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Southampton made it back-to-back 3-1 home wins as they comfortably defeated relegated Fulham on Saturday afternoon, here are our Saints player ratings from the game.

Starting XI

Alex McCarthy: 6/10

Apart from a simple catch from Fabio Carvalho’s tame shot early on, he wasn’t forced into any action in the first half. Dropped a catch late on in the first 45 but wasn’t punished. Could do nothing about Carvalho’s goal.

Kyle Walker-Peters: 6/10

Solid defensively, as usual, and on a rare foray forward, his inch-perfect cross found Nathan Tella to make it 2-0. Poor clearance nearly led to Fulham getting a goal back as Joe Bryan flashed a shot wide.

Jack Stephens: 6/10

Moved back into the middle in the absence of Jan Bednarek. Did well to deny Ivan Cavaleiro from breaking away after a Southampton corner with a strong tackle. Produced an exceptional tackle to deny the Portuguese forward again when he looked odds on to score following Bobby Reid’s pass. It was arguably his mistake for the Fulham goal, as he was drawn towards the ball before being left behind by the youngster.

Jannik Vestergaard: 6/10

Imperious in the air when called upon but rarely troubled from a defensive perspective. Provided some typically accurate diagonal balls and looked assured in possession.

Mohammed Salisu: 6/10

Pushed out to left-back with Stephens partnering Vestergaard in the middle. Solid in the air and gave Fulham very little change down their right-hand side.

Takumi Minamino: 6/10

Saw an early effort cleared off the line after being found by Che Adams. Showed good anticipation to win a free-kick on the edge of the box. Tidy in possession and looked much better going forwards, was replaced by Theo Walcott with around 15 minutes remaining.

Stuart Armstrong: 5/10

Won the free-kick for Southampton’s opening goal. Found Danny Ings through on goal with a lovely reverse ball. Wasted a good crossing opportunity early in the second half. Slow to get forward on a number of occasions and found himself caught in possession. A disappointing performance by his usual standards. Replaced by Ibrahima Diallo for the final 15 minutes.

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James Ward-Prowse: 8/10

Whipped in a superb free-kick for the opening goal, finding Adams inside the area for a comfortable finish. Denied by Alphonse Areola from a free-kick on the edge of the box. Produced another fantastic delivery early in the second half but there was nobody there to meet it. The heartbeat of the team and so dangerous with his set-pieces, as per usual.

Nathan Redmond: 4/10

Took the greedy option when found by Ings shortly before the hour mark, as he saw an optimistic shot blocked when a cross would have been the better option. Hit straight at Areola when found through on goal by Adams. Far too many slack passes from the £16.2m-rated winger, which could have cost Southampton against more clinical opposition.

Che Adams: 7/10

Did well to read a backpass from Ola Aina and feed Minamino but his shot was tame. Opened the scoring by being in the right place at the right time to fire home when found by James Ward-Prowse’s free-kick. Very nearly found Ings with a clever through ball. Lovely through ball to find Redmond shortly before the hour mark. Drifted out of it in the second half but still another strong display from the Scotland international.

Danny Ings: 5/10

Had regular touches inside the box during the first half but couldn’t get a shot away, nearly latched onto a through ball from his Scottish strike partner but couldn’t quite get a touch on it. Rounded Areola after Armstrong’s pass but couldn’t get a shot away. Couldn’t get enough contact after meeting another excellent Ward-Prowse corner. Replaced by Nathan Tella shortly before the hour mark.

Subs

Nathan Tella: 8/10

Scored his first senior goal with what was likely his first touch after being found by a lovely cross from Kyle Walker-Peters. Also provided a lovely touch to assist Walcott for Southampton’s third and later tested Areola after some superb work out wide, in what was a really encouraging performance from the youngster.

Theo Walcott: 7/10

Another to score just moments after coming on as a neat passing move found him on the edge of the box and his deflected effort flew past Areola to make it 3-1.

Ibrahima Diallo: 6/10

Brought on to shore things up and did just that, broke forward well and found Adams with a good pass.

And, in other news… Southampton must swoop for 19 y/o wonderkid likened to Zlatan, he wouldn’t cost a penny

Speaking to Football Insider, pundit Frank McAvennie has been left excited by a Tottenham Hotspur managerial development as Roberto Martinez has been placed on the shortlist to replace Jose Mourinho. 

The Lowdown: Martinez linked to Spurs

The Spaniard has been sporadically linked to Spurs over this last month with Football Insider claiming he has been added to the managerial shortlist in north London.

As well as that report, journalist and reliable source of information Alasdair Gold said on his YouTube channel (May 5) that he is ‘certainly one’ the Lilywhites have been looking at alongside Graham Potter.

It is also claimed Spurs chiefs ‘really like’ his style of football amid reports he has entered the fray (Alasdair Gold).

The Latest: McAvennie excited by Martinez links

In reaction to the recent development of Martinez entering Tottenham’s shortlist, former West Ham United and Celtic striker McAvennie has certainly been left in awe.

“Wow, he’d be a great appointment,” he told Football Insider.

“Martinez has certainly got the stature to go into Tottenham. He’s worked with the biggest players on the planet with Belgium.

“It won’t frighten him. I’d imagine Martinez misses the day-to-day, the training with the boys.

“It’ll be great when you’ve got your players there but a good manager wants to be doing things every day.

“His stock is so high but Tottenham is a big club.”

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The Verdict: McAvennie right to be excited

Of all the managers linked to Tottenham over this past month, Martinez is arguably one of the names who have garnered the least discussion despite his experience both in the Premier League and at international level.

He even guided Belgium to a 2018 World Cup semi-final place where they only narrowly lost out to eventual winners France.

On the road, his Red Devils side knocked out five-time world champions Brazil in an impressive performance. 

The 47-year-old also has trophy-winning experience in England, clinching a memorable FA Cup triumph for Wigan in 2013 as they upset Manchester City at Wembley.

His accolades, therefore, could highlight the fact he is a strong outside contender.

In other news: Spurs keen to sell this 66-cap ace as Levy makes transfer call, find out more here.

While Raphinha may be the man stealing the headlines at Leeds, Stuart Dallas has been the real star of the show for Marcelo Bielsa.

The Northern Irishman has taken his game up a level since the step-up to the top flight and has been in superb form.

The 30-year-old spent a lot of the first half of the season at full-back, both on the right and left, but now playing in midfield, he looks like a star.

As per Transfermarkt, in the seven games that he’s played in a box-to-box midfield role, he has scored three times which is his best record in the opposition’s penalty area.

His match-winning display against Manchester City typified this when he scored twice at the Etihad Stadium.

The Athletic’s Phil Hay raved about Dallas and his worth to this Leeds side, insisting that on his current form, it would be difficult to leave him out of the team next season, even with some potential signings.

Writing in the Athletic he said the Leeds star was undroppable and looks like a quality asset in central midfield.

The Northern Irishman has certainly proven in recent matches that a midfield role can see him really shine at Leeds, and it would be silly to move him back into full-back.

As a result, Bielsa must unshackle Dallas as the club’s primary box-to-box midfield star from this point onwards.

Leicester City could potentially have a star on their hands next season as Kamal Sowah returns from his loan spell at OH Leuven.

The Ghana international, who has been with the Belgian outfit for the past three seasons, has been contracted to the Foxes since January 2018 but is yet to be afforded his first team debut at the King Power Stadium.

With Leuven manager Marc Brys suggesting that he working on keeping the midfielder in Belgium beyond the expiry of his loan deal, it might now be time for Brendan Rodgers to grant Sowah his chance at Leicester.

In his time with Leuven, the 21-year-old has been in great form. He has made 72 appearances for the Proximus League outfit, scoring 13 goals and providing ten assists in all competitions.

The majority of those have come in the current campaign, with Sowah having racked up 14 direct goal contributions, that record only being beaten by striker Thomas Henry and attacking midfielder Xavier Mercier.

Intriguingly, the former has already been waxing lyrical about the on-loan Leicester man, stating that he is a “complete player”.

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That is certainly praise which the Leicester hierarchy will want to hear with Sowah penning a new long-term deal with the club in September 2020.

Considering his form and the faith put him in by the Foxes with that aforementioned contract extension, he could soon be primed for an opportunity at the King Power Stadium. Leicester boss Brendan Rodgers was publicly on the search for a midfielder in the January transfer window but a move failed to transpire.

If such a player remains on the Foxes’ shopping list heading into the summer, Sowah could certainly be the man tasked with that responsibility instead of being once again allowed to rejoin Leuven.

Should he continue his upward trajectory in the East Midlands, he could be a star in the making for Leicester.

AND in more news, take a closer look at Kelechi Iheanacho’s fantastic display against West Brom…

MatériaMais Notícias

Nos últimos dias, circularam boatos nos bastidores do Santos de que alguns conselheiros e até membros da diretoria eram favoráveis à troca de Dorival Júnior por Vanderlei Luxemburgo no comando técnico da equipe.

Depois de o presidente Modesto Roma Júnior desmentir qualquer possibilidade e garantir Dorival como treinador do Peixe, foi a vez do próprio Dorival Júnior reclamar da notícia. Após a vitória por 2 a 1 sobre o Fluminense na noite desta quarta-feira, o comandante alvinegro afirmou não se importar com “matérias infundadas” e se vê tranquilo no cargo até o atual momento.

– Olha, falar sobre notícia plantada… Quem tinha que responder é o dono da matéria e o interesse. Sou contratado pelo Santos, o presidente tem meu telefone. O dia que ele achar que tenhamos que encerrar o trabalho, ele será o primeiro a se posicionar. Esse conselheiro deve estar muito preocupado com o Santos, porque há tempos não via o Santos se firmar entre os primeiros, e agora tem o desprazer de conviver com isso. Eu tenho pena dele e de quem põe essa matéria no ar. Não merece meu respeito. Nunca me foi colocada situação nenhuma do presidente e do clube, que sempre foi correto comigo. Não precisa de conselheiros tomarem qualquer iniciativa, mas que venham para torcer pelo Santos, porque estamos merecendo mais apoio do que quem tenta infiltrar. Matéria mentirosa não tem muita vida, existe lealdade aqui dentro – desabafou Dorival.

RelacionadasBrasileirãoATUAÇÕES: Ataque do Santos se destaca contra o Fluminense. Vote!Brasileirão05/10/2016BrasileirãoSantos vence ‘decisão’ contra o Fluminense e abre vantagem no G6Brasileirão05/10/2016

Sobre a declaração do presidente de que o trabalho realizado é “aceitável”, Dorival preferiu não entrar em polêmica e disse ter orgulho do que faz à frente do clube.

– Cada um faz a colocação que ache conveniente, não vou questionar. Acredito que seja realmente um trabalho aceitável, e que tenho orgulho do que o grupo tem feito. Me orgulha estar à frente disso– afirmou.

Com a vitória sobre o Fluminense, o Santos permanece na quarta colocação do Campeonato Brasileiro, com 51 pontos. O Peixe volta a campo no sábado, em amistoso contra o Benfica (POR), na Vila Belmiro.

This week has been a crazy rollercoaster of affairs when it comes to Celtic’s new manager. The Bhoys have been in discussions with plenty of coaches and it would appear we’re finally on the verge of an announcement.

The Hoops were targeting Roy Keane last week but a U-turn has been taken in their hunt for a new boss.

What’s the word?

News emerged on Thursday evening that Celtic were in advanced talks to bring Eddie Howe to Parkhead. However, according to GIVEMESPORT, the Hoops are still considering hiring John Kennedy on a permanent basis.

After Neil Lennon left his job behind, the coach was placed in temporary charge of the team, and it is now thought that there is still very much a possibility that the 37-year-old could become their new manager full-time.

Kennedy has been in the frame for a few weeks now but it may come as a surprise to see that he’s still on their radar given the links to Keane, Howe and Lucien Favre over the last seven days.

Bad news for Celtic

This is news which is unlikely to be welcomed too much by the Green Brigade. Kennedy has done a lot for Celtic as assistant manager but he’s too much like Lennon. Since being made interim manager, he hasn’t exactly set the world alight.

Celtic’s shoddy form has continued and Rangers have now ultimately won the league. The Bhoys did win their first match with Kennedy at the helm but their display against Dundee United was lacking in inspiration and fight.

Their 0-0 draw at Tannadice a few weeks ago allowed the Gers to win the title and, try as they might, Celtic couldn’t score.

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Lennon may no longer be in the dugout but many of the issues which plagued his final season at Paradise have been a problem with Kennedy, too.

Their 1-1 draw with their fierce rivals a fortnight ago was also far from inspiring. Defensive issues were evident again as Jonjoe Kenny played a lacklustre backpass which led to Alfredo Morelos’ first Old Firm goal.

In that match and against Dundee United, his substitutions lacked a cutting edge. He rather ludicrously dragged David Turnbull off after the hour mark in that clash and he has given James Forrest just 12 minutes of action in both games.

Many fans will likely be crying out for a little bit more. In someone like Howe, they’d have a fresh voice on the training pitch, and the Celtic hierarchy need to move on from the likes of Kennedy.

AND in other news, Imagine him & Edouard: Celtic must sign 16-goal gem who plays “in the style of Robben” – opinion…

After seeing a resurgence in form from Gareth Bale, it’s now time for Tottenham Hotspur boss Jose Mourinho to unleash forgotten star Dele Alli in the final third of this campaign.

The league season has not gone to plan for Spurs overall.

They find themselves eighth in the Premier League table, six points behind the top four and behind all but one of their main rivals, though they have advanced into the last 16 of the Europa League and have a genuine shot at winning silverware with the Carabao Cup final on the horizon.

But this means that games will be coming thick and fast every week, and thus, the Portuguese stalwart will need his entire squad to be at the races.

Bale had barely featured for the north London club until recently – indeed, the Welsh superstar has only played 1,000 minutes in all competitions for a total of 20 appearances (just 12 starts), as per Transfermarkt.

But in his last four appearances, the 31-year-old has delivered four goals and three assists to help arrest the poor run of form Spurs had found themselves in.

This, ultimately, needs to be the masterplan for Alli to refind his feet in N17.

The 24-year-old, who is valued at €30m (£26m), has played fewer minutes (737) but he too showed flashes of his old ability in their 4-0 win over Wolfsberger last week, delivering one goal and a brace of assists.

SofaScore graded that display a 9.2, his highest since a win over Bournemouth in December 2019 (9.0).

After the game, the Spurs boss waxed lyrical about the rarely-seen playmaker, he said (via the Evening Standard): “He is playing very well” before adding: “The goal was beautiful, but the meaning of the assists and hard work for the team means more to me. That work of continuity in the performance is what makes me really happy.”

Mourinho has largely relied on the goalscoring exploits of Harry Kane and Heung-min Son as the duo account for xx% of their league goals this term, whilst no player has stepped up to fill the void left behind by Christian Eriksen in the no.10 role.

And with Tanguy Ndombele being deployed in a deeper position, alongside Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, there is a spot up for grabs alongside Bale, Son and Kane.

Both Lucas Moura and Erik Lamela have been deployed there, but it is Alli who is the better and more natural fit – just imagine him and Bale if he manages to rediscover form.

The £100k-per-week midfielder was once dubbed a “freak of a talent” and compared to the likes of Steven Gerrard and Paul Scholes by ex-Spurs star Darren Anderton in an interview relayed by Goal.com.

In three of his last six Premier League campaigns, Alli has delivered at least nine goals and seven assists and throughout his Spurs and competitive England career, the attacking maestro has averaged 1.4 key passes per game, even despite playing only 138 minutes this season, via WhoScored.

By comparison, Moura averages only 0.7 in the role, while Lamela can only muster up 0.4 per game across all positions played. Similarly, Kane and Son are the only players managing above one key pass per league outing.

There is evidently a need for creativity, and this is something Alli can provide, if Mourinho can get him back to his best and considering Bale’s drastic turnaround, it is certainly possible.

Alli must now be unleashed alongside Bale, Kane and Son. That’s a front four capable of striking fear into any side.

AND in other news, Mourinho must make U-turn over “special” £18m-rated Spurs gem who’s “better than ever”…

Many Sheffield Wednesday fans are reacting to the latest injury update on Jack Marriott, who has been missing since a mere eight-minute showing at the end of January.

According to journalist Dom Howson, Marriott is back in full training and it means that he might be included in the squad to face Luton at the weekend.

The English striker has only managed eight appearances for the Owls this season (four from the bench). With the club embroiled in a relegation battle and the lowest scorers in the division with 21 goals, (SofaScore) an attacker who has shown form in the division with Derby County being available again looks like great news on paper.

However the only goal the 26 year-old has scored this season was when playing for the Rams, so despite the squad having more depth being a huge positive, his form when he has played has not been great – hopefully he can find some form and confidence and deliver what he was signed to do.

Here is how Owls fans reacted to the news:

“Cue Jack Marriott not in squad Saturday and same starting eleven as last night!”

Credit: @IanSWFC80

“Great, that will make all the difference!!!”

Credit: @ejc18671

“Send the lad back to derby,another poor signing.”

Credit: @1867_Owl

“Won’t stop the MF creating anything. Another small player to hoof the ball too”

Credit: @onefurlongout

“Brilliant, can’t wait”

Credit: @LeonHulme3

“Like having a broken leg needing morphine and being offered a junior aspirin!”

Credit: @mark1867bryan

In other news, fans were discussing midfielder Izzy Brown. Have a read why here!

Tottenham Hotspur have been linked with a new name this week…

What’s the word?

According to Calciomercato, Spurs are interested in signing Inter Milan hotshot Nicolo Barella, though they reportedly face stiff competition from Premier League rivals Liverpool.

The Serie A outfit broke a club-record to sign him for €49m (£44m) only 18 months ago but clearly, his form has caught the attention of Jose Mourinho and Jurgen Klopp alike.

Christian Eriksen replacement

Barella has emerged as one of the stars of the season so over in Italy, he’s contributed towards seven goals in just 15 league starts, via WhoScored.

And just this week, The Athletic’s James Horncastle waxed lyrical over his commanding display against defending champions Juventus as he proved to be a major creative outlet for Antonio Conte’s side. Indeed, this is a role that he’s thrived in throughout the campaign.

Per WhoScored, the 23-year-old Italian international has averaged 1.4 key passes per game, which ranks him above Christian Eriksen and only just behind Alexis Sanchez.

Whilst if you were to compare that to the Spurs squad, Barella would only be behind Heung-min Son and Harry Kane, who Mourinho has a major reliance on for goals right now.

Only one other Spurs player has scored more than two times in the Premier League this season, that being Tanguy Ndombele, so you could say that the north London outfit are still feeling the void left behind by the aforementioned Eriksen.

Interestingly, the Dane has been linked with a return to N17, but perhaps it is his teammate that Spurs should be eyeing up.

Ndombele has now contributed towards 13 goals in 53 appearances, whilst Giovani Lo Celso has managed seven goals and four assists in 56 appearances. It means a total of 24 goals in 99 matches have had the influence of either 2019 summer signing, which isn’t actually that good when you consider the impact Eriksen once had at the club.

In six straight seasons, the playmaker managed to find the net at least six times, whilst in four of six Premier League seasons, he delivered at least 11 assists, via Transfermarkt.

Lo Celso and Ndombele contribute a goal once every four matches in the top-flight, but Eriksen managed a goal contribution once every 1.9 games.

That cannot be understated and shows that both Ndombele or Lo Celso have a long way to go to hit similar numbers.

Which is why Spurs chairman Daniel Levy could finally find his perfect Eriksen replacement in Barella, who clearly is closer to being that kind go creative threat from, midfield more so than either of the above duo.

The 18-cap star, who is currently valued at £49.5m by Transfermarkt, is managing a goal contribution once every 2.75 matches for Inter, which only reinforces such a perspective.

Cagliari coach Rolando Maran once dubbed Barella “extraordinary” whilst he’s even drawn comparison to both Steven Gerrard and Xavi in the past too.

Evidently, the young midfield maestro is likely the closest thing Spurs could possibly get to a prime Eriksen and given that Son and Kane have contributed towards 73% of all their goals scored in the league, a new dimension may be needed in attack.

Barella, whilst costly, would be an ideal addition this January.

AND in other news, Worse than Dier: £1o0k-p/w “liability” was shocking against the Blades…

Crystal Palace manager Roy Hodgson has been under a lot of scrutiny lately due to some of the recent performances of the south London side. Pundit Jamie O’Hara has mentioned a surprising name that he thinks could take over at the club.

What O’Hara had to say about Palace

Arsenal legend Thierry Henry has been linked to the vacant role at Championship side AFC Bournemouth. However, speaking on talkSPORT, the former Tottenham footballer said: “It might sound a bit silly but Henry is probably better suited to taking the Crystal Palace job, because he knows the Premier League.”

Would Henry suit Palace?

There is no doubting the quality that the Frenchman had as a player and he will go down as one of the best footballers to grace the Premier League. However, managing a side in the division is much different and his managerial career so far has not been the best.

This claim by O’Hara is a huge one to make as Palace currently have the experienced Roy Hodgson in charge, whilst Henry has barely started his managerial career. He had a short period as assistant manager of Belgium but since then, he has only been manager of Monaco, where he managed 0.95 points per game, and his current job at Montreal Impact (Transfermarkt). At the MLS side, Henry has taken charge of 29 games. His record is not great. He has only won nine matches,  whilst drawing four and losing 16.

Therefore to suggest he can take over a struggling Palace side who have an ageing squad and other problems like being too reliant on Wilfried Zaha would be a huge risk and at this current time the Frenchman would not be a good fit for the Palace role.

In other news, Palace fans fumed over Hodgson’s latest injury update!