It’s hard to think of tougher circumstances to make your Premier League debut than those which faced Stoke City signing Mortiz Bauer last night; turning out for a managerless side stuck in the relegation zone at Old Trafford against a Manchester United team refreshed by a ten-day break since their last game.
A routine and unsurprising 3-0 defeat (Stoke have conceded on average three goals per away game this season) suggested it was a difficult evening for the right-back. But amid a ninety minutes that Manchester United mostly controlled without having to hit top gear, the two-cap Austrian international showed real signs of promise.
We haven’t seen much of the former Rubin Kazan defender over in England, but it quickly became clear that he adds something valuable to this Stoke team – blistering pace in wide areas. That was put to good use in the first half when the Potters looked capable of upsetting the odds, overlapping Xherdan Shaqiri to great effect and at one point even finding himself latching onto a through ball and charging towards David De Gea’s goal.
But there was quality and intelligence behind Bauer’s forward play too. He twice provided the pass before the pass as Stoke launched efforts at goal, he created one direct scoring chance himself and launched two accurate crosses into the box – the most of any Potters player. Bauer also used his guile and body positioning to win five fouls, many of which were vital in stopping United’s momentum going forward and turning over possession to the Potters.
Defensively, Bauer – who Transfermarkt value at £.27million – was a little more suspect. Although left winger Anthony Martial eventually had to come inside twice to make his impact on the game – first curling an effort into the top corner and then setting up Romelu Lukaku for United’s third – Bauer finished up with just one tackle, two clearances and no interceptions to his name. Stoke desperately need to stop conceding goals, having let in the most of any Premier League side this season but Bauer appears to be a far more offensive-minded full-back.
Nevertheless, with Glen Johnson sidelined through injury, the ex-Grasshopper youngster has a huge role to play for Potters over the coming weeks as the only senior right-back option in Paul Lambert’s squad. Likewise, he already appears to have developed something of an understanding with Xherdan Shaqiri – simply because his pace on the overlap allows the Switzerland international to drift inside – and if he can get the best out of Stoke’s most important but often mercurial talent while improving his side’s shape defensively, he could prove to be a key influence in turning a dismal season at the Bet365 Stadium around.
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It’s an age old issue and one that always comes front and centre when the national team inevitably underperforms at a major international tournament, but the subject of youth development in the Premier League is an important topic of debate, and taking a look around the top flight, which clubs are the best at integrating younger players into their first-team set-up and is there any one right way to plot success?
Manchester United currently hold a 15-point lead at the top of the Premier League over rivals Manchester City, and while the side may need tinkering with in certain areas with a number of key players quickly approaching the twilight of their respective careers, the overall balance of the squad seems on the money.
However, all of the fawning talk of ‘Ferguson’s Fledglings’ in clear reference to ‘Busby’s Babes’ is clearly a load of nonsense. Of course, having 22-year-old Longsight born and bred Danny Welbeck and 23-year-old academy product Tom Cleverley ensures that they retain an element of identity and link between the pitch and the local community, but we shouldn’t kid ourselves about the broader picture. David De Gea (22) arrived from Atletico Madrid for £18.9m, Phil Jones (21) was signed from Blackburn for £17m and Chris Smalling (23) moved from Fulham for £10m. As far as transfer policies go, planning for the future like that is a sound one, but it also comes at a cost that most teams in the division can’t match or even get close to.
Where they have struck a balance well, though, as much as the good age range between experienced and seasoned pros, those players approaching their peak and a youthful core of up-and-coming hungry players striving to become first-team regulars is their use of the loan market. Welbeck benefited hugely from his time at Sunderland, while Cleverley thrived at Watford and Wigan and it’s a route that not enough clubs have used successfully in the past few years, which is puzzling because it seems such an obvious and simple way to get players much-needed battle-hardened experience.
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Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers has been forced to rely on an entire swathe of younger prospects this season, but as he’s spent more money, slowly but surely the opportunities have dried up for the likes of Suso, Raheem Sterling, Jonjo Shelvey and Andre Wisdom. Kenny Dalglish initially granted youngsters a chance to impress when he first took over from Roy Hodgson, only to then go out and spend £56m the following summer on the likes of Jordan Henderson, Stewart Downing and Jose Enrique, blocking any path they may have found to the first-team. It will be interesting to see if history repeats itself again this year under new management given the club’s record since Steven Gerrard and Jamie Carragher broke through has been nothing short of dreadful.
Manchester City clearly sense that bringing through a steady stream of academy products is essential to their long-term plan with the building of a new training centre and emphasis on youth-team football. It’s no coincidence that former Barcelona duo Ferran Soriano and Txiki Begiristain are heading that project up, given La Masia’s outstanding success not only in terms of quantity but wonderful world-class quality in the past decade. With Financial Fair Play coming into effect, which aims to reduce the influence of money in the game while simultaneously ensuring the status quo of the current elite is maintained, and the next decade will as much be about the success of youth development as anything else for those seeking to bridge the gap, with their ambitions curbed by Uefa.
Chelsea have followed a similar path to Real Madrid in forsaking instant success and short-term gains over the longer benefits of having a successful system from top to bottom. This has seen Scott Sinclair, Daniel Sturridge, Miroslav Stoch, Fabio Borini, Nemanja Matic, Gokhan Tore and Michael Mancienne find success elsewhere after struggling to break through past the more established household names. The pressure for success at Stamford Bridge is all-consuming to whoever comes through the door and takes charge and that doesn’t look like changing in the near future with only really Ryan Bertrand filtering through in recent years. It’s an embarrassingly poor record considering the talent they’ve had at their disposal and a massive waste of resources.
Arsenal, as you might expect given Arsene Wenger’s principles and ideas about the game, nailed their colours to the mast long ago and they’ve had some huge successes in the last decade, with Cesc Fabregas (poached from Barcelona at 16), Jack Wilshere and Alex Song all serving as great examples. They’re not afraid to move for younger players on big money in a similar way to United either, though, as the Theo Walcott, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Aaron Ramsey signings indicate, totalling approximately £26m. Where they have fallen short where United have succeeded, mind, is keeping hold of those younger players once they’ve developed into fully fledged stars, being forced to sell Robin van Persie, Fabregas and Samir Nasri due to a lack of silverware. Glory funnily enough always fosters loyalty.
Tottenham have been punching above their weight in the youth stakes for quite some time now, with Michael Dawson, Tom Huddlestone and Aaron Lennon all purchased on the cheap, with Kyle Walker, Kyle Naughton and Gareth Bale all costing just that little bit more. They’ve really tried to maintain an English core to their squad and a lot is expected of both Steven Caulker and Tom Carroll in the future, even if Jake Livermore and Andros Townsend seem as if their futures may be elsewhere in the summer. By buying British, they’re ensuring an identity is preserved, even if their own academy record hasn’t been all that good of late, but they’re another club to invest heavily off the pitch in rectifying that the past year.
It just goes to show that when it comes to handling youth, so many things can go wrong at that age and players develop at different speeds meaning it’s impossible to say with any real conviction that one model is better than the other. It’s all about striking that balance between drip-feeding local players, buying the best from around England early and the odd big splash for a star in the making.
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In that respect, Ferguson has done an impressive job at United, bolstered by the club’s success which has made the task even easier in the future. It’s a unique environment and situation in which he holds all the power and can do as he please and few clubs get the opportunity to replicate that.
The constant turnover of managers create constant pressure on those in charge to create results. At the moment, investing in youth is essential, but without opportunity, few see the rewards it can bring.
Dropping a shot into the path of Luciano Becchio and conceding 4 goals in your first competitive game is not the best of ways to make a first impression at your new club.
Performances like that are certainly hard to forget however a good player always learns from their mistakes and Chris Weale has been the revelation of the season so far for Shrewsbury Town. His performance against Walsall on Sunday was his crowning moment of the season so far. Who say’s first impressions are that important?
Coming into the Walsall game Shrewsbury Town had failed to score a goal in their last three competitive league games and had just been knocked out of the Johnstone Paint Trophy to League one competitors Crewe on home soil. Things were not looking good for Graham Turner’s men.
The Saddlers started as they meant to go on, forcing Weale into two fine saves in the opening fifteen minutes and taking complete control of the game, Their continued pressure along with some leaky defending meant a goal was almost certainly on the cards, but not if Chris Weale had anything to do with it. The keeper constantly denying the Walsall front men and causing frustration amongst the travelling fans.
Then on 25 minutes Paul Parry hit the ball into an empty Walsall net following a strike from Asa Hall which came back off the bar. The goal coming against the run of play inspired Walsall and made them continue their onslaught on the Shrewsbury goal however Sunday was to be Chris Weale’s day and despite their best efforts the game ended 1-0 and Shrewsbury were lifted out of the relegation zone after only 24 hours of being in there.
Weale’s performance was one of the very few positives to be taken from Sunday’s game however as Shrewsbury’s Jekyl and Hyde performances appear to be continuing. Three points is always a positive, especially in a local derby but things need to start improving as we can not continue to rely on Chris Weale to save the day for us.
Shrewsbury travel to Fratton Park to take on an inform Portsmouth side this Saturday. Graham Turner’s men have yet to pick up a win away from home so far this campaign and Saturday is going to be a very tough game if they want to change this. Former Shrewsbury striker Luke Rodgers will be out to break his old team mates hearts and will certainly be a big problem for our defence.
On the plus side Darren Jones, Terry Gornell and Sam Winnall all look to be fit for Saturdays encounter and this should at least give Turner some options that we didn’t have last Sunday.
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Tottenham’s hopes of signing Miralem Pjanic from Roma have been dashed after the playmaker insisted he wanted to remain in the Italian capital, according to talkSPORT.
Roma were concerned that Pjanic could be swayed by Spurs, however the 23-year-old has made his wishes clear.
“I don’t want to leave and the club know that. Perhaps there was interest in me, but my objective has always been very clear,” said the Bosnian.
“I want to stay here and I arrived at pre-season prepared to help the team and start the championship well.
“Saying that, you never know what can happen in the transfer market and I don’t know the financial situation of the club, but I want to stay and they are aware of my desire.”
Pjanic, also rumoured to be admired by Barcelona, has a contract running until 2015, but negotiations are already underway to secure an extension.
“A renewal will take time,” he added.
“We are talking about it, there is a desire there and we’ll just have to see what happens.”
Since signing from Lyon in 2011, Pjanic has made 60 appearances for Roma, scoring seven and creating another 17.
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He is also a mainstay in a Bosnian side which is currently on course to qualify for next summer’s World Cup.
Everton forward Apostolos Vellios will join Blackpool for the remainder of the season on loan, reports ESPN.
The Greek forward is out of contract in the summer, and this is a big hint that Roberto Martinez will not renew the forward’s contract at the end of the season. Vellios played just 54 minutes of Premier League football for the Toffees last season, and hasn’t appeared in a blue shirt this campaign.
Vellios took to Twitter to tell his 44,000 followers about the move: “On loan to Blackpool for the rest of the season. I am really excited!”
The Greek forward cost Everton £250,000 in January 2011, but failed to make a real impression at Goodison Park. He has now joined caretaker manager Barry Ferguson at Championship club Blackpool, who are nine points above the relegation zone. But the Seasiders are hoping that Vellios could push the club away from the drop zone and closer to the top half, with 12th place currently just 8 points away with 8 matches remaining.
Everton boss Roberto Martinez hinted back in November that the forward would need to go out on loan to get first team action, but suggested Vellios was reluctant to leave Goodison Park. But now with just months left on his contract, the Greek striker has agreed to leave the club for the rest of the season on loan.
For your chance to WIN two tickets to Everton vs Manchester United on Sunday April 20 AND a copy of FIFA14, simply comment below with your score prediction for the game…
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[ffccomp link=”https://www.footballfancast.com/football-blogs/win-tickets-to-everton-vs-manchester-united-a-copy-of-fifa-14″oneliner=”For your chance to WIN two tickets to Everton vs Manchester United on Sunday April 20 AND a copy of FIFA14, simply comment below with your score prediction for the game…” step=”PREDICT THE SCORE
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It’s back to business in the Premier League this weekend as England’s victory over arch rivals Scotland on Tuesday brought to an end the final international break of the year. We are approaching a crucial period in the season, as clubs begin to prepare for a demanding winter Premier League schedule which has so often curtailed encouraging starts and triggered alarming slumps in form. While there is plenty to look forward to in the latest round of fixtures, here are FIVE things that should be of particular interest:
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1. Arsenal’s best chance to break their United duck
Arsenal head into their crunch tie with Manchester United on Saturday evening having failed to beat the Red Devils in their last six meetings. Although the Gunners will regret not registering a win against David Moyes’s calamitous United side last season, they will be confident that they can stop the rot on the weekend, as Louis van Gaal’s already depleted squad suffered another costly casualty over the international break with the injury of Daley Blind. The Dutchman now joins fellow defenders Marcos Rojo, Jonny Evans, Phil Jones and Rafael on the sidelines, leaving United with a dearth of defensive options ahead of the fixture in North London over the weekend. Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger must feel that this is as good a time as ever to face United, and a victory would also give his side a psychological advantage over their rivals for Champions League qualification.
2. Crucial match for last year’s title-winning manager
Manchester City boss Manuel Pellegrini is currently under the greatest amount of pressure that he has had to endure since he took over at Eastlands last season. His side are on the verge of a limp exit from the Champions League group stages, and their indifferent form in the league has left them eight points behind the indomitable league leaders Chelsea. The Chilean could have done with a relatively straightforward fixture this weekend to record a much-needed comfortable win, but in Swansea City, they face a side that are bound to cause problems. The South Wales outfit have made an excellent start under Garry Monk, and they go into the game full of confidence having beaten Arsenal a fortnight ago. Stoke City, Newcatle United and CSKA Moscow have all proven this season that the Etihad is not the fortress it was once considered to be, and if the Swans approach the match with a similar mentality, we could have a very tight game on our hands. Anything other than a win for Pellegrini will push him ever closer to the precipice.
3. …and for the runner-up
While Pellegrini might be having a tough time in Manchester, spare a thought for Brendan Rodgers. His Liverpool side have been quite frankly dreadful this season, and could sink as low as 13th by the time they take to the field against Crystal Palace on Sunday. The Reds suffered another huge setback this week with the news that Daniel Sturridge is set to face another six weeks out through injury, and they could even be without the misfiring Mario Balotelli for the trip to Selhurst Park as the Italian faces a fight to regain full fitness after a hamstring strain. This potentially leaves Rodgers with Fabio Borini and Rickie Lambert – neither of whom have scored in the Premier League this season – as their only two recognised centre forwards for the match. Rodgers will be hoping against hope that they can open their accounts on the weekend, otherwise the calls will only increase for 41 year-old to be sacked – just six months after nearly guiding Liverpool to a first league title in 24 years.
4. Newcastle for Europe?
Football – Swansea City v Newcastle United – Barclays Premier League – Liberty Stadium – 4/10/14Swansea’s Neil Taylor (L) in action with Newcastle United’s Gabriel ObertanMandatory Credit: Action Images / Matthew ChildsLivepicEDITORIAL USE ONLY. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or “live” services. Online in-match use limited to 45 images, no video emulation. No use in betting, games or single club/league/player publications. Please contact your a
Alan Pardew was a pariah on Tyneside at the start of the season, with his Newcastle side’s terrible form since the start of the year sending the Toon Army into meltdown as the 53 year-old was made public enemy number one. Alan Pardew remains a pariah eleven games into the season, but at least his team is winning games. Indeed, the Magpies are on a superb five-game winning streak, and if they overcome QPR at St James’s Park on Saturday and other results go their way, they could even finish the weekend in the Champions League places. Although a club of Newcastle’s size should surely be aiming for Europe, years of underinvestment under Mike Ashley’s watch has meant that a mid-table finish is considered a success for the Magpies. In this regard, Alan Pardew is surely doing exactly what is expected of him, and while it is highly unlikely that Newcastle will end the season in the top four, a Europa League berth is a possibility if spirits in the camp remain high and the results continue to come. It will be interesting to see how long the anti-Pardew brigade holds out if the team they are supposed to be supporting keeps on giving them the victories that they crave.
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5. Battle of the underachievers at the KC
Football – Tottenham Hotspur v Stoke City – Barclays Premier League – White Hart Lane – 9/11/14Tottenham’s Emmanuel Adebayor dejected after a missed chance Mandatory Credit: Action Images / John SibleyLivepicEDITORIAL USE ONLY. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or “live” services. Online in-match use limited to 45 images, no video emulation. No use in betting, games or single club/league/player publications. Please contact your account representat
Much was expected of Hull City and Tottenham Hotspur on the eve of the new Premier League season; the former had been the star of the show on transfer deadline day with a number of high-profile signings, while the latter were looking forward to life under Mauricio Pochettino after a forgettable 2013/14 campaign with first Andre Villas-Boas and then Tim Sherwood at the helm. The reality has been somewhat disheartening for both sides. The Tigers have struggled with consistency as the big-name signings of Hatem Ben Arfa, Gaston Ramirez and Tom Ince – now on loan at Nottingham Forest – have failed to deliver, while Spurs have found it difficult to adapt to Pochettino’s high-energy pressing style, losing five games already this season, four of which have come at home. The Sunday afternoon clash at the KC Stadium therefore represents a chance for one team to kick-start their stuttering campaign while also heaping further misery on their opponent.
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Stoke City are desperate to keep their in-form goalkeeper, Asmir Begovic from the “big guns” in the Premier League.
The Bosnian international has admitted he may jump aboard the League’s goalkeeper carousel over the summer transfer window and he has already been linked with Chelsea and Arsenal. Louis van Gaal’s Manchester United have become the latest club to show an interest in the 27-year-old who has one year left of his current contract with the Potters. Begovic intends to sit down with boss Mark Hughes, to discuss his options because he is really keen to play at the highest level and test himself. It is believed he could be bought by a suitor for as little as £10million.
Manchester United look set to lose their current number one, David de Gea to Real Madrid and there has been many rumours as to who the gaffer will bring in to replace him. Chelsea veteran, Petr Cech is also heading out of the door and Arsenal are on the lookout for a new keeper so Stoke are going to find it hard to keep him at the club. Begovic has already stressed that he is very happy at the Britannia Stadium and has no intention of leaving unless the decision is mutual. Speaking before the last game of the season he told reporters, “It’s about trying to be ambitious as possible, and to win and compete for as much as possible because I’m going to be 28, I’m not 20. I want to be part of a successful team and achieve things – that’s my goal going forward.”
He added, “Any player as ambitious as myself wants to play at the highest level. I’ve played in the Europa League, the World Cup and World Cup qualifiers and they are the sort of games you want to be involved in. I know the club are ambitious and trying to move forward, trying to get into European competition. So if the plans are right then hopefully we can get something in place there. That would be awesome too. But, like anyone, I’d love to play at the highest level.”
Begovic has established himself as one of the best keepers in the Premier League which has attracted interest and this season he has managed to keep nine clean sheets in all competitions. The Bosnian is currently 5/4 to be Manchester United’s next keeper according to odds checker but many believe while he could be the next goalkeeper at Old Trafford he may not be the new number one. While he has played excellently for the Potters it is a big step up to United. Begovic may have to start as the understudy to Victor Valdes as he doesn’t have any experience of playing for such a big club.
Begovic may love being at Stoke but if he is offered a deal with a Champions League club like Manchester United, he is going to have a hard time turning it down. Time to batten down the hatches, Stoke.
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Everybody in the BT Sports studio let out a dry chuckle when Harry Redknapp joked about Liverpool and Tottenham scrapping it out to avoid the Europa League following the former’s 4-1 defeat to Arsenal earlier this month, but that may well be the deepest, darkest, most paradoxical wish of his twice-removed successor, Mauricio Pochettino.
Not to suggest Spurs’ tepid form since a 3-0 defeat to Manchester United in March has been in any way unnaturally orchestrated; there’s no Europa-League-gate conspiracy requiring unearthing.
But as Redknapp proclaimed in 2011, the Europa League is a ‘killer’ for Premier League clubs; it saps squad fitness, causes unnecessary injuries, obliges league fixtures to be rescheduled on Sundays and adds an extra 19 games to the campaign if you’re unfortunate enough to reach the tournament’s final.
Spurs are hardly in a position to be turning down silverware, especially trophies of such continental repute, and winning the tournament next season would give Pochettino an unorthodox route to his ultimate task as White Hart Lane manager – qualification into the Champions League.
However, the track record of the Europa League’s pejorative impact on English clubs speaks for itself. On average, teams finish 2.3 places lower in the Premier League the year after qualifying for Europe’s second tier tournament, the biggest slide being Newcastle’s eleven-place plummet in 2012/13. On only eight occasions since 2004, out of a possible 31, have English sides finished in a higher position than the year previous during campaigns of Europa League participation. And, albeit by the miniscule difference of just 0.02, Premier League sides claim less points than the 1.43 average in games immediately following Europa League fixtures.
So no matter how well-dressed ITV4 attempt to make it, as if the channel’s sheer name and lowly listing in the Radio Times isn’t conclusive enough, the Europa League is statistically proven to more likely hinder than help Premier League clubs – which makes you wonder how Pochettino’s first season at White Hart Lane would have gone if it hadn’t coincided with his first season in the Europa League.
Not that the Europa League has been a complete waste of time for the Argentine. He’s used it to examine the extremities of Tottenham’s holistic squad, giving fringe players and youngsters the opportunities to impress, and without his superfluous run of form during the tournament’s early stages, scoring five in his first four appearances, it’s unlikely Harry Kane would’ve found the confidence to unleash his godly netting prowess onto the Premier League in such emphatic fashion.
But following a campaign in which Tottenham have neither progressed nor regressed under their new manager, instead slowly transforming into a different kind of 6th-place animal, it’s a headache Pochettino simply doesn’t need.
So let’s look at the situation in reverse – how many clubs have benefitted from not playing in the Europa League. Although there’s no coherent pattern as such from the last decade, since 2008 (and assuming current league standings remain as they are at the end of May) seven out of a possible nine clubs to have finished in the top eight but not qualified for the Europa League have gone on to improve their league standing in the following season – the biggest difference being Liverpool’s jump from seventh to second between 2012 and 2014. The Anfield outfit are the only real anomaly – they didn’t qualify in 2010/11, but dropped two places to eighth the term after. Meanwhile, Everton maintained seventh place without qualifying two years in a row.
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To suggest not qualifying will have the same effect on Tottenham next season would be pure speculation – albeit, speculation based on some pretty solid quantitative evidence. But for a club that have regularly toyed with the top four during the last six years – and this season spent 15 weeks in the top six – non-involvement in the Europa League might finally provide the respite they need to fully focus on a successful Champions League bid. Admittedly, that would still likely require one of England’s regular representatives in Europe’s most coveted tournament to endure a disastrous campaign.
Unfortunately, however, barring a minor miracle, Spurs’ fate for next season is already sealed. With Chelsea winning the Capital One Cup and Arsenal widely expected to thump Aston Villa at Wembley in the FA Cup, it would take a plummet to eighth place to avoid next term’s Europa League. Currently, eighth-place Swansea are eight points behind.
But a man can dream and if its not already, only one thought should be crossing Pochettino’s mind at night; how to throw away Tottenham’s last four games without being done for match-fixing.
Arsenal defender Calum Chambers posted on his official Twitter account after the 2-2 draw against Chelsea at the Emirates Stadium on Wednesday night, and Gunners fans were quick to respond to his social media message.
Having failed to make a single Premier League appearance until the 3-2 win against Crystal Palace on December 28, the 22-year-old made his third consecutive top flight start against the Blues as Hector Bellerin’s last-gasp equaliser secured a point for Arsene Wenger’s side.
However, it wasn’t an easy night for the former Southampton man, who was thankful for Alvaro Morata’s poor finishing after he failed to stop the Spaniard getting a clear opportunity on goal.
Arsenal supporters were quick to react to Chambers’ tweet, and while one said “you are just a burden to Arsenal”, another said “take off that jersey and don’t ever wear it again”.
Southampton midfielder Mario Lemina posted on his official Twitter account on Sunday that he was “disgusted” and he apologised following the 2-0 defeat against Liverpool at St Mary’s on Sunday, and Saints fans were quick to respond to the message.
The 24-year-old was arguably his side’s best player in the opening 45 minutes, but it was clear to see that he was struggling with illness at the start of the second period and he was eventually replaced in the 57th minute by Sofiane Boufal.
The former Juventus man tweeted “I am so disgusted. Sorry…” following the end of a match that left the south coast outfit back in the relegation zone after they had climbed out of it with a 3-2 win against West Bromwich Albion at the Hawthorns the previous weekend.
Southampton supporters took to social media to reply to the Gabon international, and while one said “if only the other players showed as much desire and bottle as you do Mario”, another told him “you did all you could”.
Here is just a selection of the Twitter reaction…
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