Carragher names players that have helped Arsenal

Former Liverpool man, Jamie Carragher has heaped praises on William Saliba and Gabriel Jesus and he believes they are the players who have helped Arsenal become a stronger team. The Gunners are at the top of the Premier League table and they confirmed they were serious title challengers with a 3-1 win against Tottenham at the weekend. This Arsenal team is much stronger than the one we have seen in recent times and they are now genuine title challengers. It is hard to find a weakness in them, but just a season ago, they were not this strong and Spurs beat them to the top four spot. However, they bolstered their squad in the last transfer window and two players have stood out since this campaign, according to Carragher. He said, as quoted by Matchplug: A lot of people thought that this season, maybe Spurs would be in the position that Arsenal is in now. ‘I’ve seen Spurs got a bit of criticism, but in terms of how Conte plays – they played like a Conte team. If they’d have got the final pass right on three or four occasions, they should have gone in at half-time in front. ‘But I take nothing away from Arsenal, I’ve been so impressed with them at the start of the season – the pace they play at, the football they play. ‘And the two signings…well not signings but Saliba and Jesus have come in and completely taken this team to another level.’

Read More »

“All I need to say is that I’m ready” Haaland says he is ready to shoot down United

Manchester City striker Erling Haaland has made an impressive start to life in England and he is making a mockery of the league being the hardest in the world. The Norwegian already has 11 goals from 7 games in the competition and he looks set to obliterate every record in the competition with time. His next opponent would be Manchester United who has been resurgent in recent weeks and he says he is ready. Erik Ten Hag’s side has beaten Liverpool and the in-form Arsenal in the league this season and they would confident about earning another win in this game. However, Haaland will not allow that and he says he is ready for the kill. He said, as quoted by Matchplug: ‘I don’t need to say too much. All I need to say is that I’m ready. Adding: ‘If I time my runs perfectly, I know that no one is stopping me.’

Read More »

Arteta says Arsenal will not repeat last season’s performance against Tottenham

Arsenal manager, Mikel Arteta, insists his team has learnt from their poor performance against Tottenham at the backend of last season and they will do better in this game. The Gunners host Spurs is one of the top matches of the weekend across Europe and it promises to be an interesting game. The Lilywhites are only one point behind Arteta’s men which makes this one of the most important North London derbies in decades. If Arsenal wins, they will open up a four-point gap on Spurs at the top of the league table, but if they lose, Spurs will topple them and temporarily top the league table. Antonio Conte’s men’s 3-0 win in this game last season spoilt Arsenal’s chance of making the top four, but Arteta expects vengeance today. The Spaniard said via Matchplug: ‘It’s a different context. ‘We went into that game with many different circumstances, in terms of players we had available, not available, what happened during the game. ‘You take the lessons, you learn from it and you move on, that’s it.’ 

Read More »

“I didn’t regret it for one second,” Ten Hag says he was right to choose Manchester United

Manchester United manager, Erik Ten Hag insists he made the right choice to have chosen to become the manager of the Red Devils even though Pep Guardiola had tipped him to replace him at Manchester City. The Dutchman had a lot of success at Ajax after a spell under Guardiola at Bayern Munich. Several clubs had their eyes on him, but he chose United. The Red Devils have been in poor form recently and it seemed he has made a mistake, considering how many managers have been fired by the club’s owners in the last few months. Speaking ahead of United’s match against City tomorrow, he said, as quoted by Matchplug: ‘That’s a nice compliment. ‘But I was 100 per cent convinced to choose Man United, with everything in it. I didn’t regret it for one second. ‘I admire Pep Guardiola a lot because he is not only successful, he is doing it in a certain way that really attracts people to football – that is really a reward.’

Read More »

“We want to make them happy,” Varane says United will beat Manchester City for their fans

Manchester United defender Raphael Varane says the player wants to win the big matches because of their fans. United started this season poorly, but they have beaten the likes of Liverpool and Arsenal in this campaign. Their next top opponents would be Manchester City whom they face this weekend and it would be one of their toughest games of the season. City is just a point off the league table and Erling Haaland cannot stop scoring for them in the league so far. However, United will do their best to win the game and it is because of the fans. Varane says, as quoted by Matchplug: ‘The rivalry is mainly from the supporters, it’s important for them and we respect that. We want to make them happy, so we want to fight and win against teams like [Manchester] City and Liverpool.  ‘You have to feel what the fans want from you and what they want. It’s very important.’

Read More »

Haaland doing extra work on his weaker right foot before the Manchester United game

Erling Haaland has made a stunning start to life at Manchester City as the Norwegian tears apart Premier League defences. He is currently the competition’s top scorer with 11 goals in just 7 games and you would expect him to be satisfied with his performances so far. However, the youngster is not and he is now working on his weaker right foot ahead of the Manchester Derby this weekend. Matchplug understands the left-footed striker had already started working on it while he was at Borussia Dortmund, but he continues the good work at City. He wants to be lethal with both feet and Premier League defenders must beware of his development. United beat Arsenal when they met the Gunners before the break, they will be keen to avoid a defeat against City in this game too, but can Lisandro Martinez stop Haaland?

Read More »

John Mikel Obi retires from professional football

Former Chelsea midfielder, John Mikel Obi, has announced his retirement from football after a very successful career. The Nigerian started his career as a teenager at Nigerian side Plateau United before moving to Europe, initially to join Lyn of Norway. However, he only played six league games for them before becoming the subject of a transfer battle between Manchester United and Chelsea. He eventually joined the Blues and played for them for 11 years before leaving in 2017 following the arrival of Antonio Conte as the club’s manager. The midfielder would then wind down his career at Kuwait SC, after a spell with Stoke City in the Championship. He announced his retirement yesterday stating, as quoted by Matchplug: ‘There is a saying that “all good things must come to an end”, and for my professional football career, that day is today. ‘I look back at the past 20 years of my career, and I must say that I am very satisfied with all that I was able to achieve and more importantly the human it has helped shape. ‘All of this would not have been possible without the unwavering support of my family, managers, clubs, coaches, teammates and most importantly my ever-loyal fans.’

Read More »

Newcastle preparing a £50 million for ‘Ukrainian Neymar’

Newcastle United is prepared to pay £50 million for Mykhaylo Mudryk, Matchplug understands. The attacker plays for Shakhtar Donestk now and he has been likened to Brazil and PSG superstar Neymar for his skilful and flamboyant style. He delivered a man-of-the-match performance against Real Madrid at the Bernabeu last season and caught the attention of several top European clubs. He has continued to develop well at his present club and it is only a matter of time before he joins a bigger club. The winger has flirted with the idea of playing in the Premier League in several interviews and it seems Newcastle United will answer his come-and-get-me plea. The report reveals they will look to add the Ukrainian to their squad as soon as the transfer window reopens in January.

Read More »

Real Madrid to fight Liverpool for £83million Bellingham

Liverpool will face serious competition from Real Madrid in their bid to sign Jude Bellingham next summer. The midfielder is the Reds’ key target to revamp their midfielder which might need changes in the summer to keep them competitive. Bellingham has played over 100 games for BVB despite just clocking 19 and he is now a key player for the senior England national team. The Germans have kept him away from interested clubs so far, but they know it is only a matter of time before he leaves and that could be in the summer. Liverpool were favourites to land him throughout the summer, but Matchplug understands he is now a target of Real Madrid who hope to sign him as a replacement for either Toni Kroos or Luka Modric. They have focused on signing young midfielders recently and he could be the next that joins them.

Read More »

Borussia Dortmund wants to sign Naby Keita

Borussia Dortmund is plotting a summer move for Naby Keita as the midfielder considers his future at Liverpool. The Guinean has been one of the finest midfielders in the Premier League when he plays, but that doesn’t happen often and he could leave the Reds as a free agent in the summer. Liverpool have been in talks with his entourage over a new deal, but progress has not been made so far and the midfielder’s future remains up in the air. Matchplug understands that BVB is now considering a move for him and they believe he can improve their midfield. He enjoyed huge success when he played for RB Leipzig in the Bundesliga and BVB expects him to have a similar impact if he joins them. They expect to sell Jude Bellingham next summer and Keita would be a good experienced replacement for the Englishman.

Read More »