It feels unfair to single out any individual from Manchester City’s three-goal humbling in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final with Liverpool in midweek. But some players undoubtedly endured more difficult evenings than others, and Kyle Walker falls into that category.
The 34-cap England international failed to contain Roberto Firmino for the first goal, resulting in the ball rolling into the path of Mohamed Salah, and also allowed Sadio Mane to sneak between him and his centre-back for Liverpool’s third.
Now facing Manchester United in a clash that could secure them the Premier League title, we asked City fans earlier this week whether Walker should be dropped after his nightmarish evening at Anfield.
And our poll has revealed that although the majority of City fans would keep Walker in the team, a significant 33% would demote him from the starting XI.
How should Guardiola line up his side against the Red Devils? Let us know by commenting below…
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Everton managed to hold in-form Liverpool to a goalless draw in Saturday’s Merseyside derby, sharing the spoils in the English Premier League’s early kick-off.
The Reds had won their last three heading into the derby, most recently destroying Manchester City in the UEFA Champions League just days ago.
Liverpool made five changes for the trip to Goodison Park but the Toffees can still hold their heads high and are likely to see it as a point gained rather than two points lost.
It’s not often Jurgen Klopp’s outfit fail to score and at the heart of the result was Everton’s defence.
Fans had particular praise for Michael Keane after the match, with some noting that it may have been his best performance in a blue shirt.
He’s had a disappointing season after his move from Burnley but more performances like that will see him respected by the Everton support.
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They took to Twitter to share their thoughts on his derby display…
Everton fans have been reacting to this week’s links to Hakim Ziyech, and fans are pretty excited about the 25 year-old.
According to reports, Everton will battle West Ham and Valencia to sign creative superstar Hakim Ziyech from Ajax.
The Moroccan international, who has scored seven times in 13 caps for his country, has lit up the Eredivisie this season with eight goals and 13 assists.
His dribbling ability, incredible long shots and fantastic eye for a pass have been unlocking defences for the Dutch giants all season, and fans are getting excited about reports linking him to Goodison.
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Of course, there are a few fans who are dubious about the links, given how poorly their last signing from Ajax has gone.
Davy Klaassen has played just five times in the Premier league, and is yet to register a goal or assist for Everton.
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Ziyech is much better suited to English football than Klaassen though, and is averaging 3.3 successful dribbles per game and a remarkable 4.1 key passes per game.
Despite some concerns, most fans are excited about the reports, and some of the best Twitter reactions can be found below…
According to a report by Sky Sports, Everton are interested in signing Swansea City midfielder Ki Sung-Yueng on a free transfer this summer, and Toffees fans have been quick to have their say on the rumour.
Sky Sports says that the Merseyside outfit, along with four other Premier League clubs and AC Milan, are all keen on the 29-year-old, who has 99 international caps for South Korea, when his contract with the Welsh outfit expires at the end of the season.
If Ki did arrive at Goodison Park he would be competing with the likes of Idrissa Gueye, Morgan Schneiderlin and James McCarthy for a spot in the starting XI, and his arrival would potentially signal an exit for at least one of the club’s central midfielders.
Everton supporters, who have expressed their confusion on Twitter at the recent praise given to Schneiderlin, took to social media to give their thoughts on the story, and while one said “he is just as bad as Gylfi”, another said “he’s not what we need”.
Here is just a selection of the Twitter reaction…
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West Ham United will look to bounce back from their 4-1 defeat at Manchester City on Sunday afternoon when they travel to Leicester City this weekend.
The Hammers are still very much in the relegation mix, although one win from their final three Premier League matches of the season would surely be enough to stay in the division.
The goalkeeping position has been a big problem for West Ham this season, with neither Joe Hart nor Adrian really convincing for an extended period.
Adrian, who is said to be on £50,000 a week at the London Stadium, took on City on Sunday due to Hart’s ineligibility against his parent club, and the Spaniard is hoping to keep his position in the team for the clash with Leicester.
The West Ham fans, however, have not exactly welcomed the idea.
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Adrian and Hart have both taken a lot of stick this season, but the fact that neither has had a settled defence in front of them cannot have helped.
A selection of the Twitter reaction can be seen below:
Michael Carrick will join Manchester United’s coaching staff following his retirement at the end of the season and Jose Mourinho has revealed that he will field the Englishman against Watford on Sunday.
The Old Trafford club captain will lead the side out for a final time against the Hornets, by which time United will hope to have secured second place in the Premier League table, allowing Carrick to fully enjoy the occasion.
There might well be United fans who would not mind at all if the classy playmaker’s final game was not the clash with Javi Gracia’s side and was instead the FA Cup final against Chelsea the following week and the tributes have poured in to commemorate the move from Mourinho.
Mourinho’s decisions have not been universally popular this season but this is one call that Reds fans appear to agree with and we’ve taken a closer look at the best of the reaction. Some wanted him to have played more this term…
Manchester United ended their English Premier League season with a win on Sunday, defeating Watford 1-0 at Old Trafford.
Having drawn and lost their previous two matches, it was a welcome return winning ways for Jose Mourinho’s side, who will now prepare for a massive FA Cup Final against Chelsea on Saturday.
The solitary goal came from Marcus Rashford, who played through the middle as the side’s central striker.
Fans were pleased with the win but aspects of the performance were frustrating for them, with some players drawing criticism for being wasteful in the final third.
One of those was Alexis Sanchez, who has now gone three games without scoring or assisting.
Supporters are looking for more from the January signing and are hoping he can show the kind of quality he made his name at Arsenal with next season.
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They took to Twitter to share their thoughts on his Sunday display…
According to reports in The Mirror, West Ham United winger Michail Antonio is a summer transfer target for Premier League rivals Crystal Palace, and if the east London club are ready to sell the 28-year-old then Southampton should waste no time in bringing him back to St Mary’s for a second spell.
What’s the word, then?
Soccer Football – Premier League – Burnley vs West Ham United – Turf Moor, Burnley, Britain – October 14, 2017 West Ham United’s Michail Antonio celebrates scoring their first goal with Marko Arnautovic Action Images via Reuters/Lee Smith EDITORIAL USE ONLY. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or “live” services. Online in-match use limited to 75 images, no video emulation. No use in betting, games or single club/league/player publications. Ple
Well, The Mirror says that new Irons boss Manuel Pellegrini will be given any funds from players West Ham sell this summer, before reporting that Antonio is a target for the Eagles.
Whether that suggests they are willing to let him go or not remains to be seen, but they may well be tempted by the right offer for the versatile winger.
Meanwhile, Southampton and vice-chairman Les Reed, who can go from zero to hero among Saints fans if he delivers these three signings, will be looking to add to their squad this summer following a narrow brush with relegation, and having only scored 37 goals in their 38 Premier League matches they are likely to focus on bringing in attacking players – especially goalscoring wingers.
How did Antonio do this season?
It was a tough campaign for the England international as he suffered from three different injury issues, which restricted him to 21 Premier League appearances.
The 28-year-old had been one of his team’s biggest goal threats in 2016/17, but he struggled to replicate form last time out with three goals and one assist in those 21 outings.
Antonio certainly showed his versatility by playing in a number of different roles for the Irons however, including both wing-back roles, right-back and centre-forward along with his preferred position on the right wing.
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Would he be a good signing for Southampton?
He certainly would be.
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Antonio made a big impression during a loan spell with Saints back in the 2009/10 campaign, and he has clearly come on leaps and bounds since then.
The fact that he is strong, quick, direct and strong in the air would certainly mean that he would be an effective player going forward for them, and would cause opposition defenders more problems than the likes of Nathan Redmond, Dusan Tadic and Sofiane Boufal did this term.
While his frequent injury issues would be a slight concern, Southampton are aware that Antonio already knows the club well and would be a good fit for them as they look to avoid being in a relegation battle again next season.
Everton fans have been reacting to the news that Red Bull Leipzig want to sign Ademola Lookman permanently, and they’re adamant it would be a huge mistake.
With Marco Silva looking increasingly likely to join Everton (odds as low as 1/5), the rumour mill will be in overdrive this summer trying to figure out who will join Silva’s Goodison revolution… and who will leave it.
The arrival of PSV man Marcel Brands as the new director of football is only intensifying the transfer links, as players like PSV’s Hirving Lozano, Watford’s Richarlison, and Stoke City’s Xherdan Shaqiri have all been linked with moves to Goodison.
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One thing that seems crystal clear is that the Toffees are looking to bolster their attack this summer, but it’s a player they already have that’s on all the fans’ minds this week.
Ademola Lookman has had very few chances since joining from Charlton in January 2017, but the overwhelming majority of fans opted to keep him when polled last week.
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Now, a report from the Liverpool Echo claims Leipzig will move to sign him permanently this summer, after the 20 year-old grabbed five goals and three assists in his short stay in Germany.
Fans will clearly be furious if the club allows Lookman to leave, and you can find some of the best Twitter reactions down below…
According to The Chronicle, Newcastle United could move for Stoke City midfielder Badou Ndiaye in this summer’s transfer window.
What’s the story?
Ndiaye only joined Stoke from Galatasaray in the January transfer window, with the Potters paying the best part of £14m to sign the midfielder.
The 27-year-old could not prevent the English club from being relegated to the Championship, however, and his future is now being called into question.
According to The Chronicle, Newcastle were also interested in Ndiaye in January, and are ready to offer the powerful midfielder, who is valued at £13.5m by transfermarkt.co.uk, an immediate return to the Premier League.
Sporx have claimed that Ndiaye has a relegation release clause in his Stoke deal, and it would be a major surprise if he remained with the now Championship club this summer.
Should Newcastle make a move?
As mentioned above, Ndiaye could not prevent Stoke from being relegated last season, but there is no question that he made a positive impression in the Premier League.
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Indeed, the midfielder, who is currently with the Senegal squad at the 2018 World Cup, scored twice in 13 Premier League appearances in the second half of the 2017-18 campaign.
His powerful running and clever use of the ball would have caught the eye of a number of clubs, and Newcastle’s reported interest is certainly not a surprise.
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It is unlikely that the Magpies would have to break the bank to sign Ndiaye this summer, and there is no question that he would complement the likes of Mohamed Diame and Jonjo Shelvey in the middle of the park.
That said, it might well be that Rafael Benitez’s side, who have also been linked with Sporting Lisbon’s Carlos Mane, have to fight a number of clubs for Ndiaye’s signature if he enjoys a strong World Cup in Russia.