Newcastle’s predicted XI vs Crystal Palace

Newcastle face Crystal Palace away from home on Saturday as they look to bounce back from their 4-0 defeat against Arsenal in their previous match.

The Toon had managed to hold the Gunners until half-time, but they were blown away after the break by Mikel Arteta’s team. Whilst that was a bitter defeat to take, Arsenal were always the favourites – the match at Selhurst Park should be an awful lot tighter.

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With some injury issues to consider, Steve Bruce has some big decisions to make in terms of his starting line-up.

Here, we try to predict his starting XI as the Magpies manager makes three changes from the side that lost to Arsenal last weekend.

In goal, Martin Dubravka will keep his place. Whilst he may have been powerless to keep the opposition out in the previous match, he has managed seven clean sheets so far this term – only five Premier League keepers have more.

The former Sheffield Wednesday boss is forced to make a change in central defence. Ciaran Clark will be unavailable after coming off injured in that last clash, and Bruce has said he doesn’t know how long he is out for. As such, Florian Lejeune could come instead of the Republic of Ireland international. Alongside him, Federico Fernandez and Jamaal Lascelles should keep their spots, with Danny Rose and Valentino Lazaro in the full-back positions.

In midfield, expect to see Isaac Hayden return. He was on the bench against the Gunners, with Sean Longstaff taking his place, but the heavy defeat could convince the 59-year-old to take the 22-year-old back out of the side. On the flanks, Allan Saint-Maximin and Miguel Almiron will be looking to provide the creative spark for a team that has just 24 goals in 26 league matches.

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Up front, there may well be a change. Joelinton, who has just one goal in 26 matches so far this season, has a thigh issue and is therefore a doubt for the match against Palace. The good news is, Dwight Gayle is now back from injury and ready to feature, which could see him come in for the Brazilian. If so, Bruce will be hoping he can be far more clinical in front of the net.

Meanwhile, Salomon Rondon reveals his verdict on his Newcastle exit.

Crystal Palace fans react to landmark day

Crystal Palace fans have taken to Twitter to react after the club’s official account posted a tweet commemorating ten years to the day since Paul Hart was appointed as manager, with Dougie Freedman as his assistant.

The former QPR boss was hired the day after Neil Warnock left Selhurst Park with the Eagles well and truly in the mire.

Crystal Palace had just been hit with a ten-point deduction having entered administration midway through the 2009/10 campaign, turning their season completely on its head – the south Londoners were ninth in the Championship, but were then left just three points above the relegation zone after the deduction.

It meant that Hart had a huge job on his hands to keep the club in the Championship, when relegation to League One could easily have seen Crystal Palace fold as a club.

He amazingly managed to keep the Eagles in England’s second tier on the final day of that campaign with a 2-2 draw against Sheffield Wednesday at Hillsborough – a result which relegated the Owls and meant Palace survived by the skin of their teeth.

Let’s see how the Crystal Palace fans on Twitter reacted to the club’s tweet…

To kick off the reaction, these two supporters acknowledged Hart’s role in what is currently one of the Eagles’ best periods as a football club.

His work in keeping Crystal Palace afloat enabled Freedman to build a Championship side consisting of players such as Glenn Murray, Wilfried Zaha, Yannick Bolasie, Mile Jedinak and Damien Delaney, forming a formidable spine which saw the south Londoners eventually earn promotion just three years after they almost ceased to exist.

Elsewhere, Brett and Rico showered the former Leeds boss with praise for his efforts that season.

Even though he arrived to little fanfare as someone who was far from a marquee name, he was in charge throughout what was arguably the hardest period any Crystal Palace manager has ever faced – he has clearly come out of the situation with great respect, even ten years on.

Lastly, this pair of supporters wanted to pinpoint the day as a turning point in the club’s history.

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“Iconic” was the word of choice from Matthew Starling, and seeing where Crystal Palace are ten years on, it’s safe to describe Hart’s appointment like that.

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Arsenal fans discuss Aaron Ramsey after his Juventus heroics

Former Arsenal midfielder Aaron Ramsey was the difference-maker for Juventus, as they secured a 2-0 win over Inter Milan that could prove to be massive in the Serie A title race.

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The Wales international opened the scoring with a snapshot, before adding the assist for Juve’s second goal by laying the ball off to Paulo Dybala.

This had one Arsenal fan account swooning over the 29-year-old, but there was a split between other supporters in regard to their thoughts on Ramsey.

The midfielder played on 369 different occasions for Arsenal, scoring 64 goals and assisting another 65 during his time in North London.

Having scored two FA Cup winners, he became a popular figure at the Emirates and one fan has said that they “wish we never let him go”.

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One is saying that they want Arsenal to re-sign him, claiming “I would take him for any money”.

However, not everybody is so sure that he deserves the level of praise that he is being given, with one saying to “stop exaggerating things”.

Ramsey has not had the introduction he will have hoped for in Turin, as he has started just nine Serie A matches this term, coming off the bench, while before this outing he had two goals and no assists.

Therefore, it is suggested that some fans may be showing a bit too much appreciation for the Welshman.

Meanwhile, Arsenal fans loved one man’s performance against West Ham United.

Man United’s Daniel James thanks Ole Gunnar Solskjaer

Daniel James has thanked Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer for maintaining his trust in him, as reported by Manchester United’s official website.

What did he say?

The Wales international notched a goal in the Red Devils’ emphatic 5-0 victory over LASK in the Europa League.

He scored the second of the game, when he recieved the ball from Odion Ighalo, before running at the defence, cutting inside, then firing the ball inside the near post.

It was a well-taken strike which clearly meant a lot to him, as shown by the shout in his celebration, and he opened up about why after the game: “Maybe I haven’t scored as many goals as I wanted to recently. I got off to a good start but recently it has not been at the standards that I have wanted to be. Thanks to all of the coaches, the manager for trusting in me, working with me every day.

“I had that chance in the first half and I was a bit gutted about it, but it was just about going out there and if I got the chance, they said to drive and have shots. That’s what I did and thankfully it went in.”

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Repaying the faith

This comes with the 22-year-old having not scored a single goal in any competition since August, which will be deemed too long for a winger playing for a club the size of Man United.

However, Solskjaer has stuck by him and it can be argued that his faith has bee repaid – even if there is room for improvement – considering he has six Premier League assists to his name.

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In addition to his goal contributions, James averages 0.9 key passes, 1 dribble and 0.5 crosses per game, indicating that he could also increase his in-game influence.

He does have the raw tools, such as pace and agility, to succeed at United, so it will be hoped that this can be used as a springboard for him to ensure his presence is felt at Old Trafford.

Meanwhile, Man United fans lust for Champions League midfielder.

Everton’s Donnarumma swoop can end Jordan Pickford’s misery

It’s fair to say Jordan Pickford certainly isn’t the most reliable of goalkeepers in the Premier League.

Everton’s continued reliance on him being their number one is only ever likely to lead to more frustrations and dropped points – in his top-flight career as a whole, he has already made 12 errors that have directly led to goals. Hardly the evidence of someone who is in the highest bracket of shot-stoppers.

And that is exactly why the Toffees’ reported interest in Milan number one Gianluigi Donnarumma is so exciting and welcome. According to Italian publication, Gazetto dello Sport, the Merseyside club are looking into the possibility of signing the Italy international. The report further claims that the goalkeeper is learning English, and that a move to the Premier League or PSG are his preferred options at this moment in time.

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To say that Donnarumma would be an upgrade on Pickford would arguably be an understatement. Standing at an imposing 6 foot 5, the Italian is a dominant and intimidating presence in between the sticks, and is comfortably taller than Everton’s current shot-stopper (6 foot 1). Whilst height isn’t everything, for a goalkeeper it of course gives them an incredible advantage when it comes to being proactive on crosses and dealing with the high ball.

As per Sofascore, Donnarumma has also enjoyed the more reliable season, making 3.1 saves per game, at a success rate of 71%. Pickford on the other hand has just a 62% ratio. Still only 21-years-old, the Milan goalkeeper has years and years ahead of him to develop even further, and it’s no surprise that he has even been hailed by the man he is taking over in the Italian national team, Gianluigi Buffon.

The Juventus and Italy legend said: “A goalkeeper to follow me? At the moment the most interesting is Donnarumma. At a European level he’s the youngest and it’s normal that there’s curiosity surrounding him. He’s a lad with extraordinary skills.”

If Everton can manage to pull off such an audacious swoop for a goalkeeper who is being seen as the heir to Buffon’s throne, then Marcel Brands and Carlo Ancelotti can give themselves a massive pat on the back.

Meanwhile, Everton should sell this flop this summer. 

£350k Yannick Bolasie capture was genius

The summer of 2012 was a monumental one for Crystal Palace from a business perspective.

Dougie Freedman oversaw the arrivals of a number of players who would help form the spine of an Eagles side that went on to achieve promotion to the Premier League under Ian Holloway in the 2012/13 campaign.

Damien Delaney, Joel Ward, Andre Moritz, Peter Ramage and Yannick Bolasie joined the likes of Glenn Murray, Julian Speroni and Mile Jedinak in SE25, although only one of these figures eventually became a multi-million pound footballer.

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Bolasie, who was signed from Bristol City for just £350k, went on to strike up a fantastic partnership with Wilfried Zaha, terrorising Championship full-backs up and down the country to help the south Londoners into the Premier League – both wingers were named in the PFA Championship Team of the Year that season.

While Zaha departed for Manchester United, Bolasie stayed and began to make inroads in England’s top-flight.

The DR Congo international scored 14 Premier League goals for the Eagles, including a hat-trick against Sunderland which made him the first and only Crystal Palace player in history to bag a treble in the division.

In total, the ex-Plymouth Argyle forward made 144 appearances for the club, meaning that he cost Steve Parish just £2.4k per game in a move which turned out to be unbelievable value for money.

Bolasie was eventually sold to Everton for £25m, which netted the Eagles an eye-catching £24.65m in profit after the eccentric winger had contributed four years of excellent service.

His flamboyant tricks on the flanks – including that famous skill against Tottenham which made it’s way onto EA Sports’ FIFA franchise – will live long in the memory of the Selhurst Park faithful.

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The Lyon-born attacker captured the hearts and minds of many in SE25 – he was a fantastic signing in a footballing sense as well as from a financial viewpoint.

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Leeds boss Marcelo Bielsa admired Louis van Gaal

Leeds United boss Marcelo Bielsa has been the curator of many great coaches over the course of his extensive managerial career, but who did he look up to? That has been revealed by The Athletic’s Phil Hay…

What’s been said?

The Argentine has been in charge of 12 different clubs, both on a domestic and international scale, over the past 30 years.

As a result, the likes of former Spurs boss Mauricio Pochettino, City chief Pep Guardiola and Atletico Madrid stalwart Diego Simeone have all learned from him and gone on to forge their own successful careers.

Speaking in a recent Q&A with supporters, Hay revealed that Louis van Gaal, ex-Manchester United and Barcelona manager, was someone he avidly followed and modelled some of his style upon.

He said:

European influences

Bielsa is a massive cult hero at the club, even despite achieving anything of note in terms of silverware or glory, but that’s the sort of mantra that has followed him throughout his career as a team’s top dog.

He’s never even won a trophy in Europe having been in charge of Atletic Bilbao, Marseille, Lazio and Lille before coming to west Yorkshire, yet the names mentioned above all laud him for his impact to the game.

The 64-year-old’s famous tactical system goes way beyond that of the modern-era tiki-taka quick passing possession methods or the yesteryear, more direct, long-ball ploy.

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Every single detail on the pitch during a match has been worked on during training. It involves a high-energy press as well as a combination of the two forms of philosophy above.

Bielsa’s Bilbao once played Sir Alex Ferguson’s Red Devils off the park at Old Trafford, winning the game 3-2.

So, it’s no surprise to see another ex-incumbent in Manchester, van Gaal, be mentioned as an influence – he was another manager who had everything down to the tiniest element.

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Alasdair Gold reveals Spurs could return for Artem Dzyuba

According to Football.London journalist Alasdair Gold, Tottenham could return for Artem Dzyuba in the summer transfer window.

What did he say?

The north London side were very much on the look-out for a new centre-forward during January, with reports suggesting a late move for Chelsea man Olivier Giroud was on the cards.

However, a deal for the Frenchman failed to materialise, and Spurs have been left to rue their lack of genuine options up front following the injuries to the likes of Harry Kane and Heung-min Son.

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Now, Gold has claimed that the Lilywhites could make a move for Zenit marksman Dzyuba. He said: “Experienced 31-year-old Russian striker Artem Dzyuba claimed Spurs tried to sign him in January. His contract expires this summer and Tottenham could well return for the 6ft 4ins prolific forward as a classic Mourinho target man.

“He had scored 15 goals in 28 appearances, along with laying on 12 assists, this season and netted twice in the Champions League. Dzyuba also has 24 goals in 42 matches for Russia.”

Shrewd

Amid the latest report on Harry Kane suggesting Spurs have no intention of selling him this summer to Manchester United or any other Premier League rival, a move for Dzyuba doesn’t seem as uninspiring as it first may have looked.

The Russian, now 31, would be able to join on a free transfer as Gold alludes to due to his contract coming to an end with Zenit, and as a potential back-up option for Kane, certainly fits the bill.

He has plenty of top-level experience in his time with the Russian outfit, scoring 22 goals in 61 games across both the Europa League and Champions League.

For someone who would cost nothing, and simply be another Fernando Llorente-like alternative to Kane, it certainly seems a rather shrewd signing.

Meanwhile, Spurs fans reminisce about this midfield ace.

Noel Whelan reacts as Spurs consider raid for US brothers

Former Leeds United forward Noel Whelan has claimed Tottenham Hotspur are “tapping into” the US market with the signing of Taylor and Zach Booth, in an interview with Football Insider.

What did he say?

According to Football Insider, Spurs are interested in signing Bayern Munich midfielder Taylor Booth, while they are also keeping tabs on his brother Zach, who plays for MLS side Real Salt Lake.

Taylor impressed during a youth match against Spurs earlier this season, while they have had scouts watch his younger brother too.

However, Whelan has claimed that the interest could be an attempt to tap into the USA market.

“They are possibly tapping into that American market,” Whelan told Football Insider.

“Ones for the future but it is a risk. They have not broken into the Bayern Munich first team yet and that is a problem. It is a tough ask at Bayern Munich but it will be no different at Spurs.

“I sometimes do not see the point in buying young players – wait until they are more established.

“But Jose Mourinho would not bring players in unless he felt they would improve the team and offer something in the next two or three seasons.”

One for the future

While Spurs may have half an eye on the potential financial benefits of signing an American duo, it is unlikely that it would be their sole motivation.

In the current circumstances, it is important clubs move for players that offer value and two young prospects can offer something for the future.

Considering the impact Taylor Booth had against Spurs in the UEFA Youth League it is no surprise to see them chase him, and any financial benefit will be seen as a bonus.

On the chalkboard: West Ham must make Fredericks top right-back

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West Ham appear to have found their new first-choice right-back in Ryan Fredericks.

The full-back has played against both Liverpool and Crystal Palace in recent weeks under Manuel Pellegrini and excelled in both games, with Pablo Zabaleta potentially set for an extended period on the sidelines.

On the chalkboard

Fredericks, against Liverpool, was matched up against one of the most prolific front threes in English football.

Against Sadio Mane, Fredericks held his own and, though the Senegal international scored, the right-back was unlucky that it was allowed, with replays showing that the Reds attacker was offside.

Thereafter, however, he successfully limited Mane’s threat and ensured that the Hammers had a solid defensive foundation on which to build, as they managed to grind out a hard-fought 1-1 draw.

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Last time out, West Ham again drew 1-1, this time with Crystal Palace, and Fredericks was again impressive.

Matched up against Wilfried Zaha, Fredericks made five tackles, the second most of any player on the pitch, per WhoScored, and touched the ball 51 times, even venturing forward to register one shot on goal.

And the defender has enjoyed his stint in the first-team, telling the club’s official website: “It doesn’t get much harder than what I’ve faced this last week. As left wingers come, Mane and then Zaha are two of the best there are is the Premier League. I feel like I stood up to the test and got the better of the battle.”

Zabaleta to watch on

This should be the end of Zabaleta in the Hammers team.

The Argentine is 34 and, while his displays have belied his years at times, he can now be eased out of the starting XI.

Fredericks is eight years Zabaleta’s junior and deserves the chance to show just how good he is at the London Stadium.

With games against Fulham and Manchester City to come, the 26-year-old should keep his place as the Irons’ look to build on two promising displays.

Manuel Pellegrini’s men are currently 10th, five points behind seventh-placed Wolves – if they are to catch them, Fredericks has to play at right-back.

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