It has not exactly been the best of seasons for Leeds United, with a total of 57 points from 45 matches leaving them down in 14th position in the Championship table.
The Whites have only won once in the Championship since the end of March, and suffered a 2-1 defeat at Norwich City last time out.
Paul Heckingbottom’s side will be looking to end on a positive note when they welcome Queens Park Rangers on Sunday, although even a victory in that match would not exactly make the fans forget what has been a poor campaign.
A number of the club’s players have taken criticism from the supporters this season, and perhaps none more so than the skipper Liam Cooper.
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The 26-year-old has made 30 appearances in all competitions during the 2017-18 campaign – scoring once in 28 Championship fixtures.
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Cooper’s suitability for the captain’s role has long been called into question, however, and the centre-back has once again faced scathing criticism from his club’s own fans.
A selection of the Twitter reaction can be seen below:
West Ham United picked up three vital points away to Stoke City on Saturday, winning 3-0 in the English Premier League.
The Hammers looked as good as they have all season against the home side and the performance gives David Moyes’ side a massive confidence boost heading into the busy Christmas period.
Mark Noble, Diafra Sakho and Marko Arnautovic were the goal heroes on the day, blitzing a Stoke defence who struggled to contain the visitors all afternoon.
Arnautovic was in particularly sparkling form and after hitting the woodwork twice, he found the back of the net with a smart low finish after combining with Manuel Lazini 15 minutes from time.
Scoring against his former club was probably written in the stars and it appears he’s finally found his feet at his new club after a difficult start to the season under Slaven Bilic.
Supporters took to Twitter to enthuse about his performance…
Celtic have had an obscenely good season by anyone’s standards. Even taking into account the financial advantage they have over every other club in Scotland, they had no right to absolute destroy the opposition in the manner they did. Unbeaten, winning every trophy, playing fantastic football, big derby wins, beating Aberdeen in every match; their list of amazing moments across the entire campaign has dozens on it.
Still, no football season is perfect and for some Hoops fans there may still be some niggling things from the campaign that they’ll be hoping Brendan Rodgers can fix in his second season. Football would be boring if your team didn’t continually strive to improve, after all.
Predictably most of these regrets come from Europe, which wasn’t quite the stellar campaign that their domestic season turned out to be. Here are FOUR regrets from the Celtic season that they’ll be striving to make amends for after the summer…
Callum McGregor’s miss in Germany
If you had to distil any regrets Celtic have from the last 12 months into a single moment then it would probably be Callum McGregor’s miss away to Borussia Monchengladbach in the UEFA Champions League Group Stages. With the game poised at 1-1 and the Germans down to ten men, the scene was set for the Hoops to steal a famous win.
The ball was at McGregor’s feet and instead of guiding it past the goalkeeper, he flashed it wide of the far post. For a midfielder that is usually so reliable in front of goal it was a glaring miss. Unfortunate yes, but ultimately a moment that partially cost the Hoops progress into the UEFA Europa League.
How do they rectify it next season? Well, finishing at least third in their group stage next season, should they get there, would represent fantastic progress under Brendan Rodgers. Celtic love nothing more than European football after Christmas and securing it next term would destroy any memory of this miss.
Not whitewashing Rangers
Of course, it goes without saying that Celtic’s dominance over Rangers this season was an absolute highlight for many fans. However, think how much better the gloating may have been if they’d beat the Light Blues in every single derby match over the last season. The city rivals played six times in all competitions and Brendan Rodgers’ side bodied them completely in five of those.
However, a late equaliser at Celtic Park is a blemish on the record as a whole. In terms of city dominance, there’s nothing better than winning every single match against the other, a green and whitewash if you will.
It doesn’t happen often and letting their lead slip so late against what was Graeme Murty’s eleven must niggle a wee bit. It’s easily rectified next season – simply beat them in every game!
Not winning a home Champions League match
It’s true that Celtic’s group draw was especially tough this season. Facing teams from Europe’s top three leagues is an especially cruel fate for a side that were hoping to find their feet in the competition again after a multi-year absence.
However, no matter who Celtic have gone up against in the past, they’ve always found ways to win against even the elite teams on the continent. Manchester United, AC Milan, Juventus; all teams that have wilted in the pressure cooker that is Celtic Park over the last 15 years.
The main thing missing from the Hoops’ European campaign was that home win in the group stages, the first time they’ve ever failed to win at home in the competition. Had they picked up three points at some stage they may have finished third and progressed beyond Christmas.
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That’ll be a key aim of Brendan Rodgers next season. Even if they do not progress from the groups, he’ll at least want to see his side live up to the legacy at Celtic.
Suffering a record European defeat
Another big blotch on the Hoop’s European record last season was suffering their biggest ever European defeat, at the hands of Barcelona. While it’s true the Catalan giants are capable of inflicting such misery on many, many good sides, it’s still a defeat that stings for many Hoops fans.
The gulf between the two sides in terms of talent is huge but what was most frustrating was the lack of fight in the Celtic side. They looked like they were not up for the battle and that battle is something Celtic teams must always bring to the table.
They did show progress in subsequent away matches in the competition, drawing both in Germany and away to Manchester City. That progress needs to continue next season, even against pot one sides.
This weekend’s Premier League fixture list is, for us at FFC Towers, dominated by the latest London Derby: Chelsea vs. Spurs. In fact, we’re so excited that we’ve made it our Fixture In Focus, and you can read some more great content surrounding the big match by clicking here.
As is the case with many local rivalries, Spurs and Chelsea don’t exactly have the most healthy of relationships, and the fires are sure to be fed plenty of fuel by the added title context of this clash at Stamford Bridge.
Even though it’s early in the campaign, the away team cannot really afford to be swatted aside, while the Blues know that anything other than a win will likely see them knocked off top spot in the Premier League table – a state of affairs they won’t want considering Manchester City await them next weekend!
Despite all this, we’re sure each fanbase would gladly welcome a few players from their rivals, so we put the question to Spurs fans earlier this week in our exclusive poll, and here are the FIVE Chelsea players they want the most…
5 – N’Golo Kante
The reigning Premier League champion comes in at five, with his all-action style of play having seemingly won over a fair few Spurs fans as Leicester beat their side to the title last season. The Frenchman would, on the surface, work well alongside the likes of Mousa Dembele and Dele Alli and could help form one of the best midfield trios in European football.
4 – Willian
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Perhaps an underrated member of Conte’s Chelsea team, Willian certainly is a player Spurs fans appreciate. The Brazilian is a versatile option that would fit well in a Pochettino team, with his willing running well-suited to the Argentine’s high-tempo approach, while his technique would surely make the north Londoners a more creative force in the final third. Credit to Spurs fans for not holding grudges after Willian famously snubbed them to sign for Chelsea in 2013.
3 – John Obi Mikel
Yep, you read that right. We’re not sure if Spurs fans are having us on, but Mikel comes in at a shockingly high third. The Nigerian is by no means a bad player, but his best days are probably behind him and he’s always a somewhat limited midfielder. Mikel may be available before too long when his contract comes to an end, so this transfer could, perhaps, be a surprisingly realistic one.
2 – Eden Hazard
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No, he’s not top of the tree! The Belgian is arguably Chelsea’s best player and certainly a name in the discussion regarding the Prem’s all-round top stars, but Spurs fans are seemingly split on him. The former Lille man is a real threat on either the left of right flank and has been known to operate as a No.10, yet it may be his perceived lack of defensive effort that puts off Lilywhites supporters, with Pochettino’s team known for their fierce work ethic.
1 – Michy Batshuayi
Aaaaaaaand in at No.1 is a player that barely ever starts for Chelsea in the shape of summer signing Batshuayi. The Belgian striker was a mooted target for Spurs over the summer, and it seems that a fair few fans have not gotten over that whole episode. In fairness, he would be a good fit and would provide a better alternative option to Harry Kane than the misfiring Vincent Janssen, who is yet to find a Spurs goal in open play since arriving from the Eredivisie.
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With the ultimate ambition of claiming their first Premier League title since Sir Alex Ferguson’s retirement next season, Manchester United are expected to keep themselves exceptionally busy in the transfer market this summer.
There’s been talk of audacious £100million bids for Real Madrid’s Gareth Bale, £50million scoops for Liverpool’s Raheem Sterling and a £40million prizing away of Tottenham’s Hugo Lloris, in what could well be yet another record-breaking transfer window for the Old Trafford outfit.
But it doesn’t necessarily have to be that way; providing you know where to look, there’s still deals to be had in the transfer market, and amid the new age of Financial Fair Play, finding good value-for-money has become more important than ever
So they may not be the most exciting, talked about or lucrative of signings, but we at Football Fancast have come up with FIVE bargain buys the Red Devils should be making this summer.
BENEDIKT HOWEDES
Although Schalke’s Benedikt Howedes may not be in the same calibre as some of Manchester United’s other centre-back targets, such as Mats Hummels and Nicolas Otamendi, he has plenty to offer the Old Trafford squad.
Of course, the 26 year-old is famed for his versatility, proving himself equally adept at playing anywhere across the backline and even in defensive midfield on occasion.
But he boasts a wealth of experience too, with 53 appearances in European competitions and 32 caps for Germany – for whom he served as a left back during their successful World Cup bid last summer, which is no easy feat when you measure in at 6 foot 2.
Howedes has also held down the Schalke captaincy since 2011, and those natural leadership qualities represent exactly what United currently lack at the heart of their defence.
Throw in a £12.5million release clause and the versatile defender is an absolute steal. Perhaps the only criticism, however, is that Howedes wouldn’t hugely improve United’s starting Xi.
TOBY ALDERWEIRELD
Another defender certainly worth Manchester United’s consideration is Atletico Madrid’s forgotten man Toby Alderweireld, who has just come to the end of a promising campaign on loan at Southampton.
Indeed, the Belgium international played a pivotal role in Ronald Koeman’s side finishing the season with the second-healthiest goals conceded record in the division after Premier League champions Chelsea, averaging 1.7 tackles, 1.2 interceptions 1.4 successful aerial duels and 5.5 clearances per match from his 26 outings.
The 26 year-old’s ability to play at right-back, centre-back or central midfield makes him all the more enticing. And a product of Ajax’s illustrious academy, something tells me he’ll have a fan in Red Devils boss Louis van Gaal.
Southampton have the option to acquire Alderweireld permanently but Atletico are reportedly planning to remove that right at the previously agreed cost of £1.5million.
That would then allow the Mattress Makers to sell at their preferred valuation of £10million, but reports today suggest they’ve already offered the 6 foot 2 centre-back-come-full-back to Chelsea.
NIGEL DE JONG
He may not be the most glamorous of acquisitions but Nigel de Jong’s shin-shattering tackles and all-round tenacity is something Manchester United’s midfield currently lacks.
Dubbed ‘the lawnmower’ and famed for THAT challenge on Spain’s Xabi Alonso in the 2010 World Cup final, the 30 year-old is notorious for the 1990s manner in which he tends to kick lumps out of the opposition.
But there’s no doubt he’s good at his job as a ball-winning midfielder, this season averaging 2.1 tackles and 3.4 interceptions per match at AC Milan.
The Netherlands international looked more than handy under Louis van Gaal’s leadership at last summer’s World Cup and is proven in the Premier League too, claiming a domestic title with Manchester City during the 2011/12 campaign.
Perhaps most appealingly, De Jong’s set to leave the San Siro on a free transfer this summer upon the expiration of his contract. Manchester United have already been linked with the feisty midfielder but reports this morning suggest he could be heading to Galatasaray.
Pedro
Winger-forward Pedro has done and won everything throughout his Barcleona and Spain careers, namely lifting five La Liga titles, two (almost three) Champions League titles, the 2010 World Cup and the 2012 European Championship, whilst generating a return of 114 goals in 367 appearances.
At 27 years of age, he’s still firmly within his prime, but the Spaniard’s Nou Camp tenure could come to an abrupt end this summer. He’s slumped down the pecking order since the £75million arrival of Luis Suarez at the start of the season, and is now on the verge of entering the final year of his Catalans contract.
Alexis Sanchez has completely transformed the Premier League since signing for Arsenal last summer and his former team-mate, blessed with a similar blend of trickery, tenacity, speed and netting prowess, has the potential to do the same.
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According to The Express, Barca are willing to sell for just £7million – an absolute bargain for such a proven forward still at his footballing peak. But resultantly, there’s plenty of interest with Arsenal, Liverpool and Tottenham also linked.
DANNY INGS
Home-grown goalscorers are becoming an ever-rarer breed but there’s one available this summer for just £5million in the form of Burnley prodigy Danny Ings.
The England U21 bagged eleven goals and four assists during his debut Premier League campaign, which is a fantastic return all things considered – particularly, a 22 year-old spearheading a Burnley outfit who finished second-bottom of the English table.
A particularly clever and skilful striker, Ings’ performances this term suggest he’s capable of playing at a significantly higher level.
Of course, it’s still a bit of a punt and he’s probably not at the level to fill the void of Robin van Persie or Radamel Falcao just yet.
But available through a £5million compensation deal due to his Turf Moor contract expiring, the former Bournemouth youngster seems well worth the gamble for a club like Manchester United.
Tottenham jumped ahead of the queue with a £12million bid last week, however, (PL clubs have only been able to negotiate with English-based free agents since the start of June) which could have an effect on the prodigious forward’s compensation fee.
Joachim Loew spoke highly of Mesut Ozil’s tutelage under Jose Mourinho at Real Madrid. The German international had gone from a starring role at U21 level to one of the world’s leading playmakers and arguably the best No.10 currently playing the game.
Eden Hazard is on a similar path to greatness. Over the past three seasons, the Belgian international has a league and cup double and a Europa League winner’s medal under his belt. His move from France to the Premier League was rightly embellished with all the necessary fireworks and guesswork; being Ligue 1’s most valuable commodity at the time, it wouldn’t have been right to have it any other way.
And yet his performances during his first season in England have oddly gone a little under the radar in comparison to others. Sure, there were dips, but Chelsea as a whole were not the screaming banshee of a title contender that they have been in previous seasons. Hazard nevertheless recorded an astonishing 21 assists across all competitions last season. How many more would he have had if Chelsea were regularly fielding a confident and competent centre-forward?
Naturally the focus has been on Juan Mata, though the acknowledgement for the Oscar, Hazard, Mata triumvirate has been considerate. They’re interchangeable, for the most part. Each of them is able to lead some of the biggest clubs in European football to success as the sole conductor of a finely tuned orchestra. And yet here the three of them are, enmeshed into one glorious attacking unit and each able to hold a claim to be the future poster boy of the Premier League.
So what happens when you add a manager like Mourinho into the mix?
Hazard will finally be offered the first settled season he’s had since his double win with Lille three seasons ago. His final year in France was shrouded in transfer rumours, while last season he went through two managers at Stamford Bridge, one of whom was never going to be offered the time of day.
The media storm that surrounded Mourinho’s final season in Madrid shouldn’t take away from how much of a positive impact he had on both Ozil and Sami Khedira, who were and should continue to be among the team’s most important players, while the rise to prominence of Raphael Varane has been hailed as the Portuguese’s parting gift to the Spanish club.
And Mourinho has already made a pledge to continue Hazard’s development into becoming one of the world’s leading footballers. He was already one of Europe’s glittering names as a teenager; the then Mario Goetze or Isco. One of his first outings into English football saw him set up Fernando Torres with a cute back heel into the path of the Spaniard against Newcastle, finishing that game with a goal and an assist.
At 22, he’s matured from the 19-year-old who helped lead Rudi Garcia’s exhilarating Lille side to the French title. The following season he scored 20 in the league, as well as a further 15 assists. He’s the perfect blend of goal scorer and creator, able to play either the Cristiano Ronaldo role as he did while at Lille, or as the central hub like Ozil. Though he admits himself that he wants more goals, he even spoke of the possibility of reaching numbers like Ronaldo and Lionel Messi.
But the Premier League can be fickle; we need to see all of that first hand. Heck, even 25 and 25 in each column will catapult Hazard’s name into the esteemed company of players currently plying their trade in Europe. There’s no reason why he shouldn’t be there from a talent standpoint.
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The Champions League draw has been completed for the 2012/13 campaign and some interesting groups have been thrown up. For starters, Manchester City face the ‘Group of Death’ where they’ll have to play Real Madrid, Ajax and Borussia Dortmund. The draw was a little kinder to the other English clubs, though Chelsea will have to play Juventus, the Italian Champions, in an intriguing clash. Manchester United and Arsenal will both fancy their chances of qualifying for the knockout stages after being handed comfortable groups on paper.
Everyone loves Europe’s premier competition and indeed, the majority of the world’s best players are on display. The Champions League is certainly the place to showcase the talent of the footballing world and you can expect some of the best matches of the season if you follow the games closely. In recognition of the excellence that the Champions League brings us every year, we pick the top 10 players that will feature in Europe this season.
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta is set for a "welcome boost" after private talks with club chief Josh Kroenke, according to reports.
What's the latest Arsenal transfer news?
The Gunners may already have to look ahead to next season after a humbling 3-0 loss to Brighton last weekend, with that putting a massive dent in their hopes of clinching a first Premier League title in nearly 20 years.
Man City are now in pole position to win their third-successive domestic crown and could win the title this weekend with victory over Chelsea at Eastlands, no matter the surrounding results.
It has still arguably been a successful season overall for Arsenal, especially factoring in they were beaten to a top four finish last campaign by arch rivals Tottenham.
Champions League football is guaranteed for 2023/2024, with sporting director Edu recently confirming that transfer plans are underway.
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"It's already started because you know what's happening in the market, everybody is doing stuff," Edu explained to football.london earlier this year.
"You have to plan with people as well just to be prepared so when you go again in the summer you are very prepared."
Laying the groundwork for summer signings before what will be an imperative season next year will be crucial, and Arsenal boss Arteta is apparently set for a "welcome boost".
This is according to The Mirror, who say that the Gunners head coach has held private talks with club chief Kroenke, and the club are apparently willing to alter their wage structure in an effort to attract Europe's best players.
Arteta is apparently set to be backed this summer and Arsenal have already started doing their due-diligence on potential incomings, coming as promising news for supporters.
Indeed, the north Londoners are apparently ready to give their full financial support to Arteta, and a blockbuster move for West Ham star Declan Rice is on the cards.
Who could Arsenal sign?
In light of this news, it appears Arsenal could splash the cash this summer, and we believe a move for Rice in particular is very likely.
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Various reports over the last fortnight have linked them to the England international, and some have even suggested that he is very open to joining.
As per WhoScored, Rice would certainly be worth the effort, ranking as West Ham's best-performing player by average match rating with more interceptions per 90 than anybody in Moyes' squad.
Arsenal arguably need to reinforce in midfield with the 24-year-old being a sure-fire choice for quality and top flight experience.
It is looking increasingly unlikely that Leeds United will be able to secure a deal for Derby County forward Matej Vydra in this summer’s transfer window.
The Whites have been strongly linked with a move for the striker, but it was claimed last week that the 26-year-old’s wage demands were proving to be a real problem.
Now, according to The Sun, Vydra is actually stalling on a move to Elland Road because he wants to see if any Premier League clubs join the race for his signature.
There is absolutely nothing wrong with Vydra rating himself, especially considering that the forward has scored 65 times in 187 Championship appearances during his career.
[brid autoplay=”true” video=”257599″ player=”12034″ title=”Watch Leeds’ opening fixtures for the 201819 Championship season”]
The 20-time Czech Republic international also netted 21 goals in 40 league appearances for Derby last term, but he is playing a dangerous game.
Leeds are not exactly a small team, and look to be going places under Marcelo Bielsa.
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The club’s supporters are now seemingly fed up of waiting for Vydra to make up his mind, however, and want their team to pull the plug.
A selection of the Twitter reaction can be seen below:
FIFA have warned Belize they could face sanctions over government interference in the Central American country’s football federation.As the nation’s football team prepare for Wednesday’s opening qualifying game for the 2014 World Cup against Montserrat, FIFA have told Reuters they are monitoring the situation in Belize very closely.
“If the current situation of apparent governmental interference is not resolved by June 30, it will be referred to the FIFA emergency committee for evaluation and potential sanctions,” a FIFA email said.
The incident is the latest scandal to hit American soccer, after FIFA’s suspension of CONCACAF president Jack Warner over bribery allegations in the lead-up to the June 1 FIFA presidential election.
The acting president, Lisle Austin, was then removed from his post for an infringement of a CONCACAF statute.
The Belize government believes their football federation (FFB) failed to register with the country’s National Sports Council, and Belize sports minister John Saldivar said the government had been in contact with FIFA.
“I’ve written to the president (Sepp Blatter) reminding him that the government of Belize has an obligation to uphold the laws of Belize and urging him to convince the FFB to comply,” he told Belize’s Channel Seven.
“We have already informed FIFA that the FFB is not authorised to represent our country. So whatever selection they have put together cannot play as the national selection of Belize.”