All posts by n8rngtd.top

Wolves will be looking to get back to winning ways as they head to north London to battle Arsenal this evening.

Nuno Santo’s side were held to a 1-1 draw by Southampton on Monday, meaning they have won just one of their last four Premier League outings.

For the first time at the Midlands club, the Portuguese boss named a back four over his usual 3-4-3/3-5-2 system due to the absence of skipper Conor Coady.

The Gunners, however, come into this on the back of an emphatic win in Europe on Thursday evening, so what sort of Wolves side will we see at the Emirates?

Here’s the XI we are predicting…

Nuno could make as many as three changes knowing a win for either side would push them back towards the top seven.

He should be able to welcome back his talismanic captain to the starting line up. He was able to play against the Saints, but wasn’t risked due to a lack of game time in the build-up.

Coady will take his place in the middle of a back three, in between Willy Boly and Max Kilman whilst Nelson Semedo continues at right wing-back. However, the £22.5m-rated England international’s return leaves a decision to make on the left.

Rayan Ait-Nouri may well be dropped for the experience of Marcal.

In midfield, the switch back to a two-man engine room means someone needs to be axed and after an underwhelming showing last week, it’s Ruben Neves who gets the chop, meaning Joao Moutinho will pair Leander Dendoncker.

The final change could see Pedro Neto handed a start having been dropped against the Saints. He delivered the crucial assist for Raul Jimenez to tie things up, his fourth goal contribution of the season.

He is likely to come in for Adama Traore, who hasn’t scored or assisted since the Bournemouth win back in June.

It means Daniel Podence keeps his place with the Portuguese duo playing in behind the Old Gold marksman, Jimenez, once again.

AND in other news, Forget Silva: Wolves may have striking sensation in “outstanding prospect”…

Manchester United will be well aware they have a mountain to climb if they are to challenge defending champions Liverpool for the Premier League this season.

Although the Red Devils are expecting a relatively quiet January transfer window, the board could be tempted to make a move for a signing should the opportunity arise to sign one of their top targets in the upcoming market.

With United’s finances restricted due to the coronavirus pandemics, perhaps Ed Woodward could be tempted to raise surplus cash by offloading some of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s fringe players.

You’d have to imagine that Phil Jones and Andreas Pereira, who is currently on loan at Serie A side Lazio, will be among the first names on the chopping block.

However, Solskjaer must bite the bullet and urge Woodward to cash in on Jesse Lingard, with the £100,000-per-week United outcast bleeding the Glazers dry.

Reports in recent times revealed that Solskjaer is looking to sell Lingard as soon as possible, but a move never materialised up until now.

Glasgow Rangers, Celtic, and teams from Germany, Spain and Italy are all interested in the former England international, according to TEAMtalk, which is perhaps hardly surprising given his experience.

The one-time Premier League champion has scored 33 goals and supplied 20 assists in over 200 appearances for the Red Devils in all competitions, via Transfermarkt.

But the versatile forward, who predominantly plays as a right winger, hasn’t played a single game in the Premier League or the Champions League so far this season and despite being fit has been left out of the matchday squads for the past nine fixtures in the top flight.

His playing time solely been limited to just two appearances in the EFL Cup, where he failed to record a single goal or register a single assist against Luton, despite playing the full 90′ minutes, which only goes to show that he may be heading for the Old Trafford exit.

Despite his shortcomings, the 28-year-old still earns more than Daniel James and Mason Greenwood, despite the fact the pair have played more regularly than Lingard.

It’s surely a no brainer at this stage for Woodward to simply cut his losses once and for all, as he’s costing the Glazers a fortune by being an unused substitute on the bench, and the money may be best spent elsewhere instead, like signing a new centre-back.

AND in other news, Paul Pogba stole the show for Solskjaer as Man Utd edged past Sheffield United…

Glasgow Rangers are back in action this afternoon as they travel to take on Dundee United at Tannadice for their first game in the Scottish Premiership since the 4-nil rout of Ross County last weekend.

Steven Gerrard’s side beat Lech Poznan in Poland to win Group D of the Europa League on Thursday night as the Ibrox boss took the opportunity to rotate his squad, so several key men are set to return to the starting XI.

The Gers hold a 13-point lead over Celtic at the top of the table and will be looking to build on their sizeable advantage when they face the Terrors, who lost at Livingston last weekend, which ended their unbeaten run of six games.

With that in mind, here is our predicted starting line-up for this afternoon’s action, which sees Gerrard ring seven changes to the side that beat Poznan in midweek.

Allan McGregor will replace Jon McLaughlin between the sticks, as he is Gerrard’s trusted man for the big occasion.

Connor Goldson is expected to continue at centre-back, although fit-again Filip Helander may push for a recall, with Leon Balogun dropping to the bench.

Borna Barisic will most likely start at left-back as usual, whilst the ever-reliable James Tavernier will replace Nathan Patterson, despite the teenage prodigy impressing in his European debut on Thursday night.

New summer recruit Bongani Zungu offered little against Lech Poznan, so switching Joe Aribo to the left of the centre circle and bringing Steven Davis back into the midfield should be a tempting option, with Scott Arfield also likely to start, having scored four goals in his past seven games in all competitions, via Transfermarkt.

Cedric Itten could be in contention to start with Alfredo Morelos still struggling for form, but the Colombia international is likely to lead the line, with Ryan Kent and Kemar Roofe slotting into place alongside him on the wings.

This means there is no room for Ianis Hagi, who will have to settle for a place on the bench.

AND in other news, Rangers boss Steven Gerrard must unleash Steven Davis vs Dundee…

Liverpool extend their lead at the top of the Premier League table as they secure their top spot ahead of Christmas. An emphatic 7-0 win over Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park has sent their title rivals a huge message as they defend their league title.

It was a day full of statements as Roberto Firmino scored for his second consecutive game, impressing the boss with two goals and an assist. Another man who was difficult to ignore this afternoon was Takumi Minamino, who earned a rare start ahead of Mohamed Salah.

Minamino masterclass

It took Liverpool just three minutes before they were on the front foot against Palace. Little did they know, it would open up the floodgates for a demolishing.

It was Minamino, who earns £75,000-a-week, who found the back of the net first, latching onto a ball from Sadio Mane to give the Reds an early lead. The former Red Bull Salzburg man slotted perfectly into the lineup, despite being limited to his time on the pitch this season.

According to Sofascore, the 25-year-old completed 100% of his dribbles and won three of his six attempted ground duels. He also missed a big chance to score his second goal of the game in the second half, which just highlights further how much of a problem he was for Roy Hodgson’s defence.

Despite being an underrated member of the team, his colleagues are more than aware of his attacking threat. Joe Gomez recently described him as an “unbelievable addition” to the Merseyside outfit.

Since the arrival of Diogo Jota in the summer, Liverpool are heavily stacked with their attacking options. Many are fighting for their spot in the starting lineup and Minamino ensured he did not waste this rare opportunity. His performance in such an influential win will have pricked up Jurgen Klopp’s ears and the Japanese international will be hoping that he has done enough to warrant more starts in the Premier League this campaign.

In other news, Liverpool should cash in on Divock Origi amidst Wolves interest…

When Raul Jimenez fractured his skull against Arsenal, Jeff Shi would have immediately opened the notes page on his phone.

With Fabio Silva still incredibly raw and failing to find the back of the net, he realised that Wolves needed to sign another striker.

That appears to be the primary objective in the January transfer window with Patrick Cutrone returning from his loan spell with Fiorentina and a host of targets being linked.

Divock Origi and Diego Costa are two names who have been on the club’s radar but one report this week suggested they could target Montpellier’s Gaetan Laborde.

The Frenchman has contributed to 11 goals this season and wins an impressive 3.8 aerial duels per game. With that in mind, he’d be a superb replacement for the injured Jimenez. Laborde puts himself about and scores goals in the process. What’s not to like?

Well, his performance in a 1-1 draw with Nantes at the weekend won’t have done himself many favours, because in short, it was an absolute horror show. The forward was alienated and barely received any service, failing to show the robust signs we’re accustomed to seeing from him.

On Saturday, Laborde made just 13 passes all game – only four more than John Ruddy against Crystal Palace – and he lost possession on 13 occasions.

Every time the ball came to him, he appeared to lose it or completely fail to do anything positive. He was dribbled past on three occasions and he also made three fouls in a display where everything appeared to go wrong for Laborde.

The 26-year-old is a fierce warrior and usually battles for the ball impressively – just like Jimenez. However, that part of his game was completely lacking on Saturday as he lost 12 of the 15 duels contested.

This was a very out of sorts display from Laborde and if he does want to seal a dream move to the Premier League, he’ll need to eradicate this type of performance.

We’ve suggested in the past that the striker would be ideal for Wolves, but consistency is one thing he now has to work on. With Shi needing to get someone in quickly, he won’t have been impressed.

AND in other news, Wolves can land huge Silva upgrade in 9-goal beast, he’s on his “way to the top”…

Ahead of the January transfer window, West Brom were linked with a move for the out-of-favour Jesse Lingard and the Midlands outfit may need to strike soon if they are to stand a chance of securing him.

Indeed, The Mirror named the Baggies among several top-flight teams interested in signing him on loan last month as he enters the final six months of his contract.

But now this week, Sky Sports have claimed that Lingard’s representatives have held initial discussions with Ligue 1 outfit Nice with an official approach likely in the coming seven days.

It leaves Albion’s sporting director Luke Dowling with a decision to make otherwise he risks letting a mooted target go elsewhere.

Sam Allardyce should ultimately be keen to add someone of Lingard’s pedigree considering he’s crying out for experience and despite only being 27, he’s featured 133 times in the Premier League, and that’s ignoring his 39 appearances in UEFA’s European competitions, per Transfermarkt.

Not to mention the fact that he’s won an FA Cup, League Cup and a Europa League trophy too.

The winger has enjoyed many a battle against West Brom too, contributing towards three goals from four appearances against them, including one game that saw him terrorise current captain Jake Livermore in the no.10 role back in 2017/18.

Lingard scored and made 91% of his passes and enjoyed 56 touches, which was more than the usually-influential Marcus Rashford. As a result, the Baggies skipper managed the game’s lowest rating (6.2) per SofaScore – he simply couldn’t contain him, managing to win just one of six duels.

That versatility could also prove vital to Big Sam as he’s able to play anywhere behind the striker and let’s be honest, you can’t continually rely on Matheus Pereira as the sole creative outlet.

Despite only starting nine times this term, Lingard has still averaged 0.9 key passes per game, which would rank him second in the Baggies squad behind the Brazilian playmaker for chances created.

Adding depth in this department could be game-changing for their survival fortunes, which is why Lingard should be atop their priorities, even more so if this Nice rumour is to be believed.

What is also great about the United outcast is the fact that he’d offer something different too, as seen by Michael Carrick’s praise. He dubbed the England international a “unique” talent, claiming: “I think his movement – he moves off the ball very well. It’s something that sounds quite simple, but it’s difficult to defend against.”

Valued at just £9m by Transfermarkt, Lingard’s reported wages of £75k-per-week could prove to be a major stumbling block, though they do have room for one more domestic loan and that would certainly suit the coffers at the Hawthorns.

The Telegraph’s John Percy warned against any permanent fees in excess of £2m this window.

He’s versatile, creative and has the experience Allardyce is longing for, a swoop for Lingard this month would make the world of sense for Albion, and someone of this quality could well revive them from their floundering plight.

Dowling must sanction this move.

AND in other news, West Brom can finally replace Nathan Ferguson with £65k-p/w “top player”…

David Moyes has declared aspirations of winning the FA Cup with West Ham United but is keen to strike a balance with their Premier League campaign ahead of facing Doncaster Rovers on Saturday.

A Hammers win at the London Stadium this weekend will see the club reach the fifth round of the competition for the first time in five seasons, after losing to West Bromwich Albion, AFC Wimbledon, Wigan Athletic and Manchester City in recent years.

Moyes will be looking to end the Irons’ torrid run by naming as strong a side as possible against their League One opposition, though is aware of the need to afford a rest for those who have featured frequently already this term.

“I want to win the FA Cup if I can, I really do,” Moyes said. “I want to be strong in the cup competitions, but I’ve also got to be mindful of the amount of games we’re playing. I think it’s really beginning to take its toll on so many clubs. We’ve been good with injuries and I want to keep it that way.”

So, with that in mind, here’s a potential line-up West Ham could name as they look to repeat their successes of the 2015/16 campaign, when they ventured as far as the quarter-finals…

Arthur Masuaku is West Ham’s sole injury concern ahead of Saturday’s FA Cup tie as the DR Congo international continues his rehabilitation from knee surgery.

Michail Antonio may be afforded a rest after starting the Hammers’ last two Premier League fixtures amid his return from a second hamstring injury of the campaign, with Moyes keen to find a balance between relying on his sole senior centre-forward and allowing him time to rediscover his best form.

“I think there’s part of Michail Antonio that needs a rhythm,” the Irons boss said. “I think if you look at his best form, he sometimes needs to get picked up when he’s a bit rusty at the start, but then he gets into full flow.”

Antonio sitting out the Doncaster affair may allow youth striker Mipo Odubeko the chance to earn his first senior start, with the 18-year-old having made his Irons debut from the bench in the third round win over Stockport County earlier this month.

Fellow Hammers academy graduate Ben Johnson may also expect to start at home to Doncaster after opening the Stockport win, partnering Angelo Ogbonna and Craig Dawson at the back as Moyes opts to retain his current centre-back pairing who have kept four clean sheets in their last five games together.

Ryan Fredericks will hope to be given a rare appearance as he pushes for greater minutes, with the £40,000-per-week full-back having played only 91 minutes across all competitions since September.

Darren Randolph will also be expected to start in goal after recording shut outs in West Ham’s 1-0 wins over Stockport and Everton earlier this month.

Said Benrahma has begun to settle at West Ham following his loan move from Brentford in the previous transfer window, and will be expected to once again start in the forward midfield line in search of his first goal in claret and blue.

Pablo Fornals and Andriy Yarmolenko could offer further senior experience in behind youth star Odubeko, if favoured over Antonio.

Mark Noble may also be recalled to partner Tomas Soucek – who sat out the Stockport win – to allow Declan Rice a rare break, having featured in all but two of West Ham’s 23 matches across all competitions this season.

AND in other news – Exclusive: Pundit drops verdict on West Ham’s interest in a lethal striker adored by a Moyes favourite.

Carlo Ancelotti has confirmed Everton will be without Alex Iwobi against Sheffield Wednesday after ruling a string of players out of the FA Cup fourth round tie.

The Toffees welcome Neil Thompson’s Championship strugglers to Goodison Park on Sunday night looking to reach the fifth round of the competition for the first time in five seasons.

The Owls are 23rd in the second-tier and only four points above basement boys Wycombe Wanderers, though are enjoying their best run of form since September with four wins and a draw across all competitions.

Top-scorer Dominic Calvert-Lewin missed Everton’s third round win over Rotherham United with a hamstring injury but is likely to start against Sheffield Wednesday, after a 12-day break between fixtures gifted the England international a prolonged period of rest.

But Ancelotti had sombre news to share on Iwobi and a crew of his Blues teammates while speaking ahead of Sunday night’s FA Cup showdown.

“We have Dominic available for the game,” the Italian tactician said. “Unfortunately, we have some players out like [Jean-Philippe] Gbamin, Allan, [Fabian] Delph, [Lucas] Digne, Iwobi and [Niels] Nkounkou.

“Iwobi and Digne will be unavailable for only this game – they will be available for the game against Leicester. The other players are in good condition and are ready to play this game and to compete. This competition is really important for us.”

Iwobi scored his second goal of the season in all competitions during Everton’s 2-1 Premier League win at Wolverhampton Wanderers last time out, ending the 24-year-old’s 499-day drought in the top-flight.

Ancelotti ruling Iwobi out of the FA Cup will likely now see the Italian forced to go for broke in hopes of beating Sheffield Wednesday, with the Italian having to rely on players he may have rather seen rested ahead of hosting Leicester City on Wednesday night.

The Foxes affair will be crucial for the Toffees’ hopes of qualifying for the Champions League by the end of the season, with Brendan Rodgers’ side currently third in the Premier League standings but having played two games more than the Goodison Park natives.

But if Ancelotti wishes to prove the FA Cup’s importance, he will now be expected to rely on either James Rodriguez or Richarlison to bring the width and creativity from the right-wing, which saw Iwobi prove to be the true hero of the Blues’ 2-1 win over Wolves earlier this month.

Richarlison was only deemed fit enough for a place on the bench at Molineux, while Rodriguez played 86 minutes in his first top-flight start since returning from a calf injury.

The £90,000-per-week Colombian also played 95 minutes in Everton’s third round win over Rotherham, of which Richarlison played no part after the £90k-p/w Brazilian was ruled unfit.

Ancelotti must now back one of the high-earning duo to guide Everton through to the fifth round, even if the former Chelsea boss would rather have kept them both fighting fit ready for the Foxes’ visit.

AND in other news, Everton are demanding no less than £9m to sell a Carlo Ancelotti outcast this month.

Southampton are reportedly interested in signing Arsenal’s Ainsley Maitland-Niles this month as they look to add reinforcements in defence but look to have been handed a blow in their pursuit of the 23-year-old, as he prefers a move to West Brom.

According to Sky Sports, Southampton and Arsenal entered preliminary talks over a six-month loan deal that would see the England international move to St Mary’s, but it is West Brom who are currently leading the race.

Maitland-Niles wants to play regular football, in midfield, which is perhaps something Ralph Hasenhuttl cannot offer at present, due to the form of James Ward-Prowse and Ibrahima Diallo, with Oriol Romeu also set to return from injury.

If he were to join Southampton, you would imagine he would play second fiddle to both Ryan Bertrand and Kyle Walker-Peters in the full-back positions, having played there regularly during his time at the Emirates.

He has previously admitted that he is a midfielder rather than a full-back, so you can understand why he might favour a move to relegation-threatened West Brom, where is more likely to get minutes in his favoured position.

However, this comes as a blow to the Austrian, who has already allowed back-up left-back Jake Vokins to leave on loan this month, whilst Yan Valery is currently the only fit right-back, with Walker-Peters sidelined through injury at this moment in time.

Maitland-Niles would have been an excellent player to have, therefore, as he can cover both right-back and left-back, and has plenty of experience doing so, having made 121 appearances for the Gunners in his career thus far.

Therefore, unless Hasenhuttl can convince him to make the move to St Mary’s, it looks as if the Austrian will have to look elsewhere for defensive cover, and considering that time of the window is running out, that is undoubtedly a blow for the Saints.

And, in other news… Saints transfer stance on 23 y/o is baffling for two reasons; he surely could’ve helped Ralph

Newcastle head to Manchester United on Sunday with four players missing through injury and with Steve Bruce facing a selection dilemma upfront.

The Magpies will once again be without 10-goal top-scorer Callum Wilson due to the deep hamstring tear he sustained against Southampton, while Fabian Schar remains some weeks away from a return due to knee ligament damage.

Bruce is in need of an extremely rare win over the Red Devils this weekend after Fulham closed the gap to the Magpies and Premier League safety to just three points after beating fellow relegation-threatened side Sheffield United 1-0 on Saturday.

But Bruce – who played for 251 times Manchester United – has only beaten the Old Trafford natives once in his career as a head coach. So, as the 60-year-old looks to avoid a 20th defeat in 26 meetings, here’s a potential line-up the Newcastle boss could name…

Bruce opted to field Miguel Almiron in a makeshift false nine role at Chelsea on Monday night following the Paraguayan’s brace at home to Southampton and will be expected to persist with the 27-year-old occupying a central position against Manchester United.

Dwight Gayle would have hoped to see his name selected as cover for Wilson but failed to light up the stage at Stamford Bridge while forced out onto the wing. And should now see Ryan Fraser come in for only his seventh Premier League start in black and white, with the ex-AFC Bournemouth maestro able to offer the Toon width and creativity at Old Trafford.

Allan Saint-Maximin will be due a third-straight top-flight start for the first time since November, with support on the left-channel from Jamal Lewis, who recorded the most touches by a Newcastle player at Stamford Bridge with 62 earlier this week.

Jonjo Shelvey has opened 15 of his 16 Premier League appearances and captained the Magpies on five occasions this season, yet he should see his name omitted from the starting line-up at Old Trafford after producing a lazy and often uninterested performance against Chelsea.

His absence from the XI could afford Jeff Hendrick a return following his one-game suspension but should rather be taken by Paul Dummett after Bruce stated that the defender is in contention to start against Manchester United.

“We’ll need his experience and know-how,” Bruce said, via quotes by Chronicle Live. “We’re also mindful of just throwing him in there. Since Southampton, he’s trained another week, and the more sessions he does, the better. He’s there or thereabouts.”

Ciaran Clark and Jamaal Lascelles will expect to retain their places at centre-half, potentially beside Dummett, and line-up behind midfielders Isaac Hayden and Joe Willock.

Bruce had hoped to see Federico Fernandez be passed fit to face Manchester United but has ruled the Argentine out for a further week with a calf injury, joining Wilson, Schar and Javier Manquillo in the treatment room.

Emil Krafth took Manquillo’s place in the starting line-up at Chelsea but ‘took an ear bashing’ from Bruce for his performance and should now be replaced by Jacob Murphy after the £25k-per-week dynamo’s efforts at right-back earlier in the season.

Karl Darlow will expect to retain his position in goal despite claims Martin Dubravka is unhappy with his understudy status since returning from a cracked heel bone after Bruce defended his goalkeeper decision.

“He’s been very professional, but that doesn’t mean he’s happy [with not playing], and I wouldn’t expect him to be,” Bruce said of Dubravka. “I’ve stayed with Karl because I think he deserves it – all season, we’ve said how well he’s played, but I need that competition.”

AND in other news, Newcastle are facing a dilemma over the future of a £40k-p/w ace set to be the subject of a tempting offer…