Tag Futebol

Celtic are stuck at one of the biggest crossroads they’ll ever come across. Do they stick with their interim manager or does the hierarchy look elsewhere in a bid to revive the Bhoys diabolical year?

It has been a troublesome nine weeks on and off the field as the board room ponder replacements for Neil Lennon.

Despite finding themselves 18 points off top spot when he resigned, it was a surprise to see him depart. After all, the board had been so strongly in his favour.

Perhaps caught unaware by the situation, they’ve struggled to find his successor. The likes of Eddie Howe and Roy Keane are two of the main contenders but even Jose Mourinho has been touted in the last week.

The Portuguese has lost his job with Tottenham and is now available to be lured to Parkhead.

Based on his reputation alone he’d be a mesmerising appointment from Dermot Desmond and co. This is a man who has won one of Europe’s top five leagues on eight occasions. This is a multiple Champions League winner too.

That being said, his style of football and indeed his stock has fallen off a cliff.

What Celtic need right now is an attacking coach, someone willing to take the game to the opposition and dominate their league. Mourinho hasn’t done that for a while and he’s become known for parking the bus.

Despite housing two of the most fearsome forwards in the Premier League – Harry Kane and Heung-min Son – Spurs have had a pretty torrid time offensively.

If we look at the statistics, the north Londoners sit tenth in the table for expected goals at 45.5.

There are some even more damning facts to report, however. Mourinho’s side managed just 11.09 shots per 90 minutes in the league this season, the 13th best tally.

The Lilywhites also sit 13th for shot-creating actions per 90 minutes, a tally that stands at 17.97. On top of that, the progressive distance of their passing is also measly compared to their nearest competitors; managing 33,325 yards, the 12th highest number in the English top-flight.

To reiterate how poor they are at moving the ball forward, you only need to look at their progressive passes. They have the tenth-best number in the Premier League with 30.3 per 90 minutes.

On this evidence, he wouldn’t be a particularly great appointment for Celtic. After all, the Hoops need someone who can drive them forward in the attacking stages of play.

[snack-amp-story url= “https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/read-the-latest-celtic-manager-and-transfer-news-howe-lampard-klimala-ajer-gossip” title= “Read the latest Celtic manager and transfer news!”]

That’s why Young Boys manager Gerardo Seoane would be a perfect appointment.

The 42-year-old’s team have won Switzerland’s top division in both campaigns he’s led at the Wankdorf Stadium. The 2018/19 season was a particularly special triumph with 99 goals being scored, 28 more than any other side, whilst his side won the league and cup double in the 2019/20 campaign.

Young Boys are still very impressive going forward. In fact, this season Seoane’s men are one of the most vertical teams in the whole of Europe.

They manage 82.81 progressive passes per 90 minutes, 51.51 more than Mourinho’s Spurs side.

That speaks volumes but it demonstrates why he’d be more suited to the Parkhead job. Celtic themselves have managed 85.05 on average each 90 for instance.

On top of that, Seoane is particularly good when it comes to managing young players and piecing together a squad with individuals approaching their prime.

This would be particularly important at Celtic because they’re in dire need of transitioning towards a youth approach.

With Scott Brown departing for Aberdeen and the likes of Odsonne Edouard and Kristoffer Ajer potentially facing the exit, they are considering bringing in younger players.

Liam Shaw has already agreed a deal with the club to sign him in the summer while fellow EFL youngsters Siriki Dembele, Kyle Joseph and Kwadwo Baah have all been linked with cheap moves.

Seoane would be able to develop these players expertly judging by his record at Young Boys.

He was hired when he was just 39 years of age so knows what it means to be handed a chance when you don’t necessarily have the experience under your belt. He is repaying his players with the same faith that Young Boys sporting director Christoph Spycher showed a number of years ago.

“It’s beautiful to see. Right from the beginning, we had 100 per cent conviction in Gerry, a great feeling right from the start,” Spycher commented.

Indeed, Seoane’s team possesses just three players over the age of 30. It has six players below the age of 23 and only five individuals over the age of 25; typically the peak of a footballer’s career.

With that in mind, the young coach could take his team even further given the chance.

Celtic and Dermot Desmond shouldn’t enable him to though. They need to be all over the Swiss manager like a rash; he is perfect for what the club needs and his self professed “passion” and “big emotions” could help the Hoops reclaim their dominance.

AND in other news, Celtic could find perfect Edouard successor with move for “unbelievable” 97-goal beast…

Writing on Twitter, reliable Tottenham Hotspur correspondent Alasdair Gold believes Juan Foyth possibly joining Villarreal on a permanent deal this summer could be a transfer which ‘comes back to bite Spurs’ – with the La Liga side possessing an option to sign him for around £13 million on top of the loan fee. 

Foyth has impressed under former Arsenal boss Unai Emery on the continent recently after a slow start to life in Spain, often displaying his versatility as a right-back, centre-back or defensive midfielder (football.london).

Gold fires Foyth warning to Spurs

So far, the 23-year-old has made 27 appearances for Villarreal in all competitions and 14 in La Liga – with Gold relaying that Spurs could be set to lose a young player ‘on the up’ this summer (football.london).

Sending a warning, Gold believes Foyth and his spell at the Estadio de la Cerámica should be a lesson for the Lilywhites over loaning out promising youngsters at the right time (Twitter).

Given the option-to-buy inserted into the starlet’s loan agreement at Villarreal, Gold explains that Spurs now look unlikely to benefit from his recent rise to prominence and experience gained.

Instead, Spurs may just receive a relatively low transfer fee for a highly promising youngster.

Transfer Tavern take

According to WhoScored, the Argentine has made an impressive 2.6 tackles per 90 in those 14 league outings whilst managing to find a teammate with 87.4% of his passes.

Last year, the Athletic journalist Charlie Eccleshare heralded Foyth as a ‘really exciting’ player – and Tottenham possibly losing him this summer for just £13m comes as an possible hiccup by chairman Daniel Levy, who will be looking to raise big cash through sales to spend on any incoming players.

Emery, speaking to AS recently, even admitted he would like to keep the starlet – and it seems like only a matter of time before they make his move permanent judging by his accolades this season.

In other news: Tottenham make enquiry for £225,000-per-week star, find out more here.

Given that it’s his first season at Premier League level, there’s no questioning Illan Meslier is proving himself to be a real bargain for Leeds United.

Reports have suggested that the Yorkshire club paid just £5m to sign him on a long-term deal – virtually nothing when you think of the huge amounts of money that gets thrown about in the modern market.

And, speaking on The Inside Elland Road Podcast, The Yorkshire Evening Post’s Graham Smyth said: “He’s been great, hasn’t he? For a 20-year-old, for £5m, I mean Victor Orta – it feels almost illegal what he’s done getting a player of that quality at that age for £5m, remarkable business.”

With a total of nine clean sheets to his name in the top-flight, Meslier currently ranks joint-sixth among all goalkeepers in the Premier League, and that despite playing for a side who have come to be known for their attacking style of play.

The young Frenchman’s ability with his feet has always been one of his standout attributes, with former Whites striker Jermaine Beckford raving: “The kid is incredible. I was watching the game (against Everton) and there were a couple of moments, (Dominic) Calvert-Lewin, Richarlison and James (Rodriguez) had chances, but Meslier stood in their way. His distribution is one of the best in the Premier League.”

Meslier’s willingness to come for crosses and take the pressure of his defenders has also been raved about by former England goalkeeper David James, who said earlier this calendar year: “Meslier – I love him. I went on social media, I was watching a game and he went for about 10 crosses (v Burnley), he carried on coming for crosses.

“The commentators were battering him. I was thinking ‘the guy is still coming’, and as soon as the whistle went, the camera was panning but you could see all the defenders going up to him. That is quality.”

His performances in the Premier League have now seen his value shoot up, with CIES now rating him at a mammoth £26m.

And, with reports in recent weeks and months suggesting that Meslier’s performances have attracted transfer interest from Premier League side West Ham, Leeds surely stand to make a massive profit on the French starlet if they ever did decide to cash in.

That kind of buy low, sell high margin will be music to the ears of Andrea Radrizzani, who will know that his club are in the driving seat to demand a big fee from the Hammers if the London club firm up their interest this summer with an official bid.

Make no mistake about it, Victor Orta delivered a masterclass by landing Meslier so cheaply.

Meanwhile, Leeds must block a move for this “extraordinary” star…

Leeds United manager Marcelo Bielsa has delivered an update on Mateusz Klich’s condition before they take on Sheffield United in the Premier League.

Speaking in his pre-match press conference ahead of the Blades’ visit to Elland Road, the Whites boss revealed: “The situation with Klich is in the process of being solved. There’s a protocol that needs to be completed and we will see what the consequence of that is.

“The rest of the players haven’t arrived back from international duty and it’s not convenient to anticipate whether they are okay or not fitness-wise without having evaluated them.”

Despite seemingly falling out of favour for Bielsa in recent weeks – he has completed the full 90 minutes just twice in Leeds’ last 11 Premier League games – there’s no questioning that, on his day, Klich can be a real influence in the middle of the park.

In his first 16 Premier League games, the £12.5m-rated Polish midfielder bagged himself two goals and picked up five assists, with Danny Mills raving about his performances.

He said: “I think Mateusz Klich has done very, very well because when Bielsa first came in he was almost surplus to requirements, he wasn’t being used an awful lot before he came in and could have been on his way.

“He’s got talent, he’s a clever midfield player, he’s very fit and he’s reliable. Undoubtedly he’s got quality. Maybe it’s a little bit of a stretch to say he could play in any team in the world. He’s just trying to say ‘I rely on this player, he’s been fantastic for me’ and he has, he’s been absolutely superb.”

[snack-amp-story url=”https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/latest-leeds-transfer-rumours-and-news” title=”Latest Leeds transfer rumours and news”]

The midfielder has yet to miss a single league game all season, while due to protocol would also have missed out on important training sessions over the past couple of weeks, which won’t have done his fitness any good whatsoever.

It’s exactly why Bielsa will be very worried over his midfield ace ahead of the all-Yorkshire clash.

Meanwhile, Leeds are eyeing a move for this Premier League starlet…

Ahead of what will be a huge match for Leicester City in their chase for the title, they have been dealt a major injury blow. Brendan Rodgers confirmed that the problem James Justin picked up during their narrow FA Cup win over Brighton is the team’s worst fears.

Speaking to the club’s website, the manager revealed that the 22-year-old has suffered an anterior cruciate ligament injury and will be undergoing surgery.

Since signing for the Foxes in 2019, Justin has been a revelation in the Leicester defence. This season in particular, the versatile right-back has been a stalwart for Rodgers, playing every single minute of Premier League football so far. In that time, he contributed nine clean sheets, two goals and two assists, as per Transfermarkt.

But this is now Justin’s season over. Steve Howey spoke with Football FanCast about the impact of his injury and how it will affect Leicester moving into their clash with Liverpool this afternoon.

“It’s a huge blow,” the former Foxes man said. “I think when you’ve got a player that you can rely on week in, week out, not only to play every minute, but to play every minute with the high quality that he gives Leicester then of course he’s going to be a big miss.”

Justin’s ability to play on either flank as well as in midfield has made him an indispensable cog in Rodgers’ well-oiled Leicester machine. According to Transfermarkt, the youngster has played just five Premier League games in his natural position at right-back. For the other 18 matches, Justin has played at left-back, left and right midfield and even centrally.

The boss has no choice but to rely on Ricardo Pereira, with Timothy Castagne still also sidelined due to injury. With an ACL injury, Justin will be out for a number of months and Leicester must work out how to cope without him.

In other news, Exclusive: Carlton Palmer waxes lyrical about Leicester’s transfer policy…

Crystal Palace manager Roy Hodgson has admitted that his squad are carrying several knocks ahead of the London derby with West Ham at Selhurst Park on Tuesday night.

The Palace boss faces late calls on the fitness of Wilfried Zaha and Cheikhou Kouyate ahead of the game with David Moyes’ side. Zaha missed the match with Manchester City while Kouyate, who has made 18 top-flight appearances in the Premier League this season, was also absent from the matchday squad after he picked up a knock against Arsenal.

Hodgson said in his post-match press conference on Sunday evening: “Wilf, unfortunately, picked up a knock in the game against Arsenal.

“The turnaround has been quite quick, and we haven’t been able to turn him around in time.

“Every time Wilf doesn’t play it’s a miss, that’s been well documented. We’d have loved to have him here – and we’d have loved to have had Cheikhou [Kouyate] here – but these things happen in a game of football and we’re fortunate that with a couple of days between the games we haven’t picked up more injuries than the one Wilf picked up.”

The manager will be without Jeffrey Schlupp for the game on Tuesday as he continues his rehabilitation after suffering a hamstring injury against Sheffield United and is expected to be out until at least March.

With all that in mind, here is Football FanCast’s predicted starting XI for this evening, which sees Hodgson make four changes from the humiliating trip to the Etihad.

Hodgson is expected to ring the changes for his side’s crunch Premier League clash with West Ham on Tuesday night. The Eagles changed their back four for the game against Manchester City which backfired almost immediately after John Stones scored two goals either side of the break.

Palace managed to start without Patrick van Aanholt, Nathaniel Clyne or Scott Dann last Sunday, but all three should be back this evening. This means that Gary Cahill, Tyrick Mitchell and Joel Ward will have to drop to the bench, the latter having endured a night to forget at the Etihad.

Eberechi Eze, James McArthur, Luka Milivojevic and Andros Townsend started on Sunday, and we’re backing the quartet to start again today.

We have resisted the temptation to bring back Zaha as we feel this game may come too soon for the Ivory Coast international, meaning Christian Benteke will start for the first time since the draw with Arsenal at the Emirates.

Benteke was rested against Pep Guardiola’s side after he was left as an unused substitute on the bench, but we reckon he will be back today, joining Jordan Ayew up front.

Hodgson will be hoping that Benteke can rediscover the form that saw him score three goals in three games last year, including a goal against West Ham at the London Stadium last time around.

AND in other news, Crystal Palace still want to sign Ismaila Sarr despite Watford demands…

According to The Evening Standard, Arsenal are interested in Crystal Palace left-back Tyrick Mitchell.

What’s the word?

Having excelled for Palace’s development squads in the 2017/18 season, Mitchell has really broke onto the scene at Selhurst Park.

In Patrick van Aanholt’s absence, Roy Hodgson took a shining to the left-footed defender and was duly rewarded after he made his Premier League debut against Leicester City last year.

The 20-year-old has impressed since the start of this season with a WhoScored rating of 6.58, the ninth-best out of all Palace players and more than than Van Aanholt overall – bettered by the likes of established regular starters Andros Townsend and Wilfried Zaha.

Arsenal’s interest will come as no surprise to Palace fans given their mixed bag of results this season but the potential loss of Mitchell would be a devastating blow for the Eagles boss.

Stand firm

Whilst Wilfried Zaha has been heavily linked with the Selhurst Park exit in recent months, losing a young prospect in Mitchell would arguably be just as significant.

Of course, when the big guns come calling it can prove to be rather difficult to ignore such a tempting offer.

Mitchell’s defensive awareness on the left-hand side of the defence will no doubt have piqued the interest of those courting the London-born left-back.

While some modern-day full-backs like Trent Alexander-Arnold and Reece James will look to bring the ball out from the back and bring others into play, Mitchell is prepared to the dirty work, as shown by his willingness to throw himself into a tackle (or two), as he currently averages 3.4 tackles per game in the Premier League this season.

This is also the best of all defenders in the squad and is indeed the highest amount of tackles by any Palace player overall, ahead of the likes of James McArthur, Joel Ward and Nathaniel Clyne.

He also boasts a fine positional awareness, relying his speed, guile and cunning to limit goalscoring opportunities and break up attacks at the back, as evidenced in his 2.9 clearances and 1.1 interceptions per match since the start of the season.

It’s no wonder, then, that Hodgson has dubbed him an “excellent” colossus, with his former U16s coach Anthony Hayes even describing him as something akin to a “silent assassin.”

Steve Parish now needs to take note as this is precisely why he simply can’t afford to lose the £4.5m-rated ace. He’s too important to their chances of guaranteeing Premier League survival this season.

AND in other news, Steve Parish made a big call by signing Mainz striker Jean-Philippe Mateta on loan…

MatériaMais Notícias

O Comitê de Reformas da CBF tem 16 assuntos já delimitados para serem abordados pela comissão formada pela entidade. Mas nem por isso os integrantes pretendem ignorar convicções pessoais sobre o que é importante para o futebol brasileiro e, claro, que há muita convergência com os itens já em pauta.

RelacionadasFutebol NacionalNovo Comitê da CBF pagará até R$ 5 mil, e Capita brinca: ‘Dá para nada’Futebol Nacional18/02/2016Futebol NacionalComitê de Reformas tem 16 itens de discussão; CBF vai pagar membrosFutebol Nacional18/02/2016

O LANCE! conversou com alguns deles, como o presidente do Botafogo, Carlos Eduardo Pereira, um dos representantes de clubes na comissão.

– Pretendo defender uma pauta ligada às dificuldades que os clubes enfrentam. Calendário é o primeiro passo para o futebol brasileiro, algo que atenda ao conjunto de clubes e atletas. Não adianta fazer como a Liga, acrescentando mais datas. O ano é finito – disse ele, citando ainda revisão de encargos tributários, previsão do ato trabalhista na legislação nacional, uma forma de financiamento de CTs para os clubes formarem jogadores e redistribuição de cotas de TV.

Carlos Augusto Barros e Silva, o Leco, presidente do São Paulo, é o outro dirigente de clube no Comitê de Reforma e defende uma mudança de conduta na cartolagem.

– Lisura de comportamento, confiança nas relações, basicamente agir para que não ocorra ação de corrupção, suborno e má conduta no meio do futebol e isso em todos os níveis – afirmou.

Na visão do advogado Alvaro Melo Filho, outro membro do Comitê, é preciso uma normativa que dê base às mudanças.

– A prioridade é código de ética e estatuto. Isso é importante porque é o caráter institucional. Mas é difícil hierarquizar. Não adianta fazer o melhor estatuto, se o calendário enterra – afirmou.

A discussão sobre as mudanças no estatuto serão conduzidas pelo presidente da Federação Bahiana, Ednaldo Rodrigues.

– Eu sou um dos que mais criticavam o estatuto, mas de forma construtiva, para tentar apontar melhoras. Nunca deixei de falar o que sentia. Queremos melhorar o futebol brasileiro. O futebol precisa ser mais profissional, precisamos que os dirigentes sejam mais ativos. Eu luto para participar mais. Os dirigentes precisam estar cada vez mais ligados ao trabalho – disse Ednaldo.

Ana Paula Oliveira, que atualmente é da comissão de arbitragem da CBF, além da batalha óbvia por melhores condições para a turma do apito, garante que o futebol feminino será uma das prioridades.

– Vou ter um olhar mais delicado para o futebol feminino e arbitragem. Ela já é vítima de preconceito. Evoluímos muito. Mudou-se o olhar um pouco, mas a arbitragem feminina ainda é alvo. Entendo que a melhor forma é trabalhar a formação e educação em relação a isso – completou a ex-assistente.

MEMBROS DO COMITÊ DE REFORMAS

1 – Walter Feldman, secretário-geral da CBF (presidente)
2 – Rogério Caboclo – diretor executivo de gestão da CBF
3 – Edmilson – pentacampeão do mundo
4 – Ricardo Rocha – tetracampeão do mundo
5 – Ana Paula Oliveira – ex-bandeirinha e membro da comissão de arbitragem da CBF
6 – Carlos Alberto Torres – tricampeão do mundo
7 – Carlos Alberto Parreira – ex-técnico da Seleção Brasileira
8 – Caio Rocha – presidente do STJD
9 – André Ramos Tavares – advogado
10 – Alvaro Melo Filho – advogado
11 – Luiz Felipe Santoro – advogado do Corinthians
12 – Castellar Neto – presidente da Federação Mineira
13 – Leomar Quintanilha – presidente da Federação Tocantinense
14 – Ednaldo Rodrigues – presidente da Federação Baiana
15 – Carlos Augusto Barros e Silva – presidente do São Paulo
16 – Carlos Eduardo Pereira – Presidente do Botafogo
17 – Formiga – jogadora da Seleção Brasileira

Leeds host West Ham at Elland Road this evening with the Yorkshire outfit now 14th in the Premier League table. After their recent 3-1 loss to Chelsea they will be hoping to bounce back.

Despite Patrick Bamford’s goal against the Blues, Leeds were unable to hang onto their lead and suffered the wrath of Frank Lampard’s clinical side.

Marcelo Bielsa is suffering with several injury problems and he will be without both Robin Koch and Diego Llorente when the Hammers come to town.

In his latest press conference, the manager revealed his entire planned starting lineup (as per Phil Hay), which was certainly a bold decision.

Bielsa stated Rodrigo is going to start in attack. The £120,000 per week (as per Sportekz) summer signing hasn’t started for Leeds since October, which was only his third start of the season. So far, he has just one goal contribution to his name, which came in the 1-1 draw against Manchester City, via Transfermarkt.

But he cannot ride on this achievement for the rest of the season. Since his strike against City, Rodrigo hasn’t contributed to his new club’s attack.

Despite that, he earned plenty of praise from the aforementioned Hay on his Athletic Podcast who described him as a class act and said he could be a huge player over the next couple of years.

West Ham will be without striker Michail Antonio which certainly will restrict their attacking threat. Bielsa must look to pounce on this and deploy his strongest players to hit them on the counter. Sadly, judging from recent performances, the Spaniard is not part of that group.

Star man Bamford needs creative support and starting a man with just one goal contribution in nine matches is a questionable decision.

Fulham were unable to make it back-to-back Premier League wins as they were comfortably beaten 2-0 by Manchester City on Saturday afternoon.

The Cottagers were perhaps fortunate that it only finished 2-0, with City wasteful with their chances during the game, whilst Scott Parker’s side managed just one shot on target in the game at the Etihad.

One man who will have disappointed Parker with his display against Pep Guardiola’s side is Bobby Decordova-Reid.

The former Bristol City man was playing as a right wing-back for the game at the Etihad but struggled in an unusual position, picking up a 6.2 rating for his display, which was the joint-worst of any Fulham player during the game.

As per SofaScore, the 27-year-old would have just 28 touches of the ball at the Etihad, suggesting that he was never really able to get involved in the game.

He was disappointing when he had the ball too, as only 12/17 passes found their mark, resulting in a pass accuracy rate of 71%.

This also saw him complete fewer passes than Fulham goalkeeper Alphonse Areola, who made 15 passes during the game.

It was no surprise therefore that Parker opted to substitute Decordova-Reid after 72 minutes at the Etihad, and he may think twice about playing him as a right wing-back in future games.

Of the six duels, he was involved in, he was able to win just two, resulting in a success rate of 33%.

He also struggled when given the opportunity to create and go forward, as neither of his long balls found a Fulham shirt, whilst he was unsuccessful in both of his dribble attempts during the game.

It was something of a surprise that Parker opted to play the 27-year-old in this position, considering he has scored four goals in all competitions so far this season and is their top scorer in the Premier League.

Therefore, it would be a surprise if we see him feature there again in the future, and hopefully, he will be restored to a more familiar position for Fulham’s next game in the top-flight, which sees them take on Liverpool at Craven Cottage next Sunday.

And, in other news… Shades of Lookman: Fulham must secure “absolutely outstanding” winger in January