[ad_pod ]

Loads of Everton fans have been reacting to the impressive form of Ross Barkley, and let’s just say they aren’t exactly being forgiving.

Everton fans were delighted when Barkley was left out in the cold by Antonio Conte last season, but Maurizio Sarri has completely transformed the young midfielder.

After losing out to Mateo Kovacic earlier in the season, Barkley has taken the helm as the most advanced player in Sarri’s midfield trio, and he certainly hasn’t looked back.

[brid autoplay=”true” video=”310054″ player=”12034″ title=”Rafa’s Pub Facts Fake Madrid & Ross Barkley Emulates… David Ngog”]

After scoring once and assisting once against Southampton, the 24 year-old grabbed a crucial late goal against Manchester United and then put on an absolutely stunning display against Burnley this weekend.

He has now has three goals and four assists in all competitions, and his drive from midfield could have been the perfect final piece in Everton’s midfield.

Lots of fans have been discussing his impressive form though, and they certainly aren’t forgetting his tendency to have three or four superb games followed by several poor ones.

You can find some of the best Twitter reactions down below, look away now Ross…

Southampton have been a huge disappointment in the current campaign as they continue to struggle under the guidance of Mark Hughes. 

The Saints could find themselves in a relegation scrap if they don’t start to improve in the near future, having made a very nervy start to proceedings in the Premier League. And, to make matters worse, it appears as if one of the club’s star men is attracting interest, as according to the Express (2 November, page 49) (via HITC), RB Leipzig are keen on bringing James Ward-Prowse to Germany.

Interestingly, the 23-year-old is now open to the idea of leaving the club where he has spent his entire career.

But, rather than join a rival top flight team, the report suggests Ward-Prowse could be the latest Englishman to make the switch to Germany after growing tired of life on the bench.

And, RB Leipzig are believed to be interested in signing the Englishman.

THE VERDICT:

James Ward-Prowse has struggled to enjoy regular minutes at Southampton in the current campaign, which has forced him to have a long, hard think about his future.

And, with RB Leipzig interested in securing his services in the future, perhaps the Englishman will opt to move to the European club.

Wolverhampton Wanderers will target a new forward when the transfer window reopens in January.

After winning the Championship last year, Wolves strengthened heavily during the summer window and have made a decent start to life in the Premier League. The Midlands club remain firmly in mid-table heading into November and aren’t in real danger of returning to the lower division. However, with just nine goals in ten games, attacking reinforcements are needed when the window reopens in the New Year.

Reports suggest Nuno Espirito Santo will target a new forward and Liverpool outcast, Divock Origi, is on his shortlist. However, Wolves could be better off by making a move for Inter Milan reject – Gabriel Barbosa.

Valued at £7.2m by Transfermarkt, the striker joined Inter back in 2016 after racking up an impressive goal record for Santos in Brazil. Great things were expected upon his arrival, and ‘Gabigol’ was expected to follow in the footsteps of Adriano at the San Siro. However, his move did not go to plan, and Barbosa was later loaned to back to Santos.

Since rejoining his former club, Barbosa has rediscovered his goal scoring touch. The 22-year-old has netted 16 goals in the Brazilian Serie A placing him top of the scoring charts. Finally back to his best, Wolves should consider bringing him to the Premier League.

With excellent technical ability and expert finishing, Barbosa would provide the goals that Wolves have so far lacked. His flair and creativity would also help the other Wolves attackers to flourish with Barbosa capable of operating as a number ten. Strong performance in the Premier League could help the forward earn another shot in the Brazil national team.

Once dubbed the next Neymar, Barbosa could prove to be a massive hit in England.

Wolves fans, thoughts?

[ad_pod ]

West Brom bounced back to form with their 4-1 thrashing of high-flying Leeds on Saturday evening, as goals from Hal Robson-Kanu, Matt Phillips, Harvey Barnes and Dwight Gayle gave the Baggies a comfortable victory at the Hawthorns.

On the chalkboard

So far this season there has been huge talk about the tactics of new Leeds boss Marcelo Bielsa, but West Brom’s Darren Moore outsmarted the experienced Argentine on the weekend to inflict Leeds’ third defeat of the season so far.

Apart from a couple of games at the beginning of this season, Moore has stuck religiously to his 3-4-1-2 formation that has allowed him to play with Barnes, Gayle and Jay Rodriguez in the attacking roles when all are fit.

Before the Leeds clash though the Baggies had failed to win any of their four previous matches, but Moore’s change to a 4-2-2-2 for the visit of the Whites certainly had the desired effect.

Beating Bielsa

Bielsa has attempted to instil a philosophy of hard-work and high-pressing at the Elland Road outfit, but Moore’s side beat the Whites at their own game in the 4-1 thumping.

The Baggies started the game quickly and with Barnes and Phillips playing in behind Rodriguez and Robson-Kanu, Moore’s side had the legs to press from the front, meaning the new back four was tested far less than they might have expected.

Going toe-to-toe with one of the world’s most well-respected managers is not the tactic that all teams in the Championship will take when playing Leeds this season, but Moore deserves huge credit for his brave team selection and his side’s performance.

[brid autoplay=”true” video=”327140″ player=”12034″ title=”Rafa’s Pub Facts Leicester Trump Man City Chelsea & Liverpool”]

[ad_pod ]

The Liverpool Echo delivered a huge transfer update this week, but which of Jurgen Klopp’s top targets would be the better signing?

According to James Pearce, the Nabil Fekir ship has well and truly sailed barring a monumental change in the price, and the Reds are now more likely to target Borussia Dortmund’s Christian Pulisic.

Pearce claims the Reds have concerns over the Frenchman’s knee, a knee that was surgically repaired after he suffered an ACL injury in 2015.

The report says Klopp is still a huge fan of the Lyon captain however, and that a deal could be done if his price drops significantly in the future.

Fekir has not signed a new contract, so as his deal runs down the Reds may just chance the risk of another knee injury at a much lower cost.

[brid autoplay=”true” video=”326259″ player=”12034″ title=”Liverpool Or Chelsea For The Title Forget it!”]

Another player that Klopp clearly loves is Dortmund’s American wonderkid Pulisic.

Klopp handed the 20 year-old his first chance in European football, and Pearce claims that the Liverpool boss “would love him”.

While the Dortmund ace has a high ceiling, he has yet to prove anything at the top level, and has lost his place this season to Jadon Sancho.

The Reds would be much better served moving for Fekir, who would bring exactly what the midfield has been missing so far this campaign.

So, Liverpool fans, which signing would you prefer? Let us know your thoughts by voting in the poll below…

Newcastle United won their third consecutive match in the Premier League on Monday night when they beat Burnley at Turf Moor.

And while the whole team and club as a setup have to be credited and admired for the way they have turned their season around, defender Federico Fernandez has emerged as a somewhat unsung hero in the team’s turn of results.

After losing their first ten matches, Rafa Benitez’s charges began to get things together with a win over Watford at the beginning of October, which was followed by another inspiring performance over Eddie Howe’s high-flying Bournemouth.

But the away win over the Clarets on Monday emphasised the desire and determination the team has and more notably Fernandez.

In a recent interview with the Chronicle, following the win over Sean Dyche’s team, the centre-back portrayed the ambitions he has with the Magpies. Fernandez had a big hand in Newcastle opening the scoring in the 4th minute when his right-footed shot deflected off Ben Mee to sail past Joe Hart into the back of the Burnley net.

In the interview, Fernandez rubbished the question if he would claim the goal by saying, ‘The main thing is we scored early in the game,’ emphasising the importance to just get the job done and build on their form.

In the earlier victories over the Watford and Bournemouth, it was also the Argentinian international who looked the most composed and calm when Newcastle looked as if they might fall apart.

Despite only arriving at the North East club in August, Fernandez immediately impressed when he made his debut against Chelsea. Benitez’s trust in him as a core part of the back-four could also stretch back to when they were both still at Italian club Napoli.

Fernandez has clearly shown to be just the player Newcastle need if they were to push on with their current run and move further away from a relegation spot.

Becoming a cult-hero already, Fernandez’s popularity on Tyneside is heart-warming after such a miserable summer at the hands of Mike Ashley. Try as he might, the Sports Direct mogul cannot dampen the Toon crowd, and the old-fashioned romance that goes along with the Toon Army.

Joe Gomez has been a shining light in Liverpool’s team this season as he has proven that he is more than capable of being Virgil van Dijk’s centre-back partner.

The 21-year-old has been solid, steady, and has demonstrated quick decision-making and intelligence on the ball while in the heart of defence.

Despite this, manager Jurgen Klopp has on occasion shifted him to the right-back position to act as cover for Trent Alexander-Arnold.

The German coach made this decision on Wednesday night for the trip to Parc des Princes to take on Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League.

Gomez was farmed out right and made way for Dejan Lovren, who sat alongside Van Dijk in what turned out to be a 2-1 defeat – the club’s fifth away loss in Europe.

As shown in the infographic above, Gomez’s defensive attributes were strong over the course of the 90 minutes in Paris.

The England international made some crucial tackles and stopped PSG in their tracks at times, but the offensive side of the job was lacking.

Gomez failed to register a single accurate cross and he did not make any meaningful passes in the final third.

The Playmaker FC squad decided to wind-up some unsuspecting Brazil fans at the Emirates on Saturday night. Watch the hilarious results in the video below…

It is understandable why Klopp would go for a more defensive figure at right-back than Alexander-Arnold, who still has a way to go.

However, the teenager would have been more of an asset in the attacking sense, and Liverpool get the best out of Gomez when he is situated alongside Van Dijk.

This Sunday, the Reds will be hoping to maintain their unbeaten run when they take on Merseyside rivals Everton at Anfield, and in order to do that they require the best centre-back pairing that they have.

With that in mind, Gomez needs to move back to the centre in place of Dejan Lovren and Alexander-Arnold should be reinstalled at right-back.

West Bromwich Albion have showcased some impressive attacking ability this season.

Darren Moore is under pressure to guide the Baggies back to the Premier League at the first time of asking, and so far he is keeping them in contention.

The attacking link-up of Dwight Gayle, Jay Rodriguez and Harvey Barnes have played a big role so far.

However, since Gayle suffered an injury, Hal Robson-Kanu has stepped up to contribute to the effort.

As it stands, the club sit fourth in the Championship table, three points adrift of leaders Norwich City after 19 games.

With the January transfer window approaching, plenty of clubs will be assessing whether or not they need reinforcements.

Playmaker FC’s Matchday with Max caught up with Jamaica’s women’s team. See what happened when he met the history makers in the video below…

The second tier is competitive at the best of times, but the push for promotion really takes shape from the festive period.

According to the Daily Mail, West Brom are among a handful of clubs interested in signing Nottingham Forest attacker Joe Lolley.

The 26-year-old is in decent form having scored seven goals and created six assists in 23 appearances in all competitions.

Would Lolley be a good addition to the West Brom team?

Let us know by voting below.

Nuno Espirito Santo is desperate to bolster his attacking options during the upcoming January transfer window.

Wolves earned plenty of plaudits for their attacking prowess on their way to being crowned Championship winners last season. Despite making a decent start to life in the Premier League, the Midlands club have struggled to find the back of the net consistently this year. Raul Jimenez has netted just four goals since joining from Benfica with summer signings like Diogo Jota yet to rediscover his form in front of goal.

Jota netted his first goal of the season during their memorable victory over Chelsea last week, and Nuno will hope there will be plenty of more to come from last season’s top scorer. Nevertheless, the Portuguese tactician would be wise to bolster his attacking options when the window reopens in less than a month.

Reports suggest that Wolves will make a move for Portimonense winger – Shoya Nakajima. Valued at £13.5m by Transfermarkt, the Japan international would be the perfect addition to the Wolves forward line. The 24-year-old enjoyed an excellent season in Portugal last year, ending the season with ten goals and ten assists in the league.

Nakajima’s fantastic form has continued into the new campaign, scoring five goals as well as registering three assists in his opening ten appearances. As well as having an eye for goal, the winger also possesses excellent vision and has the quality to unlock Premier League defences; Nakajima has averaged an impressive 2.2 key passes per game this season. The winger also has blistering pace which would make him a nightmare for Premier League defenders (WhoScored).

Reportedly on his way to Molineux for just £15m, Wolves will have secured an absolute bargain.

Wolves fans, thoughts?

[ad_pod ]

Manchester United were completely swept aside by Liverpool at Anfield on Sunday, and Jose Mourinho was stunned by the performance of Andy Robertson.

Liverpool cruised back to the top of the table on Sunday, romping past Manchester United courtesy of a brace from Xherdan Shaqiri.

While Shaqiri took all the headlines and Fabinho took all the plaudits, Robertson was once again one of the Reds’ standout performers.

Which big 6 club needs to do the most business in January? Check out what the Playmaker FC squad think in the video below…

The most impressive thing about the Scottish international is his consistency, as fans on Merseyside have just come to expect at least an eight out of ten performance every single week.

Perhaps his most valuable asset though is his engine, and Mourinho was stunned by the work the 24 year-old went through down that left flank.

“They are physical, they are objective, they play 200mph with the ball and without the ball,” the dejected Red Devils’ boss told reporters after the match.

“I am still tired just from looking at Robertson, he makes 100 metre sprints every minute,” he said. “Absolutely incredible.”

Robertson ability to impact the game at both ends of the pitch is what sets him apart from other left backs, and he made four key passes and 11 attempted crosses during Sunday’s win.

So, Liverpool fans, how impressed were you by Robertson on Sunday? What do you think of Mourinho’s comments? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below…