Toby Alderweireld made his return from injury last week, much to the delight of Tottenham Hotspur fans, but it appears that the defender will not be called upon for Tuesday’s last-16 tie against Juventus in the Champions League.
According to The Telegraph, the Belgian will not travel with the squad to Turin, and will instead work on his fitness.
Alderweireld was on the treatment table for just over three months after suffering a hamstring injury during Tottenham’s 3-1 win over Real Madrid in the group stage of the Champions League.
The defender made his return in last Wednesday’s 2-0 victory over Newport in there FA Cup.
The 28-year-old played the full 90 minutes at Wembley, but was not named in the squad that earned a 1-0 triumph over North London rivals Arsenal at the weekend.
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Amid reports that Alderweireld will not be used in one of Spurs’ most important games of the season has got fans talking on Twitter.
Some are concerned that this news could be related to his future at the club.
West Ham United will look to move further away from the Premier League relegation zone when they face Liverpool at Anfield on Saturday.
The Irons were beginning to slip back towards the bottom three prior to their 2-0 win against Watford at the London Stadium last time out, which moved them up to 12th position and four points above 18th-placed Southampton.
The return of Marko Arnautovic from injury certainly helped David Moyes’ men when they hosted the Hornets, and goals from him and Javier Hernandez have given the Hammers a little bit of breathing space in their battle to avoid the drop.
However, they come up against a Liverpool side that have hit some form themselves in recent times, and the front three of Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino took their tally of goals to a remarkable 60 in all competitions this season during the 5-0 win against FC Porto in the first leg of their Champions League last 16 tie last week.
Moyes will know how important it is that his team keep picking up results, and having made the big decision to bring Arnautovic back into the starting XI against Watford, he will perhaps need to make some more on Merseyside to give the Irons the best possible chance of picking up a positive result.
Here is how West Ham must line up when they face Liverpool on Saturday, ahead of Adrian in goal…
Defence
James Collins and Angelo Ogbonna would have been fearing for their spots in the starting XI against Watford following below-par showings in the 3-1 defeat against Brighton and Hove Albion previously, but Moyes decided to stick with the duo against the Hornets with Winston Reid unavailable and Jose Fonte on the bench.
It was a move that paid off as the pair were influential in helping the hosts keep a clean sheet, and with Reid recovering from a throat infection the Scottish boss should choose to play Aaron Cresswell on the left side of a three-man defence once again.
Midfield
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David Moyes made a surprise decision to play Michail Antonio as a left wing-back in the victory against Watford, but once again it paid off as the 27-year-old was a constant threat down that flank, also providing an assist for Javier Hernandez’s goal.
Antonio should continue there at Anfield with Pablo Zabaleta on the other flank, but Moyes should choose to go with three in the middle of the park to give his team more control in possession and from a defensive point of view against such a free-scoring attack.
While Cheikhou Kouyate and Mark Noble are certain starters in the middle, Joao Mario should drop back into a central midfield three when the team are defending, but perhaps also be given the freedom to go forward and help the team offensively.
Attack
Manuel Lanzini has been missing for the last couole of weeks because of a hamstring injury, but he has hinted on his Instagram story, via Football.London, that he could be available for selection again this weekend.
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Moyes showed against Watford that he isn’t afraid to make big and risky decisions, and he should put Lanzini straight back into the starting XI at Anfield if he is ready to play because of the quality he has.
The Argentina international was proving he had a great relationship with the in-form Marko Arnautovic prior to his absence, and Moyes should look to play the Austrian ahead of the Argentine on Merseyside, with Javier Hernandez dropping to the substitutes’ bench despite scoring three goals in his last four Premier League appearances.
West Ham United signed Jordan Hugill from Preston North End in the final hours of the January transfer window.
The Hammers are believed to have paid in the region of £10m for the 25-year-old, who scored 10 times for Preston in the first half of the 2017-18 campaign.
Hugill has only played 12 minutes of Premier League football since his arrival, with the likes of Javier Hernandez and Marko Arnautovic ahead of him in the pecking order.
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It is going to be very interesting to see how many league minutes Hugill posts before the end of the season, especially with head coach David Moyes under huge pressure to pick up some results.
The West Ham fans have been reacting to the Hugill situation, and it would be fair to say that not many are too pleased.
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It was a surprise when the Hammers signed the forward in January, and he cannot buy a Premier League start for love nor money.
A selection of the Twitter reaction can be found below:
West Ham United defender Sam Byram has said that the Hammers missed Angelo Ogbonna and James Collins in Saturday’s Premier League clash against Swansea City.
Ogbonna and Collins both failed to make the squad through injury, while West Ham were hit with another defensive issue in the 27th minute of the match when Winston Reid was stretchered off the field with a serious knee problem.
Byram was the player that replaced Reid in Wales, but the full-back could not help his team avoid a 4-1 defeat to the Swans at the Liberty Stadium.
The 24-year-old has claimed that the absence of Ogbonna, Collins and Reid made it difficult for West Ham to avoid suffering a damaging loss in Wales.
Byram told West Ham’s official website:
“We were without Angelo and Ginge, and Winston got injured during the game and they are very experienced players and have played the majority of games for us, so to lose them was frustrating.”
West Ham have only collected 30 points from their 29 Premier League matches this season, with that total leaving them in 14th position in the table.
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Southampton in 17th are just two points behind West Ham, meanwhile, as the Hammers prepare for back-to-back home matches against Burnley and the Saints before the end of the month.
Craig Pawson has been appointed to referee this Saturday’s Northwest derby and although Liverpool fans have reacted more negatively to the news than their Manchester United counterparts after the 38-year-old awarded Everton a soft penalty in the Merseyside derby at Anfield earlier this season, ending 1-1, Red Devils supporters have a right to be concerned as well.
Indeed, in a worrying omen for Jose Mourinho’s side, the last United match Pawson officiated was the 1-0 defeat to Newcastle at St. James’ Park last moth, when he didn’t issue the Magpies a single yellow card despite committing 12 fouls yet booked Chris Smalling and Antonio Valencia.
That’s not to suggest Pawson has any kind of agenda against either side, but the statistics make worrying reading for the Red Devils too. Ranking in the top nine of the 19 referees to work in the Premier League this season for fouls per tackle and fouls, yellow cards and penalties per game, it’s clear Pawson is one of the division’s stricter referees.
Cross-reference that with what the statistics tell us about the two sides involved in Saturday’s 12.30pm kickoff. United have committed the fourth-most fouls of any Premier League team this season, whereas Liverpool are at the opposite end of the foul table, ranking 17th throughout the top flight – albeit, jumping up one place for fouls per game on the road. Accordingly, United have picked up 18 more yellow cards than the Reds this season.
Pawson will likely be a little more lenient than usual on Saturday – after all, what’s the point in watching English football’s biggest derby if the players aren’t allowed to make a fair share of meaty challenges?
But it’s still a clear word of warning for the Red Devils; considering the technical quality Liverpool have and the incredible pace of their forward play, free kicks in dangerous areas or bookings for key personnel, like left-back Ashley Young who will have to contain Mohamed Salah, could well be the difference on Saturday.
But the big positive for the neutrals in the context of recent Northwest derbies is how few draws Pawson has presided over this season. Just 22% of the Premier League fixtures he’s officiated this season have ended in a point apiece, which is the seventh-lowest return of any referee this term.
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Perhaps then, we’ll see an end to Liverpool and United’s run of four consecutive draws across all competitions, with two of them being scoreless.
Speaking to official club outlet CelticTV, Celtic captain Scott Brown has opened up on his reasons for joining the Hoops back in 2007, instead of signing for Rangers or moving to England.
What’s the story?
Emerging as an exciting talent for Hibernian in the mid-2000s, the future career of Brown was a much discussed subject in early 2007, with many expecting him to end up at Ibrox rather than sign for the Hoops.
While the successful captain has admitted he did have an offer from Rangers, he’s revealed it was a discussion with then manager Gordon Strachan that sealed the deal, excited by the chance to join up with other young talent at Celtic Park and form a winning team.
Speaking to CelticTV, Brown said:
I had a couple of offers to go down to England. I had an offer to go to Rangers and an offer to come to Celtic. For me, I sat down with the managers and coaches once the bids were accepted from Hibs. I sat down with Gordon, and me and Gordon connected really well.
He believed in me and he wanted to build the team around myself, Aiden (McGeady) and a few of the younger ones that were coming through like Stephen McManus, Darren O’Dea and he was bringing in Scott McDonald as well.
So I think the trust that he already put in me to sign me and for him to say that I was going to be part of his plans for the next two or three years going down the line, I think that was what was going to be exciting for me.
Brown and the club are currently gearing up to win a second successive treble, also making plans for a testimonial for the player to recognise over a decade of service for the Hoops.
The occasion will involve a Republic of Ireland XI, with proceeds set to go to charity and the family of former Celtic and Ireland midfielder Liam Miller, who sadly passed away recently.
One of the greatest
In terms of trophy wins, Brown is the most successful captain at Celtic since the days of legend Billy McNeill and has already cemented his status as one of the greatest captains in the Hoops’ long, storied history. Last year’s ‘Invincibles’ campaign only enhanced that further.
Even more impressive is the fact he remains one of the Celtic’s best players, arguably their stand-out star again this term.
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He’s a player that fans of other teams love to hate, but his success is undeniable and securing a second successive treble would be another bit of evidence that he made the right choice joining Celtic all those years ago.
West Ham United vice-chairman Karren Brady has confirmed that the club will look to appoint a director of football this summer, reports football.london.
During an Emergency Supporters Advisory Board meeting on Monday, Brady confirmed that plans were in place to change the club’s transfer structure.
Football.london claims that co-owner David Sullivan, who has been a regular victim of Twitter abuse from West Ham fans, will take a back seat when it comes to transfer dealings.
Supporters have been vocal about their dislike for the way in which the club have conducted transfer business in recent windows.
The arrival of a director of football will mean that certain aspects of the process will go through the new figure rather than Sullivan.
There could be a number of changes going on at the London Stadium this summer as manager David Moyes will come to the end of his short-term contract.
As always, the club will review the situation at the end of the season.
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Once it was confirmed that a director of football would be appointed, West Ham fans tweeted their suggestions on who should take the role, but not all of them were serious.
The rivalry between Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur has been brewing this season.
Supporters of the Merseyside club were incensed by the diving shown by Dele Alli, as well as Harry Kane, during the clubs’ Premier League 2-2 draw at Anfield in February.
A battle has also been going on between Kane and Liverpool’s star attacker Mohamed Salah.
Both players are vying for the Premier League Golden Boot, with Tottenham’s hitman hoping to claim it for a third consecutive time.
As it stands, Salah is leading the charge with 29 goals to his name, while Kane, who dropped from the top spot due to a spell on the sidelines with injury, has 24.
The England international has made it clear that he wants to end the season as the league’s top scorer, and it seems that his club are fully behind him.
According to BBC Sport, Tottenham plan to launch an appeal with the hope of giving Christian Eriksen’s winner in Saturday’s 2-1 victory over Stoke City to Kane.
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The 24-year-old claimed that he got a touch on the ball before it nestled into the back of the net.
With Kane’s fight with Salah for the Golden Boot hots up, Liverpool fans have taken to social media to give their take on Spurs’ reported appeal.
Leeds travel to Aston Villa and Friday night looking to atone for their loss at Deepdale on Tuesday, but it doesn’t seem like fans are too confident about the trip.
Paul Heckingbottom’s side travel to Villa Park on Friday night with very little to play for, and fans are fearing the worst about facing the high flying Villains.
Leeds have one just one of their last eight in the Championship, and only two of their last 18 matches.
Heckingbottom’s arrival in February was supposed to rescue the playoff push, but the 40 year-old has had completely the opposite effect, and has made it clear for all to see that the current squad is not up to the task of promotion.
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Villa on the other hand still have an outside chance of automatic promotion, and are certain to at least make the playoffs.
Steve Bruce’s side haven’t been at their best recently, but their home form has never wavered, having lost just once in their last 13 games at Villa Park, winning nine of those.
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Leeds fans are just waiting for the season to end at this point, and they are not looking forward to Friday’s huge clash.
Some of the best Twitter reactions can be found below…
Southampton midfielder Oriol Romeu has made a request to the St Mary’s faithful for togetherness ahead of their crucial clash against south coast rivals Bournemouth at St Mary’s on Saturday, and Saints fans have been quick to react to the 26-year-old’s comments.
Mark Hughes’ men lie four points from safety with just four Premier League fixtures remaining, and they will be looking to pick up just their second top flight win since November against the Cherries, and the first since the Welshman succeeded Mauricio Pellegrino last month.
According to the Daily Echo, Romeu said: “It’s the most important game of the season. Every one of them is important for us to stay up. We want to give everything. We don’t want to look to the past and say we’ve left something in the dressing room.
“It’s important that we get that connection between us and the fans, so we can push onto together and get the points we need.”
The former Chelsea man is one of the Saints players that has underperformed this term, as was shown by his display and statistics in the 0-0 draw against Leicester City at the King Power Stadium last week.
Southampton supporters took to social media to give their thoughts on Romeu’s comments, and while one said “this stuff is insulting”, another said “please stop with the motivational stuff”.
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