It was a monumental Saturday for Celtic Football Club.
Not only have the Hoops managed to win a treble of trophies for a third successive season, the club also announced their future direction by confirming that Neil Lennon has been offered the permanent role of manager.
Despite securing a 2-1 victory over Hearts, the match at Hampden was another reminder for many that there’s serious work to be done on this Celtic side over the summer break to maintain success.
Lennon must start by addressing an obvious midfield problem that put the team at risk of defeat against Craig Levein’s side.
On the chalkboard
Put simply, the performances of Tom Rogic are not to the standard that Celtic require and it’s been clear since he returned from injury a couple of months ago.
He started the match on Saturday instead of Olivier Ntcham and from the first minute it was rather obvious there was a lack of balance in the Hoops midfield.
Former Wigan & Fulham man, Jimmy Bullard recently showed that he’s still got it! Check out the video below…
Scott Brown and Callum McGregor were overrun in the first half, with the low-energy Rogic failing to do anything on the ball that could be considered a threat to the Hearts defence.
In the second half that only continued until Lennon took the necessary step to substitute the attacking midfielder off and bring on the Frenchman, who on today’s evidence should have started the match.
Ntcham was far more of a presence in both halves of the pitch, managing to carry the ball on the break more effectively than the Australian and offering the Hoops more out of possession too.
Tactical changes
Now Lennon knows he has the job heading in the UEFA Champions League qualifiers he will likely seek to enact his own tactical changes on a side that have persisted in the manner of Brendan Rodgers since his departure to Leicester City.
What that means for the formation and style of his side remains to be seen, but if Rogic doesn’t improve or hit the ground running in the early stages of the season then he won’t find himself starting much longer.
Right now a midfield three of Brown, McGregor and one of Ntcham or Ryan Christie seems by far the best way to proceed, as both can offer attacking impetus with a better defensive work rate than Rogic.
Recruitment is going to be a massive part of Lennon’s first few months next season, but unless he gets the ongoing balance of his team spot on then Celtic risk having a more difficult summer of qualifiers than they’d like.
It was never previously a debate. Mohamed Salah, since his arrival at Anfield and subsequent blistering start, has always been deemed as Liverpool’s star man, the go-to guy, the one who others look to for inspiration.
Whilst he has since returned to his talismanic ways of old after an eight-game goal drought, others have stepped up whilst he went missing.
Virgil van Dijk, of course, and the two full-backs in Andrew Robertson and Trent Alexander-Arnold have become pivotal to Jurgen Klopp, but Sadio Mane has arguably been the club’s best player this season and was the one who kept the title challenge alive during Salah’s dry spell with 11 goals in 11 games.
That form has led to talk of a summer move to Real Madrid, but is he now the Reds’ star man ahead of the Egyptian international?
Are the media letting Jurgen Klopp off lightly for his lack of silverware? The Pl>ymaker FC squad have their say in the video below…
Football FanCast’s writers give their verdicts on the matter…
Harry Sherlock
“No. Mane is a pacy winger and he has a fantastic end product but Salah is perhaps the third best player in world football, behind… well, you know who. Mane does struggle to carry Liverpool at times and Salah regularly steps up. The question comes down to this: Who would the likes of Barcelona, Real Madrid and PSG prefer? The answer, obviously, is Salah.”
Matt Dawson
“It was going to take quite something for Mo Salah to replicate what he achieved last term and there’s no doubting his ability, but for me, Sadio Mane has overtaken him as Liverpool’s most important player. Mane has become more ruthless and he’s been the man in the right place at the right time on so many occasions. His performance at the Allianz Arena against Bayern Munich on the biggest of stages showed just how valuable he is. Personally, I think Liverpool would struggle to replace him more than Salah.”
Ben Goodwin
“No way. Take nothing away from Mane because he’s been sensational this season, but part of the reason he is afforded so much space is thanks to teams putting two, three or even more defenders on Salah. The Egyptian has created 10 clear-cut chances for Mane this season, double the next best link-up at Liverpool (Robertson has done so for Firmino five times). Salah is more clinical, more consistent and does much more for his team than just goalscoring.”
Few things in the world of football match the magic of the UEFA Champions League, and even fewer things deliver that magic like a Champions League goal.
Over the course of the competition’s 65-year history (it was the European Cup until 1992), the Champions League has featured the world’s finest scorers and served as a benchmark upon a which many have built their legendary football legacies.
On the competition’s scoring leaderboard you’ll find many of the names you’d expect and few others you may have forgotten about, and with the quarter-finals of this year’s tournament kicking off this week, several of the players on this list could find themselves edging ever nearer to the top.
Here are the top 20 goal scorers in the history of the UEFA Champions League…
20. Fernando Morientes – 33 goals
The Spanish forward scored Champions League goals for four different clubs over the course of his 17-year football career.
Starring for Real Madrid, Monaco, Liverpool and Valencia, Morientes had a knack for finding the back of the net anytime he appeared in the Champions League, helping earn Real Madrid European titles on three occasions (1998, 2000, 2002).
The Spaniard scored 33 times in 93 Champions League appearances and remains among the top all-time scorers in the history of the competition.
19. Gerd Müller – 34 goals
Bayern Munich’s Muller-led side won three consecutive European Cup titles (1974-76) with the German-born centre-forward carrying much of the scoring burden himself.
As Munich’s all-time leading scorer, Muller averaged six goals in the competition during those title-winning years, while averaging a goal every 1.3 matches.
Overall, Muller would close his European Cup career with 34 goals.
18. Edinson Cavani – 34
Soccer Football – Champions League – Group Stage – Group C – Crvena Zvezda v Paris St Germain – Rajko Mitic Stadium, Belgrade, Serbia – December 11, 2018 Paris St Germain’s Edinson Cavani celebrates scoring their first goal REUTERS/Marko Djurica
PSG and their frontman were eliminated from last year’s competition earlier than they probably would have liked, but not before the Uruguayan forward could add another two goals to his growing Champions League tally.
Cavani has been a goal scoring force in 59 appearances in the competition with Napoli and now Les Parisiens, scoring a career-high eight goals during Paris’ run to the Round of 16 in 2016-17.
With 34 goals in the competition, Cavani ranks as the greatest Uruguayan scorer in Champions League history.
17. Ferenc Puskás – 36
The 1960 Ballon d’Or runner-up had a flair for the amazing inside the 18-yard box and showed it often in the European Cup.
Puskas’ deft scoring ability helped deliver Real Madrid three European trophies (1959, 1960, 1966) during his eight-season run with the club. He would later take Greek-side Panathinaikos to a runner-up finish in the competition as manager in 1971.
16. Sergio Agüero – 37 goals
Soccer Football – Round of 16 Second Leg – Manchester City v Schalke 04 – Etihad Stadium, Manchester, Britain – March 12, 2019 Manchester City’s Sergio Aguero celebrates scoring their second goal Action Images via Reuters/Lee Smith
Manchester City’s Argentinian attacker has done nothing but score since arriving at the club in 2011 and the Champions League has been no exception.
With five goals scored in the competition for Atletico Madrid prior to his switch to Manchester City, Aguero’s running tally stands at 37 Champions League goals.
15. Alessandro Del Piero – 42 goals
Standing among the most accomplished players in Juventus’ history, and within Italian football history as a whole, Del Piero made a mark in Europe’s most prestigious competition as well.
A member of the club’s Champions League-winning squad in 1996, the Italian forward seemed to shine brightest on the continental stage, scoring a career-high 10 goals in the competition in 1997-98.
Already immortalised in Turin as the club’s all-time leading scorer, Del Piero and his 42 goals scored for Juventus in the Champions League also land him a lofty place in the competition’s storied history.
14. Thomas Müller – 42 goals
No player has made more Champions League appearances for Bayern Munich than Muller, and the German goal scorer has made the most of his time on the pitch.
Muller scored eight goals during the club’s run to the title in 2012-2013 and has eclipsed the five goal mark on four occasions altogether, emerging as one of the most consistent scorers in the competition’s recent history.
With 42 goals in 105 appearances, Muller stands as Munich’s highest all-time scorer in European competition.
13. Didier Drogba – 44 goals
A Champions League title winner with Chelsea in 2012, Drogba remains among the most accomplished stars in the club’s European history.
The Ivory Coast forward found the back of the net six times during that title run, and scored at a rate of 166 minutes per goal for his career to become Chelsea’s all-time leading European scorer.
Retiring with 44 goals in 92 career appearances, Drogba stands among the top scorers in the history of the competition.
12. Eusébio – 46 goals
A three-time European Cup Golden Boot winner, Eusebio ranks among the greatest to ever appear in this competition.
The Portuguese forward scored five goals while leading Benfica to a European Cup title in 1962 and would later go on to become the club’s all-time leading scorer in all competitions.
The winner of the Ballon d’Or in 1965, Eusebio’s 46 goals in European competition still remain ingrained in Champions League folklore.
11. Filippo Inzaghi – 46 goals
The Italian striker split his Champions League scoring between Juventus and AC Milan, but found his greatest team success in the competition with the latter, hoisting the trophy with Milan twice (2003, 2007).
Inzaghi scored at a rate of 119 minutes per goal in 81 Champions League matches, and peaked with 10 goals in the competition in 2002-2003.
Inzaghi’s 46 Champions League goals leave him as the highest scoring Italian in the competition’s history.
It’s safe to say without Max Harrold, Leyton Orient would be in deep trouble.
The striker’s 94th-minute equaliser salvaged a point for Justin Edinburgh’s side on a day where Salford City was able to do the business and go top of the National League table by just one point, and Orient are now starting to show their cracks.
For Orient fans, having to rely on a dramatic late equaliser at home to a side that slap-bang in mid-table should be a worrisome sign. These are the games that the O’s made light work of earlier in the season, but as we approach the final matches and with each passing test becoming more and more important, it’s becoming quickly apparent that the east London side are cracking under the pressure.
With an upcoming game against Eastleigh fast approaching, dropping points against the current 7th placed side in the league table at home could signal the end of Orient’s title hopes, as after that encounter the O’s will be level on games played with Salford.
Optimism was high about a National League title due to Orient having two games in hand and being four points ahead of Salford not too long ago, but as things do in football, it has all changed around far too quickly and all for the worse.
No wins in three have put the pressure on Edinburgh’s side, who could now find themselves losing out on an automatic promotion spot if they continue to drop points against lacklustre opposition, and with five games to go, fortunes need to change sooner rather than later.
Leyton Orient fans, can the club regain their form? Let us know!
Sunderland’s 20-year-old graduate of the Academy Of Light, Denver Hume, is out of contract in the summer, and despite manager, Jack Ross, insisting he wants the player to stay, no deal has yet been agreed.
The youngster has certainly had an up and down year, which saw him break into the first team, then suffer an injury nightmare, only to recover and play at Wembley.
Yet, despite Ross’s pleas to get a deal sorted for the Northumberland born full-back, none has been forthcoming, to which the manager admitted he was “frustrated” about.
He told the Newcastle Chronicle: “There’s no new news on that. I’m a little frustrated it hasn’t been concluded.
“From my side, it’s never been an issue because I’ve always wanted him at the club. It’s not as though it is just because he has come back into the team, all the way through his injury I have been pushing this.
“I’m not avoiding responsibility but it comes out of my hands to a degree, it’s other people at the club’s responsibility to get everything agreed and hopefully that will be done soon because he is a good player.
“I’ve spoken about him often enough and I would love him to be a part of what we are trying to do here.”
One factor could be that Hume, or his agent, is waiting to see how the season pans out, before committing his immediate future to the club.
Should the Black Cats fail to secure promotion, he may be thinking about testing the waters elsewhere, in a bid to get a move to a Championship or SPFL club.
If that is the case, then Sunderland face the prospect of losing another of their talented youth players, following hot on the heels of Josh Maja’s move to Bordeaux in January.
Of course, the club sold Maja, as they did not want to lose the player for nothing when his contract expired in the summer.
But, even if Hume had expressed a desire to leave — which Ross intimated he has not — Sunderland were not able to cash in on him, due to his injury.
It is precisely these types of scenario that make it so essential that Ross ensures promotion from League One at the first attempt.
However, it may be that negotiations regarding a deal are in the pipeline and just need the finer points ironed out.
The fans will not want to see another of their promising youngsters leave, and while it would not appear to be the end of the world if he did, it would continue a worrying trend.
What are your thoughts about Denver Hume’s future, Sunderland fans? Should the club be doing more to tie down your younger players? Let us know your thoughts…
It had been a good season for Steven Gerrard during his maiden voyage in the Rangers dugout. Indeed, a good run in the Europa League group stages certainly looked as if it’d set the tone for a strong campaign, but the fact their season is all but over by March will be a major disappointment.
Last night’s loss to Aberdeen in the Scottish Cup quarter-final renders the rest of the season kind of pointless but, considering the basket case nature of the Ibrox giants, the Liverpool legend needs to ensure things don’t turn really sour. Yes, he deserves time, but this is the Gers we’re talking about – where success is of paramount importance.
The title might be mathematically possible still – though hugely unlikely – so the Light Blues will be hoping that they can have a strong end to the season and push bitter rivals Celtic all the way. Lose any of the big games remaining and it might be hard to raise the spirits even next year.
With this in mind, here are a couple of games that may cause some trouble for Gerrard and his men.
Kilmarnock (Home, 16th March)
With the reverse fixtures ending in a 1-2 away defeat and a 1-1 home draw, there will certainly be difficulty in trying to avoid another banana skin at the Ibrox.
Gerrard will be wary that his side have failed to beat Kilmarnock in the league this season and will look to the cup for inspiration, after thumping Killie 5-0. One of the most upwardly mobile teams in Scotland, it’s important the Glasgow giants make a similar statement to their cup success.
To avoid not winning a single league game against their opponents, Gerrard will have to call on his main men to break the deadlock early on and get the home fans bouncing.
Celtic (Away, 31st March)
The Old Firm promises to be one of the games of the season, as ever.
So, if Rangers were to lose, it would all but cement the title going back to Celtic and undo some of the hard work put in and momentum picked up during December’s Old Firm victory. If they can claim a big scalp in the backyard of their eternal rivals, a statement would have been made.
Lose, and the season will end on the sourest note possible.
Cesc Fabregas has taken to Twitter to celebrate the anniversary of Arsenal’s historic Champions League win over AC Milan.
The Gunners became the first ever English team to win at the San Siro when they earned a 2-0 victory in 2008.
Fabregas scored his side’s first goal on the night, in the 84th minute, with a rasping long-range drive and Emmanuel Adebayor added a second in injury time as Arsene Wenger’s side qualified for the quarter-finals in style.
Arsenal lost to Liverpool in the last eight, going down 5-3 on aggregate, but the victory in Italy is fondly remembered by Gunners fans.
Fabregas stayed with the club until 2011 when he joined Barcelona, and he has since played for both Chelsea and AS Monaco.
But he took the time out of his day to post a throwback tweet on Monday, and he was so eager to celebrate he even got the date wrong, incorrectly positing that it was 10 years ago rather than 11.
And Arsenal fans have praised the Spaniard’s performance on that famous night. Take a look at the best of the reaction below!
Unai Emery threw away any chance Arsenal had of beating Manchester City by setting his side up to play in a 4-4-2 formation at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday.
On the chalkboard
An injury to Hector Bellerin and the absence of Ainsley Maitland-Niles meant Stephan Lichtsteiner had to play at right-back on Sunday, which immediately raised concerns over the Gunners’ chances of getting even a point at Man City.
Granit Xhaka’s absence raised concerns too, as the Swiss midfielder is the anchor that connects the defence and attack, and without his presence the midfield needed reshaping.
For whatever reason, rather than including Aaron Ramsey or Mohamed Elneny from kick-off so Arsenal could retain numbers in the engine room, Emery opted for just the two central midfielders, meaning that Alex Iwobi and Sead Kolasinac on the wings had to continually drop back to help out in defence.
A 4-4-2 was never going to work against Pep Guardiola’s side because the current Premier League title holders do not need to drag play towards the byline to open up defences. Instead, they cut between the lines and Arsenal offered no one to occupy this space.
Look away Arsenal fans! American Soccer Fan is back to troll more fans at the London Stadium in the video below…
Losing before a ball was kicked
Emery had to acknowledge the brilliance that City can muster, which is why he deployed Iwobi and Kolasinac as wide midfielders, to try and prevent the creation of chances on the wings.
Unfortunately, by also playing the Gunners’ two best strikers from kick off, it meant that Lucas Torreira and Matteo Guendouzi could not cut the space in between the lines as, with no one ahead or behind, they were forced to be everywhere and everything for Emery.
It is also why Arsenal conceded an opening goal within the first minute. Iwobi had to lift his head to try and spot someone to clear the ball to, only to realise he had no one available – that split second hesitation was all City needed to snatch possession back and play a killer pass.
When Arsenal beat Chelsea last month, the Gunners played on the front foot with the attackers applying pressure, and this was the only way they could have challenged City.
But by playing in a 4-4-2, the pressure could never be applied leaving gaps behind, and Arsenal essentially lost the game on this basis before a ball was kicked.
Leeds United fans were left frustrated by their team on Saturday, as they walked away from their match against Wigan Athletic with a 1-0 loss.
Considering the Latics’ lowly position in the Championship table, failing to pick up anything from the game is deemed unacceptable, especially as it means they have now taken just four points from their last five games.
One man who was the target of many fans’ frustrations is Ezgjan Alioski, who was underwhelming in his performance, before being substituted off for Tyler Roberts in the 64th minute.
Looking at the 27-year-old’s statistics from the game, it becomes clear why Leeds fans were unhappy about his level of performance.
Notably, he failed to record any tackles or dribbles and didn’t hit the target with his only shot of the game.
One Leeds fan suggested he was “having a mare”, while another claimed “Alioski has no head on him today”.
Not all fans were kind enough to limit their criticisms exclusively to the 1-0 loss, as they took aim at his general game.
One claimed he “shouldn’t be paid to play football”, while someone requested for someone to “teach Alioski how to cross”.
Virtually impossible: Can you name the year all of these Leeds flops arrived at Elland Road?
There aren’t many Leeds players who will be walking away from this game with much respect from Leeds fans – Alioski definitely won’t be judging by these tweets.
Meanwhile, Leeds fans were furious about the decision Bielsa made before the game.