Last night saw Manchester City somehow scrape past Schalke in their round of 16 first leg clash in Germany. The Citizens were saved at the death by goals from Leroy Sane and Raheem Sterling, but when they were 2-1 down to a Nabil Bentaleb double and saw Nicolas Otamendi sent off for a second yellow card things were looking bleak.

At the time of Nicolas Otamendi’s dismissal, a lot of the fans were starting to turn on Pep Guardiola. The Spaniard very rarely gets it wrong when he’s setting up his side, although the fans were more than happy to stick the knife in when they saw that Otamendi had been shown a red card, as they’d never have started the 31-year-old Argentine from the get-go in such a big game.

Otamendi has appeared in the Champions League four times this season and was even given the captain’s armband by Guardiola in the club’s final group stage game, a 2-1 home win against Hoffenheim. However, this season has seen Otamendi drop down the pecking order at the club, with John Stones and Aymeric Laporte the two first-choice options for Guardiola, so to see him mix things up and use his unreliable Argentine was a shock to the fans.

You can read the Citizens’ thoughts on Otamendi’s dismissal here:

The Citizens were far from happy with Guardiola as his side limped over the line yesterday and will be keen for swift improvements when they meet Schalke at The Etihad.

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Tottenham Hotspur face Chelsea on Wednesday evening and Mauricio Pochettino has promised fans that the club will “try to win” when they get to Stamford Bridge.

Spurs lost 2-1 to Burnley at Turf Moor on Saturday and need a victory if they are to stay in touch with leaders Liverpool and Manchester City, who play AFC Bournemouth and West Ham United on the same night.

Pochettino’s men beat Chelsea 3-1 at Wembley earlier this season, with goals from Dele Alli, Harry Kane and Son-Heung Min proving decisive.

The Blues, meanwhile, lost the Carabao Cup final on penalties to Manchester City at the weekend and they, too, will be looking for a reaction against their London rivals.

But fans have reacted to Pochettino’s quotes with predictable sarcasm on Twitter.

Indeed, many believe that the Argentine has merely said the most obvious thing possible ahead of a game in which there is precious little margin for error. Take a look at the best reaction below!

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Tottenham are eyeing up a £50m move for Bournemouth sensation David Brooks, who has taken to life at Premier League level like a duck to water since his summer move from Sheffield United, as reported exclusively by The Express.

What’s the word, then?

The Welshman has excelled for the Cherries since signing in a £10m deal from the Blades, scoring six goals and recording four assists so far this season.

Tottenham are said to be willing to spend up to £50m to lure the Wales international to the new White Hart Lane in the summer, and he is well in with a chance of being named as the PFA Young Player of the Year.

Be sure to check out the incredible story of the man who rose from a Tanzanian refugee camp to become one of Australia’s biggest football stars in the video below…

Manchester United are also seriously interested in bringing the 21-year-old to Old Trafford, but Mauricio Pochettino is hoping to beat the Red Devils to Brooks’ signature and help him fulfil his huge potential.

Who could Brooks push out of the team?

The north Londoners have racked up a huge amount of debt from the construction of their new stadium, so any move for Brooks may have to be bankrolled by a significant sale.

Real Madrid were credited with an interest in signing Christian Eriksen recently, although they were quoted a huge £225m price by Spurs for one of their key players.

The Dane is, however, five years older than Brooks, and for a fee in that astronomical region or even slightly lower, Tottenham would be wise to cash in on Eriksen and mould Brooks into being his replacement.

Were he to arrive at Spurs with no departures having taken place, it is tough to see where Brooks gets into an attacking quartet of Harry Kane, Dele Alli, Eriksen and Heung-min Son, so a big sale may need to be made in order to lure the promising Welsh playmaker to north London.

The £50m figure is certainly an important one though as it would set a new club-record transfer fee at Tottenham, eclipsing the £42m spent on Davinson Sanchez two summers ago.

شن مرتضى منصور رئيس مجلس إدارة نادي الزمالك، هجومًا حادًا على لاعبه السابق وحارس مرمى بيراميدز الحالي أحمد الشناوي.

وكانت لجنة التظلمات بالاتحاد المصري لكرة القدم قد أيدت حكمها السابق بأحقية الزمالك في الحصول على 8 ملايين جنيه من الشناوي.

وقال منصور في تصريحات تلفزيونية بفضائية “الزمالك”: “أحمد الشناوي الخائن تم رفض تظلمه وهناك حكم نهائي برد 8 ملايين جنية للزمالك، أتمنى من سالم الشمسي مالك بيراميدز أن يدفع المبلغ بطريقة ودية، لأننا مجروحون منه مرتين، الجرح الأول لأنه جلس مع محمود الخطيب في وجود المحامي خالد أبو بكر، والخطيب أغراه أنه ينضم للأهلي قبل مباراة القمة بـ3 ايام وتعمد أن نخسر المباراة وخسرنا بالثلاثة”.

مرتضى منصور يكشف تطورات ملف مدرب الزمالك الجديد وأسباب فشل المفاوضات مع جروس

وأضاف: “الجرح الثاني عندما حصل على 8 ملايين جنيه من الزمالك ثم سمحنا له بالانضمام لبيراميدز بسبب الصداقة بيننا وبين تركي آل الشيخ، ستعيدهم رغمًا عنك وإما لن تلمس الكرة مرة أخرى”.

وتحدث منصور عن قناة الزمالك، قائلًا: “كان هناك اجتماع مع إعلام المصريين اليوم والخريطة كلها ستتغير خلال 10 أو 15 يومًا، سيكون هناك برامج جديدة”.

واختتم مرتضى منصور: “اليوم أبلغت إعلام المصريين بتحذير رسمي عن أحمد شوبير”.

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Arsenal right-back Hector Bellerin has confirmed that he is walking again as he continues his recovery from injury.

The defender ruptured his anterior cruciate ligament against Chelsea in January.

He has since undergone surgery on the issue and is continuing to rehabilitate the problem, which will certainly rule him out until next season.

And in a Twitter post on Tuesday, he confirmed that he is back on his feet.

He wrote: “Feels nice to stand up againnnn (sic)”

Bellerin had made 19 appearances for the Gunners in the Premier League prior to his injury, laying on a total of five assists.

In his absence, both Ainsley Maitland-Niles and Stephan Lichtsteiner have filled in at right-back, along with Carl Jenkinson and, against Tottenham Hotspur, Shkodran Mustafi.

And Arsenal fans are desperate for the Spain international to make an earlier-than-expected return from a truly debilitating injury.

Replying to his original tweet, many supporters urged him to focus all his efforts on his recovery as he looks to force his way back into Unai Emery’s plans for the 2019-20 season.

Take a look at the best of the reaction below!

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West Ham are reportedly lining up a move for FC Porto star Yacine Brahimi, and if the Hammers can pull this one off they may finally have the attacking depth to pursue a Europa League place.

What’s the word?

According to A Bola (via Sport Witness), West Ham, Everton and Newcastle are all rivalling AC Milan for Brahimi’s signature.

The Algerian international winger will be out of contract this summer, and has shown no signs of signing a new deal with Porto.

At 28, the wing wizard still has plenty of time left to improve and grow, and a move to West Ham would give Manuel Pellegrini countless talented attacking options.

Pl>ymaker FC Exclusive: Jermaine Jenas reveals what Lasagne-Gate was really like for Tottenham’s food-poisoned stars – Check out the video below…

Why do they need him?

Well, the Hammers were very active last summer, most notably signing Felipe Anderson and Andriy Yarmolenko to boost the attack, but an injury to the latter offered a stark reminder of how poor the depth in the squad is.

With Robert Snodgrass and Michail Antonio both fading in and out of form, Pellegrini needs a reliable option who will thrive on the opposite flank to Anderson, and Brahimi could be exactly that.

Brahimi has scored 50 times and added 40 assists in 197 appearances for Porto. With Manuel Lanzini due to return too, adding the 45-cap Algerian for free would complete the Hammers’ attack, and all without spending a single penny.

While his contract situation means he is in a strong negotiating position to demand big wages, the fact that he will not cost a transfer fee will free up funds for the Hammers to invest in other needy areas, like midfield and centre back, thus aiding their quest for Europe.

Before his sacking as Manchester United manager, it was well-documented how much Jose Mourinho wanted a new central defender for his squad.

Heading into this season, the likes of Harry Maguire and Toby Alderweireld were said to be at the top of the Portuguese coach’s shortlist (Sky Sports). But with a deal for either deemed as unviable back in the summer and nothing to suggest that that would have changed in January, Mourinho reportedly turned his attention elsewhere.

The Breakdown

ESPN reports that prior to his dismissal from the Old Trafford dugout, Mourinho considered Newcastle United’s Jamaal Lascelles as a possible option to come in and fix his side’s defensive woes ahead of the January transfer window.

Lascelles, who joined the Magpies from Nottingham Forest back in 2014 before being loaned back to the Championship outfit, did not have the best of starts to the season, much like the rest of his team-mates.

But with Mourinho said to have been interested in his services, the 25-year-old’s stock still appears to be very high.

And when looking at his time at St. James’ Park, it is not hard to see why. Lascelles’ presence at the back has been massive for Newcastle with the club captain helping his side finish 10th in the Premier League last season with some solid defensive performances.

A real powerhouse in the air who is equally as effective on the ground with his ability to quickly read danger and deal with it, the former Forest man certainly comes across as the sort of central defender Mourinho would be interested in.

If he improves further, which he has time to do at 25, it would not be a surprise to see more managers from the Premier League top six target target him in the future.

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Southampton are back in the relegation zone after this weekend’s results, and comments from Dusan Tadic reveal just how far the club is falling.

Saints lost 2-0 at Arsenal without an ounce of fight on Sunday, and it seems as though Ralph Hasenhuttl’s new manager bounce has well and truly worn off.

His side have now picked up just two points from their last four games, after previously taking 13 points from seven games.

Tadic, who joined Ajax last summer in a deal worth around £10m, has now spoken out about his time at the club, and his comments do not bode well for Hasenhuttl.

What’s the word?

“In Southampton, for the first two years, we had a great team with Koeman and we had very good seasons,” he said, speaking on former footballer Andy van der Meijde’s YouTube channel.

“We finished number six and number seven, which is the best in the history of the club and we had very good players.

“Then after that, in the third and fourth year, we were getting worse and worse.

“We sold a lot of players and, after that, it was difficult. We finished number eight in the third year, but it wasn’t the same feeling.

“When you are there when it was the best, and after when it’s not so good, you feel a little bit like you need to go and I was also tired from the Premier League.”

Bad news for the boss?

Tadic was a very popular figure at St. Mary’s and for good reason – the 30 year-old scored 24 goals and provided 35 assists during his time with the club.

His comments should worry Hasenhuttl though, as they shine even more light on the major underlying problem at the club – selling their best players and replacing them with much poorer players.

This is a problem that has outlasted several managers on the south coast, and perhaps the most concerning aspect of it all is that it’s so clear and obvious to see, begging the question why so little has changed at the club to fix it.

Forget the man in the dugout – the quality in the Southampton squad has gotten worse each and every year since those brilliant campaigns that Tadic is referring to, and until there is change at the top it will not matter who leads the troops into battle.

تولى البرتغالي جايمي باتشيكو مهام المدير الفني لنادي الزمالك رسميًا لمدة موسم، بعد إعلان مرتضى منصور رئيس القلعة البيضاء عن التعاقد معه.

وكان باتشيكو قد تولى تدريب في فترة سابقة خلال عام 2014، وتعد هذه الولاية هي الثانية له في قيادة الفريق.

وقال مصدر من داخل الزمالك لـ “بطولات”: “باتشيكو طلب 5 تقارير، الأول ملف شامل عن آخر مباريات الفريق منذ عودة النشاط الكروي بعد أزمة فيروس كورونا”.

وأضاف: “والثاني عن حالة المصابين بالفريق ومعرفة مدة غيابهم، والبرامج العلاجية التي يخضعون لها”.

طالع أيضًا.. إسماعيل يوسف: راض عن اختيار باتشيكو.. وبذلنا مجهودًا كبيرًا لاختيار الأصلح

وواصل: “الجهاز الفني الحالي سيعد ملفًا ثالثًا لـ باتشيكو – فور وصوله القاهرة لتسلم مهامه التدريبية – عن عدد اللاعبين في كل مركز”.

وتابع: “كما سيتم إعداد تقرير مفصل عن الفرق المتبقية للزمالك في مباريات الدوري، وتقرير عن مباريات الرجاء المغربي الماضية وديربي المغرب المقبل بين الرجاء والوداد”.

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Leeds United came up against reported January target Daniel James when they beat Swansea City 2-1 at Elland Road on Wednesday night, and Whites fans were quick to have their say on the winger’s display.

The Yorkshire outfit looked to have a deal for the Welshman wrapped up on the final day of the January transfer window, but the move didn’t end up materialising after the Swans pulled the plug on his exit.

The 21-year-old, who has scored two goals and provided a further four assists in 20 Championship outings this term, started on the left-hand side against Marcelo Bielsa’s men but could do little to impact the game for his team before he was substituted off in the 65th minute.

Leeds supporters took to social media to have their say on James’ display, and while one said they “can’t wait to see him in a Leeds shirt next season” – obviously presuming the move will still happen – another said “he’d be class in our side”.

Here is just a selection of the Twitter reaction…