Liverpool fans can’t decide who they want to partner Virgil van Dijk in the heart of defence, with Dejan Lovren and Joel Matip both struggling for form.
Liverpool’s front three pretty much picks itself, but there is still plenty of competition for places elsewhere in the team.
Virgil van Dijk has been immense for the Reds since he joined in January, going from strength to strength since his debut goal against Everton.
With the emergence of Andy Robertson and impressive form of goalkeeper Loris Karius, Jürgen Klopp has suddenly got a fairly impressive defensive unit on his hands.
Still, fans can’t decide on who should partner the big Dutchman in defence, with Joe Gomez injured on international duty and the other candidates all a lot less desirable.
Dejan Lovren has had spells of decent form this season but they always end with one of his trademark disastrous performances, while Joel Matip seems to have gotten worse as the season has gone on.
FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.
By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.
The second centre back spot is there for the taking at Anfield, and fans have been discussing the options on Twitter. Some of the best reactions can be found below…
With Jose Mourinho reportedly planning a mass summer clearout at Old Trafford, Matteo Darmian could be on the chopping block, but should Everton swoop for the Italian?
When Matteo Darmian signed for Louis van Gaal’s Manchester United, fans at Old Trafford were delighted with the Italian’s performances.
Despite a positive start to life at the club though, Darmian’s chances have diminished since Mourinho took over and reports suggest he could be one of several that is moved along this summer.
The 28 year-old, valued at £10.8m by Transfermarkt, can play on either flank comfortably, but has only started two Premier League games in Manchester this season.
Everton have had their own problems with full backs, with injuries to Leighton Baines and Seamus Coleman forcing Cuco Martina and Jonjoe Kenny to start several matches.
Martina has taken plenty of flak of fans, so could Darmian be the perfect upgrade? Coleman will turn 30 this year and Baines is already 33, so while they are not going to hang up their boots any time soon the Toffees do need to start planning for the future.
FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.
By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.
Fans can’t seem to make their minds up on a move for Darmian though, with 54 per cent in favour of a move and 46 per cent against it.
According to reports, Everton could be set to battle West Ham for the signature Xherdan Shaqiri this summer.
What’s the story?
With Stoke City now five points adrift of safety with the worst goal difference in the Premier League, it is looking fairly likely the Potters will be relegated.
According to Calciomercato, Shaqiri will leave the Staffordshire club if they go down, and Everton and West Ham are first in the queue to sign the Swiss international.
Everton are desperately searching some goals and creativity so it is no surprise they are constantly being linked with attacking players, but is Shaqiri the answer?
[ad_pod ]
Good move to Merseyside?
This season could have been a total disaster for Everton if not for the arrival of Sam Allardyce, but the former England manager is now taking plenty of flak from fans for his negative tactics.
The Toffees will probably look for a more attacking manager this summer, but bringing in Shaqiri to aid that revolution is not a good idea.
On his day, Shaqiri is excellent. The 26 year-old, valued at £16.2million by Transfermarkt, has seven goals and six assists in 32 Premier League appearances this summer.
However, Shaqiri is far too inconsistent for the Toffees to rely on, and has been this way throughout his career.
FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.
By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.
For example, the Swiss winger scored three games in a row during February, but has not scored or assisted in the six games since then.
If the Toffees want to break into the elite, they need players that will perform week in week out, not just when they feel like it. Signing Shaqiri would be the biggest indicator yet that the club has not learned from the mistakes of last summer.
Everton fans, would you like to see a move for Shaqiri? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below…
It seems unlikely that Aston Villa will be able to finish second in the Championship this season, but Steve Bruce’s side will fancy their chances of advancing through the playoffs.
There have been a number of impressive performers for Villa throughout the 2017-18 campaign, and there is no question that James Chester is up there when it comes to consistency.
The former Manchester United youngster has scored three times in 43 Championship appearances this season, and has been outstanding at the back.
There is no doubt that the presence of former England captain John Terry has helped him, but Chester has developed into a very good centre-back at this level of football, and will be keen to prove himself in the Premier League next season.
Villa’s official Twitter account was keen to pay tribute to the 29-year-old earlier this week, and the club’s supporters revealed their delight with the defender’s form ahead of a vital few weeks in the season.
FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.
By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.
A selection of the Twitter reaction can be seen below:
Arsene Wenger has earned plenty of respect from the football world for his two-decade service to Arsenal Football Club.
So, when the club were knocked out of the Europa League at the semi-final stage courtesy of a 2-1 defeat to Atletico Madrid, many felt sympathy for the Frenchman.
On any given season, the outpouring of support may not have been as plentiful, but due to the fact that the 68-year-old will leave his position as Arsenal manager this summer, many wanted the Gunners to go all the way.
The damage was done in the first leg at the Emirates when they allowed Atletico to nab an away goal through Antoine Griezmann, who cancelled out Alexandre Lacazette’s opener in the 1-1 draw.
In Spain on Thursday night, Arsenal played well in spells, but Diego Costa struck to score the only goal of the game and send Atletico into the final.
After the match, various journalists attending the press conference made a point of noting that Wenger was very emotional while delivering his post-game musings.
Unfortunately for the manager, a number of Arsenal fans, as well as supporters of other clubs, did not have any sympathy.
West Ham fans are praying the latest reports on David Moyes are true, after a report from the Telegraph claimed the manager must impress in the final games to keep his job.
According to the Telegraph report, both David Moyes and the West Ham owners are unsure whether the Scotsman is the right fit.
Now that Premier League survival is secured, Moyes must play positive football in the final two matches to prove he can keep the fans happy with entertaining football.
The former Manchester United manager has completed his objective by keeping West Ham in the Premier League, but fans have grown increasingly frustrated by his uninspiring tactics.
[ad_pod ]
The Hammers’ 2-0 win at Leicester on Saturday secured their top tier status for another season, but fans have been lining up new managerial candidates for several weeks now.
Moyes’ side host Manchester United on Thursday night, who could rest players with second place pretty much locked up and an FA Cup final on the horizon.
FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.
By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.
The Hammers then welcome Everton to London, who will surely be there for the taking given the toxicity surrounding the Toffees and Sam Allardyce.
Some of the best Twitter reactions can be found below…
To celebrate 25 years of the Premier League each week in Football Fancast we’re going to be looking back at a memorable game that took place on the corresponding date. This time out we revisit a quest for safety that many believed to be impossible.
Languishing as they presently are in the fourth tier it would not surprise if Coventry City fans are rather endeared towards Tottenham Hotspur. It was, after all against the North London giants that the Sky Blues enjoyed their most memorable of days, a classic FA Cup final complete with a thrilling comeback and Keith Houchen’s diving header. And here, ten years on almost to the day, their successful jaunt to White Hart Lane finalised an escape so great it would have made Steve McQueen think twice about attempting it.
It was a recovery that seemed so implausible six weeks earlier. Then a home defeat to West Ham left Gordon Strachan’s men second from bottom and though teams were still comfortably within reach the latter stages of the fixture list was anything but kind. Of the six games that remained two daunting away-days to Liverpool and Spurs offered scant hope for a side with a pitifully low scoring record that term, while home tests against high-flying Chelsea and title-chasing Arsenal were hardly causes for optimism. It seemed that after two successive seasons of just about doing enough to stay in the Premier League, Coventry’s fortunes were finally on the wane.
But then Dion Dublin rediscovered his scoring boots at just the right time, scoring an unforgettable winner at Anfield and starting off a three-goal blitz that downed Chelsea before draws with Southampton and Arsenal meant that come the final day of reckoning the Midlands side still had an outside chance.
Here’s how the table looked at 3pm on May 11th 1997. Forest were down and above them Coventry and Middlesbrough each had 38 points with the latter boasting a significantly superior goal difference (what with Coventry’s shyness in front of goal). Two points ahead of both teetered Sunderland.
All three faced difficult away games but with the Mackems heading to Wimbledon and Boro travelling down to mid-table Leeds there was no question that Coventry had the toughest examination. This may not have been a vintage Tottenham side but it was still one that contained Sol Campbell at the back and Darren Anderton on the right. Up front prowled Teddy Sheringham. This was still Spurs.
Furthermore even an unlikely win would probably not be sufficient. Should either of their North-East counterparts also prevail, Coventry would be doomed to endure their first spell outside of the top flight since 1967.
Let’s deploy a shortcut at this juncture and offer up a spoiler alert. Boro drew – with Juninho famously inconsolable on the final whistle – while a poor Sunderland XI went down with barely a fight against Wimbledon at Plough Lane. Victory then, against Sol and Teddy and the lads, would suffice.
12 minutes in and the travelling faithful had something to cling to, as Dion Dublin continued his rich vein of form with a near-post flick beyond the grasping palm of reserve stopper Espen Baardsen. Approaching half-time it got much, much better when Paul Williams stuck out a leg to redirect a Gary McAllister corner goal-bound. It was only the eighth time that Coventry had scored two goals in a single game all season and four had come in the last six games.
If they could take this lead into the break they were surely favourites to emerge victorious but this was a relegation haunted side, and relegation haunted sides never did things the easy way. As the referee prepared to blow up for half-time Sheringham’s long-range free-kick thundered the crossbar and fell to youngster Paul McVeigh to guide it home.
This is my last PL25 look-back and so many of them have featured last gasp winners and spectacular feats. Perhaps it is fitting here to end with a celebration of fortitude and heart.
Because that’s what Coventry showed to see out the game, restricting the hosts to just a single chance (that in truth they really should have dispatched) during 45 minutes of sheer agony and desperate resolve.
As the final whistle blew the players looked stunned and naturally so because they believed this against-the-odds triumph was nothing more than a salvaging of pride. But then realisation dawned: the fans had radios and were going berserk; Strachan was hugging anyone within grabbing distance. The other results had gone their way too.
FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.
By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.
That April and May, Coventry City jumped over barbed wire fences on their motorcycle. They boarded a train without thanking the guard in English. They had pulled off a great escape.
What happened next?
In his first full season in charge Strachan moulded a side of experience and guile to a mid-table spot with a front two of Dublin and Huckerby that terrorised defences.
Four months in to the following campaign Spurs sacked Gerry Francis and brought in Christian Gross. From bad to gross you might say.
Playing in a Champions League final is arguably the biggest match that any footballer can participate in for his club.
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has told reporters that Emre Can is “desperate” to be involved in Saturday’s showdown against Real Madrid in Kiev, but that has not been welcomed by every fan.
The midfielder has not played since mid-March due to a back injury, and he recently received bad news that he will not be in the Germany squad for the World Cup in Russia this summer.
Can returned to Liverpool training last week, but he is not yet at optimum fitness for the final.
The 24-year-old’s eligibility to compete in the showpiece is not solely dependent on his injury status, according to some fans.
FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.
By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.
According to The Independent, the midfielder is expected to leave Anfield this summer and join Juventus on a free transfer as his contract expires in a few months’ time.
With that in mind, some supporters are against the idea of Can taking part in the final, while others think that Liverpool need to field their strongest side regardless of questionable loyalties.
Liverpool fans are enjoying themselves ahead of Saturday’s Champions League finale, and they can’t believe the Spanish reports on how Madrid will stop Mohamed Salah.
According to a report in the Spanish press this week, Real Madrid will stop Mohamed Salah with a “triangular cage”, consisting of Marcelo, Sergio Ramos and Casemiro.
There has been plenty of talk this week about Marcelo, with many fans feeling the marauding left back will leave plenty of space for Salah to exploit.
Real Madrid will of course be conscious of this, and the press suspect it will be a joint effort between the three Galácticos to stop the Egyptian.
Liverpool fans have already been bashing Ramos today after he took a dig at the comparisons between Salah and Cristiano Ronaldo, and they feel Madrid’s master plan will only make them more vulnerable.
FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.
By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.
The Reds’ three pronged attack has demolished every team in their path in Europe this season, and too much focus on Salah could certainly leave the ever improving Roberto Firmino and the electric Sadio Mane plenty of space to strut their stuff.
Whether the report is just paper talk or a genuine insight to Zinedine Zidane’s tactic is yet to be seen, but the Reds are extremely confident their attack can best the Madrid men, and some of the best Twitter reactions can be found down below…
Everton could be set to break their transfer record for Real Sociedad striker Willian Jose, and the stats show he could be the perfect project for Marco Silva.
According to Mundo Deportivo, Everton are interested in a summer swoop for Sociedad’s top scorer, but they could have pay over £50million to land the striker.
The report claims the Toffees could meet the player’s whopping €60m (£53m) release clause, so what’s all the fuss about?
Well, that fee may sound absurdly high, but it is surely better to splash out big on one or two top quality players opposed to spreading money around several signings as the Toffees did to little effect last summer.
The 6 ft 1 Jose has not had the most glistening career in European football, but his development over the last couple of seasons has been extremely impressive, and his movement, instincts and clinical finishing could make him a force to be reckoned with under Marco Silva.
After some decent loan spells in Spain, the Brazilian joined Sociedad in 2016, and his performances last season have been quite simply superb.
The 26 year-old grabbed 15 league goals last season, as well as five in the Europa League, but it is his influence off the ball that could make him a better option than Cenk Tosun for Everton.
Across 34 appearances, the striker created nearly a chance per game for his teammates according to Squawka, and also won at least one aerial duel per game.
[brid autoplay=”true” video=”252976″ player=”12034″ title=”Watch 21 things that will definitely happen at the World Cup”]
While his aerial presence is nothing close to the dominance Tosun offers, he is technically superior to the Turkish international, and his link up play and movement to create space for teammates was a major reason Sociedad scored 66 goals in the league last season, a total bettered only by Barcelona and Real Madrid.
FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.
By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.
If Silva is serious about bringing fast, attacking football to Goodison, the Sociedad striker could be the perfect man to spearhead it, and having two top goalscorers available in Jose and Tosun would be huge for the Toffees.
If fans can get their heads around the big asking price, which is quite simply the going rate for a top goalscorer in Europe these days, then Jose could be the absolute perfect signing for Silva and Everton.
So, Everton fans, what do you think about the links to Willian Jose? Is he an upgrade on Tosun? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below…