Jordan Jones has got himself in a spot of bother after being hit with a seven-game ban by the SFA for breaching Covid rules. The Glasgow Rangers winger attended a private gathering two weeks ago with George Edmundson including people from outside of their bubble and the duo were suspended by the club as part of an internal investigation.
Following his suspension, he was left out of Northern Ireland’s squad for the Euro 2020 playoff final against Slovakia as a result, which has cast considerable doubt over his future for club and country.
Steven Naismith spoke to PLZ Soccer’s Football Show about the situation and admitted he wouldn’t be surprised if they are axed from the squad because of their behaviour.
“In terms of Rangers as a whole, the manager’s built his squad and these guys have been a part of that,” the Rangers legend said, as quoted by The Daily Record. “Whether they’re starters or guys who need to bide their time, they were always going to get game-time with the number of games Rangers have. That’s probably the part that will anger the manager.
“For them, so many things have been taken out of their hands now. The seven games, everyone else in the squad can play and put themselves ahead of these two guys in the squad and before you know it, you’re into the January transfer window and the manager might want to freshen things up.
If Steven Gerrard does go down this route and decides to teach the two players a lesson, it will certainly be a shock to the system for the rest of the squad. Regardless of whether or not Jones is sold in January, Gerrard could reward Brandon Barker with a second chance at the Govan stadium.
The Liverpool legend was famous for his no-nonsense attitude throughout his playing career, which he seems to have carried over after taking the reins at Ibrox. With the Gers surging to the top of the Scottish Premiership, Gerrard has shown he is more than willing to make cut-throat decisions when it matters to make sure that his side win at all costs. He had no problems dropping Alfredo Morelos amid reports of dissent at the start of the season.
It’s claimed that he has opened the door for Jones to salvage his Ibrox career, but should Gerrard axe the Northern Irishman in the end instead, Barker could stake his claim for a place in the starting line-up.
The 24-year-old has struggled for game time so far this season, having played just 365′ minutes of football in total, but he came off the bench to score a goal against Hamilton Academical as Rangers ran riot over the Accies in a 8-0 win at Ibrox before the international break.
Per SofaScore, he took one shot on target, 20 touches of the ball, and completed 14 out of 15 passes at a pass accuracy rating of 93%, whilst he also produced 2 out of 3 accurate long balls, which shows that he was a useful attacking asset.
Once lauded as an “unbelievable” talent by former Gers player Andy Halliday, the versatile player has shown that he wants to work hard to regain a spot in Gerrard’s plans. With Jones currently suspended until late December at the very least, there will surely be plenty of opportunities coming his way in the weeks and months ahead.
AND in other news, Forget Morelos: Rangers manager Steven Gerrard must unleash one man vs Aberdeen…
Everton are in need of additions across the board if they are to truly put themselves in European contention next season, but latest reports should strike fear down the spines of the Goodison Park faithful…
What’s the word?
According to Portuguese outlet O Jogo, the Toffees are one of the teams interested in handing Manchester United outcast Diogo Dalot a lifeline as he’s struggled for game time under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer this season.
It’s claimed that Carlo Ancelotti is a big fan of the attack-minded defender but Ligue 1 champions and Champions League finalists Paris Saint-Germain are also keen.
Dalot cost United £19m from Porto in 2018 and could be sold in order to garner extra transfer funds.
Everton must swerve
Some in Merseyside will instantly recognise the 6-foot wing-back after he started in the 4-0 thrashing of the Red Devils back in April 2019 – the Toffees had four different goalscorers on the scoresheet as they rocked United at Goodison.
One of which was right-winger Richarlison, who had a complete field day up against the Portugal U21 international.
Per SofaScore, the Everton star had six shots at goal, won three duels and was fouled once whilst the 21-year-old lost possession 18 times and had a disappointing 69% passing accuracy.
Jose Mourinho compared him to United great Gary Neville upon signing him, claiming that he was their full-back for the next decade – clearly, that hasn’t gone to plan whatsoever.
Two assists from 20 Premier League appearances, via Transfermarkt, is hardly inspiring either, so surely Marcel Brands is better off looking elsewhere if he’s going to find genuine competition for Seamus Coleman next term.
Now valued at just £10.8m, Dalot should be one huge swerve from the Merseysiders.
AND in other news, Everton could land their own Pogba in “underrated” £25m man…
Well there we have it, the Premier League has officially kicked off, and game week 1 was full of surprises – including a seven-goal thriller at Anfield, in which defending champions Liverpool managed a 4-3 victory over new boys Leeds, who put up an impressive fight and showcased the potential they have to really make a name for themselves this season.
Other games had some real highlights, with debut goals for Arsenal’s Gabriel Magalhães in the Gunners’ 3-0 win over Fulham, Newcastle’s new boy’s Callum Wilson and Jeff Hendrick, and Leicester right-back Timothy Castagne.
Overall it was a great weekend of football, and many results have left me wondering about just how well some teams may do this season with some surprise performances.
Today, we are going to take a look at those opening weekend fixtures and see how they compared to my predictions prior to the weekend’s action.
Fulham 0-3 Arsenal
Mikel Arteta and his men made a real statement in the Premier League opening game on Saturday. The Gunners got off to a flying start when Alexandre Lacazette became the first player to score the first goal of the new season twice (this season and the 2017/18 season).
Fulham showed a real lack of intent and didn’t really get the chance on the ball due to an impressive display from Mohamed Elneny in Arsenal’s midfield. It wasn’t long into the second half when debutant Gabriel scored his first goal for the club.
From a Willian corner, who also provided the assists for Aubameyang’s curling effort from the edge of the box. It was a dominant performance from the Gunners, one that Arteta will be proud of to start the season with – and it wasn’t far off my 2-0 prediction earlier in the week.
Crystal Palace 1-0 Southampton
This one was a real surprise for me – after predicting the Saints to be 2-1 victors, Palace certainly proved me wrong with their injury-hit squad, and Wilfried Zaha’s 13th-minute goal was enough to secure the three points in their first game of the season.
A makeshift defence for the Eagles meant Chiekhou Kouyaté and Scott Dann were the two centre-backs for the game, and they performed surprisingly well together. New boy Eberechi Eze came on in the last 10 minutes for his debut and showed glimpses of the quality he will bring to Roy Hodson’s team this season – with the Palace manager getting things off to a flying start for the club.
Liverpool 4-3 Leeds
Soccer Football – Premier League – Liverpool v Leeds United – Anfield, Liverpool, Britain – September 12, 2020 Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah celebrates scoring their first goal with teammates. Pool via REUTERS/Phil Noble EDITORIAL USE ONLY. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or ‘live’ services. Online in-match use limited to 75 images, no video emulation. No use in betting, games or single club/league/player publications. Please contact your account repres
What a game this was. I have to admit I probably underestimated Leeds here, not in the sense that I don’t think they will do well this season, as I had predicted them to finish 16th and secure Premier League safety. The game started well for the Reds who went 1-0 up after a Mo Salah penalty
. Marcelo Bielsa and his men continued to fight back, however, and came back to level the game out on three occasions – but the club was unlucky to concede another penalty in the 88th minute after such an impressive display during the whole game.
A silly challenge from new boy Rodrigo gave Salah an opening day hat-trick for the Reds and gave the defending champions their first three points of the season – after my initial and unfair prediction of 4-0 to Liverpool.
West Ham 0-2 Newcastle
This was an impressive and dominant display from Steve Bruce and his side – my prediction of 2-1 to Newcastle wasn’t far off, but the Magpies did one better than that by keeping a clean sheet away from home. T
his was Newcastle’s first opening day victory in the Premier League for 8 years, and a debut goal from Callum Wilson gave the Toon Army a 1-0 lead just before the hour mark. It was Jeff Hendrick’s debut goal for the club in the 87th minute that secured the win, a stunning strike from outside the box that nestled into the top left corner of Lukasz Fabianski’s goal.
West Ham looked sloppy throughout the game, and Declan Rice seemed to be a missing object in their midfield – with evident frustration on the face of club captain Mark Noble. This seems like it’s already going to be a long season for the Hammers, but Newcastle should take some real enjoyment out of such a positive start.
West Brom 0-3 Leicester
Our first correct prediction – and a well-earned victory for Brendan Rodgers and his side. The Foxes had a tough start to the game, with West Brom holding on well to keep things 0-0 going into half time.
On the 56th minute, new boy Timothy Castagne scored his first goal for the club giving them a 1-0 lead with a great header from fellow countryman Dennis Praet’s fantastic cross – which soon became three when Leicester won two penalties in ten minutes, with Jamie Vardy converting both, giving Rodgers and his side three points from their first game of the season.
It was a tough day for Slaven Bilic and his side, who looked out of depth and out of luck during the second half, and it looks as though they’ll have a long campaign ahead of them.
Tottenham 0-1 Everton
It was the best possible opening day game for the Toffees, winning their first game against a top 6 side for the last 40 games, dating back to 2013. My prediction of 1-1 looked almost dead set after the first half of wasted chances from both sides. That was until Dominic Calvert-Lewin broke the deadlock on the 55th minute with a bullet header that left Hugo Lloris in no man’s lead after a brilliant cross from Lucas Digne’s free-kick.
It ended up being a well-deserved opening day victory for Carlo Ancelotti and his side, with Jose Mourinho’s Tottenham looking very lethargic and sulky after going 1-0 down during the second half like petulant children – and Mourinho would not have been happy with that. If you go 1-0 down, you fight back and earn your result, rather than look to the ground with a tantrum because things aren’t going your way – which is something that is going to have to change if Spurs want success this season.
Sheffield United 0-2 Wolves
It was an impressive start for Wolves after an extremely long season last time out – with an impressive performance against a talented and proven Blades defence, beating them 2-0 at Bramall Lane. It was a quick start, with Raul Jimenez scoring the first goal of the game in the 3rd minute with a cracking half volley after a beautiful run and cross from Daniel Podence.
This was quickly followed up by Roman Saïss just three minutes later after Pedro Neto’s corner met the head of the Moroccan defender. It was a tough start to the season for Sheffield United, who last season had an impressive defensive record in the league, and it differed from my initial 0-0 prediction for the game, due to both clubs having such strong defensive outlets.
Brighton 1-3 Chelsea
Soccer Football – Premier League – Brighton & Hove Albion v Chelsea – The American Express Community Stadium, Brighton, Britain – September 14, 2020. Chelsea’s Reece James celebrates scoring their second goal with Andreas Christensen and Kurt Zouma. Pool via REUTERS/Peter Cziborra EDITORIAL USE ONLY. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or ‘live’ services. Online in-match use limited to 75 images, no video emulation. No use in betting, games or single
Our second and final correct prediction of the weekend – Chelsea opened the scoring with a penalty from Jorginho, after Timo Werner went down in the box. Brighton leveled the game in the 54th minute after a great strike from outside the box from Leandro Trossard, but it wasn’t to be the Seagulls day.
The Blues scored twice in quick succession through Reece James and Kurt Zouma, giving Frank Lampard and his team their first three points of the season. It was a great sign of things to come this season for Chelsea after heavy investment over the summer, which saw debuts for Werner and Kai Havertz. Graham Potter and his side showed some positive signs too, however, and I feel that Brighton will have an impressive season ahead with a talented and young squad at his disposal.
The fight to stay in the Premier League has become an intense battle over the last few weeks, and this Friday night two clubs who have survival in their own hands go head-to-head.
Both West Ham and Watford go into this clash three points above the relegation zone and with a game in hand on both Bournemouth and Aston Villa. It is widely believed that if a team can come away with all three points here, they will have all but secured their top-flight status.
West Ham also have the luxury of having a far superior goal difference to everyone else in and around them in the table, including Watford. So even a point for David Moyes’ men might be enough with just two games left to play.
But they will be eager to put as much distance as possible between themselves and third from bottom Bournemouth and on the back of an impressive 4-0 thrashing of Norwich last weekend, they’ll be confident of doing just that here.
Watford are also in a confident mood after taking all three points against Newcastle United at Vicarage Road last weekend, but they will need to end a run of six away league games if they’re to leave East London with all three points.
The Hammers will be favourites here but it’s always difficult to call results during a relegation battle, and this is expected to be a very tight and tense Premier League affair.
Form
After losing their first two games after the restart, West Ham have managed to vastly improve their peformances and have since picked up seven points to give themselves a huge chance of Premier League survival. Their home form has been somewhat sporadic, though, with a 3-2 victory over Chelsea being followed by 1-0 home defeat to Burnley.
Watford have won back-t0-back games in the Premier League for the first time since the New Year but as mentioned above, they are without an away win in the league since the middle of January – a run of six away league games. They have also failed to score in their last four away league games.
Team News
The only long term absentee for the Hammers is Robert Snodgrass, with Felipe Anderson returning to training this week. The Brazilian may be ready to feature from the bench after missing West Ham’s last couple of games.
Watford are without Gerard Deulofeu, Daryl Janmaat and Isaac Success through injuries while there is a slight dought over the fitness of captain Troy Deeney, who was pictured with strapping and an ice pack around his new after last week’s win over Newcastle
How to Watch
In the final match of the current Premier League gameweek, fans can catch this huge relegation six-pointer on Sky Sports Premier League and Sky Sports Main Event on Friday, July 17 at 8pm.
Supporters can also use live football streams to watch the game if they prefer.
Portsmouth boss Kenny Jackett has discussed his decision not to make a summer move for Bristol Rovers striker Jonah Ayunga.
Pompey boss Jackett will enter the 2020/21 season under a huge amount of pressure after failing to guide his side to the Championship from League One for a second successive season.
With the transfer window potentially offering a chance for Jackett to bring in a number of players, Ayunga emerged as a potential transfer target after performing well for Havant and Waterlooville, netting 24 goals in 41 games.
Despite having a recommendation from Hawks manager Paul Doswell, Jackett and chief executive officer Mark Catlin turned down a move for the striker and the former has now discussed his decision not to try and take him to Fratton Park.
Ayunga has now completed a move to Portsmouth’s league rivals Bristol Rovers, prompting as quoted by The News, Jackett to say: ‘We scout a lot of players during the course of the season.
‘We did scout him and he would have been coming into a position where we already have established players.
‘We’ll see (if we bring in another striker).‘In terms of the front three, we have Ellis Harrison John Marquis, Ronan Curtis, Reeco Hackett-Fairchild, Marcus Harness and Ryan Williams.‘Those are our options at the minute.’Any potential move for a striker this summer at Fratton Park will depend mainly on the club’s current financial situation after the English Football League introduced a salary cap.Such a decision by the EFL follows the pandemic which curtailed the 2019/2020 season in England’s third tier and saw club’s fail to make any revenue due to the closing of stadiums across the country.
Another player missed for Portsmouth and fans must now be starting to question who they are going to sign and when. Little transfer movement is happening at Fratton Park – only Sean Raggett has arrived so far – and the season is not a million miles away.
Jackett must make this the season to gain promotion or his and the club’s future could very much in danger.
Do you think Portsmouth should have made a move for Ayunga? Let us know in the comments section below…
It seems that Olympique Lyon are on a hunt for some reinforcements in the January transfer window already.
According to some new reports by Le Parisien, the French side have taken an interest in Everton’s left-back Lucas Digne, among some other names.
Of course, with their ongoing struggles in 2019/20 that have left them eighth in Ligue 1 – although they have progressed to the knockout rounds of the Champions League – it doesn’t really surprise that they seem to think a boost in the winter is very much needed.
Currently, they have two players that can fill that left-back position in the form of Youssouf Kone and Marcal, the former being the first-choice between them with more minutes under his belt.
But with one goal and four assists to his name already across all competitions, Digne seems to be one level above anything Lyon currently have in their squad.
But this is where things could get rather messy for the French outfit.
According to Whoscored’s ranking system, Digne is Everton’s second-best player in the ongoing campaign with a rating of 7.09, only behind Richarlison with 7.23.
His impact is quite obvious and when we take into account the fact that the only other option they have is the 35-year-old Leighton Baines, it becomes much clearer why the Toffees probably won’t let the Frenchman leave.
Did he play for Everton? Simple question but a lot tougher than you think…
Digne arrived from Barcelona for a reported sum of £18m – a figure that could still rise to around £20m – and he is showing that he was worth every single penny in that transaction with the Catalans.
Needless to say, it could possibly take a huge sum to even tempt Everton to sell their main man but considering that the arrival of Carlo Ancelotti is largely expected to happen sooner rather than later, it makes the situation even more complicated from the French club’s perspective.
If the illustrious manager really wants to get the club back on track, selling his best players surely won’t be on the agenda – and especially not during his first transfer window in charge.
Of course, Lyon can still try and somehow get this deal over the line once the transfer window opens, as Digne would definitely be a major scoop for them, but taking everything into account, it’s a deal that looks rather unlikely to say the least.
Maybe it would be for the best if they began scanning the market for more obtainable alternatives.
Elsewhere, many Spurs fans were delighted with an update concerning one of their big transfer targets…
According to The Athletic, Tottenham Hotspur have borrowed £175m from the Bank of England to ease pressure on the club’s finances due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Clubs all across the country have been affected by the COVID-19 outbreak as they have lost income generated by matchday revenue as a result of games being cancelled and rescheduled behind closed doors.
Spurs have moved to ease some of the financial pressures by using the government’s Covid Corporate Financing Facility, otherwise known as ‘CCFF’. This has provided the board with an unsecured loan repayable in full at a rate of 0.5%.
Football writers David Ornstein and Jack Pitt-Brooke have revealed that the Lilywhites believe they could lose more than £200m since the nationwide lockdown began. Earlier this year, Tottenham backtracked on their original plan to use the nationwide furlough scheme.
While there is no doubt this loan will raise many eyebrows, Spurs chairman Daniel Levy may have saved the long-term future of the club.
The CCFF was established to provide economic support to businesses during the disruption caused by the coronavirus. Companies like Greggs, Marks & Spencers and Easy Jet have all used the scheme so far (Daily Mail). Furthermore, football finance expert Kieran Maguire previously stated “the industry has been effectively taken out at the knees as a result of the pandemic”.
Although the Premier League is on the verge of a return in June, fans are becoming aware that they might not be able to return to their favourite stadia in the near future. Matches are set to be played in neutral venues and Levy has claimed that this will hurt the club’s chances of finding a sponsor for the new home ground.
In the meantime, the loss of a steady flow of income from ticket sales and other forms of revenue can be alleviated by the colossal sum. Borrowing at favourable interest rates could provide more financial stability during this period of economic uncertainty.
Tottenham fans, do you think Daniel Levy has made the right decision in this situation? Let us know by commenting below!
Plenty of Liverpool fans have taken to Twitter to respond to a comment made by the manager of one of their main Premier League title rivals.
Journalist Jamie Jackson tweeted a quote from Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola saying how his team’s European history is incomparable to Liverpool’s. [via @JamieJackson_]
In an interview with BT Sport [via Liverpool Echo], he said: “Liverpool have six [European Cup wins] and this club have one semi-final. We are far away from the ‘You’ll Never Walk Alone’ team and that is the reality.”
While Jurgen Klopp has led Liverpool to the last two Champions League finals, winning the most recent edition of the tournament, Guardiola has been unable to get Manchester City past the quarter-finals in his three full seasons at the club.
The Reds put pay to the Premier League champions’ European hopes two seasons ago and have won Europe’s premier club competition six times in their history, whereas Manchester City’s best finish in the tournament was the semi-finals in 2016, the season before Guardiola assumed the reins.
The Spaniard had also commented on Liverpool’s habit for scoring decisive late goals earlier this month (via Sky Sports), as well as accusing Sadio Mane of diving after the Reds’ win over Aston Villa a few weeks ago (as per Sky Sports).
These Liverpool fans on Twitter mocked Guardiola after his latest public comments about the Anfield club:
Do you think Guardiola talks excessively about Liverpool? What did you make of his latest remarks? Have your say by commenting below!
This article is part of Football FanCast’s The Chalkboard series, which provides a tactical insight into teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…
The possibility of Newcastle signing Jarrod Bowen has been up in the air over recent months.
Rumours originated in the summer before the link gathered pace again in November but that was shortly quashed by the Magpies’ desire to target the loan market instead.
However, an exclusive report from Football League World has claimed that Steve Bruce’s men are still monitoring him with a view to signing the youngster in January.
Also in the race for the £9m-rated winger are Norwich City.
On the chalkboard
Bowen has been nothing short of a star in the Championship, scoring 22 goals in 2018/19 before adding a further 15 this term.
The right-winger is blessed with a remarkable turn of pace while his dribbling ability is enough to cause a nightmare for any defence.
He regularly cuts inside to work the ball onto his left foot, much in the same way Allan Saint-Maximin does from the left-hand side at Newcastle already.
But when everything is considered, the acquisition of the 22-year-old could be game-changing for Miguel Almiron.
The Paraguayan has only contributed to a solitary goal after arriving last January and has predominantly played on the right flank.
It’s a position he’s failed to thrive in but when he was playing in MLS for Atlanta he actually played centrally.
Newcastle are limited with their options in a wide area but landing Bowen would significantly strengthen their abilities from those positions – so much so that Almiron could move back into an attacking midfield role.
In his final campaign in America, the 25-year-old played 26 times in a number 10 position behind the striker according to Transfermarkt.
During that time, he scored 11 goals and laid on a further 11 assists.
It was a fabulous tally from Almiron but since he arrived on English shores, we’ve rarely seen him in that role. The same source claims that he’s only played twice in the creative hole for Newcastle which seems rather baffling when you consider the record he racked up in the US.
Landing a player like Bowen, therefore, could see Steve Bruce field him back in his preferred role. It’s clear that a position on the flank hasn’t benefitted Almiron. The very fact he hasn’t scored a single goal since arriving says everything about his situation.
This potential signing wouldn’t just benefit the team, but it could also have a big say on whether the Paraguayan becomes a success on Tyneside.
Meanwhile, Lee Ryder provided some bad news for Newcastle fans following their win over Southampton…
This article is part of Football FanCast’s Pundit View series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent quotes from journalists, pundits, players and managers…
Sunderland executive director Charlie Methven is pleased with what the team have produced since Phil Parkinson came in and believes the disappointing results are down to a lack of luck.
What did he say?
The Black Cats have been up and down since Parkinson took over, going from the highs of a 5-0 thrashing of Tranmere to a disappointing 1-0 defeat away at Shrewsbury a few days later.
Along with that, they have also been knocked out of the Carabao Cup on penalties against a high-flying Oxford side, leading Methven to suggest that the performances have begun to improve.
However, given Sunderland’s respective budget in comparison to most teams, and their aims this season, it is a little surprising that he should be so relaxed about matters – though it is in everyone’s best interest if he comes out in support of the new boss.
Speaking to ChronicleLive, he said:
It’s one thing being beaten fair and square. But quite another when you feel that the Gods are conspiring against you.
“In the last three away matches Sunderland have hit the woodwork no few than six times.
“We have been denied blatant penalties, and found a bewildering number of ways not to convert an array of clear chances.
“However, as the hours and days pass and the immediate sulk gradually lifts, the board is encouraged by the improvement in the level of performance.”
The director also noted that he is impressed with the levels of effort on display, and suggested that the coaching staff and players “will surely be rewarded” if they keep doing what they’re doing.
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Lack of quality?
It is good to see positivity around the club considering Parkinson has failed to make the desired impact straight away, as he and his players will need backing if they are to achieve their goal this year.
While it is true that the Black Cats have been dominant in the majority of the games they have played – boasting 52% average possession in League One – it may not be down to luck that they have not picked up more points.
Against Southend last weekend, for example, the Sunderland players missed several chances, and a lack of cutting edge in the final third isn’t simply a matter of luck, but lacking quality.
If that problem continues, it is important Methven and Co realise the real issues holding back Parkinson’s side, and address it when they have to opportunity to do so in January.
Will Grigg has just one league goal in 15 league games this campaign, and though they will be keen to see a return of that investment, they need to strengthen in that area, as neither he nor Marc McNulty currently look like they will score the goals to get the club promoted.