A number of Liverpool supporters have been lauding Nathaniel Phillips after he won the club’s Player of the Month award for March.

This season has seen the Reds suffer a disastrous number of injuries at centre-back, playing a huge part in their overall struggles.

Virgil van Dijk’s campaign was ended way back in October, but if that wasn’t bad enough, Joe Gomez and Joel Matip have also joined him on the treatment table.

All three have been long-term absentees and it has forced Jurgen Klopp into playing Fabinho and Jordan Henderson at centre-back at times, as well as signing Ozan Kabak on loan.

Someone else who has filled in is Phillips, with the 23-year-old a relative unknown until recently, now producing a string of impressive performances.

The defender has done admirably in an extremely tough situation and his efforts have been rewarded, following the confirmation of his Player of the Month triumph.

It is something that most Liverpool fans would never have been able to see happening last summer, so Phillips deserves a huge pat on the back.

Liverpool supporters laud Phillips.

These Reds fans have taken to Twitter to hail the likeable Englishman.

“Hero”

Credit: @jonahs__

“Brilliant! Come through for us when we needed him. Well deserved”

Credit: @JamieHolme

“Maldini watches Nat Phillips compilations”

Credit: @hitmanharj

“Imagine seeing this at the start of the season”

Credit: @_lfcnick

“Is right lad”

Credit: @lfcSafsaf

“Absolutely love this. Underdog stories are the best”

Credit: @HenryJackson87

In other news, some Liverpool fans have been reacting to an interesting transfer story – read about it here.

Dean Windass has exclusively told Football FanCast that Heung-Min Son’s injury is a massive blow for Tottenham.

Son, whose been in outstanding goalscoring form this term, netting 18 times in all competitions, sustained a hamstring problem during Spurs’ defeat at rivals Arsenal on Sunday and was forced off after just 19 minutes.

However, Son’s injury would appear not as bad as first feared, and whilst Jose Mourinho confirmed the South Korean will miss Tottenham’s Europa League tie in Zagreb tonight, the Spurs boss admitted there’s a possibility he could return for the trip to Aston Villa on Sunday, if not after the international break.

With Son’s replacement Erik Lamela, who scored a wonderful Rabona to put Tottenham ahead, now suspended having been sent off in the second-half, Spurs cannot afford to lose the attacker with crucial Europa League and Premier League games coming up, plus next month’s Carabao Cup final against Manchester City, but the problem doesn’t appear serious.

Windass told Football FanCast: “Well, it’s massive isn’t it. Depending on how significant it is, he could be out for a few weeks, so it’s a massive blow to Tottenham.

“I said before Arsenal they will get in the top-four, but I will question it with all of the injuries they’ve got.”

Gareth Bale’s return to form has been a bonus for Mourinho, but Son’s potential absence cannot be taken lightly. Whilst Harry Kane has often taken the plaudits for his remarkable goal and assist record this season, the winger’s been equally as important for Tottenham.

On a more positive note, the international break at the end of this month could work in Spurs’ favour.

MatériaMais Notícias

Nas duas partidas pela Copa do Brasil, contra o Botafogo, Alemão foi bem e chamou a atenção dos dirigentes alvinegros. O interesse era antes mesmo da lesão de Luis Ricardo. Na época, depois do jogo, o gerente de futebol Antônio Lopes buscou informações sobre o lateral. Para isso, entrou em contato com um amigo pessoal do jogador: o goleiro Sidão, titular da meta do Botafogo.

-Joguei com ele no Taboão da Serra, em 2008, e conheço pessoalmente. A gente fez um jogo contra o Bragantino na Copa do Brasil e o Antônio Lopes pediu o número depois – revelou o goleiro, que agora dá as boas vindas a ele.

Sobre as características, o arqueiro citou a velocidade e o bom chute. Além disso, ele completou afirmando que o torcedor botafoguense pode esperar muita pegada do possível novo dono da lateral-direita do clube:

– Conheço bem o Alemão. Era da cidade que eu vim. Tenho amizade com ele fora de campo e acho que vai ajudar muito. Tem qualidade e tem pegada. Qualidade para bater na bola e muita pegada – concluiu o arqueiro do Bota.

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An international break usually has a tendency to be a pillar of frustration, especially when your country plays a pretty meaningless friendly.

Players will come back injured and, in the case of Wolves, the last few weeks haven’t been particularly kind to them on the injury front.

They’ve lost Jonny to yet another ACL problem and, during the break, they also lost Joao Moutinho for a period of time. The midfielder picked up a groin problem during Portugal’s 1-0 win over Azerbaijan and didn’t make it back out for the second half of that encounter.

That caused him to miss Wolves’ clash with West Ham on his return to England, despite Nuno Espirito Santo claiming that the issue was getting better.

Speaking in the build-up to that game, the manager commented: “It was an injury that didn’t allow him to play with Portugal. It’s still being assessed, let’s wait. It was at the beginning of the first game, he only made 45 minutes and was not able to continue for the second-half. Since then, he’s not been training as normal, he didn’t join the group yet, but he’s improving.”

Unfortunately for Wolves, Moutinho has not improved sufficiently over the last week or so. As a result, he is set to miss their match against Fulham on Friday night.

[snack-amp-story url= “https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/latest-wolves-transfer-news-and-views-ocampos-ronaldo-trincao-fabio-silva” title=”Latest Wolves transfer news and views!”]

The news was confirmed by Ben Dinnery on Twitter, who said: “No changes on the injury front which means Joao Moutinho (groin) remains sidelined. Willy Boly (COVID-19) will rejoin the group from next week while Jonny faces a 9-12 month recovery after suffering a recurrence of an ACL rupture.”

To lose a player to injury during club action is frustrating but for Moutinho to pick up this problem while on international duty is even worse.

Leander Dendoncker was his replacement last time out and he actually scored a rare goal, but a player of the 34-year-old’s calibre would be a huge absentee for anyone. The midfield general is one of Nuno’s chief quarterbacks and, after a rather disappointing start to the campaign, he has improved in the last few months.

Moutinho scored a screamer against Arsenal and then picked up an assist against Manchester City. He has put in some all-action displays of late, winning nine tackles and playing eight key passes in his last five matches.

That was compared to just six tackles and six key passes in the five outings prior to that. The experienced midfielder has seemingly been ruled out just as his season was improving, and his continued absence will be a huge source of frustration for everybody at Wolves.

AND in other news, Shi will regret awful call on “intelligent” £75k-p/w ace, Wolves could have signed him…

Former Scotland manager Alex McLeish has highlighted the importance of Leeds United ensuring Illan Meslier signs a new deal at the club, after reports earlier this week that talks are being plotted.

The Whites face Sheffield United in the Premier League this weekend, with the struggling Blades making the trip to Elland Road on Saturday afternoon.

Victory for Leeds would see them jump into the top-half of the table, with 10th-place Aston Villa at home to Fulham on Sunday and currently two points ahead of Marcelo Bielsa’s side.

Someone who will again be a key figure this weekend is Meslier, who has made the No.1 spot his own between the sticks, starting 28 out of 29 league matches this season.

[freshpress-quiz id=“351040″]

McLeish lauds influential Meslier

At 21, the Frenchman is already a key man, and speaking to Football Insider, McLeish spoke about the club extending his stay beyond his current contract expiry date of 2023, believing he could save Andrea Radrizzani from splashing out £50m:

“The thing we keep repeatedly saying is when you lose your best players, you start to lose football games.

“You’ve got to secure them. It’s not easy to paper over the cracks, as we know. We’ve seen it with many top, top clubs, top players, top managers.

“It’s just a brilliant bit of business for Leeds and they’ve got the guy in house. It’s not as if they have to spend £50million on a transfer fee.

“I mean he might get that in his wages with the way the money is, the gravy train now!”

Transfer Tavern take

McLeish is spot on, with Meslier a player of such huge potential, considering he is already starting regularly in the Premier League at such a young age.

Goalkeepers also generally peak later than outfield players, meaning the Leeds star could be around for more than a decade, improving all the time as he gains more experience.

In other news, Leeds are believed to be monitoring the progress of an exciting young striker. Find out who it is here.

كشف المدير الفني لفريق ليفربول يورجن كلوب عمن سيحرس مرماهم خلال نهائي كأس رابطة الأندية الإنجليزية أمام فريق تشيلسي.

وكان ليفربول قد تأهل إلى نهائي كأس كاراباو بعد تغلبه على آرسنال بهدفين دون رد، كمجموع مباراتي الذهاب والإياب.

ويلتقي ليفربول مع تشيلسي في نهائي كأس كاراباو على ملعب ويمبلي، وذلك يوم 27 فبراير المقبل.

ورغم إنه يتبقى أكثر من شهر على تلك المباراة، إلا أن كلوب تحدث عن الأمر قائلًا: “كيليهر سيلعب في النهائي إذا كان لائقًا، بصفتك مدربًا عليك أن تفكر بوضوح في الكثير من الأشياء، وأحد تلك الأشياء هو أننا نعتبر كيليهر حارس مرمى رائع”.

وأضاف في تصريحات نشرتها شبكة “ليفربول إيكو” الإنجليزية: “إنه ليس حارس مرمى جيد، إنه رائع، ونريد إبقائه هنا، وللاحتفاظ به هنا عليك التأكد من بعض الأشياء، قبل الموسم عليك التفكير والتحدث عن المباريات المختلفة التي سيخوضها”.

وواصل: “الأمر كله يتعلق بالأداء بالطبع، إذا لم يقدم أداءً بالمستوى الذي كان يؤديه عندما لعب ، فربما سأفكر بشكل مختلف، ولكنه أظهر أنه يستحق كل الثقة والإيمان الذي نشعر به تجاهه، هذا هو الوضع”.

وأردف: “أنا مندهش قليلا من السؤال لأنني لم أفكر في الأمر بشكل صحيح، لكن فكرتي في هذه اللحظة هي أن أشركه في المباراة، لكن دعونا نرى حتى ذلك الحين، لا أرى أي سبب يمنعنا من القيام بذلك، هو يستحق ذلك، لقد تسبب في الوصول بالفريق إلى هنا”.

وتابع: “في الأسبوع الماضي كان عليّ أن أشرح لـ كيليهر لماذا لم يلعب أمام آرسنال (في مباراة الذهاب حيث شارك أليسون)، عادة لا أفعل ذلك في الدوري الإنجليزي، ولكن كأس كاراباو كانت بطولته، وفكرت أن أليسون بحاجة إلى المشاركة في تلك المباراة لأنه كان عائدًا من كورونا وافتقد إلى الإيقاع بعض الشيء”.

وأوضح: “ما أعجبني حقًا هو أن كيليهر لم يقل لي (أوه نعم أفهم)، ولكنه قال (ماذا؟ لماذا؟)، لقد نضج وهذا أمر جيد”.

واستمر: “هذا هو الحارس الذي نريده، لقد قلت من قبل أن هذا هو مشروع رئيس حراس المرمى لدينا، جون أتربيرج، لم يكن أحد يفكر في البداية في أن يكون كيليهر هو الحارس الثاني في النادي، والآن لدينا أفضل حارس في العالم، وآخر جيد حقًا، هذا وضع جيد”.

Glasgow Rangers fans have been reacting to the SPFL’s release of fixtures for the remainder of the Premiership campaign.

The Gers have already confirmed their status as champions for the 55th time, but even though the title is wrapped up, there are still five games left to play (BBC). Of course, the league will now be split into the top six and the bottom six, with the teams in each group to play each other once more.

On Monday, the Ibrox outfit discovered when and where they will play their remaining matches. First, they will face Hibernian at home before travelling to St. Johnstone. The final Old Firm derby of the campaign against Celtic will take place at Ibrox on 2nd May with the Gers then facing Livingston on the road. The final match of the team will take place at their home against Aberdeen – on that day, they are likely to finally lift the Premiership trophy.

The fixture list was shared on the Gers’ official Twitter account, and the fans took to the social media platform to share their thoughts.

Let’s see what the Rangers fans had to say below

“Beautiful.”

Credit: @Follow_Follow_

“Title party on the Saturday is absolute scenes”

Credit: @KingAribo7

“5 games spread over 6 weeks with last 2 fixtures 3 days apart. 10 days between games 1 & 2, 11 days between games 2 & 3 and 10 days between games 3 & 4. Farcical.”

Credit: @55titles2021

“Sunday old firm, am I a joke to you”

Credit: @staunchdaviderc

“Surprised they didn’t try and fire Hibs or Aberdeen as the additional away trip…shows the nonsense the split is though.”

Credit: @_inexcelsisdeo

“So the previous 3 old firm games were purposely the last in the fixtures but because we are to lift the League Trophy they have changed it to Aberdeen???? Who is this to suit ???”

Credit: @aptrm80

In other news, this man has been tipped to Rangers’ Player of the Year.

Celtic were linked with Aston Villa midfield prospect Aaron Ramsey back in the January window.

According to the Daily Mail, the Hoops, along with Dutch giants Ajax, were showing a serious interest in the England Under-17 international in the New Year.

However, it doesn’t look like the 18-year-old will be making a cut-price move to Parkhead this summer after Villa announced on Tuesday that the central midfielder has signed professional terms with the club.

Ramsey’s initial deal was set to expire in the summer, but it appears as if he’ll now be looking to follow in the footsteps of older brother Jacob in breaking into Dean Smith’s first-team plans.

Transfer Tavern take

Ramsey appeared to fit one of the club’s transfer strategies at the time of being a UK-based prospect with high upside potential available either on a pre-contract, or for a nominal fee.

The Hoops have signed Sheffield Wednesday teenager Liam Shaw on a pre-contract deal and appear to be lining up young forward Kyle Joseph from Wigan Athletic as their next target of that ilk.

However, a move for Ramsey seems to be off the cards for now following his first professional contract in the Midlands.

In other news: Celtic keen on 18-goal forward who could become club’s third-most expensive signing, find out more here. 

Adam Forshaw has paid a huge compliment to Leeds United colleague Joe Gelhardt, likening him to two former Manchester United heroes.

The Whites completed the signing of Gelhardt last August, snapping him up from Wigan Athletic and beating a host of clubs to his signature.

The 18-year-old has predominantly played in Leeds’ academy this season but he could potentially feature for the first team before May, having impressed in recent months.

[freshpress-quiz id=“347980″]

Bamford compared Gelhardt to Man United pair

Someone who is clearly taken by the youngster is Forshaw, who continues to work his way back from a painfully long injury absence.

Writing for On The Ball [via Leeds Live], Sam Stewart confirmed that the Leeds midfielder compared Gelhardt to United legends Wayne Rooney and Carlos Tevez, in terms of his playing style:

“Through the week he remarked that the likes of Joe (“Joffy”) Gelhardt, Sam Greenwood and Charlie Cresswell continued to impress – with Joffy showing a small but strong bulldog personality and playing style reminiscent of Carlos Tevez or Wayne Rooney.”

Transfer Tavern take

While Leeds and the Red Devils having a bitter rivalry, making it hard to complement anything the other club does, there is no denying that Rooney and Tevez were great players, as evidenced by their personal records and trophy hauls at Old Trafford.

For Gelhardt to be likened to the duo is exciting from a Whites perspective, with the teenager a footballer with a huge amount of potential, as is clear from Forshaw’s comments.

It will be interesting to see if he earns some playing time under Marcelo Bielsa this season, or perhaps becomes more of a fixture in the squad in 2021/22.

In other news, Leeds’ interest in an exciting midfielder has allegedly been confirmed by a reliable source. Read more here.

MatériaMais Notícias

O Corinthians entrou em campo duas vezes desde a demissão do técnico Cristóvão Borges após a derrota no Dérbi e levou a campo a mesma formação nestes dois compromissos, uma vitória e uma derrota contra o Fluminense, ambas por 1 a 0, mas primeiro pela Copa do Brasil e neste domingo pelo Campeonato Brasileiro. A ideia do técnico Fabio Carille é manter o esquema 4-1-4-1 e as mesmas peças no próximo jogo, quarta-feira, às 21h45, diante do Cruzeiro, pela abertura das quartas de final da Copa do Brasil. O interino, porém, tem uma dúvida para este duelo: Cássio ou Walter no gol?

Cássio atuou no primeiro dos duelos contra o Fluminense, a vitória por 1 a 0, mas saiu de campo reclamando de dores no ombro esquerdo. Ele ficou dois dias sem treinar no CT Joaquim Grava e só apareceu no campo no último dia da preparação, quando treinou sem restrições e foi confirmado na equipe. O camisa 12 teve o nome divulgado na escalação para o jogo deste domingo, mas foi cortado após último exame no vestiário da Arena. O reserva Walter foi quem atuou na derrota por 1 a 0 do Brasileirão.

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Agora, Cássio seguirá o tratamento das dores no ombro esquerdo para saber se fica à disposição na quarta-feira, novamente na Arena Corinthians, diante do Cruzeiro. Fabio Carille evitou comentários técnicos sobre os dois goleiros, e afirmou que pretende esperar pelo aval médico para fazer sua escolha. O restante da equipe seguirá a lógica dos últimos compromissos.

-A ideia é repetir a escalação, até porque gostei do comportamento da equipe nesses dois jogos e não tenho algumas peças à disposição, como Gustavo, Jean e Marciel. Nos últimos jogos melhoramos a triangulação, o ficar com a bola, ter mais posse, controlar melhor o jogo. Acho que é por aí – disse o treinador.

Assim, o Corinthians que enfrenta o Cruzeiro será o seguinte: Cássio (Walter); Fagner, Yago, Balbuena e Guilherme Arana; Camacho; Marquinhos Gabriel, Giovanni Augusto, Rodriguinho e Marlone; Romero. O departamento médico do Timão trabalha para tentar colocar alguns dos seis lesionados à disposição:Pedro Henrique, Vilson, Uendel, Guilherme, Rodrigo Figueiredo e Bruno Paulo estão em tratamento.

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CorinthiansFabio Carille