Julien Laurens joined the Totally Football Show podcast and talked about Manchester City’s chances of progressing past Real Madrid in one of the most exciting ties of the Champions League round of 16.

This Wednesday, Pep Guardiola faces a mammoth task of trying to topple Zinedine Zidane’s Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabeu and, needless to say, it might prove a challenge too big even for him.

At least that’s what ESPN’s Laurens believes and has stated for the Totally Football Show podcast (25/2/2020) when talking about the upcoming clash: “I think Real Madrid will knock them out. I just think they are too solid. When they want to they will turn up and they will be so strong defensively. And I just do think that this Real Madrid team, over the two legs, would be too strong for City.”

With City also being banned from Europe for the next two seasons, this makes Laurens’ verdict that much more damning for Guardiola’s troops. After all, if UEFA’s ban stands, this would be their last hurrah in the tournament for a couple of years, having failed to get past the quarter-finals under his watch so far.

Real Madrid are by no means an easy opponent, especially with Zidane at the helm, since the Frenchman was the one who orchestrated their incredible Champions League run that saw them clinch the title in three consecutive years. Perhaps Los Blancos are not at the peak of their powers since the exit of Cristiano Ronaldo in 2018 but they have a strong record in Europe under the Frenchman, having never lost a two-legged tie with him in charge.

In terms of them being solid, too, they have only conceded 17 goals this season – the lowest amount in La Liga – so Laurens’ prediction does look well-founded.

Man City fans, do you think your team can power past Zidane’s troops or do you agree with Laurens’ verdict? Let us know in the comment section down below!

Back in January, Celtic were believed to be in talks with Tottenham over a loan move for Victor Wanyama.

The Kenya international has found himself surplus to requirements with the Champions League finalists, playing just 24 minutes of Premier League action this season and only nine in the Champions League.

His only start has come in the Carabao Cup defeat to Colchester, and it certainly seems like his time with Spurs is up.

Despite the Hoops being in talks with Jose Mourinho’s side, no return to Celtic Park materialised for Wanyama and he remained in north London – however, his brother Harry has recently made a revelation about the midfielder’s future.

What did he say?

Harry Wanyama told People Daily: “Victor’s agent Ivan Modia will announce whether he will be leaving Spurs or not and which club. He is to make the announcement in two or three days.”

Have January concerns been eased?

When revealing that Celtic and Tottenham were in talks over Wanyama back in January, The Evening Standard states that Neil Lennon’s side harbour concerns over the 28-year-old’s long-term fitness – a fair point given his recent injury struggles.

Since January ended, Wanyama has not played a single minute of football for Mourinho, nor has he even made any outings at youth level to build up his fitness – he is severely lacking game time.

As a result, will Celtic’s doubts over their former star have eased at all? There has certainly been nothing of note to suggest that they will have, in any way, shape or form.

From green pitch to silver screen: What productions did these famous footballers star in?

Thankfully, we don’t have much longer to wait in regards to where the Kenyan’s future lies, if his brother is to be believed, that is.

In other news, Neil Lennon has revealed what he’d do with Odsonne Edouard “tomorrow” if he was Peter Lawwell…

Watford striker Troy Deeney was filmed poking fun at Virgil van Dijk in the tunnel before Liverpool succumbed to their 3-0 defeat against the Hornets on Saturday evening.

The European champions suffered their first loss in the Premier League after going 44 games unbeaten, after a brace from Ismaila Sarr and a fine finish from Deeney himself put Jurgen Klopp’s side to the sword in the second-half.

Watford’s No.9 was spotted talking to his mascot in the tunnel, where he pointed at Van Dijk and said: “If you had paid a bit more money, you could have stood there next to him.”

It was a funny comment from the Englishman, and one which forced a smile from the Dutch centre-back.

However, Deeney had the last laugh out on the pitch as well.

He won a huge eight aerial duels – more than any other player on the pitch – while also scoring one and making another after a perfectly weighted through-ball put Sarr in for his second goal.

You can see what the physical Hornets frontman said to the former Celtic defender below:

In other news, one fan wants Divock Origi to be released while more want Liverpool to sign this player…

Southampton fans are discussing whether owner Gao Jisheng selling the club would benefit the Saints or not.

According to The Times, Jisheng has made Southampton available to buy for £250 million and has invited a broker to try and source a buyer as soon as possible. They also report that even though the club made a £28.6 million profit in 2017/18, the records which will be coming out soon for the 2018/19 season will not be as good.

The Chinese businessman took over the club back in August 2017, after he bought his stake from Swiss owner Katharina Liebherr. Before he took over, Southampton finished eighth in the Premier League, but since his arrival, the Saints have been battling at the wrong end of the League, finishing in 17th in 2017/18 then 16th in 2018/19. (Sky Sports)

This season the club currently sit in 14th on 34 points and are only 7 points ahead of the relegation zone. They have a huge game on the weekend as they play against bottom of the table Norwich at Carrow Road.

Here is what fans are saying on the report:

Saints fans, would you be happy if your club was up for sale? Comment below!

West Brom can’t have too many complaints about many of their players this season.

The Baggies have been one of the Championship’s dominant forces this term, losing just five games, and one man who deserves a lot of credit for that is Sam Johnstone.

A bad goalkeeper can cost you at any level, just look at Kiko Casilla’s numerous high-profile mistakes at Leeds, but Johnstone has been safe as houses between the sticks at West Brom.

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One would think that his spot is secure for the foreseeable future, but the fact of the matter is that one loanee is staking a claim to challenge for the right to be number one.

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Alex Palmer is having an incredibly impressive loan spell at Plymouth Argyle.

You can make the argument that it’s only League Two level, but you’ll be surprised at how many stoppers cut their teeth in the lower leagues before going on to bigger and better things.

Just look at England’s current crop of goalkeepers, Jordan Pickford spent time at Bradford City, Carlisle United and Burton Albion, Dean Henderson played for both Grimsby and Shrewsbury, while Nick Pope had to learn his trade with Bury and York.

That would suggest that lower-league football is a great way to prepare goalkeepers for a big step up, and Palmer is showing that he may be worth a shot next season.

You can only save what is being thrown at you as a goalkeeper, and Palmer not only has a higher save percentage than Johnstone, but he is busier than him, making more saves throughout the course of the season.

Despite playing for a Plymouth side that have lost four more games than the Baggies, Palmer has actually kept more clean sheets than Slaven Bilic’s ever-present first-choice.

The 22-year-old has certainly given the Baggies something to think about next term, and if he can keep up this level when he returns to the Hawthorns, Johnstone’s spot could be under fire.

In other news, this major update has come at the worst possible time for one WBA star.

With football across the world being put on hold due to recent developments, a lot of the regular content and events that are scheduled to take place are still under a huge question mark.

Of course, the leagues themselves are still frozen and even though we still hope to see the ongoing 2019/20 campaign completed, nothing is really set in stone at this point.

Another point of concern is the upcoming summer transfer market – will teams be able to buy or sell players as they normally would? How will players’ contracts work? There’s a lot of questions that still need a definite answer.

But according to some new reports that originated from The Mirror, some clubs, like Liverpool, are fearing a financial consequence due to the current circumstances taking a toll on their income and that may also result in cutting down their ambitions for the summer transfer window.

And Dave O’Connell believes that makes complete sense for Liverpool and co., and he delivered his verdict on Twitter.

Liverpool fans, do you think teams in general should be more sensible about their spending this summer? Let us know down in the comments below!

Loads of Aston Villa fans have been reacting on Twitter after former hero Martin Laursen had some constructive criticism for current Villa centre-back Tyrone Mings.

Speaking on the latest episode of the 1874 podcast from The Athletic, he said (30:40): “Sometimes I think he does too many mistakes. It looks like he’s not focused all the time. For me it’s always been very important that the centre-half is very focused and concentrated.

“I was so impressed with him when I came to Aston Villa and watched him. I didn’t know him before I came, I’d never seen him play. I was just seeing this big guy with this left foot, strong, quick, good with the ball. I think he has everything to be a great centre-half.

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“But then I’ve seen some games this season, he’s been injured a bit as well, but I think he can do better. He should be aware that he has all this potential, but he should be able to do better. I think he can if he is more focused on his game. He should do better because he’s got everything to do better.”

The giant central defender has been one of the Midlands outfit’s best players during the 2019/20 campaign, which probably says a lot about where they are given he hasn’t been perfect, as per Laursen’s observations.

Indeed, Dean Smith’s men have conceded more goals (56) than any other Premier League club this term, as they currently lie 19th in the top-flight standings with the season currently paused because of what is going on in the world.

Mings has probably been guilty of trying to do much at times to cover for his teammates, which has ultimately cost the England international when it comes to mistakes in his own position.

There are certainly those who agree with what Laursen has said about his fellow centre-back, with one saying they “agree 100%”.

However, there was also those supporters who showed some empathy for Mings and the situation he has found himself in this season.

Given he hasn’t been surrounded by the strongest and best defenders, the following fans certainly have a point when they say they “feel sorry for him”.

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Indeed, he has received praise from the likes of Gareth Southgate and Alex Bruce this season, showing he has been impressive, too.

Meanwhile, other Villans are impressed that Laursen can see what is happening, which one individual has accused Smith and assistant manager John Terry of missing.

Two others even said they would like to see the 42-year-old come in as assistant instead.

>Red Herring or Real Hero: Only hardcore Villa fans will get all of them right….

Given how well he is clearly respected by the Villa Park faithful as you can see by these comments, that could be a good shout if and when Terry does depart.

In other Aston Villa news, Martin Laursen believes it was the right decision to sell one of his teammates in 2008, saying “he wasn’t very good when he played for us”…

Despite the uncertainty about what will happen to the Championship season, Victor Orta and co will no doubt be drawing up plans for the summer transfer window at Leeds.

Marcelo Bielsa’s side currently occupy top spot in the league, so promotion to the Premier League is very much on the cards. But whilst big-money signings and high-profile names may be a major statement of intent from the Whites, they would do very well to turn their attentions to one of the hottest properties in European football: Adil Aouchiche.

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According to 90min, PSG are facing a battle to persuade Aouchiche to stay at the club, with his contract coming to an end this summer. However, it’s suggested that the European giants remain hopeful they can convince him to put pen to paper on a new deal, and that they are exploring the option of potentially sending him out on loan to get first-team football – and Leeds have been name-checked as one possible destination for the youngster.

The 17-year-old has already shown flashes of greatness, with his performances at the 2019 U17 European Championships the real highlight of his fledgling career. His incredible tally of nine goals in the tournament only matched that of France icon Michel Platini back in EURO 1984.

Predominantly a number ten, the teenager could provide some goals from that attacking midfield position, with French journalist Loic Tanzi saying: “Aouchiche is better when he plays behind the striker. He’s not very tall, but very quick, he understands the game and has the right timing when it comes to playing the final pass.”

Such has been his impressive performances, that The Athletic writer Jack Lang waxed lyrical about his talents, even claiming that he has “echoes of Zinedine Zidane”. Leeds have had their fair share of inspirational figures, not least in Eric Cantona all those years ago. Those kinds of players get fans on the edge of their seats, and exude a sense of brilliance.

Having someone like Aouchiche who can provide a touch of magic in the Premier League could be the difference to securing priceless wins when opposition defences look like they’re on top. It may only be on loan, but Orta must surely make this one of his summer priorities.

Former Leeds United and Coventry City forward Noel Whelan has said that West Ham United should look to sell Felipe Anderson this summer, in an interview with Football Insider.

What did he say?

The Hammers signed Anderson from Lazio in the summer of 2018 for £36m and made a good impression in his first season, scoring nine goals and proving four assists in 36 Premier League appearances.

However, he has been restricted to just 19 league starts this term, managing just one goal and four assists in the process.

New West Ham boss David Moyes has left him on the bench for the club’s last three fixtures and Whelan said that Anderson often leaves his side playing with 10 men when he is not on form.

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“Felipe Anderson is a great player,” he told Football Insider.

“On his day he is a game-winner but you have to trust players. You have to be able to trust a player throughout the course of a season. You cannot be carrying flair players.

“They have to do the other side of the games as well – it is required. If you cannot do that you are playing with ten men at times.

“He is alright when he is on the ball but it is whether you can do the work off the ball. It looks to me like David Moyes does not think he can do that.

“We know what he can do on the ball and there is brilliance in that kid but can he track back and defend? If you cannot do it there is a default in a player that needs to be worked on or sold.”

As many of his international teammates settle into Sri Lanka ahead of the World Twenty20, Australia’s Test captain Michael Clarke is making doubly sure the Champions League that follows it will impinge as little as possible on preparations for a series with top-ranked South Africa.Not required for either the World T20 or the Champions League, Clarke will instead lead New South Wales for the early start of the domestic season, which has itself been pushed forward by the presence of the T20 club competition in October.The timing of the event, and its demands on players, has long been a sore point among Test match representatives. This was never more evident than after Michael Hussey and Doug Bollinger had their preparations for a series in India hopelessly compromised by needing to remain in South Africa for the Champions League until only three days before the Tests began.Then Ricky Ponting’s vice-captain, Clarke said lessons had been learned. He is now working with the national team’s coaching staff and the team performance manager Pat Howard to ensure the likes of Brad Haddin, Mitchell Starc, James Pattinson, Ben Hilfenhaus, David Warner and Hussey can come back from the event ready and able to push South Africa for five days rather than 40 overs.”I think we can certainly learn from that, that’s for sure, and I think we are,” Clarke said of 2010. “Pat Howard’s been exceptional in regards to our planning, he’s made no bones about prioritising Test cricket, he wants us to have success in Test cricket, he wants us to be the No. 1 Test team in the world. We’ve got to prepare well and the preparation starts as soon as the boys get back from the T20 World Cup.”The advantage is that all countries are affected the same way, it’s not just the Australian players, we play against South Africa in November and there’s a lot of their players involved as well. It’s fair for everybody. It’s important that everybody who’s there for Champions League plays well there, has some success, but in the back of their mind thinking about the Test series against South Africa.”The young bowlers over there will be monitored, we’ll have Ali de Winter over there working on their bowling workloads, and bowling through that period with a red ball. I wish the boys all the best over there, hopefully they come back full of confidence and ready to go for that first Test.”De Winter’s presence as Australia’s bowling coach will be a significant help to the preparations of the fast bowlers, and a major improvement on the problems of 2010. Back then, Bollinger was given a program to work on while still playing for Chennai, but the presence of de Winter in the country will go a long way towards ensuring such plans are rigorously followed this time.The former coach Tim Nielsen has previously recalled the episode as an instance when Cricket Australia’s board and management did not support the performance objectives of the team, a scenario that hastened Howard’s appointment following the Argus review to ensure such objectives were not compromised.”I understand CA’s decision, but Doug Bollinger was playing four-over cricket right as the tour started, then broke down in the first Test,” Nielsen said last year. “I’ve no doubt if [he was] fit and right and bowling full-time we’d have won that Test match in Mohali.”I can’t imagine an AFL team would let their bloke go and do something like that [before a big game]. They look after their players as best they can for what’s important; they don’t compromise. That was one thing in my career as a coach I was a little bit upset about – that we didn’t get 100% support from CA, and our team was compromised by that.”Clarke is also grateful for the chance to spend time playing for NSW, in addition to leading them for the first time. His retirement from T20Is has afforded the odd window for rest and first-class cricket, granting Clarke a better chance of prospering when the South Africa Tests come around.”It’s an advantage for me to get back into some red ball cricket, that was a reason for me retiring from international T20 cricket a couple of years ago,” Clarke said, “to allow me to work hard on my one-day game and my Test game, and there’s no better preparation than to get back and play for NSW.”I think it’s great for first-class teams to have their international players back playing. I think the game needs it, I think the international players need to get back to play with their state or play for their grade club, I think it’s really important for the game.”I remember fondly having the chance to play with Steve Waugh when he captained Australia and what the feeling was like when he was around training. It gives you that little extra boost, I wanted to spend time in the middle with him, I wanted to score some runs with him, I wanted to show him I could play.”