After finishing second in their Champions League group, Liverpool were given a tough draw in the first knockout round of the competition with German giants Bayern Munich now awaiting them. 

And while Niko Kovac’s men have had their struggles in the Bundesliga this season, they certainly possess enough quality to beat almost any team on their day with Manuel Neuer certainly fancying his side’s chances ahead of the tie.

The Breakdown

Speaking on Liverpool following yesterday’s draw (Goal), the Bayern Munich captain said: “They’re having a very good season and we know they were in the Champions League final last year.

“They certainly won’t be delighted with the draw, either. They can counter quickly and they’re dangerous in front of goal, but they’re also vulnerable, as we’ve seen, and they’ll be up against a good Bayern attack.”

Being a club of their stature, Bayern will never go into any game feeling like the inferior team. But even so, Neuer is probably not giving Liverpool the respect they deserve, a Liverpool team who are more than capable of winning the upcoming clash between the two European heavyweights. Right now, there is arguably not a better team in world football than Jurgen Klopp’s side.

And with the way Bayern have defended at times this season, if anyone is vulnerable, it is them with neither Jerome Boateng or Mats Hummels looking like the high-calibre centre-halves everyone had become accustomed to watching in recent years.

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According to Spanish publication El Confidencial, Arsenal are keen on a move for Real Madrid’s Keylor Navas and a deal could be struck for a fee of around €14m (£12.6m), as the Costa Rican has slipped behind Thibaut Courtois in the pecking order.

Bernd Leno made the switch from Bayer Leverkusen to the Gunners in the summer as the north London outfit looked to find an upgrade on the waning Petr Cech, but the German has let far too many an error creep into his game – the report suggests that Unai Emery doesn’t trust him to iron these out ay time soon as a move for Navas is in the pipeline.

The former Levante man has made just eight appearances in all competitions this season, despite being a mainstay between the sticks under Zinedine Zidane, as he became a triple Champions League winner.

At 32, the custodian could still have a good few years at the top of his game and these Arsenal fans are desperate to see him make the switch to the Emirates – you can find the best of the reaction on Twitter below…

Playmaker FC believes Arsenal fans won’t have to wait long to see Unai Emery’s long-term ambitions for the club come to fruition. Watch the video above to find out why…

Tottenham lost ground on Liverpool and Manchester City at the weekend after Wolves completed a brilliant comeback at Wembley, though did get back on track against Cardiff.

Spurs got off to the best possible start when Harry Kane lashed a vicious effort into the top corner leaving Rui Patricio stranded in the Wolves net. However, Wolves looked far the better team after the interval and deservedly equalised when Willy Boly headed home from a corner. Only minutes later, they were ahead when Raul Jimenez slid the ball past Hugo Lloris before Helder Costa made it three in the closing minutes.

The result means Liverpool are now nine points clear of the Lilywhites at the top of the Premier League, dealing a huge blow to Mauricio Pochettino’s title hopes. Tottenham lacked energy in the second half and were ran ragged by Nuno Espirito Santo’s men. The result should make the former Southampton boss realise that opening his chequebook now the January transfer window is open may not be a bad idea.

One man he could target is Zenit St Petersburg dynamo – Leandro Paredes. Valued at £22.5m by Transfermarkt, the Argentine moved to Russia last summer, completing a £20m move from Roma. Paredes was an instant hit in St. Petersburg, becoming an integral part of the team and earning a regular spot in the Argentina national team.

Yet again, Paredes has been in top form for his side during the current campaign. The defensive midfielder loves to dictate the tempo of the game and has managed to score three goals and register two assists for his team-mates in the league. The 22-year-old loves to get stuck in and reads the game well, meaning he would offer another layer of protection the Spurs back four. His long range of passing and expert vision makes him the perfect player for Pochettino’s 4-2-3-1 system in North London.

Paredes is still developing and improving – under Pochettino’s tutelage – he could become world-class.

Tottenham fans, thoughts?

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Andy Carroll’s future at West Ham United is far from secure.

Indeed, the centre-forward will see his current deal with the Hammers expire at the end of the season and it is unclear whether he will be signing an extension.

The 29-year-old has recovered from injury to feature for West Ham in recent weeks and actually scored his first goal of the season against Birmingham City in the third round of the FA Cup on Saturday afternoon.

Carroll’s record of 34 goals in 137 West Ham appearances is not terrific, but there is no question that injuries have not helped the forward.

On his day, Carroll is a very, very dangerous striker.

And with that in mind, we recently asked the Leeds United fans whether they wanted their club to move for the 6ft 4in ace at the end of the season.

As it transpired, 61% of the Leeds supporters polled said that they would not be interested in signing Carroll despite his Premier League credentials.

The full results of the poll can be seen below:

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Notts County recently confirmed that they had agreed to terminate Terry Hawkridge’s contract early so that he could complete a move to another club.

That new club has since been confirmed as National League side Solihull Moors.

The 28-year-old winger was on the fringes of Neal Ardley’s Notts squad this season, making just a handful of League Two appearances. 

Despite always working hard for the team, and being a favourite amongst the Magpies faithful, a move away from Meadow Lane was necessary for the sake of his career. He may feel, though, that Ardley didn’t give him a fair chance at proving his worth this season.

Check out Neymar’s controversial new haircut for 2019 and Xherdan Shaqiri as you’ve never seen him before in the video below…

The former Mansfield and Lincoln City wideman will now be hopeful of getting back to playing week in, week out with new club Solihull Moors. 

Plenty of Notts County fans on Twitter have expressed sadness at seeing Hawkridge go. Here’s a look at some of the reaction to the news of his departure…

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Everton are in desperate need of a centre forward, and reports in Italy suggest they could be set land one of Europe’s most underrated goalscorers – ex Manchester City star Edin Dzeko.

What’s the word?

According to Il Messaggero, Everton are interested in Dzeko, who has started just 11 of Roma’s 19 Serie A games so far this campaign.

The 32 year-old won the Premier League twice during his time with Manchester City, and has since gone on to score 80 times in 158 appearances for Roma.

He has fallen by the wayside slightly this season though, and with his contract expiring in 2020 this could be the perfect time for the Toffees to make a move.

Check out Neymar’s controversial new haircut for 2019 and Xherdan Shaqiri as you’ve never seen him before in the video below…

Perfect swap?

HITC have recommended a swap deal, which would see Morgan Schneiderlin move to Rome with Dzeko coming the other way, and it is definitely something Marcel Brands should consider.

The Daily Mail have reported that Roma want the French midfielder, who having played just 287 Premier League minutes this season is surely looking for a fresh start.

Schneiderlin is three years younger than Dzeko, but there’s no doubt Everton would be getting the better half of the swap.

Is he good enough?

There’s no telling how the 32 year-old will readjust to life back in the Premier League, but you’d be hard pushed to find another striker on the market with 50 Premiership goals and two winners’ medals.

The Bosnia and Herzegovina international, who has scored 55 times in 99 games for his country, has bagged seven times in all competitions this season, with five of those strikes coming in the Champions League.

His ability to hold the ball up and make those around him better would be perfect for young attackers like Richarlison and Ademola Lookman, and his goalscoring record speaks for itself.

So, Everton fans, would you back a move for 32 year-old Dzeko? Let us know your thoughts by voting in the poll below…

Much has been made of Chelsa’s appointment of Maurizio Sarri. He seemed to be a sensical capture in the summer, given his play style and reputation across Europe, but it hasn’t quite worked out for him so far.

The Blues are still doing well, and they remain in the top four, but it’s fair to say that the manager has underwhelmed so far.

In truth, Sarri’s regime so far is reminiscent of Andre Villas-Boas’ run at Stamford Bridge. He started well but quickly failed to make a consistent impression – much like the new Chelsea boss.

In fact, now even his transfers are beginning to look reminiscent of Villas-Boas’. According to the Mirror, Sarri wants to sign Napoli defender Elseid Hysaj, with Cesar Azpilicueta’s spot in the team likely to be under threat as a result.

Villas-Boas made a point of replacing many of Chelsea’s core players, like John Terry and Frank Lampard, in favour of a younger, more youthful team, and this appears to be what Sarri wants to do with Azpilicueta.

That’s despite the fact that the right-back has looked good this season, and the fact that he’s the current club captain.

Of course, Sarri knows Hysaj from his time at Napoli, and so this is another case of the manager looking to bring in players that he knows. However, it’s hard to see this one working out for him, as Azpilciueta is not only fantastic on the pitch, but he’s so good off of it, too.

There’s a lack of leadership at Stamford Bridge, and Azpilicueta provides it in droves. He’s become the focal point of the team from a leadership standpoint, and that can’t be ignored.

Sarri’s tenure risks ending in disaster if he starts messing with the core players at the club. Azpilicueta is one of Europe’s best right-backs, and this move simply wouldn’t make sense. He needs the Spaniard now more than ever.

Thoughts?

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Arsenal were swept aside despite a solid first half performance on Sunday, and Unai Emery’s post-game comments should be a wake-up call for the fans.

What’s the word?

Emery’s Arsenal continue to be staggeringly inconsistent, as the Gunners fell to a 3-1 defeat at Manchester City on Sunday evening.

The Gunners have now won four and lost four of their last eight games in all competitions, and the performance at the Etihad showed just how big the gap is between the top three and the rest.

After a valiant first half effort, Emery’s side were sucker-punched by Sergio Aguero’s second goal right on the cusp of half-time.

The second half performance then looked like that of a team that had given up on getting anything from the game, and Emery’s comments reinforce the idea that the North Londoners never really believed they could beat the champions.

“They showed their superiority in 90 minutes. First 45 minutes, we held well for the result, defending together and doing some counter-attack, taking chances to be in the match,’ the ex-Sevilla boss told Sky Sports.

“But after 2-1, the second half they showed their superiority. We did not have the chances to get in the box, and the result is clear.

“We want to be in the match every time, but the second half and after the goal, our mentality is not in keeping with going to win the match.”

The boss then went on to say that his side cannot currently compete with Manchester City, Liverpool and painfully, Tottenham, per Football.London.

Pl>ymaker FC Exclusive: Jermaine Jenas which Arsenal players would get into the Tottenham team ahead of the North London Derby – Check out the video below…

What does he mean?

Well, there are two things to note here. The first key point is that Emery believes his team didn’t think they could win once they went 2-1 down, which is a huge concern.

The likes of Liverpool and Manchester City have regularly won points after going behind this season, and the Gunners’ boss claiming that their “mentality” was not right shows exactly how much work is still to be done in the Emery revolution.

Keeping the right mentality is a huge part of managing a top club, and while Emery’s side have usually been a second-half team this campaign, that is worthless if they don’t believe they can do it against the big boys.

The next big talking point is of course his comments on the title contenders, which should be somewhat of a reality check for fans who got carried away during the side’s unbeaten run.

Emery has some genuine world class players at his disposal in the likes of Alexandre Lacazette and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, but there are glaring weak points throughout his squad, weak points that could take several transfer windows to transform.

The gaffer is clearly under no illusions regarding the size of the job on his hands, so fans shouldn’t be either.

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Tottenham Hotspur are no strangers to missing out on key transfer targets, but there is one setback from their past which leaves a bitter taste: Chelsea’s hijacking of the proposed Willian deal.

Missed opportunity

In August 2013, the rivalry between Spurs and Chelsea took on a new dimension. In light of Gareth Bales’ departure, Andre Villas Boas turned to the transfer market for a replacement and identified Willian, then of Anzhi Makhachkala, as the man he wanted to bring in.

The Brazilian completed a Spurs medical and seemed set to sign for the club, but their fierce London-rivals hijacked the deal at the last minute, leaving Daniel Levy incandescent and Jose Mourinho in a typically smug mood as he suggested the Lilywhites had merely paid the price for not concluding the medical in secret, as per The Guardian.

But Spurs were not to be deprived of a new signing and the highly-regarded Erik Lamela eventually completed a move from AS Roma.

Erik Lamela’s progress proves it was a blessing in disguise

The manner in which the Argentine has developed under Pochettino suggests that the failed Willian bid was actually a blessing in disguise.

Chelsea’s hard-working winger has commanded huge levels of praise from time to time during his career in English football, but he has never managed to totally convince the Blues faithful and that is telling about his overall quality.

Lamela, valued at £18 million per Transfermarkt, has endured problems of his own, predominantly injury related. Those problems have persisted this season and limited his involvement of late, but he proved how far he has developed at the beginning of the campaign with a series of glowing performances, prompting Alasdair Gold to label him as the clubs ‘most lethal player’ in October 2018, per football.london.

Gold’s admission represented a true indicator of how far Lamela has come under his compatriot’s tutelage, with his determination to return stronger after every injury setback proving that he has the mental resilience to match his attacking prowess.

And, considering Lamela is four years younger than his South American counterpart, it’s fair to say that the Willian debacle can be considered as a blessing in disguise.

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Everton fell to their third successive Premier League defeat on Saturday as they lost 1-0 to Watford at Vicarage Road. A second half strike from Andre Gray was enough to secure the three points for the Hornets. 

In a hostile atmosphere, as the home crowd took aim at their club’s former manager and the Toffees’ current boss Marco Silva, the Merseyside outfit wilted. Everton deserved to lose and look like a side pretty bereft of confidence right now.

The fact that Kurt Zouma was shown a red card after the final whistle only served to compound Silva’s misery. 

The pressure has now been heaped onto the Portuguese coach and he’s probably running out of time to turn around his side’s fortunes. Everton fans are certainly beginning to lose patience with him.

The indoor football skills in the video below have to be seen to be believed…

After the final whistle on Saturday, plenty of the Everton faithful took to Twitter to plead for Silva’s reign at Goodison Park to be brought to a swift end.