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Billy Sharp has had quite the season. At 33 years of age, he’s vying for a place in the Premier League with Sheffield United, is second top scorer in the Championship and has now been nominated for a major award.

He was fortunate enough to be named among the Championship Team of the Year released this week and was further nominated for the Player of the Year award.

But he wasn’t the only Blades star to receive recognition as Oliver Norwood was part of the 11 names to make the Team of the Year too.

Reacting on Twitter, Sheffield United fans were quite rightly buzzing with their inclusions.

One supporter claimed Norwood is the one who had made the team stick this season whilst another individual suggested Sharp is like a fine wine and has been playing like a man ten years his junior.

Who would make a combined Sheffield XI? Ingood Nick makes his picks in the video below…

2018/19 represents Sharp’s best scoring season in the Championship, netting 22 in 34 games to date. Norwood meanwhile has three goals and eight assists in 35 appearances.

Here’s what Sheffield United fans have been saying about the pair.

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Leeds are set to be boosted by the return of Gaetano Berardi, and Marcelo Bielsa should take full advantage by surprising Millwall with a formation change.

What’s the word?

Berardi is finally ready to return to first team action for the Whites, reports The Yorkshire Evening Post.

The 30 year-old has been missing since October with a hamstring injury, before which he was a crucial cog in Bielsa’s machine.

And with the versatile Swiss ace back in the fold, Bielsa should consider switching things up against the Lions.

Triple boost for Bielsa

Berardi’s return boosts Bielsa’s options in three ways.

First of all, the veteran can swap in for Luke Ayling at right back. Ayling has been in fine form recently, but a poor patch earlier in the season was costly, and if it happens again the boss may well be tempted to turn to Berardi.

He can also fill in at centre back, where outside of Liam Cooper and Pontus Jansson there is very little depth.

Last but not least, the tough-tackling fan favourite is perfect for a back three, alongside Cooper and Jansson, and next weekend’s clash against Millwall would be the perfect chance to try it out.

Stretch Millwall

Bielsa has used three at the back regularly throughout his career. In fact, the gaffer is perhaps most renowned for his 3-3-3-1 system, something he has not tried to implement yet at Elland Road.

While the 3-3-3-1 requires very specific personnel though, a simpler 3-4-3 could be perfect when Neil Harris’ side come to town.

Defensively, having three centre backs on the pitch will make it far easier to deal with what is sure to be a barrage of long balls towards the likes of Lee Gregory and Steve Morison.

At the other end, the Lions will do their best to keep things tight and restrict Leeds in central areas.

By playing three at the back, allowing Gjanni Alioski and Luke Ayling the freedom to keep their heels glued to the touchline, Bielsa would be forcing Millwall to abandon their shape and leave more spaces in the middle.

The boss may not want to abandon the system he has used for most of this campaign, but Berardi’s return should tempt him to spring a surprise on Harris next week.

That moment in 2014 will forever be burnt into the retinas of every Liverpool fan who witnessed it.

Steven Gerrard’s slip, Demba Ba’s goal, the beginning of the end for Brendan Rodgers’ title hopes. It’s something that is still sung about today at games and is one of the most iconic moments in Premier League history.

Five years later, and we’re back in a similar situation. Chelsea will travel to Liverpool who are hot on the tail of Manchester City, and for Jurgen Klopp, he has a duty to bury the sins of the past and end the torment the club have endured because of that fateful day.

But going into Sunday’s game, the two teams couldn’t be any more different from five years ago. The Blues head to Anfield not chasing for the title, but looking to get into the top four, something fans did not expect going into this season, whereas Liverpool have the chance to keep the pressure on City in one of the tightest title races in years with arguably their best team in the history of the Premier League era.

Liverpool have also shown this season that they can take on the big teams at home and get results, beating the likes of Tottenham and Arsenal and holding on against Manchester City, but in games against Chelsea this season, the Reds have been underwhelming.

An Eden Hazard masterclass knocked the Merseyside club out of the League Cup early in the season and a Daniel Sturridge is what it took for Liverpool to rescue a point against Chelsea at the fixture at Stamford Bridge.

The Reds have what it takes to easily beat Chelsea this weekend, with the west London side under more pressure from fans to perform and get the results they need to get back into the Champions League, and Klopp’s side know that if they stick to their game plan, they will be able to bury their demons and move on with their best shot of winning the Premier League title in years.

Liverpool fans, will the Reds beat Chelsea this weekend? Let us know!

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Luis Suarez joined Liverpool from Ajax in January 2011.

The Uruguay international went on to make 133 appearances for the Reds in all competitions, finding the back of the net on 82 occasions and providing 47 assists.

The now 32-year-old eventually left Anfield to join Barcelona in 2014 and he has continued to enjoy success, scoring 173 times in 237 appearances.

Suarez’s scoring record across the board is absolutely fantastic.

In the grand scheme of things, the forward did not spend that long with Liverpool, but the Premier League club’s fans have an incredibly high opinion of the South American.

Indeed, in response to a video posted on social media, the Liverpool supporters were out in force to lavish praise on the 6 ft ace.

Pl>ymaker FC’s Matchday with Max caught up with Jamaica’s women’s team. See what happened when he met the history makers in the video below…

Sadio Mane, Mohamed Salah and Roberto Firmino is not a bad front three, but Suarez was a cut above all three, certainly in the eyes of a number of the club’s fans.

Some have even called for Suarez to return to Anfield, but he is too busy winning trophy after trophy with Barcelona.

A selection of the Twitter reaction can be seen below:

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Ryan Fraser has offered little assurance to Bournemouth fans who may be fearful that he will seek an exit in the summer amid transfer reports linking the Scotsman with a switch to Arsenal.

The 25-year-old was understandably flattered by the rumours, as he spoke to Sky Sports, and didn’t appear to rule out a move away from the Vitality Stadium, saying:

“I’m not going to lie, [being linked with Arsenal is] very nice . It means you are are doing something right.

“[Arsenal] are a huge club, a massive club. When you see your name thrown around you always think to yourself that you are a Bournemouth player and you try to do well.

“I will just keep doing what I am doing, try to enjoy myself and try to win the game for my team.

“What will be, will be.”

Check out the below above to see football played as you’ve never seen it before… in a maze!

The diminutive speedster has been in sensational form for the south coast outfit this campaign as he has chalked up six goals and 10 assists in 32 league appearances – an output which has put him on the radar of one of Europe’s biggest clubs.

Eddie Howe will be hoping to hang on to his biggest stars – Fraser, Nathan Ake and Callum Wilson included – this summer, but the lure of European football and a massive increase in wages could prove too good to resist.

Fraser’s final five words – “what will be, will be” – will surely leave a bad feeling in the pit of the Cherries fans’ stomachs, who must start preparing themselves for a difficult summer window.

علق وائل جمعة لاعب الأهلي السابق على تأجيل مباراة الزمالك والرجاء في دوري أبطال إفريقيا، مشيرًا إلى أن كاف لم يتعامل بشفافية.

الاتحاد الإفريقي أعلن عن تأجيل مباراة الزمالك والرجاء إلى يوم 1 نوفمبر المقبل بدلًا من إقامتها غدًا في إياب دور نصف نهائي البطولة القارية.

طالع أيضًا.. رسميًا.. الزمالك يعترض على موعد مباراة الرجاء ويطالب بتأجيل نهائي دوري أبطال إفريقيا

وقال جمعة في تصريحات تلفزيونية عبر فضائية “بي إن سبورتس”: “عدم وضوح الرؤية في الاتحاد الإفريقي والمهام يجعلنا نتوقع كل شيء”.

وتابع: “في بطولة غرب آسيا الاتحاد الآسيوي حدد أمور معينة بشأن الفرق التي لديها حالات كورونا واستبعد الهلال كما رأينا”.

وأكمل: “الرجاء استفاد من التأجيل وهذا لا يعيبه، عدم شفافية الاتحاد الإفريقي في التعامل مع هذه المواقف سبب لما حدث”.

وأختتم: “الزمالك تورط في التأجيل، وتسرع في البداية وقالوا إنهم موافقون على التأجيل، وعندما أبدى جمهور الزمالك اعتراضه، وأن ذلك تفريط في حق النادي، عاد المسئولون ليقولون لماذا نؤجل (ضاحكًا)”.

جدير بالذكر أن الزمالك فاز على الرجاء بهدف نظيف في المباراة التي أقيمت في المغرب في ذهاب دور نصف نهائي دوري أبطال إفريقيا.

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Former Scotland and Rangers striker Ally McCoist believes Leeds have to go up automatically or risk missing out on a place in the Premier League.

Leeds are embroiled in a promotion race with Sheffield United and the Sky Sports pundit believes that the Whites may well fall short if they are forced to navigate their way into top-flight football via the play-offs.

What’s been said then?

Leeds are back in the driving seat with just five games to go in the Championship after Chris Wilder’s side drew with Birmingham on Wednesday night.

The Whites now have their fate in their own hands knowing that if they win every game until the end of the season they will be in the Premier League.

If Leeds are to drop into the play-offs they would have to drop points in their next five games and that could affect their mindset heading into the postseason matches.

McCoist believes that Leeds would struggle with the playoffs if they missed out on the top two.

Speaking on Sky Sports’ The Debate podcast (33:55) he said: “Momentum is a massive massive thing in any sport, particularly football. We know what momentum is like.

“We spoke about Villa. They are a team who clearly have momentum at this moment in time.

“If Leeds start going like that (wobbling) then it’s very very difficult to get back up there again.

“That’s why it’s so important for Leeds to clinch that automatic 2nd spot, because I think it will be extremely difficult to get up through the playoffs because other teams will have momentum on them.”

Can they win the playoffs?

If Leeds fail to claim a top two spot it may not be the end of the world despite what McCoist says.

Last season Fulham’s 23-game unbeaten run ended on the final day of the season to deny them a place in the top two ahead of Cardiff City.

Despite seemingly having the wind taken out of their sails, the London club were victorious at Wembley in the play-off final and clinched a place in the Premier League.

But, as McCoist has alluded to, Fulham’s opponents in the final last year may be the team Leeds have to worry about most.

Dean Smith’s side has turned into a different animal in the second half of the season and Leeds would have a huge task on their hands to topple Villa over two legs.

McCoist is correct in thinking that the play-offs will be a tough task for Marcelo Bielsa’s side, but if they can follow the example Fulham set last year they should have enough to seal promotion.

Unai Emery is set to axe a number of big earners this summer as he looks to rebuild his Arsenal side with a limited budget.

Arsenal boss Unai Emery will spare no prisoners this summer – with winger Danny Welbeck among the players due to be sacrificed, according to the Daily Mail.

The Spaniard will reportedly be handed a comparatively small budget of just £45million to compete with the mammoth spending of the ‘big six’ pack. Hardly inspiring stuff, really. However, Emery has been told he can reinvest a significant portion of the money raised from player sales.

Unsurprisingly, then, Emery is ready to offload a number of current starts to extend his market influence in an exodus of biblical proportions. Shkodran Mustafi is one player Arsenal fans will probably be happy to see at the top of the hitlist, while £350,000-a-week Mesut Ozil and £180,000-a-week Henrikh Mkhitaryan are due to be disposed of also.

No qualms from fans here, we are sure.

However, they may be a little more concerned with the departure of winger Danny Welbeck. The former Manchester United man sits on an estimated £80,000 a week and is set to be released at the end of his contract. The Englishman may not be the best player at the Emirates, nor the most reliable owed to a number of injuries, but he performs his job off the bench very well, and largely without complaint.

Players like this are not easy to come by.

Indeed, by allowing the England star to leave, Emery opens himself up to a whole new range of problems. He will need to find a relatively cheap player who possesses enough quality to take the team forwards but is also happy with spending extended periods of time on the bench. The individual must maintain themselves as well as Welbeck has despite a lack of action and be prepared to step in whenever necessary to cover. In essence, Emery needs the ultimate bench player – and that just is not an easy thing to find.

Arsenal fans, would you really be that happy with losing Danny Welbeck? Let us know in the comments below…

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Stewart Donald made a rather surprising admission in an interview this week, claiming he rejected an offer to buy Sunderland very recently.

The Black Cats have been on somewhat of a road to redemption since Donald took over last year, and while they haven’t run away with the league by any means, automatic promotion is still well on the cards.

Since the new boss’ arrival, the club have also shifted some of the deadwood like Didier Ndong and Papy Djilobodji, made a cup final and even redecorated at The Stadium of Light.

And now, he claims his efforts are being recognised by potential investors.

Pl>ymaker FC Exclusive: Jermaine Jenas reveals why Tyne-Wear is a more intense derby than anything London can offer – check out the video below….

What did he say?

“I had one (offer for the club), funnily enough, 10 days ago,” he told BBC Newcastle, as reported by Roker Report.

“Somebody said the first he had seen of us was in a bar in Mexico, in his hotel, where he had come down in the morning for breakfast and Sunderland ‘Til I Die was on.

“He liked the programme and he was interested in a football club, ‘any chance we’re for sale?’

“It’s a huge, huge club. So it’s always going to attract interest and then when you throw Netflix on the top of it and you show the passion of the place, then I think anybody that wants a football club would look at Sunderland.

“Then of course because we’re turning round and we’ve got some momentum, that makes us even more attractive.”

Music to the ears

Donald is pretty spot on with his analysis here. The Neftlix documentary showed off exactly how passionate the fans on Wearside are, and any potential investor with a true love of football will be able to relate to that.

The club are also in a good position financially for the first time in years, and of course have the riches of a cup final at Wembley and potential promotion to look forward to.

Even if the club does not secure promotion this season, there is no question they are back on the rise and headed in the right direction, and Donald knows it.

It would be very surprising to see him sell up for any amount, but this is certainly good news for fans in terms of attracting more investment in the future.

It’s safe to say Liverpool until recently haven’t had the best of transfer strategies.

For every Luis Suarez and James Milner that has succeeded at the club, there’s an Andy Carroll and Stewart Downing that has failed to make the grade and been a dark stain on the transfer history of Liverpool.

But since Jurgen Klopp’s arrival at Merseyside, the flow of bad transfers seems to have stopped for the most part. Out of the 13 players the German has brought to the club, none of them can really be labelled as total flops at the club.

FSG must be in awe of the genius transfer strategy that Jurgen Klopp has adopted as he’s saved them a lot of money by signing all the right players for low prices, and future sales could certainly make the club a healthy profit.

Although Ragnar Klavan and Lorius Karius have been infamous signings in the history of Liverpool, the duo still had good patches at their time at the club and contributed to the long-term success of where the Reds are now. The two players also cost the club a combined fee of £10 million, or about one-sixth of what Chelsea paid for Alvaro Morata.

Indeed, getting players for cheap is something Klopp and the transfer committee have been excellent at. Mohamed Salah signed for a reported fee of £34 million, whilst his wing partner Sadio Mane was signed for a similar price.

Andy Robertson, who was signed for just £10 million after Hull City were relegated down to the Championship, has developed into one of the best fullbacks in the Premier League and proven to be another transfer success story with Klopp.

Although some signings have been underwhelming so far, such as Naby Keita and Marko Grujic, these are players who will grow the longer the stay at the club and continue their development at Liverpool.

Klopp’s use of the transfer market and ability to spot cheap signings where other teams would not have is something that clubs in the Premier League should be adopting in their strategies for picking up players.

The German’s use of signing talent from relegated teams, in particular, is something that clubs have been undervaluing in this era of football transfers, but with the likes of Georginio Wijnaldum, Xherdan Shaqiri and the aforementioned Robertson all coming in for cheap and making a considerable impact at Liverpool, this might be something that changes this summer.

Liverpool fans, who has been your favourite signing in the Klopp era? Let us know!