January 2019
Kyle Walker hands Liverpool fans ammunition with goading Harry Maguire tweet
Liverpool fans across the internet, reach for your bookmarks bar.
Kyle Walker has offered Reds ammunition in case Manchester City do not close the gap in the Premier League title race.
Following Liverpool’s draw with Leicester at Anfield on Wednesday night, the England full-back sent out a goading tweet featuring a photo of Harry Maguire (see above), the Foxes’ goalscorer on the night.
Using a famous photo of the centre-back speaking to his girlfriend Fern at the World Cup, Walker wrote: “’So basically they thought they were gonna go 7 points ahead…’,” with reference to Liverpool’s failure to capitalise on City’s defeat to Newcastle the night before.
If City do not go on to defend their title, Walker is sure to be reminded of this one.
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Should Harry Maguire have been sent off against Liverpool for last-man foul on Sadio Mane?
It’d be fair to say that Martin Atkinson is not the most popular man on Merseyside right now.
Not only were Liverpool fans livid that he failed to award Naby Keita a penalty for what looked like a clear foul by Ricardo Pereira in the second half of Wednesday night’s game against Leicester, they also felt that Foxes goalscorer Harry Maguire should have been sent off before he scored their equaliser on the stroke of half time.
The incident in question came in the 41st minute, when Sadio Mane pounced on a loose ball in the middle third and looked like he might go one-on-one having burst through Leicester’s high defensive line. Instead, Maguire clipped him from behind and brought him down for a caution. The home fans at Anfield were incensed given that Maguire appeared to be the last man.
Maguire should have walked.
Last man.
Guilt written all over him.
Absolute joke of a decision. pic.twitter.com/7Tuu8cd9Tv
— We Are Liverpool
(@_pepper_red11) January 30, 2019
Maguire seemed sheepish about the incident in the immediate aftermath and again in his post-match interview. Speaking to BT Sport, he said: “I didn’t really mean to bring him down so I thought it was the right decision but, no, you’re always worried because it looked like he was going to run in through on goal.
“Jonny Evans, I think it went underneath his foot,” Maguire went on, styling out the fact that he had just cheerily shifted blame onto his teammate with the magnificent mixed metaphor: “It was a heart in hands moment, but thankfully it was a yellow card.”
"I didn't really mean to bring him down, so I thought it was the right decision, you always worry…"
Harry Maguire speaks about that challenge on Sadio Mane…
@DesKellyBTS pic.twitter.com/I0dXVsuEnQ
— Football on BT Sport (@btsportfootball) January 30, 2019
‘It’s a 100 per cent chance’
Though Jurgen Klopp made it infinitely clear that – since he’s not a referee – he did not want to talk about the incident after the match he did, of course, go on to talk about it in considerable detail.
“I’m not sure,” he said when asked whether Maguire should have been sent off. “Is it smart? Is that what he’s doing? I would say it’s a 100 per cent chance at least and I think that’s the situation, that’s something which gives you the chance or tells the ref he has to give a red card.
“Not only Sadio is through, I’m pretty sure Mo [Salah] is on the other side so he can play two versus [Kasper] Schmeichel. But again, Martin Atkinson thought it’s not a red card, he gave a yellow card, that’s it.”
"I'm not the referee. I would say it's a 100% chance, not only was Sadio through, I think Mo was on the other side."
"I think we agree it was a penalty."
Jurgen Klopp speaks to @DesKellyBTS about two decisions which didn't go Liverpool's way. pic.twitter.com/H75xkhPxHE
— Football on BT Sport (@btsportfootball) January 30, 2019
So should Maguire have seen red?
Given that Maguire himself admitted that he thought he might see red, it’s hard to deny the case for a sending off entirely. That said, there is one key element of the Laws of the Game which may exonerate him and which, strangely enough, was highlighted by Georginio Wijnaldum after the game.
“The ref can explain better why he didn’t give the red card,” Wijnaldum said in his post-match interview with beIN Sports. “I think maybe because the distance to goal was quite big, so maybe someone could catch Sadio.”
Harry Maguire dodges a potential red card and costs Liverpool the win! Gini WIjnaldum is staying positive though.#beINPL #LIVLEI #LFC pic.twitter.com/03rnKgqmGh
— beIN SPORTS (@beINSPORTS) January 30, 2019
While the Laws of the Game state that denying a goal or an obvious goalscoring opportunity can result in a red card, they also state that “the distance between the offence and the goal” should be considered. That means that, while there’s little doubting that Maguire was the last man, the fact that the foul took place in the middle third may have affected Martin Atkinson’s thinking.
Read more: Liverpool slip up against Leicester, but Premier League triumph will be worth the wait
Ultimately, the decision is up to the referee’s discretion, Atkinson felt a caution was fair and that call is justifiable under the rules. Had he not then failed to award a potentially decisive penalty for the foul on Naby Keita in the second half, the likelihood is that Maguire’s caution would have been a minor talking point as opposed to a major controversy.
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Should Liverpool’s Naby Keita have won a penalty against Leicester?
As Naby Keita strode into the Leicester penalty area in the second half of his side’s Premier League clash against Leicester, Ricardo Pereira’s desperately tried to put pressure on the ex-RB Leipzig midfielder. After hurtling back into position to defuse a dangerous situation that denied Xherdan Shaqiri an opportunity to test Kasper Schmeichel in the first half, he looked to aid his goalkeeper once more.
In doing so, the Portuguese right back shunted into Keita, making contact with the Liverpool midfielder’s standing leg as he looked to shoot from close range. With a good view, referee Martin Atkinson waved away the home side’s claims, instead pointing for a goal kick – possibly due to Keita taking a poor prior touch which took the ball a little beyond his control.
There was certainly contact on Keita, as Pereira careered into his man to try and put him off his shot, with the two players’ legs colliding. Given that the Guinean was travelling at pace and definitely on the stretch, however, the ball certainly wasn’t tightly under his spell and there could be the argument that Pereira was merely using his body strength to his advantage after using his pace to recover smartly.
There are definitely claims to be made for and against.
The reaction
Some fans didn’t feel too much in the way of empathy for Liverpool.
Surprisingly I have very little sympathy for Liverpool being refused that penalty on Keita. pic.twitter.com/P5naffUYKr
— Stuart (@stuartellis24) January 30, 2019
Liverpool fans, unsurprisingly, were in a less positive mood.
Everyone complaining about Keïta but I think he did very solid for someone who doesn’t play. He definitely got in a position to win us a penalty. Horrible officiating. #LIVLEI
— Anfield Press (@AnfieldPress) January 30, 2019
Awful display from Martin Atkinson so far – should’ve sent Maguire off (who then scores), should’ve blown for h/t when the ball was cleared before Maguire scored, should’ve given a penalty to Keita…the list goes on #LFC
— Corby Ganesh (@Corberama) January 30, 2019
100% penalty. Some poor refereeing decisions tonight, all going against us. #LFC #LIVLEI #Keita pic.twitter.com/ulHNZwKyu6
— LFC Photo (@LFCphoto) January 30, 2019
There was even some room for a conspiracy theory.
– Maguire should’ve seen red
– Clear penalty on Keita
– Ricardo should’ve got 2nd yellow
– Obvious offside decisions missedBeginning to think @premierleague don’t want Liverpool to win!
— Matt Gibbs (@MrMattGibbs) January 30, 2019
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Arsenal vs Cardiff: Player ratings as Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Alexandre Lacazette seal uninspired home win
Arsenal
Bernd Leno 6/10
First called into action in the 81st minute when he made a save from Cardiff substitute Kenneth Zohore. Otherwise had basically nothing to do, and did it fairly well until he conceded to Nathaniel Mendez-Laing at the death.
Stephan Lichtsteiner 4/10
As an ineffective, ageing reservist signed on a free transfer he is doing a decent imitation of Mathieu Flamini, though Flamini was better. Brought off early in the second half for Carl Jenkinson.
Shkodran Mustafi 6/10
Dealt relatively well with Cardiff’s robust attentions and did well to muster a makeshift defence.
Nacho Monreal 7/10
Played out of position at centre back and helped to keep a clean sheet. Fair play.
Sead Kolasinac 8/10
Reinvented as Arsenal’s best crosser and most creative defender under Unai Emery, he swished in dangerous balls from the left flank without anyone getting on the end of them. Then made the run in behind onto Iwobi’s delightful through-ball and won the penalty which sent Arsenal on their way.
Lucas Torreira 6/10
An effective midfield shield as ever, this wasn’t a standout game for him as much as it was a quiet case of ‘job done’.
Mohamed Elneny 4/10
Brought off at half time for Alex Iwobi after one of the utterly nondescript performances for which he has become (not particularly) famous.
Matteo Guendouzi 7/10
Made manifest the feelings of all Arsenal fans at the end of the first half when he was booked for dissent by Mike Dean, which was nonetheless a bit stupid. Did his thing, played with high energy and drew fouls from left, right and centre.
Mesut Ozil 6/10
Had his moments creatively but still not at top confidence. Will have been pleased to captain the side after his spell in the wilderness, but still has a way to go to convince Emery to start him every game.
Alexandre Lacazette 8/10
Unlucky not to get a penalty in the first half after a raking challenge from Bruno Ecuele Manga down the back of his ankle, not that he was in a particularly dangerous position on the edge of the area. Spent the first half fizzing about, snatching at half chances and pinging the ball around with little to show for it, but looked threatening for much of the second before scoring a fantastic solo goal to seal the win.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang 6/10
Looked isolated and cut adrift for much of the match, with Arsenal’s inability to get him involved and create more chances for him becoming a bit of a worry. Did score from the spot when called upon, however, and always has a goal in him even when he isn’t at his best.
Cardiff
Neil Etheridge 5/10
Couldn’t do anything about Aubameyang’s cool penalty, but did make a good save from Iwobi not long afterwards. For Lacazette’s goal, conceded from a tight angle and allowed the ball to bounce under him.
Joe Bennett 5/10
The less frazzled of Cardiff’s full-backs come the end of the game.
Sol Bamba 5/10
Failed to stop Lacazette’s solo goal at source despite attempting to take him down with a foul. Otherwise solid in the face of Arsenal’s attack, but not great.
Bruno Ecuele Manga 3/10
Should have been penalised after his clumsy rake down Lacazette’s Achilles just inside the box in the first half, but got away with it. Managed to actually give away a penalty in the second half, this after a similarly clumsy hack on Kolasinac.
Lee Peltier 4/10
Struggled with Arsenal’s overlapping attacks and allowed Kolasinac to get past him on the flank time and time again.
Joe Ralls 4/10
Booked for a foul on Guendouzi late on, which was his main contribution to the game.
Aron Gunnarsson 5/10
The avatar of Neil Warnock’s no-nonsense midfield, he managed to frustrate Arsenal initially but, along with his teammates, eventually faded.
Harry Arter 4/10
Booked for a nasty challenge on Guendouzi in the second half which could be filed under the label ‘dark yellow’. Declined in effectiveness as Cardiff’s spoiling job in midfield began to unravel and brought off for Kadeem Harris late on.
Callum Paterson 4/10
May have been reimagined as a centre forward for much of this season but, deployed on the right side of midfield, showed all the grace of a meat-and-potatoes centre back. Sent a couple of shots sailing wide and high and was booked for a follow-through on Lichtsteiner in the first half.
Bobby Reid 5/10
Tried his best, had very little impact and was brought off for Nathaniel Mendez-Laing.
Oumar Niasse 6/10
Got in behind the Arsenal defence a couple of times and looked like Cardiff’s most dangerous attacker. Still, on a night when they did barely anything going forward, that’s not saying much. Subbed off for Kenneth Zohore with 20 minutes to play.
Substitutes
Alex Iwobi 8/10
Provided a brilliant through-ball for Kolasinac which resulted in Arsenal penalty. Could have scored himself not long afterwards. Made the requisite impact, in stark contrast to Elneny.
Carl Jenkinson 6/10
Not Stephan Lichtsteiner. All hail the Brexit Cafu.
Aaron Ramsey 6/10
Had a couple of nice, driving runs forward but generally limited to a supporting role after coming on for Ozil. Could have scored a header late on after he was teed up by Lacazette.
Nathaniel Mendez-Laing 7/10
Came on, ran about, scored a decent consolation.
Kenneth Zohore 6/10
Had Cardiff’s first shot on target, so gets an extra mark for an otherwise shrug-worthy cameo.
Kadeem Harris 5/10
Only on for the last 10 minutes or so, leaving him with little time to affect the game.
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When does the January transfer window 2019 close? Date and time for Premier League, EFL and Scottish Premiership
No one wants to be shocked by the unexpected arrival of transfer deadline day, like a sex toy hitting the back of a reporter’s head.
Thankfully, like Harry Redknapp winding down a car door window, we are prepared for all your questions.
So, scroll down, and prepare yourself for a window full of panic buys and commercially-motivated moves.
When is the January transfer window open?
Right now. It opened on New Year’s Day. The chaos began with West Ham signing of Samir Nasri on a free and Christian Pulisic heading to Chelsea.
When is deadline day?
The transfer window will close at 11pm on 31 January 2019. This will be the latest that English and Scottish clubs can sign talent from other sides.
What about free agents, loans and sales?
Free agents can join clubs outside the transfer window. There are special rules to allow clubs to acquire a goalkeeper, should all professional goalkeepers in a squad be rendered unavailable through injury or other reasons – although this rarely occurs.
Loans must be finalised within the transfer window and due to the scrapping of the EFL’s ’emergency loan’ windows in 2016, under pressure from Fifa, this is the case for all divisions in the football leagues in England and Scotland.
In terms of sales, players cannot be sold to other clubs in England and Scotland due to the window.
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Willian reveals Chelsea players are pleading with Callum Hudson-Odoi to ignore Bayern Munich transfer rumours
Chelsea players have pleaded with Callum Hudson-Odoi to stay at the club after the teenager handed in a transfer request.
Hudson-Odoi, 18, has threatened to become the latest young English talent to shun the Premier League elite for game time abroad. He is growing fed up with the minimal first-team minutes at Stamford Bridge and is seeking a move to Bundesliga giants Bayern Munich.
But, after the winger scored a sensational goal against Sheffield Wednesday in the FA Cup on Sunday, team-mate Willian revealed that Chelsea’s players are trying to convince him to remain at the club.
‘One of the best players in the world’
“We want him to stay,” the Brazilian said. “We don’t want him to leave. He can become one of the best players for Chelsea, one of the best players in the world, in the future. He has to stay.
“The quality he has: he has everything. He’s fast. Of course he can improve, he’s only 18, but he can improve a lot to become one of the best players.
“We want him to stay. He’s a great talent. A great player. We tell him all the time to stay here.”
Hudson-Odoi has featured 11 times for Chelsea this season under new manager Maurizio Sarri, but is yet to start a Premier League game. He has started twice in the FA Cup, twice in the Europa League — where he has twice come on as a substitute — and started in the Community Shield. He has come on three times in the league.
Bayern Munich could come back in summer
Bayern Munich are willing to pay around £35million for the forward, who won the World Cup with England’s Under 17s in 2017, and pay wages of £85,000 per week, although reports in Germany on Monday suggested they may wait until the summer now, with Chelsea adamant they do not want to sell one of the most highly-rated teenage players on the planet.
Chelsea are willing to offer Hudson-Odoi a new contract and match the salary offered by Bayern Munich but the player believes he will play more first-team football if he switches to the Bundesliga.
Defender Antonio Rudiger said: “What I can say is clear: Chelsea have to make him stay. It will be a pity if this young talent leaves us. He decides his future but Chelsea need to give him a new contract.”
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