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Michael Keane offered an impressive performance in Everton’s 2-2 draw with Liverpool on Saturday, standing out in the Merseyside Derby with pinpoint vision and an eye for goal.

Carlo Ancelotti awarded the 27-year-old his 115th appearance for the Goodison Park outfit since a then-club record-equalling £30million move from Burnley in 2017, and continuing a run of opening the Toffees’ last 16 Premier League games.

Keane was unable to help goalkeeper Jordan Pickford to his 39th Blues clean sheet, but there was little the centre-half could have done to prevent Sadio Mane or Mohamed Salah from firing past his fellow England international.

Mane broke the deadlock inside the third minute of the Merseyside Derby having run off the shoulder of Abdoulaye Doucoure and behind Yerry Mina to find the space in-between Everton’s two centre-halves, poking home Andrew Robertson’s delivery with a powerful effort into the top corner.

Mina was then at fault for Liverpool’s second of the match when he calamitously attempted to volley away Trent Alexander-Arnold’s cross with the outside of his right boot despite running back toward his own goal, leaving the ball falling perfectly falling into Salah’s path to volley in his sixth of the Premier League season.

Everton’s Colombia international was otherwise alert to a number of Liverpool’s attacks as Mina and Keane combined well to mostly thwart Jurgen Klopp’s title-holders, and restrict the Anfield outfit to striking just 36% of their shots on target.

Keane also demonstrated his eye for goal to head home James Rodriguez’s corner to initially equalise the Merseyside Derby following Mane’s early effort, marking his second of the league campaign after scoring in Everton’s 5-2 win over West Bromwich Albion last month.

Beyond his goal in the 19th-minute, Keane impressed against Liverpool on route to a 7.6/10 match rating from SofaScore, having recorded 65 touches, completed 44 of his 52 passes (84.6%), played one key ball and scored from his only effort of the game.

The £65,000-per-week defender also won each of his two aerial duels, one of his two ground duels, was never dribbled past, made one tackle, two clearances and blocked two shots, while displaying his pinpoint vision to find teammates with seven of ten attempted long balls.

No outfield Everton player who started against Liverpool registered a higher number of accurate long passes on Saturday, with James Rodriguez’s six from seven the next-best tally while star left-back Lucas Digne misplaced eight of his nine attempted long balls.

Rodriguez has often ranked highly for accurate passes in the Toffees’ league fixtures since his summer arrival from Real Madrid, with the 29-year-old’s average 6.8 accurate long balls a game the best in Royal Blue by an outfield player ahead of Keane (5.0) and Digne (3.0).

AND in other news, Carlo Ancelotti must regret starting a £21.6m-rated man vs Liverpool after his challenging performance.

Ex-Spur Michael Brown insists it is “unbelievable” that Tottenham boss Jose Mourinho is still trying to figure out his best starting lineup. 

Speaking exclusively to Football Insider, the former Spurs star believes tactical changes and a busy schedule have prevented Mourinho from working out his favourite starting XI.

The Portuguese once again defended his team selections and queried why other managers like Frank Lampard, Jurgen Klopp and Pep Guardiola are not questioned on their choices after Tottenham beat Newcastle 3-1 in the Premier League to mark the first time he has won at St James’ Park.

Spurs slumped to a shock 3-1 defeat at Sheffield United, but have begun to turn things around, and they are now on a four-game unbeaten run.

Brown told assistant editor Russell Edge “Mourinho’s come out this week and said about his team selection, why journalists don’t ask other people – it was a good win to ease the pressure but he’s still trying to find his team, isn’t he?

“I just can’t find out what their settled side is and I keep saying the same thing. It’s unbelievable, isn’t it? I don’t know if he is closer to finding out. I think sometimes it’s tactical, I think sometimes it’s the run of games, the loading.

“It’s changing people’s opinions, you’re getting judged against different teams. I don’t think you’ve got much choice so I don’t think you’re getting a true reflection of who he wants. The thing you can say is the likes of Alderweireld, Vertonghen – why weren’t they playing?”

It is hard to argue with Brown on this one, as several factors have played their part in Mourinho’s team selection in recent weeks.

Questions remain over Tanguy Ndombele’s future as the club’s record signing has been in and out of the starting lineup lately, and he has now been ruled out for the rest of the season after picking up a knee injury.

Mourinho has messed around with his preferred formation since the Premier League restart, kicking off proceedings with a 4-2-3-1 system, before alternating between a 4-3-3 and 4-4-1-1 structure.

In fairness, matters have been taken out of his hands, as Eric Dier, Dele Alli and Juan Foyth have all missed matches for one reason or another.

Dier, who has established himself as part of Mourinho’s first choice pairing, has been missing for the past three games as a result of the four-match ban the FA imposed on him for his actions after the Norwich FA Cup defeat back in March.

Meanwhile, Alli was suspended for one game over a post on social media about coronavirus, before suffering a hamstring injury which ruled him out of the last four games.

Tottenham find themselves in the mix for a Europa League place after picking up three points against the Magpies, with both Wolves and Sheffield United also in contention with only two games remaining.

The Lilywhites next welcome Leicester City to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Sunday, knowing they need to win both games to qualify for the competition next season.

Tottenham fans, do you think Mourinho has been forced to tinker with his team selection? Let us know down below!

Everton appear to be embroiled in a five-way transfer tussle for a player who could finally fill the void left behind by Idrissa Gueye…

What’s the word?

According to 90min, the Toffees are one of several Premier League teams chasing Schalke 04 midfielder Weston McKennie, who longs for a move to the English top-flight.

They are battling the likes of Southampton, who need a replacement for Pierre Emile-Hojbjerg as well as West Ham, Aston Villa and Newcastle United.

It’s claimed that a fee of around £22.5m has been mooted but the Bundesliga outfit could try to ramp up their finances with a bidding war.

Shades of Gueye

Given Everton’s interest in Napoli lynchpin Allan, it is perhaps a surprise to see them linked with another similar player but there would be no harm in securing him ahead of their rivals.

The 21-year-old has been described as a “true midfield warrior” who’s playing style is like Arturo Vidal, whom Ancelotti had at Bayern Munich.

“McKennie breaks down opposition attacks and wins back possession in his sleep, unafraid of the physical battle. He’s also heavily involved going forward, his high-energy style allowing him to pose a threat in the opposition penalty area, and can deliver the goods as a No. 6, 8, or 10” (Bundesliga.com).

Whilst his head coach, former Huddersfield boss David Wagner has lauded the USA international as an “outstanding talent” who is also “brave on the ball.”

These are backed up by his numbers as per WhoScored, McKennie averaged 1.6 interceptions, 1.4 tackles, 1.1 shots, 1 dribble and 0.6 key passes per game, which evidently sh0w his impact at either end of the pitch.

This sort of industrious box-to-box powerhouse is exactly what’s needed at Goodison Park as the club have failed to replace Gueye, who swapped Merseyside for the Ligue 1 champions Paris Saint-Germain.

Whilst the Senegalese brute was much more tough-tackling, averaging 4.3 per appearance in his final season, McKennie can step up to fill that gap if he’s given the role rather than a vast majority he can play in.

You’d imagine him and Allan would improve the midfielder tenfold, which is why Marcel Brands should absolutely push ahead at all costs.

AND in other news, Toffees looking to take Premier League starlet on loan…

Manchester United are willing to wait for Jadon Sancho until Borussia Dortmund lower his transfer fee. 

United have been chasing Sancho for several years now, going back to Jose Mourinho’s turbulent time in charge of Old Trafford.

Although the Red Devils are the favourites to sign Sancho this summer, they are playing a risky game, amid rival interest from Real Madrid, Liverpool and Manchester City.

The England international, who is Dortmund’s top scorer so far, has scored 17 goals in the Bundesliga at the time of writing, but Lucien Favre’s side missed out on the coveted title despite his heroics.

According to The Daily Mail, the Yellow and Blacks have still not received any bids for the winger.

BVB bought Sancho for a mere £8m after he ran down his City scholarship in 2017, and they are set to make a huge profit, as the club currently value him at £100m.

According to ESPN, the 20-year-old has informed Dortmund he wants to return to England.

United will try to put pressure on the Bundesliga challengers to reduce their asking price.

Ed Woodward has admitted fans should not expect the board to splash the cash in the transfer window, given the economic uncertainty surrounding the pandemic.

Clubs around the world are facing financial repercussions from the COVID-19 crisis and the Red Devils are refusing to meet Dortmund’s colossal valuation.

However, this may backfire in the board’s face, as the club could miss out on Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s top target.

Real are closely monitoring the situation and Pep Guardiola could try to lure him back to the Etihad.

Solskjaer may miss out on Sancho altogether if they wait too long, as was the case with his teammate Erling Braut Haaland.

History is in danger of repeating itself and the executive vice-chairman will be well aware he cannot afford to make any more mistakes.

United fans, do you think the board will sign Jadon Sancho in the summer? Let us know down below!

Liverpool are set to take on Brighton at the AMEX this evening as they look to build on their 2-0 win over Aston Villa.

The Reds have the luxury of knowing that no matter their results from this point, nothing will affect their champions status. Jurgen Klopp’s side clinched the title after Chelsea beat Manchester City to give them the mathematical victory.

However, they may have celebrated a bit too hard and as a result, Pep Guardiola’s men spanked them in a 4-0 win at the Etihad. Nothing will change their stance in the table, but the team won’t want to continue like this and have already corrected their form following their Villa win. Now, they shift attention to Brighton as they try for another three points. One man who could be the star of the show for the Reds is Naby Keita.

The Guinean has had a tough time this season, missing a total of 16 games through injury (via Transfermarkt). He has been the topic of a lot of fan debate, with many unsure whether he has a future at Anfield. However, Keita bagged himself an assist after slicing a smart ball to Sadio Mane to open up the scoring against Villa on Sunday. He also created another big chance and maintained an 86% pass accuracy rating (via Sofascore).

If Klopp chooses to start him against Brighton, he could start a streak of positive form. Particularly if key players like Georginio Wijnaldum and Jordan Henderson are rested, Keita has room to showcase his ability and resurrect a disappointing season.

You could argue that now that the title is done, this is the perfect time to try and fully integrate Keita into the team. He cost the club a huge £54m in July 2018 but has so far played just 55 games since his arrival. He needs to play at the AMEX to keep his momentum going and start to justify his fee.

Will Keita make an impact against the Seagulls tonight? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!

Everton fans on Twitter were reminiscing over a bygone era over the course of the weekend.

Merseyside rivals Liverpool may well be the dominant force in English football right now but there was a time when the Toffees reigned supreme both locally and nationally.

Everton won the First Division with a total of 90 points in the 1984/85 season, storming clear of the Reds, who finished in second place with 13 less points, in the process.

The season was filled with wonderful moments of footballing excellence, and one particular highlight from a 4-1 drubbing of Sunderland at Goodison Park emerged on social media at the weekend.

Watch Everton Videos With StreamFootball.tv Below

Indeed, a video showcasing a Kevin De Bruyne-esque, instinctive, and immaculately volleyed pass from Paul Bracewell, which eventually finds its way to Trevor Steven, caught the eye of plenty of supporters.

The video shows Steven storming away from his marker before slamming the ball into the roof of the net, but it was the quality of the assist that truly had the fans waxing lyrical.

Here’s what a handful had to say about the pass.

High praise indeed from a multitude of gushing fans, but Steven’s contribution was not totally overlooked.

Call yourself an Everton expert? How much did each of these January signings cost?

One fan was eager to send some praise in his direction as he claimed that the right-sided midfielder was the best player he’s ever seen in the famous blue shirt.

In other Everton news, plenty of fans have reacted to reports that a senior player could be set to walk out of the exit door…

Tottenham Hotspur continue to wait on the resumption of the Premier League season.

Spurs haven’t kicked a ball since March 10th, when they lost 3-0 to RB Leipzig in the Champions League, busting many people’s Bovada bonus code; in the league, they last played on March 7th, in a disappointing 1-1 draw with Burnley. They have not won since February, when they beat Aston Villa 3-2.

At the time of the suspension of the league due to the ongoing global pandemic, Spurs lay eighth in the Premier League table, seven points behind fourth-placed Chelsea.

It remains to be seen, then, if they will have the chance to make up that gap any time soon.

The news cycle continues to whir, however, and there have been a number of stories following Jose Mourinho’s men as the wrangling over football’s possible return continues.

With many factors up in the air, we’ve taken a look at some of the best stories this week surrounding the north London club…

Jose Mourinho wants project restart delay

Something of a pantomime villain, several reports claim that Mourinho is leading a bid to delay the restart of the Premier League due to fears over a lack of training time.

David Beckham tours Spurs’ new stadium

Firstly, David Beckham took a tour of the new Spurs stadium, meeting with Mourinho, as well as players Heung-Min Son, Harry Winks and Japhet Tanganga. The trip was organised by Spurs sponsors AIA, and was designed to give Beckham insights on how to bring the best out of his Inter Miami players. Take a look at the full story here.

Jermain Defoe lifts the lid on what led to his 2008 Spurs departure

Elsewhere, former Spurs striker Jermain Defoe has revealed exactly why he left the club for Portsmouth in 2008 in an exclusive interview with Football FanCast. Having spent four years at the club between 2004 and 2008, he departed for Fratton Park, though he would eventually return on a permanent basis in 2009. Take a look at his reasoning here.

Victor Osimhen linked

Transfer news, of course, never stops, and Spurs fans are dreaming of landing forward Victor Osimhen from Lille after French journalist Abdellah Boulma claimed that a bid has been tabled. Take a look at what fans are saying here! 

Barcelona want Juan Foyth

Further to that, The Daily Mirror claims that Juan Foyth could be a surprise target for Barcelona in the summer transfer window. Spurs have made him available for transfer ahead of the window opening, whenever that may happen.

Pascal Chimbonda opens up on Spurs career

The Athletic have also interviewed Pascal Chimbonda, the former Spurs right-back, and he claims that just one thing stopped him joining Manchester United during his career. Take a look here.

Dele Alli’s shocking ordeal

In more sobering news, Dele Alli went through a terrifying ordeal during lockdown, as he was held at knifepoint during a burglary of his home, per BBC Sport. He was also threatened and punched during the incident. The details can be found here.

This article is part of Football FanCast’s Transfer Focus series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent transfer news…

A new report coming out of The Express states that Barcelona and Chelsea are bound to go head-to-head for Flamengo’s young prodigy, Reinier, if the Blues’ transfer ban is lifted.

What’s the word, then?

At the moment, we still don’t know what is going to happen with Chelsea’s transfer ban.

But in case they get their permission to go into the market soon, they will most likely rival the Catalans for the signing of the £70m-rated Flamengo star.

Watch Spanish Football Videos With StreamFootball.tv Below

Barcelona were reportedly scouting the youngster and Reinier’s power, technique and ability to score and assist made him a rather attractive target for the Blaugrana.

But seeing how his price might be high as it is, rushing into a potential bidding war with Chelsea does look like a pointless exercise for Ernesto Valverde’s troops, especially considering the wealth of talent they already have at their disposal.

Another nail in La Masia’s coffin

A lot has already been said about Barcelona and the problems they are currently experiencing with their La Masia products.

Both the likes of Carles Alena and Riqui Puig are still waiting for their chances in the senior team – the former is very much a part of Valverde’s squad but has been completely frozen out of it, while the latter is still chained to Barcelona B in Spain’s third division.

Adding another pricey midfielder from abroad would put pressure on the coach to actually play him, what for his pedigree and what for a potentially huge price tag, and that could put another nail in La Masia’s coffin as it would make it even more difficult for them to stand out.

Not to mention that adding more midfielders into an already packed area of the squad shouldn’t really be a priority.

Seven players fighting for three spots is far from ideal, especially when you have young players in need of minutes in your team.

Reinier is rated at £70m but competition for his signature could potentially boost that figure even more.

For those reasons, Barcelona entering this bidding war certainly sounds like a baffling approach and should be avoided.

In the absence of regular football, it is no surprise that Liverpool’s Virgil van Dijk got plenty of traction on his Twitter Q&A on Tuesday evening.

The Netherlands international invited the Twitter-sphere to ask questions about his career, and plenty of fans were eager to get involved.

Hilariously obscure Premier League players – Can you name them all?

World Class score: 95% | Expert score: 80% | Veteran score: 65% | Intermediate score: 45% | Amateur score: 30% | Try Again: 5%

However, it was not just supporters who sent questions in his direction.

Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher also got in on the act with a tongue-in-cheek question designed to coax one obvious answer out of van Dijk.

But he didn’t take the bait and instead he poked fun at the current Sky Sports pundit, suggesting that former Red Sami Hyypia is the player who he’s based his game on.

Unsurprisingly, the Twitter interaction between two legendary figures caused quite the frenzy amongst the club’s supporters.

Indeed, van Dijk’s tweet was hailed as “genius” by one fan, while others were simply left in stitches.

Here’s what the Liverpool fans had to say in response to the tweet…

This article is part of Football FanCast’s The Chalkboard series, which provides a tactical insight into teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

Real Madrid are finally back in business as Los Blancos will welcome Leganes to the Santiago Bernabeu for a mid-week La Liga clash. And seeing how Eden Hazard will also be making his return to the squad, his performance might make or break the game in hand.

On the chalkboard

Even though a lot was and still is expected from Real Madrid’s 28-year-old Galactico, we still haven’t seen him fully emerge from his cocoon and start wreaking havoc through the Spanish top-flight.

So far, Hazard has played a total of seven games for Los Blancos across all competitions and has one goal and two assists under his belt.

Watch Spanish Football Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

Considering the reputation and the pedigree with which he arrived from the blue side of London, this is nowhere near his very best.

But Real Madrid will certainly need him to find his groove and find it fast.

And there’s no time like the present to do exactly that. Still, Leganes have a young ace who will be ready to take the spotlight away from the Belgian bomber – Oscar Rodriguez.

Hazard vs Rodriguez

This clash just might be won with either of the two aforementioned players having a better game than their counterpart.

We know how deadly and effective Hazard can be and there’s no doubt that once he finds his form, he’ll start dropping his opponents like flies.

Watch Lionel Messi and Gareth Bale answer the internet’s weirdest questions in the video below…

And so far, even though the figures have not been as impressive as expected, the Belgian is still making an impact for the Galacticos.

Apart from the goal and an assist in La Liga, he also registered one shot, 1,3 key passes and 1.3 dribbles per game. He was also dispossessed 2.5 times and had 1.8 unsuccessful touches per game as well.

But Rodriguez, even though he is just 21, is not really behind Hazard at all.

The Spaniard has two goals under his belt in La Liga and has done so with 2.2 shots, 0.9 key passes and 1.7 dribbles per game.

Not to mention that he is also quite secure while on the ball with 0.4 dispossessions and 1.9 unsuccessful touches per game.

By all means, this seems like a rather close battle between two similar players.

Hazard is obviously the more experienced one with a much bigger reputation but we should not discard the youngster that easily.

If he is given enough space and time, he can be deadly as well, and the stats support that.

Let’s see who comes out on top in the end.