Glasgow Rangers are level on points with Benfica at the top of Group D in the Europa League after a goal from Alfredo Morelos secured the victory against Lech Poznan at Ibrox on Thursday night.
The 6-cap Colombia international came off the bench to score the winner as Steven Gerrard’s side beat the Poles 1-0 to stay unbeaten in the Europa League group stages.
Despite the rather dull result, there were a fair few eye-catching performances, with Rangers left-back Borna Barisic in particular putting in a impressive defensive shift, but Glen Kamara arguably stole the show, which meant that new summer recruit Bongani Zungu remained an unused substitute for the entire game.
SofaScore gave the 25-year-old a solid grade of 7.2, which seems slightly inaccurate – in fact, it’s perhaps unfair, as he won five out of six duels overall (83%), took a staggering 72 touches of the ball, and completed 53 out of 62 passes at a pass accuracy rating of 85%, whilst he made two tackles and two interceptions, which shows that he made several key defensive contributions as well.
By comparison, Barisic actually took fewer touches of the ball, completed fewer accurate passes, and managed to lose possession more times than the monster midfielder, as per SofaScore.
GlasgowLive gave Kamara a rating of 7/10, claiming he “used the ball well and read a number of Poznan counter attacks brilliantly” as he is “becoming such an important player in the Rangers midfield,” whilst The Daily Record awarded him the same score, adding he “oozed composure and confidence, gliding all over the pitch effectively and playing with the minimum of fuss.”
Speaking in the post-match press conference, as quoted by the club’s official Twitter account, Gerrard specifically singled out Kamara for praise, saying: “Glen was outstanding from start to finish. Really pleased with him and where he’s at in terms of his form, he’s in a fantastic place. I thought there was a lot of strong performances throughout the group, but Glen was certainly one of the standouts.”
Once lauded as an “excellent” player by former Rangers star Neil Murray, Kamara has made 70 appearances for the Light Blues, scoring two goals and supplying three assists in all competitions so far, via Transfermarkt.
If the Gers are to regain the Scottish Premiership title whilst they juggle the European competition at the same time, we suspect that the Finland international will have a part to play, that’s for sure. If he stays at the club, of course…
AND in other news, Glasgow Rangers left-back Calvin Bassey could soon usurp Borna Barisic at Ibrox…
The Gunners were coming off the back of last season with a Europa League final defeat to Chelsea, and missing out on a top-four spot by one point to bitter rivals Tottenham.
This, therefore, set the Arsenal squad and Unai Emery on a mission of redemption ahead of the 2019/20 season, which saw the North London outfit invest heavily in their defence during the 2019 summer transfer window, as well as breaking their transfer record on Ivorian winger Nicolas Pépé.
After just three months into the season, however, Emery was sacked after failing to win a game for almost two months – and was eventually succeeded by former player Mikel Arteta less than a month later.
The club had a strong finish to the season, reaching the FA Cup final in which they will face city rivals Chelsea, but failed to climb their way up the table and finished in a measly 8th place.
Here, we will take a look at Arsenal’s season, with a FootballFanCast review…
Player of the Season – Pierre-Emerick Aubamayang
Soccer Football – Premier League – West Ham United v Arsenal – London Stadium, London, Britain – December 9, 2019 Arsenal’s Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang celebrates scoring their third goal REUTERS/David Klein 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. Please contact your account representative
The Gambian international was incredibly unlucky not to win the Golden Boots this season, finishing just one behind eventual winner Jamie Vardy despite scoring an impressive 22 goals.
The striker has been Arsenal’s go-to for goals since joining the club at the beginning of 2018 and has scored 22 goals in two consecutive seasons in the Premier League.
The 31-year-old is a massive influence on Arsenal’s attacking outlet, with a lot of their forward play being emulated through him – the Gunners will need to tie him down to a contract extension and Arteta could do with keeping hold of a player of his ability.
Goal of the Season – Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang vs Man City, Jul 18th ’20
Soccer Football – FA Cup Semi Final – Arsenal v Manchester City – Wembley Stadium, London, Britain – July 18, 2020 Arsenal’s Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang celebrates scoring their second goal, as play resumes behind closed doors following the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) Justin Tallis/Pool via REUTERS
Initial thoughts went towards Alexandre Lacazette’s effort against rivals Tottenham on the 14th July – but this unbelievable team goal against that Manchester City side in an FA Cup final takes the pickings.
A total of 18 passes between ten different players, including a sumptuous first touch and pass wide to Bellerin from the aforementioned Frenchman, led to a fantastic cross towards City’s back post that was pocked in oh so acutely by Aubameyang – a goal fit for the start of Mikel Arteta’s reign at the club.
Breakthrough Player – Bukayo Saka
Soccer Football – Premier League – Southampton v Arsenal – St Mary’s Stadium, Southampton, Britain – June 25, 2020 Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta celebrates with Bukayo Saka after the match, as play resumes behind closed doors following the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) Mike Hewitt/Pool via REUTERS 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 u
The Arsenal faithful would all agree, the fans of other clubs would all agree, even Saka himself would probably agree. There is no other player to take this accolade at Arsenal apart from him – the 18-year-old has been a breath of fresh air for the Gunners, and alongside Mikel Arteta, it seems like a match made in heaven.
Having played 26 games in seven different positions in the league this season, Saka is as versatile as you could ask – and his ability with the ball at his feet is as good as they come, especially for a player of his age.
The Gunners have made the right move too and tied the young England international down on a new ‘long-term’ contract, meaning the North London outfit have plenty more years to come watching this fantastic young talent.
Flop of the Season – David Luiz
The Brazilian defender signed for the club before the start of this season from city rivals Chelsea, for a fee of just under £8million.
It seemed at the time a smart piece of business from the club, an experienced head with years of experience at all levels of competitive football, but for some reason, it just hasn’t quite clicked for him yet.
The 33-year-old has made two errors that have led to goals in the league this campaign, as well as only managing a 57% tackle success rate.
Overall, it hasn’t quite been the debut season that many would have expected from Luiz, and there is hope that next season will be different for the Brazilian.
Defining Moment – FA Cup Semi-Final victory over Man City
If you were to say to Arsenal fans at the end of November that they could finish this season having won the FA Cup – they would have laughed in your face.
Since Arteta has come into the fold, there has been a real change in the belief and ability of this Arsenal squad, so much so that they pulled off a fantastic victory over Arteta’s former side Man City with a comfortable and professional 2-0 win.
This game alone could define the whole of the club’s season – initially many would feel that Arteta’s appointment defined the rest of their season, but to be in this position with the chance to win a trophy just seven months since he joined is phenomenal considering the state that this Arsenal team was in prior to Christmas.
Signing of the Season – Kieran Tierney
Soccer Football – Europa League – Group F – Arsenal v Vitoria S.C. – Emirates Stadium, London, Britain – October 24, 2019 Arsenal’s Kieran Tierney applauds the fans after the match REUTERS/Eddie Keogh
The Scottish left-back joined the club during the Summer of 2019 for a fee of £25million, making him the most expensive Scottish footballer in history.
The 23-year-old has brought his determination and professionalism with him to the Emirates, with some Arsenal players even reportedly complaining about how intense the Scotsman trains.
He has been a welcome addition to the side and provides a fight and desire to win that the Gunners need desperately if they want to contend with Liverpool and Manchester City again. Tierney will likely be the club’s first-choice left-back from now on given that he is finally fully fit having experienced injury setbacks in his first half of the season at the club.
Hit Expectations? – NO
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Given the amount of investment into the side at the start of the season, as well as coming off of the back of a Europa League final and finishing just one point outside of the top four, there should have been hunger and desire for the Gunners to make the top four this season – as well as contending for a piece of silverware.
Although the club still has an FA Cup final to play – the sacking of Emery and poor finish in the league means the club would have nowhere near met their expectations for the campaign and will have time now to look towards the new season in September to right those wrongs.
Leeds United’s latest reported move could spell an all too familiar disaster and Victor Orta will be to blame.
What’s the word?
According to the Daily Mail, the Yorkshire giants are one of a few teams in pursuit of Liverpool winger Harry Wilson, who is believed to be available for £20m.
It’s claimed that the Premier League champions do not want to loan him out again and would rather sell him on for some tidy profit with both Southampton and Newcastle United also in the hunt.
This year, Wilson has been on his fourth loan at AFC Bournemouth, who were relegated to the Championship on the final day of the season.
JKA 2.0
In short, this is absolutely a move that United should steer well clear of as it bears all the hallmarks of being another Jean-Kevin Augustin situation – if not worse.
Yes, it can be said that Leeds need strength in depth, but perhaps out wide should be the least of their concerns after the glimpses Ian Poveda displayed in the final few matches of the campaign.
£20m is a lot of money to spend on a player that’s primarily going to sit on the bench behind Jack Harrison and Helder Costa – in the same way that the obligation to buy for the Leipzig man is causing all sorts of headaches at Elland Road.
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He was never going to replace Marcelo Bielsa’s first-choice man Patrick Bamford and the fact that he was sent back prematurely only goes to show the blunder the club made on signing him in the first place.
Splashing out on Wilson is not something the Argentine needs to do especially given the current situation in central defence where skipper Liam Cooper looks like the only option.
Augustin is going to cost around £19m having played a total of just 48 minutes and you can’t help but feel a similar price for the Liverpool winger would end up in a similar tale – expensive fee; lack of game time.
Don’t forget, despite being “hugely impressive” for the Cherries, he was still part of the side that’s gone down. Not something the Whites need to replicate themselves.
AND in other news, Leeds can find their own Frank Lampard with this move…
Cesc Fabregas has praised Frank Lampard’s progress with Chelsea this season but admits that Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has a tougher job on his hands.
The ex-Chelsea ace has spoken to The Guardian about the current Premier League season, including his former side’s performances under new management.
“Chelsea took a gamble with Frank because it was only his second year as a main coach and he’s done very well,” the Spaniard said. He went on to laud Arteta’s job at the hilt of Arsenal so far but acknowledges that he has a big task on his hands.
As it stands, the Gunners are ninth in the table and will need to rein in an eight-point gap if they want to challenge in the Champions League next season. It is certainly not an impossible task but Arsenal’s record this campaign hasn’t been up to scratch. They have lost six games, fewer than the likes of Manchester City and Chelsea, but have been hampered by a seismic 13 draws.
“I think he’s done well [so far] and I’m sure he’s brought back some values to the club that was needed,” Fabregas continued on Arteta. “Obviously it’s a much harder job than Chelsea in terms of rebuilding the squad, and they are very young, and they had problems because [Arteta] started much further down the line than Chelsea, but I’m positive that they will pick up very soon and that next season could be the one for them.”
The Blues will be competing in the Champions League next season if they can hang onto fourth place, undoubtedly a great achievement after a sluggish start under Lampard. Chelsea have registered 14 league wins with Tammy Abraham and Mason Mount shining in front of goal, tallying a combined 19 Premier League goals this term (via Transfermarkt).
Arsenal certainly have an uphill battle to fight but nothing should take away from what the Blues have achieved and Fabregas is right to praise the work of Lampard so far in the job.
Where do you think Chelsea will finish this season? Join the conversation in the comments below…
Weston Homes Stadium was built in 1913 and now houses the League One side Peterborough United. The ground is located in the city of Peterborough in England and has seen complete redevelopment since its erection.
Its current capacity stands at 15,314 and it has a pitch that measures 102m by 69m. The surface is covered with natural grass but the ground doesn’t have undersoil heating installed nor a running track surrounding it.
The record attendance at Weston Homes Stadium was set during an FA Cup tie against Swansea Town in 1965 when there were 30,096 fans watching.
A history of Weston Homes Stadium
Back when it was first constructed, the Weston Homes Stadium, or London Road Stadium as it was originally known before all the sponsorship deals, had only a solitary wooden stand that could host around 250 spectators. In 1923, however, Peterborough & Fletton United made the ground their home and started the very first redevelopments.
That same year, a new stand was erected and now it could house 650 people. In the following years, the Weston Homes Stadium remained under the ownership of the council and it wasn’t until Peterborough United’s formation in 1934 that the club finally settled in.
As a sign of backing the new tenants, the council built brick dressing rooms and a committee room, which would basically last until the late 1950s when the present North Stand was constructed. But before the club could invest further into their home, they fell into despair with no money and debts accumulating fast. The years throughout World War II were tough and Peterborough would’ve surely lost the ground and possibly more were it not for two individuals who saved them by paying off the £50 owed in rent by the club.
After the War, terracing and a covered shelter were built at the popular London Road end and in the years following that, the Council negotiated a long term lease with the club and eventually sold Weston Homes Stadium to Peterborough United during the 1950s. It was also back then that the new redevelopments had started.
Their main source of money and investment arrived from the flourishing Supporters’ Club and the first project in 1953 was the erection of new covered terracing behind the Moy’s End goal along with a new facility following a couple of years down the line that was situated behind the London Road End goal. This was also followed by a new stand in the 1957/58 campaign and after that, the pitch was also moved 30 yards north.
It was in February 1960 that Weston Homes Stadium got its modern look when the club installed the first floodlights. Around that time, they would also record their highest attendance ever for an FA Cup clash against Swansea Town with 30,096 fans in the stands.
Following the Taylor Report, the stadium’s capacity decreased since it had to be converted into an all-seater. The stands would, however, get further improvements by the mid-1990s and in 2001, the pitch also got a complete makeover with a new surface and drainage.
Moy’s End Terrace was replaced by the Motorpoint Stand in 2014 and that same year, the London Road switched names to ABAX Stadium only for it to change further to Weston Homes Stadium in 2018, which stands true to this day.
Tickets to watch Peterborough United at Weston Homes Stadium
All tickets to watch Peterborough United play at Weston Homes Stadium can be found on the club’s official website. The price for an adult ticket is between £23 and £28, depending on the category chosen.
The club also offers a season ticket scheme as well as memberships which can get you a discount.
Related links
https://www.theposh.com/ – Official website of Peterborough United
https://www.theposh.com/club/the-weston-homes-stadium/ – The history of Weston Homes Stadium
Liverpool are running away with the Premier League title so far this campaign.
After 14 games, the Reds lead the way by a huge eight points from Leicester City. Perhaps more importantly, though, the current back-to-back champions Manchester City are a further three behind, and have already lost three matches this term. For context, they lost just four out of 38 last season.
Whilst the Citizens have not been at their best, they have been hit by a number of injuries. Aymeric Laporte, Sergio Aguero and Leroy Sane have all been missing at various points of the campaign for Pep Guardiola.
Paul Merson clearly thinks this is the main reason why City are unable to keep up with the Reds. In his column for Sky Sports, he said: “I would like to see Liverpool with Van Dijk injured for three months like Laporte and then take out a Sadio Mane or Mohamed Salah for a while. But Liverpool have been quite fortunate as a lot of their players play a lot of football and they play the same team.”
Clearly, this did not go down well with the fans, and the former Arsenal man may have damaged his reputation amongst them.
Of course, City are not the only side to have suffered with injuries. Jurgen Klopp’s team have been without Alisson and Joel Matip for part of the season, for example, whilst Fabinho recently picked up an issue as well.
The fans were quick to point this out during their reaction to the quotes.
It seems Merson has a short memory. Even with those lay-offs, the Reds have won 13 of their first 14 matches. City should be able to cope without them.
A number fans have made references to their title rival’s spending power, and have insinuated that they can’t really complain considering the amount of money they have spent and can part with in the future.
Indeed, City have put together the most-expensively assembled squad in the world, and they have spent over £1 billion since 2008. Surely they should have enough cover for injuries with that kind of outlay?
Either way, it remains to be seen whether Guardiola and Co can recover from apparently being hard-done by.
Meanwhile, Stephen Warnock thinks Liverpool could miss out on one world star because of his Ballon d’Or aspirations.
This article is part of Football FanCast’s Opinion series, which provides analysis, insight and opinion on any issue within the beautiful game, from Paul Pogba’s haircuts to League Two relegation battles…
They got the job done in the end. It was by no means easy, but Liverpool rode out a couple of incredibly nervy moments to seal yet another win in the Premier League, and strengthen their vice-like grip at the top of the table. Just days after securing their passage into the knockout stages of the Champions League as they bid to retain European football’s holy grail, the Reds looked understandably rusty from their travels abroad.
Jurgen Klopp made a couple of changes to his starting line-up against Watford to bring in some fresh energy, but one man who he didn’t leave out, was captain Jordan Henderson. The England international played his 22nd game across all competitions, and he looked decidedly lethargic and loose with his display. Playing as part of two holding midfielders alongside Georginio Wijnaldum, the 29-year-old struggled to get to grips with the pace of the game, and his usually precise use of the ball let him down big time.
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As per Whoscored, he has a passing accuracy of 81% in the Premier League this season, but on Saturday lunch-time, that dropped to a disappointing 75% – a stat compounded by the fact he was hustled off the ball far too easily, losing possession an incredible 24 times (the joint-second most in his entire team). He completed just five of his ten attempted long balls, whilst his trademark in-swinging crosses also let him down, failing to successfully complete both of his attempts.
His defensive tenacity also deserted him against the Hornets, making just one tackle over the course of the 90 minutes, and failing to make a single interception. The fact he was also dribbled past twice just went to show how off-the-pace he was.
Can you name the result these iconic Liverpool images belong to? Give it a go now…
As his captain, it may be a difficult decision for Klopp to feel like he should take him out of the firing line. But Henderson isn’t a robot, and with this busy Christmas schedule, he like all of his other teammates deserves a chance to just take a breather.
Meanwhile, Liverpool are interested in signing this ace who shone against them in the Champions League.
This article is part of Football FanCast’s Opinion series, which provides analysis, insight and opinion on any issue within the beautiful game, from Paul Pogba’s haircuts to League Two relegation battles…
Leeds United fans are probably sick of seeing xG tables at this point.
The Whites have dominated the alternative league standings this term as they indicate that the Yorkshire club should be 13 points clear at the top of the Championship after just 17 games.
Leeds currently sit in a better position than they did 12 months ago – they’re second in the league after 17 games, but United fans will be hoping that they can start dominating the league in the way that the xG table indicates they should be.
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It seems that they’re actually a better team than they were last season, as last term’s xG table at this point has them 14 points below where this season’s version has them.
Yet, United remain in a promotion battle rather than running away with the division, and it’s really easy to point the finger at where the problem is.
They are actually outperforming their expected goals against as they’ve conceded four fewer goals than the standings suggests they should have, so it’s clear that their problems are in front of goal.
United have underperformed their xG by almost 10 goals, and that’s why they’re not running away with this division in the way they should be.
The Whites’ xG points tally is so high due to their incredible ability to create chances as well as their brilliant defence, but despite that, the Yorkshire outfit still aren’t putting the ball in the net regularly enough.
The fact that their xG points tally is 14 greater than it was this time last year shows that only one thing now stands between them and promotion.
Bielsa’s team are doing everything they need to do at the back, and now it’s time for the attackers to start doing their bit.
Goals may be on the way for Leeds as they’ve been linked to a Premier League striker recently, and our writers gave their opinions on the potential signing
This article is part of Football FanCast’s Transfer Focus series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent transfer news…
West Bromwich Albion may have just suffered a significant setback in their pursuit of former loan ace Dwight Gayle after latest reports from The Athletic.
What’s the word?
Leeds United correspondent Phil Hay has revealed that the Baggies’ nearest challengers are unable to afford the 29-year-old in January, meaning it is ‘likely’ that he heads to Midlands rivals Nottingham Forest instead.
Gayle’s future at his current club Newcastle United has been well spoken about since the summer, and it appears that Steve Bruce is willing to listen to offers for him in January after featuring for just 22 minutes this Premier League campaign.
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The Baggies interest in the forward who scored 24 times in 41 appearances last term has been evident since the off-season when manager Slaven Bilic tried to bring him back to the Hawthorns.
However, his enormous wage demands were all too much for a deal to be brokered.
Blessing in disguise?
A move for Gayle has the potential to be a financial disaster for the club, as if they were to fail in achieving their goal of promotion, they could well be left to balance the books somehow.
West Brom are also thriving in the league following Wednesday’s 4-1 thrashing of Bristol City as it has opened up a seven-point cushion inside the automatic promotion spots.
In recent matches, the likes of Hal Robson-Kanu and even Charlie Austin have started to find their feet finally.
They have both scored in back-to-back games despite only one being handed a starting berth with the former Southampton striker practically tripling his tally for the season in the space of a week.
The team as a whole are also all chipping in with goals – every single player that has featured in six or more matches this season has scored or assisted.
With Gayle in the side last term, Albion were far too reliant on him scoring, and even though there is no doubt that he would be a much-welcome addition, he’s one that may no longer be required because of the upturn in form in Bilic’s attacking line.
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In other news, West Brom’s promotion hopes have been talked up by a rival Championship manager this week…
Arsenal have made a number of changes in their academy after eight people were sacked in a restructuring of the club’s scouting set-up, according to the Daily Mail.
1993 League Cup hero Steve Marrow, the now-former head of youth scouting, was the highest-profile casualty in the big change from Per Mertesacker and Edu, who were said to be at the forefront of the decision.
Kevin Beadell, Dan Rice, David Lee, Jay Leffe and Joe Sutton, all men who held positions in the academy, are also leaving the club. The decisions have been ratified by the club with the departures thought to be a formality.
The decisions are certainly proving to be a strange one from Mertesacker and Edu if revealed to be true. The north London giants have enjoyed a huge amount of success with their youth players in recent years when it comes to recruitment and under-23 players being promoted to the first-team.
Players like Matteo Guendouzi and Gabriel Martinelli, have proved successes upon arrival at the Emirates Stadium in two of the last three transfer windows.
Guendouzi has become a first-team regular after just one year at the club, starting in all 11 Premier League fixtures so far this campaign (via Transfermarkt). Meanwhile, Martinell became the first Brazilian since Ronaldo Nazario to score seven goals in his first 400 minutes when moving to Europe (via HITC).
This shows that the recruitment part of the club’s academy set-up must be doing something right if the players have been identified, signed and become a success in a short space of time at the club.
On an internal basis, Arsenal are one of the top-seven teams in the top-flight when it comes to giving youth players a first-team chance (via Sky Sports). Reiss Nelson, Joe Willock, Bukayo Saka, Emile Smith Rowe and Eddie Nketiah have all made the move up to the first-team in the last two years.
Willock, Nelson and Saka have all made four league appearances or more, showing the brilliance in the youth team set up at the Emirates Stadium that has allowed the three players to make the step up from the under-23s to the first-team.
The decision to sack people who have contributed to a successful part of the club off the pitch is a strange and potentially wrong move if competent replacements can’t be found. Given the problems currently affecting the first-team, surely there are bigger priorities afoot.
Arsenal fans, what do you make of the decision to sack up to eight members of staff? Let us know your thoughts!