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Liverpool haven’t lost many big games so far this season, or many games at all for that matter. However, one that they did lose, which saw the title race swing back in the balance after a 2-1 defeat to Manchester City, was defined by a key battle which turned out to be the narrative of the match…

A weak link defensively?

Trent Alexander-Arnold vs Leroy Sane was the order of the day at the Etihad Stadium back in January, and was ultimately what cost the Reds a result against the Champions.

Whilst the England international had a productive evening going forward against the Citizens, playing a huge role in Roberto Firmino’s equaliser, his defending against German international Sane was poor – the former Schalke man ended up scoring the winning goal and got the better of the 20-year-old throughout.

The Liverpool academy graduate will find himself up against a similar goal threat when the Reds take on Bayern Munich this week in Kingsley Coman, a man who, like Sane, possesses great pace and strength and has the ability to finish his chances with ease.

What can Klopp do to help him?

22-year-old Coman scored two goals and recorded an assist in Bayern’s last league game against Augsburg, so Alexander-Arnold will be coming face to face against a man who is bang in form.

Alexander-Arnold is a huge part of his side’s attacking game, where his ability to switch the play, deliver dangerous crosses and zip passes into midfield are all huge elements of Jurgen Klopp’s attacking style.

When up against a tricky, direct opponent such as Coman, however, Alexander-Arnold may need some support.

Pragmatic midfielders such as James Milner, Gini Wijnaldum or Fabinho – whoever Klopp opts to deploy in midfield on the night – must stay close to the young full-back and ensure he doesn’t get left one-on-one against Coman.

If they don’t support him, it could well be another big defeat for Klopp’s side and leave them with an uphill battle in the second leg.

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Middlesbrough manager Tony Pulis decided to take the rare decision of starting two strikers up top when his side faced Newport County in their FA Cup fifth-round replay in Wales on Tuesday night, but his pre-match comments via The Gazette suggest it is something that won’t be repeated anytime soon.

What happened?

The 61-year-old has often chosen to play a formation that only incorporates one striker so far this season, but with Jordan Hugill in form and Britt Assombalonga coming off of the substitutes’ bench and scoring a brace in the 3-2 win against West Bromwich Albion on Saturday, he obviously thought Tuesday was an ideal opportunity for an experiment.

It wasn’t one that paid off on a poor night for the Teesside outfit, and the experienced Welshman was quick to have his say on the decision post-match.

According to quotes via The Gazette, he said: “We’ve got the best away record in the Championship. The majority of away games we’ve been very good. Today was a different challenge, different conditions and we didn’t cope with it.

“I came here to be strong, to give us a chance, play with two up front but it just wasn’t to be. They were better than us.”

What did his words really mean?

Pulis has always been known as something of a conservative manager and you know if you are watching one of his teams that they generally aren’t going to be free-flowing from an attacking point of view.

That is backed up by the fact that Boro have scored 34 goals and conceded just 22 in their 29 Championship matches this term thus far, and he will know that his team will be more defensively stable – especially on the road – if they only play with one striker.

The fact that the 61-year-old pointed out that his side have the best away record in the league proves that he probably isn’t willing to change his ways to entertain the fans more, and the Riverside Stadium faithful shouldn’t expect to see two up top anytime again soon following their FA Cup disaster.

Thogden has ranked his top 5 sets of Championship away fans for Pl>ymaker FC. Did your club make the list? Find out in the video below…

احتاج ديوجو جوتا، الوافد الجديد لـ ليفربول الإنجليزي، 8 دقائق فقط لتسجيل أول أهدافه مع الريدز، عندما زار شباك آرسنال في مباراة أمس الإثنين.

وفاز ليفربول بثلاثية مقابل هدف، وسجل جوتا هدف الريدز الثالث، في مرمى آرسنال، بالمباراة التي جمعت بينهما على ملعب أنفيلد رود، ضمن الجولة الثالثة من الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز.

طالع أيضًا.. سبورت: نجم برشلونة رفض الانتقال إلى ليفربول

وقال جوتا للموقع الرسمي لـ”ليفربول”: “تسجيلي لهدف يعني لي الكثير، لأن عندما تصل إلى فريق بطل العالم، تحاول دائمًا التكيف في أسرع وقت ممكن، والطريقة التي استقبلوني بها كانت استثنائية”.

وأضاف: “أنا فقط أشكرهم على استقبالهم لي، أعتقد أنه يمكننا البناء من هنا، والقيام بأشياء عظيمة في المستقبل”.

وأكمل: “من الواضح أنه كان بإمكاني تقديم أداء أفضل، لقد أتيحت لي فرصتان من قبل، لكني سعيد بهذا – تسجيل هدفي الأول في مباراتي الأولى-“.

وواصل: “سعيد لأنني ساعدت الفريق على تحقيق نتيجة إيجابية، وهذا هو الشيء الأكثر أهمية، أننا حصلنا على النقاط الثلاث لنواصل حملة الدفاع عن اللقب”.

واختتم: “عندما نكون على مقاعد البدلاء، نراقب المباراة عن كثب، وعندما أكون في أرض الملعب، أحرص دائمًا على الاستعداد لبذل قصارى جهدي”.

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Reported Everton target Tanguy Ndombele produced a brilliant performance for Lyon as they picked up a goalless draw in the first leg of their last 16 Champions League tie with Barcelona at the Lyon Olympic Stadium on Tuesday, surely ending the Merseyside outfit’s chances of signing him.

On the chalkboard

Well, The Liverpool Echo reported in November that Toffees chief scout Martyn Glover had been sent to watch the powerful 22-year-old midfielder in action, with the media outlet reporting at the time that the France international was worth £40m.

The Liverpool Echo said that the interest in the Ligue 1 star was evidence that Marco Silva and Marcel Brands were keen to bolster the team’s options in the centre of the park across the January transfer window and then in the summer, which could be a priority given they did no business in that area last month.

Andre Gomes is only on loan from Barcelona, Idrissa Gueye has been heavily linked with a move to Paris Saint-Germain while 20-year-old Tom Davies has captained the team in recent weeks.

Could they sign Ndombele?

In a word, no.

Any chance they did have of bringing him to Goodison Park have surely vanished after his latest display in Europe, where he produced a display full of quality and composure against some of the best players in world football.

Not only did the powerful Frenchman shine from a defensive point of view – which is of course important given his usual deep-lying position – but he also made an impact going forward for the Ligue 1 outfit as well, as you can see from his WhoScored stats, as he completed five dribbles and was successful with all three long balls he attempted.

Everton may well be keen to strengthen their midfield this summer, but they won’t be getting Ndombele whose price will be soaring and who will surely be attracting interest from the very best clubs in Europe as he continues to excel at the highest level.

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Hopes would have been high that Steven Davis could have rolled back the years following his emotional return to Rangers during the January transfer window, but it certainly hasn’t been the case so far.

On the chalkboard

Well, Steven Gerrard opted for some experience to boost his squad in their Scottish Premiership title push last month with the additions of Jermain Defoe and Davis, but the latter has found first-team minutes particularly hard to come by so far.

The 34-year-old has only started four of the seven fixtures in all competitions he has been available for so far despite a lack of football with Southampton in the first-half of the campaign, but he was named in the XI alongside Ross McCrorie and Glen Kamara against St Johnstone at Ibrox on Saturday.

Gerrard would have known that it was a big opportunity to close the gap on arch-rivals Celtic at the summit – especially considering the Bhoys had beaten the same opponent 5-0 the previous weekend – but they could only manage a goalless draw with Davis hauled off before the hour-mark.

What happens next?

As things stand and with his current form, the Northern Ireland international should not be in the team right now.

It was yet another low-key outing for Davis at the weekend, and while he should have been one of their biggest attacking and creative threats from the middle of the park, he was largely anonymous and failed to do much at all before he was replaced by Glenn Middleton in the 59th minute.

The 34-year-old needs to improve massively if he wants to have a future at Rangers beyond the end of the campaign, because as things stand Gerrard will need to ditch him in the summer if he continues to put in performances like the one that he did on Saturday.

Wolves beat fellow Premier League new-boys Cardiff 2-0 on Saturday, and the way they’ve played this season sends a message that newly promoted sides don’t need to adapt to survive in the Premier League.

They currently sit seventh, probably the best any side outside the so-called ‘big six’ can expect nowadays, but they haven’t done it by defending for their lives and scoring scrappy winners. They’ve continued to play the way that earned them promotion from the Championship last season, and they deserve great credit for doing so.

Looking at the other two promoted sides, Cardiff were never the most attacking team in the first place but seemed devoid of an out-and-out philosophy that the top managers and club appear to have in the modern game. Fulham, however, did. They played some great attacking football last season, but in summer it seems they made a conscious effort to toughen up their ranks to be prepared to sit back and defend against existing Premier League sides.

The impact of this is two-fold. In one respect the players who earned the club promotion in the first place will be feeling confident about the way they played last time out and will be relishing the opportunity to show what they’re made of in the Premier League. Changing tactics as Slavisa Jokanovic did just makes the players feel they aren’t good enough to go toe-to-toe with the league’s best.

The other downside to this change is the squad just isn’t used to playing so defensively and their manufactured inferiority complex means they’re susceptible to be broken down too easily. Wolves have gone the opposite way to relegation-bound Fulham in this regard.

They’ve brought in players to improve the squad’s ability to play the way Nuno Espirito Santo wants to play.

Exciting, attacking football. Of course, they have discipline to their performances, but it’s been clear he’s given his squad the belief they’re good enough to beat anyone in this league, and that’s now true.

Clubs who get promoted this season, particularly those who have a clear philosophy, such as Marcelo Bielsa at Leeds, should take note of their success and bare it in mind over the summer months.

Do you think Fulham would have been better equipped to survive if they hadn’t been so cautious until Ranieri’s appointment?

Fernandinho has been the core of Pep Guardiola’s Man City revolution over the past three years, but the 33-years-old needs to be given an understudy to take over the reins when he leaves.

City missed out on Jorginho in the summer and they’ve paid the price this season, having lost three times without him, allowing Liverpool to get ahead in the title race.

Considering the rest of the squad is stocked with so many pretty much amazing options, it’s a relative blemish at the Etihad. Impressive as he is, the Brazilian lynchpin cannot go on forever and there will come a time where, like Vincent Kompany, he’ll have to be phased out of the starting XI.

Indeed, Guardiola will know how important it is to get the right replacement for the most key position in his system and here are THREE options.

Declan Rice

Under Manuel Pellegrini, Declan Rice has shown he has the composure on the ball and the work-rate off it to play for Guardiola. His age means he could grow under the wing of Fernandinho as an understudy and learn his trade before becoming the club’s first choice for what could be the next decade.

Rice has also proved his qualities in the Premier League whereas the majority of City’s other options are yet to be tested in England. However, the fact he’s English (well, kind of) and has just signed a new five-and-a-half-year deal at the London Stadium may mean City would have to spend big on the youngster.

N’Golo Kante

With back-to-back Premier League titles at two different clubs, N’Golo Kante certainly knows how to play the defensive midfield role. Saying that, you wouldn’t think it considering his current manager Maurizio Sarri moved him into a more advanced position to fit in new signing Jorginho.

The results have been average and at times embarrassing, so City should swoop for the 27-year-old World Cup winner and have him as a ready-to-go replacement for Fernandinho. His Premier League pedigree and age should guarantee Guardiola the key energy and experience he’s looking for in the replacement.

Phillipe Sandler

Fernandinho’s replacement could already be under Guardiola’s nose at the Etihad Campus in the form of Dutchman Phillipe Sandler. The 21-year-old signed from Dutch side PEC Zwolle for £2.5m in the summer but missed the pre-season tour of America through injury.

He played primarily at centre-back for Ajax when he was coming through their youth system but played in central midfield for his last club and on his debut for City against Rotherham last month. If Sandler can learn from Fernandinho on the training ground and work his way into the first team squad more often, it could save City tens of millions in the long run.

Who do you think City should sign to replace Fernandinho?

What a disaster last weekend was. It’s criminal to give up a two-goal lead whether that be in a World Cup final or a Sunday league game, so the next three fixtures will really prove what this Everton squad are made of.

They looked frail once Newcastle got a goal back on Saturday, but before that, they were playing attractive football and creating chances, and that’s been reflective of their season so far. It’s been hit and miss. Now they face Chelsea at home, West Ham away and Arsenal at home in the next three games.

They’re all very tough fixtures, but it’s in adversity, in the big games, where the value (or lack thereof) of a squad becomes crystal clear. There’s been an awful lot of investment in recent years, but not much in the way of return. Marco Silva has a lot of faith in his young forwards and talented midfield, but they’ve not been consistent enough. This is the time for them to put in three big performances and prove they’re worthy of being part of the squad to take Everton to the next level.

The board and manager have high ambitions. A new stadium is on the way and money is available to spend in order to replace any weaknesses in the squad. It’s very easy to mistake Silva’s belief for blind loyalty and anyone who does that without putting enough good performances in will find themselves replaced in the summer.

Of course, nobody’s saying they expect nine points from nine in these three games, but they should at least be showing they can go toe to toe with other teams that they hope to be competing with for the European spots in the near future. Silva will learn a great deal about his team’s technical ability and resilience in the next month or so.

If Everton are to reach the big-time again, they have to be ruthless and cull any players who aren’t capable of holding their own in the most difficult games. It’s going to be a tough few fixtures, but it’s a run Silva needs to see just what his lads are capable of.

Everton fans, how many points do you think your side is capable of winning in the next three games? Join the discussion by commenting below.

قرر منتخب مالي استدعاء لاعب ولفرهامبتون أداما تراوري إلى معسكرهم للمشاركة في مباريات شهر أكتوبر المقبل، رغم رغبته في تمثيل منتخب إسبانيا.

ولم يشارك تراوري الذي ولد بالقرب من برشلونة لأبوين ماليين، مع أي من المنتخبين حتى الآن.

وذكرت صحيفة “ديلي ميل” الإنجليزية، أن منتخب مالي قرر استدعاء تراوري للمشاركة في المباريات الودية الشهر القادم، أمام غانا وإيران في تركيا.

وأوضحت إنه رغم ذلك، فإنه من المفهوم أن تراوري قرر بالفعل أن يلتزم بالمشاركة مع إسبانيا، التي مثلها في مستوى تحت 21 عامًا.

تم اختيار اللاعب البالغ من العمر 24 عامًا في تشكيلة مباريات دوري الأمم الأوروبية ضد ألمانيا وأوكرانيا الشهر الماضي، لكنه اضطر إلى الانسحاب بعد أن ثُبت إصابته بفيروس كورونا، على الرغم من أن الاختبار الثاني حدد أن النتيجة الأصلية كانت خاطئة.

كما اضطر تراوري إلى الانسحاب عندما تم استدعائه لأول مرة في نوفمبر الماضي، ولكن هذه المرة بسبب الإصابة.

وأشارت الصحيفة إلى أن مسؤولي مالي بذلوا جهودًا كبيرة لإقناع تراوري بتمثيل منتخب بلادهم، لكن من المرجح جدًا ظهوره في مباريات منتخب إسبانيا في دوري الأمم ضد سويسرا وأوكرانيا خلال فترة التوقف الدولية المقبلة.

Losing Fernandinho to injury has shown what a catastrophe it would be if obvious replacement Ilkay Gundogan continues to reject contract talks.

Fernandinho is the unsung hero only Manchester City fans and football purists can appreciate: solid in midfield, tactical genius in defence and a calculated ballplayer at all times – the Brazilian has grown into a key player for the title-chasing side.

Manchester Evening News have a produced an interesting article regarding who could possibly replace the midfield rock – however, we are not sure we totally agree with their findings.

From our perspective, in former Borussia Dortmund man Ilkay Gundogan, City have their most obvious candidate.

The Germany international occupies a similar area of the pitch and performs a very comparable role – orchestrating play from the back and keeping the squad ticking. Some might say with a little more zest than his counterpart. But that is a sacrifice of solidity.

Even if it is not on a permanent basis, Manchester City will want to keep the player at the Etihad whilst they find and blood a recruit in place of Fernandinho – at least on they can rely on. Which is why it is so concerning to learn that Gundogan has been unwilling to enter negotiations with the club.

“We would like to do it, but it depends on the club and him, so I don’t know,” Guardiola is quoted saying (as per Mirror).

“Hopefully he can stay. I would prefer him to stay, but at the same time I want to feel he wants to stay, too.

“If he doesn’t want to stay, he has to leave. But we would like to continue. I said before, if he wants to stay, we will talk to him and we can sign the contract.

“We signed the contract with Kevin De Bruyne in a few days, and with other players — with Gabriel Jesus. But he [Gundogan] doesn’t want to right now, so we will wait. When he wants it, we will be here.”

Manchester City fans, would losing Gundogan be critical to your future title hopes? Let us know in the comments below…