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Portsmouth are set for an enthralling couple of weeks as they hope to be victorious yet again at Wembley, come the end of the season. God it’s nervy, isn’t it? Why couldn’t the team manage automatic promotion and save you all from this stress? Football really isn’t fair. 

Still, having won the Checkatrade Trophy, topping the season off with promotion back into the Championship via the play-offs would be a momentous achievement for those on the south coast. They have done so well to lodge themselves in with a fantastic chance of achieving just that this season, which was inspired by their trophy win in March.

Kenny Jackett is clearly a great manager at this level who has proven a lot during this campaign, though whatever league Pompey maybe in next season, it is vital he retains his key players whilst adding some new ones as well. Otherwise, the whole project could go sourly.

One player who is surely near the top of the list of players to stay is central-defender Matt Clarke, who has again been brilliant this season.

Clarke, (who is valued at £180k on Transfermarkt) has been a player of interest for a number of clubs in the past but if Portsmouth are serious about progressing, he must be one of the players who sticks around.

Having played in every single League One game this season, the service he provides Portsmouth is certainly appreciated and he is consistently giving his all for the shirt. Not gaining promotion would present a significant challenge to Pompey, with Clarke surely likely to be offered a route to the Championship without Portsmouth.

Though if they do manage to make it through the play-offs, Clarke would be key to help consolidate their place within the division and he is massively important of the team that they cannot afford to let go.

Do you agree Matt Clarke should be kept at all costs next season? Join the discussion and let us know!

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Sunderland moved back into the automatic promotion places on Tuesday, but fans are fuming at referee Scott Oldham who they feel cost them the chance to go further clear of Barnsley.

The Black Cats’ fate is well and truly back in their hands, as they moved back above Barnsley with just six games left to play, while the Tykes have just five matches remaining.

Jack Ross’ side could be even further out in front though, as a resurgent Burton Albion side nicked a point from the Stadium of Light on Tuesday.

Pl>ymaker FC Exclusive: Jermaine Jenas reveals why Tyne-Wear is a more intense derby than anything London can offer – check out the video below….

Tom Flanagan put the Brewers in front when he stabbed into his own net, but Jack Baldwin levelled things up from a Grant Leadbitter corner.

Charlie Wyke missed a couple of good chances and Leadbitter struck the woodwork late on, but it is referee Oldham who is drawing the ire of the Wearside faithful.

The standard of refereeing in the lower leagues makes the Premier League’s worst look like the world’s best if truth be told, and Oldham was no exception on Wednesday night.

You can find some of the best Twitter reactions down below…

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Cardiff City fans have been full of praise for Neil Etheridge’s heroic performance against Manchester City on Wednesday night.

The Filipino shot-stopper had a lot of work to do against the reigning champions as City peppered the goal with shots, registering 11 strikes on target.

Etheridge made two fantastic saves, stopping both a long-range strike from Phil Foden and a point blank header from Aymeric Laporte.

Though Cardiff lost 2-0 it could’ve been a lot more as City applied constant pressure to Cardiff’s backline.

The 6 foot 2 star’s heroics may prove important come the end of the season as Cardiff’s goal difference could be decisive in the battle against relegation.

Losing just 2-0 against a team that regularly hit five or more against lesser opposition at the Etihad is a respectable result and Etheridge is to thank for keeping the score down.

Cardiff fans took to Twitter during and after the match to sound their appreciation for the keeper.

Here’s what Cardiff fans had to say on Twitter…

عبر المدير الفني للفريق الأول لكرة القدم بنادي ليفربول، يورجن كلوب، عن دهشته من إلغاء هدف جوردان هندرسون القاتل في مباراة إيفرتون في بطولة الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز.

وسقط ليفربول في فخ التعادل الإيجابي 2-2 أمام إيفرتون في المباراة التي جمعت بينهما على ملعب “جوديسون بارك”، ولكن كاد الريدز أن يخطف نقاط المباراة الثلاث في النهاية بهدف من هندرسون قبل أن يتم إلغاؤه من حكم المباراة بداعي التسلل على ساديو ماني، ممرر الهدف من خلال تقنية الفيديو.

اقرأ أيضًا.. أبو تريكة يعلق على هدف محمد صلاح الرائع في مباراة ليفربول وإيفرتون

وتحدث كلوب عن رأيه في قرار الحكم من خلال حواره عبر شبكة “بي بي سي” البريطانية، وقال: “لا أعرف أين الخط الذي يمكن من خلاله احتساب الهدف تسللًا على ماني، لم أر ساديو متسللًا لكن تم إلغاؤه لأن شخصًا ما قرر ذلك”.

وتابع: “لكني في النهاية سعيد للغاية بأداء اللاعبين، أفضل مباراة خاضها الفريق خارج أنفيلد منذ بداية الموسم، لقد أهدرنا هدفين محققين من خلال الكرات الثابتة”.

وأضاف: “كنا مسيطرين على الأجنحة، لكن هناك أشياء كثيرة حدثت في مباراة اليوم، منها واقعة فان دايك وبيكفورد في الشوط الأول لأنني لم أر أنها تسلل لقد رأيتها ركلة جزاء لصالحنا ولكنه تدخلًا لا يمكنه للحارس أن يفعله”.

شاهد هدف ليفربول الملغي أمام إيفرتون

وعن حالة فان دايك: “لم أشاهد الواقعة مرة أخرى، لكن الأمر استغرق بعض الوقت في تقنية الفيديو، من الواضح أن اللعبة لم تكن تسللًا بشكل واضح ولكن ما هو واضح هو تدخل بيكفورد على فان دايك”.

وبشأن إصابة تياجو ألكانتارا، قال كلوب: “الأمر صعب في الوقت الحالي لنعرف ما هي حالة تياجو، لكن ارتكب ضده خطأ عنيفًا من ريتشارلسون، لا تبدو حالته جيدة لنكون صادقين”.

وأتم تصريحاته: “كان يجب أن نفوز بهذه المباراة، بعد أداء اللاعبين الرائع أمام فريق يمتلك لاعبين مميزين يتحلون بالثقة، ولكنني أردت أن أرى رد فعل الفريق (بعد هزيمة أستون فيلا) ومستوانا الذي كنا عليه من قبل”.

إصابة فان دايك وخروجه من مباراة ليفربول وإيفرتون

إصابة تياجو في مباراة ليفربول وإيفرتون

أصدر نادي إنتر ميلان الإيطالي، بيانًا رسميًا قبل قليل، أعلن من خلاله وجود ثلاثة حالات جديدة إيجابية مُصابة بـ فيروس كورونا المُستجد “كوفيد – 19”.

وتعرض الثنائي سكرينيار وباستوني للإصابة بفيروس كورونا أيضًا، خلال اليومين الماضيين (طالع التفاصيل).

صحيفة “لا جازيتا ديلو سبورت” الإيطالية، كانت أكدت أمس أنّ الثنائي لاعب الوسط البلجيكي راجا ناينجولان وصانع الألعاب روبيرتو جاليارديني، قد أثبتت إصابتهما بـ كورونا.

وهو ما أكده إنتر ميلان في بيانه قبل قليل، حيث قال: “نتائج اختبارات جاليارديني وناينجولان لـ كوفيد -19 جاءت إيجابية”.

وأوضح النادي أنّ هناك إصابة ثالثة، وهو حارس المرمى الروماني يونوت رادو، وأشار في بيانه إلى أنّ من المُقرر إجراء غدًا السبت المزيد من الفحوصات للتأكد من سلامة اللاعبين والموظفين.

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Liverpool travel to Old Trafford on Sunday for an all-important Premier League clash with bitter rivals Manchester United. Victory will see the Reds pull clear at the top of the table, with Manchester City engaged in Carabao Cup action elsewhere.

Defeat, however, would dent the Anfield club’s title hopes and could turn the tide of the battle in the favour of the reigning champions. Whatever the outcome, the psychological impact of the result of Sunday’s match could be season-defining for Liverpool.

With the stakes so high, Jurgen Klopp will be desperate for victory. Success will not come easily though. The Red Devils have been in fine form since Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s appointment. The Norwegian coach has revitalised the club, as evidenced by the seismic improvement in star man Paul Pogba’s form.

Watch how to cross the road like a boss with freestyler Ben Nuttall in the video below…

If Liverpool are to stand any chance of victory on Sunday, then Klopp must find a way to stop the 25-year-old midfielder. Football FanCast outline three suggestions below…

Man-marking him

The obvious solution is to try and take the Frenchman out of the game by tasking one man with the job of marking and tracking him relentlessly throughout the 90 minutes. Either Fabinho or Jordan Henderson would be well-suited to this task. The Brazilian would certainly be a physical match for Pogba. 

By tasking Fabinho with restricting Pogba, the French midfielder may find his ability to find space and influence the game limited. This could lead to him getting frustrated – he was sent off against PSG last week – or even taken off by Solskjaer in order to try a different approach.

Cutting off the supply lines

An alternative, but potentially equally effective, method of restricting Pogba’s ability to assert his control is by cutting off the supply lines to the 64-cap France international. Solskjaer’s side know that the World Cup winner is their key man, so they naturally try to get him on the ball as often as possible. Pogba’s midfield partners, such as Ander Herrera and Nemanja Matic, will constantly be looking for the former Juventus man.

However, Liverpool can make picking out Pogba an arduous task. By closing down and harrying the man on the ball, and cutting off passing lanes to Pogba, Liverpool can force the United players to have to find an alternative option to giving the ball to the 6’3” midfielder.

Structurally, that could come in the form of, simply, three flat central midfielders who position themselves between Herrera, Matic and the space between the lines that Pogba likes to occupy.

Crowding him out

A more industrial approach to stopping Pogba would be to use raw physicality to impede him. This doesn’t just mean cynical, tactical fouling – though, that’s certainly a part of it – but by crowding the Frenchman out, consistently jostling him, and generally never giving him an inch to establish command over the midfielder.

However, this is a risky strategy. If executed clumsily it can lead to cards being shown and dangerous set piece situations being conceded. There’s also a danger of Pogba beating the press, which will inevitably leave gaps throughout the rest of the team.

أكد المدرب الألماني يورجن كلوب، المدير الفني لنادي ليفربول، أنه لم يفكر في الدفع بالوافد الجديد، تياجو ألكانتارا، كأساسي أمام تشيلسي في الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز.

ليفربول يواجه تشيلسي في تمام الساعة الخامسة والنصف مساءً، وألكانتارا يتواجد على مقاعد البدلاء (طالع تشكيل ليفربول).

وقال كلوب لـ” سكاي سبورتس” قبل بداية المباراة: “مباراة تشيلسي ستكون صعبة حقًا بالنسبة لنا، علينا تقديم كل ما لدينا، ودعونا نرى ما سيحدث”.

وأضاف: “جلوس ألكانتارا على مقاعد البدلاء؟ لم أفكر لثانية لواحدة أنه سيلعب كأساسي اليوم، من المُضحك أنّ يُفكر الناس في ذلك!”.

وأتم تصريحاته قائلًا: “دور ألكانتارا هنا في ليفربول، سيكون مُختلفًا عما كان عليه في بايرن ميونخ”.

According to Football Insider, Jose Mourinho is more keen on signing more established stars this summer.

What’s the word?

Having been appointed into the first few months of this season, this upcoming transfer window will be Mourinho’s first in terms of it being a summer one.

His predecessor, Mauricio Pochettino, appeared to focus more heavily on signing younger, more promising talent, before developing them into first-team stars – Dele Alli of course being the prime example.

But now, according to Football Insider, Mourinho is keen on “recruiting more senior players this summer in a major move away from the Pochettino blueprint”.

Watch Tottenham Hotspur Videos With StreamFootball.tv Below

It’s further suggested that agents have already been told that the north London side are looking for players who won’t need long adaptation periods like the signings of Jack Clarke and Ryan Sessegnon last summer.

Destroying an identity

Identities are built over numerous seasons and years, and they’re often the focal point for a club to build around. In his time at the club, Pochettino shaped it in such a way where there was a clearly defined philosophy at Spurs, of having players who were young, hungry and full of intensity – the likes of Alli and Kane in particular symbolising that.

But with Mourinho wishing to tear up the blueprint and start imposing a more calculated, short-term approach, Spurs risk losing the kind of identity that they had worked so hard to build. Whilst of course there were no trophies to show for Pochettino’s work, he certainly established them as a firm part of the Premier League’s ‘big six’, and even taking them to the Champions League final last season.

No clues whatsoever: Which seasons do these iconic Spurs images belong to?

Mourinho has never been one to hang around, so if Spurs go down this new route and it doesn’t work out, then not only will they have destroyed their previous work, but they will have also been burned by what the Portuguese man has also done.

Meanwhile, Spurs should consider cashing in on this Pochettino signing.

TalkSPORT pundit Andy Goldstein has argued that Liverpool’s current side cannot be considered truly great before they have won the league – and says they need to repeat the feat to earn a place among the Premier League’s best sides of all time.

Liverpool appear to be ending their 30-year wait for a league title, much longer than you need to wait for virgin games promotions for 2020, thanks to their 13-point lead at the top of the table with a game in hand.

Though Goldstein believes that while title glory awaits Jurgen Klopp’s team, they must win the title again to be considered a cut above the rest.

Speaking on TalkSPORT, Goldstein feels that talk of the Reds being one of the league’s best-ever sides is jumping the gun a little, following their latest success at home to Sheffield United on Thursday.

He said: “At the end of Sam [Matterface’s] brilliant commentary, he said this is one of the greatest sides ever in the Premier League. Are people not getting a little bit ahead of themselves? They haven’t won the league yet.

“They’re going to, but Manchester United dominated for two decades, Man City had been winning league titles for fun in recent years, they’ve looked fantastic.

“Let’s have it right, when you’ve won the league a couple of times, then you’ve got one of the greatest teams of all time – not before you’ve won it.”

Goldstein may have a point, though it was co-presenter Perry Groves who came up with an interesting counter-argument to his claims.

Groves suggested that Liverpool would deserve being named one of the best sides the Premier League has seen due to their long unbeaten run – which will now surpass a full year after dispatching of the Blades to take their current streak to 37 matches in the top flight.

With only two other sides achieving a year unbeaten in the history of the Premier League, it would be difficult to leave Liverpool out of this particular conversation – especially with the Reds so close to finally achieving the title themselves.

And having had a 97-point campaign prior to their current one, it certainly seems as if Liverpool are worthy of the greatness they pursue at this moment in time, with their title challenge already on the verge of completion.

Liverpool fans, can the Reds last the season and go unbeaten? Let us know what you think below!

After Mark Hughes’ sacking yesterday, The Guardian has linked former Watford boss Quique Sánchez Flores to replace him.

The Spaniard has been linked with the job alongside former RB Leipzig boss Ralph Hasenhüttl. However, the club should favour the Austrian over the Spaniard in this situation.

This is for a number of reasons. Firstly, Sánchez Flores is off the back of a fairly unsuccessful spell at Espanyol. Despite a decent first season in charge of the club, he did not improve on that, and the club fell down the La Liga table the following season.

Now, of course, managers should be given a shot at redemption, but Southampton should not be the club for him to do so. This is because he is not particularly experienced with taking charge of teams that are relegation-threatened. This requires a different type of manager and temperament. He may find the rigours of managing The Saints different to that of Espanyol, and that could ultimately cost Southampton.

Another reason is that he has never stayed at a club too long. At Watford he left in mysterious circumstances after just one season that was relatively successful. Likewise, after having a fair amount of success at Atlético Madrid, he didn’t even last two seasons. If Southampton want a manager that they will stick with for a number of years, Sánchez Flores just doesn’t look to be the man.

Basically, if Southampton want a short-term option or a long-term option, Sánchez Flores doesn’t seem to fit the bill for either.