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According to The Times (subscription required) via HITC, Crystal Palace have come to a decision on the future of Alexander Sorloth, who spent the second half of the season on loan at Gent.

The 6 ft 4 hitman endured a dismal 2018 at Selhurst Park and struggled to make any kind of splash in the first team; now it seems that his career in red and blue will be brought to an abrupt end in the coming months.

What’s the word?

Well, The Times (subscription required) report via HITC that the Eagles will look to sell the former Midtjylland striker this summer having been less than impressed with his goalscoring exploits since signing in January.

The 23-year-old has notched just once in 20 appearances across all competitions for the Eagles and his spell in Belgium, where he scored five goals in 22, hasn’t gone much better.

With Christian Benteke also looking likely to be a casualty of Palace’s summer plans, Sorloth surely saw next term as the perfect opportunity to stake his claim in the starting XI, although he could be following his fellow behemoth out the door.

Is this admirable ruthlessness from Palace or just a lack of patience in the young forward, who has just 864 minutes under his belt since signing on deadline day just over a year ago?

Harsh from Hodgson?

Admittedly, the number 9 doesn’t quite look up to the pace of the Premier League when he’s afforded a chance to make an impact, although he’s hardly been on the pitch enough to acclimatise.

Which player with “no potential” has just been named Crystal Palace’s worst ever January signing? Find out in the video below…

With a surprising amount of pace to complement his size, Sorloth has all the physical attributes to be a success in England if he’s given time to adjust, although it looks like Roy Hodgson may have already cast his judgement.

Given that he is one of the younger players in Palace’s first team squad, you’d have thought there would be hope that in the next couple of years Sorloth could blossom into a shrewd singing for the Eagles; his departure would be particularly confusing given the recent decision to award sick-note striker Connor Wickham with a new deal.

Perhaps Hodgson and Co have put their eggs in the wrong basket here?

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Eighteen-year-old Daniel Church is yet to make his first-team debut for Celtic.

However, the left-back was named on the bench as Celtic recorded a 2-1 win over Hearts on the final weekend of the 2018-19 Scottish Premiership campaign.

With the title long secured, interim boss Neil Lennon selected a youthful side.

And that meant a spot on the bench for Church.

The teenager would have been desperate to see some action against Hearts – it wasn’t to be, but he was involved in the celebrations at the end of the match.

The defender then took to social media on Sunday night to reveal that he was delighted to be included on such a special day for the club.

Was Georgios Samaras a better player for Celtic than fans gave him credit for? Keith from C’mon the Hoops explains why he was in the video below…

And that led to a number of Celtic fans paying tribute to Church, with many backing the Scotland Under-19 international to be a big player for the Hoops in the future.

A selection of the Twitter reaction can be seen below:

كشف أحمد كشري المدير الفني السابق لفريق نادي أسوان النقاب عن رد فعله بعد تعرضه للهجوم الشديد من رئيس نادي الزمالك مرتضى منصور عقب فوزه على الأبيض.

وكان أسوان تحت القيادة الفنية لكشري قد حقق فوزه على الزمالك في الجولة 28 من عمر الدوري بهدف دون رد.

وقال كشري في تصريحات تلفزيونية بفضائية “صدى البلد” عبر برنامج “الماتش”: “بعد تحقيق المكسب على الزمالك في الدوري، تم تحريف تصريحاتي”.

طالع | فاروق جعفر: الونش يلعب مع الزمالك والمنتخب وهو مصاب بقطع في غضروف الركبة!

وأضاف: “صورة كان مكتوبًا عليها اسمي، وإلى جواره تصريح منسوب (لو كل الفرق زمالك كان أسوان فاز بالدوري)، وهذا لم يصدر مني وتصريح مفبرك”.

وتابع: “وقتها كان يتردد كلامًا كثيرًا على سبيل (التحفيل) من الجماهير كما يقال”.

وأردف: “للأسف رئيس نادي الزمالك صدق هذا الكلام وسار خلفه، وتعرضت لهجوم شديد منه”.

وأتم: “ضحكت كثيرًا عندما سمعت تصريحات رئيس الزمالك عني، وعندما أبلغتني زوجتي بأنه يهاجمني، كان ردي عليها أن (دمه خفيف) وضحكت”.

Like the previous one, this campaign has also been difficult for Southampton supporters.

Though things have drastically improved under Ralph Hasenhuttl, it has been another season where the St. Mary’s faithful have had to watch their side battle to beat the drop.

Having sold their best players transfer window after transfer window, though, the above probably would not have come as a surprise to the pessimists supporting the south coast club.

For them and the rest of Southampton’s support, however, there is now reason to be optimistic going into the next transfer market and season.

According to the Daily Mirror (via Tribal Football), the Saints are looking to bring in RB Leipzig striker Jean-Kevin Augustin in a move that would reunite the 21-year-old with Hasenhuttl.

Augustin is unlikely to come on the cheap, with the Daily Mail reporting back in February that Leipzig will demand around £35m for their player.

But even so, the Frenchman is exactly the kind of marquee signing Southampton supporters deserve.

They have had to watch star names leave time and again while also being forced to welcome the arrivals of some very lacklustre additions along the way.

A lot still obviously needs to happens in order for Augustin to join Southampton, but it is about time the Premier League outfit start targeting players of the France U21 international’s quality.

Southampton fans, would the signing of Augustin make up for some of the club’s recent bad pieces of transfer business? Join the discussion by commenting below.

This season, Roy Hodgson has been very flexible at Crystal Palace when it has come to formations.

The Eagles boss has had no problem with using a 4-4-2 in one game, then a 4-3-3 in another.

And it is something he is likely to continue doing in the next campaign, especially if he loses his talisman Wilfried Zaha, with a transfer to former club Manchester United currently being mooted (The Telegraph).

Hodgson, however, should look towards using a 4-2-3-1 on a more permanent basis if Zaha does end up leaving Selhurst Park.

The Ivorian’s departure would almost certainly leave a creative void in Crystal Palace’s team, and switching to a formation such as the 4-2-3-1 might just be the thing that helps Hodgson to fill it.

Realistically, the Eagles are going to find it hard to find a like-for-like replacement for Zaha who is of equal ability.

Bearing that in mind, getting three attackers into the side behind a striker, which the 4-2-3-1 allows, may be the way to go.

In the likes of Andros Townsend and Max Meyer, Hodgson already has a couple of decent offensive options.

After using the Zaha money to reinforce that area, Hodgson could have the tools to field a very good three-man attack, one more capable of making up for the Ivory Coast international’s loss than a sole like-for-like replacement.

As far as life after Zaha goes, 4-2-3-1 could just be what Crystal Palace need to get by.

Crystal Palace fans, how would you like to see your team line up next season? Join the discussion by commenting below.

أعلن الاتحاد المصري لكرة القدم، برئاسة عمرو الجنايني، نتيجة المسحة الطبية للكشف عن فيروس كورونا التي خضع لها جميع أعضاء بعثة منتخب مصر، التي عادت صباح اليوم من توجو.

فاز منتخب مصر على توجو بثلاثة أهداف مقابل هدف، في المباراة التي جمعت بينهما مساء أمس الثلاثاء، ضمن منافسات الجولة الرابعة من التصفيات المؤهلة لكأس الأمم الإفريقية، 2022، بالكاميرون.

اقرأ ايضًا.. ترتيب مجموعة مصر بعد الفوز على توجو في تصفيات أمم إفريقيا

وأظهرت نتائج المسحات التي أجريت لأعضاء بعثة المنتخب المصري صباح اليوم، فور عودتها من توجو، عن سلبية نتائج جميع أعضاء البعثة عدا ثلاثة ظهرت نتائجهم إيجابية وهم: أحمد حسن كوكا، مهاجم المنتخب، وشادي الجيلاني المنسق الإعلامي لمنتخب مصر، ومحمد عبده مدلك الفراعنة.

يذكر، أن محمد صلاح، جناح ليفربول الإنجليزي، ومحمد النني، لاعب وسط أرسنال الإنجليزي، قد تعرضوا للإصابة بفيروس كورونا، حيث غاب الأول عن لقائي توجو، بينما تغيب الأخير عن مباراة توجو بالأمس.

It has been yet another dramatic week to be a Leeds United supporter, hasn’t it?

The Whites created national headlines against Aston Villa last Sunday following Mateusz Klich’s controversial goal last Sunday which sparked a five-minute melee at Elland Road.

Although Marcelo Bielsa sportingly allowed opposition player Albert Adomah to walk-in an equaliser straight from kick-off, the actions of Patrick Bamford during this particular period of hysteria has created a serious problem for his manager.

After being found guilty of ‘successful deception of a match official’ by the Football Association following an altercation with Anwar El-Ghazi, the 25-year-old was handed a two-match ban on Thursday (via the BBC).

With Bamford suspended for Leeds’ clash with Ipswich Town at the weekend as well as the first-leg of their play-off semi-final, Bielsa must consider giving Izzy Brown the opportunity to prove himself.

The Chelsea loanee has only featured once for the Whites this season following a myriad of injury issues but could be in line for a return to first-team action having played on several occasions for the club’s under-23 side in recent weeks.

If Brown is indeed handed his first start for the Yorkshire-based outfit on Sunday, he could force his way into Bielsa’s plans for the play-offs by delivering a stand-out performance at Portman Road. An undeniably talented player, at his very best he can be a real menace as his outstanding versatility has seen him thrive in a number of different positions during his career.

Having failed to win any of their last three games in the Championship, Leeds are in desperate need of a spark heading into the defining period of their season and may just uncover the missing ingredient in their push for promotion by taking a risk and playing Brown.

What do you think Whites fans? Should Bielsa start Brown against Ipswich on Sunday? Or is it too much of a risk to play him giving his recent history of injury problems? Let us know below.

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Liverpool fans have taken to Twitter to react after it was revealed that Rhian Brewster would be part of the Liverpool squad to take on Barcelona this evening at Anfield in the Champions League semi-final.

The teenager has been out of action for around 14 months after having surgery on both his knee and ankle, in what has been a tough spell for a precocious youngster who had just won the World Cup with England’s Under-17 side before injury struck – he also picked up the Golden Ball in the tournament.

Luis Suarez certainly had no qualms about celebrating against his former employers in the video below…

Speaking ahead of the tie, and when quizzed on Brewster, Jurgen Klopp responded sharply, saying: “He’s ready.”

The 19-year-old has never made an appearance for the senior side at Anfield, despite starring in the youth ranks for a few years now.

It would be a huge call from Klopp to hand Brewster his debut against the Spanish champions in such a huge game, but judging by their reactions on Twitter, loads of Liverpool fans want the former Borussia Dortmund manager to play him…

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Unai Emery has tried a plethora of different formations this season, but his favoured seems to be the 3-4-1-2 formation, a system that doesn’t work as successfully without Nacho Monreal.

The Chalkboard

Emery has played a 3-4-1-2 in victories against Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur, Napoli and Valencia and it seems the system covers all the bases of Arsenal’s strengths and papers over the cracks of their weaknesses.

Arsenal have no wingers, so the width is provided by their wing-backs Ainsley Maitland-Niles and Sead Kolasinac. The Gunners’ centre-backs have struggled so the inclusion of a third gives more protection. Emery’s side boast two wonderful forwards who both get to start in their favoured position, and they even have depth in the number 10 role, Mesut Ozil being their main man who can float and create with wide options and two strikers to target.

The Spanish coach’s preferred back three includes Nacho Monreal with club favourite Laurent Koscielny and summer signing Sokratis. Despite the other two being more renowned for defensive excellence, it’s the ex-Malaga man who’s so vital to ensuring Arsenal execute the system correctly, making it easier for his two partners to his right.

Balance and distribution

Monreal brings two key elements to the back-three system that allows the Gunners to play it as effectively as possible.

The first is his history as a left-back. Similar to Cesar Azpilicueta at Chelsea, both Spaniards have been converted to central roles in a back-three perhaps less for their stature and dominance and more for their intelligence and the balance they bring to the defence.

When the wing-backs get forward, it’s so vital that either side of the defence is covered by someone able to get across from centre-back, but also someone familiar with the role and positioning a defender needs to take up when protecting the channels.

One point separated City and Liverpool but twenty-five separated them from the rest! Fans discuss who could reduce the deficit next season in the video below?

Monreal’s understanding of what to do in these areas of the pitch allows Sead Kolasinac to attack far more comfortably knowing that there’s suitable defensive cover.

The second part to Monreal’s job is his distribution from the back. In modern football, we see holding midfielders become more and more gifted in possession as they’re expected to be more than ball-winners and start attacks from deep for their side. In the back-three Arsenal play, the Gunners don’t have this luxury as there is only a midfield two sitting ahead, so there’s no natural deep-lying playmaker.

This means Monreal, advantaged by being left-footed in that position, has the responsibility to step up into midfield and thread balls through to the pivot. He can do this confidently as the back three will have more defensive cover with the extra partner. The right and left centre-back are charged with the responsibility of beginning a phase of attacking play and using their intelligence and passing range to pick out players in space.

None of this can be done as effectively if the defender in question isn’t capable on the ball or has the intelligence to understand how to cover the areas vacated by marauding wing-backs. This is why Arsenal have looked a lot better defensively all season when Monreal has played as part of a three, rather than when opting for a more natural centre-back like Shokdran Mustafi to slot in at left centre-back instead.

Chelsea remain on course to have a decent season this term despite plenty of chat about Mauro Sarri not getting what he should out of his team.

The Blues can still capture the Europa League, while they also remain on course to land a spot in the top four, something which would surely constitute a successful season for the Italian manager.

However, there is a big summer ahead for Chelsea, with the club in the midst of a transfer ban – something they are indeed appealing – and looking at some of their top stars like Eden Hazard potentially moving away from the club.

If Chelsea can indeed overcome the transfer ban though, then we here in the Tavern feel like they need to be going all out for Ajax defender Matthijs De Ligt, who despite interest from Barcelona has revealed that he might well be interested in a move elsewhere in the summer.

The Ajax youngster has been nothing short of superb for the Dutch side this year, leading from the back as Ajax have moved within one game of landing a spot in the Champions League final.

Ajax have a historical link with Barcelona which has naturally led to De Ligt being linked with a move for the defender, but Chelsea are desperate for younger players in their squad who are ready made for first-team action, something which De Ligt falls right into.

It does of course come down to Chelsea being able to get some good fortune from the powers that be in relation to their transfer ban, but if they can get out of it, then signing De Ligt has to be a priority.