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There were many pleasing aspects about Manchester United’s victory over Tottenham last weekend; their most impressive display of the season. But perhaps the most pleasing part was the performance of their Belgian midfielder Marouane Fellaini.

Heavily criticised at times since his arrival at Old Trafford at the beginning of last season, it looked increasingly unlikely he was going to be able to make a name for himself at the Red Devils. However, not only is he fast becoming one of Louis van Gaal’s most important players as the club continue their push for Champions League qualification, he is slowly but surely beginning to win over the fans.

Following his big-money move from Everton in 2013, Fellaini struggled to adapt to life at his new club, burdened by the £27.5m price tag David Moyes had convinced the United board to fork out for him. At the end of a disappointing summer in the transfer market; having missed out on a number of high profile signings, Fellaini’s purchase was seen as an act of desperation. It was difficult to see where he was going to fit in, how he was going to fit in with the team’s style of play, and ultimately at times why they bought him in the first place.

Having struggled to gain a consistent run in the side, he was employed in a deeper role in midfield, and looked well out of depth in a United shirt. And once Moyes departed and was replaced by Van Gaal, it looked like just a matter of time before Fellaini would be moved on.

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However despite speculation surrounding his future, the 27-year-old kept his head down and continued to work hard, in the hope he might be able to salvage his career at United. And credit to him, his patience seems to be paying off.

Since his manager entrusted him with a more attacking role in the side, his importance to the team has continued to grow. With injury to Robin van Persie, and Radamel Falcao lacking form, Fellaini has built up a great partnership with Wayne Rooney, something that flourished last weekend, with both players getting on the score sheet.

He is a constant threat when around the opposition’s box, and not just with his head as he showed by netting a wonderfully taken goal with his left foot to open the scoring. Playing as part of a three in midfield, he has the freedom to get forward, where United can exploit his effectiveness. But his work rate in tracking back and helping defend, make him even more important to the team, highlighting just what an important player he is becoming as the season reaches an exciting climax.

Fellaini received a standing ovation when he was substituted in the dying stages of the game, something which will do his confidence the world of good. He may not be your typical United player, but his effectiveness cannot be doubted, and under Van Gaal, he seems to relishing his new role alongside Rooney having established himself as a key member of the first team in recent weeks.

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His performances between now and the end of the season could play a crucial role in United’s bid for a top-four finish, and if he can continue to replicate his performances from his time at Everton; where he was often unplayable, United could have a great weapon at their disposal.

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For all Liverpool aren’t challenging for the Champions League as the season draws to its conclusion Brendan Rodgers can look back on a relatively successful first year at the Anfield helm. Seventh in the table and still in with a shout of qualifying for the Europa League is nothing to be sniffed at by any means. In fact the Reds are in splendid form and recorded a fourth win in five Premier League games by coming from behind to beat Aston Villa last week and left them three points behind Everton. Overhauling their arch-rivals and nicking a top-six finish will be the objective now and victory against West Ham will push them close to achieving that.

The Hammers must dread their trips to the red half having failed to score in 29 of their 38 visits. Away form has been the Achilles heel for Sam Allardyce’s men this season with just three wins and nine goals coming in their 15 games away from Upton Park. That being said Allardyce can be afforded a huge sigh of relief that he and his team aren’t coming into this game with the threat of relegating hanging over their head. Last weeks home victory over West Brom wedged a six point buffer between them the bottom three and all but ensured Premier League survival. With that weight partially lifted from their shoulder it could work in West Ham’s favour.

Team News

Long-term absentees Martin Kelly (knee), Joe Allen and Fabio Borini (both shoulder) are the only players missing for Liverpool this weekend meaning Brendan Rodgers has no fresh injury concerns.

By the terms of his loan agreement West Ham are unable to call upon Andy Carroll for the visit to his parent club. Joe Cole could feature against his former employers should he recover from a hamstring complaint in time. Mark Noble (shoulder) and George McCartney (knee) are out for the season.

What the managers said…

“I know what it was like when I faced him as an opposing manager. I always viewed him as a pest around the penalty area and you know that players like that usually have the quality to score at any given time. It’s not his job to be liked, he’ll be respected because he’s a top football player and it won’t concern him too much if people don’t like him. The likability of any player is always up for debate, and people will always use their own moral compass to judge Luis Suarez, but that’s not something I tend to focus on. I concentrate on what he is like with me on a day-to-day basis and he is a great man.” Brendan Rodgers admits he understands why Luis Suarez is universally disliked (Metro)

“What we got last week is what we’ve been waiting for, for a while. We saw him in full flight last week. He can’t play on Sunday obviously, against Liverpool. I think he’s great, he gets a big cheer whenever they announce his name whenever he’s in the starting line up. I think we might have a chance. We’ll wait and see at end of the year when all the budgets are sorted out.

‘If we are definitely in the Premier League then we’ll have a look at everybody that’s on loan or out of contract.” Sam Allardyce reiterates his desire to make Andy Carroll’s loan deal at West Ham a permanent one (Daily Mail)

Pre-Match Statistic: Sam Allardyce has tasted defeat in each of his last eight trips to Anfield since guiding former club Bolton to an unlikely draw back in 2002.

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Prediction: Liverpool 3-0 West Ham United

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Nottingham Forest failed to impress again in the English Championship on Saturday, losing 2-0 away to play-off hopefuls Middlesbrough.

Forest have now not won a match for five games and have won just twice in their last 12 second-tier matches. It’s a run of form that must be concerning for Aitor Karanka ahead of next season, when they’ll be expected to challenge higher up the Championship table.

Just six matches remain for the Reds to show fans there is progress being made, who were again left frustrated with the result and performance.

Much of the criticism was aimed at striker Apostolos Vellios who was ineffective from the start of the match until eventually being hauled off on the hour mark for teenager Ben Brereton.

Supporters are now calling on Vellios to be dropped and even axed this summer, believing they need a higher quality of player to achieve their ambitions next term.

They took to Twitter to share their thoughts…

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What a game we had at Anfield this afternoon; an end-to-end, frantic and exciting 90-minutes between two attack-minded and defensively woeful sides.

Liverpool put a huge dent in Man City’s title hopes – a win would’ve seen the Citizens go to within two points of Chelsea – and, in truth, were well worth the victory.

Jordan Henderson got the ball rolling with a sublime finish that added to the talk that the former Sunderland man could replace Steven Gerrard.

City responded through an Edin Dzeko goal – which should be remembered for the wonderful assist from Sergio Aguero – but Philippe Coutinho’s second outrageous goal in a matter of days, settled the affair with Joe Hart unable to do anything as the former Inter Milan midfielder sent the ball into the top corner.

Liverpool now move level on points with fourth-placed Arsenal and although the Gunners play Everton later today, the Reds will have real belief they can bag their all important top four spot.

Defence has sorted itself out

Dejan Lovren’s high profile summer move from Southampton to Liverpool was meant to sure up a side that played with the mentality during the 2013/14 of ‘we will just score more than the opponent’.

The former Saints man hasn’t had the desired impact and, combined was the haphazard Glen Johnson, Kolo Toure and Martin Skrtel, it looked like it was going to be a long season for the Reds. However, Liverpool are now the only Premier League side yet to make a defensive error since the turn of the year.

No Europa League

Sure, Liverpool would’ve been gutted to exit the competition that now guarantees the winner a place in the Champions League, however, they certainly won’t miss the Thursday kick-offs in the obscure corners of Europe plus the long trips. It is a bizarre thing that clubs struggle to win their next Premier League game after a Europa League clash but it certainly seems to be thing.

All Brendan Rodgers has to do now, is focus on bagging that top four spot; he will also be plotting FA Cup success and seeing as the Reds have a nice tie against Blackburn Rovers in the quarter-final, their continued run in the competition will surely only serve to increase their belief and good form.

Goals from all over the park

Brendan Rodgers surprised us all by naming four strikers on the bench, with Mario Balotelli, Daniel Sturridge, Fabio Borini and Rickie Lambert failing to make the starting XI.

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Sturridge is the man the Reds have been pining for all season, with injuries hampering the England international, but Rodgers is obviously worrying about rushing the former Man City striker back.

Mario Balotelli has started to find his goalscoring boots with important goals in recent clashes against Tottenham Hotspur and Besiktas.

Bagging three points without an out-and-out striker starting the match will be music to Brendan Rodgers’ ears.

Liverpool are preparing a £19m summer move for Atletico Madrid midfielder Arda Turan, according to reports from The Metro.

The Turkish international has long been linked with a switch to the Premier League, after impressing in Spain since his arrival during 2011.

Speculation that the Reds, as well as Arsenal and Bayern Munich, may make their move for his signature increased during January, but no official bids are believed to have been tabled.

However, reports are now emerging that Liverpool will step up their interest at the end of the season, with manager Brendan Rodgers willing to spend £19m of his transfer budget on the 26-year-old.

Atletico will be far from keen to lose one of their top talents, but Turan’s agent Ahmet Bulut has revealed that his client is looking to make a move later this year:

“Arda has played at Atletico Madrid for two seasons now. I have wanted to see him play for another team in another league and Arda wants the same.” He said.

“I can’t say the league or you’ll know exactly who I’m talking about but let’s just put it like this, there are only five to six clubs which could afford Arda right now and he’s going to join one of these five clubs.”

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Turan has been in fine form for Atletico this term, notching four goals in 22 La Liga appearances.

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Liverpool fans are currently on a high following Wednesday night’s 3-0 victory over Manchester City in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final tie.

Jurgen Klopp’s side still have to get through another 90 minutes against City in order to reach the semi-finals, but the current scoreline gives them a big advantage heading into the Etihad Stadium.

Ex-footballers and pundits have been giving their reactions to the result via media channels and on Twitter.

Manchester United legend Gary Neville tends to give impartial opinions while carrying out his punditry duties for Sky Sports, but it is no secret that the former full-back is not a Liverpool fan.

The rivalry between United and the Merseyside outfit is a fierce one, and the ex-England international stoked the fires when he posted a few tweets playing down the club’s chances of becoming Premier League champions in the near future.

Neville also chimed in when former Manchester City midfielder Joey Barton poked fun at Liverpool fans for their apparent over-the-top reaction to the midweek result.

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The pundit also had time to make a cheeky dig about the fact that a number of Liverpool’s top players have left to join other clubs over the past few seasons.

Liverpool fans obviously disagreed…

Jose Mourinho reopened his war of words with Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger, claiming he would have been given a stadium ban had he pushed the Frenchman, reports the Daily Mirror.

The Arsenal boss was not punished for a push on Mourinho when Chelsea beat Arsenal 2-0 in October, and Mourinho has used this as further evidence in his quest to prove his side are unfairly treated by officials.

Mourinho reckons there are double standards when it comes to his side, and used an example of Stoke City having not been awarded a penalty against Manchester United for a handball on New Years Day, claiming there would be a ‘big noise’ if the same decision was made regarding Chelsea.

Mourinho said: “With Chelsea and with me the reactions are different. Do you think if I push a manager in the technical area that I don’t have a stadium ban? I have a stadium ban.

“So referees are not guilty, they want to do their best but clearly there are measures and there are ways of reacting and clearly with my club and in relation to myself there are different standards, it’s as simple as that and you know that.

“I’ll tell you a good example. Was it a penalty in the game Stoke versus Man United? The Smalling handball? Everybody thinks so. Did you see big noise around it? I didn’t.

“Would you think such a pen against Chelsea would have a reaction in the media and with managers in the same way after that reaction? I don’t think so.

“After that the reaction would be double or treble so obviously a referee needs to feel free, relaxed and with no pressure to do the best they can.”

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Mourinho also took a swipe at Manchester City for their signing of Wilfried Bony for £28million, with the Premier League champions having previously been punished for breach of Financial Fair Play.

Mourinho added: “They can only play with 11, unless the rules for them are different and they can play with 12. It looks like the rules are different for them in certain aspects, but not this one.” When pressed which rule, Mourinho added: “You know what I mean.”

Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers moved to address the lack of attacking strength and depth during the January transfer window with the acquisitions of both Daniel Sturridge and Philippe Coutinho and with the club’s form improving since the arrival of the former Chelsea forward, the side appears to be moving in the right direction, but is there a worry that the squad now appears to be too top-heavy?

Before I start, let me just say that no, I am not Goldilocks, which is the trap I am in danger of falling into here but this is more a musing on what lies ahead in the future for the club with concerns to their attacking talent. Every man and their dog knew that Liverpool were desperately short of striking talent before January and horribly over-reliant on Luis Suarez to provide the main thrust of their intent and goals, but with Fabio Borini having returned from injury, rumours that Tom Ince is set to follow in the summer and that it is beginning to look increasingly unlikely that West Ham will fork out the £17m required to take Andy Carroll to Upton Park at the end of the season, has the reverse now happened and the club have too many players to choose from?

Strength in depth is what separates the good from the great and after losing 2-1 to Manchester United at Old Trafford last month, Rodgers had this to say on the difference between the two clubs: “We are 24 points behind Manchester United but we are not 24 points behind in quality. The difference is down to the squad. Once we close the gap in the squad I have great hope we will be able to challenge. Today’s an example of that.”

Every manager wants two players for every position and United serve as a prime case in point, but that doesn’t mean the players like it all that much and keeping them all happy is a tricky problem and one that Rodgers will not have dealt with until now. Up front they have Javier Hernandez, Wayne Rooney, Robin van Persie and Danny Welbeck. In midfield when everyone is fully fit they can choose from Darren Fletcher, Michael Carrick, Tom Cleverley, Anderson, Paul Scholes, Ryan Giggs, Nick Powell and Phil Jones. When you take a closer look at Manchester City’s squad, it’s little wonder, both in terms of quality and the quantity of personnel that they currently sit nine points behind their rivals at the top of the Premier League.

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Nevertheless, a knock-on effect of such a frightening strength in depth is that certain players, usually younger, less established ones can get left worryingly by the wayside, with Welbeck’s lack of first-team action this season somewhat stalling his development. Are Liverpool in danger of treading a very similar path?

It’s worth noting that Jonjo Shelvey, perhaps one of the brightest spots to take from the first six months this term, which left the club with just one recognised senior and fit striker in the squad, hasn’t started a game since the Boxing Day defeat away at Stoke 3-1, while Raheem Sterling hasn’t started any of the last three league outings. Both may appreciate the rest having shouldered the burden for so long, but their roles have already been reduced and that looks set to continue once Philippe Coutinho, comfortable in both their positions, has fully adapted and returns to full match fitness. Meanwhile, Oussama Assaidi has become a forgotten man and Suso has barely made an impact in the last month, hardly helped by Stewart Downing’s return to form.

The reliance on Suarez until January was further exacerbated by the club’s inability to bring in a replacement for Carroll in the summer, with moves for both Sturridge and Clint Dempsey falling through. Of course, once the England striker returns from his year-long loan spell away, a home will likely be found for him at Newcastle, but the injury that saw Fabio Borini sidelined for three months has also seen him fall way down the pecking order.

This has seen the 21-year-old forward, who only joined the club in the summer from Roma for a fee in the region of £9m, linked with a return to Fiorentina in Serie A recently. This led his agent, Marco De Marchi, to tell firenzeviola.it: “I have never been contacted by Fiorentina and I have nothing to suggest they are interested.Fabio is happy to play for Liverpool, one of the most prestigious clubs in the world, and is happy with his experience in the Premier League.

“A return to Italy? Fabio is 21 years old and has already changed teams five times. He is tied to Liverpool until 2017. If the reported interest from Fiorentina is true, then we should thank them as they are a club that has focused on the nurturing of young talent, but I haven’t discussed this with Fabio. He is just back from an injury and his season starts now. His mind is wholly focused on Liverpool.”

Nevertheless, despite the strong denial, can anyone really imagine a future where Borini is a key figure in this Liverpool side? The deal looked an odd one in the summer, with Rodgers simply seeking out players he has worked with before as some sort of comfort blanket and affirmation of his methods, but the youngster faces a real uphill battle to force his way into the starting eleven now and you sense he may have missed his window to establish himself already. That’s the thing with sides in transition, and as Gylfi Sigurdsson, another summer singing, has found to his cost at Tottenham this term, blink and you’ll miss your chance and become surplus to requirements.

While the deal to bring Tom Ince back from Blackpool never materialised last month due to Karl Oyston’s bizarrely strong demands considering his relatively weak negotiating position, he looks set to seal a permanent move at the end of the season when his contract expires and Liverpool will have picked up a promising player for absolutely nothing, which will swell the ranks even further.

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Interestingly, with Jamie Carragher confirming his retirement at the end of the season now, Liverpool look short of talent and numbers at the back, when just a few months ago the complete opposite was true.

Keeping in mind Rodgers’ firm commitment to passing football and his 4-3-3 formation, with upwards of 10 players competing for three spots and the un-droppable Suarez and flourishing Sturridge in tow, the man at the helm faces some difficult choices in the summer ahead, for where he could once plead poverty, he know boasts an embarrassment of riches and keeping them all happy could prove more of a headache than it’s worth.

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As reported by The Daily Star, Everton have emerged as the front runners to sign Arsenal midfielder Jack Wilshere, should he decide to leave the club this summer when his contract expires.

What’s the story?

Wilshere has been heavily linked with a move away from the Emirates in recent weeks and months, failing to find agreement on a new contract at the Gunners.

That drama is centred around his fitness issues for Arsenal in recent seasons, say The Star, with his recent injury problems on England duty unlikely to help his situation if he decides to leave the club this summer.

However, the paper say that Everton are showing ‘by far the strongest interest’, putting them into pole position to secure his future.

Rated at £16.2m by Transfermarkt, getting him on the cheap would be a shrewd move by the Goodison Park outfit, but is signing him a big risk considering his injury record?

Too big a risk?

There’s no doubting that Wilshere’s career has been significantly hampered by multiple injuries through the years, but a few what could be considered as normal blips aside this term, he’s managed to consistently be available for selection by Arsene Wenger.

He’s made 31 appearances in all competitions for the Gunners this term and even though he failed to feature for England during the international break, that injury was not thought to be serious.

A driven and determined central midfielder, he could be a real asset to the Toffees next season, especially if they can land him on a free transfer, effectively taking any risk away from the deal aside from wages.

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Everton are doing well to position themselves to benefit from his current situation, with interest from elsewhere reported to be less fierce.

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Probable Lineups…

Arsenal (4-2-3-1): Martinez, Chambers, Mertesacker, Monreal, Gibbs, Arteta, Ramsey, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Sanchez, Cazorla, Welbeck

Arsenal’s injury concerns haven’t improved in recent weeks as they are still without Mathieu Debuchy, Mesut Ozil, David Ospina, and now Jack Wilshere. To make matters worse, the club didn’t register Olivier Giroud for the first half of the Champions League campaign as they assumed he woouldn’t return to action until January, forcing him to be ineligible to face Borussia Dortmund. Wojciech Szczesny, Laurent Koscielny, and Theo Walcott are still doubtful for the clash, but there is a chance Koscielny would feature after Arsene Wenger revealed he would start on the bench. This means left back Nacho Monreal will have to continue playing alongside Per Mertesacker in centre-back while Danny Welbeck will play the lone striker’s role.

Borussia Dortmund (4-2-3-1): Weidenfeller, Piszczek, Ginter, Subotic, Durm, Kehl, Gundogan, Aubameyang, Kagawa, Mkhitaryan, Immobile

Borussia Dortmund has recently been struck with a huge injury blow with Marco Reus set to miss the clash with Arsenal. Elsewhere, Jurgen Klopp faces a selection headache with up to six players still doubtful to feature. Nuri Sahin, Sven Bender, Mats Hummels, Sokratis, Jakub Blaszczykowski, and Oliver Kirch are not likely to be risked as the club have already ensured qualification into the next round. Despite missing a number of regular faces, they have very adequate replacements and is also likely to keep up to par with the pacey attack Arsenal have to offer by calling upon their own group of speedy stars. A player that is bound to cause problems is Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang because if he manages to break the offside trap, there is no catching up to him.

What the fans are saying…

Remember this?

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Last season when the two teams met at the Emirates, Borussia Dortmund got the better of Arsenal by taking home all three points with a 2-1 scoreline. Having met one another on multiple occasions and given their pacey style of play, there is bound to be a lot of attacking football.