[ad_pod ]Nottingham Forest produced a committed, battling performance to overcome Derby County by a 1-0 scoreline at the City Ground on Monday night. A second minute strike from defender Yohan Benalouane was ultimately enough to seal all three points for Martin O’Neill’s well organised and hard working side.Striker Daryl Murphy claimed an assist for Benalouane’s goal when he reacted smartly to nod the ball down in the box. The 35-year-old forward had a good game all round and was strong and tireless in leading the line.

The Reds’ No. 9 has had his critics this season, and has been in and out of the team. His return of just three goals from 18 Championship appearances has also seen him come under fire from the fans at times.

The 33-cap former Republic of Ireland international stepped up admirably against the Rams though and produced a determined, energetic display.

After the match, plenty of Forest fans took to Twitter to praise his performance…

علّق أحمد المحمدي لاعب أستون فيلا على فوزهم الكاسح أمام ليفربول، مساء أمس، في بطولة الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز.

وتواجه الفريقان في فيلا بارك، في ختام منافسات الجولة الرابعة، حيث فاز أستون فيلا بسبعة أهداف مقابل هدفين. أهداف ليفربول وأستون فيلا

وكتب المحمدي، عبر حسابه الشخصي بموقع تويتر: “يا لها من ليلة في فيلا بارك”.

وأضاف المصري في رسالة لجماهير أستون فيلا الغائبة بسبب تفشي فيروس كورونا: “تخيلوا لو أنكم متواجدين هنا الليلة”.

وواصل: “أداء لا يُصدق من الفريق”.

What a night at villa park, imagine you was there tonight 🤩 unbelievable team performance #UTV — Ahmed Elmohamady (@Elmo_27) October 4, 2020

يُذكر أن المحمدي شارك كبديل في المباراة، حيث دخل في الدقيقة 80.

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Even if Ralph Hasenhuttl doesn’t keep Southampton in the Premier League this season, he can hold his head high regardless considering the excellent job he has done with the younger players in the squad.

The Austrian can be credited with getting James Ward-Prowse and Jan Bednarek to a consistently high level while he has also given Yan Valery a consistent starting berth. Now, the latter has been rewarded with a new deal for his exploits.

The impressive defender has netted two goals for Saints – both of which have come in the last two games – and has brilliantly replaced the loaned-out Cedric Soares on the right.

Watch the video below to see the most insane overhead kick you will see this week…

There had surely been some concerns amongst the Saints faithful that they could lose the youngster far too easily if they were relegated – his previous deal would expire next summer – but he is now contracted until 2023.

Given the impression he has made in the Premier League already, there would likely have been plenty of the interest from big clubs in the summer so the decision to commit his future to Southampton is a major one, but surely the right move.

Here’s what the south coast outfit’s supporters had to say on Twitter…

Manchester United have certainly had a season of two halves this year.

Looking like the laughing stock of the league before Christmas with players seemingly falling out with then manager Jose Mourinho and the club falling further behind the top 4, it looked as though the fans were in for a dismal season.

However, since the change of guard and newly united under the stewardship of Old Trafford legend Ole Gunnar Solksjaer, they are unbeaten in the league since his arrival and have only suffered one defeat in all competitions.

Still, it’s not as if everyone has been magically reworked by the Norwegian, though that may not be his fault.

Indeed, with all the change a couple of players have still struggled to perform under the Norwegian, here we will have a look at them.

Alexis Sanchez

Alexis Sanchez arrived at United with such high expectations, however, since he arrived he has brought nothing to the table for United and is a shadow of his former Arsenal self.

Even under the new manager, the Chilean has failed to impress and has only managed to provide 1 assist in the Premier League since Solkjaer’s arrival.

Such poor performances have led to fans wanting the 30-year-old to step up or get out of the way for talented youth to find their place in the side.

At this point, the player will surely be feeling that a move away from the Manchester club may help his confidence and redeem the reputation he had earlier on in his career.

Fred

The big money signing from Shaktar moved to Old Trafford and brought a huge expectation with him. The Brazilian playmaker was bought in by Jose Mourinho and was meant to be the man that would unlock the creativity that was lacking in the midfield.

However, even under Mourinho, the midfielder struggled to make an impact, only scoring one goal and providing no assists in the Premier League this season.

Fred most recently played in United’s 1-3 away win against Crystal Palace, but it’s not hard to feel that, had United had all of their players fit, the 25-year-old would have found himself on the bench again.

If the midfielders season is to continue in the same fashion and have game after game on the bench, he will surely be looking for a move away from the Premier League and build his way back up to good form elsewhere.

Scott Sinclair has been a remarkable talent for the Celtic since making the switch from the Premier League in 2016. However, with his contract set to expire this summer, and little evidence that the club are willing to renew, it could be time to welcome some fresh talent to the club.

Having amassed a very respectable 60 goals and 34 assists in 150 appearances for the Hoops, and some very memorable moments to boot, it will be a difficult day for fans when they finally wave goodbye to their mercurial winger Scott Sinclair (source: The Scottish Sun).

But they should not despair.

The departure of one player opens the door for another, and considering Celtic are the dominant force in Scotland, with access to Champions League football, there will be no shortage of suitors.

Something we are sure will excite fans is a prospective return from Manchester City prospect Patrick Roberts.

Roberts was touted as the next best thing when he swapped Fulham for Manchester in 2015 but has since failed to make a meaningful impact in Pep Guardiola’s first-team.

His latest loan-spell at La Liga outfit Girona has likely not been as fruitful as the player and club would have hoped for, either, and we imagine time is slowly running out for Roberts to fulfil his potential.

Celtic could be that saving grace.

Late last year The Scottish Sun reported that winger is likely to cut ties with Manchester City at the end of the season, opening an opportunity to make an emphatic return to Parkhead, and what a welcome sight he would be.

As far as we are concerned, Roberts played his best football in Scotland and his position in the team was duly valued. He looked confident in possession, maintained Celtic’s offensive style of play and showed signs of becoming a world beater.

There was trust and love for the player; a following of loyal supporters who would support him through thick and thin.

It is this kind of passion that goes long way towards helping accelerate player development, and Celtic should pull out all the stops to bring this one back to the club to reinforce their already exciting youthful offensive unit.

Unai Emery’s arrival in North London clearly meant there would a whole host of changes around the club.

A new manager will always bring their own philosophy, as well as ideas and thoughts on the current squad, more specifically, what positions need to be added to, who should stay and who should be allowed to leave.

Emery did exactly that. The Spaniard boss brought in a mix of players, also letting some peripheral figures leave, keeping the majority of his squad to work with and see who best aligns themselves with his way of thinking about football.

However, as with any manager, there will be players who find it hard to adapt or perform what you are asking of them. With that being said, here are two Arsenal players that have struggled under Emery so far…

Stephan Lichtsteiner

Since arriving at Arsenal in the summer, Lichtsteiner has been in and out of the starting 11, making 21 appearances across all competitions.

The 35-year-old may come with a wealth of experience and a winning mentality developed over a lengthy career. However, he is not the player he once was, unfortunately.

When Emery had used him at right-wing-back, he often got caught out of position as he, rather understandably, did not have the legs to parade up and down the pitch like he once did, but it is what Emery’s system requires him to do.

He is more suited to right-back but even then he has been caught out defensively from runners in behind, so it is highly unlikely the Swiss international will stay beyond his contract, which expires in the summer.

Shkodran Mustafi

Mustafi has been somewhat of a mainstay at the back under Emery, whether that be in a centre-back partnership with one or two others.

However, his defending has been rather rash at times and although he is competent on the ball, for Emery’s system to truly work at Arsenal, a better ball-playing defender should be brought in who can help build from the back more efficiently as Mustafi is not the defender who can boast the number of attributes that is required for that role.

When all Emery’s defenders are fit, it is unlikely he will opt for Mustafi as first-choice in either a four or five at the back system, but that remains to be seen and is down to the manager.

The Premier League has seen some legendary strike partnerships in the past tear up the league and leave an impact on English football.

Andy Cole and Dwight Yorke, Thierry Henry and Denis Bergkamp, Alan Shearer and Chris Sutton and just a few of the famous strike partnerships that have lit up the Premier League since it’s inception, and finding two strikers who can work off each other is like catching lightning in a bottle.

Wilfried Zaha has played with a multitude of strikers during his time at Palace, yet the Ivory Coast international is yet to find the perfect man to reach the level we all know the forward can reach.

Playing with Christian Benteke has only proven that the Belgian striker is not a consistent goalscorer in the English top-flight, and Michy Batshuayi is likely to return to Chelsea at the end of the season when his loan deal expires, so who could Palace turn to for a partner in crime for Zaha?

According to the Daily Mail (via Daily Record), Palace are interested in bringing in on-loan Celtic striker Oliver Burke to south London after a rejuvenating move to Scotland after years of stalling at RB Leipzig and West Brom.

The 21-year-old Scottish international broke through at Nottingham Forest and was touted as ‘the Scottish Gareth Bale’ by players and pundits due to his athleticism and ability on the ball, however, a failed move to Germany and an even more disastrous move to the Baggies has seen Burke’s career stall as of late.

A January loan move to Celtic, however, has seen the winger recover the form that earned him so much praise at Forest, scoring four goals in nine Scottish Premier League appearances, and Burke (who has a Transfermarkt rating of £9m these days) could just be the perfect partner for Zaha at Palace.

Although Burke is primarily a right-winger he has shown times in the past he is more than capable of flourishing in the striker role, with all of his appearances for Celtic so far this season coming in that centre-forward position. And, at 21, the Scotsman has plenty of time to grow more comfortable in that position and learn how to get the best out of it.

As well as having experience and the potential to be a world-beater, Burke can learn a lot from Zaha, who too was seen as a winger before moving into the striker role and flourishing under Roy Hodgson’s 4-4-2 system.

Palace will need to fill out the second striker position ideally with someone who can be at the club for years to come, and in Burke, the Eagles would have a forward who can dominate in the Premier League alongside Zaha, and help the south London side progress as a club in the top-flight.

Palace fans, would you take Burke as a summer signing?

Southampton quite clearly need to spend a lot of money in the summer to improve their team if they want to have any chance of pushing up the table.

This season, currently, they’re still battling hard to stay away from the relegation zone but due to their inconsistent performances, their future remains in the balance.

Some weeks they look a side capable of pushing for top ten, others it’s no wonder why they’re so close to the relegation zone.

That, mainly, is due to their side having a lack of quality, something that desperately needs to be amended this summer.

A striker is probably a position that will be at the top of their wishlist and Arsenal’s Danny Welbeck could be a star at St Mary’s.

Welbeck, (who is valued at £13.5 million on Transfermarkt) was playing some of his best football this season, before a season-ending injury ruled him out of action from November.

It was incredibly unlucky for the former England international, who had managed five goals in 14 appearances before it all came crashing down.

With the injury in mind, it seems Arsenal are set to say their goodbyes to Danny Welbeck, with the 28-year-old out of contract this summer.

Southampton – although they have struggled to keep Danny Ings fit – would be a great club for Danny Welbeck to rebuild himself at under Ralph Hasenhuttl.

It’s obviously a risk since Welbeck sustained a long-term injury but the quality he has would improve Southampton’s forward options.

Goals have once again been an issue for the Saints this season but the addition of Danny Welbeck alongside their current options would be a sensible idea for all involved.

Do you agree… Let us know!

كشفت وكالة الأنباء “ANSA” حقيقة منع السلطات المحلية للاعبي نابولي من السفر إلى تورينو، قبل مباراة الفريق غدًا أمام يوفنتوس.

وانتشرت أنباء اليوم أن السلطات المحلية منعت نابولي من السفر إلى تورينو بسبب وجود حالتين إيجابيتين لـفيروس كورونا، لبيوتر زيلينسكي وإليف إلماس.

من جانبه أصدر يوفنتوس بيانًا يؤكد خلاله أنه سيتواجد في ملعب المباراة لخوضها في الموعد المحدد من قبل رابطة الدوري الإيطالي (طالع بيان يوفنتوس).

ووفقًا للتقارير الخاصة برابطة الدوري الإيطالي فإن المباراة ستقام في موعدها، وفي حالة تخلف بعثة نابولي عن السفر، سيكون القرار متروكًا للقاضي الرياضي والاتحاد الايطالي لكرة القدم بشأن احتساب الثلاث نقاط ليوفنتوس أم لا، حال عدم سفر لاعبي نابولي (طالع التفاصيل من هنا).

وأكدت وكالة الأنباء أن السلطات المحلية لم تمنع لاعبي نابولي من السفر لتورينو لمواجهة يوفنتوس.

إذا لم يكن هناك حظر أو أمر بعدم السفر فسيكون اختيار نابولي هو عدم حضور المباراة، مما يتركهم عرضة لخسارة المباراة 3-0.

يعود ذلك إلى أن بروتوكول رابطة الدوري الإيطالي هو نفس بروتوكول “يويفا”، طالما أن الفريق لديه 13 لاعبًا متاحًا بما في ذلك حارس المرمى، يمكن المضي قدمًا وخوض المباراة.

وعلى الرغم من وجود قدر كبير من التكهنات، إلا أن نابولي لم يصدر أي بيان حول الموقف على الإطلاق، بما في ذلك حقيقة أنهم لم يسافروا هذا المساء كما كان متوقعًا.

ووكالة الأنباء “ANSA”، تؤكد أن هيئة الصحة المحلية لم تمنع لاعبي نابولي من السفر والتوجه لتورينو.

وتم تسريب نسخة من بيان هيئة الصحة المحلية، تظهر أنه طُلب من نابولي وضع بعض اللاعبين والمدرب جينارو جاتوزو في العزلة الائتمانية وهذا ليس من الناحية الفنية حظر سفر.

في الواقع، يوفنتوس أيضًا في عزلة ائتمانية بعد حالتين من فيروس كورونا في طاقمه اليوم، لكنهم مستعدون للعب غدًا.

لذلك، فإن نابولي يخاطر بشدة بخسارة اللعبة بشكل افتراضي إذا لم يتمكنوا من إثبات تجاوز السلطات المحلية للبروتوكول الرياضي.

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According to the Daily Mail, West Ham United are interested in signing Alaves centre-back Guillermo Maripan in this summer’s transfer window.

What’s the word, then?

Maripan is a 6ft 4in centre-back who has impressed for Alaves this season.

Indeed, the 24-year-old has scored twice in 22 La Liga appearances during the 2018-19 campaign, helping his Basque club into fifth position in the table.

According to the Daily Mail, West Ham ‘are showing interest’ in Maripan, but they will face competition from Roma for the powerful defender.

The Hammers have not exactly been water-tight defensively this season, conceding 46 times in their 31 Premier League games, including three against Huddersfield Town at the weekend.

And therefore it is not too much of a surprise that Manuel Pellegrini’s side are being linked with a swoop for a player who has been very impressive this term.

What would Maripan bring to West Ham?

West Ham are not exactly short of height in central defence, with last summer’s arrival Issa Diop also standing at 6ft 4in.

There has not really been a lot of consistency in Pellegrini’s back four this term, though, and that will need to change next season if they are to move forward.

Maripan’s height means that he is a force in both penalty boxes, but the 11-time Chile international is a ball-playing centre-back.

Pl>ymaker FC Exclusive: Jermaine Jenas reveals what Lasagne-Gate was really like for Tottenham’s food-poisoned stars – Check out the video below…

Indeed, what the South American lacks in speed, he more than makes up for in other areas of his game, including technical skills.

Roma will seemingly have something to say about Maripan’s future, but West Ham should certainly be looking to explore a possible deal for the colossus who would the perfect addition alongside Diop in the backline next term.