Harry Kane scored his 26th international goal in England’s 5-3 win over Kosovo on Tuesday night.
In what was a pulsating Euro 2020 qualifier at St Mary’s, England netted five times in the first period before the visitors made a fight of it in the second period.
Kane actually had the opportunity to score a second from the penalty spot in the 65th minute, only to see his spot kick saved.
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Despite the disappointment of the missed penalty, the Tottenham Hotspur striker has managed four goals during the latest international break.
And a number of Manchester United fans have taken to social media to comment on the Three Lions captain.
Indeed, many urged their club to move for the 26-year-old, whilst others simply stated that they wished that the centre-forward turned out for their club.
Marcus Rashford has flattered to deceive in the early stages of the 2019/20 campaign, and it is not too much of a surprise that the United supporters have been drooling over Kane’s goalscoring form – at both club and international level.
A selection of the Twitter reaction can be seen below:
[ad_pod ]End of an era.Sheffield United have waved goodbye to their virtual ground Ivy Lane, which played host to the Blades on video game FIFA until their promotion to the Premier League this summer. Sadly, this means the computerised Ivy Lane faithful will take their somewhat fragile allegiances to the next promotion hopefuls in search of console-based glory. Plastics.It’s not the immense pot of television rights money handed to recently promoted sides that excites them anymore, nor the glory of playing in one of the most popular competitions in the world. Rather, it’s the added bonus of having your beloved football stadium constructed in complete detail by FIFA 20 publishers EA Sports.Watch Sheffield United Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below
The latest ground to have enjoyed its FIFA makeover is Bramall lane. Fans can now score with Billy Sharp and friends and pinpoint the very seat they occupy every other week from the comfort of their own home; there’s no need to go to a game ever again! Sometimes it’s the small things in life, hey.
Unfortunately, as previously mentioned, this transformation does mean the bond with Ivy Lane has been severed. The club’s official Twitter paid homage to its former home in the only way possible, via a tweet…
It’s safe to say, you won’t find architecture like that anywhere else in the world. No, seriously, it’s made up.
Benji Kimpioka’s contract at Sunderland comes to an end in the summer of 2020, as per Transfermarkt.
However, there has been no agreement reached on that being extended, with the 19-year-old wanting to become a first-team player and to get terms which reflect that, as reported by Roker Report, who interviewed his agent Martin Klette:
While insisting that his client is happy to be at Sunderland, Klette suggested that Kimpioka won’t sign terms to merely be sent out on loan, claiming that he wants to be in the first-team plans.
This seems like a big demand though, as he has only ever played nine times for Sunderland, with five of those appearances coming in the EFL Trophy.
In addition, his four league appearances total just 27 minutes, while he has only made the bench once this campaign, in the Carabao Cup against Burnley, though even then he didn’t come on.
With all of this in mind, there are not many Sunderland fans who are impressed by the 19-year-old’s demands.
A selection of Twitter reaction to the interview, including posts from dismissive Sunderland fans, can be seen below:
Sunderland fans, do you want Kimpioka to stay? Join the discussion by commenting below…
Looking at Real Madrid’s summer transfer window of 2019, one could easily spot flaws creeping up on the Spanish giants.
To be honest, many have done exactly that but no one could do it sooner than their own media based in Madrid.
Marca covered their variety of flaws, bashing Los Blancos for spending too much, not covering their weak spots, failing to ship off the deadwood and many more. In fact, they went through all the trouble of finding eight mistakes in total, slamming Zinedine Zidane and Florentino Perez for failing to finish their long-overdue revolution.
But despite just one Galactico joined the squad in the form of Eden Hazard, he is not the only signing that should bring optimism, hope and a breath of fresh air for the Whites.
The other signing that should definitely excite the Madridistas and Zidane himself is their newcomer from Serbia, Luka Jovic.
The former Eintracht Frankfurt man arrived for a reported sum of €65m (£57.2m) before certain add-ons are calculated into the equation and comes as Real Madrid’s new and prolific forward to lead their lines.
But so far, although he has played in all four of Real Madrid’s opening games in the new 2019/20 La Liga season, he was in the starting 11 only once, tallying just 106 minutes over the course of those fixtures.
By the look of things, at least for now, he is bound to be a rotational player; one coming from the bench to possibly make the difference in that way.
How is that kind of a player, a player not even a Galactico, supposed to lead Los Blancos to glory once again? He may not be the main man at the moment but Jovic certainly looks he could be in the future.
His traits are obvious.
After all, last season, only Robert Lewandowski and Paco Alcacer netted more goals than Jovic’s 17-goal tally with 23 and 18 respectively in the Bundesliga.
Lewandowski is already a well-known finisher, one of the world’s best in fact, and Alcacer had a season like none before, enjoying his career-best spell.
But Jovic produces on the biggest stages as well.
His ten goal-run in last season’s Europa League campaign for the German team was only surpassed by Olivier Giroud’s 11-goal haul as he led Chelsea to eventual glory, which, interestingly enough, made them cross paths with Jovic and his Eagles as well.
Soccer Football – La Liga Santander – Real Madrid v Real Valladolid – Santiago Bernabeu, Madrid, Spain – August 24, 2019 Real Madrid’s Luka Jovic reacts REUTERS/Juan Medina
The goal-scoring part of his skill-set is definitely there for everyone to see and so is his clutchness and the ability to perform when it matters the most.
When we revisit the fact that the last time Real Madrid splashed out on a young and mostly unproven striker in a 21-year-old Karim Benzema, it ended up being a true gem. Their move for Jovic, therefore, now makes slightly more sense.
Rarely do Los Blancos and Perez get these things wrong and if history is any indication, when Real Madrid spend big, they also spend well.
The signings of Gareth Bale and Cristiano Ronaldo can attest to that. Granted, €65m (£57.2m) definitely sounds on the lower side, especially considering the state of the modern market. But it’s still a huge amount before add-ons and it’s on a 22-year-old striker who is yet to do it at a major club.
It may not sound like that much of a gamble considering how good Jovic was for Frankfurt but with all due respect to the German team, Real Madrid is a serious step up.
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One other aspect the Galacticos likely took into account when they were weighing up whether to buy the young Serbian or not, was the tactical flexibility.
Granted, on paper, the forward has mostly been deployed either as a clear-cut striker or something as a second-striker/ attacking midfielder, just behind the designated no.9 of the team.
But in reality, the youngster can still function in different systems regardless of his preferred role on the team sheet.
It’s a trait that could even see Jovic and Benzema play alongside each other.
A tactical switch that would revert Real Madrid to a system that deploys two strikers up front could, in that case, maybe even get the best out of both players.
The Serbian assisted six goals last season in the Bundesliga and while that may not sound like a sublime figure, it becomes better when we find out three of those were to one of his forward partners in Ante Rebic.
It wouldn’t really be a stretch to say that their summer signing and Benzema could complement each other the same way or even better. After all, the Frenchman assisted 11 goals across all competitions last season himself.
The striker may not have slipped right into Real Madrid’s starting lineup as of yet but that very much feels like it’s just a matter of time, especially with his French teammate ageing.
And once Benzema does eventually move on, the limelight will be Jovic’s for the taking.
Crystal Palace are moving along nicely under Roy Hodgson at the moment.
After a difficult summer, which saw few new arrivals and was dominated by speculation of star player Wilfried Zaha potentially leaving the club, the Eagles have started the campaign in decent form, picking up 11 points from their first seven games. In fact, they have lost on just two occasions so far.
Their latest victory came against Norwich on Saturday, with goals scored by Luka Milivojevic from the penalty spot and Andros Townsend late on. The latter came on from the bench against the Canaries and took his chance well, and it sees him get his goal tally for the season up and running. He will now be hoping to start the side’s next match away at West Ham.
The Palace fans were delighted with the 28-year-old’s performance at Selhurst Park, and they took to Twitter to share their thoughts. You can see some of the best comments from the social media platform below.
When you think of prolific Manchester United strikers Wayne Rooney, Ruud van Nistelrooy, Cristiano Ronaldo, Eric Cantona, Andy Cole and Dwight York spring to mind. Marcus Rashford, on the other hand, does not.
There was a time shortly after Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s appointment as temporary boss when Rashford looked like he had all the answers.
Indeed, the Norwegian looked like he had worked out how to get the best of the youngster. Rashford bagged five times in Solskjaer’s first seven games as United boss.
We’ve now reached the stage where United are actively looking for a new forward, per The Independent, having seemingly realised their gamble on not replacing Romelu Lukaku and Alexis Sanchez hasn’t paid off. Who’d have thought?
While the majority of United supporters, being the loyal bunch that they are, have reserved their criticism for private spaces, spend enough time searching through the many fan channels available and you’ll soon realise that a consensus is developing amongst the Old Trafford faithful that Rashford simply isn’t good enough. Failing to score against Arsenal on Monday night, a game that will mostly be remembered for some pretty terrible football all round, won’t have helped his cause very much either.
But is this criticism harsh? Danny Higginbotham seems to think so…
Of course, that would be to completely ignore the influence of Paul Pogba, who bagged nine Premier League assists last season and so far this term has averaged 2.6 key passes per game. Higginbotham also seemed to miss the moment Pogba sent Rashford through on goal against Arsenal, only for the forward to scupper his opportunity.
Great players make something from nothing, and we’re yet to see Rashford really do that on a consistent basis.
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 on Match of the Day 2, Martn Keown has slammed Manchester United midfielder Fred for his performance against Newcastle.
What did he say?
The Brazil international delivered another underwhelming display against the Magpies, winning just two duels over the course of the 90 minutes, and losing possession 13 times.
Watch the video below to see the most insane overhead kick you will see this week…
After seeing the 26-year-old’s lacklustre performance, Keown ripped into the midfielder’s ability on the ball. He said (as quoted by The Daily Mirror): “They’re so inept in possession. Fred, it’s almost becoming a joke when he gets the ball. I know it’s good closing down but you’ve got to be able to control it and pass. If that’s the central midfield then there’s not going to be anything created.”
Money poorly spent
To think this is the same man who was supposed to be of interest to Manchester City. Fred’s alarming decline since moving from Shakhtar Donetsk in the summer of 2018 has perfectly encapsulated the problems at Old Trafford. A lot of money spent, but nothing of note to show for it.
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Against Newcastle on Sunday, the Brazilian did very little to help the side’s attack, contributing zero key passes, whilst he was equally ineffective off-the-ball too, making just the one tackle. Just how long do the Red Devils give before they cut their losses on their £47m signing?
For Ole Gunnar Solskjaer to truly clean up the mess he was left with, under-performing players like Fred simply have to be shipped out.
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…
Sheffield Wednesday boss Garry Monk has hinted that he would like to add to his backroom staff if given the opportunity.
What’s he said?
The Owls have started life under the 40-year-old pretty well having picked up ten points from a possible 15, which sees them just one point away from being in playoff contention.
Monk has not only inherited much of his squad from his predecessor Steve Bruce, but too his backroom staff, something that he appears to be fine with considering former caretaker boss Lee Bullen moved back into his previous role as first-team coach.
But his latest comments suggest he would like to make a few additions, and this news comes amidst links to two members of his former staff in James Beattie and Ryan Needs.
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Speaking to the Star, the Wednesday boss said:
“If I get the opportunity to bring in some staff that I think are needed in certain areas to strengthen us, then of course I will do that. But, at this moment in time, it is what it is.
“I am just concentrating on the staff and the players that we have here right now and that is all we can do.”
The next part of the puzzle
As mentioned earlier by Football FanCast, Monk is transforming the club piece by piece, starting with his defence as visible improvements have been made over the past five games.
Another issue that is yet to be resolved – it’s still early days though – is their reliance on Steven Fletcher, who has netted five times this season.
With the January transfer window still a few months away, a quicker solution may be to appoint a member of backroom staff that can help assist in eradicating this problem.
Beattie appears to be the ideal candidate based on his previous exploits during all four of Monk’s former managerial spells as the ex-Premier League striker revamped the careers of Chris Wood, Britt Assombalonga and Che Adams, as outlined here.
It’s the addition of a data analyst that could provide further scope in pinning down other areas of concern too, thus enhancing Wednesday’s chance of making the playoffs.
This article is part of Football FanCast’s Opinion series, which provides analysis, insight and opinion on any issue within the beautiful game, from Paul Pogba’s haircuts to League Two relegation battles…
Throughout the vast majority of last summer’s transfer window, we only talked about one player – Neymar.
The Brazilian was at the centre of a transfer saga involving his old club Barcelona and his current club, PSG. But despite the Blaugrana’s reported multi-million offers, the French giants stood firm and Neymar ended up staying in the City of Light.
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And of course, it wouldn’t really be a good saga without possible twists and turns around every single corner and almost on a daily basis.
Inevitably, whenever Barca are linked with someone, Real Madrid are not far away and vice versa.
The two teams have formed a rivalry second to none throughout their history and that rivalry sometimes translates off the pitch and into their respective transfer business as well.
And according to Marca, Los Blancos had the option to go for the Brazilian last summer but in the end, with both Gareth Bale and James Rodriguez staying at the capital, they simply didn’t have the funds to do so.
Watch Lionel Messi and Gareth Bale answer the internet’s weirdest questions in the video below…
But the same source also suggests that Neymar himself was desperate to go to Real Madrid. So much so that he talked to four different Galacticos in the squad in an attempt to facilitate the move.
And if this piece of information is true, Marca just might have given us a hint of what could come next summer.
Of course, Barcelona are once again in the mix, that much we can most likely expect from the Catalans but Real Madrid weren’t really seen as real competitors for the Brazilian’s signature but more like an annoyance and a deterrent to Barcelona’s attempts.
This latest report, however, puts an entirely different perspective on the situation.
With Bale once again linked with an exit and Real Madrid being on Neymar’s wish list last summer, things could finally fall into place for Los Blancos and Florentino Perez could get his man sooner rather than later.
Of course, we have to wait and see what the Catalans have to say about that but if anything, we might have another transfer saga on our hands.
That much is inevitable either way.
But the victor of this battle for the coveted Brazilian signature just might surprise us all.
This article is part of Football FanCast’s Opinion series, which provides analysis, insight and opinion on any issue within the beautiful game, from Paul Pogba’s haircuts to League Two relegation battles…
If you hadn’t realised Theo Walcott had turned 30 on 16 March earlier this year, you would understandably be forgiven. The winger feels like he has been in the Premier League for ever, such was the early rise in his career.
The Southampton academy product was seen as the next big thing when he was named in England’s World Cup squad in 2006 as a fresh-faced teenager, but the 5 foot 9 man has arguably been the victim of too much hype and expectation.
The indoor football skills in the video below have to be seen to be believed…
To all intents and purposes, he has enjoyed a pretty impressive career in English football’s top-flight – after all, he has 73 goals and 54 assists in 327 games in the competition. But having made the decision to join Everton in the summer of 2018, there may have been concerns his career is on the decline.
His start to the current campaign has been less than auspicious, failing to score or assist at all. But his performance against West Ham on Saturday afternoon delivered a timely reminder to the Toffees that he still has plenty to offer. Lining up on the right-hand side of Everton’s attack, Walcott looked a constant threat with his pace in behind, and incisive movement.
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His finishing was slightly erratic (he had seven total shots on goal without scoring), but almost set the house on fire when his thundering volley cannoned off the cross-bar in the second-half. Whilst he went luckless in terms of finding the back of the net, he always showed a willingness to create for others – registering an assist and providing two key passes.
If Silva persists with Alex Iwobi and Bernard in his side – both silky smooth players but not blessed with a searing amount of pace – then Walcott can provide them with a truly unique attacking outlet. The Toffees can play on the counter-attack more, and give their more creative players the chance to play balls in behind the opposition defence for the ex-Gunner to run on to.
Walcott was once rather cruelly criticised for not having a “football brain”. He may not have scored against the Hammers at the weekend, but he certainly showed he has the intelligence and quality to still be a key part of a Premier League side.