All posts by h716a5.icu

Liverpool got themselves right in the mix for a sixth Champions League title this week with a superb showing in Munich to move into the quarter finals of Europe’s premier competition.

The Reds, led by the ever impressive attacking trio of Mo Salah, Sadio Mane, and Bobby Firmino, delivered a display which showed just why there are considered one of the best in the world at the moment, and manager Jurgen Klopp will now be desperate to land a trophy.

However, we here in the Tavern feel that a lack of January additions might be something the club look back on if they do end up with nothing in the trophy cabinet, and it’s something the Reds might well look to address come the summer.

And one man we feel would be a superb signing is former Southampton midfielder Dusan Tadic, who has been demonstrating form for Ajax which has got heads across the continent turning.

The 30-year-old, who often flattered to deceive during his time with the Saints, is showing the ability which plenty of coaches and scouts always knew he had in the locker, and a move to Liverpool would give him a chance to once again prove it at the highest level.

Tadic is a superb attacking midfield player, and unlike the rest of Liverpool’s famed attacking trio, is more focused on his technique and ability to prize defences open rather than raw pace and power.

Liverpool are going to need numbers to ensure they can continue to challenge on all fronts going forward, and the addition of someone like Tadic would be a fine piece of business for the club.

Reds fans, do you agree? Let us know in the comments!

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Aston Villa attacker Keinan Davis made his first Championship appearance of the season in his team’s 3-0 win over Middlesbrough on Saturday afternoon.

Ahead of the weekend, Davis’ only first-team football this season arrived when he was handed 18 minutes against Swansea City in the third round of the FA Cup back in January.

It has been a frustrating campaign due to injury, but the 21-year-old now seems ready to play his part for Dean Smith’s side between now and the end of the season.

Davis has played on 38 occasions for Villa’s first team – scoring three times – and is not exactly a newbie, but the team have been unable to call upon his services for the majority of this campaign.

The Villa fans are certainly excited to have the attacker back in action, however, with many taking to social media to reveal their views on the former England Under-20 international.

A selection of the Twitter reaction can be seen below:

When Leeds United signed Kiko Casilla from Real Madrid in the January transfer window, Bailey Peacock-Farrell must have thought that his chances of representing the club this season where all-but over.

The Spanish goalkeeper’s arrival at Elland Road was a clear signal from manager Marcelo Bielsa that he didn’t trust the 22-year-old after witnessing a number of shaky performances in recent months. However, after ten consecutive appearances for Casilla in the Championship, his red card against Sheffield United means that he will miss the next three games for the Whites, giving Peacock-Farrell another chance to impress.

Expected to start later against Millwall, the Leeds academy graduate will have taken confidence from his recent outings for Northern Ireland where he was very impressive in his country’s Euro 2020 qualifiers victories over Estonia and Belarus. If Peacock-Farrell can replicate this form over the next three fixtures for the Whites, he could force Bielsa to make a decision over who should be number one choice for the Championship’s crescendo.

Casilla’s experience of being a part of Los Blancos’ recent success will still make him favourite to return for the club’s clash against Sheffield Wednesday on April 13th but looking at the bigger picture, a superb showing from the main competitor for his position could force him to up his performance which will only benefit Leeds in the long-term. A poor outing however by Peacock-Farrell will not only dent his hopes of representing the club in the future but could also spell disaster for the Whites’ dream of automatic promotion in May.

With Sheffield United and Norwich City showing no signs of slowing up this season, there is hardly any margin for error for Leeds whatsoever and so Bielsa knows that his entire squad has to be at their best over the next eight games to secure a top-two finish.

What do you think Leeds fans? Are you confident that Peacock-Farrell can make a successful return for your side? Or will he crack under pressure? Let us know below.

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Celtic dealt with St Mirren comfortably on Wednesday night, but the performance of Oliver Burke revealed a glaring weakness in the Bhoys squad that Brendan Rodgers failed to address.

Tim Weah took just 15 minutes to open the scoring at The Simple Digital Arena on Wednesday, heading in from close range after Burke had missed a great chance.

The Hoops then dominated most of the match without much reward, as Olivier Ntcham saw his first half penalty saved.

Although Ryan Christie popped up with a late goal, the performance once again showed that the club is absolutely crying out for some depth at centre forward.

On the chalkboard

In Odsonne Edouard, Celtic have their main goalscoring threat secured for years to come. The youngster is lightning quick, extremely composed and most of all he just knows how to stick the ball in the net.

You can’t survive with just one striker though, and as soon as the Frenchman drops to the bench Neil Lennon is quite literally out of options up front, evidenced by the woeful showing of Burke at St Mirren, who to be fair was playing out of position.

Even Rangers have three genuine striking options in Alfredo Morelos, Jermain Defoe and Kyle Lafferty. This is not to say that the Hoops are worse off, just that it is important to have different types of goalscorers in your side.

Rodgers brought in Burke, Weah and Vakoun Issouf Bayo in January to fix the issue, with all three expected to add goals to the side. However, Bayo has featured just once, and the two youngsters are only at the club on a temporary basis, so the problem is most definitely not solved.

People often talk about managers “playing favourites”, and for too long both Rodgers and Lennon have stuck with players like Scott Sinclair when they should have been looking to bring in fresh blood to compete up top.

Rodgers tried and failed to address it in January, and Celtic must now place a deputy for Edouard at the top of their summer shopping list. In fact, the 21 year-old will suffer if they don’t as he simply cannot keep up with the sheer amount of games that comes with being in four competitions.

Look at Harry Kane, the Spurs striker is constantly picking up ankle injuries simply because the deficiencies in their striking department means he has to play every single game whenever fit. Edouard will suffer a similar fate if the Bhoys do not address this.

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Sky Sports pundit and former professional footballer Stuart Pearce has tipped Liverpool centre-back Virgil van Dijk to do the unthinkable next season – get stronger.

What’s he said, then?

Despite inducing plenty of critics when the deal was made, the world-record £75 million transfer to bring then-Southampton defender Van Dijk to Anfield in January 2018 is now looking like a stroke of pure genius from Jurgen Klopp.

Making the big step up to a top-six side, the Dutch international has gone from strength to strength, especially this season when he’s been arguably his team’s most important player as they battle it out with Manchester City for a first Premier League title.

Speaking on Sky Sports’ The Debate Podcast at 35:47, ex-England man Pearce had the following to say on the 27-year-old:

“Sometimes if you are big, strong and quick you can almost play a yard out of position and full well you can recover that position very quickly, but that (perfect positioning) will come with maturity.

“I think he’ll get stronger next year.”

The only way is up for The Flying Dutchman

Whilst Pearce’s comments seem a little far fetched, given just how brilliant Van Dijk has been for the Merseysiders at times this campaign, they are actually bang on the money.

It’s almost unthinkable to imagine the former Southampton man playing at a higher level, but his exponential development since moving to Merseyside suggests Pearce’s prediction could turn prophetic in the 2019/20 campaign.

In football, like any trade, there is always room for improvement and, in spite of many already proclaiming that Van Dijk is the best defender on the planet, the only way is up for the Dutchman.

It’s scary to think that a star of his capabilities could have some room for improvement but, as Pearce has alluded to, he definitely does.

The challenge from here for the centre-half will undoubtedly revolve around his bid to step up yet another level next season.

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Garth Crooks has criticised Jurgen Klopp’s treatment of Jordan Henderson, and has cited the German’s decision to relegate his captain to the bench as reason to slam the Liverpool boss.

The England international has started three of the Reds’ last six Premier League games amongst the subs, and wasn’t even in the squad for the recent trip to Fulham due to an ankle injury.

Despite being the club captain, Henderson has started just 16 league games, whilst making 11 appearances from the bench, and his celebration after scoring the game-winning goal against Southampton showed just how much being in the team means to him.

Are the media letting Jurgen Klopp off lightly for his lack of silverware? The Pl>ymaker FC squad have their say in the video below…

What did Crooks say?

Writing in his Team of the Week column, the BBC pundit said: “Captain fantastic took to the stage against Southampton and told Jurgen Klopp where he can stick his position on the bench.

“Jordan Henderson had every right to feel elated, having replaced Georginio Wijnaldum and then scored a goal to put the game well beyond the Saints.

“Personally, I think Henderson has been treated rather harshly with Klopp relegating him to substitute. But it may have just got that extra impetus out of him and taken Liverpool one step nearer to that elusive title.”

Does he have a point?

Despite appearing from the bench to basically win the game for the Reds against Southampton, it is difficult to find a space for Henderson in the starting eleven despite his obvious talent.

He proved against the Saints that he can make an impact further up the field, but Liverpool don’t tend to play with a centre-attacking midfielder – Roberto Firmino’s false nine position is preferred to this option.

In central-midfield and defensive-midfield, Klopp has the ever impressive Fabinho, as well as the vital cog that is Gini Wijnaldum, whilst he often rotates the remaining midfield position between James Milner, Adam Lallana and Henderson, with Naby Keita finally coming into his own too.

In this respect, it is difficult for the former Borussia Dortmund boss to incorporate Henderson into his team on a regular basis, especially seeing as the Sunderland academy graduate doesn’t offer the level of performance that he put in at St Mary’s on a more regular basis.

It is easy for Crooks to slam Klopp for not playing his skipper, but when you’re attempting to win the title and you’re in the Champions League quarter-finals, you have to rotate your squad from time to time.

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West Ham United are lining up a move for Inter Milan winger Ivan Perisic, per Gazzetta dello Sport.

The Croatia international has been linked with a number of Premier League clubs in recent months.

What’s the word?

Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal are also listed as potential suitors for Perisic by the aforementioned report but the Hammers are claimed to have joined the chase.

Gazzetta claim that the Gunners made a bid for Perisic in January, though a deal was not completed.

And Inter are now said to be expecting concrete bids for the 3o-year-old, who has scored six goals and laid on eight assists in 38 appearances thus far this season.

Perisic, an experienced campaigner, helped Croatia to the World Cup final in the summer, scoring in the semi-final win over England.

It remains to be seen if West Ham can beat off the competition to secure the veteran forward this summer, however.

Root and branch reform

West Ham simply must rethink their transfer strategy.

A move for a 30-year-old whose powers are waning makes very little sense. It must be said that Spurs and the Gunners would not be improved by his arrival, either.

But this again smacks of West Ham attempting to sign a player who can shift some shirts and temporarily raise the excitement levels inside the London Stadium.

As it is, they need to invest in youth. The likes of Pablo Zabaleta, Mark Noble and Javier Hernandez are all 30 or over and will need replacing soon.

Bringing in Perisic artificially fills a gap for a short period of time, but it is not worth it, and the Irons should instead be looking for players under the age of 27, yet to approach their peak.

Signing Perisic would be yet another example of the Irons being so desperate to prove their status as a big operator in the market that they ignore what really matters.

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According to Portuguese outlet, Record, Wolves target Rafa Camacho is attracting the interest of both Borussia Dortmund and RB Leipzig. With this in mind, should the Midlands club follow up on their own interest?

What’s the word?

Back in early April, Goal claimed that Liverpool were fielding interest from the likes of Wolves for Camacho. However, he’s now being linked to two top European clubs in Dortmund and Leipzig by Record.

The 18-year-old’s contract ends in 2020 and as a result, the Merseysiders might well be looking to cash in on him this summer, rather than risk losing him for nothing. This is the case especially after his contract talks reportedly stalled earlier in the month according to Sky Sports.

Camacho hinted at a possible rift at Liverpool last week, posting comments on Instagram saying: “I do not know whose idea it is, but I will prove that they are mistaken about my football. I’m not a right defender, I’m an attacker who scores goals.”

This came after he scored a hat-trick for the club’s U23 side versus Leicester.

Camacho wouldn’t suit Wolves

The versatile Portuguese starlet has played at right-back for Liverpool’s senior team in the past which suggests he could play in a wing-back role for Wolves.

It’s a role he’d likely be very accomplished in given his attributes. However, the fact Camacho himself has stressed that he’s an attack-minded player suggests he wouldn’t particularly fancy playing further back.

This means that any interest Wolves have in the player should be forgotten about. Nuno Santo doesn’t play with wingers in his system and, therefore, it makes it difficult to see Camacho fitting into the side at Molineux.

Unless Nuno decides to change the way Wolves play, then the club should focus their attention on developing another Portuguese talent in Ruben Vinagre, who is already at the club.

It is now or never for Middlesbrough and their hopes of securing a play-off place in the Championship.

Tony Pulis’ side are currently seventh in the league standings but are level of points with Derby County and know that if they can win their final two matches against Reading and Rotherham United, they may be able to extend their season past the 46-game mark.

Although the Smoggies will be confident of securing maximum points against a pair of teams who are both at threat of being relegated to the third tier, it is inevitable that one player, in particular, will have to be at his very best over the next week.

By far the most influential character at the Riverside Stadium, Darren Randolph has been nothing short of sensational for Middlesbrough this season with his outstanding level of consistency earning him a deserved place in the Professional Footballers’ Association’s Championship Team of the Year (via Sky Sports).

The Republic of Ireland international has kept a remarkable total of 19 clean sheets in 44 appearances for his side this season which has only been bettered by Sheffield United’s Dean Henderson (20).

However, whereas the Blades ‘keeper has played in a side boasting the likes of Billy Sharp, David McGoldrick and Oliver Norwood, it could be argued that Randolph is the most important player for Middlesbrough as, without him, they would be nowhere the play-off places.

Therefore, given the impact that the 31-year-old has made since joining from West Ham United in 2017, it is imperative that Pulis does everything in his power to keep him at the club next season.

Despite being contracted until 2021, the £4.05m-rated shot-stopper (via Transfermarkt) could be the subject of considerable interest in the summer due to his stunning performances for Middlesbrough and may have his head turned if his side miss out on the play-offs.

With the Smoggies’ future heavily reliant on whether Randolph stays at the club, it may be beneficial for Pulis to deter interest from elsewhere by offering him an extension to his current deal at the end of the season.

What do you think Smoggies fans? How important is it to keep Randolph at the Riverside in the summer? Would you still be in play-off contention without his contributions? Let us know below.

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Eric Bailly has endured a torrid season at Manchester United, with injuries limiting him to just 18 appearances in all-competitions.

The 25-year-old defender has been bookmarked as a potential rock to marshal United’s defence in the years to come, but his progress has been stunted by injury problems.

He managed to start against Chelsea last Sunday, however, before he was withdrawn after 71 minutes with an injury problem.

It has since transpired that Bailly suffered medial ligament damage – an injury which will rule him out of the African Cup of Nations this summer.

With the news fresh in mind, the Ivory Coast international

/Bw4RI4FlpW5/” data-lasso->took to Instagram to thank everyone for their messages and looked ahead to a brighter future.

And his upbeat post commanded plenty of support from his fellow professionals, and two particularly influential stars, David De Gea and Jerome Boateng tipped him to return a stronger player.

Footballers are no strangers to media friendly cliches, and the notion that what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger seems to be one both De Gea and Boateng subscribe to.

With United’s defensive options looking hopelessly bereft of star quality, there’s no doubt the fans will be echoing the sentiments of the aforementioned pairing and hoping he discovers a rich vein of form upon his return from injury.