[ad_pod ]

Leeds United fans are remaining confident of gaining promotion to the Premier League despite their 1-0 defeat to Sheffield United on Saturday.

Marcelo Bielsa’s side have dropped out of the automatic promotion spots as a result of their defeat to the Blades at Elland Road.

The Whites had been on a three-game unbeaten run prior to their clash with Chris Wilder’s men but were downed by a 71st-minute Chris Basham strike.

To add insult to injury, goalkeeper Kiko Casillas was sent off in injury time after bringing down Billy Sharp while the last man. Having used all of their substitutes, Pontus Jansson, seemingly nursing an injury, was called upon to go in goal.

Leeds were unable to find a way back into the game despite numerous late attacks but fans are remaining calm as the promotion race comes down to the wire.

Norwich currently lead the Championship with 75 points, with Sheffield United now second on 74 and Leeds third on 73.

Supporters, though, think there is enough time for Bielsa’s men to find their way back into the automatic promotion spots. Take a look at the best of the reaction on Twitter below!

Rangers central defender Joe Worrall came in for plenty of praise after his side’s 1-1 Scottish Cup draw away at Aberdeen over the weekend with the 22-year-old grabbing the Glasgow club’s equaliser.

“I thought Joe was outstanding,” Rangers manager Steven Gerrard told The Scottish Sun after the game. “It was a man-of-the-match performance and he will be a captain of whatever team he plays for.”

Gerrard’s words on Worrall’s suitability to be captain wherever he plays is a clear hint that the Nottingham Forest loanee is likely to return to and remain at the City Ground next season.

And if that turns out to be the case, Gerrard will undoubtedly need to bring in a new centre-half with Martin Skrtel a possible candidate to come in.

Skrtel, who was linked with a move to Ibrox last summer (via Daily Record), is set to leave Fenerbahce at the end of the campaign when his contract expires and would be a name who could bring so much to Gerrard’s side.

A strong tackler and dominant presence in the air, Skrtel has the sort of experience that would give Rangers a huge boost in any potential SPL title race against rivals Celtic.

Should Worrall return to England, then Rangers should look no further than Skrtel when it comes to bringing in a replacement.

[ad_pod ]

Adam Idah is pulling up trees at Norwich City.

Aged just 18, the striker has been in prolific form already this season, scoring a total of 10 goals in 15 outings in the Premier League 2.

His most recent strike came from the penalty spot, in a 2-1 win over Manchester United, a club to which he was briefly linked during Jose Mourinho’s tenure at Old Trafford.

Idah, signed from Irish club Corinthians, has already made his mark at Carrow Road.

In May, he was awarded the Academy Player of the Year, as well as the Under-18 Player of the Year.

This came about after the teenager signed a boot deal with Adidas, the sportswear giant who are already high on his potential.

Speaking to Pundit Arena, he confirmed in April of last year: “Such a big brand like that signing me, it’s great. For them to be looking at me, it’s a great thing.”

That is not to mention his international form.

Idah has been superb at youth level for the Republic of Ireland, winning 20 caps for the Under-17 team and scoring 13 goals.

He was the top scorer in qualification for the European Under-17 Championships last summer, netting eight times, and scored once at the tournament, against Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Such has been his form, he has also played for the Under-18s and the Under-19s.

He has scored twice in four outings for the former and twice in three games for the latter.

It seems that the higher he climbs, the bigger the stage, the more Idah thrives. Norwich, indeed, are enjoying a fantastic season and are currently top of the Championship, with plenty of talent in the starting XI.

However, if Idah’s form continues, it will not be long before he too is playing under Daniel Farke, perhaps in the Premier League.

One thing seems certain; he is destined for bigger things, and may well be strutting his stuff at a top club sooner rather than later.

يتطلع المدرب، دين سميث، المدير الفني لنادي أستون فيلا، لخوض مباراة ليفربول في الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز، لرؤية مدى تطور فريقه بين الموسمين الماضي والحالي.

أستون فيلا تفادى الهبوط في الموسم الماضي بالجولة الأخيرة، وبقى في البريميرليج بفارق نقطة، وهذا الموسم أبرم الفريق العديد من الصفقات لتعزيز صفوفه، وضمن مركز بين المراكز العشرة الأولى.

أستون فيلا يستقبل ليفربول، غدًا الأحد، على ملعب “فيلا بارك”، ضمن لقاءات الجولة الرابعة من الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز.

وقال سميث في تصريحات نقلتها شبكة “سبورتس مول” البريطانية: “الموسم الماضي، كان جديدًا بالنسبة لنا، حاولنا الحفاظ على قوامنا الأساسي، وقمنا بإضافة 13 لاعبًا لـ نادٍ صاعد حديثًا، لذا كانت الأمور تختلف من أسبوع إلى آخر”.

اقرأ أيضًا.. كلوب يكشف موقف هندرسون من التواجد في مباراة ليفربول وأستون فيلا

وأضاف: “مُنذ عودة كرة القدم مرة بعد جائحة كورونا، رأينا فريقًا مُختلفًا من أستون فيلا، اللاعبون تطوروا، وأصبحوا يؤمنون بأنهم لاعبون في الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز”.

وواصل: “مُنذ نهاية الموسم الماضي تطورنا، وأضفنا الجودة إلى الفريق، لذا اللعب أمام ليفربول، سيكون إشارة بالنسبة لنا لمعرفة مدى تطورنا”.

وأتم: “نحن نشعر بعد الصفقات التي قمنا بها، أننا يجب أنّ نبتعد عما كنا عليه في الموسم الماضي، ولكن سنرى كيف سوف تنتهي الأمور”.

The impact that Marcelo Bielsa has had at Leeds United this season has been truly outstanding.

After arriving in the summer, the Argentine immediately illustrated a style of play which he believed could lead the Whites to success in the Championship. The combination of a high-press alongside a reliance on dominating possession was drilled into his players throughout pre-season, resulting in a barnstorming start to the 2018/19 campaign which saw them emerge as serious contenders for promotion.

Fast-forward to March and Leeds are still well in the hunt to secure Premier League football despite their recent defeat to Sheffield United which saw them drop out of the top-two.

An inability to break down the Blades’ superb defence at Elland Road would have been a concern for some of the club’s supporters but it is almost imperative that Bielsa doesn’t switch his style for the visit of Millwall on Saturday.

Neil Harris’ side are currently fighting to avoid the drop to England’s third tier next season and will be reliant of their physical style of play to secure an unlikely result against the Whites. Rather than falling into the Lions’ trap, Leeds should instead focus on what has got them to such a promising position; forward-thinking football.

Recent victories over both West Bromwich Albion and Reading have seen Bielsa’s side produce stunning attacking displays which sent a resounding message out to the rest of the Championship. If they can produce a fast start at the weekend, they should be able to sweep aside Millwall, thus keeping their hopes of automatic promotion alive.

However, even if they have to be patient and wait for openings at the weekend, Leeds must continue to have faith in their system rather than letting the pressure get to them in what is a defining period of their season.

What do you think Leeds fans? How important is it that Bielsa sticks by his tactics for the visit of Millwall? Can you still achieve automatic promotion in May? Let us know below.

Tottenham have done well over the last few months, but there’s no denying that they’ve been forced to deal with some difficult circumstances. Specifically, Mauricio Pochettino has been handed more than a few frustrating injury blows throughout the campaign, with a number of key men missing game time.

Harry Kane, of course, is only just coming off a long-term injury layoff, and he was sorely missed. And in what is a huge boost for Tottenham, Dele Alli looks likely to be the next player to return to action – with Tottenham confirming that he’s now returned to training.

Of course, this is fantastic for the club, as Dele Alli is a crucial player, but more specifically, his return is coming at the perfect time.

With Tottenham progressing into the last 16 of the Champions League, the Englishman is returning during the most important part of the club’s season. From here on out, every single European tie is more important than ever. Most of the teams that are still in the competition are fantastic, and they will punish Spurs if they let their foot off the gas for a moment, so it’s key that the club have their best players. Likewise, Tottenham still have a battle on their hands to finish in the top-four, and so Dele should help improve their chances of reaching that goal.

More specifically, however, Dele’s qualities have been missed. The Lilywhites have struggled for creativity in recent weeks, and nobody can offer quite as much as their English maestro. They looked pretty tame against Chelsea and Arsenal in the Premier League, and given the importance that will be placed on every league game for Spurs from here on out, having Dele return will potentially stop them coming up short going forward.

It’s never a good time to lose a player, but Dele Alli’s timely return could be the boost that Spurs need heading into the crucial final stage of the season.

Thoughts?

أكد طارق يحيى رئيس قطاع الناشئين في الزمالك، أن لاعبي الفريق الأول جاهزون لمواجهة وادي دجلة اليوم في بطولة الدوري المصري الممتاز. 

ويلاقي الزمالك منافسه دجلة ضمن مواجهات الجولة 32 من بطولة الدوري المصري.

وقال طارق يحيى خلال مداخلة هاتفية ببرنامج “اللعيب” المذاع على قناة “إم بي سي مصر”: “لاعبو الزمالك معزولين عن كل ما يحدث، وتحدث معهم مرتضى منصور قبل التمرين وذهبوا للمعسكر”.

وأضاف: “مصر البلد الوحيد في إفريقيا والوطن العربي الذي لا توجد لديه أجندة دولية، ولا أعلم لمصلحة من أن منتخب مصر لا يلعب مباراة ودية لكي نستكمل الدوري والكأس، ولابد من توجيه اللوم للجنة الخماسية أو حسام البدري”.

وواضل: “حارس مرمى الأهلي والأساسي لمنتخب مصر أصيب بسبب ضغط المباريات، وسنعاني العام المقبل في الدوري والكأس وإفريقيا بسبب تلاحم المنافسات”.

طالع أيضًا.. موعد والقناة الناقلة لمباراة الزمالك ووادي دجلة اليوم في الدوري

وتابع: “كل الإمكانيات متوفرة لمباراة الرجاء والزمالك في دوري أبطال إفريقيا، وأقول الجمهور إن اللاعبين سيفوزون ببطولة دوري أبطال إفريقيا.

وأردف: “الزمالك هو الأفضل في المباريات القصيرة، والدليل فوزنا بالسوبر المصري والإفريقي”.

وأردف: “فرجاني ساسي وأشرف بن شرقي من المفترض أن يصلا القاهرة يوم 12 أكتوبر، واحتمال أن يذهبا إلى المغرب مباشرة دون أن يعودا لمصر”.

واختتم: “الذي أضاع بطولة الدوري من الزمالك هي الفرق الأقل منه، وإن شاء الله اللاعبين يسعدوا جماهيرهم بالحصول على المركز الثاني في المسابقة المحلية والفوز ببطولة إفريقيا”.

[ad_pod ]

Leeds United’s under-23s secured a 3-0 win over Watford’s under-23s at Vicarage Road on Monday.

The goals for the Whites came courtesy of Izzy Brown, Pascal Struijk and Kun Hihaylov. Ultimately, it was a comfortable win for the Yorkshire youth outfit that saw them take firm control of top spot in the Professional Development League northern division. 

Brown produced another fine performance against the Hornets. The 22-year-old Chelsea loanee took his goal very well, continuing his prolific form for the Elland Road club’s under-23s side.

Brown has also been on the fringes of Marcelo Bielsa’s first team squad in recent weeks. The forward made his debut for the Whites’ senior side as a substitute in the recent defeat to QPR. Brown has struggled to make an impression in the first team this season but he’ll be hoping that his form for the under-23s pushes him further into Bielsa’s thoughts.

After the under-23s’ win, plenty of Leeds fans took to Twitter to praise Brown’s contribution…

The general consensus must see Paul Pogba as an ideal, natural leader.

Be it his inspired work in motivating the France players in the FIFA World Cup final, the vocal outlook in games or cheerful demeanour, he’s often pinpointed as the one to lead Manchester United forward by fans. A bulking, ridiculously talented driving force in central areas, he looks captain material.

On paper.

Indeed, his performances as United captain suggest otherwise. Now looking at the way Pogba’s influencing the Red Devils and having a stunning season personally, in which he’s scored 14 goals and assisted 10 in all competitions (stats via WhoScored), anybody would want to put the captain’s armband around him.

As did Ole Gunnar Solskjaer in the FA Cup quarter-finals against Wolves.  However, this backfired on him as United were unceremoniously knocked out in rather a whimper. Pogba might be the club’s star man in attack and a popular figure at the back, but he still hasn’t adapted to the pressures of being the side’s captain.

Whenever he’s been captain this season, the French maestro’s underperformed. Yes, he scored the Red Devils first goal, a penalty, in his first game as captain. But even then, Pogba was unconvincing, as he ended up being in the later matches as well. He ends up taking too much pressure on himself, making silly mistakes, getting frustrated and putting his team-mates under pressure.

Pogba might be many things, but he’s still not United captain-worthy. He shouldn’t be burdened with this added pressure either. If Ole Gunnar Solskjaer learnt anything from the Wolves game,  it’s for him to let French midfielder be pressure-free and see him weave his magic for the Red Devils.

There’s no doubt Pogba is a wonderful player. Nemanja Vidic, Roy Keane or Bryan Robson, he is not.

United fans, who do you want to receive the captain’s armband right now? Join the discussion by commenting below. 

[ad_pod ]Leeds United striker Patrick Bamford is fit to start for the Whites against Reading at the Madejski Stadium on Tuesday, as reported by the Yorkshire Evening Post.

What’s the word?

The 25-year-old No. 9 scored his fourth goal in his last four games when he notched the winner against Bristol City at Ashton Gate last time out. However, he also picked up a little knock against the Robins when he collided with the post. He was ultimately unable to complete the 90 minutes, which raised concerns that he’d be unable to face the Royals in mid-week.

Are fans being priced out of the Championship as well as the Premier League? The angry Bolton fan in the video below certainly believes so…

However, in his press conference on Monday, which the Yorkshire Evening Post have provided a recording of, Marcelo Bielsa confirmed that the forward is fit and that he would be in the starting line-up on Tuesday.

Resources wearing thin

Bamford’s availability is a major boost for Leeds, as the Whites’ squad options in this part of the pitch are thin on the ground. Having the Englishman ready to play Reading gives Bielsa’s side’s chances of victory a significant lift.

However, as the Championship run in draws nearer, with Leeds still in the thick of the title race, the return of Kemar Roofe becomes a matter of ever-greater urgency.Â

The 26-year-old is the Whites’ top scorer this season, with 14 league strikes under his belt. However, he has been out of action with injury since mid-February. Since then, Bamford has done a good job of covering for Roofe, but with so much football to come, with the pressure on, Bielsa needs to have the option to rotate and change up his strikeforce as required.

In his press conference, as reported by respected journalist Phil Hay, Bielsa announced that Roofe’s recovery is progressing well, but gave no timeframe for the forward’s return.Â

Bamford alone is not enough. Until the No. 7 is back in action then Leeds’ resources will continue to be stretched up front, which could have disastrous consequences for the Yorkshire club’s campaign.