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West Brom fans have taken to Twitter in frustrated fashion after they crashed out of the FA Cup after losing to Brighton, in a game where they perhaps should’ve seen out a win after taking the lead in the 77th minute through Kyle Bartley.

The Baggies struck first when the defender prodded home in strange fashion, as he was off the pitch before reaching his leg around Leon Balogun who appeared to switch off completely.

That mix-up seemed to spark the Seagulls into life, and Florin Andone struck in the 82nd minute to take the game into extra-time.

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…

Chris Hughton’s men then took advantage of the additional period, with Glenn Murray notching a double to send the visitors into the fifth round, whilst the Hawthorns faithful were left to question some of Moore’s decisions in a game where they were minutes from victory.

Let’s see how the Baggies supporters reacted on Twitter…

Liverpool’s game against arch rivals Manchester United could put them back on top of the table or set them on a path of self-destruction once again.

It’s 29 years since Liverpool last won the top division in English football, and don’t the players and fans know it. That and the fact they’ve never won the Premier League has been a stick used to beat the Reds with over the last two decades. Glory has been close on a number of occasions, but they’ve always faltered.

Particularly when looking back at 2013/14, the pressure from the terraces was immense from April onwards. The fans were singing ‘we’re going to win the league’, the team bus had a red guard of honour for every home game and Steven Gerrard made his famous ‘this does not slip now’ speech. Liverpool wrapped themselves in a frenzy of pressure, and it got to them.

This year the pressure is mounting already and it’s only February. Posts are being shared on Twitter asking fans to turn up to games early because ‘we’ve got a title to win’ and it won’t be long before the streets are lined with fans. The problem is, Liverpool have to beat United or their fans and players will quickly get the shakes, and they haven’t beaten United at Old Trafford since 2009.

City have dealt with the pressure before in 2011/12 and 2013/14 where hope seemed lost with less than ten games to spare but they finished strongly in both those seasons to hold their nerve and clinch the title. Last season was a breeze, this season won’t be, but they seem prepared for it.

In the big games since the turn of the year against Liverpool, Arsenal and Chelsea, City have turned up and played without fear. However, Liverpool have looked wobbly and times, particularly against Brighton, Palace, Leicester and West Ham, teams they should be beating. The blue side of the title race have slipped up too, but they appear to have regained their stride.

City fans will cheer United on before their Carabao Cup Final against Chelsea because they know the game would mean more than just three points. It instils the ‘Liverpool are going to bottle it’ storyline inside the heads of the fans to a point where they overcompensate, become too passionate and then pile pressure on their own side.

Do you think Liverpool will beat United on Sunday?

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Steve Bruce will make his Hillsborough bow on Saturday afternoon when his Sheffield Wednesday side welcome Reading to South Yorkshire.

A new era is underway at Wednesday and the supporters will be hoping that Bruce can steer the ship in the right direction.

The Championship veteran has inherited a packed out squad, so one of his most pressing tasks will be to cherry-pick the players he believes are capable of taking Wednesday to the top-flight before offloading the deadwood in the summer.

Naturally, the supporters have already formed their own opinions about who should stay and who should go, and one man in particular has been identified as a potentially huge player in the future, namely Michael Hector.

The 6’4″ colossus, per Transfermarkt, has been a revelation since signing on a season-long loan deal from Chelsea.

The experienced enforcer has been a rock at the heart of defence, and his performances have forced the fans to call for a permanent deal.

His contract at Chelsea is due to expire in June 2020, so Maurizio Sarri may well be open to the possibility of selling him in the summer rather than losing him for nothing when his current deal expires.

Either way it’s fair to say the Wednesday fans are totally convinced by what they’ve seen from the 27-year-old  during his productive spell with the club so far.

Here’s what the Wednesday faithful have had to say about Michael Hector’s future:

حقق فريق الكرة بنادي أسوان فوزًا تاريخيًا على حساب الزمالك بهدف وحيد دون رد في المباراة التي جمعت بينهما ضمن منافسات الدوري المصري.

الزمالك واجه مع أسوان، على ملعب استاد القاهرة، ضمن منافسات الجولة الـ28 من عمر المسابقة المحلية.

وسجل إبراهيم جلال لاعب أسوان هدف المباراة الوحيد في الدقيقة 47 من عمر المباراة . هدف فوز أسوان على الزمالك 

وبهذة النتيجة تأكد تتويج فريق الكرة بالنادي الأهلي بلقب الدوري العام المصري للمرة الـ42 في تاريخه بعد وصول الفارق بينه وبين الزمالك إلى 17 نقطة بجانب خصم 3 نقاط من الأبيض في نهاية الموسم بسبب الانسحاب من مواجهة الأهلي في الدور الأول.

الزمالك واصل المركز الثاني في ترتيب الدوري، برصيد 55 نقطة، وذلك من 16 انتصارًا و7 تعادلات و5 هزائم.

بينما ارتفع رصيد أسوان إلى 34 نقطة في المركز التاسع بجدول الدوري،  من 8 انتصارات و10 تعادلات، وهُزم في 10 مواجهات.

  أحداث المباراة

الحكم محمد معروف يطلق صفارة انطلاق اللقاء بين الزمالك وأسوان. بداية اللقاء 

1″ هيثم الفيل يسدد كرة خطيرة يتصدى لها محمود جنش ويحرم أسوان من فرصة هدف محقق. فرصة أسوان الخطيرة على مرمى الزمالك 

23″ التبديل الأول لأسوان بخروج محمد إسماعيل ونزول أحمد عامر.

 30″ مرور نصف ساعة من أحداث اللقاء دون أهداف وسيطرة متبادلة بين الفريقين.

 47″ جوووووووووووووول الهدف الأول لأسوان عن طريق ابراهيم جلال في مرمى الزمالك. هدف أسوان الأول في مرمى الزمالك 

 انتهاء الشوط الأول من المباراة بتقدم أسوان بهدف وحيد دون رد.

47″ فرصة خطيرة للزمالك بعد رأسية قوية من مصطفى محمد يتصدي لها مسعد عوض حارس اسوان.  رأسية مصطفى محمد الخطيرة 

56″ تبديل جديد في صفوف اسوان بنزول اوميد اوكري محل محمد المرسي.

60″ تغييران في صفوف الزمالك بنزول حازم إمام وعمر السعيد بدلًا من مصطفى فتحي و حسام اشرف.

64″ نزول فادي فريد وخروج ابراهيم جلال صاحب هدف اسوان.

68″ نشوب مشاجرة بين لاعبي الزمالك وأسوان  مشاجرة لاعبي الزمالك وأسوان 

73″ تبديل جديد للزمالك بنزول كاسونجو بدلا من احمد عيد. 

 79″انذار لمصطفى دويدار لاعب اسوان.

81″ إنذار لحازم إمام لاعب الزمالك بسبب الاعتراض على حكم المباراة.

84″ تبديل أخير في صفوف الزمالك بخروج اسامة فيصل ونزول كريم بامبو.

 85″ مسعود عوض يتألق في التصدي لفرصة خطيرة للزمالك  تألق مسعد عوض في التصدي لفرصة الزمالك

Manchester United’s 2-0 home defeat against Paris Saint Germain on Tuesday was a much-needed wake-up call for their boardroom.

Ten wins in 11 before the game and it seems like Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is magic, here to save United from the boring football brought by Jose Mourinho. He’s now got them back into the top four which seemed an impossible task.

However, the results have merely papered over the cracks that lie in the heart of United’s defence and midfield. Sir Alex Ferguson failed to replace Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic and each manager since has failed too.

How Chris Smalling and Phil Jones have earned themselves new contracts is anyone’s guess, and the Red Devils have paid the price for Ed Woodward’s stubbornness in summer when he refused to capture top targets Toby Alderweireld or Harry Maguire. Everyone could tell United needed better defenders apart from the people at the club controlling the money.

Without a solid base to build from, United haven’t been able to commit enough men forward to create an exciting brand of football. Players who worry about the solidity of their defence are more likely to be cautious with their passing and movement when they have the ball, worried they might be susceptible to a counter-attack.

Solskjaer has injected belief into the players, and that cautiousness appears to have gone. That’s great against lesser teams because United’s defence is good enough to withstand their attacks, but against teams like PSG that confidence turns to carelessness.

For United to successfully play the football their fans long for, they must strengthen at the back this summer or risk jumping back on the managerial merry-go-round.

Indeed, it turns out Mourinho was right to complain all along.

Who do you think United should buy in summer?

رحب طارق يحيى المدير الفني المؤقت لنادي الزمالك، بتدريب الفريق حتى انتهاء منافسات بطولة دوري أبطال إفريقيا.

وقاد طارق يحيى الزمالك في مباراتين خسر أولهما أمام أسوان بهدف، وانتصر في الثانية على طنطا بنتيجة 3-1.

وقال طارق يحيى خلال مداخلة هاتفية عبر قناة النهار ببرنامج أوضة اللبس: “لو طُلب مني أن أستمر حتى البطولة الإفريقية لحين قدوم المدرب الجديد فلن يوجد لدي أي مشكلة، فأنا أول من بدأ البطولة مع الفريق، وأمتلك الخبرات الإفريقية والحكمة للعمل مع اللاعبين”.

وأضاف: “الأمر في يد مجلس إدارة الزمالك وتحت أمرهم في أي شىء، والنادي له فضل علي، ولو طلبوا مني التواجد فن أرفض”.

وتابع: “الخبثاء يهاجموني لأنني أحب الزمالك وأخلص له، وراضي بأي منصب داخل النادي وأسعد به لأنه بيتي”.

وواصل: “الزمالك بإدارته وجماهيره ولاعبيه قادرين على الفوز بدوري أبطال إفريقيا، سواء كنت متواجدًا أم لا”.

طالع أيضًا.. مرتضى منصور يعلن توقيع عقوبة على لاعب الزمالك ويعتذر لنادي طنطا

واستأنف: “الزمالك هو الأفضل وإن شاء الله سنحقق اللقب، ولو حقق اللاعبون الموجودون حاليًا البطولة الإفريقية سيكونون قد فعلوا كل شىء للجماهير بعدما فازوا بالسوبرالمصري والإفريقي والكونفدرالية الإفريقية وحققوا المكسب على الأهلي في الدوري”.

وتابع: “ربنا يسامح من يقول إنني أقبل قيادة الزمالك كـ(سبوبة) لأني لا أجد عملًا”.

واستأنف: “حامل الراية في مباراة أسوان كان يقول للحكم معروف خلال المباراة في السماعة اللاعب رقم 5 في أسوان إنذار ثان وطرد، كررها 5 مرات ولكن لم يستجب له محمد معروف”.

وأتم: “بجانب الغيابات والإصابات وانتقاد الناس للتشكيل الذي كان اضطراريًا، لكننا خسرنا بفعل فاعل”.

It’s still tough to understand quite how Liverpool have found themselves in their current position. Despite leading the way in the Premier League title race during the early stages of 2019, they’ve lacked the bite and consistency that made them such a deadly force earlier this season, and as the end of the season edges ever closer, the pressure on the shoulders of Jurgen Klopp is increasing by the week. 

This, according to Sky Sports pundit Paul Merson, has left the German panicking and struggling for the answers that he needs to help take Liverpool to the promised land. 

Speaking on The Debate, via Sky Sports, Merson said: “Jurgen Klopp is panicking”.

He offered a number of examples, noting: “Panic is setting in, as shown by his substitutions, bringing on Adam Lallana for Sadio Mane – you’ve got to win that game. Everton were never going to win the game – they had settled for a point. James Milner coming on… I like him, but you’ve got to win the game. You’ve got Daniel Sturridge and Xherdan Shaqiri on the bench. I’ve been a manager myself and sometimes you sit there after a game and think ‘I shouldn’t have done that’.”

Klopp, of course, finds himself in a very high-pressure situation. The Premier League title race is as close as it gets, and Liverpool have drawn the majority of their games over the last few weeks. Indeed, they’ve won just 2 of their last 7 games in all competitions, and that’s not title-winning form.

Is the situation getting to him? Maybe, but it’s also important to recognise that he’s been here before. He managed to win the Bundesliga in 2011 and 2012, despite the might of Bayern Munich, and that came with all the same pressures that he’s having to negotiate with now.

Some would argue that Merson, who has only managed one team – Walsall, for less than two years – is not in a position to criticise Klopp, and that’s certainly a fair comment to make, but the visibly frustrated, often angry Klopp of the last few weeks differs from the smiling, relaxed Klopp that began the season. There’s no way around that.

Still, the German has got his team into this position, and he’s got the ability to take things to the next level. It’s hardly panic stations, after all. Liverpool are just one point behind Man City – and it’s all to play for.

Thoughts?

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Tottenham Hotspur host Bundesliga leaders Borussia Dortmund at Wembley Stadium on Wednesday night in the first leg of their Champions League clash. 

Both sides are heading into this crunch encounter in fine form, and Spurs will fancy their chances of securing a positive result at home. 

Watch the video below to see the most insane overhead kick you will see this week…

However, Mauricio Pochettino cannot afford to underestimate the threat that Dortmund pose. In the likes of Marco Reus, Jadon Sancho and Christian Pulisic, the German club have an abundance of attacking quality in the wide areas.

What’s more, Spurs’ contingent of full-backs – featuring Kieran Trippier, Serge Aurier, Ben Davies and Danny Rose (with the latter duo potentially both absent anyway) – leaves much to be desired defensively.

In order offset this weakness and counter Dortmund’s strengths, Spurs ought to make the switch to a 3-at-the-back formation after using a diamond setup in the 3-1 win over Leicester on Sunday. This will ensure that their full-backs are covered by the additional centre-back, and will make it so that Dortmund can’t exploit Spurs’ defensive frailties in the wide areas so easily.

Which formation do you think Pochettino should use on Wednesday night? Let us know by commenting below..

Many were left stunned at Stamford Bridge when Kieran Trippier made an awful mistake, scoring a comical own-goal to seal Chelsea’s win in the London Derby on Wednesday night. 

However, this isn’t the first time Spurs’ full-backs have left them down this season.

While the mistakes aren’t as glaring as the England man’s comical gaffe, Spurs have a persisting issue when it comes to defending through the wings. There’s a reason why teams look to work down the sides to hurt them.

Trippier himself has made errors leading to goals multiple times, famously against the Manchester clubs this season when he gave the ball away leading to Marcus Rashford’s goal for United and being beaten too easily by Raheem Sterling for Riyad Mahrez’s goal.

Not only Trippier, but second-in-command Serge Aurier’s also infamous for his error-prone nature. A temperamental full-back often too aggressive for his own good, Aurier’s often made glaring mistakes in allowing attackers past him and costing goals for Spurs.

Danny Rose is quite similar, being questionable defensively and often being the target for opponents to run through, having dipped since the 2015/16 campaign that made him England’s first-choice left-back.

Ben Davies is probably one of Spurs’ more consistent outlets, but even he was outsmarted with Pedro’s movement on Wednesday night. While Spurs’ full-backs are big assets going forward because of their drive and crossing ability, they’ve created this hole of vulnerability on the defensive end.

After watching his side lose back-to-back games, Mauricio Pochettino needs to face reality. The most glaring problem is with his full-back’s frailties, as he needs to work them to be stronger and wiser defensively to weather the storm ahead.

Time to spend, Daniel Levy.

Swansea City managed to secure all three points against Millwall in Saturday’s Championship fixture, which helped keep their play-off dream alive. 

The Swans will have their sights set on securing a play-off spot in the current campaign, having enjoyed a rather successful time of things in the Championship recently.

Interestingly, the Welsh club managed to secure a player agreement recently, as according to Swansea City’s official website, Courtney Baker-Richardson has signed a new deal.

The 23-year-old joined the Swans in the summer of 2017 and it’s safe to say that he’s impressed during his time at the Liberty Stadium, scoring three goals in 12 appearances.

Here’s what the forward had to say about signing a new deal:

“I’m delighted to sign with the Swans for another year. I’m pleased to finally put pen to paper,”

“Now, I can concentrate fully on my football and trying to help the team make one final push towards the back end of the season. Hopefully, we can get into the play-offs.”

THE VERDICT:

Courtney Baker-Richardson has been impressive during his limited appearances in the current campaign, and he has a very bright future ahead of him, so the Swans will be delighted to have tied him down to a new deal.