All posts by h79snht.top

It’s not the Etihad Stadium or Nou Camp, but tonight Borussia Park will be every bit as demanding of and unforgiving for Celtic’s Champions League hopes.

The losses of Kolo Toure and Jozo Simunovic will further stretch Brendan Rodgers’ resources and the resolve of a new look back line.

Gladbach’s 2-0 win in Glasgow a fortnight ago was much more emphatic than the scoreline suggests. Being written off going into tonight’s match won’t cause Rodgers too much concern, though – ensuring that his side do themselves justice is more his style.

As soon as the final whistle went the Celtic boss was analysing where the match had been lost. There was no ranting, raving or tantrums but in his own determined way, he made his points known with Chris Davies yesterday explaining why tonight’s match isn’t mission impossible…

AVOID UNFORCED ERRORS

There’s no margin for error tonight. Much as Gladbach dominated the match at Celtic Park they were presented with two goals that were avoidable.

While Rodgers likes his side to play an expansive game that doesn’t extend to taking undue risks in defence. Kolo Toure will have learnt his lessons, his team-mates will know better than to risk a repeat tonight.

Playing a percentage game away to fancied opponents can swing the match in Celtic’s favour. Gladbach will pose enough questions of their own without self-inflicted problems.

BACK BROONY!

The Celtic skipper was quickly closed down in the first match between the teams with Andre Schubert doing his homework on the Bhoys’ 3-3 draw with Manchester City.

Brown has found a new dimension to his game this season, a level that allows him to transfer his domineering style from the domestic game into the highest possible level.

If Stuart Armstrong and Nir Bitton can get on the ball then Brown is capable of getting forward to ask questions of the Gladbach defence.

TAKE ANY CHANCES

It would have been an act of daylight robbery, but Celtic really should have scored through Scott Sinclair shortly before half-time a fortnight ago.

Tom Rogic’s pass cut the Germans’ defence wide open and Sinclair’s anticipation and run was perfect, yet unfortunately the finish was from the Filip Sebo manual.

Chances don’t come along too often in the Champions League, so it’s critical to take advantage of moments of magic like Rogic’s pass.

FEED THE MOUSSA

After the reaction to his performance and goals against Manchester City, it seemed as if Moussa Dembele could sink Gladbach on his own. Unfortunately for the Scots, Schubert had done his homework, praised Dembele then isolated him by suffocating the supply chain.

Getting the attacking midfielders close to the sole striker is essential. Keeping the team fluid, the ball rolling forward will ask questions of the home defenders who were given an easy time a fortnight ago.

THRIVE OFF THE ATMOSPHERE

Over 6,000 Celtic fans are having a ball today in Monchengladbach, some of them even have tickets for the match!

There will be an incredible atmosphere in the ground with the travelling support making their own contribution.

These are the nights to savour, to embrace, to enjoy, to revel in. It’s not Molde or even Ross County, after all. A great stadium, a country steeped in football tradition and  two passionate sets of supporters – it doesn’t get much better.

Following his impressive goals against Manchester United and Barcelona, much is being made of Kevin De Bruyne’s ability. Unquestionably he remains one of the best players in the Premier League, but until he can continue his season in a consistent fashion, then he will be over-rated and considered beneath the hierarchy of great players in European football.

It’s difficult to be critical of De Bruyne, and it remains a subject untouched by many football writers. Nonetheless, his performances since the dazzling display he produced in the Manchester derby have many needing to ask why he is failing to deliver on a consistent basis when his ability is evident.

Against United and Bournemouth, fans were graced with arguably two of the best individual performances this season. The Belgian is regularly City’s most impressive performer and showed that on some occasions.

After an injury in mid-September, the Belgian returned to action just two weeks later and was practically non-existent for the Blues until Barcelona came to town last Tuesday. Why did it take nearly a month for De Bruyne to reproduce at the highest level?

His destruction of Barcelona left many fans in awe at his performance, but just days later against Middlesbrough, he provided a cross for Sergio Aguero to score the opener, but had little impact on the match, once again. He struggled to cope with the stern Boro defence and even missed an open goal moments before Aitor Karanka’s team snatched a point away with a last-minute header. How often do Alexis Sanchez, Diego Costa, Antoine Griezmann or Gareth Bale miss those sorts of chances?

People may be questioning why you would be critical of a player who performs against big teams, but three points against Boro is the same the three on offer for beating Manchester United.

Cristiano Ronaldo and Luis Suarez had similar tags during their time in England, but both were nothing other than myth. Against teams like Boro and West Brom, you require your keys players to dig deep and produce superior performances. And De Bruyne is regularly failing to do so when smaller opposition come to town.

The statistics back up the argument. According to WhoScored.com, De Bruyne has produced an average match rating of 8.34 against United, Monchengladbach and Barcelona – arguably City’s three biggest victories all season. However, in results against West Ham, Everton, Stoke and Sunderland, a markedly lower 6.87 is De Bruyne’s average.

On the contrary, this is the polar opposite to the reputation De Bruyne had when he joined City in August 2015. He was renowned for struggling to produce when the team dearly required against title contenders. But surely De Bruyne must accept his performances against the smaller teams need to be consistently on-par before anyone can judge him with, for example, some of La Liga’s greatest players.

Once again, it’s a compliment within the criticism that De Bruyne has shrugged off the tag of failing to produce against bigger opposition. The calendar year of 2016 has proven he is no slouch when the big boys come to play, but despite this, to be considered the best in the business like many feel he is, he needs to provide a more consistent performance weekly.

It’s that time of year when I shelve my usual collection of records until January and allow something with a slightly more upbeat tempo to grace the Klopp-family turntable.

As unapologetically nihilistic to the standards of acceptable composition my musical tastes may be, Christmas demands something a little more festive. Naturally, I am currently sat listening to ‘Got Something For You’ by Best Coast and Wavves – I dare you to name a better yuletide Lo-Fi collaboration!

On the off chance you aren’t familiar with the track, I will use a slightly more mainstream example for my opening analogy. Mariah Carey once sang ‘All I Want For Christmas Is You.’ I can tell you, dear reader, all I want for Christmas is a new goalkeeper.

I drafted Simon back into my starting XI against Middlesbrough after Loris Karius and I shared a heated exchange in the Tate Liverpool. We locked horns over a new Glenn Ligon installation called ‘Untitled.’ I interpreted it as a paradoxical piece of social commentary interwoven with a message on authorship but naïve Loris dismissed it as, “a pretentious series of wall fittings.”

I told him that someone with a mind as small as his might as well f**k off to the next room to be spoon-fed Yves Klein’s latest collection of garbage… and that he would be dropped for our visit to The Riverside. With those words ringing in his ears he left but returned 40 seconds later after refusing to cough up the exhibition’s £11 entry fee.

We made amends shortly after but I had already texted Simon by this point with a message containing the goalie gloves emoticon and a winky face.

Simon didn’t let me down, nor did the boys adorned in brazen yellow who ensured we returned to winning ways. Adam Lallana was a tour-de-force on the pitch but I was more impressed to learn that he had made Sky Sport’s ‘Most Mentioned on Social X1’ this morning – these are the stats you really want to see as a manager.

As I’ve attested to before, Adam, along with Jordan are the two that concern me the most after the big Nivea deal went to their heads, so you can understand why I was hesitant when asked if they could stay in Middlesbrough an extra night in order to “watch some birds.”

However, I decided to grant them this treat as reward for such a good performance. Besides, who am I to deny a man the spectacle of Teeside’s greatest late night Falconry display?

We all have to treat ourselves once in a while. To my surprise, as the team coach weaved its way through town en route back to Liverpool, I spotted them running alongside, begging the driver to let them on. The looks on their faces suggested they’d been wholly unimpressed by the rare breeds on offer. Perhaps one of them had been bitten by a deranged tawny owl? I decided not to ask.

The journey home gave me the opportunity to host one of my ‘Dr Kloppo’ clinics with my keepers.

This is a simple meeting of minds exercise I regularly encourage amongst my players and gives them the opportunity to talk to their boss about everything from their personal demons to which high-octane box set they are currently enjoying. James Milner took the minutes. Simon shared with me that he regretted not throwing his shirt to the fans at the full-time whistle along with the rest of his teammates.

He went on to explain that he was worried no one would want it because he “wasn’t as cool as Joel Matip.” To be fair, Joel is very cool indeed – his monthly subscription to GQ and ever-present musk of Boss Bottled attests to that. Confidence was clearly low amongst my shot-stoppers so I suggested a morale boosting exercise forthwith.

The next morning, I fired up the Opel and drove Simon and Loris into Liverpool city centre with a box of signed Mignolet and Karius replica shirts in tow. We toured shopping centres with the intention of giving away the jerseys to young fans.

It was to prove to be my most disastrous day since our humbling at Burnley back in August. By lunchtime, we hadn’t given away a single one and our offer had even caused several children to burst into tears. We moved onto the hospitals but the children there were equally as despondent before the sight of Loris actually caused an elderly gentleman to temporarily flatline.

Dejected, we eventually dumped the box outside a homeless shelter. Later that night I received a phone call from a giddy-sounding Simon: “Gaffer, there’s a man sleeping under one of my shirts in the doorway of WH Smiths. It’s covered in sick and he stole a pen from the shop to cross out the name on the back but it’s my number! My number!”

I must try my best to keep this news from Loris until I can find a new backup to Simon in January. I wonder if Peter Enckelman is still playing?

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Arsenal players are concerned that their teammate Alexis Sanchez could be on his way out of the club, according to The Mirror.

What’s the word?

The contract situation surrounding Sanchez and teammate Mesut Ozil has regularly been reported on in the press over the past few months.

Both players come to the end of their current deals at the end of next season, and manager Arsene Wenger has publicly stated numerous times that talks are ongoing between the pair.

As it stands, neither have signed on the dotted line, which has naturally caused some fans to worry that Arsenal could lose their star duo.

The Mirror is reporting that not only are the fans concerned, but members of the Arsenal squad are also biting their nails.

The national newspaper has stated that some of Sanchez’s teammates think that the Chile international has not signed on the dotted line because he has already received an offer from elsewhere.

Those fears were apparently fuelled when Sanchez was allegedly furious with his teammates for celebrating when they came back from 3-0 down to draw 3-3 with Bournemouth at the Vitality Stadium on Tuesday night.

Olivier Giroud netted the equaliser and sparked criticism among fans when he performed a scorpion kick celebration, even though he had rescued just a single point.

Has Sanchez already decided to leave?

It is unlikely that the former Barcelona man has opted to cut ties with Arsenal just yet, despite contract talks being dragged out.

In most of these cases, prolonged negotiations centre around money, and considering Sanchez’s form this season – netting 15 goals in all competitions so far – he is likely to be demanding a big hike in wages.

The 28-year-old is vital to Arsene Wenger’s team, so he knows that he is in the driving seat with regards to contract talks.

The fact that the big boys in China can offer Sanchez staggering salaries puts pressure on the Gunners to meet the Chilean’s demands, and it remains to be seen if they do so.

As for his alleged anger towards his teammates for celebrating Tuesday’s draw, that could innocently be down to his passion for the game.

It is widely known that Sanchez hates to miss a single minute of football, even when he has flown half way across the world on international duty, so for Arsenal to concede three goals in the manner that they did, would have frustrated the prolific forward.

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West Ham United appear to be on the verge of cutting ties with unsettled midfielder Dimitri Payet, and fans have had their say on Twitter.

Sky Sports report that the Premier League club will hold talks with Marseille this week regarding a potential deal involving the wantaway star.

Payet left the Ligue 1 club to join West Ham in a rumoured £10.5m deal in 2015, and now it seems that he could return to France.

The broadcaster claims that the Hammers are not prepared to accept anything less than £30m for Payet, who scored nine goals and registered 12 assists in 30 league matches last season.

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If Payet does leave before the end of the month, it will be a sour departure after manager Slaven Bilic revealed last week that the 29-year-old is refusing to play for the club.

The team did not appear to miss him at the weekend, though, as they sealed a 3-0 win over Crystal Palace on home turf.

Upon hearing the news of Payet’s potential return to France, fans have given their views on social media.

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Celtic are dominating every aspect of Scottish football this season – they are currently 19 points clear atop the Scottish Premiership and have already won the League Cup.In Europe they’ve progressed from the last few years, finally qualifying for the group stage of the Champions League once again.They’re seeking further improvements, though, with the next step being qualification from the group into the Europa League or the Last 16.To do that, signings need to continue to be made.

The club recently snapped up Kouassi Eboue from Russian club FC Krasnodar, a highly-rate Ivorian midfielder who is expected to slot right into the first-team.

Now he’s arrived, what other positions need bolstering and which players should the Bhoys be looking at snapping up in the January transfer window?

Here are THREE players that could improve the Celtic first-team…

Saido Berahino

Saido Berahino, whose contract runs out in the summer, is a player than many Premier League sides are likely to be interested in.

That’s mainly due to the season he had in 2014/15 when he scored 20 goals for West Bromwich Albion, including 14 in the Premier League.

Celtic are in a unique position when it comes to the 23-year-old. Given he plays across a FIFA border, the compensation required to bring him to Celtic Park on theÂexpiration of his contract would be similar to what the club shelled out for Moussa Dembele, whereas English teams would have to hand over a lot more.

Not only that but, the Hoops can offer him something most English teams can’t: Champions League football.

If Berahino truly wants to resurrect his career, it’s unlikely he’ll be in it for only the money. Celtic is a great option for him, just look at the profile of Dembele compared to a year ago.

He’d offer Celtic plenty of threat in the final third and undoubtedly provide significant first-team competition for the strikers and wingers.

Robert Snodgrass

Robert Snodgrass is proving again that he is a player comfortable performing at Premier League level.

When you consider that he’s playing for a team that is languishing in the relegation zone, his form has been quite spectacular.

He’s scored an incredible nine goals for Hull this term, notching up another three assists in the process – just think what he could do for a side who dominate possession and create loads of chances like Celtic?

The Scotland international recently had his contract extended a further year by Hull, but with just 18 months left on that deal, would a move to the Scottish champions suit him?

We’re sure he’d be tempted. Indeed it may even be up to Celtic whether or not they move for him given his affinity for the green and white. For us, it’s a no-brainer.

Henri Lansbury

Former Arsenal man Henri Lansbury’s time at Nottingham Forest has been a great success and he appears to be just hitting his prime as a footballer.

The Forest captain has been in inspirational form this season and if not for him, the Tricky Trees would surely be in the relegation positions – at times he’s carried them to victory on his own.

That was never more apparent than in the recent 5-2 win away to Barnsley, a game in which Lansbury netted a hat-trick.

He’s a versatile player, too, able to play a variety of central midfield roles, so if Celtic signed him they could expect him to offer immediate competition to the likes of Tom Rogic and Stuart Armstrong, which, despite their form, could only be to the benefit of everyone.

He’s certainly a more dynamic option than the likes of Callum McGregor and Nir Bitton. If Rodgers could tempt him to Scotland it could prove to be a shrewd bit of business.

Manchester United have given teenage defender Axel Tuanzebe a new contract until June 2020, the club have announced.

What are the details?

The 19-year-old made his first-team debut last weekend when he played in the Red Devils’ 4-0 rout over Wigan Athletic in the FA Cup.

Manager Jose Mourinho has been keeping an eye on him for some time after being impressed by his showing last summer.

Just one month after being appointed United manager, the Portuguese coach had positive words to say about the youngster after watching him on the pitch.

The manager is so impressed that he has decided to tie Tuanzebe down to the Red Devils for the next five years.

Mourinho told the club’s official website:

“Axel is a young player with great potential. We brought him up to the first team to give him more experience and he has adapted really well. I am pleased that he has signed a new contract and I am delighted with the progress he is making.”

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Could Tuanzebe become a successful graduate?

Throughout Mourinho’s management career, he has never been hugely focused on developing academy players.

The Portuguese coach tends not to stay at a club for more than three years at a time, therefore prioritises short-term success rather than building for the future.

So, giving Tuanzebe a chance at the weekend gives a big indication that this teenager, who has been at the club since the age of eight, has the potential to be the real deal for United.

The defender has shown plenty of physicality at the back and despite his age does not shy away from tackles.

He has many years left to go to perfect his craft, but mixing in with the first team will do him a world of good.

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A rampant Liverpool significantly damaged Tottenham Hotspur’s title bid with a comfortable 2-0 victory at Anfield on Saturday evening. Impressive from start to finish, Jurgen Klopp’s side looked as good as they have all season, especially in the first half.

It was an unexpected showing considering the Reds have had a dismal start to 2017, failing to win in the Premier League this calendar year prior to facing Spurs. In contrast, Spurs were in great form on paper, winning ten games in an undefeated streak of eleven matches.

All that was pushed to one side by one man, Sadio Mane, who blitzed the North London side with two goals in two minutes in the first half.

From that point on Liverpool never looked like losing their lead and saw out the game in a professional manner.

These are the FIVE photos that summed up all the action…

The main Mane

It took just fifteen minutes for Sadio Mane to find the net, exposing Spurs badly and firing past Hugo Lloris with no problem at all.

Below par on his return to the starting eleven against Hull last week, on Saturday he looked like the Mane that left for Africa in January to join up with Senegal in the African Cup of Nations.

He showed Liverpool fans what they’d been missing, making the team with the best defensive record in the Premier League look ordinary.

Two in two minutes

Mane followed up that opening goal with his second just minutes later. Two minutes to be exact. Spurs looked stunned as a defensive mix-up allowed Liverpool to swarm on their box before the ball eventually fell to Mane to fire home.

It sent Anfield wild with supporters finally seeing a performance they’d come to expect from their side in the opening months of the season.

Not their night

Put simply, Spurs’ big stars simply didn’t show up at Anfield. Harry Kane, Dele Alli and Christian Eriksen were all ineffective across the ninety minutes. They looked a totally different team to the one that so expertly saw off Chelsea in January.

They’ll have travelled back to London disappointed, knowing they didn’t play anywhere near to their peak potential.

Liverpool have to take some credit, with a solid defensive performance neutralising the threat from Pochettino’s side but the Lilywhites made it far too easy for the home side to protect their lead.

Klopp’s delight

Jurgen Klopp always celebrates goals passionately but he looked particular delighted after Sadio Mane’s double. He knew how big Saturday’s match was in the context of their season. Another slip-up could’ve been a disaster for their top four ambitions.

A win against one of the best sides in the country could revitalise their season and it’s now on the Liverpool manager to build on this win and deliver more consistent performances against the so-called lesser teams in the English Premier League.

Pochettino’s plight

Mauricio Pochettino cut a lonely figure on the Anfield touchline, seeing his side put in a fairly weak and disjointed performance. Perhaps he realised his side still have a long way to go to sustain a serious title challenge. If that’s where Spurs want to be then the Argentinian manager has a lot of work to do this summer.

What he must ensure in the short term is that this defeat isn’t demoralising and too detrimental to their hopes of qualifying for the UEFA Champions League.

A top four position is a must and guarding against a slump after the bubble has been burst on such an impressive unbeaten run will be a difficult task.

Can his side bounce back with a European win away to KAA Gent on Thursday?

Celtic striker Moussa Dembele has been selected by Barcelona star and five-time Ballon d’Or winner Lionel Messi as one of the Spanish giants’ transfer targets, according to Diario Gol.

What’s the story?

Dembele has been a regular feature in the transfer gossip pages since his explosive start to life at Celtic.

After joining the Scottish champions from Fulham last summer, the 20-year-old has scored 28 goals in 36 appearances in all competitions.

His scintillating form has reportedly attracted the likes of Chelsea, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich, and now it appears that Barcelona have joined the chase.

Diario Gol reports that the Catalan giants’ best player has requested that Dembele be one of the summer arrivals regardless of who succeeds Luis Enrique as manager.

The publication claims that Messi wants the young Frenchman to replace Paco Alcacer, who has struggled to make an impact since his move from Valencia last year.

Arsenal full-back Hector Bellerin, Paris Saint-Germain defender Marquinhos and Eibar forward Sergi Enrich are also said to be on Messi’s list.

How does Messi’s view change things?

The Argentine is widely regarded as one of – if not the – best footballers on the planet and his importance to Barcelona more than likely gives him huge influence within the club.

If Messi is demanding that the Spanish outfit bring Dembele to the club then it is safe to say that the hierarchy will make an attempt.

Even more so due to the fact that a manager is yet to be hired, which indicates that Messi is making it clear to whomever takes the hotseat in what direction he wants the club going.

From the player’s perspective, when someone of Messi’s calibre wants to grace the same pitch of said footballer, then it would be difficult to ignore.

For Celtic, they will not want to sell their best player, but they also have negotiating power in this situation due to Dembele having three years left on a four-year contract and the knowledge that a superpower like Barcelona have the funds to spend big.

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West Ham United plan to hold talks with Pedro Obiang regarding a potential new contract, according to Sky Sports.

What’s the word?

The East London outfit are believed to be keen to reward the Spaniard for an impressive season.

The 24-year-old midfielder has made 20 appearances, 19 of which were starts, in the Premier League and has featured eight times in cup competitions.

According to The Sun, Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp is keeping his eye on the midfielder ahead of a potential summer swoop.

However, Sky Sports reports that the Hammers want to shoo away potential suitors by opening talks over fresh terms.

Does Obiang deserve a new deal?

The Spaniard’s first season at West Ham was not hugely impressive following his £5m switch from Sampdoria in the summer of 2015.

He was unable to hit the ground running, but he has become more of an important figure in Slaven Bilic’s team in the 2016-17 campaign.

It is believed that Obiang’s worth has risen to £18m, and even though there is no need to rush through a new deal considering that he has two years left on his current one, it is a sign of commitment.

From West Ham’s point of view, it will put them in a strong position if rival clubs come calling for the midfielder’s signature.

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