Shay Given

Newcastle United midfielder Jonjo Shelvey is pleased that the Magpies have answered the critics who had expected them to be relegated under Steve Bruce this term. The Tyneside outfit saw high-profile exits in the form of Salomon Rondon, Ayoze Perez and manager Rafael Benitez last summer and that led to suggestions that they may struggle to preserve their Premier League status for more than 12 months.

However, they have managed to prove the critics wrong with 35 points accumulated from 29 games this term and they are currently eight points ahead of the drop zone. In a Youtube live session, Shelvey highlighted that the club have done better than the initial expectations of them and hopefully, they can carry the positives when the season resumes after the coronavirus shutdown.

Manchester United forward Anthony Martial is keen on making the France national team for the summer’s Euro 2020 tournament. The Frenchman has been in top form for the Red Devils this term and he has already contributed 17 goals from 31 appearances in all competitions. As a result, he is on course for the best-ever return during a single campaign and Martial has his sights on representing Les Bleus at the European Championships.

“Yes, I’m thinking about it. I want to go to the Euros. We’ll see. I do my job, that’s all. I’m trying to do my best to help United finish in the top four. I will try to score as many goals as possible to finish the season well,” he was quoted as saying by Le 10 Sport.

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has insisted that the Citizens won’t give up on the Premier League title. The Mancunian giants are currently nine points adrift of Liverpool, who are at the top of the league standings but Guardiola is optimistic that his side can reduce the deficit with plenty of games left for the campaign.

Speaking after the 2-1 triumph over Chelsea, Guardiola acknowledged that it is tough for any Premier League side to win the league in successive seasons and the Citizens managed to achieve the feat last term. He added that his team are on the backfoot with the Reds’ brilliant start to the season but won’t give on their title without a fight.

Sky Sports pundit Paul Merson has said that he is amazed by the fact that Manchester City decided against pursuing a new centre-back during the summer transfer window. The Citizens saw the departure of long-term captain Vincent Kompany on a free transfer after the FA Cup final and that left them with just Aymeric Laporte, John Stones and Nicolas Otamendi as the central defensive options.

Among those, Laporte is expected to miss most of the campaign after a knee surgery while Stones has recently been on the sidelines with a thigh problem. As such, Guardiola has been forced to utilise Fernandinho as the makeshift centre-back alongside Otamendi and that has already cost them with a surprise 2-0 home defeat at the hands of Wolves.

Newcastle United boss Steve Bruce has said that the Magpies players responded to the recent criticism as they clinched a shock 1-0 triumph over Tottenham Hotspur on the road. The Magpies barely provided a goalscoring threat in the opening two league games of the season and they were criticised for the performance at Norwich City, where they could have easily conceded more than three goals.

As such, the Magpies were given barely any chance of coming up with a positive result at the Tottenham Hotspur stadium but they managed to surprise the fans and pundits alike by coming out with a 1-0 win in the end. The Magpies only commanded 20 percent of the overall possession but they managed to find the net through summer signing Joelinton before restricting any clear-cut scoring chances for Spurs.

Steve Bruce has said that he is aiming to win over the Newcastle United fans after taking charge as the new head coach. The experienced manager recently ended his association with Championship side Sheffield Wednesday and he now has the task of keeping the Magpies in the Premier League for the third season running.

Speaking to NufcTV, Bruce said that he may not have the support of the entire fan base and that is acknowledgeable, considering the work done by former coach Rafa Benitez. He added that he is ready for the testing challenge with the Magpies and hopefully, he can make a positive start to the forthcoming season.

Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola has urged the team to stay calm with the Premier League title race yet to be decided. The Citizens leapfrogged Liverpool to the top of the table after a derby triumph over Manchester United on the road but Guardiola has refused to acknowledge that the Citizens are favourites for the title.

Speaking after the game, he said: “I understand the pressure we have and obviously here at Old Trafford with Marcus Rashford and Jesse Lingard running behind. I told them we needed to play to win, it doesn’t matter if we concede. Now we go to Burnley and we know how tough it will be. It’s important to be calm. We are still not champions with three games left – it’s incredible with the points we have and Liverpool have. I told the players don’t read tomorrow, don’t watch the television, just rest and sleep a lot and go in there against Burnley.”

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has said that he would not prefer to speak on the club’s prospects of winning the quadruple until the end of the month. The Citizens are currently alive across all four competitions and they are currently on course to reach their second final, should they overcome Brighton & Hove Albion in the FA Cup this weekend.

Speaking to reporters, Guardiola said that he does not want to indulge into talks regarding the quadruple, given none of the previous major clubs in the country have managed to achieve the same, he said: “I said many times, ask me at the end of April. Why talk about the quadruple when in this country – a legendary country – it has never happened before. Legendary teams like Liverpool, the period [of Manchester United] with Sir Alex Ferguson, Jose Mourinho at Chelsea, Arsenel Wenger with Arsenal – no one did it. So why should we do it? “I’m not in the minds of my players and the fans to tell them what to think.”

Former Premier League manager Ian Holloway has raved about Salomon Rondon, who has been a good success with Newcastle United this term. The Venezuela international joined the Magpies on a season-long loan from West Bromwich Albion last summer with Dwight Gayle heading to the Hawthorns in a similar kind of deal.

Rondon initially struggled to adapt to the Magpies’ style of play but as the season has progressed, he has become more influential which has impressed the club’s faithful. Speaking on TalkSPORT, Holloway was full of praise for the former St Zenit Petersburg man and said that he did not realise ‘how good he was’, he quipped: “I think it’s amazing the forward line they’ve got now, obviously with Matt [Ritchie] putting some service in. But I think the signing of Rondon, I didn’t realise how good he was.”

Football club Barnsley very recently recruited the Portuguese football player and winger, Elliot Simoes. Simoes has left his club F.C United of Manchester to be a part of Barnsley. The Manchester player has joined the team under the guidance of the chief coach, Daniel Stendel. Elliott’s contract terminates after three-and-a-half year. The news comes after the 19-year old played exceptionally well in 23 games by scoring twice, that too in for a club which is non-league. The English club has not divulged into details of this contract as a result of which it is not known the amount for which Elliot will be playing for the club.

Gautam Ganaye, the chief executive of the Barnsley club believes that the winger would be giving tough competition to all the teams that are playing in the lead. Simoes himself was quoted as saying that the opportunity to be a part of the English club has been one of the best things that have ever happened to him in his lifetime. The player sees it as a golden opportunity of his footballing career. Simoes also said that he was simply moving ahead in his life and thought everything is in place and normal until he came to know that Barnsley wanted to sign him.