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For Leeds, their season has been a very inconsistent affair. Their opening two games saw a scoreline of 4-3 but entertainment has followed in its droves since then.

Marcelo Bielsa likes his team to play wonderful free-flowing football but that often leaves them open at the back.

You only need to look at their wretched run of form in 2021 so far. The Whites are yet to win, yet to score and have conceded seven times in three outings.

Considering how 2020 panned out for Leeds, the New Year has been in stark contrast. Though, there are still positives to be had.

One of which is the performances of Brazilian winger Raphinha. The attacker arrived in the summer for a fee of £17m but it’s hard to suggest many supporters knew anything about him.

He’d played just one season in Europe’s top five leagues but on the contrary, was a player that Victor Orta had been tracking for a while. In fact, the Spaniard was watching Raphinha when he was still playing in Portugal.

The 23-year-old learnt his trade at Vitoria Guimaraes and then Sporting Lisbon, before moving to Rennes in France. His impressive and consistent displays subsequently earned him a move to the Premier League.

Since signing, he has been nothing but superb. Although he’s contributed to just four goals in the top-flight so far, his dazzling dribbling skills leave plenty of defenders face down in the turf. He is a wily character, a winger full of tricks, creativity and most importantly work rate.

An attacker player can have all the talent in the world but if he doesn’t put in the hard yards for a manager like Bielsa then they’re destined to fail under him. You only need to look at Jean-Kevin Augustin’s ill-fated spell in England for context there.

It’s a big achievement to work yourself into Bielsa’s good books this quickly but that’s exactly what Raphinha has done, racking up 1.5 dribbles per game – a team-high.

It takes plenty to impress the Leeds boss, but it also takes something to impress pundit Graeme Souness, someone who gave the youngster the seal of approval earlier this term. He said: “He’s a flair player but works his socks off. I think there’s a goal in him. There’s lots to like about him.”

Clinton Morrison echoed those thoughts in December, commenting: “He’s brought into it. He works hard. He tracks back. And he creates chances. But he’s just so lively. He doesn’t hug the touchline. What he does is that he comes in off the line and he makes it difficult for fullbacks to mark him. I think he has been an excitement for Leeds and long may it continue.”

That is the primary difference between a player like him and Helder Costa. The Portuguese has struggled for game time this season and doesn’t work nearly as hard as Raphinha does. That speaks volumes when you consider the latter has only been at Elland Road for a matter of months.

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For evidence of how hard Raphinha works, you only need to assess the number of loose balls he has recovered. Per game, the Brazilian recovers 6.83 balls per game, that’s just 0.01 behind Jack Harrison.

A further litmus for his hard work is the amount of progressive ball carries the £60k-per-week earner makes per game compared to his teammates. Once more, he is ahead of Costa.

Raphinha carries the ball forward towards the penalty area on average 6.63 times per 90 minutes. Costa, by comparison, has only done so 4.4 times.

The canny winger may provide plenty in attack but ultimately, it’s his work rate that has made him such a genius piece of business from Orta. Given his potential, too, £17m is looking like a snip.

AND in other news, Leeds could find their new Roofe by signing £27k-p/w beast with a “love of scoring”…

A lot of the Crystal Palace fan base are gutted following Roy Hodgson’s injury update on key player Wilfried Zaha.

The attacker had to limp off in the second half of the 2-1 victory against Newcastle United during the week after attempting to win a 50/50.

Roy Hodgson provided the latest update in his press conference before the Eagles play Leeds on Monday night. He said: “He [Zaha] has got a hamstring injury so we don’t know how long it’s going to keep him out. It’s the early stage of the injury and he’s still being assessed. It’s totally unrealistic to suggest he’d be ready for this game.”

This is a big worry as hamstring injuries can see players on the sidelines for a long period, and can often reoccur if the player is rushed back – just look at across to Monday’s opponents, who have seen summer signing Diego Llorente constantly scuppered by issues in that area.

For the South London side, this is the worst player an injury could have happened to, leading one fan to call it a ‘huge blow’.

Zaha is their talisman and has managed nine goals and two assists in his 19 Premier League appearances this campaign. In the two games he has missed against Burnley and Newcastle this campaign, Palace looked to lack creativity and lost both the matches without scoring a single goal, so all associated with the club will be hoping he can return as soon as possible.

Here is how fans reacted to the news:

“Champagne but the Cham is silent…”

Credit: @DrizzyCPFC

“Pain”

Credit: @cpfcbailey

“Boooo”

Credit: @RoccoSeipel

“Wilf missing 2 or 3 games 3 times a season means we never train to a different way to manage without him as we know he’ll be back soon. Him being out longer might mean we shift focus as a team and get the best out of others. Obviously a huge blow, but also an opportunity.”

Credit: @liamb0117

“We’re Done for”

Credit: @cpfc_Sean

“Pain”

Credit: @CPFC_Harv

In other news, CPFC fans were fuming at one-star during a recent loss. Have a read who it was here!

Steven Gerrard must bite the bullet and put the pressure on Ross Wilson to cash in on Glasgow Rangers outcast Jordan Jones in January.

What’s the word?

Jones joined Rangers in 2019 on a free transfer after he agreed a four-year pre-contract deal from Kilmarnock, with the winger saying: “I’ve waited for this moment for a long time and today is a dream come true!”

The Gers had originally tried to sign him a year prior to his move but to no avail, until he reached an agreement with the 54-time Scottish champions which has seen him earn wages worth £9,100-per-week per the terms of his contract, that means he earns more than first-team regular starter Glen Kamara, despite the fact he has made less than half of his appearances so far this season.

Gerrard has insisted Jones can still play a big part in the light blue jersey after a difficult debut campaign.

However, the Northern Ireland international has largely failed to live up to these lofty expectations, with just one goal and two assists in his past 19 appearances for the club in all competitions, via Transfermarkt.

Speaking exclusively to Football Insider, former Aberdeen and Leeds United striker Noel Whelan believes Jones and his colleague George Edmundson are heading for the exit after breaching COVID rules, with the winter transfer market set to open in just under a month’s time.

He said: “You cannot change Gerrard’s mind now. I think they will go in January.

“If you do not meet the criteria and the standards required to be a regular in the first team then, unfortunately you need to look somewhere else.”

Get him gone, Gers!

Jones had been named in the squad for three of their first eight fixtures across all competitions, but is yet to feature for the first team since the 2-0 win over Livingston in the Scottish Premiership.

In fact, his chances have been few and far between under Gerrard even prior to his latest transgression, as the Ibrox boss has only deemed it necessary to start him just twice in the top flight, whilst he was axed from the Europa League squad to make room for new summer recruit Bongani Zungu.

Both of his starts came against lower-level opposition in Motherwell and Premiership strugglers Ross County respectively as Rangers ran out the winners on both occasions before he was left on the bench as an unused substitute during the first Old Firm derby of the season.

Gerrard may have already decided against giving Jones another chance anyway as Kemar Roofe has made a home for himself on the right wing, with 8 goals and an assist in his past 14 games in all competitions, via Transfermarkt.

Roofe’s emergence on the right wing coupled with Ianis Hagi’s breakthrough campaign last season must surely prove to be the final straw in deciding his fate, as Gerrard simply cannot afford to put his faith in the Northern Irishman anymore.

AND in other news, Glasgow Rangers chief Ross Wilson must deliver Billy Gilmour or face consequences…

Glasgow Rangers beat Kilmarnock in a 1-0 win away at Rugby Park to move nine points clear of their arch-rivals Celtic at the top of the Scottish Premiership table.

Steven Gerrard’s side are on an 18-game unbeaten run and have dropped just four points from their first 13 fixtures in the Scottish top flight.

Rangers ace Joe Aribo came close to scoring with a fine effort from inside the box before James Tavernier scored his 10th goal of the season from the penalty spot after Kilmarnock right-back Ross Millen was adjudged to have handled the ball.

The club captain has started every single game of the Scottish Premiership this season so far with Gerrard keeping faith in his countryman and the in-form defender returned the favour with another fine performance.

SofaScore awarded Tavernier with a high rating of 7.9 for his efforts – he made one interception, three tackles and four clearances, whilst he also won six out of twelve ground duels (50%), produced two key passes and took 91 touches of the ball, which suggests that he was a potent attacking threat as well.

Sky Sports gave him a grade of 7/10, whilst GlasgowLive gave him the same score, claiming that he “continues to rack up the goals, and netted his tenth of the season from the spot” although they added that he “wasn’t able to get forward as much as he’d like in the second half, with Killie pushing forward, but another good showing.”

Once hailed as an “outrageous” colossus by Gerrard, it’s fair to say that Tavernier has established himself as one of the best right-backs in Scotland. The £4.5m-rated Rangers ace has been in exceptional form this season, as he has made 13 appearances in the Scottish Premiership, scoring six goals and supplying five assists so far, via Transfermarkt.

By comparison, even star striker Alfredo Morelos has only managed to score three goals and supply three assists in the first division, as per Transfermarkt.

The 29-year-old is Gerrard’s undisputed first-choice right-back and has become an integral part of the side in recent years. We suspect he will still have a part to play if the Gers are to regain the title, that’s for sure.

AND in other news, Worse than Barker: Glasgow Rangers dodged a bullet in one-time target Isaac Atanga…

MatériaMais Notícias

O Botafogo fez um treino tático diferente, na manhã desta segunda-feira, no China Park, em Domingos Martins (ES). O técnico Ricardo Gomes organizou um trabalho com 13 jogadores, com laterais praticamente sem marcação e, pela divisão dos jogadores, um ataque contra defesa.

A equipe, em tese, titular, teve Jefferson, Diego, Renan Fonseca, Emerson e Diogo Barbosa; Bruno Silva, Rodrigo Lindoso, Fernandes, Gegê, Octávio e Nuñez; Lízio e Luis Henrique.

O lateral Diego, pelo menos por enquanto, segue entre os que devem começar jogando no dia 30 de janeiro, contra o Bangu, na estreia da equipe no Campeonato Carioca. Até lá, ele espera que os jogadores estejam completamente preparados física e taticamente.

– Os preparadores trabalham para estarmos 100%, e esse é o pensamento de todos.Faltam duas semanas, trabalhamos para ficarmos bem à vontade e dar tudo certo no jogo do dia 30 – resume.

O Glorioso ainda volta a campo nesta segunda-feira, e segue no Espírito Santo até o dia 23. Nesta data, haverá o amistoso contra a Desportiva Ferroviária.

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Fulham face Everton at Craven Cottage on Sunday afternoon looking to secure just their second Premier League win of the season as they continue their fight against relegation.

The Cottagers face an Everton side that made a superb start to the 2020/21 Premier League season but dropped off before the international break, losing three consecutive games in the top-flight.

Scott Parker’s side meanwhile, impressed in their last game against West Ham, but ultimately succumbed to a 1-0 defeat after a late goal from Tomas Soucek, as well as a missed penalty from Ademola Lookman (per BBC Sport).

The English manager should bear this in mind when selecting his team to face the Toffees and although Lookman has impressed since joining on loan from RB Leipzig, his missed panenka penalty attempt was inexcusable, and he should be dropped to the bench for this game.

Here’s how Football FanCast thinks Parker should set his side up to face Everton…

Parker should keep faith in his defence and goalkeeper, as they were unlucky to lose out against West Ham in their last Premier League fixture, with Alphonse Areola, in particular, impressing with his performance in goal.

Tom Cairney and Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa are almost guaranteed starters in Parker’s side at the moment, after both of their impressive starts to the 2020/21 season.

Harrison Reed could be the man to nullify the threat of James Rodriguez – the former Southampton man should stick as close as he can to the Colombian as to ensure that he cannot be a creative force for Carlo Ancelotti’s side.

Ruben Loftus-Cheek could also add some steel in midfield for Fulham and perhaps help out Ola Aina on the right-hand side defensively, as a lot of Everton’s threat comes from the crosses of Lucas Digne on the left, so handing the £21.6 million-rated loanee a start could prove effective if he helps Fulham win the midfield battle.

Finally, Aleksandr Mitrovic and Bobby Reid should start up front, as between them they have four goals in the top-flight this season, which is more than 50% of all the goals the Cottagers have managed, so they can add a goal threat in what will be an important fixture for Parker’s side on Sunday afternoon.

Tottenham Hotspur reject Marcus Edwards could well be the one that got away.

He’ll always be defined as a player that failed to fulfil his potential in north London, no matter how harsh that may be as it was his manager at the time, Mauricio Pochettino, piled the pressure on him with his remarks.

Speaking to Sky Sports, the ex-Spurs boss said:

“The qualities – it’s only looks, his body and the way that he plays – remember a little bit from the beginning of Messi.

“He’s small, he’s left-footed, I remember a little bit (Erik) Lamela when he was at River Plate, remember he had long hair, when he was 14, 15 years old, there is a lot of videos on YouTube that you can see, that he took the ball, didn’t give a pass and shot straight away.

“He is a very good prospect and potentially he can be a top player, but we need to be patient and tell him that he has a lot of talent, enough talent to be a top player, a great player.”

Although it is Lamela, not Edwards, that still remains at the club.

The young winger only ever featured for 15 minutes in one senior appearance at Spurs yet he’s gone on to prove his worth elsewhere.

Where is Edwards now?

Edwards has thrived in what is undoubtedly the best season of his young career.

In all competitions, the 21-year-old provided nine goals and nine assists from 36 appearances, which includes a strike against arch-rivals Arsenal in the Europa League, and he has since gone on to become one of the first names on the teamsheet for the Primeira Liga outfit.

He averaged a whopping 3.2 dribbles, 1.7 shots and 1.4 key passes per game domestically, so perhaps he’s finally starting to somewhat live up to Pochettino’s great expectations.

Edwards was among the top ten players in the division and as a result, he attracted plenty of interest during the summer transfer window.

Leeds, Manchester United and even Spurs themselves were linked with making a move for the winger in a potential deal that could have cost in excess of €25m (£22.5m).

Vitoria managed to secure Edwards on a free last summer, so they’d have made a hefty profit if he did secure a move away, though clearly he’s proven Spurs wrong as they gave up on him far too early in his career.

They can be thankful, for now, that he’s still in Portugal though if he continues on this upward trajectory, then that asking price could rise tenfold.

AND in other news, Forget Kane: £25k-p/w “huge talent” could benefit most from Gareth Bale…

West Ham United risk unsettling David Moyes’ plans with the capture of two-time Premier League winner John Stones amid rumoured interest in the Manchester City defender.

What’s the word?

According to the Daily Mail, West Ham and Everton have emerged as the two most likely destinations for Stones to join as the window nears its climax should he depart Pep Guardiola’s Sky Blues.

The 26-year-old had been touted as a potential target for London rivals Arsenal and Chelsea earlier in the summer, but interest has calmed at the Emirates and Stamford Bridge following the respective arrivals of Brazilian duo Gabriel Magalhaes and Thiago Silva.

Stones began to lose Guardiola’s trust last season when the Catalan coach reduced his game time to 25 appearances across all competitions, but vowed to stay and fight for his place at the Etihad Stadium despite the £41million arrival of Nathan Ake and greater inclusion of academy graduate Eric Garcia.

Man City have been open to cashing-in on Stones all summer with reports in August claiming the 2018/19 Premier League champions had offered his services to Chelsea for just £20m, less than half the £47.5m paid to Everton in 2016.

With reports of a £25million bid and a £150,000-per-week contract lined up for Olympique de Marseille’s Duje Caleta-Car, it remains to be seen if West Ham turn their attentions to Stones’ situation approaching Monday night’s deadline.

Shaky foundations for a brighter future

Signing Stones could be the perfect decision for West Ham, as he would bring years of top-tier experience to east London having helped Manchester City win two Premier League titles, an FA Cup, three EFL Cups and the Community Shield while representing England on 39 occasions.

However, his acquisition could also see the Hammers add shaky foundations to the plans Moyes is attempting to put in place, as Stones’ performances were the reason why he fell out of favour with Guardiola and has only featured twice for the Three Lions since 2018.

Stones’ sole appearance for the Citizens of the new season heading into this weekend came in a 3-1 win on the opening day away to Wolverhampton Wanderers, before Guardiola opted against naming the 26-year-old in any of his subsequent matchday plans.

The former Everton ace was not appalling at Molineux by any measure, having played a crucial role in City’s build-up play during the first-half, but Stones was partly at fault for Raul Jimenez’s goal in the 78th-minute as his slack awareness came as a gift to Daniel Podence.

Nevertheless, a player once signed for £47.5m and with a trophy cabinet of his, Stones would demand to be a starter week-in, week-out in east London providing he’s fit, but his overall consistency would be a concern for Moyes.

Over just 16 Premier League appearances in the 2019/20 campaign, Stones started 12 and would end the season with an average of 70 minutes per game to his name, in which he managed only the 1.0 tackles, 0.6 interceptions and 1.4 ground duels won, per SofaScore.

If Moyes is able to land his new centre-half elsewhere, then West Ham must explore that option and only return to Manchester to consider Stones as a last resort come Monday.

AND in other news, West Ham have been dealt a setback in the club’s efforts to land the missing spark of David Moyes’ midfield.

MatériaMais Notícias

O clima desfavorável em nada atrapalhou Alan Patrick na tarde deste domingo (8). Inspirado, o meia-atacante marcou duas vezes na goleada do Flamengo sobre o Goiás (4 a 1), no Maracanã, ajudando a interromper uma sequência de quatro derrotas do Rubro-Negro no Campeonato Brasileiro. Antes de brilhar no gramado, o camisa 19 sofreu com as vaias da torcida, assim como Pará. Ambos estiveram envolvidos numa festa próxima ao Ninho do Urubu, que acabou tirando cinco jogadores do confronto com o Grêmio, disputado na semana passada, em Porto Alegre (RS). Para o atleta, entretanto, o resultado pode significar novos rumos na Gávea.

– Representa a continuidade do trabalho. Tem de ressaltar que a nossa equipe passava por sequência de derrotas, o que nos incomodava. Dentro de casa, fizemos bom jogo e ganhamos bem. Temos confiança para seguir o campeonato. As vaias não incomodaram. Fiquei emocionado no gol. Só eu e minha família sabe o que passei. Quero ajudar o Flamengo – afirmou Alan Patrick, na saída de campo.

Em 11° lugar na tabela, agora com 47 pontos, o Flamengo segue sonhando com voos mais altos na competição. Na próxima rodada, o Rubro-Negro visita o Santos, na Vila Belmiro, às 22h do dia 19 de novembro, quinta-feira.

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Arsenal can get one over their bitter rivals Tottenham Hotspur by signing Willian after Le 10 Sport reported that European heavyweights Paris Saint-Germain and Real Madrid are also interested in signing the Chelsea ace in the upcoming summer transfer window.

As per the report, with coronavirus affecting the transfer market, it could be difficult for clubs to spend millions to strengthen. Therefore, attracting players at a lower cost is the ideal aim and some of them are affected by this situation.

Step forward Willian, whose current contract at Stamford Bridge expires at the end of June and an extension does not seem to be on the cards at the moment, so the Brazilian could be available on a free transfer.

The report also claims that the Gunners as well as Spurs remain very interested in him. Indeed, the fact that Willian would be available on a free transfer is already an incentive for the Emirates Stadium outfit to go out and sign him, therefore getting one over on the Lilywhites.

Based on his stats so far this season, the 31-year-old still has plenty to offer, scoring seven goals and making six assists in 37 appearances in all competitions, according to website).

Having a player of his experience in the dressing room could be vital for Mikel Arteta’s side, with the added bonus that the Brazilian international has shown that he can still perform in the top flight. With no transfer fee to be paid, Willian provides an option of minimal risk who could thrive at Arsenal.

Gooners, does Willian still have what it takes to perform? Comment below with your views!