The FIFA ratings have seemingly really gotten under the skin of players at the Merseyside clubs.
Earlier in the week, we saw Rhian Brewster moaning about his shooting stat, and this time we’ve got Richarlison throwing a tantrum over his rating.
The Brazillian posted on his Instagram story after his overall for the newest instalment of the EA Sports franchise was revealed, and he was seemingly far from happy.
The Everton man re-posted an image from a fan account on his story to show his frustrations with his in-game stats.
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He tagged EA Sports and shared his real-life stats from last season, which include 20 goals in all competitions for club and country as well as a Copa America win.
He’s clearly annoyed by the fact that despite having one of the best seasons of his career his rating has been downgraded by one from last year’s edition of the game.
Indeed, it’s harsh for Richarlison to be downgraded on FIFA after such a good year, but as a Premier League footballer earning thousands of pounds a week you’d think he wouldn’t care so much.
Tuesday is a huge day for Barcelona and Ernesto Valverde.
After a rather humiliating end to the 2018/19 iteration of the coveted Champions League – Barca were beaten 4-0 by Liverpool at Anfield in the second leg of their semi-final encounter as the Reds overturned a 3-0 aggregate deficit – the Blaugrana will be hoping for redemption this year.
But their path towards the big trophy starts with a trip to Germany and more specifically, to Signal Iduna Park and Borussia Dortmund.
The Yellow Wall will have a warm welcome ready for their Catalan guests and Valverde will have to think hard to get his lineup exactly right.
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Starting off with a win would, obviously, be ideal and after a convincing 5-2 triumph at the Camp Nou against a tricky opponent in the form of Valencia, we just might see a repeat of that same formation with a simple tweak on Tuesday.
With that in mind, here’s what we think Barcelona’s starting XI might look like at Signal Iduna Park…
Lionel Messi is in the official squad that’s travelling to Germany but we still don’t know whether or not he’ll actually get to play against Borussia Dortmund.
It’s unlikely that he’ll feature right from the get-go, seeing how he has only just rejoined the team in their training sessions after sustaining a calf injury in pre-season.
AS report that he could start the game on the bench and then possibly feature in the second half but nothing can be said for certain.
Luis Suarez is the big name in the XI, especially considering that he made his return last weekend against Valencia, coming off the bench and bagging a brace in the process. That should be enough to warrant him a start next to Antoine Griezmann on the left and Carles Perez on the right.
The 16-year-old prodigy, Ansu Fati, will, in our opinion, start on the bench for this one despite his heroics against Valencia. Teenagers have to be protected, after all, and he would be an excellent option from the bench if the game is not going Barca’s way.
Marc-Andre ter Stegen is bound to start between the sticks, guarded by the same quartet he had in front of him against Valencia – Jordi Alba and Nelson Semedo as the team’s full-backs and Clement Lenglet and Gerard Pique as their centre-backs.
The midfield should also be unchanged; Frenkie de Jong bagged a goal and an assist against Valencia and Arthur Melo tallied an assist as well. With that in mind, the trident of Sergio Busquets, Melo and De Jong is likely to start in the middle.
This is an extremely important game for both teams so a fierce battle is to be expected.
On paper, and with all the injuries and absences taken into account – any Barca team without Messi is obviously weakened – this looks like the best XI they can field this Tuesday. Let’s see whether Valverde feels the same.
Lots of Liverpool fans have taken to Twitter to call on the club to sign Leicester star James Maddison, after the attacking midfielder’s match-winning display against Tottenham.
The former Norwich man – who the Foxes signed for £20m two summers ago – earned his side all three points with a late winner from long range against Spurs on Saturday.
Maddison, 22, also took four shots in total and made two key passes as he proved to be a constant thorn in Tottenham’s side.
Forgetting his fine performance for a minute, Maddison’s standing amongst Liverpool fans has seemingly gone up even more after he called out The Sun for their tweet about his backpack choice – a quick look at the replies to his tweet shows any criticism of the newspaper is met with delight from Reds fans.
One fan said the Englishman would be “perfect” for the Anfield outfit, while another said he would slot perfectly into Jurgen Klopp’s midfield three.
Let’s take a look at some more of the Twitter reaction…
Having arrived from Leicester in the summer of 2018 for a fee in the region of £60m, Riyad Mahrez has endured a mixed time at Manchester City.
The Algeria international struggled to establish himself as a mainstay of Pep Guardiola’s first-team in his debut campaign for the club, starting just 13 games in the Premier League.
However, he has enjoyed a blistering opening to the current campaign, appearing to benefit the most from the long-term injury suffered by teammate Leroy Sane.
In nine games across all competitions, Mahrez has scored three goals and provided six assists, and his latest strike against Everton was a pivotal one.
In an always difficult encounter at Goodison Park, the 28-year-old helped City re-take the lead in the second-half with a sumptuous free-kick, and eventually, Guardiola’s men sealed a 3-1 victory.
After seeing the Algerian’s display, City fans flooded to Twitter to share their thoughts about the former Foxes star.
Many supporters of the Manchester side hailed the winger, and one fan in particular described it as Mahrez’s best performance for the club so far.
Check out some of the reaction of City fans below:
In today’s Leeds United roundup, we take a look at what news has been doing the rounds for the Whites. Ben White has won the PFA Fans’ Player of the Month, Victor Orta speaks about recruitment, and Darren Bent goes in on Mateusz Klich after his penalty miss against Derby County.
White wins PFA award
Report: Ben White has claimed the PFA Fans’ Player of the Month award for August in a vote run by Snack Media. The Leeds defender beat Swansea City’s Borja Baston to the award by winning 44% of the votes, as Baston claimed just 16%. Patrick Bamford was also nominated for the prize but received only 9% of votes.
White said at the presentation: “It’s really nice to get an award like this and I’m thankful to the people who voted for me.”
Verdict: The centre-back has become an integral part of Marcelo Bielsa squad in the early stages of the season, playing in every minute of Championship football so far and averaging an incredible performance rating of 7.41.
White, on loan from Brighton & Hove Albion, has been a rock at the back for Leeds, conceding just four goals in eight games and playing a huge role in placing his side at the top of the Championship table. In the Leeds defence that boasts the best record so far, conceding just four goals in eight games, the 21-year-old has averaged 2.3 tackles per game and 3.8 interceptions per match [WhoScored].
The Englishman has proved to be a very worthwhile signing, and if Leeds are to continue to edge closer to Premier League stardom, Bielsa must keep this man on the pitch throughout the season.
Orta on recruitment
Report: Leeds Director of Football, Orta, spoke at the World Football Summit (as quoted by La Vanguardia) about the clubs recruitment and scouting. He told the listeners: “I have grown up in Seville with a teacher like Monchi, who changed the club.
“The big difference in modern football is information, everyone has it, and the important thing is to transform it into useful knowledge for the club.”
Orta then said, “there should not be a ceiling in the scouting department” and if they are scouting a 16-year-old “it’s perhaps too late.
“One of the keys is that bigger clubs decide quickly, smaller ones don’t. Sometimes it’s better to go to small clubs to get players and train them,” he added.
Verdict: Orta has been the Director of Football for Leeds ever since Andrea Radrizzani’s takeover in 2017 when the Italian appointed him into the role. Since then, Orta has received a good reception from Leeds fans for transfers such as Patrick Bamford, whom he nabbed from Middlesbrough after the Englishman impressed him during his time as Boro’s head of European recruitment.
Most recently, Orta has managed to bring in the likes of Eddie Nketiah, Helder Costa and Ben White, all of which have had positive seasons so far for the Whites.
Indeed we have seen in recent times the impact in a Director of Football, with Txiki Begiristain of Manchester City proving to be of great worth to the champions of England, whilst on the opposite end of the stick, clubs such as Manchester United have struggled in the recruitment stages by refusing to appoint someone within that role.
As for Leeds, Orta is already doing a magnificent job in recruiting talent for the club and if they are to finally return to the Premier League next season, the Spaniard must take some credit in helping them to do so.
Bent blasts Klich
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Report: Former England striker Darren Bent has criticised Klich for his penalty miss in the 1-1 draw against Derby County. Bent old Football Insider:
“I like it but the only thing I’d say about it is don’t miss the target. I wouldn’t even have minded if the goalkeeper dove the right way and saved or caught it.
“I’d go: ‘Okay, it’s a poor penalty,’ but there’s no excuse not to hit the target, especially when you’re calm with your run as well. To roll them in, if you’re going to do that technique, you need to hit the target.
“I don’t care if the keeper saves it, just hit the target.”
Verdict: Earlier in the season, Klich also stepped up to the spot against Barnsley, although that time he converted the penalty and gave the Whites a 2-0 lead over their Yorkshire rivals.
The Polish international also had an impressive record from 12 yards during his time at FC Twente when he slotted home all six efforts from the spot. The only other miss so far in his career came when he was at PEC Zwolle, so having scored in seven out of eight throughout his career, it is fair to say Klich has a good record from penalties.
However, Bent does have a right to criticise the 29-year-old here. After the Sky Sports commentator labeled Klich ‘a competitor for the coolest penalty taker in the Championship’, the no.43 effortlessly walks up to the spot like he was making a five-yard pass and blazes it wide. Truthfully, it was a shocker and Bent rightfully so sheds some light on what is a very questionable technique.
Carragher poignantly tweeted a picture of a pint of Carlsberg and captioned the image: “If Carlsberg did weekends.”
We can’t say that we advocate Carragher’s choice of beer, but those four words were enough to capture the feeling of anyone and everyone who wakes up every Saturday wondering how many mere mortals Virgil van Dijk will embarrass that day.
This article is part of Football FanCast’s Pundit View series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent quotes from journalists, pundits, players and managers…
As quoted by The Manchester Evening News, Paul Ince has slammed David de Gea for his interview after the match against Newcastle on Sunday.
What did he say?
De Gea delivered a brutally honest verdict on Manchester United’s struggles this season, and labelled the current period at Old Trafford as the “worst time” in his entire Red Devils career.
Now, Ince has criticised the Spain international for his comments, and took aim at the goalkeeper’s inability to offer up a meaningful solution to the problems.
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He said: “I watched David de Gea’s post-match interview and I was at a loss. He’s meant to be one of the leaders, if that was Peter Schmeichel standing there, there’s no chance you’d have seen that interview.
“Rather than him addressing and recognising where the team were going wrong, it just felt like ‘I don’t know, I don’t know, I don’t know’. This is one of the top players, the leaders at Man United, who has just signed a five-year contract. And he looks like he doesn’t have a clue what’s going on.
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“If you’re a United fan listening to your goalkeeper, one of the main leaders in the team, and that’s the interview you hear, you’d be right to be disgraced. I’d be looking thinking, ‘Jesus, he doesn’t have a clue what’s going on’ – I bet he’s regretting signing that contract.”
Refreshing honesty
De Gea’s words were essentially a ‘damned if you do, and damned if you don’t’ kind of situation. Some will have applauded his searing honesty at United’s plight, and others, like Ince, will have been mortified. Fresh off another disappointing result in the Premier League, the Spaniard essentially let his inner emotions out, and spoke what was on his mind.
Clearly, the Red Devils’ troubles haven’t gone away by players trying to put on a brave face and bringing out the classic ‘we go again’ lines, so the 28-year-old’s refreshingly unfiltered comments made a huge change from the norm.
Could it be the kick up the backside the squad needed? Having a senior player publicly voice the frustrations and anger that he has in order to spark a reaction? It was well worth the shot, and Ince really should know better from his own playing days.
After enjoying a remarkably productive campaign, many pundits began to publicly insist Raheem Sterling could consider himself amongst the world’s best players.
The Manchester City star netted 25 goals and provided a further 18 assists for Pep Guardiola’s side last year, and the plaudits were understandably flooding his way. Former West Ham man Trevor Sinclair even insisted the 24-year-old is right up there with the likes of Cristiano Ronalo and Lionel Messi. Steady on, Trevor.
Whilst the forward has started off the current campaign in fine fashion too with nine goals to his name, the mark of a truly great player is consistency on a week-to-week basis. And, after a particularly disappointing display for England on Friday night, those outlandish claims comparing him to some of the greatest seems like a stretch too far.
After winning the penalty for the Three Lions’ opening goal, Sterling was virtually anonymous for Gareth Southgate’s side. The winger registered no shots on goal whatsoever, and ended up with a 6.4 match rating on SofaScore – the joint-second lowest of any player for the visitors.
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Having seen his display, England fans flooded to Twitter to share their thoughts on the City star.
Many supporters insisted Sterling is simply “overrated”, whilst one fan in particular also took aim at his “appalling” decision-making too..
Check out some of the reaction of England fans below:
90 min report that Manchester United are eyeing a potential move for Paris Saint-Germain forward Edinson Cavani in January.
The Red Devils have struggled this term, winning only two of their opening eight league matches, largely due to their lack of firepower up front.
Indeed, the club’s top scorers are currently Marcus Rashford and Daniel James – both of whom have only found the net three times this term.
By contrast, the likes of Manchester City have Sergio Aguero as their current leading marksman with eight goals, while Chelsea have Tammy Abraham – who has also registered eight – and Arsenal have the prolific Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, who has one less with seven, per BBC Sport.
Mario Mandzukic’s name is currently being mentioned as a potential target for United, alongside PSG’s Cavani – whose contract at the Parc des Princes is due to expire next summer.
If the Parisians fail to offer the Uruguayan a new deal, or he rejects one offered to him, he will be free to leave the club for nothing at the end of the campaign.
With that in mind, PSG may wish to do business with United in January to obtain some funds for him instead of allowing him to leave for nothing just six months later.
Here’s how United fans reacted to the news linking Cavani with a move to Old Trafford:
United fans, would you like to see Cavani at Old Trafford next year? Let us know below!
This article is part of Football FanCast’s In The Pipeline series, which takes a look at some of the most promising young talent either linked with clubs or emerging from their academies…
Birmingham City are struggling for goals right now.
In fact only two teams in the division have scored fewer goals than them. With the January window still a way away, Blues boss Pep Clotet will have to look for solutions within the camp until the opportunity to bring in reinforcements comes.
Whilst Clotet might look for players within the first team to pick up their game a bit more, there is one man who has slowly but surely managed to find his feet with the U23 side, and that form is coming at just the right time given his contract situation.
Miguel Fernandez has scored four times for the Birmingham U23 side this season, and both of them came in braces, against Wigan Athletic at the start of the month and versus Leeds United last Friday. So he may not be the most consistent, but on his day he can pack a punch.
His tally for the current term is higher than anyone in the first team with Lukas Jutkiewicz currently only on three. Thus, it’s surely worth a gamble giving the youngster a go?
Much in the same way we documented on FFC with goalkeeper Moha Ramos, and how the fact he is only with the club on loan should give a sense of urgency to the process of bringing him into the first-team, Fernandez is only with the club on a six-month contract, so that process should be even quicker.
With the Championship really kicking into gear now, if the first team can’t produce the goods, then Clotet might have to take a gamble with the youth.
He has already shown this year that he isn’t scared of giving young players a chance, with the emergence of Jude Bellingham being the best example, as well as the rise of Odin Bailey after his goal against Middlesbrough, so it’s not impossible that he will go down that route and call on the 19-year-old.
And if he can put as good a set of performances for the first team as he has for the U23 side, then he might just find himself staying at St Andrew’s for longer than the six months he’s currently scheduled to.