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Tottenham Hotspur manager Mauricio Pochettino spoke to the press on Friday ahead of his side’s Premier League clash against Huddersfield Town at their new stadium on Saturday lunchtime.

Spurs come into the clash against the already-relegated Terriers on the back of a 1-0 Champions League quarter-final first-leg win against Manchester City in midweek, as they continue their quest for a top-four finish.

The club confirmed via their official Twitter account before the conferene that Harry Kane, Eric Dier, Erik Lamela and Serge Aurier will all miss out against Jan Siewert’s men, while Dele Alli faces a late fitness test to see whether he is able to feature after suffering a broken hand.

Without further ado here are the two most important things Pochettino said.

Harry Kane injury

Firstly the Argentine spoke about Kane’s issue, and he said (via Football.London  at 13:46pm): “He feels sad and disappointed like everyone at the club and of course it is a tough moment for him, tough moment for the team, tough moment for us.

“I was speaking to him before and we need to assess every day to properly answer to see when he can come back to train with the team.

Asked when he could return he added (via Football.London at 13:52pm): “At the moment it is impossible to give a date. It is a similar injury to the one he suffered last time against Manchester United. We have five weeks. If we are into the final of the Champions League, maybe he will play but we’ll see.”

A huge blow, but not a surprising one. Having seen how quickly Kane has bounced back from injury previously there is still some hope for Tottenham supporters that they might still see the 25-year-old again this term.

Dele Alli update

Meanwhile, despite the club not ruling Alli out for Saturday his manager certainly didn’t give the impression that he will feature, as per The Guardian.

Pochettino said: “I am not too optimistic. It is very painful. He broke his hand in two parts. Yesterday he saw the specialist. I am more optimistic for him to be available for Manchester City in the second leg.”

That is certainly not an ideal situation for the north London outfit to be in – especially if Alli does miss out – but they will of course take some solace from the fact that they are facing the bottom team at home and should still be able to secure the three points.

Having him available for the City return leg is arguably more important right now anyway.

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BBC pundit Garth Crooks has, as always, written his ‘Team of the Week’ column, and he has thrown up some interesting points yet again.

Crooks discussed all things from the title race down to Ralph Hasenhuttl’s impact at Southampton, but one statement on Jordan Henderson’s current situation at Liverpool hit home harder than any other points.

The Reds beat Chelsea 2-0, returning to the top of the table in doing so, with Henderson putting in a ‘Man of the Match’ performance to help his side earn all three points.

What did Crooks say?

Henderson has only recently been reinstated into the starting line-up on a more regular basis after a chat with Klopp over his position in the team, and he has put his money where his mouth is with some inspirational displays.

Are the media letting Jurgen Klopp off lightly for his lack of silverware? The Pl>ymaker FC squad have their say in the video below…

After his showing against the Blues, in which he set up Sadio Mane’s opener, Crooks wrote: “If Liverpool do happen to win the title, the return to form of Jordan Henderson will have had a lot to do with it.

“How much credit Jurgen Klopp will take for that remains to be seen. It was Klopp who dropped Henderson – harshly in my view – but the reaction of the Liverpool captain has been quite remarkable.”

How much credit does Klopp deserve?

None. It was Henderson who walked into the German’s office, told Klopp that he felt he performs better as a No.8 – pointing to his recent displays with England as proof – and forced his boss’ hand.

Now Henderson has put in three excellent performances in the role against Southampton, Porto and Chelsea, meaning there is no way that Klopp can have even a shred of the acclaim for the England international’s upturn in form.

The former Borussia Dortmund manager even apologised for playing Henderson as a No.6 for the past couple of years, but revealed that he ‘had to’ as no other player could.

Fabinho has been at the club for nearly a year however, so if Klopp was waiting for a No.6 to arrive before restoring Henderson to his favoured role why has he delayed such a switch until the final month of the campaign?

Henderson deserves 100% of the credit for speaking up, and even more credit for delivering the performances to match his belief in his own ability.

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Leeds United fans placed the blame for their late-season collapse on Andrea Radrizzani’s failure to invest in the squad during the January transfer window.

The Whites were desperate for attacking reinforcements at the mid-way point of the season, but the Italian failed to cough up the funds to help Marcelo Bielsa on his quest for promotion to the Premier League.

Leeds only signed one player at the beginning of 2019 with Real Madrid goalkeeper Kiko Casilla arriving at Elland Road early on in the window.

A failed move for Dan James followed and the Yorkshire club were left short-staffed heading into the second half of the season.

Lack of depth in the second half of the season has seen Leeds punished with a barrage of injuries in recent weeks, leaving Bielsa with a depleted squad to choose from.

Leeds fans on Twitter have blamed the lack of movement in January for the late-season collapse that sees the club three points behind Sheffield United with just two games to go.

Here’s what Leeds fans have been saying on Twitter…

[ad_pod ]Leeds United’s Under-23 side were crowned Professional Development League champions for the 2018-19 campaign courtesy of a penalty-shootout win over their Birmingham City counterparts at Elland Road on Monday night.It has been a fine campaign for the club’s Under-23 side, which is full of talent.One of those to impress this season has been Alfie McCalmont.A number of Leeds fans drew attention to the Northern Irishman back in February, suggesting that he could be a future first-team star.McCalmont took to social media in the aftermath of Monday night’s win and more Whites supporters have been lavishing praise on the 19-year-old.It remains to be seen what happens with the midfielder this summer as a lot will probably depend on whether the first team can secure promotion to the Premier League.Who are the best away fans in the Championship? Pl>ymaker FC’s Thogden gives his top 10 in the video below…However, it would be fair to say that a number of the club’s fans are excited by the potential of McCalmont, who has a contract at Elland Road until June 2021.A selection of the Twitter reaction can be seen below:

Ashley Young surely brings back very fond memories of the days when Aston Villa were good.

Those were the days, weren’t they? When Ashley Young and James Milner were commanding the wings for Aston Villa, with big John Carew dominating the middle and Gareth Barry commanding the midfield alongside Stiliyan Petrov and Nigel Reo-Coker.

Once upon a time when he wasn’t taking flak from Manchester United fans on a daily basis, Ashley Young was the jewel of the Villa squad. The man who made things happen from the wing, and never looked short of answers.

If someone asked you who was better out of Young or Messi, you would likely laugh in their face, right? Well, back in the good old days of 2008 when the Argentine wizard had only collected 16 goals and 15 assists in 40 appearances, Martin O’Neill claimed Ashley young to be, and I quote, “on par with Lionel Messi”.

Although uttering this statement would earn someone a one-way ticket to an asylum nowadays, at the time we could sort of, maybe, kind of understand where O’Neill was coming from as the tricky wing wizard had accumulated a career-best 16 assists during the 2007/08 campaign.

His ability to sit on the left-wing and cut inside on his right peg and swirl in a well-calculated howitzer of a cross for his teammates was, dare we say, unparalleled at the time, and Villa, for the most part, enjoyed their most prosperous campaigns in recent memory around the time he was donning the claret and blue.

Young was twice named in the PFA Team of the Year thanks to his efforts at Villa Park before eventually joining Manchester United in 2011 for a reported £17million.

While six goals and 11 assists is about as good as it will ever get for the Englishman, who has only managed to make 30+ league appearances for the club once in eight years, he has enjoyed his most successful years at Old Trafford in terms of silverware – winning four major trophies, including the Premier League and Europa League.

At the tender old age of 33, Young is seeing out his days as a Manchester United player as a target of fans frustration, as the club go from one misery to the next (he hasn’t been great, to be fair). Whether he survives the upcoming exodus as Ole Gunnar Solskjaer attempts to change United’s fortunes remains to be seen.

Note: Ashley Young still hasn’t managed to surpass his Villa stats at Old Trafford (37 goals & 59 assists in 190 appearances compared to 18 goals and 48 assists in 241 appearances).

Aston Villa fans, what are your standout memories of Ashley Young? Join the discussion by commenting below…

أبرز لاعب وسط الفريق الأول لكرة القدم بنادي إيفرتون، خاميس رودريجيز، الدور الذي لعبه مدربه الحالي، كارلو أنشيلوتي، في انتقاله إلى ملعب “جوديسون بارك”.

وانضم خاميس هداف كأس العالم 2014 إلى إيفرتون لمدة عامين قادما من ريال مدريد بدون مقابل في الميركاتو الصيفي الماضي.

اقرأ أيضًا.. خاميس رودريجيز: مانشستر يونايتد أراد ضمي في 2012

وأجرى الكولومبي حوارا مع شبكة “بي تي سبورتس” البريطانية، وقال: “أنشيلوتي يعرفني جيدا ويعلم ما هي تحركاتي داخل الملعب وشخصيتي خارج الملعب”.

وتابع: “كان وجود كارلو هنا كافيا للقدوم إلى إيفرتون، كانت خطوة جيدة بالنسبة لي، لأنه يثق في قدراتي وكذلك النادي”.

وأضاف: “سأكون ممتنا للنادي ولأنشيلوتي لأنهما وثقا بي عندما لما يفعل أحد آخر ذلك”.

وكان خاميس يعاني من تجاهل مدربه السابق في ريال مدريد، زين الدين زيدان، بسبب عدم مشاركته المستمرة فى المباريات، فهل يقصده الكولومبي بهذه التصريحات.

وعن تأقلمه في الدوري الإنجليزي: “كرة القدم ليست مجرد ركض، عندما يمتلك فريق لاعبا ذكيا يستطيع أن يفكر جيدا قبل كل تمريرة يسهل عليك الأمر كثيرا”.

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Following Neil Warnock’s bemusement towards a reversed penalty decision in Cardiff’s 2-0 loss at Burnley last Saturday, it could be suggested the 70-year-old’s passion is making him a scapegoat for football’s officials.

The incident came in the 48th minute of the game, when Burnley defender Ben Mee headed a Joe Bennett cross from the left against his own arm. The linesman Darren Cann flagged, prompting Mike Dean to point to the spot in typically decisive fashion, however the decision was quickly reversed.

This sparked outrage from Cardiff coaching staff, players and fans alike, as it spared the Bluebirds a crucial penalty which had they scored, would’ve given them a lifeline in the game and a massive boost in the Premier League survival race.

The scandal comes just a week after Warnock blasted Craig Pawson for his performance during their game against Chelsea, in which defender Cesar Azpilicueta scored from an obvious offside position.

The Bluebirds boss confronted the officials on the pitch in the game’s immediate aftermath, but the real damage was done in his post-match interviews where he exclaimed Premier League officials were “the worst in the world”.

The rant earned the Cardiff coach a treble-charge from the FA, as he was accused of improperly questioning the integrity of match officials and implying bias, thus warranting his more diplomatic response to Saturday’s incident;

“I’m just trying not to get fined. People say you’re still smiling, but I’m absolutely distraught underneath.

 “I’ve spoken to Mike, but I’ve got to accept what he said. I don’t want any more charges, do I? I’ve got three this week! I don’t want to have to book a hotel down there!”.

Despite these tongue-in-mouth comments from Warnock, it’s a bizarre refereeing decision that has dealt a major blow to Cardiff’s survival hopes, leaving them five points adrift with just five games left to play – two of which are against Liverpool and Manchester United.

Whilst the Bluebirds managed a vital away win at the hands of relegation rivals Brighton in midweek, reducing the gap between the teams to just two points, Chris Hughton’s side still have a game in hand over their Welsh counterparts and a significantly better goal difference.

This all makes for a difficult run-in for Cardiff, made worse by regular refereeing mishaps that are occurring more frequently for the third-from-bottom side. And, considering the futile ferocity of Warnock’s recent outburst, you wouldn’t be blamed for thinking Dean’s controversial call on Saturday was subliminal revenge for what was a scathing attack on British referees.

This animosity between officials and the Sheffield-born manager is no surprise, though, as Warnock is renowned for his deferential attitudes towards referees after various fallouts during his 37-year-long managerial career.

Warnock’s war of words came to the fore most significantly during his spell out of the game in 2013, where he established himself as an outspoken columnist for The Independent.

In one of his pieces, he launched a scathing attack on former Premier League referee Graham Poll, claiming he is “so far up his own backside he’s impossible to talk to”.

Similarly, in 2016 shortly after becoming Cardiff manager and following their 1-2 victory at Nottingham Forest, Warnock claimed referee Andy Woolmer had awarded the hosts a penalty in the closing minutes because he was “bored”.

Although Warnock’s colourful and charismatic demeanour is fruitfully entertaining for us neutrals, this long track record of disrespectful outbursts and unsavoury satire towards the game’s regulators has undoubtedly left a sour taste in the mouths of those it’s subjected to – it’s now coming back to bite Warnock and Cardiff in the bottom.

[ad_pod ]Barnsley fans on Twitter are ecstatic after five of their players were named in the PFA League One Team of the Year.Adam Davies, Dimitri Cavaré, Ethan Pinnock, Alex Mowatt and Kieffer Moore were all made the grade much to the delight of Tykes supporters on social media.This means that five out of the 11 players in the side come from Barnsley, but despite this incredible feat promotion still isn’t confirmed for the Yorkshire club as they sit second in the table just two points above Portsmouth who have a game in hand.Watch the best fails from the world of indoor football in the video below…It’s no surprise that the Yorkshire outfit have so many representatives in this season’s incarnation of Team of the Year. The Tykes have been mightily impressive in their hunt for promotion scoring 77 goals whilst having the tightest defence in the league, conceding only 36.

Whilst some fans were buzzing about the recognition their players received, one fan had a pessimistic view on things saying “5 players in the team of the year and we may not go upâ€.

Here’s what the Oakwell faithful had to say on Twitter…

It’s the news Portsmouth fans didn’t need to hear going into their final and most important games of the season.

The news that loanee Omar Bogle will miss the rest of the season due to a leg injury is on the surface a massive blow to Portsmouth’s automatic promotion chances in League One.

Since joining from Cardiff City on loan in the January transfer window, the striker has been pivotal in Pompey’s promotion chances, scoring five goals for Kenny Jackett’s side and making seven starts for the south coast club.

Bogle’s absence will be felt in the remaining three games of the season, but it’s not all doom and gloom for Portsmouth as in the wings they have Brett Pitman, who is more than capable of stepping up for the club in the final matches.

The Portsmouth captain has quietly been one of the best players in the Pompey squad this season, scoring 13 goals in all competitions for the team and has come up big for the team already this season, scoring vital goals in both the league and EFL Trophy.

Pitman’s goalscoring record alone is enough to make Portsmouth fans comfortable that they have a striker who can get the goals that can lead them to promotion, and with a massive game against Sunderland coming up next for the club, it will be a big statement if the 31-year-old striker can do some damage on their league rivals.

Portsmouth fans, are you confident in Pitman starting for the remainder of the season?

قيمت شبكة “هوسكورد” العالمية أداء نجم فريق ليفربول محمد صلاح في مباراة اليوم أمام فريق مانشستر سيتي، في بطولة الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز.

وتلاقى الفريقان في الجولة الثامنة من البريميرليج، في ملعب الاتحاد، حيث تعادلا بهدف لمثله. أهداف مباراة ليفربول ومانشستر سيتي

وشارك محمد صلاح في المباراة بأكملها، وسجل هدف تقدم ليفربول في الدقيقة 11 من ركلة جزاء. ملخص لمسات محمد صلاح أمام مانشستر سيتي

وحسب شبكة “هوسكورد” العالمية، حصل محمد صلاح على تقييم 6.7/10 كثاني أعلى لاعبي ليفربول تقييمًا في تلك المباراة، بعد ساديو ماني 7.1/10.

وأوضحت أن صلاح استحوذ على الكرة بنسبة 1.9 %، وبلغت نسبة تمريراته الصحيحة 84 %.

ونفذ صلاح 19 تمريرة طوال المباراة، من بينهم 16 تمريرة دقيقة.

وفقد صلاح الاستحواذ على كرته 4 مرات، وصوب تسديدتين، واحدة تجاه المرمى وأخرى خارجه.