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أشاد بيب جوارديولا مدرب مانشستر سيتي بأداء اللاعب جون ستونز في مباراة الأمس أمام كريستال بالاس في بطولة الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز.

وتلاقى الفريقان في إطار منافسات الجولة التاسعة عشر، حيث فاز مانشستر سيتي بأربعة أهداف دون رد. أهداف مباراة مانشستر سيتي وكريستال بالاس

وقدم ستونز أداءً رائعًا في اللقاء، حيث تمكن من تسجيل الهدف الأول والثالث.

وقال جوارديولا في تصريحات نشرتها شبكة “بي بي سي” العالمية: “إعادة اكتشاف ستونز لنفسه؟ هذا أمر عائد إليه، إذا كان هناك شخص واحد يستحق ذلك، فهو جون”.

وأضاف: “لقد ناضل ستونز لأسباب عديدة في الماضي، كيفية تغلبه على ذلك تعود إليه هو”.

وواصل: “هو يرغب في اللعب، لا يرتكب أخطاءً وأنشأ شراكة جيدة مع روبن دياز، إذا كان هناك لاعب واحد أنا سعيد له لأن كل شيء يسير على ما يرام معه فهو ستونز، هو يلعب لأنه يستحق ذلك”.

واستكمل: “إذا كان هناك رجل واحد يستحق الأفضل هو جونز، إنه إنسان رائع، يجب أن يكون والديه فخورين به للغاية، كما قلت كان يعاني من مشاكل في الماضي، لا يمكن للمدرب أن يمنح ثقته لكل شخص، هو تغلب على ذلك وسعيد من أجله”.

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According to an exclusive report from Football League World, Everton are interested in signing Hull City forward Jarrod Bowen.

Bowen built on an eye-catching 2017/18 campaign – in which he hit 14 goals – by notching eight more last term; his 22 Championship strikes helped the Tigers to a solid 13th place finish, 12 points adrift of a play-off spot.

Check out a fan’s outrageous call for England to take a leaf of out cricket and rugby’s book after a limp Nations League performance in the video below…

He has emerged as Hull’s talisman, and it would be a real blow for them if he was to leave this summer – even more so after the departure of Nigel Adkins. The aforementioned Football League World report states that Bowen will ‘definitely’ get his move away this summer, and that an unnamed Premier League side has already had an offer rejected.

If Bowen did arrive at Goodison Park, where would he fit into Marco Silva’s plans?

Firstly, the Englishman is a right-sided forward who prefers to play with the intention of troubling the opposition goalkeeper at the forefront of his mind, as the stats reinforce.

He would, in that case, arrive as competition for Theo Walcott on that flank – Bowen appeared 40 times on the right wing last term, whilst the former Arsenal man played 18 games out there not including his appearances from the bench.

Albeit in a league below, Bowen’s stats are far superior.

The 5 ft 9 attacker scored almost five times as many goals as Walcott managed and recorded double the amount of assists, but the finer details bolster the suggestion that Bowen is a more direct goal threat.

The former Hereford United man takes 2.5 shots per game compared to Walcott’s 1.2, which speaks volumes about how hard the 22-year-old tries to put the ball in the net compared to the England international.

Watch Everton Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

Bowen also records almost double the amount of dribbles per game in comparison to the 30-year-old – taking the game to the opposition backline is clearly a priority of his when he steps foot out on to the pitch.

Walcott was a source of great frustration for the Everton supporters last season and fans rejoiced when it was reported that his future seemed uncertain, so if Bowen signed, they would at least be treated to a more exciting presence out on the right flank in 2019/20.

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Southampton fans who may have had some renewed optimism in 2019 after Ralph Hasenhuttl’s appointment will have been brought down back to earth with the Saints failing to pick up a win in their last five games of the season, making the need for fresh blood this summer apparent.

If the south coast outfit are to realise their top-ten ambitions under their mercurial new manager, then they need to establish an XI that will ensure they can dominate games from start to finish. Southampton led 21 times in 2018/19 but won just nine of those games, losing five and drawing seven – the worst ratio in the league.

This has been in parts due to poor finishing; lack of chances created; a drop-off in intensity and a high number of individual errors leading to goals, none of which are easy to control. However there is something Hasenhuttl can do to give his side their best chance of improving on this glaring weakness next campaign – by reverting back to the 4-2-2-2 system that served him so well at Leipzig where he won 41 of 83 games.

Bringing in Aleksandar Mitrovic, whom the Saints have been linked with for a reported fee of £30m, will give the St Mary’s outfit the kind of bullish, physical presence up front that Hasenhuttl found success with in the Bundesliga.

Big man Youssuf Poulsen partnered speedster Timo Werner up front for Hasenhuttl’s Leipzig – the perfect thunder and lightning combination, and the Austrian will do well to encourage a similar combination at Southampton. Danny Ings now joins permanently from Liverpool for an initial £18m and this pairing could fire the Saints to glory in 2019/20.

Of course there’s a place for Nathan Redmond – Saints’ player of the year – while James Ward-Prowse provides the genius creation from out wide that Hasenhuttl had in Emil Forsberg across the channel.

Most important of all, though, are the defensive-midfield duo: Oriol Romeu and Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg. The industrious pairing are the foundations of the team, allowing the front four to do what they do best with minimal defensive responsibilities.

A Southampton fan shares his most gutting moment of the last 10 years supporting the Saints in the video below…

Spaniard Romeu will have no qualms sitting deep and mopping up, while captain Hojbjerg’s iron lungs allow him to cover every blade of grass on the pitch. This steel wall in front of the back four will be crucial if the Saints are to hang onto their leads next year.

Yan Valery has impressed greatly in 2019 and should be first-choice right-back for the next few years at least, while the pairing of a resurgent Jan Bednarek and behemoth Jannik Vestergaard leaves no room for error-prone Jack Stephens nor veteran Maya Yoshida.

Angus Gunn might have a mistake in him, as the Terriers’ Alex Pritchard found out to his benefit on the final day, but he’s streets ahead of Fraser Forster and he could become a shrewd signing for Southampton in the years to come.

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According to Mundo Deportivo, Liverpool could reignite their interest in Real Madrid attacker Marco Asensio at the end of the 2018-19 campaign.

There is absolutely no question that Asensio is a serious talent, but the Spain international has struggled for form this term.

A record of just one goal and six assists in 28 La Liga appearances is an indication of how disappointing the attacker has been this season.

According to Mundo Deportivo, Liverpool are considering a summer swoop for the 23-year-old, who will be available for less than his £599m release clause.

However, despite Asensio’s quality, it would be fair to say that the Merseyside club’s fans are not too interested in a swoop during the summer transfer window.

It is generally recognised that the Reds need another forward-thinking midfielder ahead of the 2019/20 campaign, but Asensio is not the right signing in the eyes of the supporters.

A selection of the Twitter reaction can be viewed below:

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Jay Rodriguez had a terrific season, there’s no doubting that. Alongside the mercurial Dwight Gayle, he scored 22 goals as West Brom came within five penalty kicks of a place at Wembley.

For Albion’s campaign to end on that note was extremely unfortunate, but when it mattered most, one of their clutch players failed to show up.

Rodriguez’s work rate was exemplary against Aston Villa last Tuesday night. However, barring that, he was incredibly poor.

Tasked with leading the line with both Gayle and Hal Robson-Kanu suspended, the club have arguably never needed him more.

On this occasion, the prolific frontman was anything but assured, failing to find the net from the two shots he had.

It may seem harsh to criticise the 29-year-old but it was a display far from his best and it proved costly. West Brom knew they needed goals but devoid of creativity, they couldn’t get over the line.

Rodriguez was arguably a victim of Albion’s lack of quality and absentees elsewhere.

Matt Phillips and Jacob Murphy struggled once more and they failed to find a spark capable of providing their striker with the chances he needed.

The former Southampton man was essentially a passenger throughout the match, boasting a quite frankly awful pass percentage and only touching the ball on 17 occasions throughout the 93 minutes he was on the pitch.

His inability to win aerial duels also laid a poor platform for his team. Against Tyrone Mings and Axel Tuanzebe he never really had a chance, such was their physicality.

Without Gayle next to him, Rodriguez looked lost, appearing isolated as he cut a frustrated figure.

For someone who has been so good all season, it was a bitterly disappointing display. On Tuesday, West Brom needed someone to stand up and grab the game by the scruff of the neck.

Technically, Rodriguez was their best hope. Instead, he failed to provide and as a result, another season in the Championship looms for the Baggies.

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Sky Sports pundit Liam Rosenior believes that Mauricio Pochettino will have learned a number of lessons from Tottenham Hotspur’s 1-0 loss to Ajax in the first leg of their Champions League semi-final, per The Debate.

What’s he said?

Spurs fell to a disappointing loss at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Tuesday evening, with Donny van de Beek scoring the only goal of the game.

Pochettino’s men, then, need to win in Amsterdam if they are to have any hope of reaching the final in Madrid.

And Rosenior, speaking on the Debate podcast (April 30, two minutes, 35 seconds), believes that the Argentine will have learned that he cannot again set up with a 3-5-2 formation.

Indeed, Spurs struggled in the opening half an hour against the Dutch outfit, who dominated possession in the first period, but found a foothold after Moussa Sissoko replaced the injured Jan Vertonghen and utilised a back four.

Asked about how Pochettino can turn the game around, the former Fulham and Hull City star said: “Not to play 3-5-2 against Ajax. It’s difficult setting your team up as a coach or a manager and he will have looked at that, but before Vertonghen went off he actually moved to a back four because, what was happening, Ajax were building through their two full-backs; they had so much space and time.

“From 3-5-2 it’s so difficult to press the opposition’s full-backs. As soon as they changed to a diamond, and they go to a four, Sissoko comes on, they pressed Ajax higher up the pitch and Ajax’s passing rhythm went out of the game.

“All of a sudden they got themselves back in the game so, yes, being 1-0 down is difficult but he will have learned so many lessons from a tactical point of view.”

Major injuries

Spurs struggled against Ajax because of the club’s lengthy injury list.

Sissoko started the game on the bench and Pochettino’s men subsequently ceded possession to a team that loves to dominate the ball.

The Frenchman made a significant difference after his introduction, taking the ball on the transition and giving his side an outlet on the counter-attack.

Next week, Sissoko will likely be fit to play from the outset, while Son Heung-Min will not be suspended for the second leg.

Pochettino perhaps made the wrong call but next week, with two of his best players back to fitness, he is unlikely to make such an error again.

If their shambolic defensive record hasn’t already pointed out enough, Manchester United are in desperate need of defensive reinforcements in the summer. However, if reports from the Daily Mail late last month were to be believed, Ed Woodward isn’t really keen on spending big on a defender as compared to a midfielder or forward.

Indeed, the Manchester United schemer has reportedly given a limited budget when it comes to signing defenders. Unlike Liverpool, who got their money’s worth in Virgil Van Dijk, Woodward is seemingly unwilling to spend big on centre-backs.

However, now that United are thought to be targeting (as per La Gazzetta dello Sport reporter Nicolo Schira on Twitter) Kostas Manolas, perhaps the club could pick up a great option fairly cheaply.

The AS Roma defender’s allegedly available for only €36 million – roughly equating to £31.4m – which is relatively low when you think about. A resolute stopper, the Greek can also be a prized asset to reinforce United’s frail defence line, as he’s strong, determined and isn’t shy of playing rough.

If the Red Devils need a defensive general, Manolas definitely fits the bill.

The 27-year-old is at the height of his powers and has held his own in a problematic season for Roma. He’s helped them keep 5 clean-sheets in 27 appearances while averaging 4.1 clearances, 2 interceptions and 1.3 tackles per game (stats via WhoScored). Out in the Italian capital, Manolas is assertive, dominant and knows exactly when to put in challenges to win battles against strikers.

Alongside Victor Lindelof, he could save Man Utd millions. Yes, the likes of Raphael Varane and Kalidou Coulibaly would be nice, but Manolas is by no means just a cheap option. Someone to do the dirty work alongside the classy Lindelof, the duo could finally give United a solid platform on which to build through to midfield.

As Ole Gunnar Solskjaer needs a powerful figure to add muscle to his defence, Manolas can work really well. Available for cheap, the 27-year-old can work wonders with Victor Lindelof and help bring more reliability to the Red Devil’s defence next season.

United fans, would you be pleased with Manolas’ potential arrival? Join the discussion by commenting below…

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Reported Liverpool target David Neres scored a special goal in Ajax’s Champions League quarter-final tie against Juventus on Wednesday night, and Reds fans on Twitter were quick to comment and say they want to see the 22-year-old at Anfield.

French media outlet Le 10 Sport reported this week that the Merseyside outfit had joined the race for the talented Brazilian, who has been in brilliant form for the Dutch giants this season.

He showed the quality and confidence that he has coursing through his veins with a brilliant curling strike into the far corner against the Old Lady in Amsterdam, levelling the scores for his side as a result.

While Liverpool have a brilliant front three available to them in Roberto Firmino, Mo Salah and Sadio Mane, they perhaps don’t have the quality and strength in depth in those positions to really push the trio into fearing for their starting spots.

Neres would certainly do that considering he has scored 12 goals and provided a further 15 assists in 44 appearances in total for Ajax during the current campaign.

Find out why “Liverpool won’t win the league” in the video below…

Reds supporters on social media certainly believe that the South American talent can make a difference, with one saying he “would keep Salah and Mane on their toes”.

Another urged the club to move, saying “Jurgen Klopp please get David Neres”.

Here is just a selection of the Twitter reaction…

يسابق نادي مانشستر يونايتد المنافس في بطولة الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز، الزمن من أجل حسم صفقة جناح الفريق الأول لكرة القدم بنادي برشلونة، عثمان ديمبلي.

ويأمل مانشستر يونايتد في الانتهاء من الصفقة قبل غلق باب سوق الانتقالات الصيفي بنهاية اليوم، الإثنين، على سبيل الإعارة على الرغم من رغبة ديمبلي في الانتقال النهائي.

اقرأ أيضًا.. كومان يلمح لإمكانية رحيل ديمبلي إلى مانشستر يونايتد

ويركز النادي الإنجليزي على حسم صفقة المهاجم الصريح واستقر على اسم إدينسون كافاني، لكن لا تغيب أنظاره عن ديمبلي بعد فشل مفاوضاته مع بوروسيا دورتموند لضم جادون سانشو، بحسب صحيفة “إندبندنت” البريطانية.

هناك تفاؤل لدى مانشستر يونايتد في تغيير الفرنسي لوجهة نظره برفض الإعارة، والتواجد في قلعة “أولد ترافورد” هذا الموسم وتكوين ثنائي جديد مع كافاني.

الجدير بالذكر أن ديمبلي يعاني منذ بداية الموسم مع المدرب رونالد كومان، في برشلونة، حيث يفضل الاعتماد على الثنائي الجديد بيدري وترينكاو بدلاً منه في المباريات التي لعبها في الدوري الإسباني حتى الآن.

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The North London derby between Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal ended all square at Wembley Stadium on Saturday. The result marks Spurs’ first draw of the Premier League campaign so far. Aaron Ramsey opened the scoring for the Gunners but a second half Harry Kane penalty rescued a point for the hosts.

However, the story of this match could have been very different had Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang been able to convert his last minute penalty. The spot kick was awarded when Davinson Sanchez was adjudged to have brought down the Arsenal striker.

Had Aubameyang converted it would have been centre-back Sanchez’s second catastrophic error of the game. The 22-year-old was also responsible for Ramsey’s goal as he badly mistimed a header and failed to clear his lines. 

The 17-cap Colombia international had a tough day all round. After the match plenty of Spurs fans took to Twitter to give their verdict on his display…