The Athletic journalist James Pearce claimed that Liverpool “lacked a spark in the final third” during Tuesday’s 1-0 loss to Atletico Madrid in the Champions League.An early goal from Saul Niguez proved to be the difference between the two teams in their last-16 first leg at the Wanda Metropolitano.Both Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah were replaced by head coach Jurgen Klopp during the defeat in Spain.And Pearce was keen to pay tribute to La Liga side Atletico for their impressive defending over the course of the 90 minutes.

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Liverpool, of course, will have the chance to turn the tie around when the two teams meet at Anfield for the second leg next month.

Atletico will head to Merseyside with a one-goal advantage, though, and Pearce claimed that the English club’s lack of “spark” in attack caused them to lose on Tuesday night.

The journalist’s full-time tweet can be seen below:

Meanwhile, Liverpool are thought to be leading the race for this Premier League attacker ahead of the summer transfer window.

Things are going quite well for West Brom at the moment.

The Baggies look increasingly likely to return to the Premier League with each passing week, and they’re now nine points clear of third place, sitting pretty at the top of the Championship.

The Midlands club are well aware that promotion is in their hands, and if they keep winning, they will be back in the top-flight.

They’ve had a tough run lately, playing two playoff contenders in the shape of Nottingham Forest and Bristol City in their previous two games, and things don’t get much easier on Tuesday.

Indeed, Slaven Bilic’s side host sixth-place Preston North End at The Hawthorns in their next match, in what is likely to be a tough game.

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Albion will have to be at their best to beat the Lancashire outfit, and here’s how we think they’ll line up with two changes.

After beating Bristol City 3-0, unsurprisingly we haven’t predicted too many changes for West Brom.

Sam Johnstone remains in goal, while the back four remains very similar, aside from the fact that Kyle Bartley returns in place of Ahmed Hegazi.

The main talking point ahead of this one is in the midfield after Romaine Sawyers’ red card on Saturday.

Steve Madeley has recently stated that Rekeem Harper will be next in line after the midfielder’s indiscipline, so the teenager starts in the league for the first time this season.

Filip Krovinovic and Jake Livermore start just in front of him, while Callum Robinson and Matheus Pereira play on the wings.

Hal Robson-Kanu retains his place up top after netting a brace against the Robins.

In other news, West Brom fans have been drooling over one man.

Garry Monk isn’t having the best of times as Sheffield Wednesday manager at the moment.

The former Birmingham City boss has overseen just one win in the Owls’ previous dozen league games, but to be fair to the manager, he’s been without his 12-goal top scorer.

Indeed, Steven Fletcher has been absent since New Year’s Day due to an injury, but he made his long-awaited return on Saturday.

Snapshot

The game was there to be won at St Andrew’s at the weekend.

The Blues and the Owls were drawing 2-2 at halftime, but the Yorkshire club took the lead in the 65th minute.

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In an attempt to put the game to bed, Monk introduced the striker into proceedings in the 71st minute, but he didn’t have anything close to the desired effect.

Doesn’t help Monk

The Scot’s return didn’t quite go to plan.

The forward rarely made anything happen as he failed to have a shot on goal, didn’t play a single key pass and also amassed just six touches, via WhoScored.

Fletcher was quite simply a yard off the pace, and if he doesn’t get back up to speed soon then Wednesday’s problems may only worsen. After all, Wednesday are lacking goals as it is.

Heading into their clash with Birmingham, they’d only scored twice in their last five outings. Individually, the next highest scorer after Fletcher is Jacob Murphy who has just five strikes all season.

Monk is in real peril at Hillsborough, fans have been calling for his head, and the club are slowly but surely sliding down the league table.

Wednesday have certainly missed the £1.8m-rated man’s firepower in recent weeks, scoring just four goals in the seven games he’s missed since the turn of the year, but Saturday’s cameo indicates that he may not be a quick and immediate fix for the Owls’ current woes.

In other news, Ron Atkinson has praised one Sheffield Wednesday player.

Leeds United have been urged to make one of their loan signings permanent this summer by former defender Danny Mills as the Whites’ form continues to trend in the right direction.

What’s he said?

Marcelo Bielsa’s side have put the pressure on league leaders West Brom with a run of four straight victories culminating in Saturday’s 4-0 whitewash over local rivals Hull City.

Manchester City loanee Jack Harrison has been a major part of that by recording 11 key passes, 13 dribbles and seven tackles, per WhoScored.

In 36 Championship appearances, the 23-year-old has scored five goals and provided six assists, so he’s evidently been a huge player to Leeds’ fortunes.

Which is why Mills is calling for the club to sign him this summer, especially as his asking price has decreased substantially. He said:

“At the end of last season I think Manchester City wanted £15million for him, he is good but he has not got a pack of diamonds in his pocket.

“That was a little bit expensive for how well he had done. Now, the option at £8million is very viable indeed.

“He reminds me of Jason Wilcox. He is going to hug the touchline, get good crosses into the box and works his socks off. Very rarely lets you down. He is of that ilk. He is not the type of player that will get you 15 goals a season but what he gives you is width and work rate.

“At £8million, whether it is Premier League or Championship, it is a really good buy.”

Danny Mills for Football Insider.

Must-buy?

Harrison has come on leaps and bounds under the Argentine boss, already surpassing last season’s exploits of four goals and four assists with ten games spare.

Therefore, it would surely be a no-brainer to sign him on a permanent basis at the end of the season considering City are wanting nearly half the amount they were demanding last summer.

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Helder Costa is a figure that has split opinion, but Leeds have an obligation to buy of £15m on him so to nab Harrison for £8m, it’s arguably a major steal.

Bielsa is quite light for options out wide as it is, so securing the Englishman ahead of next season regardless of the division they play in would also be shrewd business as it will be one less worry on his mind.

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If the west Yorkshiremen do indeed gain promotion, something that Aston Villa swooped up around £170m for achieving, then signing Harrison for a fraction of that is simply the right thing to do.

And in other news, Leeds winger Ian Poveda suffers another killer blow…

The Athletic’s Chris Waugh joined Taylor Payne on the Pod On The Tyne podcast and discussed a recent improvement in Newcastle’s overall performances.

Steve Bruce’s team have tallied two wins in their last two games played, including a huge victory over West Brom in the FA Cup that booked their ticket to the quarter-finals of the competition.

And Waugh believes that this new formation Bruce has deployed is actually making Newcastle enjoyable to watch after previously struggling to convince. Here’s what he said on the Pod On The Tyne podcast (11/3/2020): “I think it certainly made them far better to watch and far more of an offensive threat. I thought Newcastle for large part looked more threatening than I’ve seen in a long, long while. I can count on one hand essentially the number of decent halves of football I’ve seen this season before the last two matches and yet against West Brom and Southampton, it was actually borderline entertaining.”

Even though the sample is still quite small, the improvement is already visible and both victories against West Brom and Southampton have been rather impressive. Indeed, against the Saints, the Toon Army had 14 shots (via WhoScored) which was way higher than their previous 10.3 average per game and their clash with the Baggies saw them bag three goals in one outing, which is a fairly rare occurrence.

Newcastle fans, do you think this new formation is the secret behind your recent success? Let us know down in the comments below!

Tottenham will let Jan Vertonghen go for nothing at the end of the season, according to Football Insider.

What’s the story?

The 118-time Belgium international’s contract runs out at the end of the season, but it seems there are no plans from Spurs to try and keep him at the club.

The report adds that the north London outfit told a number of interested sides that he would be available for £12m in January, but they failed to offload him in the end.

Right decision

Since signing for the club in 2013, Vertonghen has been a revelation. He has gone on to make 314 appearances in all competitions for Tottenham, helping the club move towards the upper echelons of the Premier League and European football, which culminated in them reaching the Champions League final last season.

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However, much like the whole team, the 32-year-old’s level of performance has dropped during the 2019/20 campaign. His average WhoScored rating in the top flight of 6.85 is the worst since he made the switch to London seven years ago. Quite frankly, he is not the player he used to be, and the increase in injuries over the last season-and-a-half have not helped him perform at his best level.

Vertonghen currently earns £100,000 a week at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, a substantial amount – for context, only five players in the whole squad currently take home more than what he does. It is not clear how much he would demand if talks for a new contract were set to commence, but if it were to be around the same sum as present, that is not something that Tottenham could justify considering the quality of his displays recently.

There is no doubting that he has been a terrific servant ever since Andre Villas-Boas took him to White Hart Lane, but all good things must come to an end. Yes, Spurs will not receive a penny when he does depart, but sometimes, that does not matter.

His loyalty down the years means they have got their money back on the pitch – whether they get any money for him when he leaves is irrelevant.

Meanwhile, Danny Murphy criticises this key Spurs figure.

Rangers may have fallen away in the title race over the last few weeks but they could be boosted by a major off-field development that has emerged this week.

The Daily Record report that businessman Stuart Gibson is interested in investing in the club, with funds of £20m reportedly in the offering should chairman Dave King accept another party becoming involved.

It is reported that Gibson’s long-term goal is to take over full control from King, and though not much is known about the Japan-based businessman it is possible that he has the finances to take Rangers to the next level.

As the Glasgow outfit will likely miss out on silverware this season fans will be encouraged by that, but Steven Gerrard has overseen progress and that means he may not need greater spending power to overcome Celtic in order to prevent them winning a tenth consecutive league title in 2019/20.

We put that question to our team of Football FanCast writers. Here is their analysis of the situation, and whether having more money to spend is needed for Rangers to catch-up with their rivals.

Lewis Blain

“There’s no denying it, Rangers are still miles away from ever competing with Celtic for the SPFL title. The playing squad and finances are leagues apart and that’s ever so clear when looking at the current standings – Gerrard’s side are a massive 13 points behind.

“Talk of investment is very encouraging, though, and could be the deciding factor come next season. Barring the breakthrough of a pure generational talent at Ibrox, the manager needs to be backed with a wad of cash so that he can bring in the sort of quality that can contend with Celtic.

“If their Glasgow rivals lose any key players this summer – Edouard has been linked with an exit, for example – then there won’t be a more perfect time to pounce. Gibson could create a legacy at Rangers, should he choose to take full control.”

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James Beavis

“Rangers’ need for extra investment is painfully clear given what has happened in recent weeks.

“Following their win at Celtic Park at the end of December, they had the momentum and were just two points adrift of their great rivals at the top of the Scottish Premiership table with a game in hand.

“However, the winter break came at a bad time for the Ibrox outfit and they have been pretty dreadful ever since – to sum it all up, they now lie 13 points behind Neil Lennon’s men with the league currently suspended.

“It is proof that some of the players in the squad simply aren’t good enough and don’t have the bottle to play for Rangers, and changes are needed this summer.

“In short, Steven Gerrard should only be signing players that are good enough to also get into Celtic’s first-choice starting XI – otherwise what’s the point?

“Gerrard can’t succeed without it.”

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Danny Lewis

“It is obvious that there is currently a gap between Scotland’s two biggest clubs. However, if there is anyone who knows that throwing money at a problem doesn’t always solve it, then it is surely Rangers. Catching up with Neil Lennon’s side was always going to be a task that took time considering where Rangers have come from in recent years.

“Rangers have conducted some smart business to reach their current position and that is how they should carry on. They should be going out and finding the next Morelos by discovering hidden gems, after buying the Colombian from Veikkausliiga side HJK. It is easier said than done, but if they can bring in more players like this from obscure leagues for small fees, it will be much more beneficial and sustainable than blindly upping their investment and trying to match their Old Firm rivals that way.”

Kealan Hughes

“Rangers being able to spend more would undoubtedly give Steven Gerrard greater flexibility in the transfer market and he could benefit tremendously from such freedom, but he doesn’t need to rely on that to improve.

“He fought closely with Celtic this season and could simply miss out because the Bhoys barely put a foot wrong in domestic competition – losing one league game all season.

“However, Rangers will learn from the mistakes made and can take a lot of positives from this campaign, most notably their progression to the Europa League round of 16.

“That achievement shows the side is improving all the time under Gerrard. Young players like Ryan Kent have got better – having made 11 goal contributions this term – while the manager can also add to the squad this summer, and make Rangers even stronger title contenders.

Elsewhere, a prominent journalist has offered an intriguing update on the future of a Rangers pair…

With there being no football on at the moment, plenty of Manchester United fans will be identifying players that they want to see join their club.

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Statman Dave has shown one impressive statistic from Eduardo Camavinga that has got plenty of United fans talking.

It is the fact that he has made 6.2 tackles per game this term, which has got supporters of the Red Devils hoping that he will be making the move to Old Trafford.

There is hope among United fans that their club will be bringing him in, as one fan exclaimed “I’d love this kid and Bellingham”.

What adds to the impressive nature of his tackling statistics is that he has also completed 87.7% of the passes that he attempts in Ligue 1, showing that his game is more well-rounded than merely winning the ball back.

Get over 80% on this quiz to prove you’re a true Manchester Derby expert…

Considering Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has Bruno Fernandes and Paul Pogba at his disposal, if that remains to be the case past this summer they would need somebody with brilliant defensive awareness if they are to play both of them – something Camavinga clearly has.

Some fans have even drawn comparisons with their right-back and current tackle king Aaron Wan-Bissaka.

The 22-year-old has been seriously impressive in this regard since joining from Crystal Palace, averaging 3.8 tackles per Premier League match this term.

Camavinga making more than the Englishman is a real point of reference for United fans, showing just how impressive the Frenchman’s numbers are.

Meanwhile, FFC writers have given their verdicts on United’s transfer priority.

In these uncertain times everybody is desperate for Premier League football to return, including Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp.

For millions of people across the world football is an escape from reality, a passion that guides lifestyles and induces emotions ranging from bitter disappointment to unparalleled ecstasy.

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But the global pandemic has disrupted almost every sector of society and deprived football fans of the sport they are accustomed to watching on a weekly, or even daily basis.

Amid the current hardship, Klopp has delivered a passionate message to supporters regarding the situation everyone finds themselves in.

Within the video, Klopp commends the spirit of national health workers and speaks of his admiration for the critical work they are undertaking, urges everyone to mirror their level of compassion, and reiterates the need to follow government guidelines in order to accelerate the process of returning to society back to normal.

Regardless of your opinion on Klopp, when he speaks people generally listen.

He is a charismatic figure in the game and his message proves that he is a role model for society to emulate.

At times like these we need our role models to stand up and set an example for everyone to follow, and that’s exactly what the 52-year-old, evidently humbled by the selfless work of the thousands of healthcare professionals around the world, has done with his message.

Together, with everyone pulling together towards the same common goal, the human race can overcome the current challenge and return to normality.

In other Liverpool news, fans want the club to sign £121.5m-rated duo…

According to TuttoMercatoWeb, Everton are interested in signing AS Roma winger Cengiz Under this summer.

What’s the word?

The upcoming transfer window will be Carlo Ancelotti’s second in charge of the Toffees, following his appointment as Marco Silva’s permanent successor back in December.

And according to Italian publication TuttoMercatoWeb, the Merseyside outfit have set their sights on bringing Turkey international Under to Goodison Park.

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The report claims Premier League rivals Tottenham are also interested in securing his signature, but that Everton are the “most motivated” in the race to sign him, especially as Ancelotti “liked him already at Napoli”.

Step up

Everton’s options on the right-hand side is certainly somewhat lacking in quality. Theo Walcott has played there 25 times this campaign, but has scored just one goal whilst only providing three assists.

Under could help solve that issue for Ancelotti. The Turkish ace is naturally left-footed and would offer a different dimension to the likes of Walcott and Bernard.

Despite not getting too many opportunities to impress with Roma this season, the 22-year-old still boasts an impressive average of 1.7 shots, 1.6 key passes and 1.9 dribbles per game in the Italian top-flight.

Considerably younger than Walcott (now 31), Under would fit in well with the likes of Richarlison and Dominic Calvert-Lewin who are both still developing and growing as players.

Unlike Under, Walcott has shown no real sign of bringing anything to the table when on the pitch, averaging just 1.3 shots, 0.6 key passes and 0.6 dribbles per game in the Premier League – all of those much lower than what the Turkish winger has managed.

It’s exactly why Marcel Brands should fend off Spurs’ interest to sign the £21.6m-rated ace. Turkey icon Emre Belozoglu once described the 5 foot 8 Under as a “talent that can reach the very top” – Everton could be the team to benefit the most from that.

Meanwhile, Everton face competition from Premier League rivals for this ace.