Everton podcaster Ryan Williams labelled Conor Coady ‘terrible’ after he was ‘exposed’ in their 2-0 loss at home to Aston Villa in the Premier League.
The Lowdown: Back down to earth
Everton sank back down to earth after last weekend’s 1-0 win at home to Leeds United, as they lost at Goodison Park thanks to an Ollie Watkins penalty and an Emi Buendia strike.
The result puts them back in the relegation zone, with a tricky trip to league leaders Arsenal to come next on Wednesday night.
The Latest: Coady ‘terrible’
Taking to Twitter, Williams was critical of Coady’s performance in particular, claiming that he was ‘terrible’ after the second goal was conceded, which left him ‘exposed’:
“The problem is that the backline is going to get exposed now as Emery is backing up and stretching them out. And there it is. Wow, Coady is just terrible.”
The Verdict: Must do better
Coady will know that he and the rest of the defence needs to do better if they are going to avoid relegation come the end of the season.
The Englishman lost out on three of his duels, and failed to make a single interception, while he was also dribbled past twice and lost possession a total of five times (SofaScore).
Coady has had much better performances this season, so much so that the Toffees reportedly want to sign him on a permanent deal after his loan spell at Wolves ends.
However, he will have to perform better than he did against Villa if the Blues are going to keep clean sheets from now until the end of the campaign.
TalkSPORT’s Mark Goldbridge believes that David Moyes could leave West Ham at the end of the season.
The Lowdown: No change appears imminent
There has indeed been a lot of talk over the last few weeks and months about the future of Moyes at West Ham as he struggles to guide them away from the threat of relegation with just six league wins under their belt.
However, their emphatic win at home on the weekend against fellow relegation strugglers Nottingham Forest will have done him and the team a whole load of good as they’re now out of the bottom three.
Moyes has been able to guide the Hammers away from relegation battles in the past and if West Ham were to sack him and bring in a new manager, there may not be many better qualified to do so, than Moyes himself.
The Latest: Moyes and West Ham may part ways in the summer
Goldbridge has admitted on Ben Foster’s YouTube channel that sacking Moyes now would make no sense but doesn’t believe a decision could be made in the summer.
He said: (16:40) “We said it a few weeks ago, I think with Moyes it might be time to go at West Ham but that’s a summer move. That’s a thank you very much and off you go, then you try a different project and then you’ve got the start of the season if it goes wrong you can make a change but you don’t take [him out now].”
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The Verdict: West Ham should be sticking with Moyes
The Hammers already made the mistake in the past of parting ways with Moyes only to return to the Scott with their tail between their legs and ask for him to come back, which has seen him lead them to a Europa League semi-final and come very close to a top-four finish.
West Ham mustn’t be looking into making a change as Moyes has had a hand in signing all of these expensively assembled players so he must be allowed to try and get a fine tune-out of them in the final stretch of the season.
With just 14 Premier League games left to play it would make very little sense to relieve Moyes of his duties as a new boss would have next to no time to implement his tactics and style of play and would also show a lack of respect for the job Moyes had done at the London Stadium.
Leeds United fell to their first Premier League defeat under Javi Gracia over the weekend, as they handed Graham Potter’s struggling Chelsea side just their second win of 2023.
It was admittedly a disappointing effort from the travelling Whites, who surely would have seen this as one of the best opportunities in recent memory to turn over the Blues at Stamford Bridge.
But where the Yorkshire outfit normally enjoy plenty of the ball, they were restricted to just 43% of it which was converted into just two shots on target. If they struggle to score when they boast the majority of possession, that task was made even more troublesome by their lack thereof.
It was difficult to retain the ball when the central striker, Georginio Rutter, was enduring such a tough first start in the league.
As such, the Frenchman was raw, lightweight, and ultimately dragged off after 68 minutes. Perhaps his Spanish boss will think twice about reinstating him to the lineup after his performance.
How did Georginio Rutter play vs Chelsea?
Although one of the tougher full Premier League debuts to be handed, it was still expected that the tricky 20-year-old could threaten a threadbare back four. However, the former Brighton and Hove Albion coach instead opted to revert to a back three, which crowded out the diminutive striker amongst a trio of hulking defenders.
As such, Rutter was limited to just 34 touches, of which he only managed to complete four passes all game.
His anonymity throughout the game came as a huge detriment to his side, as he lost possession 21 times in a desperate attempt to create anything. Whilst there were flashes of his quality, and he nearly found the back of the net if not for a fine block.Just one successful dribble all game truly highlights just how little space he was afforded.
Even journalist Beren Cross took to Twitter to claim that he was “virtually a non-entity against three defenders”, suggesting he is far from up to speed when it comes to the physicality of English football.
Although he is now their club-record signing, Gracia must try to alleviate the pressure currently suffocating Rutter if he is to help him shine. There is clearly an abundance of talent waiting to be unleashed, but perhaps dropping him for their next match could be the best move as he slowly integrates him through short cameos rather than tough starts.
Manchester City full-back Joao Cancelo is ‘definitely’ set to leave the club permanently, according to journalist Steve Bates.
The Lowdown: Loaned out
Cancelo made 17 appearances for Man City in the Premier League this season but was loaned out to Bayern Munich for the remainder of the season in a surprise deadline-day move.
When asked whether the full-back has a future at the club, Pep Guardiola recently claimed that a decision will be taken at the end of the season, however, one journalist believes that the manager has already made his choice.
The Latest: Set to leave?
In an interview with GiveMeSport, Bates indicated that Guardiola’s history of being ruthless with key players means that he will also allow the Portugal international to leave the club this summer. The journalist said:
“I think it’s very difficult once Guardiola lets you go out on loan. I think he’s probably made up his mind already.
“Guardiola sold Sterling, Jesus and Zinchenko last summer. They were really top, top players and doing well for him, but he let them go.
“Cancelo has obviously had disagreements with him and his form has gone. It has not been what it was, so I would suspect that Cancelo’s days at City are definitely over.”
The Verdict: Right call?
The 28-year-old was a key performer for the Sky Blues in the 2021/22 campaign, weighing in with seven assists in the Premier League, however, his form took a downward turn this season, making a very poor mistake in the loss against Liverpool at Anfield.
Since arriving at Bayern, the right-back has been lauded ‘fantastic’ by members of the media, helping himself to a goal and two assists in five Bundesliga appearances up to this point.
Given that Guardiola now has 18-year-old Rico Lewis at his disposal to provide cover for Kyle Walker, allowing Cancelo to leave may be the best option for all parties in the summer, especially considering Man City could receive £61.5m if Bayern decide to make his stay permanent.
Tottenham Hotspur striker Harry Kane is unlikely to make a decision on his future in north London before the end of the current campaign.
How long does Harry Kane have left on his contract?
The 29-year-old is now nearing the final year of his contract in north London which could leave Spurs vulnerable this summer if there are teams interested in the striker.
There is a belief Manchester United are eyeing the England captain as their number one target for the summer with Erik ten Hag leading that pursuit.
Reports earlier in the year had suggested the striker was open to the idea of putting pen to paper on a new deal to extend his stay at his boyhood club.
However, speaking on his YouTube channel, Alasdair Gold has now claimed no decision is likely to be made before the summer on Kane's end of the deal:
(45:10) "Everything I kind of was hearing from people around him a couple of weeks back was more kind of just focus on the now, let's get this done. And then we'll kind of have a look and obviously see what Spurs offer and all that sort of stuff as well."
Could Harry Kane leave Spurs this summer?
Tottenham's recent disappointment in the FA Cup and Champions League did feel like a potential setback in their bid to keep their starman at the club for next season.
Spurs' trophy drought has meant the England captain is still yet to get his hands on a piece of silverware with the north London side.
But there may be serious question marks as to who would be in the market for Kane in the summer given his age and his expected price tag.
Manchester United have been mentioned as a seriously interested party with Bayern Munich also believed to be in the market for the 29-year-old.
However, whether Kane would be willing to move to another country is a massive question and whether he would be keen to uproot and move up north two years on from his proposed move to Manchester City is also up for debate.
And it seems as if Spurs fans could be in for a summer of speculation if Kane does not surprise them by signing a new deal before the end of the summer.
From the player's side of things, waiting until the summer is probably his best option with Spurs by no means a guarantee to qualify for the Champions League next season.
It has to be said this could also be the case of United who only sit two points ahead of Tottenham in the table – albeit with a game in hand – but the clubs are set to play each other next month.
A lot could still unfold in the remaining games of this Premier League campaign and it will be interesting to see how it could affect Kane's future in north London.
Everton have struggled once again in the Premier League this season with a relegation scrap plaguing the majority of their campaign and despite Sean Dyche improving the performances, there is still plenty of work to do at Goodison Park before it's over.
The Toffees climbed into 15th and went two points clear of the relegation zone following their well-fought draw against Chelsea on Saturday night but with the bottom half of the table unstable and tight for points from 12th down, survival is not a certainty ahead of their remaining ten league fixtures.
Indeed, there is no doubt the appointment of the former Burnley boss has had a positive impact on the Merseysiders with the side taking 11 points from his first eight games in charge so far and for some players, they have found their Everton careers revived upon his arrival.
Michael Keane, Dwight McNeil, Abdoulaye Doucoure and Ben Godfrey have all seen their game-time increase since the new manager took the reins and although the players who have been favoured will be thrilled, others will be disappointed to lose their place.
One player in particular who has rarely been seen in the new Dyche era is Wolverhampton Wanderers loanee Conor Coady, a player who despite Everton's struggles this season has quickly become a favourite for supporters owing to his dynamic centre-back partnership in the first half of the campaign alongside James Tarkowski.
Why isn't Conor Coady playing at Everton?
Despite dropping the 30-year-old former Wolves captain in the last four outings, the Everton boss both addressed his absence and sang the praises of Coady ahead of the clash with Chelsea:
"He’s been an immaculate professional, which everyone in the game has always suggested he is. And now I work with him I can see why, because he is."
"It’s fine margins with who we are picking at the moment because there are several players who could argue the case of getting (in the team). It enhances things less for your chances if the team is winning, not always but sometimes."
Over 22 league appearances, the £55k-per-week titan – hailed a "mentality monster" by former teammate Adam Morgan – has scored one goal, tallied up an 85% pass completion rate and six clean sheets, as well as averaging 3.7 clearances and winning 2.3 duels per game, proving that he is a huge influence defensively.
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In spite of Dyche's improvements, the Goodison Park faithful have been bemused by the manager's decision to exile Coady with former Everton journalist Adam Jones baffled at the selection of Keane during the Chelsea clash:
"Michael Keane with a weak clearance for the opener, and missing an absolute sitter to make it 1-1.
"Meanwhile arguably Everton's best centre-back still sits on the bench. It's baffling."
To give a fair comparison when considering Coady's superiority over Keane due to the latter's lack of game-time this season, the England international outperformed the unpopular Toffees defender in many attributes last season including pass completion (89.5% v 76.4%), clearances (140 v 128), errors led to shots (0 v 2), take-on success (100% v 87.5%) and ball recoveries (162 v 149).
With that being said, the decision to play Keane over Coady could easily be Dyche's first and only howler at Everton so far with supporters likely to be hoping that Coady's absence won't negatively affect their chances of survival in the Premier League at the end of the season.
A number of Arsenal fans have flocked to Twitter to wish former player Mesut Ozil all the best after the German announced his retirement.
What happened between Mesut Ozil and Arsenal?
On Wednesday afternoon, the 34-year-old took to Instagram to state that he would be hanging up his boots amid recent injury issues.
His statement read: “After thoughtful consideration, I’m announcing my immediate retirement from professional football.
“I’ve had the privilege to be a professional football player for almost 17 years now and I feel incredibly thankful for the opportunity.
“But in recent weeks and months, having also suffered some injuries, it’s become more and more clear that it’s time to leave the big stage of football.
“It has been an amazing journey filled with unforgettable moments and emotions. I want to thank my clubs – Schalke, Werder Bremen, Real Madrid, Arsenal, Fenerbahce and Basaksehir – and the coaches who supported me, plus team-mates who have become friends.”
He also added: “Thank you to all my fans who have shown me so much love no matter the circumstances and no matter which club I was representing.”
In a glittering career, the talented midfielder played 254 times for Arsenal, winning three FA Cups along the way as he impressed supporters with his technical quality and creative skill set – earning the reputation as the “assist king”.
However, it’s safe to say things didn’t end too well for Ozil in north London, as Mikel Arteta dropped him from his side in an attempt to get rid of the German, who was viewed as underperforming while having a mammoth £350,000-a-week contract.
Eventually, he opted to leave Arsenal six months before his contract was due to expire, with the player and club agreeing to a mutual termination back in 2021.
He went on to play for Turkish Super Lig giants Fenerbahce before moving last summer to Istanbul Basaksehir. He ends his career as a World Cup winner, while also winning major trophies in Spain and Germany.
Despite how things turned out for him towards the end of his time with Arsenal, it seems as though many fans will remember him for the good moments rather than the bad.
According to reports, Tottenham Hotspur chairman Daniel Levy may have dashed the club's hopes of appointing Sporting CP boss Ruben Amorim.
The managers Tottenham want to replace Conte
Spurs' search for a new manager to succeed Antonio Conte is now well and truly underway, coming after the north Londoners mutually agreed to part ways with the Italian earlier this week. Cristian Stellini and assistant coach Ryan Mason are now tasked with guiding the club to a top four Premier League finish, which could well be crucial in helping to attract some of Levy's top managerial targets.
Mauricio Pochettino, Luis Enrique, Julian Nagelsmann and Zinedine Zidane top the list of free agent bosses wanted by Tottenham as the quartet are readily available for hire after leaving their respective clubs. Meanwhile, in-work candidates cannot be excluded, with the likes of Roberto De Zerbi (Brighton) and Celtic boss Ange Postecoglou featuring highly on their list.
Amorim, who was won trophies galore in Portugal across spells at both Sporting and SC Braga, including a league title, has been mentioned as a target by the media in recent weeks. However, according to a new report, it appears the 38-year-old may now be steering clear of the job.
Indeed, as relayed by newspaper A Bola (via Sport Witness), it is believed that Amorim doesn't want the Tottenham job and one main reason for the rejection is actually Levy. The report states Sporting's boss doesn't want to deal with Levy's 'tempestuous temper', and while they don't elaborate further, it appears the thought of working with Tottenham's chairman has been enough to steer Amorim away from the post.
He also apparently doesn't want to leave Sporting before winning another league title, with his contract set to expire in 2026 and containing a mammoth €30m (£26m) release clause.
Would Amorim have been perfect?
Standing out as an exciting, young manager with trophy-winning pedigree already – this news comes as a real dampener for Levy and co. The Portuguese tactician, who deploys a similar 3-4-3 formation to Conte, could have been a simple transition for some Spurs players given his identical system.
As well as this, he has experience getting the very best out of Spurs defender Pedro Porro, with the pair having worked together to devastating effect at Sporting before joining Tottenham in January.
Called a 'sensational' coach by members of the press, he was a brilliant candidate to succeed Conte, but it appears Tottenham have some work to do to change his mind.
Fans and pundits alike have lambasted England captain Harry Kane after his “embarrassing” theatrics in the most recent Tottenham Hotspur game.
What did Harry Kane do against Everton?
It certainly was an interesting night for the Spurs star as his side played their first game without recently departed manager Antonio Conte.
Indeed, with the Italian’s assistant Cristian Stellini at the helm, and Ryan Mason by his side, Tottenham travelled to Everton in the Premier League.
A win would have done wonders for the north London club’s ambitions to finish in the Champions League places, but the Toffees were fighting for their lives down at the bottom of the table.
And after 58 minutes, it seems Abdoulaye Doucoure took that a little too literally as he was caught up in a bit of a scrap with the England International.
As seen in this footage, Kane fouls Demarai Gray but after the whistle is blown, he continues to battle Doucoure for the ball and things quickly escalate.
The pair tussle and square up to one another before the Everton midfielder foolishly pushes out with an arm and catches Kane in the face.
Contact is made and the £200k-per-week Spurs star has no second thoughts about hurling himself to the ground like a sack of potatoes.
While you can certainly see that Kane is touched in the face, it’s not exactly as if Doucoure landed a haymaker. The theatrics work, however, and Everton are down to ten men.
Spurs went on to take the lead through their 29-year-old striker but in typical fashion, surrendered the lead late on after Lucas Moura got his own red card, before Michael Keane fired home a stunning equaliser right at the death.
Amid all the drama, it seems a number of pundits and notable names were quick to condemn Kane for his acting masterclass.
Here are some of their reactions…
Fans on Twitter weren’t any kinder either as they laid into England’s record-scorer…
Newcastle United manager Eddie Howe has been offered an apology on talkSPORT from Simon Jordan who had previously doubted the 45-year-old.
Are Newcastle shocking the league?
The arrival of new owners on Tyneside promised a new dawn for the Toon Army, however, the speed in which Newcastle have been able to close the gap on the 'big six' has been staggering.
Granted, they have been helped in some sense by the hugely underwhelming campaigns for Chelsea and Liverpool which has them both well below their expected levels.
But Newcastle have been there to capitalise on the errors of others and that can be seen in recent weeks having leapfrogged the likes of Tottenham Hotspur who are enduring their own issues.
There can be no doubting the levels of the three sides aforementioned have been below par over the course of the 2022/23 campaign, but that is not Newcastle's issue.
Howe has his Newcastle side well-drilled and has been able to extract the best out of the players he has got as well as recruiting players who are proving to be instant hits on Tyneside.
As Newcastle sit in third and open a gap on fifth-spot, Jordan has issued the 45-year-old an apology on Thursday's talkSPORT show for previously doubting him:
"With all due respect to him, I was wrong about his appointment. Because he's gone in there, he's caught this wave, and he's ridden it. And more than ridden it. He's directed it.
"And he's now coming out as a far better manager than I envisaged he was. Now that's great when you're in ascendancy, and we haven't yet seen any kinks or any bumps in the road, but there's nothing to indicate that we're going to right now.
"It's been a direction of travel that's been upward since he's walked through the door. But he's been responsible for that."
How good has the appointment of Howe been?
The Newcastle boss was selected by PIF having previously left his role at Bournemouth after he was unable to keep them afloat in the Premier League.
So it would only be natural to think the 45-year-old's appointment could have been viewed as a short-term option to steady the ship from Steve Bruce's reign.
However, there was an almost instant improvement on Tyneside after Howe's appointment after he took Newcastle from 19th in the table – without a league win – and see them finish in 11th spot last season.
Eddie Howe and Jason Tindall coach from the sidelines in Newcastle United's Premier League victory over West Ham United.
And this season has seen the Magpies continue from where they left off last season and go on to hold the league's best defensive record.
The Toon conceded 62 goals last season, however, this season – with 10 games left – they have allowed in fewer than a third of that total with just 20 goals conceded.
There have been a number of additions to Newcastle's side under PIF's reign, but there has to be a lot of credit given to Howe for the development of some of the players he inherited.
The likes of Miguel Almiron and Joelinton have both been transformed under Howe to become regular starters who have had a huge impact on Howe's Newcastle side.
Newcastle have by no means secured their spot in the top four just yet, but they are certainly heading in that direction and Howe is rightfully getting a lot of the credit for their impressive campaign.