominant midfielder with the right profile who can enhance the team and compliment other players we have.”

Gerrard is hardly short of midfield options at the moment, as Scott Arfield, Steven Davis, Ryan Jack and Glen Kamara have all impressed in recent weeks. But he must unleash Zungu when his side travel to Parkhead to face Celtic on Saturday.

Whilst some may argue that it is far too early for him to make his first-team debut in the Old Firm derby, do not allow yourself to be fooled so easily. In fact, far from it, as Amiens official John Williams insisted “his skill level is very high. He is a hard worker and technically good. He can do everything.”

Similarly, former Rangers man Dean Furman has backed Zungu to succeed in Scotland. The South African believes his countryman can cope with the rigorous demands of life as a professional footballer at the Ibrox outfit. He told The Daily Record “I don’t know how Bongani is fitness-wise but it would be really amazing if he was ready and thrown into the Old Firm game.”

Per SofaScore, the 27-year-old made 21 appearances in Ligue 1 for Amiens last season, whilst he averaged 1.3 tackles, at least 1 clearance and 1 big chance created per game, which implies that he is a wrecking ball in all parts of the pitch.

And a look at his heatmaps last term reveals that he is both confident on the ball and comfortable under pressure, which is exactly the type of character who can adapt to a game that is notorious for its physical demands. He is used to dealing with public scrutiny after playing for Mamelodi Sundowns, who are one of the biggest teams in South Africa, so he should be able to handle a baptism of fire.

Gerrard can catch Celtic by surprise if Zungu is given the opportunity to prove himself as the attacking box-to-box midfielder could exploit gaps at the back.

He has already admitted he can’t wait to get started with the Gers. And the South Africa international will want to make a good impression if and when the chance arises.

AND in other news, Steven Gerrard should start Rangers ace Ianis Hagi in Old Firm derby…

After trailing twice in their clash against West Ham in the Premier League on Sunday afternoon, Newcastle managed to secure themselves a creditable 2-2 at St James’ Park.

Steve Bruce’s side would no doubt have been hoping to follow up their impressive 4-1 thrashing of Bournemouth with another victory in the top-flight, but whilst they didn’t manage to do just that, they kept up their unbeaten run in the league.

But whilst a few of the Magpies players emerged from the game with some credit, Emil Krafth in particular had a largely forgettable game. Whilst the Swede did pick out Miguel Almiron for Newcastle’s first equaliser, the right-back endured a torrid outing in every other respect.

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As per Sofascore, he made just one tackle and no interceptions, whilst also losing nine of his 12 total duels – out of the five that he contested in the air, he came out second-best in every single one.

And those defensive struggles extended to his quality on the ball too, with Krafth managing to lose the ball on 25 separate occasions over the course of the 90 minutes. To put that into context, Jonjo Shelvey, who lost it the second-most, only conceded possession 18 times.

Every time the full-back found himself in a promising position out wide to put a dangerous delivery into the box, he failed. He attempted six crosses for the Magpies, and absolutely none of them found their mark, with his two attempted long balls also going awry too.

With Joelinton playing out wide on the left, had Krafth managed to deliver a decent delivery to the back-post, the Brazilian could well have made his mark on the game.

Instead, West Ham found it far too easy to clear their lines, and it was no surprise that his 6.7 match rating was the third-worst of any Newcastle player on the pitch.

The Swede badly let down Steve Bruce in a game the Magpies could really have continued to kick on from.

Manchester United are close to agreeing a deal with Borussia Dortmund to sign Jadon Sancho this summer, reports say.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has identified the 11-cap England international as his top target in the transfer window as he feels he can fill the right sided forward role that has frustrated Man United for several years now.

Rarely a day goes by without a report tipping Sancho with a move to Old Trafford, although talks have intensified after the Red Devils reached the Champions League by clinching a third-place finish on the final day of the Premier League season.

According to The Guardian, the English forward has agreed personal terms to pave the way for him to sign a five-year-deal at the Theatre of Dreams.

Fabrizio Romano revealed both clubs are confident they can seal a deal to make the 20-year-old the most expensive English football player in history, as Man United are expected to spend an initial €100m (£90m) fee over the course of three instalments, with an extra €20m for performance-related bonuses.

It is understood that Dortmund want to sort out a transfer by next week to give them time to find a replacement and meet their original deadline of August 10.

Sancho is set to receive wages which are reportedly worth £250,000 a week, which will be a huge increase on what he currently earns at the Signal Iduna Park.

The former Manchester City graduate was the Bundesliga club’s top scorer last season, having scored 20 goals and supplied 18 assists in all competitions (via WhoScored), and will be expected to compete with Anthony Martial, Marcus Rashford and Mason Greenwood for a place in Solskjaer’s side.

He has emerged as one of Europe’s hottest talents after leaving the Etihad for Dortmund three years ago.

Fans will have to wait and see how the story develops but it seems as though Sancho may become a United player in a matter of days and he could follow in the footsteps of club legends David Beckham and Eric Cantona to wear the famous No. 7 jersey.

United fans, do you think Ed Woodward will sign Sancho this summer? Let us know down below!

Name: Rhian Brewster

Club: Liverpool

Date of Birth: 1 April 2000

Position: Centre-forward

Rhian Brewster – His career so far

Rhian Brewster is one of the Liverpool youngsters who are currently out on loan in search for better opportunities and a more stable path towards developing properly. The 20-year-old centre-forward is now plying his trade at Swansea City but the early signs do point towards him having a big career if he can continue progressing the same way.

His Liverpool journey, however, started when he was a 15-year-old boy as he joined the Scousers from Chelsea and rapidly progressed through their ranks. Both his debuts at the U18 and U23 levels were marked with success and he even bagged a goal in a 3-0 win vs Ipswich Town in the Premier League Cup on January 22, 2017 for the latter squad.

Spells with both teams ended up being quite thrilling for the youngster and he managed to record five goals and four assists in just 11 games for the U18s and even more impressively, 13 goals and ten assists across a total of 28 matches for the U23s. It should also be noted that he was a part of Liverpool’s UEFA U19 team, rattling the inside of the net two times in six appearances.

Interestingly enough, Brewster really didn’t have to wait long for his first encounters with the senior squad as he was named in their matchday squad for the first time, aged just 17, in a home Premier League game with Crystal Palace in April 2017.

Still, injuries and other obstacles stood in the way of his progress and he only managed to tally three senior appearances since, once in the FA Cup against Everton and two times the EFL Cup, all in 2019/20.

But it should also be noted that he was on the bench for both Liverpool’s historic wins over Barcelona at Anfield and against Tottenham Hotspur in the final of the Champions League when the Reds conquered Europe.

Following those three appearances for the seniors, Brewster was sent out on loan to Swansea where he can currently boast with four goals in 11 appearances.

Transfer latest

At the very moment, we’re still waiting for any kind of Liverpool news on Brewster’s loan deal which is set to expire in the coming summer. But the changes to the market caused by the recent outside events could, of course, make things much more complicated.

But the latest transfer rumours do indicate that the likes of Leeds United are interested in taking the 20-year-old forward on loan as well but they were actually warned against that by their former player, Danny Mills.

After his exit to Swansea, Brewster talked at length about the transfer news that confirmed his departure, saying that he had to go out on loan in order to get more minutes and ensure he keeps developing.

At the moment, those are all the transfer rumours surrounding the young forward and it remains to be seen what the future holds for him in these unprecedented times.

Player profile

One of Brewster’s biggest assets is definitely his sheer versatility. Even though he is a centre-forward by trade, he’s been used both in wider and deeper areas throughout his career, according to the games Transfermarkt have in their database.

His heatmap suggests the same thing – typically the centre-forwards will mostly be prioritising the area inside the opposition’s box but Brewster drifts wide on both flanks and interacts with his teammates all over the final third.

This is done both instinctively as a part of his player profile but also as a tactical way of confusing the opposition by constantly swapping places with some of the other forwards and midfielders, making the task of marking them that much more difficult.

Even though he does have an eye for goal, he averages just 1.86 shots per game with 44.4% accuracy so that means there’s still some room for improvement there. Similarly, he can sometimes be brushed off the ball far too easily and adding more muscle could be a good idea for the youngster in the near future.

So far, no Liverpool news suggests he’ll have a major role in the team upon his return but maybe it wouldn’t be a bad idea to keep developing elsewhere until he’s ready for such a huge step-up.

The talent is certainly there.

Key information about Home Park

The new and redeveloped Home Park was built in 2001 and is now, fittingly, the home of Plymouth Argyle. The ground is located in the Milehouse area of the city, next to Central Park, and is also known as the Theatre of Greens with green fields and parklands on three sides of the stadium.

Its current capacity stands at 17,150 and the pitch measures 106m by 68m. It also has no running track nor undersoil heating and the surface is covered with fibrelastic rootzone grass.

The stadium’s record attendance was set back in 1936 with 43,596 supporters watching the home side’s Second Division clash versus Aston Villa.

A history of Home Park

Even though the newest and present version of Home Park dates back to 2001, the stadium was indeed used much earlier than that. Originally, it was the home of the now-defunct Devonport Albion rugby team between 1893 and 1898 but following their departure after a dispute with the owner, the stadium would not be used for three long years.

In 1901, Argyle Athletic Club would settle into the Theater of Greens after obtaining the lease and even though they wanted it to be used for athletics, the lease owners preferred football and staged various trials with Argyle Football Club, eventually gathering a much larger crowd and going into a completely different direction to what was first envisioned.

In 1903, the club changed its name into Plymouth Argyle and became a professional side that very year. Their first competitive match staged at Home Park was against Northampton Town on 5 September 1903 with a crowd of 4,438. At first, it was a very basic ground with only 2,000 places officially available on nothing more than one wooden grandstand with the other three sides of the stadium surrounded by slag heap banking with a waist-high fence.

However, things started to change in the 1920s when the club joined the Football League – the wooden structures were replaced with larger and more modern stands and concrete terracing was also added on the other three sides. They also added a roof and the new stand would also house the dressing rooms and club offices. With more and more people flocking in, they finally recorded their highest attendance ever in 1936 when Plymouth Argyle welcomed Aston Villa in front of 43,596 people.

And then, World War II hit and following heavy bombing, the stadium had to be rebuilt in the post-war era with several drastic changes taking place. Some of those included the erection of a new Grandstand, floodlights, new roof and the increase in capacity over the years with more seats constructed. In the 1990s, the stadium was largely unchanged but at the turn of the millennium, it would experience modernisation once again.

Even though they had plans to move to an entirely new stadium, that idea was abandoned and instead, they set about completely revamping Home Park. That new plan was announced in 2000 and would be carried out in two phases, only first of which was completed in the end and it involved the redevelopment of Devonport End, Lyndhurst Stand, and Barn Park End.

In 2006, they finally purchased the land and became sole owners and the following year, Home Park was converted into an all-seater. Three more projects followed suit in the next months – the Mayflower Terrace was replaced with a temporary, unreserved seating that had a capacity of 3,500, a new public address system was installed, and the stadium’s last iconic floodlight towers were dismantled after 54 years of service.

More improvements were on the way in recent years but nothing too big apart from the redevelopment of the Grandstand in 2018 and a new supporter’s’ bar being erected in place of the old one which was called ‘Far Post Club’. The club store façade was also given a new look in October 2019.

Tickets to watch Plymouth Argyle at Home Park

All tickets to watch Plymouth Argyle at Home Park can be found on the club’s official website. The price varies and they offer three different categories: Gold, silver and bronze. The most expensive adult ticket in the Gold category costs £20.

You also have the option of purchasing a season ticket and signing up for their membership, both of which come with certain benefits over the course of a season.

Related links

https://www.pafc.co.uk/ – Official website of Plymouth Argyle

Is it any surprise that Everton are being linked with moves for Real Madrid duo Gareth Bale and James Rodriguez?

Ever since Carlo Ancelotti’s arrival as manager at Goodison Park, the Toffees have automatically received a step-up in reputation, and according to the latest transfer talk, they are aiming very high indeed.

Spanish publication Marca have claimed that Ancelotti’s side have drawn up a shortlist of targets for the summer transfer window, and that both Bale and Rodriguez amongst the group of names being considered.

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The report adds that Bale’s salary could potentially be a sticking point, and that “although Farhad Moshiri appears willing to offer a long contract to the pair in order to twist their arms, it seems an ambitious move to go for the Madrid duo.”

After hearing about the news, Everton fans took to Twitter to voice their thoughts on the situation, and some very sarcastic and joking about the whole thing.

A couple of supporters insisted they should swerve a move for Bale in particular due to him being very expensive and liable to end up being injured.

One Everton fan however appeared to be a little more optimistic and insisted that the club has to “aim high” in order to challenge for trophies.

Whether it comes to fruition or not, it’s still a rather major statement of intent that Ancelotti is supposedly targeting two high-profile superstars like Bale and Rodriguez.

His name and profile means the Toffees can attract bigger and better players, and if he feels like he can be the key to luring them to Goodison Park, then it may be worth the ride.

Meanwhile, Everton fans react to reports about this ace.

Liverpool have been the best team in England so far this term.

The current pandemic has put a stop to their procession to the title, but before professional football on these shores, and indeed across the continent, was suspended, they were just two wins and six points away from being named champions. As it stands, they are 25 points clear at the top of the table, which is the biggest such margin in the history of the division.

Manchester United, meanwhile, are 37 points behind the Reds and are fighting for a Champions League spot. Bruno Fernandes has had a massive impact since he joined for £47m in January – the Red Devils are unbeaten in the nine matches he has played – but in the long-term, you would expect them to need more recruitment to fight for the title.

Not if you are Twitter page The United Stand, though. They say that the Old Trafford outfit would be 30 points better off if the Portugal international had been at the club since the start of the campaign, which would have them just seven points adrift at this stage.

As you can imagine, this has tickled the Liverpool supporters. They have taken to Twitter to share their thoughts, and you can see some of the best comments from the social media platform below.

Let us know what you think!

Karim Benzema has been one of the most important players in the ongoing 2019/20 season for Real Madrid.

The experienced Frenchman has so far bagged nine goals and managed to get a further three assists under his belt in La Liga in addition.

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But he is now 31 years of age and evidently he won’t go on forever.

Interestingly enough, Juninho Pernambucano, the sports director over at Olympique Lyon, recently spoke about Benzema and how he wishes to incorporate the striker in the not so distant future, as was quoted by Mundo Deportivo.

He even goes on to say that they even exchanged messages so there might be something in that story after all.

But upon seeing this update, many Real Madrid fans were divided and couldn’t really get on the same page about it.

Some would seemingly sell the striker, who has scored 233 goals in 480 games for the La Liga giants, in a heartbeat, while others don’t want to let him go at all.

You can see some of their replies and reactions down in the collection of tweets below.

Check them out…

This article is part of Football FanCast’s Opinion series, which provides analysis, insight and opinion on any issue within the beautiful game, from Paul Pogba’s haircuts to League Two relegation battles…

Roma have so far endured quite a bumpy ride in their 2019/20 Serie A campaign.

The Gladiators from the Italian capital are currently sitting in sixth but their last two fixtures saw them beaten by Borussia Monchengladbach and Parma in Europe and in the domestic league respectively.

Still, looking at their squad and its potential for the future, there are certainly some talents who might go on to eventually become stars.

One such player is definitely Nicolo Zaniolo, their 20-year-old prodigy who has already been linked with an exit to the likes of Manchester United, as per some recent reports coming from Il Messaggero.

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The same source states the Red Devils have already scouted the young Italian and seem to like what they see.

Needless to say, for Roma, his potential exit would be a really bad piece of business.

Zaniolo has already scored three goals in 12 Serie A appearances and while it may seem like Roma could afford to lose him, netting 20 strikes so far, the youngster is far more important than first meets the eye.

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Along with Edin Dzeko with five and Aleksandar Kolarov with four, the 20-year-old is actually the only player who has more than two strikes to his name.

And this is without actually considering the player he could become in the future if properly groomed.

Looking at it from Manchester United’s point of view, it goes against their current needs.

After all, with the likes of Anthony Martial, Marcus Rashford and Daniel James, the Red Devils have plenty of young, up and coming players who can bang in the goals and besides, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is reportedly on a hunt for a more experienced and proven goal-scorer.

This reported interest in young players is admirable from the current Manchester gaffer but even the squad with high-potential troopers needs some veteran generals to guide them.

Adding another prospect is good for the future but not as good for the right here and right now.

Roma, on the other, can’t afford to part with their jewel, at least for the time being. The £36m-rated midfielder has amassed an impressive 1.9 shots per game and also 2.1 dribbles each outing on average. On that evidence, he’s a serious player.

If he continues developing, maybe the gains could be that much bigger for the Italians, regardless of whether he ends up staying in the capital or not.

Mesut Ozil was excluded from Arsenal’s squad for the sixth time this term ahead of last night’s Europa League clash against Vitoria SC prompting Ian ‘Moose’ Abrahams to claim he may as well ‘just leave.’It’s not looking good for Ozil, at the moment. Once a cherished piece of footballing art, Unai Emery appears to have made it his life’s mission to freeze the German out from his squad, affording him a meagre two appearances and 142 minutes of football.And while he’s sat on a cool £350,000 per week deal, at 31-years-old we’re fairly positive he doesn’t want to spend the remaining years of his football career collecting dust.Watch Arsenal Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

The Gunners only narrowly beat their Portuguese foes last night thanks to two freekicks from summer signing Nicolas Pepe. Had they failed to register a win, which was entirely possible given that Vitoria took the lead on two occasions, serious questions would have been asked of Emery, whose decision to play Ainsley-Maitland Niles in one of his attacking midfield roles backfired spectacularly.

The 22-year-old recorded a lowly 5.3 rating on WhoScored and was hauled off at half-time after making the error that led Vitoria’s second goal.

The Moose was straight to the point prior to kick-off…