Where would Arsenal be without Alexis Sanchez? That’s probably a question many Gunners supporters have been asking themselves at various points this season. They may well be asking it again right now after he fired them to a last gasp victory at home to Burnley at the Emirates on Sunday.It takes courage and determination to step up and take a stoppage time penalty, it takes great character to stick it away with no problem at all. That’s exactly what he did and the converted spot-kick provided a massive three points on a weekend when most of the teams around them dropped points.His contribution to the team cannot be understated but as this stat by Squawka shows, he’s genuinely doing everything for Arsenal in an attacking sense.
Compared to his teammates he’s score more, assisted more, created more, taken on the opposition more and fed more balls through defences.
He makes his name as a goalscorer but his all round game has been the key to propelling Arsenal to second in the Premier League table.
Over reliance on a player can be a problem, say if he gets, suspended or just loses form but for right now Gunners fans will be enjoying every single second of his contribution, and rightly so.
Diego Costa does not appear to be sulking after being left out of Chelsea’s matchday squad last weekend.
Conflicting reports have created a sense of uncertainty over the situation, with rumours that the striker was dropped by manager Antonio Conte after an alleged training ground bust-up.
There have been suggestions that Costa had a falling out with members of the physio team in relation to a back problem, and it has also been rumoured that the striker has had his head turned by interest from the Chinese Super League.
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Whatever the truth is, the Spain international trained alone on a handful of occasions this week, but he let his 1.8 million Instagram followers know that he is now back with his teammates.
He seems rather happy about it as well, as he included a blue heart emoji, signalling his love for Chelsea (one would assume).
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The Blues will hope to extend their seven-point lead at the top of the Premier League table when they welcome Hull City to Stamford Bridge on Sunday.
Given that Costa is back in training, he is likely to be available for selection this weekend.
If the tediousness of the FA Cup had you nodding off, drooling all over your hipster facial hair, the Premier League is back for a weekend of action after a thriller of a midweek.
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Accordingly, choosing Football FanCast’s Fixture in Focus has proved a tricky task, with twenty games to choose from and plenty of skirmishes between the Premier League’s top clubs. But purely due to the impact it could have on the title race come the end of May, Saturday’s instalment of Arsenal vs Chelsea gets the nod.
Although the Blues boast an eight-point surplus, the Gunners are currently the likeliest to topple their London rivals before the end of the season, sitting in second place. Likewise, they’re just one of three sides to beat Chelsea in the league this season, alongside Liverpool and Spurs.
It looks set to be a tight-knit affair at Stamford Bridge and with that in mind, we have a curious question for Arsenal fans; which Chelsea stars would you like to see join the ranks at the Emirates Stadium in the near future? Let us know which Blues players Arsene Wenger should poach from Antonio Conte in the poll below…
Liverpool supporters have expressed their concern on Twitter after manager Jurgen Klopp was linked with a sensational switch to Barcelona.
The Mirror recently reported that the bigwigs at the Camp Nou have placed Klopp at the top of their wishlist in the event that Luis Enrique departs.
There have been rumblings over the course of the season that Barca will be looking for a new head coach come the summer, particularly after the team were beaten 4-0 by Paris Saint-Germain in the first leg of their last-16 tie in the Champions League last week.
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The Spanish giants will likely have to pay a hefty compensation fee if they want to lure Klopp to the Catalan city as the German signed a new six-year contract earlier this season.
The rumours intensified when Liverpool owner John W Henry was spotted watching Barcelona’s La Liga game against Leganes on Sunday night.
Of course, his presence at the match does not necessarily mean that Klopp is on his way out of Anfield, but some fans have jumped to that conclusion.
Others, though, are playing down the speculation, insisting that there may not be any substance to the rumours.
Arsene Wenger has decided that he will not follow the money to the Chinese Super League if he leaves Arsenal at the end of the season, According to the Daily Mail.
The Frenchman has been in charge of the Gunners for the past 20 years, but he could be nearing the end given that his contract expires in the summer.
Even if he does depart his position at the Emirates, it has been suggested that the 67-year-old is unwilling to retire from management altogether.
The Daily Mail reports that clubs from China’s elite have sounded out a possible approach for Wenger, who would likely receive a huge hike in the £8m-a-year salary that he currently has.
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The publication claims that clubs based in the Middle East would also be interested in taking on Wenger, but the Frenchman would reportedly prefer to have a job in one of Europe’s top leagues.
The experienced manager coached Nancy, Monaco and Japanese outfit Nagoya Grampus before he took on the role at Arsenal in 1996.
In two decades Wenger has won three Premier League titles and six FA Cups with the Gunners, but plenty of fans have become disillusioned with life under him.
Arsenal have consistently finished in the top four for many years, but they have not lifted the Premier League title for almost 13 seasons and over the last few campaigns, have not looked close to clinching the crown.
There is no doubt, though, that Wenger has plenty of respect in the game and could potentially earn another top job after departing Arsenal.
Many have waxed poetic over Liverpool’s wonderfully lethal front three this season, though for all of their attacking intesnsity, their effect on the balance of the team as a whole remains as fragile as their defensive line.
Sadio Mane, Roberto Firmino and Philippe Coutinho offer Jurgen Klopp an incredibly varied front line, though while the Reds’ emphasis on the collective is widely celebrated, they seem almost too reliant on each other. Coutinho’s injury towards the end of 2016 deprived Liverpool of their most gifted attacker, someone who can operate across the final third, able to provide a spark of genius in tight games.
When Mane departed for the African Cup of Nations in January of this year, they lost the sort of devastating directness that made them such a threat at the start of the campaign. Firmino, meanwhile, has made the most appearances of the lot this season and is crucial to the high pressing game.
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Neither Divock Origi nor the current version of Daniel Sturridge we see moping about Merseyside offer the same pressing threat. Strangely enough, the duo seem to offer little towards Klopp’s Plan A, nor do they seem to fit into any sort of system that caters towards even the mere idea of a Plan B.
Though the problems at Champions League rivals Arsenal are well-documented at the moment, part of the reason the Gunners still harbour realistic aspirations of making the top four is down to their ability to swap between Alexis Sanchez and Olivier Giroud in central striking areas. As the fixtures piled up for Wenger’s side over the course of the winter period, Giroud scored five goals in five games to help Arsenal keep the pressure on the Premier League’s top order.
In stark contrast to the situation in north London, there’s a widely accepted notion that Liverpool’s title hopes evaporated over the same period and their season became very much a battle to qualify for the Champions League, mainly down to their failure to bring in a forward who could offer the same options someone like Giroud could in the arduous winter months.
So, the need to go out and purchase such a player over the course of the summer should be just as important to Klopp and those working behind the scenes at Liverpool as looking for new defenders is.
One man who’d certainly fit the bill is Roma striker Edin Dzeko. The idea of bringing the former Manchester City forward back to England may not instantly strike fans as the most inspiring, though could be the sort of pragmatic approach Liverpool are in dire need of.
A Premier League winner, Dzeko is back in the goals over in Serie A, bagging a rather impressive 30 in the Italian capital so far this season. Spearheading Luciano Spalletti’s attack, the 30-year-old largely operates in either a 4-2-3-1 or a 4-3-3 suggesting his link-up play is of a high quality, while the likes of Diego Perotti and Mohamed Salah run off him.
Not only does he provide a physical focal point, Dzeko’s hard work in dropping deep to pick up possesion can also help the likes of Coutinho, Firmino and the more direct Mane create space should the Reds need to push up the field quickly. So, not only would he fit in Liverpool’s Plan A, he’d give them a second option with his physical prowess when Klopp is forced to take the game to the more unfashionable outfits in the league.
The more you think about it, the more a move just seems to make sense.
Newcastle United fans have been left feeling worried about their automatic promotion hopes after reports emerged about the extent of DeAndre Yedlin’s injury problem.
According to the Chronicle, the USA international will be sidelined for the next five weeks after undergoing further examination on his thigh problem.
The publication claims that Yedlin has returned to his homeland to undergo treatment, and is unlikely to return to action until late April.
The 23-year-old last played for the Magpies when he came on as a substitute in their 3-1 victory over Huddersfield Town at the John Smith’s Stadium on March 4.
He has missed the last two fixtures, which ended in a goalless draw with Reading and a 3-1 defeat to Fulham.
This latest news has got fans feeling nervous, particularly as Newcastle have relinquished their lead at the top of the Championship table and currently sit level on 77 points with second-placed Brighton.
Rafael Benitez’s side will face Birmingham City away at St Andrews on Saturday.
As reported by Spanish outlet Don Balon, Manchester United are in the market for Real Madrid superstar James Rodriguez this summer.
What’s the story?
Manchester United are always at the centre of some transfer rumour or other, usually for big bucks, and again today they’re said to be tracking one of European football’s biggest stars.
Don Balon reckon that United are willing to pay the £74m fee to land James Rodriguez from Madrid this summer in a move that would see the Spanish side recoup most of the money they paid for him initially.
However, the report also says United face competition from the likes of Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain, all three believing he still has what it takes to excel at the highest level.
Still as good as ever?
Rodriguez has had an up and down season at Real Madrid, not able to force his way into first team plans on a regular basis. However when he is called upon he does provide magic. He has 3 goals and 4 assists in his last 10 appearances for the Spanish side.
He’s still very much one of European football’s leading attacking midfielders and as a result could be the missing piece of the puzzle Manchester United are looking for in the final third. His signature would take the pressure of some players Jose Mourinho is over reliant on and add a significant depth to their forward thinking options.
He wouldn’t come cheap but he’s certainly a player worth pursuing.
Former Blackburn Rovers striker Chris Sutton believes that there is a big reason why Ross Barkley has not yet agreed a new contract at Everton.
The TV and radio pundit believes that the midfielder has been tapped up by another club hoping to secure his services.
Everton manager Ronald Koeman made it clear publicly at the weekend that the club have no problem selling him if they have to.
The Dutchman told reporters after Sunday’s 4-2 victory over Leicester City that Barkley will be sold in the summer if he does not sign a fresh deal.
That is because the club are not prepared to let him go on a free transfer when his current contract expires at the end of the 2017-18 campaign.
Tottenham Hotspur, Chelsea and Arsenal have all appeared as potential suitors for Barkley in the British press, and Sutton believes that there must be a rival club trying to turn his head.
The Premier League winner told BBC Radio 5 Live:
“He’s more than likely been tapped up. I think he has been tapped up and that’s why there is a situation over this contract. It happens to us all.
“Why wouldn’t he sign? The financial situation… they could come to an agreement [over wages]. There’s a reason he hasn’t signed – his agent would have been in talks with somebody.”
As the UEFA Champions League rumbles on with the semi-final draw today, the competition is again but a dream for Celtic and their supporters who must run the gauntlet of the summer qualifiers to have another tilt at the group stages next season.European progress will be high on the agenda of Brendan Rodgers after a dominant domestic season. Likely central to that progress again will be Scott Brown who was one of the key performers in the Hoops team in Europe earlier this term.His midfield displays made Celtic competitive in at least a few of the group matches, most notably against Manchester City and away to Borussia Monchengladbach.As this stat from Squawka shows, he’s actuallyÂstillÂleading players across the entire competition in one key area of midfield play.
It’s true of course that given the Hoops were on the back-foot for the majority of their Champions League campaign, Brown was more likely to be in a position to interception but it’s still an impressive feat, especially as he has not played in the competition since December!