All posts by h79snht.top

Liverpool have had a very topsy-turvy season. A cruel defeat in the Capital One Cup final a couple of weeks ago sums it up rather aptly for Jurgen Klopp’s side – close, but no cigar.

If the truth be told, the Reds have had some fantastic results this season and should probably be a little higher in the table. But some careless performances and some seriously ‘off’ weeks have taken their toll on their overall points total, Jurgen Klopp’s side sit in 7th in the table.

Consecutive wins against Crystal Palace, Manchester City and Aston Villa (in the Premier League) have left the Reds well in contention for a Europa League place, with the Champions League spots still not light-years away.

But what has been clear for some, if not the majority of the season is the lack of depth in Klopp’s squad. The club have a cluster of players out on-loan who never look like they will return to the first-team and some serious dead weight in the match-day squad.

But who needs to go?

There are a select few whose futures at Liverpool are definitely in doubt and who will surely never step foot in the first-team again after this summer.

And leading the way is hapless striker, Christian Benteke, who finally managed to get on the scoresheet against Crystal Palace this weekend, albeit from the penalty spot. Unfortunately for the big Belgian, he just doesn’t suit the Klopp style of play and he will never be able to warrant his £32.5m price tag.

He’s got bags of potential and in the right team, he could be absolutely deadly – just as he was at Aston Villa – but sorry Christian, under Jurgen it’s just not going to happen.

Simon Mignolet and Adam Bogdan are Liverpool’s two senior goalkeepers and sadly, they’re both not good enough to be in a team that is pushing for Champions League qualification. Mignolet has been at fault for a few goals this season and despite some cracking saves in the League Cup final, he should have stopped Fernandinho’s effort for City’s opener, whic is the moment that will be remembered. Bogdan on the other hand is nowhere near Premier League quality – simple as that. There were a fair few at Bolton who disliked the Hungarian thanks to his tendency to flap at the ball, and it’s the same at Anfield. He’s just not good enough. You know your behind in the goalkeeping stakes when Manchester United can afford to exile Victor Valdes and you play Adam Bodgan in the cup.

Luis Alberto, Lazar Markovic and Tiago Ilori are also three names that spring to name when it comes to fruitless signings. All three have been on-loan this season and have failed to make an impact in the Liverpool first-team.

To be fair to Markovic, Klopp has promised him another shot at an Anfield career, but £7m signing Alberto is nowhere to be seen, currently on loan at Deportivo La Coruna in La Liga. Ilori couldn’t even manage an appearance at relegation-bound Aston Villa, so his inclusion in any future Liverpool squad seems unlikely.

As you can see, Jurgen has some trimming to do this summer.

[ad_pod id=’writeforus’ align=’center’]

Grassroots football is key, keeping people from playing Virgin games all day. We simply wouldn’t have the sport we all love if it weren’t for the very building blocks that help to form every young footballer – facilities and coaching. And this is what makes the Football Foundation’s work so special, as they are on the frontline, ensuring that the raw materials are in place.

We spoke to Sky Sports News presenter, Hayley McQueen, at the opening of a new £470,554 floodlit, 3G artificial grass pitch Woodhouse College in Finchley, North London, which was made was made possible thanks to a £220,554 grant from the Premier League & The FA Facilities Fund, which is delivered by the Football Foundation.

It was Hayley McQueen’s first official engagement as an Ambassador for the Football Foundation and we caught up with her to get her views on the new facilities and the work the Football Foundation does, as well as some of the big stories in football right now. Enjoy!

Could you tell us where you are and what you are doing today, Hayley?

“Today is the opening of a fancy, new exciting 3G pitch, which is floodlit, at Woodhouse College. We’ve had a tour of the building, which is a very traditional old college, but very forward thinking with modern technology. This is not just for the children [at the college], but other football teams as well, so other teams around the area can benefit from the facilities, too. It’s been in action since January, but today is the grand opening.”

How important is it that the Premier League & Facilities Fund, through the Football Foundation, continue investing in top class facilities like the new one at Woodhouse College?

“It’s hugely important. The future of football depends on the grassroots game. If there wasn’t the funding I’m sure we wouldn’t have the talent in Britain that we see now, not just at the top level, but when you drop down through all of the leagues and even in non-league football, too. If you’re not being coached and you don’t have the facilities, interest will then wane. Also, having been shown around the college, where the kids are in their classrooms, heads down, learning, it shows that this will allow them the freedom relax a bit and use sport as a break from studies. As well as this, the pitch gets them out being active. We’ve seen over the years with modern technology people aren’t out getting as much exercise as maybe when I was growing up.

“Looking at some of the stats, since 2000 the Football Foundation has delivered £1.3bn of grassroots investment across the whole of the country, with 589 all-weather pitches, which is amazing.”

Do you think this sort of investment can help to unearth the new Dele Allis and Harry Kanes of English football?

“Players like Dele Alli and Jamie Vardy, and you’ve got your Chris Smallings and others as well, are guys who’ve come from local, lower league teams, and everybody is discovered somewhere, not every player comes through an academy. Quite often kids are discovered by just having a kick-about, and scouts from the big clubs are often coming out to look for this talent to unearth the next big players. So more pitches that they’re aware of where there are kids out there playing football, even if it’s just for a school team, or a local side, means more talent can be discovered. More pitches means more chance of finding talent.”

Moving away from this and on to some current football chat… Leicester have sewn up – barring a disaster – the Premier League title, is this the greatest achievement in the Premier League era?

“Yes, I think it will be the greatest achievement. Everyone describes the Jamie Vardy story as like ‘Roy of the Rovers’, and that’s what it is. These are the stories as journalists and football fans that you want to see happening, and it seems like every neutral up and down the country has become a Leicester fan. It’s an amazing story, and even if it weren’t Leicester I wouldn’t mind Tottenham winning the league just to upset the form and have the whole situation of the rivalry between them and Arsenal. But for Leicester to come and do something completely, completely unexpected makes it all the more magical.

“Who’d have thought that Leicester could potentially being going to Manchester United with three games left to play with the chance of winning the title? If you’d have said at the beginning of the season that a team would be able to win the title at Old Trafford at this stage of the season you would have said ‘of course, Manchester United’, but no, it’s Leicester.

Manchester United have made the FA Cup Final, do you think winning the trophy at Wembley will be enough to save Van Gaal’s job?

“Yes, I think it would. But the crazy thing is that you have some Manchester United fans at the moment almost not minding if the team don’t win the FA Cup because they dislike Van Gaal so much that they don’t want him at the club. I wouldn’t say it’s the majority of the fans, but opinion seems split and there are those against him. I don’t know why he’s not popular; he’s a great character after all. Okay, he hasn’t achieved what Manchester United fans wanted him to achieve, but not winning the FA Cup wouldn’t be a disaster.”

EURO 2016 now not far away, how far do you think England can go in France?

“Realistically, getting out of the group stages would be something. It’s a real shame they’re in the same group as Wales. I was at the PFA awards the other night and there was Martin O’Neill, Michael O’Neill, Chris Coleman and Roy Hodgson all chatting about the EUROs, and it’s just such a shame that they have to come up against each other so soon and potentially a result come about that will mean one of the two doesn’t go through.”

“I think semi-final. Why not? This is the first tournament we’ve gone into where there’s an abundance of talent up front. It’s at the point where you can now take Wayne Rooney out of things and still have enough good strikers. I just think with such amazing talent heading into the tournament, ‘why not?’ This is also the first year we haven’t placed too much pressure on the side, like we have done in the past, and I think we’ll just go with the flow and see what happens.”

Hayley McQueen was speaking at the launch of Woodhouse College in Finchley, North London’s new 3G pitch, her first event as a Football Foundation Ambassador. The project was made possible thanks to a £220,554 grant from the Premier League & The FA Facilities Fund, which is delivered by the Football Foundation on behalf of its Funding Partners: the Premier League, The FA and the Government, via Sport England.

Arsene Wenger has completely changed his approach to the transfer window and is treating this summer as if he is playing career mode on FIFA 16. Wenger signed Swiss international Granit Xhaka for around £30m in May, and just a few weeks later the Londoners look to have completed the most extraordinary, and strange, transfer of all time by securing a deal for Jamie Vardy, albeit this is yet to be confirmed by the club itself.

Olivier Giroud stated in an interview with Sky Sports, that Wenger may even look to sign another striker during this window, largely due to the fact that Danny Welbeck has sustained an injury ruling him out for up to nine months, so Gunners fans may be in for an overdue transfer window bonanza!

There is no doubting that this Arsenal side does need improving if they are serious about winning the Premier League. The team showed no real fight in the second half of the campaign just gone, and needs strengthening urgently.

Wenger looks to be signing players to make sure that his (potentially) last season in north London is a successful one. Here are FIVE stars that could follow Vardy to the Emirates Stadium…

Riyad Mahrez

Leicester fans, look away now! Jamie Vardy and Riyad Mahrez seemingly came as a package last season, with the pair scoring an outstanding 41 goals between them. Mahrez was named PFA player of the year whilst Vardy was named as Football Writers’ Player of the Year, and The Sun believe that Arsenal are interested in signing the Algerian with Vardy in a move that would definitely strengthen the Gunners and perhaps leave Leicester fighting for survival again.

Henrikh Mkhitaryan

Arsenal and Chelsea are both interested in signing the Armenia from Borussia Dortmund but according to reports,the Gunners are winning the chase for the playmaker. It is very unlikely that Wenger would sign both Mahrez and Mkhitaryan, as eluded to by ESPN, but both would be superb signings.

Mkhitaryan was Dortmund’s very own Mesut Ozil last term, as the winger provided an astonishing 20 assists in the Bundesliga and a further 12 in cup competitions, whilst also grabbing 23 goals. The 27-year-old actually scored against Arsenal in the Champions League in 2013.

Kalidou Koulibaly

Yes football is about scoring goals, and goals win you games, so that is why all the media attention has been on Vardy, Mahrez and Mkhitaryan, but Arsenal are very interested in signing Napoli centre back Koulibaly, who is a match winner himself.

The Senegalese defender played in 33 of Napoli’s matches last season in Serie A and was a vital part in the side’s runner-up campaign. The 24-year-old would be an excellent signing as he is strong, composed and calm on the ball.

[ad_pod id=’euro-2016′ align=’center’]

Ricardo Rodriguez

Another excellent possibility here. Rodriguez is known for being close friend’s with Arsenal’s new signing, Granit Xhaka – the pair have been pictured together on numerous occasions in Switzerland’s build up to EURO 2016. The left back is a very exciting player who provides plenty of great runs and assists for Wolfsburg, so he would be an excellent replacement for Nacho Monreal, who is entering the latter stages of his career.

[ad_pod id=’euro-2016′ align=’center’]

Vincent Janssen

And the last man that Arsenal could be targeting is 21-year-old forward, Vincent Janssen. The Netherlands international, who scored 27 goals for AZ Alkmaar in the Eredivisie last season, wants to make the “next step” in his career. Arsenal fans have been begging for a striker for years now and it would be incredible for Wenger to sign two in one window. Janssen would surely be a signing for the future.

[ad_pod id=’euro-2016′ align=’center’]

Here’s a statistic to give hope to all Brighton fans.

37% of all third place teams in the Championship go on to gain promotion. West Ham, Swansea and Norwich City all came up via the prestigious play-off final, the game that’s now dubbed the £200m match.

Albion go into the play-offs for the third time in four seasons. They lost to Crystal Palace in the semi-finals in 2012/13 and then to Derby County in 2013/14.

The Seagulls will travel to Sheffield Wednesday in the first leg on Friday and then host the second leg on Monday evening at the Amex. The winners will meet either Hull or Derby in the final at Wembley on May 28. But, whatever happens in the play-offs, the faithful Brighton fans will look back on this season with a great deal of pride.

After a relegation scrap last season, when they finished 20th, Albion manager Chris Hughton recruited well in the summer and Brighton started the season with a 21-game unbeaten run. To follow that, they have ended the season 14 matches unbeaten after the tense draw with Middlesbrough.

There have been some sparkling performances in that time and also some which showed real grit and resolve to grind out a result. There is no doubt that with the character and team spirit in the Albion squad they will be ready for the next two matches, a final and the buzz of the Premier League next season.

The Seagulls were early pace-setters in the Championship, but mid-term nerves led to them fighting their way back into contention for an automatic promotion spot and then the knowledge of a confirmed play-off place.

When you look at the club as a whole, the superb new stadium and the magnificent training ground, you get the feeling that this is a club going somewhere and one that won’t settle for mediocrity.

When asked about whether The Seagulls would survive in the Premier league, Hughton was honest in his assessment. “The answer to that is simply I don’t know,” he said. “We have seen teams getting promoted doing very well. Bournemouth and Watford have had a very good season. What I do know is, the club that wants to be in the Premier League has to get promotion first. And I am sure we have enough to get out of this division.”

It is hard to imagine that 19 years ago at this very point of the season, Brighton & Hove Albion had no home and had a very real threat of relegation to the Conference hanging over them.

And Hughton has done an excellent job in keeping focus as his club steer close to the financial rewards of the footballing holy grail. He took over from Sami Hyypia in December 2014 when the team were going nowhere. He refreshed the squad last summer, adding players of experience such as Bobby Zamora, Steve Sidwell and Liam Rosenior, and began the season with a flurry. The mid-term wobble was overcome and, with the addition of new recruits such as the free-scoring Manchester United loanee James Wilson, he is neatly placed for the final run-in. And he has done it all without a sniff of the Premier league parachute payments which have distorted the Championship’s competitive processes.

Look no further for a team deserving this promotion and ready for the challenge. Others in the play-offs may have been there before, but don’t underestimate the club and its ambitions… and don’t underestimate a manager with something to prove.

[ad_pod id=’ffc-poll-2′ align=’center’]

[ad_pod id=’greatest-players’ align=’center’]

Despite finishing second last season, Arsenal were deemed to have had a disappointing campaign by many, but they do have something promising to build on.

However, the investment that the other big guns look to be promising this summer is something that my worry Arsenal fans and will need to be matched, if not exceeded by Arsene Wenger to mount a serious title challenge next season.

Wenger has a good starting XI available to him, but it needs fine tuning. Some quality additions to provide competition for players such as Olivier Giroud and to give depth that can be trusted when the inevitable injuries start to come would give Arsenal the consistency that they have been missing season after season.

The transfer market is a competitive one, but Arsenal have the funds to challenge and side in the Premier League and make big offers to big stars, with that in mind here is FFC’s list of Arsenal’s 10 most likely signings this summer…

ALVARO MORATA

Morata has just made the move back to Real Madrid after they activated a buy-back clause in his contract, but it doesn’t look like he’ll be staying with the Galacticos for too long.

Madrid are looking to make a massive profit from the instant re-sale of the Spaniard and it is being reported that Arsenal are hot on his tail, but will have to stave off competition from other Premier League sides and offer up a big sum of money to get their man.

KARIM BENZEMA

Yep, this guy again. Another transfer window and another link between The Gunners and Mr. Benzema, but will it actually happen this time?

With Morata back at Madrid, whether that be simply for business purposes or not, Benzema will surely be questioning his place at the club and well be more open to a move to London than ever, especially is Morata ends up staying.

However, if Morata leaves but for one of Arsenal’s transfer rivals, a solution will need to be found, and one that will please the fans.

In terms of strikers there aren’t many bigger names than Karim Benzema and therefore the famously fickle Arsenal ‘faithful’, can’t have many complaints should Wenger finally move for the Frenchman in this window.

ROMELU LUKAKU

Widely rumoured to be looking for employment away from Goodison Park, Lukaku could be just what Wenger needs to remedy his problems up front.

Lukaku is a powerful and proven Premier League goalscorer, something Gunner’s fans are crying out for as opposed to taking a gamble on an unknown foreign entity.

It is reported that Arsenal are entering talks with the Belgian, but they are not the only ones and there has been a hefty price tag of around £50m slapped on the 23-year-old, the sort of money which may give Wenger trouble sleeping

NOLITO

Another option up top for Arsene to consider is Celta Vigo’s Nolito.

The 29-year-old is currently away with Spain in France for EURO 2016 and has done nothing to suggest that he would be a bad signing for Arsenal, scoring in his country’s 3-0 win over Turkey.

Nolito scored 12 goals last season and can be deployed out wide as well as up top, but it looks like Arsenal may just be beaten to this one by Pep and Man City, unless they table a last minute show-stopper of an offer.

STEVAN JOVETIC

Should City beat Arsenal to their Spanish target, which is looking likely, Wenger could turn to one of the Citizen’s own, in Stevan Jovetic, to bolster their attacking ranks.

Jovetic is currently on loan at Inter Milan but is set to head back to Manchester early after being found surplus to requirements at the San Siro, and Arsenal are looking to take advantage of that.

DOUGLAS SANTOS

Away from the role of centre-forward, Arsenal still need a couple of positions securing after less than dominant performances last season, and left-back is one of those.

Santos, who has one cap for Brazil to his name, has drawn plenty of interest from Europe with Barcelona looking at the 22-year-old as competition for Jordi Alba.

Santos is reportedly available for around £7.7m which, according to reports of the war chest that Wenger is now repeatedly offered by the owners, could prove to be an excellent investment for Arsenal.

WILLIAM CARVALHO

Sporting Lisbon’s highly rated midfielder was linked with the Gunners in the January window, and would still be an excellent addition to Wenger’s side now.

The Portuguese international would add stability to Wenger’s midfield options and take the pressure away from Francis Coquelin, who is often lumbered with the responsibility of being the main man in terms of holding everything together, especially when the injuries hit.

RUBEN NEVES

As with William Carvalho, Neves would add real stability to the Arsenal midfield and allow whoever Wenger decides to add to his attacking options the freedom to go forward without having to worry as much about the players they are leaving behind.

The 19-year-old, who was heavily linked with Arsenal in January, has become a mainstay in the Porto midfield this season and that means the Italian size have put a big price on his head, reportedly around £30m, but one worth paying for a commanding figure in the midfield for years to come.

VINCENT KOZIELLO

The man dubbed the ‘new Xavi’ has had a sensational season breaking through to the first team setup at Nice and has begun to turn heads across Europe, with AC Milan also taking an interest in the 20-year-old.

Koziello has been watched by a number of Arsenal scouts and the Frenchman really fits the bill for a Wenger signing. The youngster, who can play in the middle or out wide on the right, is someone who, given the right amount of time, could be turned into a real star at the Emirates.

MARQUINHOS CIPRIANO

Another typically ‘Wenger’ signing this Brazilian youngster has been causing a storm in the youth leagues in South America, having netted 14 times in just 12 games for his U17s side.

According to The Metro, Arsenal’s representatives have made contact with the Sau Paulo youngster but Wenger is not the only one watching with Juventus keeping an eye on Cipriano.

Celtic have won the Scottish Premier League title for the last five seasons in a row.

Aberdeen have started to close in on the Glasgow club, but without their perennial arch rivals Rangers, the competition to match Celtic and to make a league of it just hasn’t been there.

Last season, runners-up Aberdeen were still fifteen points and 48 goals behind Celtic on the last day, so as the years go on it becomes a mere one horse race.

However, now that Rangers have hauled themselves back up through the lower divisions and returned to the elite of Scottish football, The Gers and Aberdeen may be able to slow down the Celtic success.

Rangers versus Celtic is the highly prized asset of the Scottish Football Association and their first encounter for years happened in last season’s Scottish F A Cup semi-final. Rangers ran out winners, albeit on penalties, but a strong blue message was there for the green half of Glasgow to take notice of.

Rangers’ four year absence is now over and it is almost a sign of life getting back to normal in Scotland. Though they are back in the big time, the club are still not as financially sound as they would like, but they will start to enjoy the bigger revenue streams and if they can get back into Europe, then they are heading in the right direction.

Chairmen and chief executives will already be counting the extra cash generated both directly and indirectly. A large travelling support will be a welcome financial addition to a league where clubs like Hamilton bring almost nothing to the table, while the prospect of TV companies paying more for rights, simply to get coverage of those Old Firm blockbusters, will please many.

Many Celtic fans, whatever they might say in public, are also happy to have their old sparring partners back. But supporters of Aberdeen and have rather enjoyed life sans Rangers. They fear a return to the old days of a big-spending ‘big two’ engaged in a transfer market arms race, finishing 30 points clear of the pack.

Enter Aberdeen, who are really only the other clear candidate to impinge on Celtic’s champions aspirations. At one point last season the gap was close, but The Dons fell away and the same old, same old re-occurred.

But Derek McInnes has revitalised the Dons and they are a team not to be ignored.

The Aberdeen manager is in the perfect zone. In that old-fashioned way, he is in total control of his club, in a way that Sir Alex Ferguson, his most illustrious predecessor at Pittodrie, would admire.

On a number of occasions, Pittodrie has seen sell-out games with 20,000 fans filling the old stadium and yet when it comes to budgets, McInnes has roughly a fifth of what Celtic have to spend and there the disparity is open for all to see.

McInnes is a very good football manager and tactically as proficient as many further south, but when it’s all going wrong for the Hoops half way through the season, Celtic can splash the cash and bring in reinforcements, whereas fans of Aberdeen can only watch another league title heading to Glasgow.

So this coming season, Celtic will not have it all their own way. Rangers and Aberdeen will fight for that top spot, while the likes of Motherwell, Kilmarnock and Hamilton will see each game with Celtic as a cup final and raise their game.

After all of the success Celtic have enjoyed, Brendan Rodgers dare not fail in his first season in Glasgow.

Can you imagine the headlines?

[ad_pod id=’playwire’ align=’center’]

[ad_pod id=’writeforus’ align=’center’]

Such is the nature of his standing on the South Coast, Jose Fonte is undoubtedly one of the most popular players at Southampton in recent years.

For a side who often see their top talent depart on an annual basis, the Portuguese’s stoic presence in the backline has been a reassuring sight for those at St. Mary’s across a number of years now.

Captaining the side, the former Crystal Palace man has been a major part of their meteoric rise through the leagues, developing into one of the most competitive in the top tier.

He’s earned his reputation as one of the most solid in England throughout his seven seasons with the club and is on the crest of a wave after winning Euro 2016 with Portugal.

However, a relatively slow start to the campaign has had the Saints fans on Twitter venting their feelings about the player, with many suggesting his heart is no longer in it.

Linked with a move to Manchester United over the summer, Fonte’s perceived change in attitude has invoked the ire of Saints on social media.

Pep Guardiola is all too familiar with Tuesday’s opponents, Barcelona, where he created one of the greatest football teams in the history of the game. The Spaniard also represented the club for eleven years as a player but will need to ensure his new City side enable five key components to beat his former team.

After such an impressive start to the season, Guardiola’s new-look City  stagnated and failed to secure a victory in six matches before last Saturday’s victory over West Brom. Except for Tottenham, no team outplayed City during that period, and self-inflicted issues have caused their downfall.

The Champions League suffers no fools and Barcelona are an entirely different animal to what Guardiola faces weekly in the Premier League. Any sloppiness or costly errors will be capitalised on by Barcelona and to ensure this doesn’t occur, Pep has to make sure City comply with these five things.

Individual errors

Individual mistakes are killing the Blues’ chances of dominating the Premier League at the moment. Likewise, in Europe, City ‘s silly errors are costing them goals at crucial stages.

Kolarov against Celtic, Stones against Southampton, the list goes on. If they are to beat Barcelona they must ensure mistakes are kept to a minimum, as the deadly trio of Suarez, Messi, and Neymar will punish Guardiola’s men.

If City can achieve such a pure performance, then it increases their chances of victory drastically.

Keep their discipline

City have now suffered four red cards in their five meetings with Barcelona, and each time the red card has proved significant in the balance of the match.

Nolito, in particular, will be highlighted as the Spaniard recently returned from a three-match ban for violent conduct.

If City are hoping to ensure victory, Guardiola’s players must leave the field with eleven players. They have always matched Barcelona when they are adequately represented.

Key players performing

Far too regularly against Barcelona, City have had key players go missing at crucial stages. For City to achieve a victory, Guardiola’s players must prove their status as some European football’s best.

You can guarantee Barcelona’s marquee players produce at their highest level, and City will need to match them to gather three crucial points in Group C.

Sergio Aguero, Ilkay Gundogan and Kevin De Bruyne looked inspired against West Brom and Guardiola hopeful they can bring that form into tonight’s clash at the Etihad Stadium.

Attack in numbers

At the beginning of the season, City were averaging three goals per game. Hwever, since their recent slump, that figure has dropped to 2.3.

Recent home games with Southampton and Everton have witnessed City become stagnant in front of goal, but against Barcelona, they must ensure they are clinical when attacking with numbers.

Barcelona’s infamous MSN trio will damage City if they receive the right service. City will need to counteract the trio, by ensuring their deadly quartet of Nolito, De Bruyne, Sterling and Aguero hurt Barcelona when presented with the opportunity.

Defend better than usual

If you wish to contain Barcelona, you must first ensure the defence is solid – Messi, Suarez and Neymar are the deadliest trio ever witnessed in Champions League football.

City have thrown away crucial points this season because of dodgy and sloppy defending, which is very unlike a Guardiola team.

Since Pep has reverted to three at the back, City have looked a better team defensively, and Guardiola must ensure they continue their recent form in that regard.

There’s one team in this season’s Championship that really aren’t getting the credit they deserve after a rip-roaring start to the campaign, and that’s Birmingham City.

Under Gary Rowett, the Blues have had an extremely solid start and following the international break, they sit sixth in the division.

20 points from their opening eleven fixtures means they’re in a good place going forward and there seems to be a buzz of optimism going around St Andrews, which is richly deserved.

Rumours of a takeover are circulating once again and if that finally goes through, this could be an extremely exciting chapter in the history of Birmingham City.

With all this in mind, we think there is no reason why the Blues can’t continue their strong form all the way until the end of the season.

So here’s THREE reasons why Birmingham City can continue their play-off pursuit in a bid for promotion to the Premier League.

Squad depth is good

Post-February was a really poor spell for Birmingham last season as they lost too many games. They dropped into mid-table come the end of the campaign.

That was very much down to a lack of quality throughout the whole of the squad but this time around, you feel Rowett has much more depth at his disposal.

The likes of Reece Brown, Diego Fabbrini, Paul Caddis and Stephen Gleeson are all struggling for game time when in seasons past, they’ve featured pretty heavily.

That is a really good thing for the Blues – the fact they have players of this quality to come on to change the game.

Summer signings look strong

You’ve got to give Gary Rowett lots of credit for the way he conducted his side’s summer transfer business.

Despite an extremely limited budget in comparison to other sides in this division, the likes of Che Adams and Ryan Shotton have been absolutely fantastic.

There is plenty more to come from Diego Fabbrini and Greg Stewart, who are both pushing for first-team starts.

The summer signings have made a real difference to the quality of this team.

Optimism from supporters

In the very recent past, it’s safe to say Birmingham City fans haven’t had a massive amount to cheer about.

There has been turmoil off the pitch for years now but more recently, the team are giving the supporters plenty to cheer about.

It feels like matters on the pitch are taking precedence for a change and that is always a good thing when it comes to football.

If they can triumph over Aston Villa later this month, it could get even better for the Bluenoses.

Celtic are flying high in the Scottish Premiership under the guidance of Brendan Rodgers. In Europe, things have been less rosy albeit against the best the continent has to offer.

It’s all about development and progress under the new regime and despite current success the manager won’t rest on the squad in place if there are improvements to made.

With that in mind we expect Celtic to do some business in the transfer window, either bringing in experienced, proven talent or bringing in young players that can not only impact the first team right away but become a star of the future.

Here are five players Rodgers should look to sign in January…

Jordan Mutch

Having been unable to bolster the central midfield position in the summer, it’s well known that Brendan Rodgers is on the lookout for players with the ability to compete with the likes of Scott Brown and Nir Bitton.

Jordan Mutch, of Crystal Palace, represents the kind of player that could prove tempting for Celtic this January. The £2.5m-rated midfielder is reported to be a target of the Hoops boss.

Mutch fits the profile of signings coming into Celtic so far, proven talent that have made a name for themselves in English football. With 75 appearances in the English Premier League across his career, Mutch has shown he can compete at the top level.

He’s struggling for first team football at Palace right now and as we’ve seen with Sinclair, there are gems out there that could be revitalised under the set-up at Celtic Park.

Ezri Konsa

During the recent international break, Brendan Rodgers was spotted taking in a Swindon Town vs Charlton Athletic match with QPR Director of Football Les Ferdinand. In the days after, it was reported he was there looking to personally scout Charlton defensive prospect Ezri Konsa.

Rodgers has shown he’s not afraid to put faith in youth with Kieran Tierney and Moussa Dembele being key players for the Hoops this season. The highly rated centre-back is just 18 but is already attracting interest from clubs in the divisions above League One.

With Liverpool and Arsenal also rumoured to be interested in him, Celtic would perhaps be considered to have a tough battle on their hands to attract him to Glasgow.

However, with the rise in profile of Dembele since the summer, perhaps regular first team football and the guidance of Rodgers himself is exactly what the young Addicks man needs.

James McCarthy

McCarthy to Celtic was one of the stories that rumbled on throughout the Summer but ultimately a deal could not be agreed for the midfielder, either permanently or on loan.

The Irish international’s first team prospects at Everton have not improved since then, he’s only made one start for the Toffees this campaign.

He’s the calibre of player that could take the Bhoys to the next level, especially as a well known Celtic fan. Fans spotted him at the recent Scottish League Cup semi-final against Rangers at Hampden, cheering on his boyhood heroes.

This is a signing that would create huge fan interest and with Scott Brown entering the latter stages of his career, would be a perfect replacement in the eyes of many Celtic supporters, a player they feel should have been signed while he was still at Hamilton Academical as a teenager.

Robbie Keane

At 36 years of age, you could be forgiven that Robbie Keane’s time has passed for a move to a club like Celtic. However, his scoring record at LA Galaxy hasn’t faltered since his move to America in 2012. He’s scored over 100 goals for Galaxy in 165 appearances, with 10 coming in the most recent campaign.

Keane’s previous stint at Celtic was a case of right player, wrong time. His sensational loan move from Spurs in January 2010 was a great success for him personally, scoring 16 goals in 19 appearances. However, that coincided with a disastrous Tony Mowbray reign that ended with no trophies that season.

With his contract expiring with LA Galaxy, a move to Celtic could prove successful for both player and club with the Bhoys needing greater depth beyond Dembele and Griffiths in attack.

Conor Hourihane

Barnsley captain Conor Hourihane’s contract runs out this coming Summer and he is attracting interest from a host of British clubs, including Celtic, after impressing consistently for the Tykes.

He led his side to promotion from League One last season and hasn’t faltered in the Championship winning the division’s Player Of The Month award in August.

Hourihane is known to have a preference for the Hoops and could provide competition that is badly need in the midfield area. A move to Glasgow would take his career another level with big derbies, big nights in Europe and the potential to break into the Republic of Ireland first team all on the cards.