Aston Villa boss Paul Lambert has praised the finishing of two goal hero Christian Benteke, but claimed that his overall performance wasn’t good enough against Swindon.
The Belgian international broke Swindon fans’ hearts when he scored Villa’s winner in stoppage time to put the Villans into the quarter finals of the Capital One Cup for the third time in four seasons.
Benteke and Agbonlahor put Villa two up before Robins substitute Miles Storey struck a brace to level the game.
“Benteke has had a quality start (at Villa) but his game wasn’t up to my standards,” the Villa boss told Sporting life.
“His two goals were world-class finishes but you set yourself a standard and we’ve got to keep him up to that standard.”
The 21-year-old has had a good start to his time at Villa Park and so far has kept out Darren Bent from the starting lineup.
“He is going to be a big player and plays in a brilliant Belgium team,” Lambert added.
Lambert wasn’t happy after the game and felt that his side were guilty of complacency after creating a two goal lead against lower league opposition.
“At 2-0 we were really comfortable and doing well and could have got another goal just before half-time.
“You become complacent and credit to Swindon for trying to play the right way but we deserved to win this game.
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“I know how hard it is coming here and you’ve got to earn the right to win. It is not all glamour. It is a big win for us.”
Record signing Bent was left out once again, fuelling the rumours that the England striker may leave in January if he doesn’t start getting first team football.
Liverpool’s Carabao Cup Final victory over Chelsea yesterday evening at Wembley Stadium showed one thing in particular – their squad depth is absolutely frightening.
The way manager Jurgen Klopp has rotated and utilised his ‘back-up’ players across this season, even when the Africa Cup of Nations hasn’t been on and injuries haven’t been too much of an issue has been thoroughly impressive – particularly as there is seemingly no unrest in the dressing room.
It’s not often now that you can find a group of players who are all willing to play whatever part they can for their team, whether it be from the bench, the pitch – or even just as a dressing room leader, a role James Milner has taken on with an exemplary attitude.
Despite his contract due to expire at the end of the season, the 36-year-old has started just ten of those games, but has repeatedly put in the typical hard-working ‘dirty-work’ he has become known for.
In just 40 minutes against Chelsea, Milner won back possession three times, as well as winning 60% of his duels and completing 82% of his passes to help break up any kind of momentum the Blues were attempting to build.
The game also provided a clear indication that despite the likes of Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain potentially possessing a little more technical ability and flair in the midfield spot, the veteran still has what it takes to make him one of the most important players in the Liverpool team.
Once described “classy” by journalist Ollie Holt well over ten years ago, that assessment more than stands true now, namely for what he did in the final on Sunday.
A clip of a mid-game tussle involving exciting young prospect Harvey Elliott caught fans attention, as while some of his teammates went to back-up the starlet, Milner pulled the 18-year-old away, with one fan comparing him to ‘an angry parent’.
After scoring his penalty, Milner remained calm when Kepa Arrizabalaga missed his all-important spot-kick, potentially already casting his mind to the club’s next game.
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Along with captain Jordan Henderson, the £1.8m-rated midfielder was then described as ‘pure class’ by the tournament’s official social media channels after consoling each Chelsea player at the end of the game.
With young players like Curtis Jones, Tyler Morton and Elliott coming through in his position, it’s not only important that Liverpool renew Milner’s contract, but continue giving him minutes on the field, so he can continue being the perfect role model for those players alongside him.
In other news: Forget Kelleher: Liverpool engine with 103 touches was Klopp’s real hero in Cup final
Tottenham Hotspur crashed out of the FA Cup to lower league opposition and it was another game in which Heung-min Son flattered to deceive.
In a game of very few chances, it was Championship outfit Middlesbrough that ran out victors at the Riverside Stadium on Tuesday night, thanks to a goal from teenage substitute Josh Cobern, who netted an extra-time winner to remove Spurs’ final hope of silverware in 2021/22.
“When you play this type of game, you have to be very good from the start,” manager Antonio Conte said after the defeat. “We had the chances to score and to kill the game but we didn’t take them.”
The South Korean attacker was one of those wasteful players as he failed to find the net from four shots on target. His tally alone accounted for 66.6% of the Lilywhites’ total efforts on target, so it’s no wonder they never found the net across 120 minutes.
You’d have expected Son to deliver based on his performance against Leeds United at the weekend but that may have proved to be an anomaly in a tough run of form for the 29-year-old as he went missing up at Burnley, a result that left Conte questioning his future at the club.
He had zero shots on target that day, so this time, he was just more lacklustre with his attempts, having been given a chance to change the game. Again, though, he let his manager and the side down.
Elsewhere, he proved to be one of the most ineffective players on the ball, failing to register a single successful dribble from three attempts. A poor return up against a Championship backline and considering his top-flight average of 1.7 successful attempts per game.
He also lost possession 24 times, more than anyone else on the pitch, effectively handing the ball back to the opposition all game, so not only was he fruitless in front of goal but he was also careless and quite the liability.
Son was weak in his battles, too, having won only four duels from 13 attempts (30.7%).
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It was a display that Press Association journalist Jonathan Veal described as “shocking”, whilst football.london reporter Rob Guest claimed he had “a wretched evening” up at the Riverside.
Plenty of stars took the flak on social media, including Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg and Ben Davies, but none were as wasteful, ineffective and weak as Son, who once again failed the Italian head coach in what has been a lacklustre run of form lately.
AND in other news, Left for £0, now worth £16.2m: Levy will regret Spurs howler on “explosive” 27 G/A gem…
Barcelona are still eyeing up a summer move for Leeds United star Raphinha, in whom Chelsea and Manchester United are also showing an interest.
The Lowdown: Raphinha on the move?
The 25-year-old was superb in Sunday’s dramatic 2-1 win at home to Norwich City, recapturing the form that he had been displaying earlier in the season.
Raphinha is Leeds’ top scorer in the Premier League with nine goals in 2021/22, and his reputation continues to grow across Europe and around the world.
The Brazil international has been linked with various moves away from Elland Road in recent months and a new update has now emerged.
[freshpress-quiz id=“383507″]
The Latest: Barcelona still keen on signing Raphinha
According to journalist Gianluigi Longari on Twitter, Barcelona look like the front-runners to acquire the winger’s signature, but Chelsea and Man United are also in the race
The Italian tweeted: “Barca still strong in Raphinha race. Chelsea obviously in stand-by. Also Manchester United are following Leeds ace.”
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The Verdict: Matter of time?
Raphina’s Leeds career does feel as if it is reaching its natural conclusion, even though there is still hope that he could sign a new contract at Elland Road.
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For starters, relegation to the Championship would surely make the decision for the Brazilian there and then, as playing in the second tier would simply not be an option for a player of his quality and likely ambition.
Raphinha must surely feel that he now belongs at a Champions League level – Michael Owen has described his technique as ‘perfect’ – and Whites supporters should be prepared for his potential exit this year, with the huge money set to be received for him likely to be the one main positive to take from losing arguably the club’s best player this season.
In other news, Phil Hay has given a key Leeds injury update. Read more here.
Phil Hay has dropped a promising update on the condition of Leeds United centre-forward Patrick Bamford.
What’s the latest?
In a recent post on Twitter, The Athletic journalist revealed that, despite being seen limping towards the tunnel at half-time in the 2-1 victory over Norwich City on Sunday, it was always Jesse Marsch’s plan to withdraw the 28-year-old at the break – with the American manager looking to ease the England international back into first-team football following what was practically a six-month injury layoff.
In his tweet, Hay said: “Bamford is fine and the plan was always for him to have 45 minutes. They didn’t want to push him further. He should be fine for Wolves.”
Supporters will be buzzing
Considering just how badly Leeds have missed the presence of Bamford leading their line over the last six months, the news that the striker does not look to have suffered a setback in his recovery is sure to have left the Elland Road faithful buzzing.
Indeed, over his 38 Premier League appearances last season, the £18m-rated hitman proved just how important he is to the Whites, scoring 17 goals, providing seven assists and creating five big chances for his teammates, as well as taking an average of 2.8 shots and making 0.8 key passes per game.
These returns saw the £74k-per-week goal-machine earn a highly impressive seasonal SofaScore match rating of 7.01, ranking him as Leeds’ seventh-best performer in the top flight of English football last time out – with the 28-year-old playing a vital role in the Whites securing a top-half finish in the league.
However, with Bamford having only featured in eight Premier League fixtures so far this season – over which he has scored two goals, registered two assists and created two big chances – Leeds find themselves in a much more precarious situation, currently sitting just four points above the relegation zone with nine games left to play.
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As such, the news that the Englishman should be fit to start against Wolves on Friday evening, as well as being able to play a part in the club’s run-in, will undoubtedly come as a huge boost to everyone involved with Leeds – as Bamford could well prove to be the difference between another season in the top flight and a return to the Championship.
AND in other news: Orta can ignite Marsch revolution as Leeds eye up 24 y/o gem who “cannot be defended”
Rangers forward Alfredo Morelos has signed with a new agency, as reported by The Daily Record’s Scott Burns.
The lowdown
The Colombian joined Rangers from Finnish outfit HJK Helsinki in 2017 for a fee of just under £1.1m. He penned a contract extension in March 2019, but that £33,000-per-week deal is due to expire in less than 18 months’ time.
According to Transfermarkt, the £11.7m-rated Morelos is Rangers’ second-most valuable asset behind £12.6m-rated Ryan Kent.
The latest
As per The Daily Record, Morelos has parted company with World In Motion, the agency which negotiated his move to Rangers.
He is now represented by Footfeel and Echo Sports, whose biggest clients are Inter Milan’s Lautaro Martinez and Paris Saint-Germain’s Achraf Hakimi.
They will be ‘rolling out the red carpet’ for Morelos and trying to generate buzz through social media, while Burns wrote that the news is a ‘concern’ for Rangers ahead of the expiry of the 25-year-old’s contract.
The agency have the required connections to secure a dream move for the Colombian to one of Europe’s top five leagues.
The verdict
Morelos has been open about his desire to take what he feels is the next step in his career. Back in September, he said that he hoped ‘the opportunity to leave will be given’ after Rangers failed to reach an agreement with interested parties (via The Daily Record).
It could hurt to lose the 25-year-old, who is Rangers’ top scorer this season with 19 goals in all competitions and who brings a ‘brave’ mentality, according to Borussia Dortmund boss Marco Rose.
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In the short-term, Giovanni van Bronckhorst will just hope that this latest twist doesn’t prove to be a distraction as he prepares his players for the second leg of their Europa League round of 16 tie against Red Star Belgrade on Thursday night.
In other news, this Rangers man is attracting Championship interest.
Leeds United’s hopes of keeping hold of midfielder Kalvin Phillips, and the identity of his next club if he does move on, will hinge on whether or not they avoid relegation, according to journalist Phil Hay.
The Lowdown: Phillips’ future up in the air
The 26-year-old has suffered a frustrating season for the Whites, not playing a single minute since December because of a serious hamstring injury.
Talk has intensified over Phillips’ future in recent months, with a host of clubs linked with signing him amid Leeds’ Premier League relegation battle. Aston Villa and West Ham have been two particularly prominent suitors of late.
Hay has now addressed where the England midfielder’s future is likely to lie, depending on what happens at Elland Road over the next two months.
[freshpress-quiz id=“383507″]
The Latest: Hay on Kalvin Phillips
Writing in a Monday morning mailbag for The Athletic, the journalist admitted with regards to Phillips’ future that everything could depend on whether or not Leeds go down in May. He stated:
“If Leeds go down, all bets would be off. Players such as Phillips would need to find themselves Premier League clubs and would have to be open to whatever offers were on the table.
“But if Leeds stay up, and they’ve given themselves a huge chance of that by winning the last two games, I’d find it odd to see him go to Villa or West Ham United — two of the clubs linked with him recently.
“Phillips turns 27 this year and because of his age, doesn’t have an endless line of future big moves in him. Given his development and his progress at international level with England, the target for him, if he was to leave, would surely be relatively-secure Champions League football most seasons. Anything less would feel like him selling himself short. But we all know Villa have been on his case for a while.”
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The Verdict: Perfect incentive to stay up
If ever Jesse Marsch and his players needed an incentive to stay up, it is this, with Phillips arguably the most important player in the current Leeds squad.
He has matured into a truly formidable midfielder – one who is England’s reigning Player of the Year – dominating midfield battles and averaging 2.3 tackles per game in the league this season.
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Losing Phillips would be an almighty blow but it would be impossible to begrudge him a move if Leeds are back playing in the Championship, with the boyhood Whites fan already doing a stint in that division when he could have played at a higher level.
In other news, Leeds could make a loan signing this summer. Find out who the player in question is here.
Ange Postecoglou’s Celtic side have been handed yet another boost ahead of their upcoming Scottish Premiership Old Firm clash.
What’s the latest?
That’s according to a report by the Scottish Daily Mail (via Ibrox News), who revealed that Fashion Sakala has fallen ill while on international duty with Zambia, and is now self-isolating as a result.
The report goes on to that this means the 25-year-old is now a doubt for the Old Firm meeting this Sunday, with Giovanni van Bronckhorst claiming that it is a “wait and see” scenario regarding the winger’s availability for the visit of Celtic.
Great news for Celtic
Considering just how impressive Sakala has been since his arrival at Ibrox last summer, the news that the forward looks set to miss Sunday’s potentially title-deciding Glasgow derby is undoubtedly great news for Postecoglou and Celtic.
Indeed, over his 24 Premiership appearances this season, the £3.6m-rated attacker has been in deadly form for Rangers, scoring seven goals, registering two assists and creating four big chances for his teammates, as well as taking an average of 2.1 shots and making 1.2 key passes per game.
These returns have seen the £10k-per-week winger average an incredibly impressive SofaScore match rating of 7.01, ranking him as Van Bronckhorst’s 11th-best player in the top flight of Scottish football this term.
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As such, following the news that both Aaron Ramsey and Alfredo Morelos are both serious doubts for the Old Firm clash, should Sakala also be ruled out of contention this weekend, it would certainly provide Celtic with another huge boost to their chances of picking up all three points at Ibrox – with a Bhoys victory at the home of their rivals going an extremely long way to reclaiming their Premiership crown this season.
AND in other news: £10.5m and counting: £23.5k-p/w “monster” should have played his final game for Celtic
Tottenham Hotspur and Liverpool have often served up some classic, goal-filled contests in Premier League seasons gone by.
Last season saw the Reds trounce Spurs 5-1 on the way to lifting the top-flight title, while those of a North London persuasion will hold an encounter way back in 2017 close to their hearts, as a Harry Kane and Heung Min Son-led effort clinched a 4-1 win over their Saturday evening opponents.
On this occasion, it was a memorable one for Spurs for all the wrong reasons, as two red cards were picked up, and two goals beat Guglielmo Vicario, which resulted in Arne Slot’s mini-resurgence continuing on in a 2-1 defeat.
Thomas Frank will have been livid at the full-time whistle with the actions of Xavi Simons, as the underwhelming summer signing picked up an early first-half red card, which helped Liverpool on their way to a confidence-boosting three points. Still, there were other underperformers who let the side down severely.
Main Spurs underperformers vs Liverpool
Indeed, although Simons’ rash moment of madness with Virgil Van Dijk did undoubtedly help the visiting Reds, it’s not always straightforward playing against ten men.
Unfortunately, though, Spurs did roll over and allow Liverpool to collect the win, as Frank’s men in attack consistently lacked any cutting edge, away from Richarlison powering home a consolation strike late on.
In particular, Mohamed Kudus failed to spark into life during his unmemorable 58-minute spell, with just one effort registered at Alisson’s goal by the former West Ham United attacker. Moreover, despite only amassing 31 touches of the ball, the hit-and-miss number 20 would still give away possession a high 11 times.
Randal Kolo Muani would have also frustrated Frank when failing to find the back of the net from his four efforts. On top of that, the ex-Brentford boss will have also been left seething by Cristian Romero’s dismissal late on, after the South American defender was also caught out for Alexander Isak’s opener, after a poor attempted pass forward.
TalkSPORT pundit Alex Crook would even label Romero as an “absolute liability” at the end, with the 27-year-old no doubt fearful he would have been axed by his manager, anyway, if the red card never happened.
But, there is one underperformer that hasn’t been mentioned yet, who really dropped their performance levels against Slot’s visitors, with it going down as his worst game of the season, so far, under Frank.
The Spurs star who had his worst game under Frank
Nobody donning Spurs white come the end of the 2-1 loss could trudge off with their heads held high, away from Richarlison, potentially, who injected some energy into proceedings late on.
Lucas Bergvall certainly wouldn’t have been proud of his efforts, as the midfielder – who was hailed as a “class above the rest” earlier in the month against Newcastle United by one Spurs podcast host – faded into the background the more the game went on, with his situation on the pitch not helped whatsoever by Simons’ rash dismissal.
Bergvall’s performance in numbers
Stat
Bergvall
Minutes played
71
Goals scored
0
Assists
0
Touches
25
Shots
0
Accurate passes
15/18 (83%)
Key passes
1
Possession lost
7x
Successful dribbles
0
Tackles won
0
Total duels won
1/4
Stats by Sofascore
Having amassed two shots at the Newcastle goal, alongside completing all 100% of his dribbles, Bergvall managed to be a driving force through the middle that helped Spurs on their way to a share of the points on Tyneside.
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In stark contrast, up against Slot’s rejuvenated men, the young Swede largely receded into his shell when the going got tough, with zero tackles won, zero successful dribbles completed, and only 15 accurate passes registered. To make matters worse, he also failed to hit a single effort at Alisson’s goal, leading to his manager substituting him off on the 71st minute mark.
It’s an alarming drop off for a star once hailed as being “like Modric” by The Athletic’s JJ Bull for his classy calmness on the ball, with it looking unlikely throughout that Bergvall was going to add to his promising three-goal contributions in the Premier League this season so far.
This off-performance could well see the 19-year-old be dropped for some of the matches to follow in the congested winter fixture list, as it was his worst performance of the campaign in comparison to the rest of his performances that led to him earning the aforementioned praise.
It will be intriguing to see what the next Spurs lineup looks like ahead of tricky contests to follow against Crystal Palace and Brentford, with the already under-pressure Frank needing to get his team selections spot on to save his skin.
Best talent since Kane: Spurs ready bumper salary for "world-class" target
Tottenham are getting ready to pounce on their number one transfer target this January.
The Arsenal today is practically unrecognisable from the one that hired Mikel Arteta six years ago.
The North Londoners have transformed themselves from a fallen giant stuck in mid-table to a team genuinely capable of winning the Premier League and the Champions League.
Arteta has helped create one of the very best teams in the country, and the board has been working to ensure the future is even brighter.
It’s this goal that led new Sporting Director Andrea Berta to secure a deal for one of the most exciting talents in the game, someone who could become Arsenal’s answer to Michael Olise.
How Arsenal are getting ready for the future
While fans and Arteta, for that matter, are focused on the here and now, Arsenal as a club have to be preparing for the next iteration of the team and the one after that, if they want to keep up with their rivals.
Chalkboard
Football FanCast’s Chalkboard series presents a tactical discussion from around the global game.
Fortunately, the powers that be at the club seem well aware of this and have been taking steps to do just that, from signing some seriously exciting youngsters from around the world to nurturing the best at Hale End.
For example, while they’ve already become a part of the first team, the likes of Ethan Nwaneri and Myles Lewis-Skelly most certainly fall into the second category.
Nwaneri in 25/26
Appearances
10
Minutes
427′
Goals
1
Assists
0
Goal Involvements per Match
0.1
Minutes per Goal Involvement
427′
All Stats via Transfermarkt
After all, they are still just 18 and 19 years old, so while they’re already making an impact, they won’t hit their peak for quite some time.
After them, it looks like Andre Harriman-Annous could be the next one to be integrated into the first team.
Finally, at least for now, perhaps the two most exciting prospects from the academy for quite some time are Max Dowman and Marli Salmon.
The former has already made five games for the first team, becoming the youngest to start for the club and the youngest player in Champions League history.
Salmon, on the other hand, has only made one competitive appearance this season, but has been described as “the best CB Hale End has produced” by respected analyst Ben Mattinson.
Now, when it comes to signing some of the most exciting youngsters from around the world, the Gunners have also improved.
For example, just a couple of months ago, they secured the services of 16-year-old Victor Ozhianvuna from Shamrock Rovers, who has been described as blessed “with explosive acceleration” by Mattinson.
A year before that, the North Londoners signed the then-17-year-old goalkeeper Tommy Setford from Ajax, whom Mattinson once again gave the seal of approval, describing him as “England’s most talented ball-playing GK’s.”
Finally, and undoubtedly most exciting of all, Arsenal have secured the services of two incredible Ecuadorian talents earlier this month in Holger and Edwin Quintero, the latter of which could be the club’s answer to Olise.
Arsenal's answer to Olise
Earlier this month, seemingly out of nowhere, it was announced that Arsenal had signed both Holger and Edwin Quintero, and that, once they turn 18 in 2027, they will join the first team.
Now, both youngsters have been talked about as having massive ceilings, but when it comes to which one could emulate and become the Gunners’ answer to Olise, it can only be Edwin.
There are a few reasons for this, with one of the most important being the fact that, unlike his brother, his primary position is right-wing.
Moreover, like the former Crystal Palace star, the 16-year-old gem is not simply a goal threat, but also someone more than capable of creating chances.
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In fact, Mattinson described him as someone with “the ability to run games and create something out of nothing.”
What makes his ability to create even more impressive is the fact that he can do so in multiple ways.
For example, U23 scout Antonio Mango has highlighted that, on the one hand, he “likes to play with short pass-and-move principles,” while Mattinson has dubbed him an “explosive” dribbler who uses flair to fool defenders.
Finally, respected scout Jacek Kulig has also weighed in on the teenager, describing him as “an absolute joy to watch” and more crucially, a “10/10 talent.”
Ultimately, Arsenal have an exceptional squad today, and thanks to smart planning and youth development, look set to have one in the future, in which Edwin Quintero could be their own Olise.
Arteta must bin £40m star who was "Pires-like" in his first years at Arsenal
It’s time for Arteta to take the frustrating Arsenal star out of the team.