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BBC pundit Mark Lawrenson is backing Wolves to beat Arsenal when the pair face each other at Molineux on Wednesday night, suggesting one key area where the game can be won for the hosts.

What’s he said?

Ever since Wolves’ Wembley heartbreak against Watford, they’ve been on a downward spiral and have failed to win since. To add to that, they’ve won just once in their last five games, a 2-1 victory over Manchester United.

At home, they’ve been considerably better than on the road, which is something that can also be said for their next opponents Arsenal. As a result, it’s a match that could well go the way of Nuno Santo’s men.

Wolves have lacked a fluidity to their game in recent weeks, but against a Gunners team who are likely to be more open, Lawrenson is backing the hosts to prevail.

He suggested in his BBC predictions that they’d have no trouble because Arsenal aren’t a team who sits deep and defends. He predicted a 2-0 win for the hosts and said:

“Wolves were held by Brighton on Saturday and it seems they struggle to beat teams who just sit in against them.

“That is something for Nuno Espirito Santo to sort out for next season, but I don’t think it will be a problem on Wednesday because Arsenal will go at them.”

Wolves brilliant against the top sides

It’s been a fantastic season for Wolves but it finally looks as though they may be running out of steam. Their small squad is catching up on them, and as such, have struggled recently.

However, Lawrenson’s comments are indicative of the club’s performances against top six sides this term. When taking on those in the first six positions in the Premier League, Wolves have claimed 13 points so it’s easy to see why they may do well again against Arsenal on Wednesday.

Wolves Fan TV place the blame for Wolves’ FA Cup semi-final collapse on John Ruddy in the video below…

Nuno’s team were excellent in the reverse fixture at the Emirates earlier in the campaign. They were superb on the counter and were rather unfortunate not to come away with the win, spurning a succession of chances.

They’ll need to be equally as good on the counter on Wednesday evening and, given Arsenal’s struggles on the road, Wolves might just prevail.

Well, the mid-week game against Watford got off to a blistering start! However, after such a good opening, the Saints showed yet again just why they’re in and about the relegation battle zone. Conceding in stoppage time simply can’t be happening this late on in the season if you want to stay up. 

Currently sitting 16th and only six points above Cardiff, it seems unlikely to go down, but manager Ralph Hasenhüttl will feel far from comfortable with where his side sit and will insist that three more points is all it takes for the Saints to be safe.

With a visit from already safe side Bournemouth later today, Hasenhüttl will no doubt have changes in mind in order to take all three points.

Here’s a couple he should look to go for.

Drop Oriol Romeu 

The last few weeks haven’t been the best for Romeu, undermining his side with less than confident performances and picking up multiple yellow cards in the process.

With the last three games holding points that are crucial to Southampton’s season, it looks like it may be time for Hasenhüttl to take out an out of form Romeu for the greater good of his squad. There really is no room for mistakes at this stage of the season.

Start Yan Valery 

Having started on the bench during the Watford game, there is no doubt that the 20-year-old will be itching to get back into the starting line up. Valery has been an integral part of the Saints’ revival this season since coming into the senior side.

An inclusion of Valery, as well as an exclusion of Romeu, may be the perfect tactics for Hasenhüttl as this will allow James Ward-Prowse to go back into his favoured midfield role where he has been somewhat of a revelation this season.

Is this the perfect survival plan?

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According to the London Evening Standard, Manchester United are considering a summer swoop for Everton midfielder Idrissa Gueye.

Gueye was strongly linked with a move to Paris Saint-Germain during the latter stages of the January transfer window, but Everton ultimately kept hold of him.

More rumours have surfaced, though, and it appears that the Toffees face a battle to keep hold of the 29-year-old at the end of the season.

The Merseyside club’s fans have been on social media reacting to the report.

Whilst a number are desperate for their side to keep hold of Gueye, others have picked a price that they would be happy to sell at this summer.

In this era of ‘big 6’ dominance, has finishing 7th become as good as winning a trophy? The Pl>ymaker FC squad have their say in the video below…

Gueye could have let his head drop after being denied a switch to PSG, but the 2016 arrival from Aston Villa has been in fine form in recent weeks.

A selection of the Twitter reaction from the Everton fans can be seen below:

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Tottenham Hotspur beat Crystal Palace in their first game at the new stadium on Wednesday.

On a momentous evening for the football club, goals from Son Heung-Min and Christian Eriksen ultimately proved decisive against Roy Hodgson’s men, and came about after a major tactical decision from manager Mauricio Pochettino.

On the chalkboard

Pochettino began the game with Son partnering Harry Kane up front.

The South Korea international has played in that position many times before but the fact remains that it very rarely works.

Son is always starved of space and service when alongside the England captain because of Kane’s desire to drop deep and dictate the play.

A pacey, direct winger, Son is better used when deployed on the flank as he has the freedom to run at defenders and affect the game in a manner more befitting to his playing style.

Nevertheless, Danny Rose, normally a left-back, started the game on the wing, with Ben Davies in a full-back role. Throughout the first half, it limited Spurs’ threat and allowed Palace to sit deep and pick off any attempted through balls or chipped passes over the top.

In the second half, however, Pochettino made a positive change and shifted Son to the flank.

And his goal came about as a direct result of him cutting inside from the right and firing an effort at goal. It found its way in after a heavy deflection but history, all of a sudden, was his – the first competitive goalscorer at the new stadium.

The switch also influenced the second goal. Without Son occupying the space on the left, Kane charged into the box and was perhaps fouled, but the ball broke to Christian Eriksen, who lashed home.

A handful

Son is, of course, a handful wherever he plays.

A genuinely superb forward, Son’s strengths lie in his versatility.

He is equally adept at playing on the flanks as he is through the middle but Pochettino has been faced with a tricky decision with the star since Kane’s return to fitness.

Son scored in every Premier League game that his team-mate missed but has not performed anywhere near as well as a central striker since his return.

Pochettino, then, appears to have finally found the solution; let Kane do his thing through the middle, with Son floating in off the flanks, weighing in with his own significant contribution.

أعلن زين الدين زيدان المدير الفني الفرنسي لنادي ريال مدريد الإسباني عن قائمة الفريق المستدعاة لمواجهة إنتر ميلان، غدًا الثلاثاء، ضمن الجولة الثالثة من دوري أبطال أوروبا.

ريال مدريد يحل في المركز الأخير للمجموعة الثانية بعدما خسر مباراة وتعادل أخرى، بينما إنتر في المركز الثالث بنقطتين، بجانب شاختار الأوكراني وأنتراخت فرانكفورت الألماني.

وشهدت القائمة عدم وجود ظهير أيمن بسبب إصابة الرباعي فاسكيز وناتشو وأودريوزولا وكارفخال، مما جعل زيزو يقرر تصعيد الشاب سانتوس. قائمة ريال مدريد لمواجهة إنتر ميلان

حراسة المرمى: كورتوا – لونين – ألتوبي.

الدفاع: راموس، فاران – ميندي – مارسيلو – سانتوس

وسط الملعب: كروس – مودريتش – كاسيميرو – فالفيردي – إيسكو.

الهجوم: هازارد، بنزيما، أسينسيو، فاسكيز، يوفيتش، فينيسيوس، ماريانو، رودريجو

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Sheffield Wednesday bounced back from a gut-wrenching defeat to Aston Villa last weekend by beating fellow play-off hopefuls Nottingham Forest 3-0 on Tuesday evening.

Among the stand out players was George Boyd who was able to prove his doubters wrong, scoring a fantastic strike and also claiming an assist for his troubles.

It was a timely return to form for the wide man whose performance earned a host of plaudits on Twitter.

Reacting to his display, Wednesday fans were left in awe with two individuals labelling him the man of the match.

One supporter went as far as saying he was better than a prime Eden Hazard. His work rate was also praised by one fan.

The Scot has been a bit part of the Owls’ squad this season but he has now started three matches in a row for Steve Bruce.

The 6 foot 1 attacker has started just 11 Championship games in total in 2018/19 with his only goal and assists of the current campaign coming in the last two matches.

With Rolando Aarons out injured though, Boyd has managed to fill quite a large void left by the Newcastle loanee quite effectively.

Who would make a combined Sheffield XI? Ingood Nick makes his picks in the video below…

The player’s contract is due to end in June of this year, however, so a decision will have to be made on whether he is worth keeping around.

Here’s the best of the reaction…

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West Ham fans are becoming disillusioned with the club due to a lack of progress under the ownership of David Gold and David Sullivan.

Recent years have seen West Ham regress to mid-table mediocrity after back to back seasons of qualifying for the Europa League.

Fans have been complaining that they don’t see the club making the next step under the ownership of Gold and Sullivan and they are now resigned to a future of irrelevance.

The move from the Boleyn Ground to the London Stadium has been an unpopular decision amongst fans and performances on the pitch haven’t justified it either.

West Ham have watched on as teams such as Leicester, Wolves, Watford and Burnley have all pushed on in recent times to battle for European football whilst the Clarets have consistently been left wanting more from their owners who promised them the world a few years ago.

Fans have turned on the pair and have lost all hope of West Ham making the step up to become real contenders in English football again.

Here’s what West Ham fans have been saying on Twitter…

Marouane Chamakh is about as bad as they get, and the fact that he played for Arsenal still confuses us to the day.

We have lost count of the number of times the phrase worst signing ever has been thrown around. Miss a penalty? Worst signing ever! Shank a pass? Worst signing ever! Flop an ‘easy’ chance? Worst signing ever. A player is never safe from the swift and unforgiving label of worst signing ever. But how often do we genuinely mean it? Ask any Arsenal fan who witnessed the mercurial talent Marouane Chamakh strutting his stuff at the Emirates and they will tell you.

Indeed, as far as we are all concerned – that is football fans as a collective – the Moroccan is easily one of the least gifted individuals to ever stumble his way into the red and white of Arsenal. A genuine catastrophe who sits with esteemed company as one of Wenger’s worst ever signings, alongside Sebastien Squillaci, Pascal Cygan, Phillipe Senderos, Mikael Silvestre, Johan Djourou, Denilson and co.

We often find ourselves wondering how exactly Marouane Chamakh became a Premier League player, never mind an Arsenal forward. Not five years before that honour had befallen the likes of Thierry Henry and Dennis Bergkamp, and now it was vested in the useless Moroccan.

We suppose the ability was there on paper with Chamakh leaving Ligue 1 side Bordeaux in 2010 (as per The Guardian) their 8th most prolific goal scorer of all time. Make of that what you will.

Billed as a target man who excelled as holding the ball up and creating opportunities from which he teammates could feed off, he started the season in fairly promising style netting seven times and supplying a further four more in 20 Premier League appearances.

Unfortunately, whatever Chamakh was drinking in the opening half of the season must have run out because he was absolutely abysmal in the second. Just a single assist and no league goals to his name in the final 18 matches of the season makes for very poor reading. Nor did his record the following campaign, with just one goal in 11.

Needless to say, he did not survive much longer.

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Tottenham Hotspur were offered the chance to sign Youri Tielemans from Monaco in January, per HLN journalist Kristof Terreur.

What’s the word?

Tielemans joined Leicester City on loan at the turn of the year, with the Foxes sending Andre Silva the other way.

The Belgium international has enjoyed an exceptional start to his Leicester career, playing 11 times in the Premier League.

He has scored three goals and laid on five assists, emerging as a genuinely classy operator at the King Power Stadium.

Tottenham were linked with a late swoop for Tielemans in January by the Daily Telegraph and Terreur has now confirmed that there is likely to be even more interest in the 21-year-old this summer.

Both Spurs and Manchester United are listed as potential suitors, with Tielemans a long-term target of both clubs.

May have missed the chance

Spurs may have waited too long to do this deal.

One thing is for certain; he would have boosted the club during their current injury crisis.

Following Mousa Dembele’s departure, the likes of Harry Winks, Eric Dier, Victor Wanyama and Dele Alli have all struggled for fitness.

Against Ajax in the Champions League semi-final first leg at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium earlier this week, Spurs were overrun and eventually had to task Danny Rose with playing in midfield.

In that game, Alli was clearly half-fit, failing to impact the game in the final third or in defence, as he drifted between attacking and central midfield.

Tielemans would have alleviated the pressure that is currently being placed on the England international – he probably would have started the game instead of him had he been on Spurs’ books – and could also have prevented Pochettino’s men being outmanoeuvred in midfield.

He may not have taken Spurs to victory but he would surely have helped, adding an extra dimension and looking to cut Ajax open with his incisive passing and swift dribbling. Instead, Tottenham conceded an away goal to the Dutch side and have left themselves a huge challenge to overcome in the second leg.

Under Pochettino, he could have become a star, but now, his value is soaring. Spurs, as said, may have waited too long.

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West Ham United remained in the bottom half of the Premier League table following their 2-0 defeat against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on Monday night.

Manuel Pellegrini went with a bold line-up incorporating Javier Hernandez, Marko Arnautovic, Manuel Lanzini and Felipe Anderson in west London, but it didn’t yield either a result or a goal.

Eden Hazard’s brilliant brace proved to be the difference on what was a disappointing evening for a number of Irons players, but there are a couple who will have gone up in their manager’s estimations.

Aaron Cresswell

While the 29-year-old has been more of a consistent starter in recent weeks and even captained the side against Everton last weekend, there is no doubt that Pellegrini would have been more than a little concerned when he saw the team-sheets on Monday.

Callum Hudson-Odoi was handed a start by Maurizio Sarri on the right-hand side, and given the pace and trickery he has in his locker it seemed certain that he was going to give Cresswell a tough evening.

Instead the Liverpool-born defender dealt with the England international reasonably well – especially in the second half – and even went close to scoring himself.

Robert Snodgrass

Following a consistent run in the starting XI for much of the season, the Scot has been in and out of the side in more recent times and was named on the substitutes’ bench at Stamford Bridge.

It didn’t take him long to get an opportunity to prove himself though as he replaced Javier Hernandez at half-time, and he put in an impressive second-half showing.

He made a big impact from the onset, as his introduction gave Felipe Anderson more freedom and allowed Declan Rice to drop deeper – where he is at his best.

In addition his set-pieces were almost all spot on, and he has certainly staked his claim and surely put himself in contention for a start when the Irons face Manchester United at the weekend.