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At 2-0 up with 11 minutes to go, Wolves would have thought their place in the FA Cup final was in the bag.

Everything was going swimmingly well courtesy of goals from Matt Doherty and club record signing Raul Jimenez.

However, it was substitutes made in both camps that turned the game on its head. Unfortunately for Wolves, it was a key misjudgement from Nuno Santo which cost them another day out in the capital, falling to a 3-2 defeat.

Subs prove key

There wasn’t much Wolves could do about the game-changing influence of Gerard Deulofeu when he came on. He has undoubtedly been one of Watford’s best players this season and the way he proved key last Sunday summed that up in a nutshell.

But it was Nuno ditching one of the club’s core values this term that cost them the game. On so many occasions Wolves have displayed a fearless attitude and a resilient nature to get them over the line. The fact they’ve taken 13 points from top six sides shows that.

In making such defensive substitutions late on, Nuno cost his team the game and reverted away from that fearless determination they’ve shown with such regularity.

It’s understandable to sit back on a lead so late in the game but considering it went so far from what one of the values their manager has instilled in the team it seems bizarre.

Taking Ruben Neves off with four minutes left hindered Wolves significantly. They missed a calming, reassuring figure in midfield and someone capable of carrying the ball forward. Even though he didn’t have his best game it was a questionable decision, especially considering there was the potential of extra time.

A Wolves fan shares his most gutting moment of the last 10 years supporting the club in the video below…

And lone behold, the game did go to an extra 30 minutes. Joao Moutinho was also brought off and in the process, there was an alarming gap between defence and attack. Wolves now only had one midfielder on the pitch in Leander Dendoncker and lost all sense of fluidity.

Having decided to sit back and invite pressure so heavily, is it really any surprise they lost? Probably not. Nuno has struggled to find a plan B this season and this only reiterates the problem he has.

علّق مدرب مانشستر يونايتد أولي جونار سولشاير على الفوز الذي حققوه في مباراة اليوم أمام باريس سان جيرمان في بطولة دوري أبطال أوروبا.

وتلاقى الفريقان في الجولة الأولى من دور مجموعات البطولة في حديقة الأمراء، حيث فاز مانشستر يونايتد بهدفين مقابل هدف. أهداف مانشستر يونايتد وباريس سان جيرمان

وقال سولشاير، في تصريحات نشرتها شبكة “بي بي سي” العالمية: “إنه شعور مختلف عن المرة الأخيرة التي فزنا فيها هنا، نحن في بداية دور المجموعات لكننا هزمنا فريقًا رائعًا”.

وفاز مانشستر يونايتد على سان جيرمان، في الموسم قبل الماضي من البطولة، بثلاثة أهداف مقابل هدف في معقل الأمراء في إياب دور الـ16.

وأضاف: “آخر مرة تلاقينا فيها كانت مرحلة خروج المغلوب، وكانت الأجواء بهيجة، اليوم لا توجد جماهير، ولكن الأمر مازال ممتازًا، وحققنا فوزًا مستحقًا”.

وواصل: “عندما تواجه فريق مثل هذا ضد نيمار ومبابي، عليك أن تدافع جيدًا وسيتعين على حارسك أن يتصدى، أكسل توانزيبي مدافع كبير وكانت مباراته الأولى في 10 أشهر دليلًا على جودته”.

وأهدر برونو فرنانديز ركلة جزاء في مباراة اليوم، قبل أن تُعاد من جديد بسبب تحرك كيلور نافاس حارس سان جيرمان عن خط المرمى، ونجح البرتغالي في تسديدها بنجاح في المرة الثانية.

وتابع: “أضاع برونو ركلتي جزاء متتاليتين لكنه لن يتوقف عن تسديدها، لقد أظهر التركيز والشخصية”.

واختتم: “نعلم أننا بحاجة إلى 10 نقاط للتأهل، لذا فإن مباراة الأسبوع المقبل مهمة للغاية، وهناك الكثير من المباريات”.

ويلتقي مانشستر يونايتد مع لايبزيج في الجولة الثانية، يوم الأربعاء المقبل، في الأولد ترافورد.

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Liverpool fans on Twitter have been discussing young prospect Ryan Kent’s chances of making it at Anfield, and the majority don’t feel that the winger has a future on Merseyside.

Kent has impressed this season over in Scotland having joined Steven Gerrard’s Rangers on loan back in the summer, notching five goals in 21 Scottish Premiership appearances.

Has Alisson been Liverpool’s most important signing of the season? Check out the video below to find out why Jurgen Klopp thinks so…

The 22-year-old’s direct, exciting wing play has been a big feature of the Gers’ season, with his performances earning him a nomination for the club’s Player of the Year award as well as the Young Player of the Year award.

The Englishman came through the ranks with the Reds, and has spent the last four seasons out on loan – before his spell in Glasgow, Kent has enjoyed temporary stints with Barnsley, Bristol City and even Freiburg in the Bundesliga.

However, with world-class players such as Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah in the first-team, and names like Divock Origi in reserve, it seems unlikely that Kent will get many chances at Anfield, and many Reds supporters on Twitter have echoed that sentiment…

Where would Sheffield United be without Chris Wilder and his assistant Alan Knill, Blades fans?

Before the dynamic duo arrived following their League Two title-win at Northampton Town in 2016, the Yorkshire-club were in a sorry state and wasting away in the third tier of English football.

The likes of Danny Wilson, David Weir, Nigel Clough and Nigel Adkins all failed to get them out of League One and so the appointment of Wilder was initially approached with caution by the club’s supporters who had suffered their fair share of disappointment over the past five seasons.

However, following a slow start to life at the Blades, the former Oxford United boss soon began to endear himself to the Bramall Lane faithful as his side began to dominate in the 2016/17 campaign. An incredible run of form towards the end of the season saw United storm their way to the League One title, achieving an incredible total of 100 points.

An impressive first year back in the Championship saw Wilder’s side finish tenth which was five places higher than their arch-rivals Sheffield Wednesday, a feat which they had failed to achieve for seven years.

Whereas some sides struggle to improve in their second season in a new division, this has been far from the case for the Blades. Currently second in the Championship with eight games to go, it is looking more and more likely that the Yorkshire-outfit will be playing in the Premier League for the 2019/20 campaign.

Promotion to the top flight would not only provide United with a better future financially but it could, in theory, keep Wilder at the club for the coming years as it will give him a project to work on. In contrast, if the Blades are to miss out at the end of the season they may face the unthinkable prospect of Wilder leaving, but only if one of England’s elite sides come calling.

Although the 51-year-old would find it incredibly difficult to move on from what is his boyhood club, a massive offer from elsewhere could at very least catch his eye.

Therefore, to avoid this situation from occurring, it is imperative that the Blades finish off this season in the best possible manner by securing their long-awaited return to the Premier League.

What do you think Blades fans? Will winning promotion warn off any possible suitors for Wilder? Or do you think that he will stay at the club no matter what the outcome? Get in touch below.

Will Crystal Palace’s striker crisis ever end?

Indeed, that’s probably a question every Palace fan reading this hopes to soon find an answer to, but for now, the Eagles still don’t have a proper striker aboard. Michy Batshuayi is destined to go back to Chelsea in a few months time, while both Christian Benteke and Jordan Ayew are failing to impress.

Seriously, seriously failing to impress.

The latter, in particular, has been a huge disappointment. Considering how Roy Hodgson signed him after watching his decent work at Swansea City last season, it was surely presumed he would be the answer to Palace’s striking issues. A mobile option to complement the excellent Wilfried Zaha sounded good in theory but has pretty much failed in practice. In fact, he’s been quite the opposite.

Despite having made 18 Premier League appearances, Ayew’s only scored a single league goal. Awful.

Even the creativity of Andros Townsend and Zaha’s swagger couldn’t inspire him to get his goal-scoring groove back. The Ghanian hasn’t been able to create an understanding with his attacking compatriots, fluffing in front of goal whenever they created opportunities for him.

Ayew has been unable to change up his gears as the season moves on. Even after watching Benteke fail time and again, he couldn’t capitalise on his failures by becoming a prominent goal-scorer for the Eagles. He’s missed big chances, being bullied off by defenders and hasn’t been able to use his mobility to good use.

It was his failures which forced Palace to bring in Batshuayi at the last minute in the winter transfer window, giving fans a mere glimpse at what could be.

Ayew’s failed to sustain under the pressures of the Premier League, with his flopped stint proving he’s best suited to the Championship.

Get. Him. Out.

Palace fans, would you be willing to give Ayew another chance next season? Join the discussion by commenting below. 

كشف المدرب الفرنسي زين الدين زيدان، المدير الفني لنادي ريال مدريد، موقف مدافع وقائد الملكي، سيرجيو راموس، من التواجد في مباراة الغد ضد برشلونة في الليجا.

ويحل ريال مدريد ضيفًا على ملعب “كامب نو” يوم، غدًا السبت المقبل، ضمن لقاءات الجولة السابعة من الدوري الإسباني.

راموس تعرض لإصابة في مباراة قادش، التي هُزم فيها الملكي يوم السبت الماضي، واضطر لمُغادرة المباراة مُبكرًا بين الشوطين، بعدما تلقى إصابة في الركبة.

وعاد راموس إلى تدريبات النادي الملكي صباح اليوم الجمعة، وشارك بشكل طبيعي في المران، حيث بدا لائقًا للعب، وهو ما أكده زيدان.

اقرأ أيضًا.. ميسي: رونالدو منح الكلاسيكو ميزة خاصة

وقال زيدان خلال المؤتمر الصحفي الخاص بالمباراة: “سيرجيو قائدنا وزعيمنا، وكما هو الحال دائمًا نحن لا نريد المخاطرة”.

وأوضح: “ولكنه قد تعافى تمامًا، وسيكون معنا في مباراة الغد، بنسبة 100%”.

وعن اللعب غدًا في “كامب نو” بدون جماهير، حيث تُعد تلك أول مباراة كلاسيكو تُقام دون حضور جماهيري، مُنذ تفشي جائحة كورونا في مارس الماضي، قال: “نحن نعلم ما سنجده!”.

وأتم تصريحاته قائلًا: “إنه نفس الشيء بالنسبة للجميع، الكلاسيكو بالتأكيد سيكون مُختلفًا دون جماهير، ولكنها دائمًا مباراة خاصة واستثنائية”.

There certainly is no time for relaxing if you’re a Villain. Indeed, fighting for a play-off spot, Aston Villa really must look to make change so that it won’t be as hard in the future. Obviously, that’s an ideal scenario and every fan reading this know that things like that don’t work out, but work must be done behind the scenes. 

Sadly, Aston Villa are slowly becoming accustomed to life in the Championship and the fans hate it. Clearly, all Villains want to be back in the Premier League and, given their past plus pretty big investment, they should really be back there by now. It can’t go on much longer, right?

Dean Smith is trying everything he can to drag them back into the big time. They’re on a great run, however, there is a sense of underachievement throughout the club at the fact that they continue to find themselves battling for play-off spots instead of the Championship trophy.

So, we are going to look at a couple of changes Smith can look to make in order to change their fortune in future seasons.

Sign Tammy Abraham on a permanent deal

After finally finding a team that he can perform in, Tammy Abraham has been Villa’s saving grace. Scoring 21 league goals this season, Abraham has been by far the standout player for Aston Villa.

If they are to continue any progress under Smith, he must ensure that the board do whatever it takes to grab the English 21-year-old out of Chelsea’s hands and have him at Villa Park on a permanent basis. Yes, money might be tight, but it’d be a transfer coup of almost epic proportions.

End the loan saga, make permanent deals 

Former manager Steve Bruce begun what seems to be a bad habit for Aston Villa now. Almost every single signing they have made since the arrival and departure of Bruce has been a loan deal. This is causing so much unrest and instability throughout the squad.

Making permanent signings is huge towards a push for Premier League promotion, meaning that key players will still be there for the following season instead of someone new and inexperienced to the current style of play. Obviously, there’s a financial aspect in play here, and they may have to search for bargains instead, but such uncertainty cannot continue.

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Everton’s decision to bring Richarlison to the club raised plenty of eyebrows last summer. The Brazilian had a mercurial maiden campaign at Watford, scoring five goals and providing 5 assists in an electric 13-game opening, but his form tailed off and he found himself struggling to break into the starting XI towards the season’s end.

His tangible dip in quality coincided with Marco Silva’s departure from the club, so it was no surprise that his decision to take the reigns at Everton saw the Watford man move to Merseyside in a £40 million deal.

The signing was the most expensive of Marcel Brands’ first summer as Everton’s director of football. Brands was brought into the club to revolutionise their transfer strategy but this deal was widely perceived as ill-judged and poor value for money, despite Richarlison’s massive scope for development.

Journalists, pundits and a multitude of Twitter experts needed no second invitation to savage Everton in the public spotlight, tipping Richarlison to flop and suggesting that the mega-money deal underlined the reckless inflation of a broken transfer market.

Paul Merson, a regular pundit on Sky Sports, led the charge with a scathing assessment on the deal, via Liverpool echo.

“I think that’s [ Richarlison signing] what’s spoiled the window if I’m being perfectly honest.

“I think that happened so early, and at £40m that set the benchmark. Teams then have gone, ‘Well if you’re getting £40m for him I want £60m, £70m, £80m, £90m and £100m.

“I think that’s the problem”

Merson was clearly alluding to the negative impact Richarlison’s switch could have on the inflation which is beginning to define the modern market, but his season proves that the pundit was wrong to suggest that the Toffees had dramatically over-paid.

It would be a gross exaggeration to say that Richarlison has been an utterly resounding success, however. Inconsistency has plagued his season and there are facets of his game which are clearly in need of improvement if he wants to fulfil his potential.

But the bottom line is this: he has scored 12 goals in the Premier League this season and his value now stands at a gargantuan £70.9 million (€82 million), according to CIES Football Observatory.

That exponential rise in value can be explained in part by the size of the fee which prised him away from Vicarage Road last summer, but it’s his form for both club and country which has sent his valuation into the stratosphere.

And, when looking back on Merson’s verdict with the wonderful benefit of hindsight, it becomes clear that Brands, Silva and the rest of Everton’s decision-makers actually got excellent value for money and the pundit was foolish to suggest that the Toffees were somehow tarnishing the market with their dealings.

What Everton did was pay a fair price for a target who clearly had the potential to thrive in this division and his form this season attests to that.

At just 21-years-of-age there’s no doubt Richarlison is worth the £70.9 million valuation which has been slapped on his head and Everton’s £40 million decision now looks like a masterstroke.

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French outlet Le10 Sport has claimed that Wolves have submitted a huge bid to sign midfielder Morgan Sanson from Marseille. But if he was to arrive at Molineux, what would that mean for the club?

What’s the word?

Telefoot reported Wolves’ interest in Sanson at the back end of March but now according to Le10 Sport, they have launched an official bid for the player.

It’s reported that the fee the Midlands club have bid is a massive €42m (£36.2m), surpassing the club’s transfer record that they only broke last week to make Raul Jimenez a permanent signing.

Although that bid may be an extremely attractive proposition for his club Marseille, the 24-year-old only signed a new deal with them in December. With that in mind, it may be more difficult to prise him away than Wolves anticipate.

If anything was to materialise from the reported bid then it would be a huge signal of intent from the hierarchy at Molineux.

Neves replacement?

Given the quality Wolves possess in midfield, it isn’t exactly an area they need to spend a huge amount of money in.

However, the fact that Ruben Neves attracted the interest of Juventus and Manchester City last summer may give them the green light to give in should Sanson come through the door.

Neves is one of the most promising young players in Europe at the moment but by sealing a move for the Frenchman it would give them the ideal replacement.

We’ve found Raul Jimenez’s No. 1 fan and… it’s a little scary. Check out the video below to see for yourself…

He would complement the likes of Leander Dendoncker and Joao Moutinho in the Wolves midfield perfectly. The Marseille man scored nine goals in Ligue 1 last season which demonstrates his fantastic ability to find the back of the net, whilst he’s notched four goals this term too. He can pick a key pass as well, claiming four assists in 2018/19.

Wolves have an outside chance of finding themselves in the Europa League next season and as such should be looking for players with experience in European competitions. Despite being just 24, Sanson has that in abundance and played 13 times in Marseille’s run to the Europa League final last year.

A clash of philosophies seems to be plaguing Newcastle United. Indeed, Rafa Benitez wants something, but Mike Ashley doesn’t really agree to certain demands. The latest point in the example is Salomon Rondon (as per the Daily Star), who despite being a Benitez favourite, isn’t seen as brightly by the owner.

Ashley allegedly isn’t willing to keep Rondon beyond his loan deal and wants to replace him with someone younger. It’s not a stretch to imagine that Benitez will definitely be displeased by this, but if Newcastle can make a real coup in replacing the Venezuluan, his mood can change.

The Magpies are planning something big and according to reports (via Chronicle Live), they have their eyes on Duvan Zapata.

The Colombian striker’s been a marvel in Serie A, becoming a rampant goal-scoring machine for Atalanta. He’s scored 17 goals and assisted 5 in the Italian top-division, including an eight-game consecutive goal-scoring streak earlier this season. He’s taken no prisoners, thumping in goals against Juventus, Napoli, Roma with conviction.

While Rondon’s been extremely influential towards Newcastle’s success, Zapata is miles ahead right now. Excitingly, the Colombian’s at his prime, moving forward with intensity, getting into promising positions and scoring from almost everything he touches.

He’s strong, fast and built to thrive in the Premier League. And, former Middlesbrough midfielder Martin de Roon even labelled him as a ‘monster’ this season (as per BBC Sport).

Mike Ashley needs to spend big to attain his services, but it’s a signing which could elevate the Magpies from struggling in the mid-table to vying for European places.

Watching Rondon leave would hurt many Newcastle fans, but Zapata can be the breath of fresh air who takes the Premier League by storm.

Newcastle fans, do you think the potential arrival of Zapata can elevate Newcastle’s performances? Join the discussion by commenting below..