All posts by h79snht.top

Tottenham Hotspur booked their place in the semi-finals of the FA Cup in style with a stomping win over Millwall at White Hart Lane on Sunday.The goals came via Christian Eriksen, Dele Alli, Vincent Janssen and a Son Heung-Min hat-trick that delighted supporters.Spurs were in imperious form throughout, netting the opener just past the half hour mark and never looking like relinquishing that lead at all.It’ll be a performance of great disappointment for Millwall who must have been hoping to match the spirited displays of the likes of Wycombe Wanderers who gave Spurs a bit of a game at the Lane in this competition earlier this year.The showing was so good from Mauricio Pochettino’s that it resulted in Spurs’ biggest result in the FA Cup for 44 years, as shown by Opta.

Spurs now go into a star studded draw for the semi-finals that also include Man City, Arsenal and one of either Chelsea or Manchester United.

It’ll be a tough ask to lift the trophy but Spurs look as good as anyone this season and supporters must be dreaming of their first major honour in decades.

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“I am happy in London and I hope to finish my contract.

“I like to stay in a city and in a team, but in a team that is a winner, that has a winning mentality.

“I’m 28-years-old, I still have a lot ahead of me. I am a player that takes great care of myself.”

Alexis Sanchez’s explosive interview with El Grafico back in his Chilean homeland can be construed one of two ways. 1) The attacker is telling Arsenal to buck their ideas up in order to keep him around. 2) He’s sending a message that he wants to relocate to a winning team in London.

If he means the latter – the Gunners have won just two major trophies since their 2003/04 Premier League title success – the door has well and truly been opened for Chelsea to make their move this summer. Indeed, The Guardian have already revealed that Sanchez is Antonio Conte’s major transfer target for the coming off-season and subsequent reports from the Mirror have hinted that £50m will be enough to get a deal done, so all that was seemingly left was the player’s willingness to move from the north to the west of England’s capital city, which he has, very nearly, given.

Chelsea, as we know, are a winning team. The Blues, barring a dramatic late collapse, will claim their fourth Premier League title this season and have held silverware aloft with regularity since Roman Abramovich changed the whole landscape of the club, and the game in this country, with his 2003 take-over. Like or loath the Stamford Bridge club, they know how to get things done on the pitch, so being in blue rather than red will boost Sanchez’s own chances of satisfying his burning desire to win.

But this move is a two-way street of a transfer, with Chelsea needing Sanchez as much as he needs them. 2017/18 should offer them the chance to become the first team to successfully defend a Premier League title since Manchester United managed their third success on the bounce in 2008/09. Given that this very feat had been accomplished on six occasions since the 1992/93 inception of the Premier League, it shows that nowadays achieving back-to-back successes has got a whole lot harder.

Why is this? There are a myriad of reasons, one being the sheer level of competition at the top end of the table. Sir Alex Ferguson, a man who knows a fair bit about winning league titles, claimed it was getting “harder” to top the table back in 2012, and that was before the top four became the top six it is this season. Five very good sides will miss out on the biggest prize this term, while two will not even make it into the Champions League on finishing position alone, which is a far cry from the days of Everton reaching the qualifiers via breaking into the top quartet in 2004/05 with an ageing Duncan Ferguson making 35 appearances along the way.

Alongside, and as a result of, this, the sheer effort and emotion that goes into getting over the line appears to be more draining than ever. Chelsea know this better than most after Jose Mourinho’s 2014/15 success, which was followed by the Portuguese’s sacking just a few months into the following campaign. Other league-winning managers such as Roberto Mancini, Claudio Ranieri and Carlo Ancelotti have been dismissed from posts relatively soon after tasting success, too, while David Moyes lasted less than a season at Man United following their most recent league win in 2012/13.

But, where does Sanchez come into this? Well, as we all know, the forward is a fierce competitor and a born winner. His frustration when Arsenal have underperformed has been there for all to see since his 2014 arrival from Barcelona, where he was a La Liga and Copa del Rey champion, while his winning mentality stretches through his career with Chile (two Copa America’s in a competitive CONMEBOL region) and his time with Colo-Colo in his homeland, as well as River Plate in Argentina. This injection of determination might be just what is needed to lift a Chelsea team that’s shown in the past it can succumb to ‘second season syndrome’, while Sanchez’s quality (his stats for this season are above) will be a shot in the arm for the entire squad – top players want to play with top players, after all.

Put this alongside a front three of, potentially, Eden Hazard, Diego Costa and Sanchez and Chelsea suddenly look like not just one of the most fearsome teams in England, but the entire continent, which, allied to having a wily, experienced manager like Antonio Conte, is almost a guarantee for success.

There appears to be a recipe for Chelsea to end the back-to-back league failure record of the past seven seasons, and the secret ingredient may be a dash of Chile…

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It seems as though plenty of Chelsea fans have given up on their striker Diego Costa, who has not scored a Premier League goal since March 6.

The Spain international was named in the starting XI for Wednesday night’s clash against Manchester City at Stamford Bridge, but he failed to impress a lot of supporters.

There is also danger that the 28-year-old could face retrospective action after appearing to kick out at City captain Vincent Kompany in the 70th minute of the clash.

Referee Mike Dean appeared to miss the incident, and if he does not mention it in his post-match report, the Football Association may step in.

The game itself went to plan for Chelsea as Eden Hazard scored twice, and even though Sergio Aguero got on the scoresheet, he was unable to inspire a comeback for City as they went on to lose 2-1.

While fans were happy with the result, some took to Twitter to air their frustration with Costa.

A handful of supporters are so disappointed with the striker’s recent displays that they want the club to sell him in the summer.

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The nominees for the PFA Player of the Year were announced last week, with Dele Alli a surprise exclusion from the nominees.

Chelsea duo N’Golo Kante and Eden Hazard, Alexis Sanchez, Harry Kane, Zlatan Ibrahimovic and current Premier League top scorer Romelu Lukaku make up the six man shortlist for the coveted award.

While Alli – who has scored 20 goals for second placed Spurs this season – was omitted as a contender for the prize, the England international was still nominated for the PFA Young Player of the Year.

France international N’Golo Kante is favourite the take the crown as the league’s finest, with the former Caen midfielder on course to win his second consecutive Premier League title having won the league in extraordinary fashion with Leicester City last season . If the Blues were to win the league, Kante would become the only player in Premier League history to win the title in consecutive years with different clubs.

A case for each of the six nominees can be made however, with each of them having fantastic seasons for their respective clubs.

But who do you think should take home the award? Have your say below…

Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho appeared to aim a sly dig at left-back Luke Shaw following his side’s 1-1 draw against Swansea City at Old Trafford on Sunday.

The England international was given a rare start for the visit of the relegation-battling Swans after a number of public fall-outs with Mourinho this season, but he left the pitch in the ninth minute after going down with an injury.

In his post-match comments the Portuguese boss suggested that Shaw must have a “very big injury” to be taken off that early on, and hinted that it might not have been as serious as it looked.

United supporters were quick to have their say on Mourinho’s comments via social media, and they agreed with the 54-year-old and believe that Shaw doesn’t have the right qualities to be a Red Devils player in the future.

Here is just a selection of the Twitter reaction…

If one player is to leave Mauricio Pochettino’s exciting project at Tottenham Hotspur this summer, it looks increasingly like it’ll be right-back Kyle Walker. Left out of the North London derby win over Arsenal, the 26-year-old has reportedly fallen out with the Argentine coach amid links with a move to Manchester City.With that in mind, Spurs are believed to be ready to offer Kieran Trippier a new deal in order to ward off interest in the former Burnley man, who proved so impressive against the Gunners. Still, with elite right-backs coming at such a premium these days, Trippier alone surely won’t be enough for next season, considering the importance of that position to Spurs’ style of play.As Pochettino fluidly moves between variations of a 3-4-3 and a 4-3-3, that berth is of particular importance and, while Trippier is noted for his expert delivery, doesn’t offer as much in the way of bombing up and down the flanks as Walker.Replacing the latter will undoubtedly be a tough task. For any other side in the Premier League, it’d probably be a costly one too. However, within Spurs’ impressive array of youth talent, they boast a player who could indeed grow into his replacement.Believe it or not, that player is called Kyle Walker-Peters. The 20-year-old has become one of the most important players in the club’s U23 side, earning rave reviews along the way. Having joined Tottenham back in 2013, the defender progressed through the youth ranks, making some early appearances for the U18 squad as far back as the back end of the 2012-13 campaign.During his first full year on the books, Walker-Peters appeared 25 times for that age group, scoring one goal against Wolves in 2014, before helping the U18s win the Champions Cup and IMG Cup in Flordia a season later.What makes the defender such an interesting prospect is his versatility across the backline. Primarily deployed at right-back, he can also operate on the left and his performance against Manchester United U23s earlier this season earned rave reviews.

Handed a new deal back in February, it’s clear the England U20 international has a long-term future at White Hart Lane.

Walker-Peters isn’t merely your typical flying wing-back with little end product. Interestingly enough, he boasts a balance and a guile when on the ball, as well as a stocky physical frame, which make him hard to knock off the ball.

Curiously, the young defender is actually comparable in his style of carrying the ball forward with strength and pace to Arsenal and England midfielder Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain.

Indeed, with Tottenham’s tactical fluidity fast becoming the most effective facet to their game, there’s potential for Walker-Peters to not only overlap the right-winger but also cut inside when the forward stretches the opposition.

Considering the position in which he plays, as well as his name, there are always going to be comparisons with Kyle Walker. Still, teammate Danny Rose is perhaps a better parallel.

He’s far more comfortable in bringing the ball through the middle, offering more variety when keeping possessionÂfrom deep defensive positions, as well as creating space for Spurs’ wonderfully varied attacking trident of Christian Eriksen, Dele Alli and Harry Kane.

So, there’s little doubting the fact he’s got all of the tools to succeed in the right-back role. Throwing him in at the deep end as a direct replacement for Walker may be unwise right away, though the aforementioned Trippier can operate in that role as Walker-Peters is blooded into the first-team.

The fact he’s not been loaned out as yet is a telling one. United States international DeAndre Yedlin has been and gone in recent years as Walker-Peters continues to develop and Pochettino’s track record in working with youngster make these exciting times on Hotspur Way.

With Kyle Walker likely to command a huge transfer fee this summer, Tottenham have their replacement already.

As reported by The Sun, Manchester City are ready to spend big money this summer and have targeted two standout stars in the Portuguese top-flight.

What’s the story?

Having confirmed their UEFA Champions League qualification for next season, City will no doubt be busy in the upcoming transfer window as Pep Guardiola looks to build a squad capable of competing for honours both in Europe and domestically.

The Sun reckon that Guardiola is interested in two players from Sporting Lisbon, William Carvalho and Gerson Martins.

The paper say City are prepared to pay £63m for the duo but that Sporting could force them to pay as much as £80m to bring them to England.

Who are they?

William Carvalho has been a regular in the Sporting Lisbon first team for four years now and again played a vital role this season, making 40 appearances for the club, including all six of their UEFA Champions League matches. That European experience could be vital for City who are hoping to regularly reach the closing stages of that competition over the next few seasons.

He’s a stand out for Portugal too and featured heavily in their European Championship win last summer. With over 30 caps for his country, it’s clear he’s an elite central midfielder who can make an impact in the Premier League.

Right winger Gelson Martins has been in fine form throughout the season for Sporting, directly contributing to 15 goals in 32 appearances in all competitions. Still just 22 years old, he’s only in his second season in the Portuguese top-flight but appears to have all the potential in the world. If Guardiola can harness that talent at City then they could have a very fine player on their hands.

Arsene Wenger has put pen to paper on a fresh contract extension once again as Arsenal manager, due to keep the Frenchman at the club until the summer of 2019. The Arsenal boss has been in charge for 21 years which, in the modern era, is nothing short of incredible. But Wenger now has the job of a large rebuilding project, this includes his squad and more importantly, his relationship with the Arsenal fan base.

The 2016/17 season could have been seen as a huge disaster for the Gunners after finishing below fierce north London rivals Tottenham Hotspur as well as failing to qualify for the UEFA Champions League for the first time in 20 years. But Arsenal ended their campaign with an FA Cup final victory over Chelsea, making the club the most decorated in the competition’s long history. Arsene Wenger has now won over half (seven) of the FA Cups (13) at the club.

Winning the cup has paved over the cracks of a poor season much like the previous year. Leicester won the title and Arsenal pipped Spurs to 2nd place on the final day. Many supporters feel as if it’s going to be the same old story next season when Arsenal fail to sustain a realistic title challenge.

It has been 13 years since the Arsenal boss last won a league title and patience around the club has worn thin. The dissatisfaction has been telling through repeated protests from supporters amid failure in the league and Champions League year after year, making the same mistakes over and over.

Three things that Wenger must improve on The Transfer Market

Arsene Wenger needs to cut out the dithering in the transfer market. Patience can sometimes benefit you but it can be very risky; it worked back in 2013 when the Gunners signed Mesut Ozil on Deadline Day but you have to rely on other deals taking place, creating a domino effect of transfers. Arsenal cannot afford to adopt this strategy this summer or they will be at risk of falling even further away from the top four.

Handling of contracts

For years, Arsenal have had an awful tendency to let their players’ contracts run down until the final year which puts them on the back foot. It happened with Robin van Persie most recently, who left to join Manchester United and in turn won the league. Unfortunately, it has happened again. Wenger simply has to put pressure on the club in the future to ensure the players he wants are tied down, so there aren’t additional distractions throughout the season regarding contract negotiations. The first thing that needs to be resolved is the futures of Alexis Sanchez, Mesut Ozil and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain as they all now have only one year remaining on their current deals.

Rebuilding

Arsene Wenger has witnessed a split fan base this season, some who back him and some who don’t. This is the first time in his 21-year reign at Arsenal that he has experienced such a hostile atmosphere and has had to manage his team through this difficult environment. To his credit, Wenger has come away with a trophy and a spot in Europe, albeit the Europa League. The frustration of Arsenal supporters is understandable and it is now very important for Wenger to attempt to rebuild their once healthy relationship.

Chelsea supporters were on a high last month after they witnessed the team seal the Premier League title by seven points.

All was rosy in the garden, but now fans are getting anxious about the lack of transfer activity at Stamford Bridge.

The Blues’ rivals Manchester City have already begun their business, while Manchester United have added defender Victor Lindelof to their ranks.

Even Everton have spent around £50m bringing in goalkeeper Jordan Pickford and Davy Klaassen.

Antonio Conte has been linked with numerous big-name stars, including Everton’s Romelu Lukaku, but as it stands, club owner Roman Abramovich is yet to dig into his pockets.

The main focus on Chelsea’s Twitter page has been the upcoming Premier League season and the club’s fixture list.

The Blues’ opening match of the campaign will be against Burnley at Stamford Bridge, and ahead of the August 12 clash, the club’s Twitter page have revealed why taking on the Clarets in the summer month is a good omen.

The fans, though, are more interested in Chelsea’s transfers, or lack thereof.

According to The Sun, Lyon forward Alexandre Lacazette has arrived at Arsenal’s training ground ahead of a £52m move to the Gunners.

It would be fair to say that it has been a frustrating transfer window for Arsenal supporters thus far, but the arrival of an exciting striker would boost the fans ahead of the new campaign.

It is also a step in the right direction for Arsenal as a football club, who are seemingly now prepared to pay upwards of £50m for the right player, which has not always been the case.

It is understood that Lacazette has agreed terms on a £150,000-a-week contract with the Gunners, and the deal could be completed by the end of play on Tuesday after the 26-year-old arrived at Arsenal’s London Colney base.

Arsenal fans are always extremely vocal on social media platforms, especially Twitter, and it will not come as a surprise to learn that they have been out in their forces to react to this latest piece of transfer news.

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