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Radamel Falcao scored his 29th and 30th goals of this season, helping Atletico Madrid to an emphatic 5-0 win against Granada on the weekend. El Tigre looks certain to leave the Vicente Calderon in the future, but links to Manchester United have come from so far out of left field that it seems far easier to just quash those rumours and look ahead to tomorrow.

Alex Ferguson has a way about him, a tone with which you can almost guarantee that what he’s saying is true. The United manager strongly denied there was any truth to the stories linking the club with David de Gea, while he delivered a memorable line about Real Madrid before selling them Cristiano Ronaldo. And let’s be honest, how many football managers do you expect to feed the media with exactly what they’re looking for? Ferguson has rubbished the Falcao stories, and that’s all I’d expect from him.

But a story is a story, and it weighs in with the reports earlier in the year that United were in the race for Robert Lewandowski. Whichever way you want to cut it, you can’t really run away from the idea that United do seem to be looking for another forward ahead of next season. And even more so, you can’t completely rule out Wayne Rooney moving on this summer.

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In fact, it might be a good thing. Rooney is nowhere near the footballer that Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi are. He’s supposed to be the leading light of the England national team, and perhaps also for this United team. But he’s fallen short of what you’d have expected of him, and whatever praise can be directed to the current United No 10, it’s hard to associate him with the very best in European football.

It’s about consistency and winning. I think it’s quite clear that Ferguson has taken on an approach whereby no one is safe at United – and that’s the way it should be done. It’s a massive swing from where we were in 2010, with Rooney all but expected to move away and United unable to disguise the look of genuine fear and worry in their eyes. At that point, Rooney still had a lot going for him. It seemed to be that he was holding all the cards while United were in a period of rebuilding following the departures of Ronaldo and Carlos Tevez. Now, United are off the back of signing one of the Premier League’s best forwards and could be set to move their operations abroad for the finest the continent has to offer.

Arguably, Robin van Persie has taken over the title of talisman in this United team. Rooney, for all his reputation in English football cannot be relied upon to consistently produce numbers that are associated with players of that stature. And it maybe says as much about how Europe looks at Rooney as well. With the player’s future far from certain, there isn’t a real battle for his signature among the continent’s elite. No Real Madrid, Barcelona, Juventus or Bayern Munich. PSG are said to be interested, but you’d expect that of a club who are still building their reputation in the game.

For United, it’s become a need for more firepower and an improvement on just the one player who seems certain to get you over 20 league goals.

The performance of Falcao and Atletico on the weekend displayed how he can be of use in this United team. With both of the Colombian’s goals coming from crosses into the centre of the box, he’d be the ideal fit for a team who rely so heavily on wingers. Alex Ferguson may be more than comfortable with the idea of not adding a prominent name to his midfield, but the signing of van Persie last summer showed that he is concerned about capitalising on the way his current team play the game.

United may have been fortunate to see some form come from Rooney during van Persie’s dry spell, but there are greater assurances that come in the form of players like Falcao.

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This has turned into another war for United, where so many have been won in the past. The loss of the title last season to Manchester City meant that a ruthless approach had to be taken. For whatever may be said about the needs and wealth of City and Chelsea, United are right up there in terms of ability and need to capture the best Europe has to offer. It’s become a new threat, not just domestically but also in the Champions League.

Ferguson has often gone for the very best available, with business in recent transfer windows moving slightly away from that, yet there were plenty of reports linking United with players like Lucas Moura and Eden Hazard. At this stage, can it be really that hard to argue in favour of Ferguson swooping for one of the very best available in Falcao?

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Manchester City fans were hopeful that Raheem Sterling would be the hero in Wednesday night’s Champions League quarter-final second leg against Liverpool at the Etihad Stadium.However, it was not to be as Pep Guardiola’s side lost 2-1 on the night and 5-1 on aggregate to Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool side, who have made it into the semi-finals of the competition for the first time in a decade.Sterling played a big part in City scoring a second-minute goal on home soil as he out-muscled Virgil van Dijk, but second-half goals from Mohamed Salah and Roberto Firmino killed City’s hopes of a comeback.Last weekend, Sterling wasted a handful of goalscoring chances against Manchester United in a 3-2 defeat, and the 23-year-old also struggled against Liverpool.[ad_pod ]In fact, according toÂWhoScored.com the attacker failed to register a single shot and made just one key pass across the 90 minutes.In additionÂSquawka has revealed that Sterling is yet to win a game over Liverpool in normal time since leaving Anfield for City in 2015.

It is safe to say that Liverpool fans are rather happy about it.

Comment from discussion Raheem Sterling has never beaten Liverpool in normal time since leaving them in the eight games he has faced them. Haunted by his former side..Comment from discussion Raheem Sterling has never beaten Liverpool in normal time since leaving them in the eight games he has faced them. Haunted by his former side..Comment from discussion Raheem Sterling has never beaten Liverpool in normal time since leaving them in the eight games he has faced them. Haunted by his former side..Comment from discussion Raheem Sterling has never beaten Liverpool in normal time since leaving them in the eight games he has faced them. Haunted by his former side..Comment from discussion Raheem Sterling has never beaten Liverpool in normal time since leaving them in the eight games he has faced them. Haunted by his former side..Comment from discussion Raheem Sterling has never beaten Liverpool in normal time since leaving them in the eight games he has faced them. Haunted by his former side..Comment from discussion Raheem Sterling has never beaten Liverpool in normal time since leaving them in the eight games he has faced them. Haunted by his former side..Comment from discussion Raheem Sterling has never beaten Liverpool in normal time since leaving them in the eight games he has faced them. Haunted by his former side..

According to the Daily Star West Ham United are considering rescuing Javier Hernandez following his disappointing loan spell at Real Madrid.

With the year-long deal almost up and Hernandez almost certain to be released back to parent club Manchester United, the striker’s future looks anything but bright. Considering him surplus to requirements, United allowed the marksman to go out on loan and surprisingly it was Spanish giants Real Madrid who decided to give him a chance.

But things haven’t gone well for the Mexican forward, who has only scored four goals from his 16 La Liga appearances for the current Champions League winners – his main use has been as a substitute.

It is difficult to gauge his contributions for Real when you think about how few minutes he gets to play, but either way he hasn’t been able to make his mark and will not be wearing their white shirt next season.

West Ham have had a changeable season starting well but quickly slipping back down to their usual table position. In their last five games the Hammers managed only one win and lost to bottom of the table Leicester City, causing many to expect a personnel change at the top of the club this summer. Manager Sam Allardyce has been at Upton Park since 2011 leading the East London club through promotion and up to a high of 10th in their first campaign. Last year they finished down in 13th, and with this season’s table climb stunted it looks as if West Ham have failed to make any real improvements despite some high profile signings.

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Their highest goal scorer has been Senegalese striker Diafra Sakho who has found the net 10 times, but their next prolific player, Stewart Downing, has found the net only half as often. The Hammers just aren’t scoring enough goals and so a forward with the experience and undeniable quality of ‘Chicharito’ may just be what they need to push them higher than their typical midtable finish.

In Hernandez’s most prolific season for Manchester United he scored 20 times in all competitions helping them win the Premier League once again. But that was during his first season at the club before his role reduced more and more over his next four seasons there.

The 26-year-old still has 18 months left on his contract and considering that Red Devils manager Louis van Gaal has several other attacking options, Hernandez is better off pushing for a permanent move now rather than sitting on the bench for another season. Also with his contract coming to an end, United are likely to want to get some money for him rather than eventually let him go on a free transfer.

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If West Ham can get around what is likely to be a sizeable transfer fee then they should take a chance on Hernandez, but only if they can offer him regular football. Hernandez needs to be starting as many games as possible and then he will provide the goals that the Hammers have been lacking. After all he has played for two of the best teams in Europe and is his country’s joint-second highest goal scorer of all time.

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This week saw a vital week for the Lions as they could pretty much make themselves safe with two home games before the F.A. Cup semi final against Wigan this Saturday. They are slowly edging themselves to safety, but it’s slow and painful to watch.

Saturdays 1-1 draw at Birmingham will be seen as a very good point as they are in decent form. and other teams around us didn’t pick up points.

So attention turned to one of our games in hand, Tuesday nights game at home to fellow relegation rivals Sheffield Wednesday. This saw a real smash and grab for the Owls as they somehow left 2-1 winners after a last minute goal from Chris Maguire.

The Lions were one up after just a minute with Jimmy Abdou firing in from close range after great work from Chris Taylor. Wednesday didn’t pose a threat until a free kick just before half time. Miguel Llera’s shot found its way somehow through the wall, meaning that Davis Forde was found scrambling to the other-side of his goal, and failing, 1-1 at half time.

The chances continued as Jermaine Easter looked certain to score on a one-v-one but he just fired it at Chris Kirkland’s legs. Kirkland then had to be at full stretch to keep out a acrobatic Sean St Ledger shot minutes later.

It looked like the Lions would have to settle for a draw, meaning they would be six points clear with most teams still having to play five games, meaning they were very close, if not safe. But no… Maguire flicks in for the winner in injury time.

Yes it was a sickener but there were some positives from the game, the Lions played well at times and that by the time we kick off against Wigan we will have two games in hand again, yes, it’s better to have points on the board, but it’s a better position than most teams.

But one major negative was the striker wonder that is Rob Hulse.

When he first came in he was slated but I thought “Give him a chance”. His chance has been and gone, he has to go down as one of Jackett’s worst ever signings, making the Darius Henderson sale look even more confusing.

He’s a big striker who does not jump, use his body to try and shield the ball, and frankly, walks around like he doesn’t want to be there, an absolute disgrace.

We’ve brought back Shaun Batt from Orient this week, now in theory Batt should be nowhere near the team but when he came on for Hulse he changed the game! And unlike Hulse he looks like he actually cared and put in some effort!

The only reason Hulse will play at Wembley is that we basically have no one else.

Now to Wigan.. To be honest, it is just a day out, we are expected to get beat, if we somehow end up in the final! It’s just a humongous bonus.

My predicted team for Wembley.

Forde

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Dunne Beevers Shittu Lowry

J.Smith Trotter Abdou

Taylor Hulse Keogh

COYL

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As reported by The Sun, Manchester United attack Marcus Rashford is set to delay signing a new contract at Old Trafford.

What’s the story?

The 20-year-old hasn’t started for United for over a month and has made just a handful of starts in 2018 so far, with Jose Mourinho turning to the likes of Alexis Sanchez and Juan Mata instead.

Nonetheless, the club are reported by The Sun to be keen on renewing his contract at the club, even though he has two years left on his current deal, which earns him £70,000-a-week.

The player himself though is less keen to commit at this stage say the paper, with his future in Mourinho’s plans unclear heading into the summer transfer window when more attacking signings could be made, further destabilising his position in the squad.

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Is he being unreasonable?

Rashford is at a criticial stage of his footballing development at just 20 years of age and needs regular football to progress as a player, but he needs to produce on a more consistent basis to be considered one of the first names on the teamsheet.

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Mourinho could give him more regular opportunities and perhaps should over the next while to ensure he doesn’t become too disgruntled, but the player also needs to show the character to deliver in big matches on a regular basis, just like he did against Liverpool in March.

Ultimately the onus is on the club to ensure he doesn’t become too unsettled, he’s a massive talent and they must ensure they are able to secure his future.

Swansea have had a bit of an up and down season. Garry Monk has added a directness to his team this year, and they’ve recorded a few good wins as a result. Last season they were involved in a bit of a relegation battle – though they never really looked like going down, especially not after Monk got the job. And this season they sit 10 points behind Tottenham and Southampton above them, and 18 points above the drop zone – smack bang in mid table.

Losing Wilfried Bony, their top scorer, doesn’t seem to have affected their form too much as they’re still losing the games you’d expect them to lose, and winning the games you’d expect them to win.

For the first half of the season, Gomis had been playing second fiddle to Bony. The French international hadn’t managed to score many goals for the club, and wasn’t getting the game time he felt he deserved. The BBC even reported that he told French TV that he was considering leaving if he didn’t start playing soon.

But Monk hasn’t lost faith in him, and he may be about to reap the rewards.

Gomis’ latest appearance on the scoresheet was the only goal of the game, coming right at the end of the match at the weekend against Aston Villa. If he can come up with more goals as important as that strike, then Swansea might progress even further next season.

Without Bony, the Swans were tipped to struggle, but Gomis might actually be the perfect replacement.

One of the reasons he was Bony’s deputy is simply that they can’t really play in the same side. They are both big, strong men who lead the line well, they are both agile and direct, and crucially they both have a keen eye for goal – they are finishers.

Bony has been hot property for a while, and perhaps it was the plan all along to let him go. Gomis was brought in over the summer as backup, but maybe it was expected that he would be the man to replace the big Ivorian. Maybe they even planned to let him go in January, when the big guns of the Premier League are worried that their current squad won’t win them the title, and are prepared to shell out over the odds for a proven Premier League striker. That’s exactly what Bony is, and that’s exactly what City have done.

Maybe it wasn’t quite as calculated as that, but I wouldn’t put it past Huw Jenkins. The Swansea chairman has made great decision after great decision in his time at the helm of the Welsh club, and now they might be without Bony, but they have a ready-made replacement and a reported £28million in the bank.

Usually losing your best player means you need to change your style of play, even the best teams with their array of talent can’t always replace their stars – City wouldn’t have their power if they lost Toure, Liverpool their pace without Sterling or Sturridge, and when Mourinho came back to Chelsea he played a much different style of football, thus leaving a certain Juan Mata out of the team.

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But Swansea don’t look like they’ll miss Bony all that much. They have the same setup as before, and they will play in the same way, and if Gomis starts to fire in the same way as Bony, Swansea will just continue their progression up the Premier League.

In fact, when the Swans lost Roberto Martinez they didn’t lose their momentum, instead they brought in Paulo Sousa who took them even further. When they lost him, neither did they lose forward momentum either, Brendan Rodgers brought them to the Premier League. Nor did they lose it when Brendan Rodgers had his head turned by Liverpool – they’re still a top division club and they’re still going in the right direction.

It doesn’t look like they’ll lose it now that Bony has left either.

Liverpool fans will no doubt be losing sleep following yesterday’s announcement of the club’s rather dire financial situation. The Anfield club has released figures reporting that their debt has increased to £87million, and is now amid a painful hangover from their cavalier spending spree whilst former bosses Roy Hodgson and Kenny Dalglish were at the helm.

It’s certainly been coming; you can’t expect to fork out £35million for Andy Carroll without it biting you in the rump somewhere along the line. Of course, the club has learnt its lesson regarding overzealous transfer bids, but Liverpool are now in a situation that could prove difficult to get out of, and has every chance of becoming a downward spiral unless it is addressed quickly.

It is not only the Andy Carroll deal that has crippled the club; a number of their recent investments are yet to pay off, and arguably never will. Stewart Downing may be back to his best or at least back to being slightly better, but was his best ever worth £20million? His record of nine goals and ten assists in 63 Premier League appearances whilst donning an Aston Villa jersey is hardly what you’d call inspiring form.

Similarly, Jordan Henderson had a couple of successful seasons at Sunderland, but in no way has he justified his £16million move to Anfield either before or after the transfer. Perhaps it is wrong to judge a club on its past failings, but this season, the £15million investment in Joe Allen and the £11million transfer of Fabio Borini also appear to have backfired.

Now the situation has become rather more difficult however, as Liverpool have a number of players of their books who simply aren’t good enough, with in some cases such as Andy Carroll’s, absolutely no resale value, and furthermore a serious lack of finance to turn the club’s fortunes around as they squander in mid table, some distance away from the top four.

Furthermore, the wage structure is arguably the most concerning issue. 70% of Liverpool’s total income is spent on players’ and staff wages, which has lead to Managing Director Ian Ayre stating that the club will now “bring in talented players on sensible contracts”, and deals such as Joe Cole’s 100k per week for being a lackluster bench warmer are to become a thing of the past.

But the fact Carroll is on a 80k per week contract is truly worrying considering he’s unwanted by Brendan Rodgers, and although West Ham are currently covering their loanee’s salary, unless the striker’s future is settled in the summer, it will be yet another financial burden placed upon the Anfield club next season.

The British revolution at Liverpool clearly hasn’t worked. Although it is an admirable ideal to build a roster based around home-grown talent, the nature of the market has made their transfer fees unreasonable, and if there’s one lesson to be taken from the England national team’s recent failings of the golden generation, it’s that the general spread of talent regarding English players is simply not comparable to the likes of Italy, Spain and Germany, who have far much more quality in depth in their national sides.

Ian Ayre has also announced a new dawn in regards to the club’s transfer policy, but it needs to be a rather shrewd and quick revelation to turn around Liverpool’s domestic form. The club are set for another year of Europa League football next season, and unless Brendan Rodgers can get the absolute best out of his current roster, Liverpool will continue in the years to come to miss out on the riches that the Champions League provides.

Of course, the elephant in the room and the simple solution is to sell Luis Suarez. He’s one of the club’s top earners, and furthermore his reported £50million price tag would alone cover half of the £87million debt. But that resolution comes with its own set of headaches. The Uruguay international is the sole reason Brendan Rodgers’ inaugural season hasn’t become a rather embarrassing affair, and his 21 Premier League goals have been invaluable whilst the Reds have spent much of their current campaign without a proper strike force.

So perhaps selling the side’s best asset isn’t the answer, but even selling some of their lesser assets also appears to be rather unrealistic. As previously mentioned, the likes of Stewart Downing, Jordan Henderson and Andy Carroll simply aren’t fit for purpose, but their inflated transfer fees make selling them on an incredibly difficult challenge, and similarly, with such a young squad where the majority of back-up players are under the age of 23, as are many of the first team, the club are in no position to start selling their senior personnel.

Sometimes it is impossible to go forward without taking a step backwards, but it seems that Liverpool are running out of time, and too many more backward steps will seriously endanger the club’s future. Leeds United, one of English football’s biggest institutions, have fallen by the wayside as their performances on the pitch failed to equate to the financial backing off the pitch, and similarly, Portsmouth are now in freefall  after suffering the backlash from their lavish spending and irresponsible contractual arrangements which they are still paying for.

Perhaps the comparison is a little over the top, the financial situation at Anfield is worrying, but there is no reason to believe the club are on the brink of destruction. However the dangers need to be highlighted of what will happen if the monetary issues aren’t properly addressed. Similarly, the longer the club remain out of the Champions League the more real the danger becomes.

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I do not pretend to know all the answers, and I’m rather glad that I’m not in a position where it’s required to find them. Liverpool have made some steps in the right direction, with Brendan Rodgers making some decent January acquisitions in Daniel Sturridge and Phillipe Coutinho, who have added to the squad without breaking the bank, but there are still some harsh realities upon the horizon that the club have to deal with.

In the summer, Pepe Reina will be on his way to Barcelona, whilst spiritual leader Jamie Carragher is hanging up his boots. Similarly, hanging on to Luis Suarez may be a difficult task, and the first team cannot continue to be reliant upon Steven Gerrard in the middle of the park, as the England man enters his twilight years.

Finally, a rather pressing issue is the financial fair play laws set to come into effect next season. As it currently stands, Liverpool are well in breach of the new rules, which limits net losses to £35million per year. Getting in sync in time and avoiding subsequent punishment will be the club’s most important challenge to address.

[post_link url=”https://www.footballfancast.com/premiership/liverpool/time-for-a-transfer-rethink-at-liverpool,https://www.footballfancast.com/premiership/liverpool/liverpool-chief-denies-club-debts-will-lead-to-sta-player-exodus,https://www.footballfancast.com/premiership/tottenham/tottenham-keeper-reds-will-be-a-tougher-test-than-the-gunners,https://www.footballfancast.com/football-blogs/the-five-ideal-liverpool-transfers-to-replace-him,https://www.footballfancast.com/premiership/the-premier-league-summer-transfer-bargains-xi” target=”_blank” type=”grid”]

A rotated Liverpool side could only manage a draw in the English Premier League on Saturday, playing out a 0-0 stalemate with city rivals Everton in the Merseyside Derby.

With all eyes on Tuesday’s UEFA Champions League quarter-final second leg with Manchester City, yesterday’s match was something of a distraction for Jurgen Klopp, reflected with five changes made to his starting eleven.

The performance suffered as a result, especially in attack, with the Reds failing to create as many chances or be as clinical in front of goal with the likes of Mohamed Salah not in the side.

Some regular starters did play though. Jordan Henderson was one, but fans didn’t enjoy his display, criticising the midfielder for ponderous forward play that left them frustrated.

The Liverpool captain is suspended for the upcoming City clash, so the supporters disappointed with his weekend performance will get a reprieve mid-week, but will his absence be a detriment to their performance at the Etihad?

Fans took to Twitter to share their thoughts…

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Manchester United were held to a surprise goalless draw to League Two new boys Cambridge United in their FA Cup fourth round tie a few weeks ago . Whilst Man Utd were lacklustre throughout the 90 minutes and lacked that cutting edge, there has been a lot of criticism about the team which seems like a knee-jerk reaction.

Fans on radio phone-ins and social media have been extremely critical of Louis Van Gaal and the player’s performances so far this season but it is hard to read too much into a one off fixture like this. You have to remember that Cambridge played out of their skins and probably won’t be able to replicate this type of performance again, particularly in tonight’s replay at Old Trafford. In a small cut up ground like the Abbey Stadium, Man United’s foreign superstars would be extremely unfamiliar to these types of surroundings, the occasion and the atmosphere.

To smaller teams, the FA Cup is a completely different kettle of fish to what players such as Angel Di Maria, Radamel Falcao, Daley Blind and Marcos Rojo are used to, which makes it difficult for them to play the way they want to. The fact is United managed to scrape through – albeit only to a replay – but are still in with a fantastic chance of lifting the FA Cup come May.

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Tonight’s replay shouldn’t present many problems for Louis Van Gaal’s side, with the occasion completely different to that of the tie at the Abbey. Add to that the fact Louis Van Gaal is almost certain to play another near full strength side means United are extremely likely to line-up against either Preston or Sheffield United in the fifth round. An away trip to either of these League One sides will be tough, but Man United should still have the fire power in their team to overcome this tie, whether it be on the night, or back at Old Trafford.

With Man City and Chelsea both knocked-out by lower league opposition in the fourth round, United have automatically been labelled as one of the favourites to lift the trophy, alongside Arsenal and Liverpool. Van Gaal knows he has a great chance to win a trophy in his first season at Old Trafford, and experiences such as the one at the Abbey Stadium can only help his team become familiar to what the FA Cup means.

One man that United could have done with is Captain Wayne Rooney. The 29-year-old is the club’s top scorer so far this season and has plenty of experience to know what the FA Cup is all about and how to avoid a giant killing. Van Gaal made a mistake by not including Rooney in the match day squad for the first game, but it’s a mistake that is unlikely to be repeated, increasing United’s chances of going all the way.

The Red Devils haven’t been able to get their hands on the FA Cup since defeating Millwall 3-0 way back in 2004, when a young Cristiano Ronaldo helped them secure the trophy. With the Premier League’s top two already out of the competition, Van Gaal’s side won’t get a better chance of putting this statistic right, especially with a kind draw like the one that awaits them in the fifth round.

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It’s hard work being a footballer in England. While the financial reward of playing in the Premier League is almost impossible to resist, the pressure that comes with the job is like no other. I suppose dealing with the immense burden is a requirement of the position, but many a star player has failed to produce when it matters.

It happens. A player is bought for an inflated amount of money. The pressure is on to succeed; fans on your back questioning your value, the public eye stuck to  you like a leech. The player fails to perform and is subsequently torn apart by the bloodthirsty press. The player moves to pastures new and explodes into life. Maybe it is the Premier League that is cursed with wasting talents. Maybe you have to hold certain personal characteristics to cope with the pressure that English football brings. Maybe you aren’t in the wrong league, you are just at the wrong club. In some cases, it is not the players who are to blame. Managers have often placed world class talent on the bench when they should be on the field. All of these possibilities are covered with these 15 men whose talents were simply wasted in the Premier League. While some are still world class athletes, others have faded into relative obscurity, failing to produce their talent when it came to crunch time.

Click on Gerald Pique to unveil the 15

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