Joe Hart confronted Hearts fans during Celtic’s game at Tynecastle and saw two balls thrown at him before being dragged off by Cameron Carter-Vickers.
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Southampton moved up to ninth in the Championship table this week as they beat Alex Neil's Stoke City 1-0 away from home on Tuesday night.
The Saints have now won back-to-back league matches for the second time this season, having beaten Leeds United 3-1 last weekend at St. Mary's, and will now be hoping to carry on this form.
Russell Martin's men had lost four straight games prior to the victory against Daniel Farke's side and now have the opportunity to head into the international break on a high with a win against Hull City on Saturday.
|
Southampton's four-match losing streak |
|
|---|---|
|
Opponent |
Result |
|
Sunderland |
5-0 |
|
Leicester |
4-1 |
|
Ipswich |
1-0 |
|
Middlesbrough |
2-1 |
Southampton are only outside of the top-six on goal difference as it stands and could go into the break in a play-off position if results go their way this weekend, which would put some of the doom and gloom from earlier in the season to bed.
However, that is not to say that all of the club's issues have been solved as there were still some concerning signs throughout the win against Stoke.
Southampton controlled 58% of the possession and claimed all three points thanks to a stunning free-kick from Scotland international Stuart Armstrong.
However, they only created 0.97 xG, to Stoke's 0.72, and had six fewer shots than the hosts, as per Sofascore, as they struggled to consistently create high-quality chances in the final third.
To put that into more context, they scored three goals from 1.48 xG in their win over Leeds, which suggests that they have significantly outperformed their expected output in front of goal over the last two matches.
Martin may hope that his side can create better opportunities with greater regularity over the weeks and months to come and getting the best out of Che Adams could be key to that.
Charly Alcaraz operated as a false nine against Leeds and Stoke and the lack of a natural number nine was evident as the Saints were forced to check back and play infield after getting into promising positions only to look up and see that no one was in the box.
The Argentine was dropping deep to collect the ball and make things happen in midfield and that created space for Adam Armstrong to exploit out wide, but the skipper had no target to hit within the penalty area and had to play backwards.
Alcaraz did make some runs in behind to stretch the Stoke defence and found himself in advanced positions. However, Kamaldeen Sulemana, on the left flank, was not busting a gut to get into a goalscoring position.
Martin has showcased, with Alcaraz and Armstrong, his willingness to try players in different positions in order to make the most of their skillset to suit the team's tactics and he could utilise Adams in a left wing position.
The Scotland international, who is a centre-forward by trade, has played over 40 matches as a winger in his career, with 21 on the left side, and could be deployed there as part of a fluid attacking set-up against Hull on Saturday.
He could use his work rate to track back and help Ryan Manning out when needed and then use his natural instincts to know when to invert into a central position to make runs into the space that is created by Alcaraz dropping deep to drag defenders out of the way.
This would then provide the ex-River Plate star and Armstrong with a reliable attacking outlet through the middle of the pitch in certain situations, rather than being left with no choice but to pass back.
Sulemana started on the left against Stoke on Tuesday and the Ghana international does not offer a significant goal threat to make up for the lack of a natural number nine.
The former Rennes forward has scored two goals in 23 matches in all competitions for the Saints since his move to St. Mary's during the January transfer window, which shows that he is not a regular goalscorer.
Adams, on the other hand, has plundered 37 goals in 124 Championship matches throughout his career and 25 in his last 54 outings in the division.
The English-born finisher, who scored 22 goals in 46 second-tier matches for Birmingham during the 2018/19 campaign, has produced three goals and two assists in four league starts so far this season.
He has showcased his quality in front of goal, as a scorer and a creator, in his limited minutes on the pitch for Martin and should now be unleashed from the start as part of this new-look set-up for the Scottish head coach.
As per FBref, Adams ranks within the top 6% of his positional peers for Expected Assists per 90 (0.26) and the top 12% for shot-creating actions per 90 (2.59). This suggests that there are not many better centre-forwards in the Championship at creating opportunities for their teammates than the Saints star.
The 27-year-old ace, who was once dubbed "clever" by pundit and former Rangers striker Ally McCoist, also ranks within the top 6% of players in his position for non-penalty goals per 90 (0.60).
These statistics suggest that the potential is there for Adams to be an outstanding forward at this level, as someone who can score and create goals on a regular basis, and this new system could get the best out of him by using Alcaraz's movement to create space for him to run in behind.
The opportunities that it creates for Armstrong out wide could also allow Adams to either thrive off the service that can be produced from the wing, or the 5 foot 9 gem could use his creativity to create opportunities for his captain.
Journalist Benjy Nurick claimed that the ex-Birmingham striker was "on fire" in 2022 and Martin now has the chance to reignite that flame this season.
The former Swansea tactician could get the best out of Adams by unleashing him out wide alongside Alcaraz and Armstrong in attack against Hull, which is why the forward should be named in the starting XI this weekend.
Paul Mullin remains uncertain for Wrexham's clash against Morecambe but Phil Parkinson will be boosted with the return of two key players from injury.
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Tyler Adams made his Premier League debut for Bournemouth against Luton, 12 months after his last appearance in the English top-flight for Leeds.
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Manchester City’s Champions League campaign is over.
On Wednesday night, Pep Guardiola’s side were hammered by Real Madrid at the Bernabéu, with Kylian Mbappé’s hat-trick seeing the holders easily progress; Nico González’s first goal for the club in stoppage time scant consolation.
It’s pretty indisputable that this Champions League campaign was an abject failure for the Citizens, this their earliest elimination since 2013, with their only victories in the competition coming over Slovan Bratislava, Sparta Prague and Club Brugge.
So, once again, Man City’s transfer strategy is coming under intense scrutiny; did the reigning Premier League champions let their answer to Mbappé go?
When the world was watching on Wednesday, Mbappé really came to the fore, scoring all three as Real Madrid swatted Man City aside, the 17th Champions League hat-trick by a los Blancos player, which is a new competition record.
The Frenchman now has 27 goals to his name this season, on target every 113 minutes on average, which certainly isn’t bad, but it hasn’t been all plain sailing since he made the move to the Spanish capital.
Earlier in the season, Jonathan Wilson of the Guardian argued Mbappé’s arrival had disrupted the ‘balance of the forward line’, adding that the Frenchman ‘cut a frustrated figure’ during October’s 4-0 Clásico defeat at the hands of Barcelona, in which he was caught offside eight times, a record-breaking amount.
In November, Didier Deschamps decided to leave les Bleus’ captain out of his squad for Nations League fixtures against Israel and Italy, citing ‘non-sporting problems’, which Mbappé later revealing he’d been struggling with a “mentality issue” throughout the season.
Nevertheless, speaking on the La Liga weekly podcast, former Man United and Wimbledon striker Terry Gibson believes the concerns surrounding Mbappé’s early season form were overblown, and that expectations were merely set ridiculously high when he signed.
Now, having scored 18 goals since the start of December, he is being widely praised, with Adwaidh Rajan of BBC Sport noting he’s gone from ‘adapting’ to ‘thriving’, teammate Jude Bellingham, speaking to TNT Sports after Wednesday’s win, described him as “brilliant” and “dangerous”, while Mbappé himself says he wants to “define an era” and “make history at Real Madrid”.
Man City had no answer to Mbappé on the night, but did they recently sell their own version, a decision they’re being made to regret?
Mbappé wasn’t the only big-name striker who arrived in the Spanish capital last summer because, across the city, Atlético Madrid bought Julián Álvarez from Manchester City for a reported fee of £81.8m.
Chalkboard
At the time, this was viewed as an excellent deal for Man City, with Richard Jolly of the Independent noting they got great value for Erling Håland’s ‘second-choice’, while Steve Price of Forbes added that the Argentine became the Sky Blues’ record-sale.
However, this isn’t so much the case anymore, with Dermot Corrigan and Thom Harris of the Athletic documenting that Álvarez has ‘hit the ground running’ at Atleti, adding that nobody is questioning his transfer fee anymore.
His recent Panenka penalty in a Madrid derby, that finished 1-1 at the Bernabéu, takes Álvarez’s tally to 17 goals for the season, leaving los Colchoneros third in La Liga, just a point behind both Barça and Real Madrid, hence why Graham Ruthven of Total Soccer Show described this as Europe’s best title race.
Interestingly, FBref deem Alvarez to be a similar player to Mbappe among La Liga forwards, so let’s analyse how their first seasons in Madrid compare.
|
Kylian Mbappé vs Julián Álvarez 2024/25 comparison |
||
|---|---|---|
|
Statistics |
Mbappé |
Álvarez |
|
Appearances |
37 |
37 |
|
Minutes |
3,043 |
2,385 |
|
Goals (per 90) |
0.77 |
0.64 |
|
Assists (per 90) |
0.09 |
0.15 |
|
Goals – xG |
0 |
+3.7 |
|
Shots per 90 |
4.64 |
2.75 |
|
Shots on target % |
50.6% |
46.6% |
|
Shot-creating actions |
111 |
83 |
|
Goal-creating actions |
14 |
12 |
|
Touches per 90 |
37.48 |
38.15 |
|
Take-on success % |
44.7% |
54.4% |
|
All statistics courtesy of FBref.com |
||
As outlined by the table, Mbappé ranks higher than Álvarez for most metrics, but only just, with the Argentine coming out on top when it comes to assists per 90, take-on success % and touches, admitidly the latter is only marginal.
In this season’s Champions League, only one player, namely Barça’s Raphinha, boasts a higher goals – xG figure than Álvarez’s +3.8, underlining how clinical he has been; for reference, Mbappé’s figure of -1.7 leaves him 862nd, out of 870, in this statistic.
Alex Kirkland of ESPN claims Álvarez could become Atlético’s ‘next great striker’, following in the footsteps of Diego Costa, Radamel Falcao, Diego Forlán and current teammate Antoine Griezmann.
Meantime, Charlotte Coates of BBC Sport believes Guardiola made a ‘mistake’ letting Álvarez leave, with the manager himself admitting “it could be a problem”, having previously described the Argentine as “incredible”.
So, would Man City have beaten Real Madrid if they’d had Álvarez in their ranks? Perhaps not, but it is still looking more and more like a mistake to allow him to depart.
Forget Dias: Pep must axe 5/10 Man City star after "hall of shame" display
Manchester City exited the Champions League with a 3-1 defeat against Real Madrid last night.
2
By
Ethan Lamb
Feb 20, 2025
Power couple Alisha Lehmann and Douglas Luiz enjoyed a meal out with the Brazilian's family.
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Manchester United have failed to build on an encouraging debut season under the leadership of Erik ten Hag, winning just half of their Premier League matches so far in 2023/24.
The Old Trafford side have found the Champions League rather more difficult than first expected following their return to the elite competition, losing to Bayern Munich and Galatasaray across their opening two matches, and it means Ten Hag is the first United boss to achieve this.
Although the Dutchman managed to recruit the likes of Andre Onana, Mason Mount, Rasmus Hojlund and Sofyan Amrabat during the summer transfer window, it wasn’t the window that many of the supporters expected.
Combine this with the fact he still has players such as Harry Maguire, Victor Lindelof and Anthony Martial in his squad, who have been at United for 18 years combined, and the depth of his squad is hardly ideal.
Another player who is still at the Red Devils despite a lack of playing time and potential future is Donny van de Beek and if Ten Hag wants to establish his side as one of the best in England and lead them to their first league crown since 2013, this deadwood simply has to go.
Van de Beek in particular has been a dreadful signing and another case of United splashing the cash on a talented gem who has failed to live up to expectations while seeing their market value decline rapidly.
Following Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s first full season as manager, where he led the Old Trafford side to a third-place finish in the Premier League during the 2019/20 campaign – their second highest since last winning the title – and he was looking to continue the momentum which had been gathering.
Edinson Cavani was lured to Manchester on a free transfer, while Alex Telles and Facundo Pellistri were also signed as promising youngsters who could become a part of the senior side in the years to come.
It was the arrival of Ajax starlet Van de Beek however which looked as though it could be their best signing that summer, especially judging by his performances for the Dutch side over the previous 12 months.
The Dutchman joined for a transfer fee in the region of £39m and the 23-year-old signed a five-year contract with the club had all worked out well, the move would have turned out to be an excellent bargain.
Fast-forward three years though, and the midfielder has struggled majorly with football in the Premier League and his value has diminished rapidly during that time period.
When he joined United, his market value stood at €39m (£33.6m) according to Football Transfers and this meant they had overpaid slightly, yet with his relatively young age plus his experience on the biggest stage, there was no doubt his value would increase rapidly.
|
Donny van de Beek in the Premier League |
Games |
Goals |
Assists |
|---|---|---|---|
|
2022/23 |
7 |
0 |
0 |
|
2021/22 |
15 |
2 |
0 |
|
2020/21 |
19 |
1 |
1 |
|
Stats via Sofascore |
|||
Just six months later, his market value had risen to €55m (£47.5m) and it certainly looked as though this upward trend could continue.
Unfortunately, that was the highest figure it would reach and two and a half months later, he is now worth only €8.4m (£7.2m), representing an 81% decline from the initial transfer fee paid to sign him in September 2020.
He becomes just another expensive cog in a faltering machine and is it any wonder they haven’t reestablished themselves at the summit of English football in recent years?
During his spell at Ajax, the Dutchman mainly operated either in a central or attacking midfield role and this allowed him to burst forward often and showcase his creative talents.
Indeed, across 175 games for the Dutch giants, he scored 41 goals and grabbed 34 assists, making him an attractive option for many European clubs and United obviously won the race for his signature.
During his first full season, he made 30 appearances for United, yet managed just one goal and one assist, a staggering drop from his often excellent totals at Ajax.
His performances didn’t get better during his second term either as he made only eight appearances for the Red Devils in the league before being loaned out to Everton and across the whole Premier League season, he started just five games.
Not only that, but the Dutchman succeeded with just 29% of his attempted dribbles, averaged just 25.5 touches and made 0.3 key passes per game, hardly the sort of form that was going to establish him as a regular at Old Trafford.
Injuries haven’t helped his cause either, and he has missed a grand total of 48 games under Ten Hag, indicating that he hasn’t been able to really get any sort of form to prove to his former boss why he should be in the starting XI.
When he was given a chance, Van de Beek ranked way down in 26th position across the United squad for Sofascore rating (6.49) while ranking 15th for key passes per game (0.4) and 17th for successful dribbles per game (0.3) and his performances were criticised.
Journalist Steven Railston lamented his display against Aston Villa last November, saying: “MUFC never recovered after conceding two early goals and they were second-best all over the pitch. A really disappointing performance. Donny van de Beek was anonymous again and he shouldn't be anywhere near the starting XI. Bruno Fernandes couldn't return quick enough.”
The Red Devils have certainly endured a transfer howler on the 27-year-old as he has simply failed to live up to any sort of early promise when joining.
It’s a shame as he could have developed into one of the finest midfielders on the continent had he continued his rapid upward trajectory at a club like United, yet it clearly hasn’t panned out well.
Due to injury problems and a lack of squad depth, Ten Hag has still given him two appearances this term, albeit he has played only 21 minutes, but it looks as though his career at United is basically dead in the water.
What next for the 6-foot Dutchman is anyone’s guess, but if he doesn’t return to some kind of form sooner rather than later, he could end up forgotten about almost as quickly as he appeared on the scene, that’s for sure.
Former USMNT player Herculez Gomez rang the warning bell on head coach Gregg Berhalter after USA scraped to the CONCACAF Nations League final.
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Liverpool's revival this season has stemmed from Jurgen Klopp's emphasis on comprehensively rebuilding a midfield that struggled to implement his tactical philosophy last year, which bitterly resulted in a fifth-placed Premier League finish.
Such a dismal campaign meant that the Reds would not play in the Champions League for the first time since 2015/16, which really was a hammer blow to an ambitious and esteemed manager in Klopp who had returned the glory to Anfield after so many years of mediocrity.
And while the return to the Europa League is not a prospect that will have filled world-class stars such as Mohamed Salah, Alisson Becker and Virgil van Dijk with jubilation, it does present an opportunity for the German gaffer to complete the full gamut of silverware since joining the side back in 2015.
It also presents a great opportunity to unleash some of the club's younger talents, which is exactly what Klopp has done thus far.
Indeed, Ben Doak, still only 17, started against LASK in the 3-1 win in September, while Stefan Bajcetic and Jarell Quansah have also earned starting berths across the first two games – with both prospects very much looking talented enough for starring roles in the future.
With an ostensibly weaker calibre of opposition, healthy squad rotation certainly becomes less strenuous, and with six points already Liverpool are in a good position to cruise through the remainder of the group phase. Though these feel like famous last words.
One player who has featured prominently has been Kostas Tsimikas, who has played second fiddle to Andy Robertson since joining from Greek side Olympiakos in a £12m transfer in 2020.
However, with the 62-cap Scotland captain withdrawn due to injury on international duty earlier this week, the 27-year-old might be called upon for greater responsibility in the Premier League, where he has made just one substitute appearance this term.
Robertson has been ever-present under Klopp's tutelage and has emerged as one of Europe's foremost full-backs after bursting onto the scene following his £10m transfer from Hull City in 2017.
The £100k-per-week machine has been hailed as a "Duracell Bunny" by Liverpool writer Leanne Prescott for his remarkable energy and workrate, and has played every minute of the Reds' league season this year.
|
Current LFC Squad: Most Appearances Under Jurgen Klopp (Transfermarkt) |
|
|---|---|
|
Player |
Apps |
|
Mohamed Salah |
315 |
|
Trent Alexander-Arnold |
280 |
|
Andy Robertson |
275 |
|
Alisson |
240 |
|
Virgil van Dijk |
229 |
This is why his injury suffered on international duty will come as such a blow to his club team, who have clicked into gear this term after enduring that incohesive 2022/23 campaign.
The shoulder issue – which might be a dislocation – could result in a spell on the sidelines for the talented defender, who will possibly now miss the Merseyside derby against Everton next weekend – a big blow to Liverpool's fluidity and prospects.
As per FBref, the 5 foot 10 marauder ranks among the top 11% of full-backs across Europe's top five leagues over the past year for assists, the top 9% for shot-creating actions, the top 5% for passes attempted and the top 12% for progressive passes per 90.
Very much one of Liverpool's chief creators, Robertson's injury will leave a void in the restored system, and while Tsimikas is a productive force himself, having provided 12 assists from merely 65 outings, he's not the most consistent of performers, with one LFC podcaster criticising him for his "abysmal" performance against LASK.
As such, it might be high time for Klopp to make good use of that aforementioned youth quality, with an exciting left-back in Calum Scanlon taking great strides in his development and now perching on the cusp of a senior debut for the Merseyside outfit.
This summer, young Scanlon was included in Klopp's pre-season squad after impressing for Liverpool's development squad over the past few years.
Noted for his “aggressive” approach by reporter Jack Lusby, the defender was signed for the Reds for a reported fee of £500k in December 2020 when he was just 15 years old, having impressed for Birmingham City throughout his youth days.
Considered one of the brightest talents of his age, Scanlon, now aged 18, has now spent three years on Merseyside and has chalked up 38 appearances for the club's various youth sides, scoring twice and providing four assists.
Signing his first professional deal last year, there is clearly hope at the club that he can work his way into a prominent position in Klopp's senior set-up, with reporter Neil Jones noting that he has looked "so good" this season, earning an assist during a 3-0 win over Morecambe Town in the EFL Trophy in September.
The emerging sensation is also among the youth players registered for the Europa League via List B this season – which means players who are aged 21 or younger and have been registered for their club for over two years.
This is a big demonstration of faith in his precocious skill set and one that may well be enacted soon following Robertson's injury, which could mean that Tsimikas is required to take centre stage for a while..
Should the 29-year-old star be sidelined for several weeks or more, Kostas Tsimikas is the number one candidate to serve in his stead, but with Liverpool competing across four different competitions it will not be possible for the Greek dynamo to play all the time.
As such, Scanlon could find himself stepping in to impress, and should he live up to Jones' praise – who also claimed that he is “very talented” – then he might just find that that shot at the first-team sticks.
Every world-class phenomenon starts as an unknown commodity, and every club has its success stories starting from within the youth ranks.
Trent Alexander-Arnold is evidence of Liverpool's thriving formative fold, and Scanlon could now emulate his positional peer and walk the same pathway toward prominence under the Anfield lights.
Dele Alli had “no limit” when joining Tottenham and “could have been similar to Jude Bellingham” before it all went wrong, says Ben Davies.
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