All posts by n8rngtd.top

This article is part of Football FanCast’s In Numbers series, which takes a statistical look at performances, season-long form and reported transfer targets… 

It is fair to say that Miguel Almiron has struggled to get firing in the Premier League since joining Newcastle in what was a club-record fee at the time.

The £20m signing promised a lot when he arrived on Tyneside having scored and assisted a total of 43 goals in 70 appearances for Atlanta United, and there was certainly a lot of expectation on him performing from Toon fans.

He has looked to be a threat on occasion and his pace has suited the Premier League by allowing him to get in behind the defence and cause the opposition problems, as highlighted against Manchester United on Sunday.

Watch Newcastle United Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

However, too often, as it was the case in that match, Almiron doesn’t have the quality to provide the decisive touch to either score or assist his Newcastle teammates.

It is not the only area of concern for the Paraguayan, either, and against the Red Devils he disappointed with the ball at his feet as he was careless in possession and wasteful in the final third, as his stats from WhoScored demonstrate.

That will be a big worry for Steve Bruce, particularly as summer signings Joelinton and Allan-Saint Maximin are still finding their feet, too, and thus are yet to add the attacking threat that makes the Magpies a dangerous outfit, with one goal and zero assists between them.

Their goal-scoring record reflects that with five in eight league games, and if Almiron doesn’t improve quickly he should find himself out of the team.

Players such as Matt Ritchie and Christian Atsu will likely be frustrated at not getting more game time despite Almiron’s shortcomings.

The 25-year-old is still yet to register a goal or assist for the club in 18 games and a lack of composure and instinct against United indicated that it could be a bigger problem than a lack of confidence.

It is not just in front of goal where he struggled at the weekend, having also failed to beat a man or supply a key pass to a teammate, whilst his 24 touches show that he wasn’t involved as much as the St James’ Park faithful may have expected.

Bruce has come under fire from supporters since taking over but if key players are underperforming it makes his job a lot harder, and as a result he may consider dropping the winger or altering his position in order to improve the team, and his level of performance – with WhoScored giving him an average rating of 6.2 in the Premier League.

Arsenal were in good form once again in Europe as they beat Standard Liege 4-0 on Thursday.

The goals were scored by Gabriel Martinelli – twice – Joe Willock and Dani Ceballos as the Gunners enjoyed a comfortable night at the Emirates Stadium.

It was the perfect opportunity for Unai Emery to play some of his fringe players, such as Shkodran Mustafi, Rob Holding and Emiliano Martinez. However, there was one notable exception from the squad.

Watch Arsenal Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

The former Sevilla boss decided not to include Mesut Ozil in the side, saying that other players “deserved” it more.

It is another blow to the former Germany international, who has once again recently been linked with a move away from north London.

It appears as though the Arsenal supporters were very disappointed with Emery’s comments in particular.

They took to Twitter to share their thoughts, and you can see some of the best comments from the social media platform below.

This article is part of Football FanCast’s Transfer Focus series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent transfer news…

Tottenham Hotspur are interested in signing Valencia winger Ferran Torres, per SportBild via Sport Witness.

What’s the word?

The 19-year-old, who has won four caps for Spain U21s, has made a total of 63 appearances for the La Liga club.

He has scored three goals and registered just five assists for Valencia during his time at the Mestalla Stadium, but both Spurs and Borussia Dortmund are said to be interested in securing his signature.

Torres’ current contract expires in 2021 and the report claims that Valencia would like to receive €20m (£17.2m) for the teenager.

A slap in the face

Lucas Moura signed a new contract in August.

That’s the same Lucas Moura who scored a hat-trick in the Champions League semi-final victory over Ajax in Amsterdam, who netted 15 goals in all competitions in 2018/19, and who cannot get into the team under Mauricio Pochettino.

He has made just three starts in the league thus far in 2019/20.

Targeting a 19-year-old kid who, with the best will in the world, has been incredibly underwhelming during his time at Valencia, would be a slap in the face to the Brazil international.

Torres’ statistics, per WhoScored, leave plenty to be desired. He averages 0.2 key passes per La Liga game, 0.9 shots and just 0.7 dribbles. The only offensive stat that goes over the number one is unsuccessful touches at 1.2.

Spurs ought to think about perhaps playing the right winger that they have, the one who took them into the Champions League final, instead of considering a move for a player who is going to have next to no impact in north London.

Sergio Ramos is a name that doesn’t need much introduction.

And this stands true even if you’re not a Real Madrid fan.

Spain’s veteran centre-back and Real Madrid’s faithful captain has won countless trophies with both his club and country and just the other day, he celebrated a huge landmark.

Namely, it was his 14th anniversary with Los Blancos and in those 14 years Ramos managed to clinch 20 titles.

Watch Spanish Football Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

Real Madrid celebrated on Twitter by posting a brilliant tribute video for the fans, and many of them swarmed their comment section with great messages of support.

Ramos still seems to be a fan favourite and many of them called him the best centre-back on the planet and the best of this generation.

You can see a collection of tweets and their replies down below as they gushed over this huge landmark that was achieved by their captain.

[ad_pod ]

This article is part of Football FanCast’s In Numbers series, which takes a statistical look at performances, season-long form and reported transfer targets…

Frenkie de Jong has well and truly arrived at Barcelona, and not a moment too soon.

Last weekend, the Blaugrana welcomed Valencia to the Camp Nou in a match that was bound to offer entertainment and, more importantly, goals. And it didn’t disappoint on either front.

The Catalans snatched all three points on the night, running out 5-2 victors, having simply run away with the game.

Watch Spanish Football Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

Many players were seemingly at their brilliant best but probably no one as much as the young Dutchman. Barcelona’s 22-year-old star lit up the stage.

De Jong was everywhere on the pitch, notching 62 touches but more importantly, influencing the game for Barcelona in the best possible way. The midfielder first assisted the young Ansu Fati early on in the clash and then followed it up with his first goal for the Blaugrana in La Liga, assisted by, interestingly enough, Fati himself.

But he did much more than just score and assist.

De Jong managed an impeccable 100% passing accuracy with a total of 53 passes recorded and also deployed three key passes throughout his stay on the pitch of the Camp Nou. Without proper words to describe him – he was utterly brilliant.

Add to that three dribbles and one interception and you’ll have one of the most complete performances a midfielder could wish for, and according to Whoscored, the young Dutchman was Barcelona’s Man of the Match with the game-highest rating of 8.63.

While it will have been a satisfying game for Barca fans to watch, this was probably De Jong’s finest performance in the club’s colours thus far.

This is especially true since his role at the club was widely discussed prior to the game, both among many of the fans who thought Valverde was misusing the 22-year-old, and among pundits and coaches, who, for the most part, thought the very same.

But if this game has proven anything to Barcelona and Valverde, then it’s the fact that De Jong only needed a bit of time to adjust.

If this performance is anything to go by, the sky could now be the limit.

[ad_pod ]

[ad_pod ]

We’re almost nine years on from one of the most amazing and shocking transfer stories of all time, but seeing as Liverpool face off against Chelsea this weekend it’s time to once again talk about Fernando Torres’ £50m switch back in 2011.

One man who will know more about that transfer than most is Jamie Carragher, and seeing as he’ll be covering the fixture for Sky Sports this weekend, they wanted to get a few of his thoughts on the record-breaking deal ahead of the match.

Sky uploaded a fantastic interview with Carragher on their YouTube channel where he talked with Gary Neville about some classic Liverpool vs Chelsea clashes from over the years.

One of the most controversial things he said was regarding Torres’ move to Chelsea in 2011, and his subsequent debut against his former club.

Watch Liverpool Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

The former England international wasn’t too kind when talking about his old teammate as he said that he was more than happy to see him go for £50m, due to the form he had shown over the past 18 months.

It’s certainly interesting to hear the views from a key member of the Liverpool camp at that time, and it’s surprising to hear Carragher say that he was happy to see the Spaniard leave Anfield.

[ad_pod ]

This article is part of Football FanCast’s Transfer Focus series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent transfer news…

According to The Mirror, Paris Saint-Germain are planning a stunning £100m swoop for Crystal Palace forward Wilfried Zaha as a replacement for Neymar Jr, who looks set for a move back to La Liga.

What’s the word, then?

Well, the Ivorian made his intentions to leave Selhurst Park crystal clear in the summer by handing in a transfer request on the eve of the deadline, and was reportedly devastated that the Eagles rejected Everton’s late advances.

However, the window for European clubs remains open until September 2nd, and the French champions may test Palace’s resolve one last time this summer before Zaha’s hopes of leaving until at least January are killed off completely.

PSG know that Neymar is irreplaceable, but see the Palace academy graduate as a player of a similar style who can excite the Parc des Princes crowd – a delegation is being sent to London this week to see if a deal can be struck for Zaha.

Palace’s best chance of receiving their valuation 

Arsenal were interested in Zaha this summer, but Palace deemed their offer of £65m + Reiss Nelson on loan as nowhere near good enough.

The Toffees also got involved later on in the summer, but their highest offer of £60m + Cenk Tosun was also deemed unacceptable – The Telegraph claimed that while the Eagles value Zaha at £100m, they would’ve accepted £80m in upfront cash.

So, if the news that PSG are readying an offer worth £100m is true, this could be Palace’s best chance of receiving what they want for the Ivorian.

It would leave them in a tricky situation until the January window opens in terms of finding a replacement, but if such an offer does arrive, it would be too hard to turn down given the fact that another offer worth that much may not come around again.

This is Palace’s best chance of getting what they want for their prized asset.

[ad_pod ]

There is some uncertainty around Josh Hazlewood, but Varun Chakravarthy, currently on 17 wickets, will get a chance tonight to make it tough for Purple Cap leaders Prasidh Krishna and Noor Ahmad

ESPNcricinfo staff17-May-2025

Orange Cap table

We must start with Virat Kohli. Since, well, it’s Virat Kohli, but more importantly, he is the first of the top-five batters this season to return to action; Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) and Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) open the IPL on its resumption tonight, much like they started the tournament off back on March 22.Kohli scored 62 in 33 balls his last outing, against Chennai Super Kings (CSK), his seventh half-century of the season. That took his tally up to 505 runs and to No. 4 (though he was briefly the Cap-holder too). In fact, the top few have passed around – or grabbed from each other – that cap for the past few games.And there’s not between those top-five batters. The table-topper, Suryakumar Yadav of Mumbai Indians (MI) has 510 runs, and the fifth-placed Jos Buttler of Gujarat Titans (GT) has 500. Within those ten runs are two other GT batters, B Sai Sudharsan (509 runs) and Shubman Gill (508 runs). Then comes Kohli, who needs to score just six runs to get the Orange Cap back.He would want to get more than just those, though. Against what might be a white screen in front of him, at home at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Kohli would back himself to get another fifty – seven in 11 innings already is some record – and the fans in the stands, who are certain to respond emotionally to his Test retirement when they see him, would want nothing less.Prabhsimran (No. 7 with 437 runs) will get his shot soon, though. PBKS go up against Rajasthan Royals (RR) in the next game, on Sunday afternoon, and then the GT trio will get a go against DC, knowing where Kohli stands on the table, and how they need to go to get back to the top.Not to forget Nicholas Pooran. The Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) batter was the early leader on that table before his form tapered off. He is still at No. 8 with 410 runs, though, and if the break in the IPL has refreshed him, the men ahead of him on the Orange Cap list might start slipping from the positions quickly. He will be in action on Monday against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) at home in Lucknow.Prasidh Krishna will get a chance to add to his 20 wickets on Sunday night•Associated Press

Purple Cap table

GT’s bowling spearhead Prasidh Krishna and CSK left-arm wristspinner Noor Ahmad are up at the top – Prasidh ahead of Noor because of his superior economy rate and average – with 20 wickets each, and two wickets behind them, with 18 apiece, are RCB’s Josh Hazlewood and MI’s Trent Boult.Hazlewood, however, hasn’t played since April 27 owing to a shoulder injury and it’s still not clear if he is rejoining the RCB ranks or not for the remainder of the IPL. That means Prasidh (whose next game is on Sunday night) and Noor (in action on Tuesday night) might just feel a bit unthreatened for a bit, since Boult is also not going to be in action till Wednesday, when MI’s season resumes.But it’s not just those two who have a shot at going past Prasidh and Noor.KKR’s Varun Chakravarthy is currently at No. 5 with 17 wickets, and will be in action against RCB tonight. As will Harshit Rana, who has 16 wickets, the same as Arshdeep Singh, who will turn out for PBKS on Sunday afternoon. A good haul for any of these bowlers, and the Purple Cap race could well become as frenetic as the Orange Cap race has been.Here’s what ESPNcricinfo MVP table looks like as the IPL resumes.And here are some other IPL 2025 tables you might want to browse through.

• Highest batting strike rates
• Best bowling economy rates
• Most sixes
• Best bowling figures in a match

Lancashire attack finds bounce and movement to reduce Northamptonshire to 67 for 6 before lunch

ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay09-May-2025Lancashire 133 for 3 (Harris 53*) trail Northamptonshire 238 (McManus 53, Balderson 4-55) by 105 runsLewis McManus led a spirited fightback with a fine 53 off 89 balls to rescue Northamptonshire after they suffered an early batting collapse on day one of this Rothesay County Championship match against Lancashire at Wantage Road.All-rounder George Balderson took 4 for 55 and Anderson Phillip 3 for 65 as Lancashire’s attack obtained plenty of bounce and movement to reduce Northamptonshire to 67 for 6 before lunch after electing to bat.But keeper-batter McManus forged a series of enterprising partnerships with the tail to wrestle back the initiative. The last four wickets added 171 runs in 38 overs as Northamptonshire finished 238 all out, Liam Guthrie hitting 43 to register his highest first-class score.Northamptonshire took two early wickets after tea, but Keaton Jennings hit a sparkling 41 off 45 balls, and with Marcus Harris making 53 not out (119 balls) in a sometimes nervy unbeaten stand of 74 with Matty Hurst (31), Lancashire closed on 133 for 3 trailing by 105.Earlier, Lancashire’s bowling discipline stood in contrast to some loose strokeplay from home batters, Ricardo Vasconcelos (39) the only top-order batter to prosper.Will Williams struck in the day’s second over, the ball flying off the splice of Luke Procter’s bat to gully. George Bartlett and James Sales took the score to 33 when Bartlett was adjudged caught at third slip off Balderson. Sales cracked Phillip through extra cover for four, but the West Indian squared him up next ball as he edged low to Jennings at second slip.Rob Keogh was next to go, pushing outside off-stump, caught low down by Harris at third slip.Vasconcelos meanwhile was finding runs all around the wicket, hitting six over square-leg, driving and pulling comfortably before Phillip jagged one back to trap him lbw.Three balls later Saif Zaib had a rush of blood, charging down the pitch to Balderson, edging to Jennings at second slip to leave Northamptonshire reeling.Harrison (29) and McManus showed greater application ensuring no further wickets fell before lunch and extended their seventh-wicket partnership after the interval to 60. Harrison hit three boundaries, muscling Balderson through midwicket and punching through extra cover.Lancashire shelled two catches in quick succession, with Harrison and McManus both benefiting. Phillip though returned to the attack to quickly break the partnership, nipping one back to take Harrison’s inside edge, keeper Hurst taking the catch.Ben Sanderson had some fun in a quickfire stand of 32 off 20 deliveries with McManus, driving square for four and edging over the slips for another boundary. He punched Willliams through cover before the bowler snared him lbw.McManus was in excellent touch, driving pleasantly and particularly strong off his legs. He clipped Bailey square for four and whipped him in a similar direction for six. He added 57 in 10 overs with Guthrie before falling in lowkey fashion, caught off the leading edge off Bailey, the ball ballooning up to Luke Wells running from mid-off.Guthrie played offense. Facing Balderson, he smashed through midwicket and pulled a no ball for another boundary, departing when he hit the all-rounder straight to mid-on.Guthrie then gave Northamptonshire the best start with the ball, trapping George Bell in front with his third delivery.Bohannon has proved Northamptonshire’s nemesis averaging 83.77 against them and scoring 155 at Emirates Old Trafford last month. He was unable to extend that run further though, Harrison pulling off an incredible diving catch at third slip off Sanderson.Jennings took four early boundaries off Guthrie, flaying Procter through deep extra cover and playing an exquisite late cut. He drove Procter down the ground to bring up Lancashire’s 50 in 12.5 overs but fell soon after, bowled by Australian quick Harry Conway, playing his first home game for Northamptonshire.Harris looked less comfortable early doors, edging just in front of the keeper and wide of the slips and was dropped in the slips on 28. He started to hit his stride though with some handsome drives.Dropped at short-midwicket before he had scored, Hurst played some attractive shots, cutting Harrison for four shortly before stumps.

[ad_pod ]

QPR will be hoping to immediately bounce back from their disappointing defeat to Swansea on Wednesday night with a decent result against Wigan.

Mark Warburton’s side weren’t shy of taking shots on goal against the Swans, having had 23 attempts on goal in total, but scored just once – the former Brentford boss said that his side must be more clinical.

Jordan Hugill’s equaliser looked like it would swing the game in the R’s favour, although Yoann Barbet almost instantly killed any hopes of a fightback after giving away a penalty just four minutes later, which Borja Baston converted.

So, it wasn’t all bad, but maybe Warburton needs to tweak a few things.

Here’s how we think he’ll line up…

We don’t expect Warburton to make a whole raft of changes to his XI when the Latics come to visit, despite midfielders Ben Amos and Geoff Cameron facing late fitness tests.

Putting the ball in the back of the net was the major issue last time out, as well as Barbet’s moment of madness at the back – it was the second spot-kick that the Frenchman has given away already this season in just four games.

Despite his thoughtless challenge in the penalty area, we think that Warburton will keep faith with his summer recruit as it would be extremely harsh to drop him so soon into the season whilst he is still settling in.

So, in a bid to improve the efficiency up top, we think the QPR boss will slightly reshuffle his attack.

Watch the video below to find out how CR7 achieves some his best skills…

Eberechi Eze started on the left against the Swans, although his main position is in a more central role.

19-year-old Matt Smith started in that area against Swansea, but we think former Bournemouth man Marc Pugh will come in on the left with Eze moving into the middle – the left flank comes naturally to the 32-year-old and finishing is one of his strengths, as we saw with a whopping 56 goals for the Cherries over the years.

Hopefully, this tweak can make the R’s more ruthless up top.

[ad_pod ]