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Manchester United started the season with a home loss to Arsenal but truth be told, only one team actually played well and looked prime and ready for the season. New signings Mbeumo and Cunha kept running at the Arsenal defence all day and if they had started with an actual 9, they might have won the game. The other new signing Benjamin Sesko started the match on the bench and only came on later on in the second half. Arsenal's new star striker Victor Gyokeres struggled all evening and could not even get one shot off, had to be replaced by Kai harvertz who put on a more experienced play. Arsenal rode their luck for most of the match and had United's goalkeeper Altay Bayindir to thank for their goal as his mistake led to their only goal. Goalkeeper Raya also had to made a crucial save from an Mbeumo header. All in all, Arsenal really have to step up their game if they intend to finally win a league title after over 20 years. And as for Manchester United? Do not underrate them this season.
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Tottenham have made a move on Crystal Palace's Eberechi Eze, this is after formally presenting a bid for Manchester City's Savinho. After James Maddison tore his ACL in their last Pre season game, Spurs have been looking for options upfront. The problem however is that Arsenal have also been in the market for Eze but have yet to prepare a suitable bid. Eze has a release clause of 68million which expires on Friday, rumors are Arsenal are looking to pay lower while Spurs are ready to pay the full amount. Spurs are also looking to complete the signing of Savinho from City. Savinho had a below average season with City and Pep is open to a sale. Jack Grealish has already completed a loan to Everton and if Savinho does move to Spurs, City would be looking to sign Rodrygo from Real Madrid. It is simply a merry go round with Wingers these days. Can Arsenal still go forth and get Eze before Spurs makes a steal or will they be too late? Time will tell.
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Arsenal may have bought a new 9 but the old problems remain. New signing Gyokeres started with star boy Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Maertinelli supporting him but they still lost 2-3 to Villareal. Former Arsenal winger Pepe opened the scoring before Karl Etta Eyong added the second. Norgaard scored his first goal for Arsenal through their usual corner routine. Danjuma finished off a quick counter to make it 3 then Odegaard stepped up to score a penalty and end the match at 3-2. Gyokeres was only able to get one shot off on target as he was starved of service as Arsenal played in their usual laid back manner against a low block. He was taken off later in the second half as Merino was moved to the 9 position. After watching the game, Arsenal are going to need a while to get going for the new season, they still look sluggish and out of sync. Hopefully everything starts to pick up soon enough.
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We all know which club has spent the most on transfers over the last few years? Only one club stands head above all.... Chelsea Football Club. Let's not even start with who they have bought or how much has been spent on them, let's look at how they have gone ahead to sell most of these players at good prices. Especially when you consider that most of the sold players are surplus to requirement. About two years ago, they got United to pay almost 70million for Mason Mount that had just one year left on his contract. That should have warned everyone that this club was building a serious business model. While Manchester United have done majorly the opposite. This transfer window, Noni Madueke has been sold to Arsenal for 48m (52m including bonuses), almost double the 28m Chelsea bought him for. While Arsenal fans might hate the transfer, it is an incredible piece of business for the blue. Over the last few days, they have done more fast moves. Armando Broja to Burnley - 20 million Lesley Ugochukwu to Burnley - 20 million Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall to Everton - 28 Million Kepa to Arsenal - 5 Million Petrovic to Bournemouth - 25 Million Marc Guiu - Loan to Sunderland Joao Felix - 43 Million Borussia Dortmund are currently in talks for Carney Chukuwuemka while Nicolas Jackson is still expected to move on before the close of the transfer window. This is obviously a club that knows to sell, Manchester United should come and learn. Garnacho, Antony, Jadon Sancho are still on the list at Old Trafford with United finding it hard to get buyers Players like Raheem Sterling and Ben Chilwell however still remain, for cheap but with high wages. However these ones seem to be the exception to the rules and should find a willing club sooner or later. Chelsea seems to have found the right balance between buying and selling.
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Arsenal played Tottenham yesterday and it felt like nothing much had changed despite Mikel Arteta going all out to spend millions again. New signings Gyokeres and Zubimendi started on the bench, no surprises there. What was surprising however was that Arsenal ended up losing the match and star player Bukayo Saka was allowed to spend over 70 minutes on the pitch. Major complaint over the last few seasons has been about Saka been overused and yesterday, it continued. It was not until he went down after a tackle that Arteta started to look towards replacing him. Arsenal have spent about 50million on Noni Madueke from Chelsea but I doubt that amount was spent on him to be a backup. The plus side is Madueke can play both right and left wings comfortably and let's not forget Ethan Nwaneri who just signed a new deal at the club. Trossard and Gabriel Martinelli are still at the club and Gabriel Jesus can also play on the wings. So now, we can only pray that Arteta starts learning how to rotate his squad and give players like Saka and Odegaard the necessary rest they required. Else? Nothing for Arsenal next season!
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Rasmus Hojlund, is he a bad Striker or is he just in the wrong team at the wrong time? That is the heavy question Manchester United need to get an answer to before the season starts. Against Bournemouth in their latest pre-season, he showed predatory instincts , making the right runs expected of a top tier 9 and he got a goal. The problem now? Is he ready to step up for the new season or is this just another mirage? Do Manchester United need to go out and get a proper 9 or not? News are that United management are looking at Ollie Watkins and Benjamin Sesko as their main striker for next season. After spending money on Cunha and Mbeumo, they need a proper 9 to finish up the chances that are going to be created. United had a hard time scoring goals last season and had to often rely on the individual brilliance of Bruno Fernandes. Hojlund has spent 2 seasons in England now and has yet to get past 10 league goals in any season, last season he scored just 4 league goals as United ended 15th in the league. Let's not talk about Zirkzee who everyone seems to agree is better as a backup striker and nothing more. Do you think Manchester United should go out and spend millions on Watkins or Sesko or they should just have some more faith in Hojlund?
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With the amount of big money been spent on transfer right now, English big boys are not playing around at all. Everyone wants insane firepower, 100 league goals campaign, score me, I score more kind of match. But in all of these, which team has the best Attack in the league now? LIVERPOOL - Current champions of England and right now looking like the team with the most dangerous attack even with the death of Diogo Jota and sale of Luiz Diaz to Bayern Munich. Let's look at who they have : Mo Salah, Etikite, Gakpo, Nunez. However, Nunez is expected to be sold while Liverpool are still high on the pursuit of Alexander Isak. Forget numbers, those are dangerous players to any defense. MANCHESTER CITY - Erling Haaland! For the last couple of years, that has been one of the most dangerous 9s on the planet, how exactly do you stop him? Let's see if it is possible this season. Now look at the others, Marmoush, Doku, Foden, Savinho and Jack Grealish (Who is looking likely to leave). Remember Pep Guardiola is coach and coming back with a vengeance. CHELSEA - Cole Palmer, Joao Pedro, Pedro Neto, Liam Delap, Nicholas Jackson, Jamie Gittens... A collection of young, hungry forwards. They might just be the hungriest strike force in the league but just how much can they deliver? we are about to find out. ARSENAL - Is this the season that the gunners finally use their firepower to win the league? Mikel Arteta has gotten the gunman 9 Arsenal always needed. Gyokeres is here, rememeber they have Kai Havertz, Gabriel Jesus, Trossard, Saka the great and Gabriel Martinelli? Cna anyone really outscore the gunners? Well, They are called the gunners for a reasom. Which team do you think has got the best attack?
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One of the best strikers in the Premier League has finally put himself on the market as news broke out this morning that Alexander Isak has asked to leave Newcastle. He is currently not part of the club's pre-season as he has asked to be let go. Now where do you think he should go? Let's look at a few options. Liverpool - This is looking like the most likely option especially after they had informed Newcastle a few weeks ago that they are willing to pay up to 120million for Isak. This is despite spending about 300 Million on Wirtz, Frimpong, Kerkez and Etikite(Who just came in a few days ago). But with the death of Diogo Jota, the likely sale of Darwin Nunez and Luiz Diaz, Liverpool are going to be short upfront. The good part is Ekitike can play in a front 2 or 3 so his purchase should not stop Liverpool from going for Isak. Also, they are the defending champions and favorites to win the league again this season. Manchester United (Lol) - I am not sorry for laughing but Manchester United need a striker, I mean everyone knows that. The reason for the laugh however is why should Isak go to United? What exactly can they offer him? The 300K a week salary he wants? There are other clubs that can offer him that salary and other things United can not offer for now and the foreseeable future. Title challenges and UEFA Champions League football. Saudi clubs - No reason but the money? It is good and we must all remember that football is a job first and foremost. Stay at Newcastle for another year - This might just be the best option, in a year's time clubs like Bayern Munich and Barcelona are going to be in the market for a new striker, possibly Real Madrid too. Isak may decide to wait a year more before making his move one of these European Giants. Note - His contract with Newcastle runs till 2028 so the ball is not really in his court. Where do you think he should go?
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Arsenal kicked off their pre-season with a 1-0 win over Italian Giants AC milan. The match which was played under extreme heat conditions in Singapore had both teams fielding most of their strongest players. After a cagey first half, Bukayo Saka got on the end of a beautiful cross from Kiwior to give Arsenal the lead. Captain Odegaard had the chance to out Arsenal 2 goals up but wasted too much time before taking his shot. Man of the match was Milan goalkeeper Terranciano who made several amazing saves to keep the score line respectable. New signing Martin Zubimendi made his debut in the second half while there was no sign of Noni Madueke. Madueke is expected to make his debut in the next few days as he joins up with the rest of the team in the far east.
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Manchester United have finally gotten rid of Marcus Rashford, for now. The striker is on his way to Barcelona after agreeing a loan deal. it is also a good thing for Barcelona as they finally get a left winger they have been looking for. Nico Williams and Luiz Diaz have proven too expensive for the Broke club (Sorry o). It is also a new platform to restart his career after doing nothing reasonable over the last two years. We are about to find out if Manchester United is the reason. Anyway, back to transfers. which club do you think Garnacho is going to end up? BetKing Transfer specials is offering 9 Odds for him stay at United, lower Odds for him to end up at Chelsea. There are also for Nottingham Forest to sign him. Check out BetKing transfer specials for other sweet odds sha. Other players United want to sell include Jadon Sancho, Antony and Garnacho. Me personally o, I feel they should add Onana and Luke Shaw to that list and sell them. They need to bring in serious and fit people, also United should get a proper box to box midfielder in to compliment Bruno.
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Manchester United have finally signed Brentford Winger Bryan Mbeumo, according to Fabrizio Romano, the fee is to be around 70Million Pounds. He just might be what United need to complete their attack after they also signed Matheus Cunha from Wolverhampton earlier in the transfer window. Rasmus Hojlund and Zirkzee are still believe to be up for sale alongside outcasts, Marcus Rashford, Garnacho, Antony and Jadon Sancho.
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I know the transfer window has not closed yet but I want to make an early judgement on how the league go be next season. Based on current information, let me try and predict where teams are going to end up in the English Premier League next season. Just predictions, don't come for my head yet. 1st (Champions) - Liverpool, I think they are going to win the league again not just because they still have Salah and Van Dijk but the fact that they have bought really well. Getting Florient Wirtz in was really good business even if the amount was a lot. They had some issue at left back but bringing Kerkez from Bournemouth solves all that, also Jerome Frimpong to replace Trent who has gone to Real Madrid. They are going to miss his passes and chance creations but Wirtz and Szobolai should more than cover for than. They are not done yet, rumors are they are still looking to bring in Isak from Newcastle or French Striker Etikite. Darwin Nunez, Luiz Diaz and Konate are expected to be sold before the end of the transfer window. Bet on Liverpool to retain their title. 2nd - Chelsea, the billions spent on the team is finally starting to show. Chelsea has won the Conference League and the Club World Cup under 2 months while also making it back to the champions league to play with the big boys. I would say they would challenge Liverpool for the title but experience is still going to matter at the end. Bet on them to do really well especially with new strikers and proper wingers now. Also do not forget Cole Palmer, the man. 3 - Arsenal. Gyokeres might be coming but Arteta is still the coach of Arsenal and I think that is the major problem. They have gotten a decent backup for Saka now by signing Madueke from Chelsea. But what happens when someone like Declan Rice and Saliba get injured? It just feels like Arsenal are always one or two injuries away from their season going wrong plus no one knows what is wrong with Odegaard now. They should fall between 3rd and 4th. 4 - Manchester City, Spent about 300million pounds since January to rebuild the squad but I think Pep Guardiola is tired and needs a break, that is just the truth and reason for where they are going to end up next season. Don't expect or bet on any resurgence. 5 - Newcastle United, they have done well by keeping Isak so far, brought in winger Elanga to compliment Anthony Gordon and Jacob Murphy on the flanks. They are currently looking at Wissa or Etikite to replace Calum Wilson as their second striker. Although I think they might struggle with Champions League overload. But if they can get a bigger squad. Bet on them. Tottenham Hotspurs or Aston Villa might sneak in.. watch out for them. Manchester United is going to struggle to make top 10, thank you and God bless.
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You don't think Chelsea can go beat Real Madrid or Bayern Munich either? Or PSG did not work hard with tactics in the final? 3.-0 is a lot o. Mabuggi88: |
Look at this Chelsea team, after over a billion spent in less than 3 years on new players... they are now the most dangerous team on the planet. Adjustable to any opponents and with a lot of players that can play in different positions, where exactly can they go but up. And they are still buying and building. Watching the final again and there was no sign of any specific weakness in the team. They have just showed us that they have the best midfield in the world. Even goalkeeper Roberto Sanchez that everyone believes to be the great weakness in the team put up a world class display to silence all his haters (Including me). Adding players like Joao Pedro,Gitten and Brazilian wonderkid Estevao, what exactly is Chelsea cooking? Where do you think they are going to end up in the Premier League this season and do you think they can win the Champions League?
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Chelsea, Chelsea.... and Chelsea. After several transfer windows and over a billion spent, Chelsea football club is back up. They beat Champions league Winners PSG 3-0 to win the FIFA World club cup in the US. PSG had gone into the match as big favorites especially after beating Spanish powerhouse Real Madrid 4-0 in the semi-finals but Chelsea had other plans. Chelsea to win was over 5 odds on BetKing and Sportybet, if you placed that bet.. congratulations to you oo, send my tithe. Cole Palmer scored 2 and new signing Joao Pedro scored one while goalkeeper Roberto Sanchez put up a man of the match display with 5 amazing saves. US president Donald Trump was in the stadium along with FIFA President Gianni Infantino to witness the match and it was really a blast. There was also a halftime show featuring Tems , Coldplay and other international acts. Take a bow, Chelsea fans, take a bow. You deserve it.
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Tiki taka did not win a world cup or Euros. You might need to watch the matches again, the NT were more direct than Pep's Guardiola. You did not watch to sleep watching them. He sold Ronaldinho, Deco but could afford to spend on Ibrahimovic, remember the 20million on Chyhrynskyi, the funds on David Villa? His "Influence is what is currently killing football" because everyone just wants to play a certain way. donbenie: |
A treble with two different clubs? Done. Win League titles in different countries? Done. Style of play? Is that what Pep Guardiola has over Luis Enrique? Because I am here to tell you that Enrique's style of play is way much better and does not bore one to sleep. Remember Pep's treble winning Manchester City, compare them to this current PSG's team and see the difference in the way the ball moves, the way PSG is so direct with their attacks and not caressing the ball for hours. People have said it time and time again how Pep had killed modern football with his insistence on micromanaging every part of his team's play. Left to him, football would be automated and players become robots. While at Barcelona, there was still room for a little freedom but even Ibrahimovic still had to complain about his methods. Greatest coach, maybe.... but not to me. There is Carlo Ancelotti, Marcelo Lippi, Sir Alex Ferguson and the great Vicente del Bosque. Now let's look at Enrique's teams... Let's not even talk about his Barcelona squad that had the great MSN (Messi, Suarez, Neymar). Look at this PSG team playing football the way it should be played with proper Traditional wingers running and taking defenders on. No one is holding onto the ball for any longer than they have to. You are not dozing because the ball is just being passed from side to side, your eyes are wide open because you know anything can happen at anytime. Doue, Dembele, Kvara or Barcola can cause a madness at anytime because their coach has simply given them the freedom to be actual footballers not robots. The new season starts in a month and I believe Pep is simply going to have the same issues he had last season. If you think football can or should be mathematics, remember that all equations are meant to be solved.
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Welcome to Manchester, the red side... not the blue side looking to win the league and the champions league next season. This is Manchester United that finished 15th in the league last season and lost the Europa League final to Tottenham Hotspurs. Pre season starts in a week and this club is yet to start rebuilding when they are the ones that need it the most. The only major signing confirmed is Matheus Cunha from Wolverhampton. While they need to buy, the need to sell is even higher. It has been highlighted that a lot of players do not fit into Ruben Amorim's system but so far the club have been unable to move them on. Players such as Rashford, Garnacho, Sancho, Antony have been declared surplus to requirements. Sancho is of serious interest to Juventus who are working on a 25m deal. The rest are proving difficult to move on considering their wages alone. Marcus Rashford is on a 350k a week deal and even if he is open to take a paycut, only a few clubs in the world can afford to take him on and still pay a transfer fee. Elsewhere across the league, champions Liverpool have done a lot of business early, bringing in Frimpong to replace club legend Trent Alexander-arnold who left for Real Madrid. They have also spent a premier league record amount on bringing in Florien Wirtz from Bayer Leverkusen, Kerkez from Bournemouth too. Chelsea as usual have gone all out spending millions on new recruits, Joao Pedro from Brighton, Gittens from Borussia Dortmund amongst others. Manchester City have managed to pull in Ait-nouri, Tijani Reijnders. Even Arsenal have gotten .......let's not talk about those ones. Question is what is United doing, una sure say dem no go relegate next season?
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The group stage of the FIFA World Club cup is almost over and drama is kicking in, European giants Atletico Madrid and FC Porto are already out of the competition. Champions League winners PSG topped their group as expected despite a shocking loss to Botafogo who qualified as runner-up. Other teams that have made it to the next round include Manchester City, Bayern Munich, Juventus, Chelsea, Benfica, Palmerias, Inter Miami and Flamengo. Other teams still playing to qualify are World Super power Real Madrid, Inter Milan, River Plate, Borussia Dortmund, Fluminese, RB Salzburg and Saudi club Al Hilal. So far, there has been lots of goals in the tournament with teams going all out to attack which is unlike the World cup where teams are more concerning with defending first. Still you can still bet on PSG go all the way in this tournament, second option should be Real Madrid because no matter the condition, you just cannot count them out. Bayern Munich should round up the top 3 favorites while Manchester City gets a shout out.
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The premier league schedule is out oo. Come and see who your favorite English teams would be playing first. To kick off the weekend, Liverpool is going to be hosting Bournemouth on Friday August 15th , that looks to a really entertaining way to kick off. Then Aston villa host Newcastle on Saturday to jump start the day. The main event of the opening weekend however is Manchester United playing Arsenal on Sunday, a set up for Ruben Amorim? We are going to find out if United are ready to be serious this season. Here are the matches for the Opening Weekend. Liverpool vs Bournemouth Aston Villa vs Newcastle Brighton vs Fulham Nottingham Forest vs Brentford Sunderland vs West Ham Tottenham Hotspurs vs Burnley Wolverhampton vs Manchester City Chelsea vs Crystal Palace Manchester United vs Arsenal Leeds vs Everton
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Manchester City have confirmed Bernado Silva as their new captain following the departure of club Legend Kevin De bruyne. Silva who joined Manchester City in 2017 has been one of City's best players under Pep Guardiola. He was one of the main characters in their 2023 treble triumph. With one year left on his deal, it remains to see if he can add to the numerous trophies the club has already. Manchester City are currently in the United states as they look to kick off their FIFA Club World cup with their first match against Wydad Casablanca later today.
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The transfer window is officially open. Barcelona have finally decided to go all out for Athletico Bilbao's Nico Williams after agreeing to meet his 60million Euros release clause. Williams has always stated his preferance for Barcelona when his close friend Lamine Yamal just signed a new deal. Barcelona's financial problems last season stopped them from completing a deal for him especially after they had spent over 50million getting Dani Olmo from RB Leipzig. No News yet on the Gyokeres saga, at the moment I am not even sure United is ready to go for him. As for Victor Osimhen, the news is that Juventus are ready to move for him but Napoli are looking to get more than the 75million release clause in his contract. The release clause is apparently for clubs outside Europe (Maybe Napoli dey craze sha). Al-hilal are expected to come back with an improved bid for him, salary is reported to be around 50million Euros a year. Will he decline it again? It remains to be seen.
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Here is a quick recap of transfer News/Rumors from your favorite clubs. Sporting Lisbon hot striker Gyokeres has made if known that he prefers a move to Arsenal even though Manchester United are still in the mix and are playing to make an official bid soon. Arsenal are however ready to walk away from the deal if Sporting Lisbon do not reduce their asking price which is believed to be around 100 million Euros. Arsenal's Plan B is RB Leipzig's Benjamin Sesko. Atletico Madrid are looking to sign Liverpool left back Andrew Robertson for free after walking away from a 25m deal for Theo Hernandez of AC Milan. It remains to be seen if Liverpool would agree to that. Expect a deal to be done after the Club World cup. Bryan Mbeumo is about to be in the middle of a bidding war between Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspurs. Tottenham who just employed Thomas Frank as their new coach are looking to reunite him with his star player. While United are rebuilding their entire frontline with Rasmus Hojlund failing to deliver and set in talks with Inter Mian while Marcus Rashford and Alexander Garnacho are up for sale. Concerning Bidding wars, Nico Williams is set to choose between Barcelona and Bayern Munich in the coming weeks as he looks set to make his big move. However, would Barcelona be able to afford the transfer fee and whatever salary he looks to earn even with a pay cut? How much Pay cut is Nico prepared to take to play with hsi friend Lamine Yamal? We are about to find out. Check tomorrow for more news concerning Chelsea and Real Madrid.
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Premier League Legend Kevin De Bruyne has completed a free transfer to Italian Champions SS Napoli. Napoli announced that he has signed a 2 year deal with the option for a third. KDB as he is popularly called won a lot of trophies with Manchester City including 6 Premier League titles and One Champions league (2023). After winning last season's Serie A title, Napoli have brought in one of Europe's top midfielders as the Italians try to bolster a squad which next season will defend the Scudetto while also having the extra fixture pressure of the expanded Champions League. But will KDB be fit enough to withstand the pressure of all especially when you consider the amount of injuries he has suffered over the last few seasons. Only Time will tell........
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In 2025, 2025 ooo why is Kyle Walker starting for any serious team? The better question is which sane coach is starting him? The Answer came last night when Thomas Tuchel decided to start Walker in a friendly against Senegal. And when Harry Kane was subbed off, the captain band went to Walker. Need to mention that Walker was out of position fpr Senegal's first 2 goals and simply could not keep up with the pace of their attacks. There was a reason Manchester City were happy to let Walker go out on loan in January, also why he is about to join another club on a free transfer. He simply can not compete at the top Level again so why is Tuchel calling him up to the National team just a year before the world cup? Is this not the time to be trying out fresh, hungry players? Right back is a position where England have got the best players in the world with Trent Alexander Arnold, Reece James and Livremento coming through at Newcastle, there is simply no room for mid at this level anymore. Tuchel also called up Jordan Henderson for this round of games, why? why? Is Tuchel a serious coach at all? If he is planning to move forward and create a team strong enough to compete at Next year's world cup, some players should not even be given a thought. Walker, Henderson have no role to play. Also players not playing regularly at the top level should not get called up, Grealish, I am looking at you. There is not reason why Ivan Toney made the list too. Anyway, we would keep watching see just how far England can get with Tuchel.
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