All posts by z3u9t.icu

Celtic had endured a topsy-turvy start to the new season before the international break kicked in.

Ange Postecoglou had repaired some of the rubble that was still lingering over Parkhead from last term but an Old Firm defeat brought back distasteful memories.

However, buoyed by three new signings that walked through the door on transfer deadline day, the Hoops were back with a bang on Saturday afternoon.

The Bhoys dismissed Ross County in routine fashion as they claimed all three points and won 3-0.

Their match was played just an hour after one of their former strikers, Odsonne Edouard, bagged twice for his new club Crystal Palace.

Yet, the man who for so long had played second fiddle under him last season, Albian Ajeti, took advantage of a slice of rare good fortune.

He has been behind Kyogo Furuhashi in the pecking order since the Japanese striker’s arrival but after his injury, Ajeti scored two of his own goals to carry Celtic to victory.

That said, the Swiss forward wasn’t their true hero from the win this weekend. Instead, that honour has to go to new arrival, Cameron Carter-Vickers.

Celtic found it difficult to bring the defender to Paradise on deadline day and at one stage, it looked as though a move wouldn’t go through. Tottenham wanted a permanent deal for the defender so Postecoglou walked away.

Yet, in the final hour of the window, Spurs couldn’t find a buyer so they contacted the Hoops again and agreed to send him on loan.

That decision is already paying dividends. Carter-Vickers scored a heavily deflected attempt to open the scoring but was a rock at the back and in possession of the ball.

It has taken his defensive colleague Carl Starfelt a while to adjust to Scottish football but it took no such adaptation period for the United States international.

He took more touches (126) than everyone on the pitch barring Starfelt while his 102 passes were again only second to the man next to him at centre-back.

Nine of Carter-Vickers’ 14 long balls were successful while he even produced a key pass from the middle of defence.

Furthermore, he succeeded in four ground duels – a team-high – and also won three aerial duels throughout the encounter.

Topped off with a goal in the second half, this was as close to a complete performance from a central defender that you could ask for.

AND in other news, Forget Soro: Celtic must unleash rarely-seen 20 y/o with a “wand of a left foot”…

Many Everton fans have been left buzzing as news emerged on Abdoulaye Doucoure.

As per the Merseyside club’s official website, the former Watford ace has won the Davanti Tyres Everton Goal of the Month award for August as the vast majority of supporters voted for his strike in their 3-1 win at home against Southampton.

His effort was a clear winner with 74.6% of the vote, while Demarai Gray’s goals against Brighton and Hove Albion and Leeds United came in second and third respectively.

The award is certainly well deserved, and Doucoure will be hoping to add more goals from midfield to his game, with just four so far in total from 38 matches over all competitions across the past two seasons (Transfermarkt).

Everton fans on Doucoure’s award

These Toffees fans were buzzing as the news was shared by the club on Twitter, with one Everton supporter describing it as ‘fantastic’:

“Great goal, let’s give Andros his for this month now too, although what a time to be a fan if that’s somehow topped before the end of the month”

Credit: @Mikey1981

“What a goal, congrats”

Credit: @_jennifer1878

“Well deserved!”

Credit: @ronnie_watters

“Rightly so”

Credit: @nikkiharg

“Fantastic”

Credit: @annmckenzie67

“Get in Doucs”

Credit: @jonesyp964

In other news, Everton had shown an interest in this Premier League and Champions League winner

Rangers will be hoping to return to winning ways as they face Livingston in the Scottish League Cup on Wednesday night.

The Gers were held to a 1-1 draw by Motherwell in the Scottish Premiership at the weekend, which came just after a disappointing 2-0 defeat to Lyon in the Europa League.

Steven Gerrard will surely be hoping for an improvement from his side after the draw with Motherwell, with a place in the semi-final up for grabs tonight.

How many changes will Gerrard make? Here is our predicted XI for the match…

We are predicting that he will make six changes, with Leon Balogun, Jon McLaughlin, Calvin Bassey, Juninho Bacuna and Alfredo Morelos coming in.

Between the sticks, we are predicting that Jon McLaughlin will be given a run-out ahead of Allan McGregor. Rotating the goalkeepers between the different competitions could help to keep the squad morale high in the Rangers squad, rather than having players unhappy at a lack of game time.

We published an article explaining why £3.1k-per-week dud Jack Simpson must be axed, with Leon Balogun replacing him in the XI.

Next to Balogun, however, we are predicting that Calvin Bassey will come in to give Borna Barisic a rest. The Croatian could sit this one out to ensure that he is 100% fit for the clash with Dundee at the weekend.

In midfield, we believe that Juninho Bacuna will be handed a start. He made his debut for Rangers as a substitute against Motherwell, opening the door for him to be placed in the starting XI for this match. It could be an ideal chance for him to show Gerrard that he deserves to be playing in the Premiership week-in-week-out.

The final change we are predicting is at the top end of the pitch. Whilst Kemar Roofe and Scott Wright keep their places, Alfredo Morelos comes in for Fashion Sakala. The Colombian international has only scored once in five Premiership appearances this term and is in desperate need of a confidence boost, which is why we believe Gerrard will start him in this match in the hope that he will finally hit the goal trail.

AND in other news, Fresh development emerges on “instrumental” gem that’ll excite Rangers supporters…

Tottenham Hotspur will be looking to return to winning ways in the Premier League after their midweek triumph in the Carabao Cup but standing in their way is the small matter of the north London derby.

Nuno Santo and his squad head down the road to face Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium this afternoon, having lost back-to-back league games by a 3-0 scoreline.

The Portuguese head coach will have plenty to think about ahead of kick-off, particularly given their recent form – the Lilywhites have leaked ten goals in their last four outings across all competitions and that’s after opening the 2021/22 campaign with three successive clean sheets.

Whilst chance creation and goal scoring is one of their biggest problems, Nuno must stop the rot defensively, especially against a Gunners side who looked to have turned a corner at just the right time.

On their day, a frontline involving any of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Alexandre Lacazette, Martin Odegaard and Bukayo Saka among others will cause problems for any Premier League backline, so it’s important the 47-year-old selects his very best for this huge encounter.

He opted for the pairing of Cristian Romero and Davinson Sanchez up at Molineux and it’s fair to suggest that it simply did not pay off. The Atalanta loanee excelled for a second time but the less said about the 35-cap Colombian international, the better.

The 6 foot 2 colossus was their second-lowest rated player (6.4) and he earned a scathing review in the press, too.

‘Also looked lost for Podence’s goal in a shaky return to the side. He was guilty of a bad mistake when he tried to out muscle Ki-Jana Hoever but lost out to the defender, leading to a big chance,’ wrote the Evening Standard’s Dan Kilpatrick.

It certainly seems as if the 24-year-old centre-back reverted back to the Sanchez of old – the one that was described as a “real liability to his team” by former Republic of Ireland international Kenny Cunningham to the OTB Football podcast last season (via This is Futbol).

These are the sorts of errors that could lead to Spurs having a disastrous afternoon against their arch-rivals and that will certainly not do Nuno or the squad any favours after their defeats to Crystal Palace and Chelsea.

Therefore, the Portuguese must be ruthless and leave Sanchez on the bench – or even in the stands – for this crunch match. He has Eric Dier, Joe Rodon. Japhet Tanganga and Romero to choose from, which is more than enough.

The inconsistent £18m-rated defender, who cost a whopping £42m in summer 2017, should not be starting at the Emirates Stadium today.

AND in other news, Nuno has a rare “diamond” at Spurs who’s just like Rashford, fans should be excited…

Leeds Live’s Beren Cross has delivered his verdict on Leeds United’s summer signing Junior Firpo amid a mixed start to life at Elland Road.

What’s the story?

Marcelo Bielsa’s side signed the flying left-back from Spanish giants Barcelona in the summer, and he’s been thrust straight into the action in the Premier League, playing five out of the first six games and completing the full 90 minutes in the past three.

The Whites have struggled as a team however, lying in the bottom three heading into this weekend’s fixture against Watford at home, and Cross has now delivered his take on Firpo’s first few weeks at the club.

He said: “On the face of it, picking up a Barcelona left-back for less than £15m looked good value and it’s too early to say it won’t prove to be good value. We are six league matches into Firpo’s Leeds career. It’s unfair to to say he’s not going to work out for United.

“The raw materials are there. It’s down to him and Bielsa to unlock that potential. Alioski was a separate matter. The club wanted to keep him, made him an offer, but the bottom line is he was offered a lot more money elsewhere and he has a family to think about long after retirement.”

Takes time to adapt

While Firpo may not have been a regular starter at the Camp Nou last season – he played just 18 times in all competitions – he is the kind of attacking left-back who seems to be a perfect fit for Bielsa’s Leeds.

In his real breakthrough season with Real Betis during the 2018/2019 campaign, Firpo managed three goals and four assists in La Liga, as well as averaging 0.8 shots, 0.8 key passes and 1.3 dribbles per game.

The fact he’s had a difficult start to life at Leeds, at a time where the team as a whole has been struggling it should be said, should not disguise the fact that he will take some time to settle in.

Perhaps more than any club in the Premier League, adjusting to things at Elland Road with Bielsa’s notoriously intense tactics and famed pressing is arguably the most difficult.

Leeds fans simply have to be patient with someone like Firpo, but his attacking instincts should see him really shine eventually when he finds his feet in English football.

Meanwhile, Leeds could find their next Pablo Hernandez in this star…

Many West Brom fans have been buzzing as footage emerged involving Sam Johnstone.

As shared by the Baggies’ official Twitter channel, the goalkeeper launched a giant throw into the other half of the pitch to Jack Grealish while on international duty with England, before the Manchester City star finished off beautifully to put the Three Lions 5-0 up away at Andorra in their World Cup qualifier on Saturday night.

It thus gave Johnstone an assist to his name, which of course is a rare feat for a goalkeeper, and it would certainly have caught the eye of Gareth Southgate going into England’s next match at home to Hungary on Tuesday night.

Several Albion supporters flocked to the club’s footage to sing their praises for the 28-year-old.

West Brom fans on Johnstone’s assist

These Baggies fans buzzed as the footage was shared on Twitter, with one claiming that they were ‘so pleased’ for Johnstone, while another described it as ‘brilliant’:

“So pleased for the no1 tonight”

Credit: @baggiepoint

“Great catch and quick thinking from SJ!”

Credit: @johnswain100

“Awesome throw out by Johnstone and great finish Grealish, good win in the end”

Credit: @BaggiesMike79

“Brilliant from Sam and Jack”

Credit: @westbrom1954

“I’ve been out all night but what a throw this was! Buzzing to see him do this for Hugill next Friday!”

Credit: @thenathkinsell

“My keeper”

Credit: @Hayden_K_R

In other news, find out which Baggies ace’s comments have upset some fans

Southampton’s 2021/22 Premier League campaign has not got off to the best of starts given that they have failed to win any of their seven opening games of the season, resulting in them picking up just four points so far, putting them in 17th place in the league table.

Their previous league outing saw Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side get beat 3-1 away at Chelsea prior to the current international break.

The Saints’ next league match sees them face off against Leeds United at St. Mary’s who are just two points ahead of Southampton in the league table.

One player that didn’t start against Chelsea before the break that we feel should be in the Saint’s starting XI to face Leeds is Mohamed Elyounoussi, who played 90 minutes in Southampton’s four league games prior to the defeat at Stamford Bridge where he only came on as a late substitute.

On the chalkboard

Southampton signed Elyounoussi, who has been described in the past by Tom English as a “dangerous” player, back in the 2018 summer transfer window from FC Basel before sending him out on loan to Scottish club Celtic in the following summer window.

Overall, the 27-year-old, who is currently valued at £10.8m according to Transfermarkt, has made just 25 appearances for the Saints in which he has managed to chip in with four goals and provide two assists in the process.

Even though the £60k-per-week winger has only managed to score one goal in the Premier League for Southampton which came during his first league appearance of the season in their 2-2 draw against Newcastle United, we feel that he should return to the starting XI at the weekend against Marcelo Bielsa’s side.

That’s predominantly due to the fact that he managed to score both of Norway’s goals in their recent 2-0 win over Montenegro in their latest World Cup qualifying match.

Looking ahead to the match against Leeds, we feel that because he scored his brace for Norway whilst playing in the attacking midfield position, perhaps Hasenhuttl should tinker with his team and see if Elyounoussi would be able to put in a productive performance from that role instead of on the wing.

Additionally, the fact that James Ward-Prowse will miss the match against Leeds as a result of the three-game ban, it could potentially allow the Norwegian to try his hand in the centre and possibly be the match-winner if he can grab a goal or two as he recently did for his country.

In other news: Ralph must unleash “super-talented” Southampton ace v Leeds, he could be game-changing – opinion

The Telegraph’s Luke Edwards has dropped a worrying update from behind-the-scenes at Newcastle United amid continued speculation over Steve Bruce’s future.

What’s the story?

Reports in recent days had suggested that Bruce was set to be axed ahead of this weekend’s Premier League game against Spurs, but with just a couple of days to go now before Sunday’s clash, no action has yet been taken.

And now, Edwards has revealed that those behind-the-scenes at the club are beginning to worry about the situation and what is likely to happen.

Initially on Twitter, he said: “Mood darkens around St James’ Park with lack of clarity over Steve Bruce’s future.”

Then, in a follow-up article for The Telegraph, he added: “Worryingly, training ground sources have said the mood has darkened in the last couple of days, with coaches fearing they are about to lose their jobs and players lacking focus because of the lack of clarity.

“Both players and staff are taking a day off on Thursday and that surely represents the moment to reveal whether Bruce is going to stay on or not.”

Fans will be worried

When the takeover was confirmed, Newcastle fans would surely have been hoping, if not expecting, Bruce to be gone and a new man (if temporary) in charge for the game against Spurs.

The clash against Nuno Espirito Santo’s side seemed like the perfect stage for a fresh new era, especially with it being at home to St James’ Park – having Bruce in the dugout for a game of such significance in the club’s history was almost unthinkable.

But according to Edwards, the lack of action over Bruce has those inside the training ground feeling like they have been left in the dark, unsure of where they stand with the new regime.

That is hardly the kind of preparation and feel-good momentum anyone would have wanted heading into the first game of the PIF era.

The longer the new owners leave it to relieve Bruce of his duties and make it clear what their plans are – either appointing a new manager straight away or confirming Graeme Jones as some sort of caretaker boss – fans will be worried.

Meanwhile, Newcastle are keen on making this landmark appointment…

So far this season, Southampton have only managed to win one of their opening eight Premier League games, scoring just six goals in the process.

Given their fairly underwhelming goals record so far, it seems as though the club are looking at potentially signing a player in the upcoming January transfer window that could help get their forward line firing again for the rest of the campaign.

What’s the news?

It has recently been reported by Football Insider that Southampton are interested in signing Angers midfielder Angelo Fulgini in January, who apparently could be available to buy for as little as £12.6m.

The report also claims that fellow Premier League clubs Brentford and Brighton & Hove Albion are also interested in signing the Frenchman, which could potentially make it difficult for the Saints to sign him.

Attacking spark

Since joining Angers back in the 2017 summer transfer window, the 25-year-old, who is currently valued at £10.8m according to Transfermarkt, has made a total of 134 appearances for the club in which he has managed to score 20 goals and provide 14 assists along the way.

So far this season, despite predominantly being a midfielder, Fulgini has played in all of Angers’ Ligue 1 games in a range of positions across the midfield and attack, scoring one goal and providing one assist in the process, which could make him a great purchase for Southampton as a versatile and attack-minded midfielder.

His goal came during Angers’ previous league outing in their 2-1 defeat against Paris Saint-Germain.

In addition to this, Fulgini, who has been praised in the past by Angers manager Gerald Baticle for the “quality” he has in him, has also managed to rack up an average of 1.9 shots at goal per game in Ligue 1, showing himself to be a real attacking threat. For context, that tally would place him third in the south-coast side’s ranks with only Adam Armstrong and Moi Elyounoussi producing a higher volume.

Regarding a potential move to Southampton in January, we feel that the Saints should definitely explore the possibility of signing Fulgini to see if he can spark some life into their attack throughout the remainder of the season. If he is able to do that and help keep them out of a potential relegation battle then supporters would understandably be buzzing with his acquisition.

Their start to the campaign has been uninspiring so they certainly need an extra dose of potency in the final third.

In other news: Saints handed huge injury boost ahead of Burnley, Ralph now has a big decision to make – opinion

Craig Hope has now ruled out Paulo Fonseca in the ongoing Newcastle United manager race.

The Lowdown: Staveley’s preference

As per Tuttosport (via Sport Witness), Fonseca is Amanda Staveley’s ‘preference’ to take over as the new permanent manager at St. James’ Park, with reports last week from Sky Sports confirming discussions had taken place over a deal to bring the former Roma boss to Tyneside.

However, things seem to have moved quickly, and it now looks like the race could be wide open once more.

The Latest: Ruled out

Hope, North-East correspondent for The Daily Mail, has now revealed that based on conversations that he has had, he does not think that Fonseca will become the new manager in the North East, but claimed that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) consortium have indeed spoken to him over the role:

“I don’t think it will be Fonseca based on conversations, but of course they’ve spoken to him, for sure.”

The Verdict: Shame

It would certainly be a shame if the Tyneside outfit are not able to hire Fonseca.

He boasts a very impressive CV, having won no fewer than nine major trophies during his career so far, and averages a tally of 1.95 points won per match in 453 games of management (Transfermarkt).

In terms of his playing style, he has been branded as ‘similar’ to UEFA Champions League winning-coach Thomas Tuchel by his former player at AS Roma Henrikh Mkhitaryan (Football London), and described as an ‘international class‘ tactician by Roma chief executive Tiago Pinto.

Fonseca would certainly bring excitement back to the Magpies on the pitch, but it looks as if they may now miss out on his appointment.

In other news, find out which ‘proven winner’ is PIF’s ‘first choice’ for manager here!