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In Steven Gerrard’s second season in charge at Ibrox, Rangers are pushing Celtic for the Scottish Premiership title sitting joint-top of the table on 22 points, yet the latest report regarding striker Alfredo Morelos may be of concern to the Liverpool legend in his bid to usurp Neil Lennon’s side in their race for the title. 

What’s the word?

Morelos, 23, has impressed since arriving in Scotland from HJK Helsinki in 2017, scoring 38 league goals in 74 appearances for the club, but The Sun have reported that Crystal Palace are preparing a £20m bid for the Colombian international’s services.

The report further details that Palace sporting director Dougie Freedman was in attendance at Hearts’ ground Tynecastle for Rangers’ recent league fixture, as the Eagles prepare to potentially lose Wilfried Zaha in the upcoming January window, as reported by Calcio Mercato. 

Although Morelos has been in impressive form for Rangers, his discipline has become a well-documented issue within his game, having been sent off four times in the league during the 2018/19 season whilst also receiving 10 yellow cards.

Yet in nine league matches so far this season, the 23-year-old has only been booked once and is yet to be sent off, which could potentially indicate he is improving his discipline under the guidance of Gerrard.

Palace’s summer transfer window was particularly quiet, with the only notable incomings including Gary Cahill on a free transfer, James McCarthy from Everton for £3m and Jordan Ayew on a permanent deal from Swansea City.

In Morelos, the south London side could be acquiring a proven goalscorer capable of leading the club’s frontline – a duty that club-record signing Christian Benteke has been unable to fulfil since arriving at Selhurst Park.

Rangers are unlikely to be interested in letting Morelos go midseason, particularly given their impressive start in the league with a very real possibility of winning the Scottish Premiership, but Palace are likely to test the Scottish side’s resolve in either the upcoming transfer window or after the season has concluded this summer.

Juventus scraped a win at home to Lokomotiv Moscow in the Champions League but they wouldn’t have been able to do so without the valuable contribution of Paulo Dybala.

The Argentine scored twice in three minutes late on to secure all three points for the Italian outfit, proving why he is highly sought after.

Spurs were interested in the playmaker over the summer and are still reportedly monitoring him, despite complications arising over his image rights which prevented a deal from being completed before the previous transfer window slammed shut in August.

Watch Tottenham Hotspur Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

Dybala now has three goals and two assists in nine games this season and is still clearly an important player in Maurizio Sarri’s side, as without him they may have fallen to a shock defeat on Tuesday.

Many Juventus fans are loving the contribution he made and hope he stays at the club amid speculation that Sarri wanted to sell him, with his first strike particularly earning accolades from the fan base.

Here are some of the reactions from Juventus supporters to Dybala turning around his team’s fortunes.

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…

Didier Drogba believes Sadio Mane is capable of emulating George Weah by becoming the second African footballer to win the Ballon d’Or.

What did he say?

The Liverpool forward is part of the 30-man shortlist for the prestigious award and the former Chelsea striker believes he has a good chance of winning due to his particular skill set.

Mo Salah is also nominated and therefore it would be a surprise if Mane has won, since Mo Salah has finished ahead of him in the African Football of the Year award for two years running.

Watch Liverpool Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

Drogba stated that he hopes Salah continues to improve in order to win the Ballon d’Or, but when asked who his favourite was for 2019, he told Paris Match:

“Sadio Mané. For the CAN, the Champions League, and the championship. What he does in the Premier League, very few players are able to do it.

“It would be really nice that Sadio (Mané) or even Mohamed Salah and Pierre-Eymeric Aubameyang continue to raise their level of play to hope to win this trophy.”

Liverpool supporters will likely be pleased to hear support of their players, particularly from a figure who so often acted as not only a rival to the Reds, but a key thorn in their side during his many years of success at Chelsea.

Deserved recognition

Mane is often a selfless player and the tireless work he does off the ball often gets overlooked and instead his teammates are the ones who earn praise and individual awards.

A moment in the match against Spurs on Sunday highlighted this fact, with the Senegal international winning the crucial penalty which earned his side the win – only for the home crowd to sing the name of Salah after he drove home from 12 yards.

As a result, it is nice for Mane to be recognised by a fellow pro and one of the best African players of all time, with Drogba finishing fourth in the competition in 2007.

Furthermore, his 26 goals in 2019 far outweigh the Egyptian’s total of 17, and above Aubameyang’s 24, despite the fact he plays on the wing, and doesn’t take penalties.

He scored key goals on Liverpool’s journey to Champions League glory, too, opening the scoring with a well-taken goal against Bayern Munich, but the fact he often loses out on awards to Salah still means it would be a shock for Mane to be recognised ahead of him.

The likes of Lionel Messi and Virgil van Dijk have also been superb this year, and have been rewarded with the FIFA Best and UEFA Men’s Player of the Year awards respectively, so Mane winning is very much an outside bet.

Unai Emery celebrated his 48th birthday on Sunday, and unfortunately, he’s not been able to enjoy it with a win after drawing 1-1 with Wolves at the Emirates Stadium on the eve of his celebrations.

Usually, football fans would lavish their respective boss with well wishes on such a day, but with the Arsenal fanbase’s view towards the gaffer being generally negative nowadays, you could probably predict how the supporters reacted on Sunday.

Watch Arsenal Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

Indeed, a number of Arsenal fans all said the same thing – they wanted his birthday present to be his P45.

It would be rather cruel to sack someone on their birthday, but the Gunners fanbase haven’t shown much sympathy towards him.

You can understand why the supporters are so annoyed with the gaffer. Arsenal have won just one of their last five league matches, and they’ve failed to overcome teams such as Sheffield United and Crystal Palace who, with all due respect, they should be beating.

Here’s what Arsenal fans have been saying on Twitter on Emery’s birthday…

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…

Speaking to Sky Sports, Manchester United forward Marcus Rashford has pinpointed exactly what his side needs to do to start dominating games again.

What did he say?

The Red Devils currently find themselves in tenth in the Premier League after their opening 11 games, and are already ten points off the top-four.

After enjoying a mini-revival of sorts in recent weeks, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side were brought back down to reality with a hugely disappointing 1-0 defeat to Bournemouth last weekend.

However, Rashford has issued a rallying cry to his team, and insisted playing at a fast tempo is the key to getting back to winning ways.

Watch Manchester United Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

He said: “It’s going to be tough (to get into the top four) but it’s nowhere near impossible. We don’t need to focus on any other teams, we play our best football when we focus on ourselves and us improving. That’s the only way Man Utd play good football and we need to get back to doing that. It can be very simple for us and at the same time, you don’t want to make it complicated for yourself.

“The main thing is bouncing back. I always think with home games, if you’re energetic on the pitch, you’re making runs and you’re lively, you win games more often than not. Old Trafford is a special place and if we do that with the fans behind us, it’s a tough place to come. With the tempo we play at when we’re at our best, it’s very hard to stop us so we use it as a template and we need to get back to doing that.”

Not seen enough

Whilst it’s all well and good to come out and say what the side needs to do, unfortunately it just isn’t as easy as that. Actions speak louder than words, and up till now, United really haven’t done their talking on the pitch. Solskjaer’s side have been largely woeful this season, including truly embarrassing defeats to the likes of Crystal Palace and Newcastle.

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

In their last Premier League outing against Bournemouth, the Red Devils managed just four shots on target in the entire game, and didn’t look like scoring at all. There was none of the tempo that Rashford has suggested United need to start doing more often. After their clash against Partizan Belgrade on Thursday night, Solskjaer’s men face Brighton at home on Sunday. A side two places above them in the top-flight, and the perfect opportunity for them to show what they can do if they are at their best.

Tottenham Hotspur fans have hailed Son Heung-Min after the South Korea international opened up on his disappointment at the club’s 1-1 draw with Sheffield United on Saturday.

Spurs dropped points again versus the Blades, meaning they have not won in the Premier League since September when they defeated Southampton 2-1.

The result leaves Spurs in 12th in the Premier League, with just 14 points. They are six points clear of the relegation zone and 12 behind both Leicester City and Chelsea.

Son scored Spurs’ goal at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, capitalising on a defensive mix-up to slide the ball under the goalkeeper.

And he gave an interview to the club’s Twitter account following the final whistle, expressing his disappointment at the result and appearing genuinely frustrated at another missed opportunity for the club.

And fans took to social media to sing the South Korea international’s praises.

Take a look at the best of the reaction below!

Aston Villa’s consecutive victories over Norwich City and Brighton & Hove Albion had lifted the newly-promoted club beyond the immediate threat of relegation, but three successive defeats to Manchester City, Liverpool and Wolves have left these fans terrified of the club’s next six games following an official tweet.

Villa, who have returned to the top-flight following a three-year absence, currently sit 17th in the league table having won just three of their first 12 fixtures.

The prospect of facing Newcastle United, Manchester United, Chelsea, Leicester City, Sheffield United and Liverpool across both league and Carabao Cup action is proving to be a daunting prospect for a number of the club’s fans. 

Gaining traction over the next six games will be vital for Dean Smith’s side if they are to ensure relegation does not become a considerable concern, but these supporters have been letting their feelings be known following an official club tweet.

Here are some of the best reactions to Villa’s next six fixtures.

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…

Paul Robinson has been drooling over Tottenham Hotspur and England midfielder Harry Winks, as reported by Football Insider.

What’s the word?

Winks won his fifth England cap during England’s 7-0 win against Montenegro, playing the full 90 minutes in the routine win that saw the Three Lions secure their place at Euro 2020.

He had a total of 99 touches during the game, and was very efficient on the ball, completing 95% of his attempted passes and the 1 dribble he tried.

The 23-year-old, who is rated at £36m on Transfermarkt, also worked well in a defensive sense, pulling off 2 interceptions and 3 tackles, though he was dribbled past twice.

His was a performance that Robinson enjoyed, as he told Football Insider: “He gives you so much more than the other England midfielders. For me, I think Harry Winks is one of the best of the bunch.

“He dominates the game, defensively and offensively he offers you both and his ball retention, the stats speak for themselves. A fit Harry Winks is an important selection for England.”

His part to play

Winks certainly has his part to play in the success of Gareth Southgate’s young team moving towards Euro 2020.

What is encouraging about this current England midfield is that there are different moulds of central midfielders, who can be especially useful in different scenarios.

For example, Declan Rice was not used against Montenegro, but his Premier League form shows how useful he can be defensively, averaging 2.9 tackles, 2.1 interceptions and 0.8 clearances per game.

Then there is Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, who came in at Wembley, scored and displayed how effective he can be across the pitch, playing 3 key passes and completing 1 dribble, while also making 1 interception and 2 tackles.

Like the aforementioned pair and others, Winks can be influential in England’s success moving forward, as he brings his own skillset to the team.

This article is part of Football FanCast’s The Chalkboard series, which provides a tactical insight into teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

Moussa Sissoko is not the midfielder that Tottenham Hotspur need right now as Jose Mourinho looks to rebuild a team lying in 14th place.

On the chalkboard

The France international had become an integral part of Mauricio Pochettino’s plans. He is approaching 150 appearances for the club and has played in all but one of their competitive fixtures thus far this term – he was on the bench against Colchester United in the Carabao Cup.

However, he is not offering what he should be from a central position.

Thus far this season in the Premier League, per WhoScored, he has averaged 0.6 shots per game and 1.4 dribbles, though he also averages 1.5 unsuccessful touches and is dispossessed once per game. Furthermore, he averages just 0.5 key passes per game and has just one assist to his name.

Defensively, he makes 1.7 fouls per game, 0.8 tackles and just 0.3 interceptions.

This is not the well-rounded midfielder Spurs need, especially in a game as competitive as a London derby away at West Ham.

Not the player Mourinho needs

Compare Sissoko’s stats with Tanguy Ndombele, his compatriot in central midfield.

The latter, who has already scored twice this season, averages 0.7 shots per game, 0.8 key passes and 1.3 dribbles. He has 1.4 unsuccessful touches and is dispossessed 0.9 times per game. He has 0.8 key passes per game and makes just 0.7 fouls, 1.8 tackles and 0.7 interceptions.

The statistics are similar but Ndombele has the edge and he is also better in the final third, as shown by his goal tally.

Partnering him with someone like Giovani Lo Celso would make a lot more sense.

Not only is Lo Celso an aggressive defender – he won five out of the five tackles he attempted against Red Star Belgrade – he can also burst forward and score, having netted eight goals from central midfield last term.

He has a dynamism and attacking threat that Sissoko lacks.

The former Newcastle United midfielder is simply too erratic to keep his place in the team, particularly with Spurs’ current form and Mourinho having the license to essentially rebuild Spurs’ starting XI from scratch.

Spurs have not won in the Premier League since September; a way to remedy that could be to drop Sissoko and try a new midfield pairing that offers far more excitement.

This article is part of Football FanCast’s In Numbers series, which takes a statistical look at performances, season-long form and reported transfer targets… 

Wolverhampton Wanderers moved up into fifth position in the Premier League with victory at the weekend.

The west Midlanders made it eight games unbeaten with a 2-1 win over ten-man AFC Bournemouth on the south coast thanks to first-half strikes from Joao Moutinho, fresh from signing a contract extension, and Raul Jimenez, who netted his 14th of the season.

After a tough start to life this campaign, Wolves are finally finding their feet and are replicating the sort of form that saw them reach the dazzling heights of seventh last term.

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Europa League contention combined with injuries has made Nuno Santo’s job all that more difficult, but that hasn’t stopped him from pulling off a few genius tactical decisions.

His transformation of Adama Traore has been seen since early doors with the Spanish winger well on his way to a career-year with two goals and six assists, while Leander Dendoncker has made his new centre-back role his own with a string of fine performances.

And now, the Portuguese chief has only gone and done it again. This time with Romain Saiss, who seems to be the man tasked with filling Willy Boly’s void.

His showing against Bournemouth showed exactly why Nuno has trusted him with such a responsibility, and it also only speaks volumes about how tactically spot on the boss has been recently.

Per SofaScore, Saiss won 75% of his aerial duels, recorded a huge nine clearances and managed to still display his ball-playing abilities with a passing accuracy of 91%.

Only one team has lost fewer matches than Wolves in this current Premier League season – Liverpool, who are some eight points clear of second-placed Leicester City.

This sort of achievement only emphasises how well Nuno has his side playing, and it is decisions like this one with Saiss that are testament to his managerial ability.

The Molineux-based side are continuing to perform even with gaping holes in their defence. Technically, all of their back three on Saturday were midfielders with Conor Coady’s career shift just yet another example of Nuno’s clever mind.

In other news… One Wolves loanee has been given a glowing review by Tim Spiers.