A new manager is always under intense scrutiny when he takes charge of a club, and that statement certainly applies to Leeds United’s new head coach Paul Heckingbottom.
The Yorkshireman was appointed as the Championship outfit’s new leader this week, just a matter of days after Thomas Christiansen left Elland Road.
Heckingbottom has a big job on his hands as the club currently reside 10th in the table, seven points adrift of the playoff places.
The team have gone six games without a win, but they will be trying to get back on track this weekend when they face Sheffield United away on Saturday.
Following Heckingbottom’s appointment, which was controversial given that he extended his deal at Barnsley just four days prior, the new head coach gave his first official interview.
The Whites provided a snippet of the chat on Twitter, alongside a link to the full video.
The new coach seems to have gotten off on the right foot, with the fans at least.
Back in 2012, nobody gave Chelsea hope of winning the competition at this stage but Didier Drogba smashed home the winning penalty to make history for the Blues.
Two years on now with Jose Mourinho back in charge and an improving squad with more flair, talent and attitude attack the final eight of the Champions League with fresh hope.
Don’t get me wrong, PSG are a strong side but they aren’t Real Madrid, Barcelona or Bayern Munich.
Chelsea will be upset not to have got a result tonight but also confident that they can overturn the scoreline in the second leg, especially if Ibrahimovic is out.
Here is why we think the Blues can still do it.
Home advantage
Chelsea are formidable at home and there current form at Stamford Bridge is enough to make any team worried about visiting West London.
Tonight’s result was not what Mourinho will have been looking for but a crucial away goal and the Bridge support could well swing it in their favour.
It is a tough ask but if any team are going to do it, Chelsea can.
Jose Mourinho
The man just knows how to win trophies.
Whether it be shrewd transfer work, mind games with other managers or simply getting on with his players – Mourinho has instilled the winning mentality again among the Chelsea squad.
Having won the Champions League with Porto and Inter Milan in the past, this is the trophy ‘The Special One’ wants to win most with the Blues.
Eden Hazard
A matchwinner is hard to come by in World football but Chelsea certainly have one in Eden Hazard.
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He stroked home his penalty wonderfully tonight but his overall input was good, with no defender in the world able to cope with him at the moment it seems.
The Belgian will only get better with time but he is undoubtedly one of the best young players in the world at the moment.
Alan Pardew has revealed that superstar manager Jose Mourinho has a significant influence on his coaching of Newcastle United.
The Magpies have been hugely successful since the arrival of Pardew, almost reaching the Premier League’s top four last season, and are now near to qualifying for the Europa League’s last 32.
Pardew has been telling the Chronicle that his friend Mourinho, whose methods he studied when the current Real Madrid manager was with Chelsea, is responsible for some of the techniques he has adopted in managing a successful Premier League team.
“I used to watch Chelsea regularly as it was on my doorstep. It was when Jose Mourinho was there. There were things that I was seeing that I hadn’t seen in English football before,” Pardew said.
“Some of the managerial traits that he was bringing I learned from. And I can’t help but say I’ve nicked a few of them.”
Pardew and Mourinho are great friends, the Portuguese manager congratulated Pardew on his LMA and Premier League Manager of the Year awards, and famously texted him before Newcastle’s first match of this season’s Europa League campaign in August. Last month he even praised Pardew’s work with Newcastle.
Pardew also admitted that many managers have influenced him saying, “The big managers that I’ve come across and been lucky enough to deal with have influenced me. The impact of foreign managers can’t be lost on my education. Arsene Wenger is another. There are a few people who have influenced me in my career – Steve Coppell for sure.”
Earlier this month, Newcastle player Davide Santon noted the Special One’s influence on Pardew, saying his boss has “a lot in common with Mourinho.”
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As reported by The Express, Crystal Palace have joined the race to sign Celtic midfielder Stuart Armstrong, rivalling long-time admirers Southampton.
What’s the story?
Armstrong is entering the final year of his current contract at Celtic Park, after extending his deal for a further 12 months last summer.
Increasingly struggling to win a place in Brendan Rodgers’ starting eleven, the likelihood of him extending his stay in Glasgow now seems slim.
The Express say that Crystal Palace are eager to sign him, with the bidding deemed to start at around £4m, given his contract situation.
The paper also report that the Eagles will face competition from the likes of Southampton for his signature, who have held a long-term interest in his situation at the Hoops.
[brid autoplay=”true” video=”252976″ player=”12034″ title=”Watch 21 things that will definitely happen at the World Cup”]
Should Southampton ensure he ends up at St Mary’s?
Armstrong may have never played consistently at an elite level comparable to the English Premier League, but he’s shown all the signs that he is capable of making the step up.
Last season wasn’t one of the strongest of his career to date but he was still a handy midfield option for Brendan Rodgers. The year prior was much more successful for the Bhoys, scoring a fantastic 17 goals from midfield.
He has the kind of attacking ambition in the middle of the park that could add real freshness to the Saints set-up, a team that are looking to play more positively next season after far too many draws in 2017/18.
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With experience in Europe and at international level, he is well placed to attempt to make an impact in a stronger league.
Southampton have had plenty of success signing from the Scottish top-flight previously with the likes of Victor Wanyama, Virgil van Dijk and Steven Davis becoming favourites.
Armstrong can provide the kind of industrious and determined midfield play that has seen Davis himself have such a successful career at the Saints and at the reported £4m, Mark Hughes shouldn’t hesitate in signing him up.
Liverpool bid Javier Mascherano a fond farewell in 2010 when he left Anfield to join Barcelona.
The midfielder, who also played as a centre-back at the Camp Nou, is ready to move on again.
The Spanish club announced earlier today that the 33-year-old will leave for pastures new at the end of the month.
Mascherano has had a stellar career at Barcelona having won 17 trophies in eight years, including two Champions League crowns and four La Liga titles.
The Daily Mail claims that the Argentine will continue his career further afield in China, with reports stating that he is likely to join Hebei China Fortune.
Liverpool fans, though, have other ideas as they have called for the club to bring back their former midfielder.
Mascherano spent three years at Anfield, making 139 appearances before moving to Spain.
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Even though it seems that the former West Ham United player is set for a transfer to the Far East, Liverpool supporters are keeping their fingers crossed that he could return to Merseyside.
There has been something discreet about Manchester United’s recent run of form.
Everyone is enamoured with Luis Suarez and discussion – the same discussion we had last season about Gareth Bale – about him being as good as Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, as well as the managerial situation at Tottenham and various other goings on in the Premier League, including evil owners plucked from a James Bond film, that we’ve sort of overlooked United.
And that’s probably the best thing that could have happened for David Moyes. He’s been without Robin van Persie and Wayne Rooney for spells, but he’s nevertheless found results from peripheral figures. Danny Welbeck has been excellent, repaying the faith that the manager must have been showing him. But Manchester United’s problem(s) isn’t about to be swept away after a good run of results.
Gary Neville, answering questions on his Twitter account, said with absolute certainty that United would finish in the top four. That’s a credit to Moyes in that Neville believes he can do it, even after the difficulties the new United manager has faced this season. At present, United are sixth in the Premier League and could move up even further if they beat Tottenham on New Year’s Day. After that, the only standout league fixture in January is the away tie at Chelsea.
But United need a midfielder, for God’s sake they need a midfielder. The issue wasn’t addressed with the signing of Marouane Fellaini in the summer, a player of completely contrasting abilities to that of Cesc Fabregas and Ander Herrera. It’s not to say United must spend big in the New Year to fuel their push for a top four finish, it’s just that they need to buy someone who fits the mould of what they need, regardless of price.
This is Moyes’ best chance to stamp his mark on the club after the first opportunity was so emphatically wasted. There’s no use sitting outside stadiums like the Camp Nou for days on end with a big sign asking “how much” when the message has already been made clear: not for sale. Moyes and those in charge of transfer affairs at Old Trafford need to identify realistic targets and move for them swiftly. Players like Borja Valero at Fiorentina, who is having a fantastic season and is exactly the type of scheming midfielder United need. Yohan Cabaye is another one.
Finishing in the top four will buy Moyes time. He will have another chance to reshape this United team in the summer if the absolute minimum of Champions League football is achieved. In order to do that, though, he’ll need to continue to feed the fire. Whatever he’s doing now, he’s doing right. Winning 1-0 away to Norwich, where a club like United should be getting more, can have its positives. One way or another, it’s another win.
Moyes has somewhat ridden out the storm: those questioning his merits as a top manager and the harsher extreme of calling for his head. He’s been favoured by the unpredictability of this Premier League season, where come the end, a win could crown a champion and a loss could see a contender finish fifth.
He knew how to be economical at Everton, spending only what he believed to be of value and within the budget of the club. At United, he must take on a similarly meticulous approach. January is a chance to save United’s season. It’s also a chance to properly mark his arrival as the club’s new manager.
Martin O’Neill was extremely critical of chants from his own Sunderland supporters of ‘we wish you were dead’ directed at Newcastle defender Steven Taylor.
Despite Taylor doing his utmost best to wind up Black cat supporters in the build-up to the game, the Sunderland boss said any such abuse was in poor taste.
The Newcastle centre half only entered the red hot atmosphere at the stadium of light later on in the game, but this did not save him from receiving a rough ride.
Whilst it was only a small section of supporters chanting the vitriol, it has marred what was a well fought Tyne-Wear derby with both sides sharing the spoils in a 1-1 draw.
Newcastle United supporters are not believed to be completely blameless either, with some of them directly distasteful chants too, in the direction of Sunderland’s Lee Cattermole.
In derby day matches, with tensions running high, O’Neill accepts that sometimes emotions run over, but he believes they shouldn’t to the level they did for some fans yesterday.
The Sunderland Manager went on to tell sky sports regarding the Taylor chants. “If that is what they were singing then it would be in very poor taste. If I had heard that I would have been disappointed with that.”
He was also happy to have a jibe back at the defender who suggested not a single Sunderland player would make the Newcastle XI by saying “Some of the players had passed comment. He is entitled to his opinion. I am delighted he made their bench!”
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Next up for O’Neill’s men is a trip to the Britannia stadium to take on Stoke City this Saturday in a 3 O’clock kick off.
Mauricio Pochettino will be looking to improve his Tottenham squad this summer ahead of a renewed assault on major trophies after a tenth straight year without silverware in North London.
The Argentine has worked wonders with young, specifically English talent in order to clear out the deadwood at the club and transform them into Champions League regulars but he has reportedly signed his new five-year contract, which will keep him out of the clutches of Real Madrid on the premise that he will have money to invest in the playing staff this summer.
Ajax starlet Justin Kluivert, 19, has reportedly attracted interest from North London, after the success of Davinson Sanchez, another youngster from the Dutch giants joined Spurs last summer and was a roaring success.
That’s why we asked Tottenham fans whether they want their club to challenge Champions League semi-finalists Roma – who have reportedly agreed terms with Kluivert – but 59 per cent said no, as you can see from the poll below…
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It has come under criticism in recent years but the 2017/18 instalment of the FA Cup’s Third Round certainly didn’t disappoint.
It was kicked off by a cracking Merseyside derby and continued with a series of high-profile upsets, not least including Nottingham Forest’s 4-2 victory over Arsenal and Leeds United’s shock loss at Newport County, ensuring doubters that the magic of the FA Cup is far from lost.
While some triumphed during the Third Round weekend, however, others inevitably toiled; here’s a look at the winners and losers…
Losers – Renato Sanches and Anthony Taylor
Swansea and Wolves’ scoreless draw lacked quality but certainly didn’t let down in terms of talking points. Renato Sanches was Europe’s Golden Boy in 2016 after signing for Bayern Munich in a deal that could eventually cost the Bavarians £72million, but was received by a chorus of jeers and boos as he limped off with a hamstring injury late in the first half.
Anthony Taylor, meanwhile, bizarrely chose the largely insignificant FA Cup clash to make a statement on cynical fouls, issuing Leroy Fer a straight red for the kind of counter-attack-stopping challenge a booking has become the customary punishment for.
Many have tipped Taylor to become the Premier League’s next flagship referee following Mark Clattenburg’s departure, but the bold decision to deviate from the laws certainly won’t sit well with PGMOL – who appoint officials for top flight games.
Winner – Frank Nouble
The great beauty of English football is that every dog eventually has their day – which is exactly how Frank Nouble must have felt as his Newport County side shocked Leeds United to claim victory from a one-goal deficit with just 15 minutes left to go.
Since graduating from the academy at Chelsea, the striker’s career has only drifted downwards throughout the Football League, managing just 40 goals in 249 appearances and now finding himself in mid-table in the fourth tier.
But those many frustrating, many goalless spells must have felt worth it when the 26-year-old’s driven cross hit Leeds’ Conor Shaughnessy and diverted into the net, and even more so when youngster Shawn McCoulsky came off the bench to head home the winner late on. Nouble may have failed at the top of the English game, but he’s etched himself into a small piece of FA Cup folklore that won’t be forgotten quickly.
Winners – Nottingham Forest’s academy
Nottingham Forest’s 4-2 win over FA Cup holders Arsenal provided the weekend’s biggest dose of Third Round magic and the lion’s share of credit must go to those working at the club’s academy.
Forest’s starting XI included five graduates from the Forest youth ranks and it was that combination of enthusiastic energy and blind bravery that allowed the former European champions to pull off such a dramatic upset despite currently having no permanent manager.
That was epitomised best by the performance of goalscorer Ben Brereton, who ran Per Mertesacker and Rob Holding ragged before converting from the penalty spot.
Loser – Mark Hughes
It had been a long time coming but a 2-1 defeat to a Coventry Side 53 rungs below Stoke City in the Football League proved to be the final nail in the coffin for Mark Hughes’ tenure at the Bet365 Stadium.
From conceding sloppy goals at set pieces to throwing on a 36-year-old Peter Crouch for desperation punts up field in search of a late equaliser, the loss at the Ricoh Arena – which qualified as one of the biggest shocks of the Third Round yet hardly caught people off guard – encapsulated everything that’s gone wrong at the Potteries over the last 18 months.
Local media described it as one of the worst results in Stoke City’s history.
Winners – West Brom
While Exeter City represented one of the lowest-ranked sides involved in the Third Round, West Brom’s 2-0 victory at St. James Park must have felt like winning the FA Cup itself for those at the Hawthorns.
The relegation-threatened Baggies hadn’t won a match in any competition since August and Alan Pardew will view the end of that four-month hoodoo as just rewards for the small but significant improvements his side have shown since replacing Tony Pulis at the end of November.
Strikers Jay Rodriguez and Salomon Rondon got on the scoresheet as well; confidence in attack will be instrumental to West Brom avoiding the drop this season.
Winner – Virgil van Dijk
There’s no better way of introducing yourself at Liverpool than scoring the winning goal in the Merseyside derby, Virgil van Dijk settling the first clash of the Third Round on Friday night by rising highest at a corner and heading beyond an onrushing Jordan Pickford.
The Netherlands international still has a long way to go before he justifies his staggering £75million price-tag, but if Jurgen Klopp’s main motivation behind spending the big bucks was signing a defender prepared to take games by the scruff of the neck – be that in the opposition box or his own – the early signs are certainly promising.
Loser – Michy Batshuayi
If there were ever any doubts over whether Chelsea would sell Michy Batshuayi this summer, they’ve surely been eradicated by a profitless showing from Antonio Conte’s second-choice striker. With Alvaro Morata rested, it was up to the Belgium international to provide the cutting edge against an inconsistent Norwich City side, but he just couldn’t break the deadlock in an eventual scoreless draw at Carrow Road.
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Tellingly, Morata was brought on after 74 minutes and you have to wonder how many more chances Batshuayi will get to prove himself before the end of the season. What little faith Conte has in the 24-year-old clearly took another big dent against the Championship side.
Losers – Arsenal’s veterans
Although full credit must be given to a fearless Nottingham Forest side, the sheer scale of Arsenal’s Third Round faux pas simply can’t be ignored. This is the first time Arsene Wenger has been eliminated in the Third Round from 21 seasons at the Arsenal helm and goes down in the history books as one of the worst FA Cup defences of all time – if not officially the worst.
While that was partly due to the number of inexperienced players turning out for the Gunners, the north Londoners were truly let down by the more seasoned members of the team. Mertesacker and Mathieu Debuchy just couldn’t keep pace with Forest’s youthful legs, Theo Walcott and Danny Welbeck only made contributions in fits and spurts and Mohamed Elneny failed to provide a driving force in central midfield.
Perhaps the biggest culprit though, was the biggest veteran of them all – Wenger himself; Arsenal paid the price for severely underestimating the quality and desire of their Championship opposition.
The January window is upon us, and Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers is expected to be kept very busy.
Still yet to fulfil his summer task of sourcing a marquee signing, and now very keen to build on the momentum of the Reds early success this season that will see them go into Christmas day as the Premier League’s top dogs, the Ulsterman will be keen to put the coming window to good use.
But as we all know, the winter window is filled with transfer danger. Valuations for players are distorted out of all proportion – something the Anfield outfit will well know from their £35million acquisition of Andy Carroll – and priority targets are rarely available, forcing managers to often settle for a much-less preferred alternative.
But the biggest danger however remains panic buying – the act of purchasing below calibre players for extortionate fees, out of no particular need of desire, but rather fear of what might happen if you don’t snap them up.
CLICK ON LACINA TRAORE TO REVEAL THE SIX ‘PANIC BUYS’ LIVERPOOL MUST AVOID IN JANUARY
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