Nick Miller – Page 4 – Football Scout

Arsenal are in a rut, but is mediocrity now just accepted at the Emirates?

Ian Darke says it’s imperative Arsenal bolster their squad starting with Crystal Palace’s Wilfried Zaha if they want to return to UCL football.

One assumes there was some logic to Arsenal making a £40 million bid for Wilfried Zaha this week. It could be the start of negotiations with Crystal Palace. It could be an effort to unsettle the player. It could be a show of ambition to their disgruntled fan base. But offering roughly half the market value for a player who signed a five-year contract in August — to a club who have just received £50m for Aaron Wan-Bissaka – only seems likely to annoy Palace, place false hope…

How Wan-Bissaka went from reserve winger to £50m Man United right-back

Steve Nicol loves what he saw from Aaron Wan-Bissaka last season and says he would be worth every penny for Manchester United.
The surprising thing about Aaron Wan-Bissaka is not that he is reportedly about to become the most expensive right-back in the history of football. It’s that only two years ago, the man who Manchester United are rumoured to be spending north of £50 million for, wasn’t even a right-back.
In fact, for much of the time the 21-year-old spent in the Crystal Palace youth ranks, he was not even especially highly rated. In those days he was a relatively modest winger, not close to being cut adrift…

Five relegated players who could prove bargain buys for Premier League’s top six

ESPN FC’s Gab Marcotti says the allure of Champions League football might be enough to have Paul Pogba looking at other clubs to play for next season.

ESPN FC’s Steve Nicol gives his take on potential Liverpool summer transfer moves, seeing Neil Etheridge as a capable backup for Alisson.
It is officially “silly season” as the transfer market is open and the Premier League’s top-six clubs have begun the process of bolstering their ranks. While Man United, Man City, Liverpool, Arsenal, Chelsea and to a lesser extent Spurs, are traditionally expensive shoppers, this season all six would welcome a bargain buy or two. But where to find them? The Premier League relegation zone is a good place to start, as amongst the trash, Nick Miller writes there is real treasure to be found. Here are…

UEFA Champions League alternative awards: From best goal to funniest meltdown

Liverpool legend Steve Nicol was in Madrid to watch his beloved Reds win the Champions League, but relief rather than joy was his overriding emotion.

The 2018-19 Champions League came to an emotional end on Saturday night in Madrid as Liverpool outlasted Tottenham 2-0 to win and claim their sixth European Cup/Champions League title in the process. This season’s edition was notable not just for ending with an all-Premier League final; Nick Miller recaps the most memorable highs and lows from a tournament with plenty of both.

Best goal

Winner: Ivan Rakitic, Barcelona vs. Tottenham, group stage

Picking the best goal from a Champions…

Mustafi: Arsenal’s defence has done a good job

Steve Nicol says it’s tragic for Henrikh Mkhitaryan to be forced to miss out on the Europa League final in Baku due to safety concerns.
Shkodran Mustafi insists Arsenal’s defence is “doing its job” despite its poor record over the season.

Mustafi has been a regular in an Arsenal backline that conceded 51 goals in the Premier League this season, the most in the top five and more than twice as many as Manchester City and Liverpool, keeping just eight clean sheets.

However the top two were the only sides who scored more than them over the season, so given they only missed a place in the top four by a single point, a strong case…

Championship playoffs: Predictions, key battles, stars to watch

Frank Lampard’s Derby County secured a playoff semifinal against Marcelo Bielsa’s Leeds United with a 2-1 win over West Brom, pipping Middlesbrough to sixth place.

Astonishing scenes in Elland Road as Leeds United score a goal instead of kicking the ball out due to injury. A scuffle ensues and Marcelo Bielsa orders his team to let Villa score on the ensuing kickoff.

Norwich lifted the Championship trophy following their victory at Aston Villa, a week after mathematically clinching promotion against Blackburn.

Craig Burley, Steve Nicol and Julien Laurens all agree Leeds United were right to play on when they scored while an Aston Villa player was down.

Players and staff of Sheffield United celebrated clinching automatic promotion to the Premier League after Leeds United’s draw with Aston Villa sealed their spot.

Despite missing out on an automatic promotion spot, a place in the Premier League remains tantalisingly close for four Championship clubs via the playoffs.

But only two teams can advance to the final, dubbed “the richest game in football,” at Wembley on May 27 (live on ESPN+). (Oh, and unlike the Champions League, away goals don’t matter here.) Will it be playoff heartbreak yet again for fallen giants Leeds when they face Derby? Who will win the Midlands battle between former European champions…

Man City and Liverpool by the numbers: how they took over the Premier League

Steve Nicol credits Aymeric Laporte and Vincent Kompany for solidifying Manchester City’s back line during pivotal games late in the season.

The end of the Premier League season is upon us, and barring something extraordinary with the Champions League places, there is just one meaningful thing left to decide. And boy, is it meaningful: Manchester City go into their trip to Brighton a point ahead of Liverpool, who face Wolves at home, therefore knowing that a victory will guarantee the retention of the title.

These two sides have more or less been playing a different sport than the rest of the division this season and will finish…

Liverpool continue with late heroics but that may not be good enough

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was praised for his early success at Man United, but the FC crew say he also deserves criticism for missing the top four.

After Chelsea guaranteed themselves Champions League football with a win over Watford, the FC crew examine the overall success of their season.

Craig Burley is at a loss after Arsenal drop points again, leaving them with a near insurmountable path to finishing in the top four.

The FC guys debate whether Tottenham can hang on to a top four position in the Premier League amid a run of lacklustre performances.
Inevitability of the weekend
After Liverpool’s late win at Newcastle, which took them to a barely credible 94 points, already more than all but two teams since three points for a win was introduced in 1981 (even more remarkable when you consider 11 of those seasons were 40 or 42 game campaigns), Jurgen Klopp was asked if he feared the worst in the game’s closing stages.
“No, I was completely calm,” he said, initially putting that serenity down to “destiny,” but it’s also because he has seen this…

W2W4: Will De Gea cost Man United again? Can Rodgers help Liverpool?

W2W4 previews the penultimate weekend of Premier League action by highlighting its most compelling storylines …
The pride of Rodgers could be Liverpool’s big hope
It’s impossible not to find it delicious that this weekend Liverpool’s chances of winning their first Premier League title in 29 years is at least in part in the hands of two former Liverpool managers. The two men in charge the past two times they had a realistic chance of the title, in fact.
On Saturday night, Rafa Benitez’s Newcastle…

Who are Sheffield United? Billy Sharp leads the Blades back to the Premier League

Sheffield United confirmed their place in the top flight for next season when Leeds United were held to a draw against Aston Villa on Sunday. Here we take a look at the Blades and what they will bring to the Premier League.

Last time Sheffield United were in the Premier League

Sheffield United’s last season in the top flight still rankles. As the end of the 2006-07 season neared, it looked like West Ham would be relegated and the Blades would survive. Enter Carlos Tevez, who almost singlehandedly…

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