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While results under the new leadership of Ange Postecoglou were somewhat mixed in the early stages of the season – with Celtic being dumped out of Champions League qualifying in the second round, as well as losing three of their opening seven Scottish Premiership fixtures and both of their opening two Europa League group stage games – things are finally starting to look on the up for the 56-year-old at Parkhead.

Indeed, the Bhoys are now on a run of three straight victories in all competitions, a series of games that has seen the club secure their first and second domestic away wins of the season, as well as a crucial 2-0 victory over Ferencvarosi TC in the Europa League – a result which keeps Postecoglou’s hopes of qualifying for the knockout stages of the competition alive.

However, while results are ultimately the most important metric a manager is judged on, it is not only Celtic’s accumulation of points that has improved for Postecoglou in recent weeks, but also the implementation of the Greek-Australian’s much-fabled brand of football.

Upon his arrival at Celtic this summer, Postecoglou’s appointment promised Celtic fans a style of play that was possession-based, relentlessly high intensity and extremely attacking – and, while there was some evidence of this during the early stages of the season, with the Bhoys typically dominating possession of the ball, the results did not always follow.

Indeed, in the 2-1 defeat to Heart of Midlothian back in July, Celtic enjoyed a whopping 73% of the ball and completed 429 more passes than their opposition, however, despite this domination, Postecoglou’s side created just one big chance over the course of the 90 minutes – the same number Hearts managed.

It was a similar story in the 1-0 loss to Livingston, with the Bhoys having 79% possession and completing 497 more passes than the Lions, although this time the Hoops failed to create even one big chance in the match.

However, the tide has certainly turned during the last three fixtures, with Celtic enjoying 61% possession, creating four big chances and completing 217 more passes than Aberdeen in the 2-1 win. They then boasted 73% of the ball, created one big chance and completed 443 more passes against Motherwell in the 2-0 victory, and had 67% possession, created seven big chances and succeeded with 371 more passes than Ferencvarosi in the 2-0 win.

And, while FBref does not track data for Scottish Premiership fixtures, there is a clue in the Bhoys’ Europa League win as to how Postecoglou has managed to improve his side’s creativity.

Indeed, when looking at Celtic’s pressing in the early stages of the season, the Hoops often applied pressure to opposition players in their defensive and middle thirds a greater number of times than in their attacking third – something that is not surprising, as Postecoglou likes his side to apply pressure extremely high up the pitch.

However, against Ferencvarosi, it would appear as if the 56-year-old instructed his side to change tact somewhat, with Celtic registering the most pressing in their own defensive third – 23 pressures were made in the defensive third while 46 in the middle third and then 61 in attacking third. That’s something that would suggest the manager wanted to draw the Hungarian side out of shape by allowing them to have more of the ball, before springing a counter-attack to catch them on the break.

And, considering both the result and display on Tuesday afternoon was arguably Celtic’s most impressive of the season, perhaps this is something we will more of from the Hoops in the coming weeks – as, with the Bhoys creating seven big chances against Ferencvarosi, it is certainly a tactic that appeared to work.

In other news: McGregor 2.0: Celtic’s 20 y/o “gem of a player” may cause Ange real problems next term

West Ham United will take on a Chelsea side without Antonio Rudiger and Mateo Kovacic in the Premier League this afternoon.

What’s the latest?

Speaking to the media ahead of the match, as quoted by Football.London, Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel stated: “For Sunday, both of them [Kovacic and Rudiger] are not back, but there are no other new injuries.”

Rudiger missed Wednesday evening’s 4-2 defeat to Arsenal with a groin injury whilst Kovacic couldn’t manage 30 minutes in the Blues’ FA Cup semi-final victory over Crystal Palace last weekend, withdrawing with an ankle injury.

Moyes will be buzzing

Of course, they can’t let their heads drop, however, Chelsea’s chances of finishing third in the Premier League look pretty secure whilst the Hammers will have plenty to play for.

The Irons will leapfrog Manchester United into sixth with a victory at Stamford Bridge this afternoon, with the gap between the two sides now just two points after Ralf Rangnick’s men lost 3-1 at Arsenal yesterday.

David Moyes’ men are very much in contention of securing another top-six finish, whilst qualification for Europe is also still possible with a Europa League triumph, with the east London side taking on Eintracht Frankfurt in the first leg of their semi-final on Thursday.

However, in order to guarantee European football via the league, there is now very little room for slip-ups for the Hammers, with Wolves very much in the picture too.

Both Rudiger and Kovacic are major absentees for the west London outfit, with the duo making 47 and 40 appearances this term for Tuchel’s side respectively. Rudiger, in particular, was a big absentee in midweek when Chelsea’s defence were error-prone and mistake-riddled on their way to a 4-2 defeat versus Arsenal.

West Ham must take confidence into their meeting with Chelsea from the fact that they ran out 3-2 victors in the reverse fixture whilst the Blues’ home form of late has been woeful, losing 3-1 to Real Madrid and 4-1 to Brentford in their last two matches at Stamford Bridge prior to the Arsenal crushing.

Moreover, the fact their London rivals will be without two key players will have Moyes buzzing.

AND in other news: Forget Diop: Moyes must now unleash West Ham wonderkid who’s “seriously good” today

Aston Villa have been told that signing Oriol Romeu from Southampton in the January transfer window would be ‘smart business’. 

Former Premier League hitman Kevin Phillips made the claim in an interview with Football Insider.

The lowdown

The Athletic’s Gregg Evans reported last week that Romeu may be on a list of midfield options drawn up for Steven Gerrard by sporting director Johan Lange.

Villa apparently ‘tracked’ Romeu during the summer and it seems that their interest remains heading into the new year.

Defensive midfielder Romeu, who’s previously played for FC Barcelona and Chelsea, has started 17 of Southampton’s 18 Premier League games so far this season.

The 30-year-old is in the penultimate season of his contract at St Mary’s and is valued at £4.5million by Transfermarkt.

The latest

Phillips said the ‘nasty’ Romeu reminded him of Tottenham Hotspur’s Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg – a consistently good but under-the-radar operator.

He thinks the Spaniard would offer Villa a ‘platform’ if they can get the deal done.

“I think Romeu would be a solid option for Villa,” he said.

“He reminds me a lot of Hojbjerg. He is an 8 out of 10 every week but he will never be that player who pulls up trees. I wouldn’t say he ever stands out but he does the nasty side of the game – the tough industrious side of things.

“Villa will know what they’re getting. Romeu is an organiser and a leader. If Villa could secure his services, it’d be smart business. He gives you a platform to build off and allows other more offensive players to play.”

The verdict

Romeu would bring vast experience to Villa Park, with 219 Premier League appearances under his belt.

Phillips compares him to Hojbjerg, but he actually boasts a similar stylistic profile to Liverpool’s Fabinho, standing out among positional peers for his progressive carries, successful aerial duels, tackles and clearances (via FBRef).

Based on Transfermarkt’s calculations, he’d also be fairly cheap, and so it could be a shrewd bit of business for Villa, particularly after they lost Marvelous Nakamba to a long-term injury.

In other news, fans ripped into this man’s performance against Chelsea.

Many Liverpool fans have been criticising the performance of Diogo Jota despite their 3-0 win at home to Brentford in the Premier League this afternoon.

It was a comfortable game in the end for Jurgen Klopp’s team at Anfield, with goals from Fabinho, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Takumi Minamino more than enough to give them the three points.

However, while there were some great performances in a Reds shirt, Jota may not have been pleased with his own display, as he squandered a couple of very good opportunities to score.

The former Wolves ace failed to find the back of the net with any of his six shots, while he also lost out on nine of his duels and failed to record a single successful dribble, key pass, accurate cross or long ball (SofaScore).

The 25-year-old also gave the ball away 13 times, the joint-fifth most out of his teammates, in what was a below-par performance by his standards. He is now without a goal in four matches, having scored in each of his last three before Christmas, as per Transfermarkt.

Liverpool fans slam Jota

These Liverpool fans slammed Jota’s display on Twitter, with one Kopite going as far as to claim that the forward was ‘non-existent’ this afternoon:

“#LFC so 1 dimensional yet again. Jota and Firmino non-existent”

Credit: @Jabbs2Jamie

“Jota is so not focused”

Credit: @I_am_aMarvel

“Jota been totally bad”

Credit: @Galjundi

“Jota DISASTERCLASS”

Credit: @burhan7i

“Get Jota off”

Credit: @Vinny_lopez89

“Jota.. you cannot be finishing like that.. just cannot.”

Credit: @Ituralde

In other news, Liverpool are now willing to pay big money to sign this midfield beast

West Ham United centre-back Angelo Ogbonna is already attracting interest ahead of the summer transfer window.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by Italian media outlet Citta Celeste, who claimed that the Hammers defender has emerged as a target for Maurizio Sarri’s Lazio, who are hoping to land the 33-year-old on a free transfer upon the expiry of his current contract at the London Stadium in the summer.

Previous reports had claimed that, despite the former Italy international’s season-ending cruciate ligament injury, the Irons are planning on offering him a new one-year deal, although a move back to his homeland could well tempt the former Crotone, Torino and Juventus defender.

Disaster

While it is true that Ogbonna may not have too many years ahead of him in which he is capable of playing a starring role at the very highest level of the professional game, it is undeniable that the centre-back still has much to offer West Ham in the short-term. That leads us to believe that his departure this summer would be a disaster for David Moyes and his team.

Indeed, in recent years, the £1.8m-rated defender has proven himself to be one of the Hammers’ most important players in the top flight, earning seasonal SofaScore match ratings of 6.82 in 2019/20, 6.81 in 2020/21 and averaging a rating of 6.71 over his 11 Premier League appearances in the current campaign prior to his injury.

This form led to the £70k-per-week defender receiving some huge praise, with Declan Rice stating of the Italian in December 2020: “He’s so good. Honestly, he’s gone to another level this season. He looks like a real top, top centre-half and he’s stepped up when it’s really mattered.”

West Ham podcaster Sam Delaney also praised the influence of the 33-year-old on the Irons’ backline in March of last year, stating: “The fact is he’s a real leader and he’s marshalled that defence whether we played in a four or a three. You can see him being vocal and he was so integral to it.”

As such, it is clear to see just how much of an impact Ogbonna has made in the heart of the West Ham defence, not only with his consistently solid performances but also with his leadership abilities. Moyes simply cannot afford to jettison such qualities in the summer, especially on a free transfer.

In other news – Forget Diop: West Ham liability with 40 touches must have just played his last game for Moyes

Manchester United handed rivals City a big favour as they held Liverpool to a goalless draw at Old Trafford yesterday afternoon.

The Red Devils overcame the odds somewhat in a bizarre game which saw injury after injury for United, including one for Jesse Lingard, who was only introduced himself in the first period.

However, the 0-0 scoreline was just reward for a dogged and determined display which left it all to play for at the top of the table and gave cross-city rivals City improved hopes of making it a second successive Premier League title.

Of course, the focus should be on United though, and in particular manager Solksjaer, who has been superb since stepping into the fold following the sacking of Jose Mourinho.

His ability today to get the best out of a team which was seemingly being torn apart by injuries was to be admired, and it showed that he is not simply all about attacking and expansive football just to go about pleasing the fans at Old Trafford.

The assured way his players went about their business was testament to just how well Solskjaer has done at the club, and we think that the job is his in the summer barring an absolute disaster of events.

The Norwegian has earned his keep so to speak within the confines of the United supporters, and he will no doubt be impressing at board level too.

If he can keep getting the results, secure Champions League football, and deny Liverpool the title in any way he can, then he’ll be the man to take United forward 100%.

A major update has emerged on Rangers’ search for a new manager, regarding Italian coach Gennaro Gattuso…

What’s the talk?

According to a report from Sky Sports, the Gers are not considering a deal to bring the ex-Napoli boss to the club to replace Steven Gerrard.

Derek McInnes and Gattuso have both been ruled out as Rangers continue to consider appointing Dutch manager Gio van Bronckhorst instead.

Gutting

This update from Sky will surely leave Rangers fans gutted as Gattuso could have been an interesting appointment at Ibrox. The retired midfielder, who previously played for the club, is reportedly interested in the role and we published an article explaining why it could be a great move.

However, it now appears as though the Gers have made a decision not to approach the 43-year-old and will continue their search for Steven Gerrard’s replacement without looking at the former Milan and Napoli head coach. This is a major update that rules him out of the running and could leave supporters disappointed that he is not being considered.

Ex-AC Milan and Brazil midfielder Kaka previously lauded his controversial former teammate and said:

“Gattuso? It was great to see him coaching for the first time with my own eyes. He’s the same as he was as a player in terms of energy and motivation.

“He spent the whole time motivating the team and demanding the best, but that’s not all. Rino is very good, he’s managed to study and prepare well, and all these things make him a phenomenon.”

Gattuso has 122 games of managerial experience in the Serie A with Napoli and Milan under his belt, winning an impressive 1.86 points per game in that time. He never finished below seventh in his four seasons between the two Italian giants, finishing fifth twice, and he won the Italian Cup with Napoli in the 2019/20 campaign – showing that he has the quality as a coach to win silverware.

This shows that he is a talented manager who has proven himself at the top level in Italy, as he was able to successfully manage two huge clubs in Milan and Napoli who like the Gers, traditionally have higher expectations. Therefore, he could potentially have been a good appointment by Rangers and that is precisely why fans will be gutted that the club are not interested in exploring a deal for him.

AND in other news, Davis 2.0: Rangers could sign new metronome in gem who “quietly impressed” ex-EPL boss…

Taking to Twitter, journalist Nathan Gissing, a contributor for Sky Sports’ Gianluca Di Marzio’s website, has made a Southampton transfer claim involving Chelsea defender Levi Colwill.

The Lowdown: Saints looking to summer?

As the Saints seem to successfully navigate relegation for another year, transfer chief Martin Semmens and manager Ralph Hasenhuttl will be looking ahead to the summer window.

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Links have already emerged to possible targets with Union Berlin forward Taiwo Awoniyi and West Brom shot stopper Sam Johnstone reportedly having been earmarked.

Conducting much business with European giants and Premier League rivals Chelsea over the last few seasons in particular, news has now come to light involving another player from the west London club.

The Latest: Saints enter mix for Colwill…

As per Gissing, Southampton are now in the mix for promising centre-back Colwill – who is currently enjoying a fruitful spell on loan at Huddersfield Town.

He explained (via Twitter): “Levi Colwill has interest from many clubs including Leicester, Fulham, Southampton, Everton, Huddersfield (if promoted) & European clubs

“Chelsea will assess Levi in pre-season and make a final decision there.”

The Verdict: Make a move?

The 19-year-old, a key player for The Terriers over his temporary stint, has certainly impressed those around the club.

Steven Chicken for example, a Huddersfield Town reporter for Yorkshire Live (via Chelsea Loan Army), branded Colwill ‘sensational from day one’ and ‘flawless’ since joining.

The England Under-19 international has been a mainstay under Town boss Carlos Corberán, making 26 Championship appearances this season and even pitching in with two goals (Transfermarkt).

Widely regarded as a top emerging talent, Colwill can be deployed at left-back as well as in the centre of defence, potentially backing why the Saints hold a firm interest.

Amid all the competition, perhaps Southampton’s past dealings with Chelsea could put them above other clubs in the pecking order.

In other news: Sky Sports: Southampton also in mix for ‘world class’ international! Find out more here.

Rumoured Leeds United transfer target John Swift is likely to leave Reading at the end of the season, according to journalist David Anderson.

The Lowdown: Midfielders wanted

The 26-year-old is enjoying a hugely impressive campaign for Reading in the Championship, scoring eight goals and registering nine assists from midfield.

Swift has been linked with a move to Leeds in the recent past and the Whites are of course in need of midfield additions – they are also in talks for RB Salzburg starlet Brenden Aaronson.

Victor Orta reportedly wants two midfielders signed – one attacking and one defensive – and although both of these players fit the former category, perhaps the opportunity to get both will be too good to pass up after the latest news on Swift.

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The Latest: Journalist backs summer transfer

Speaking to Give Me Sport, Anderson claimed a summer exit from Reading is on the cards rather than this month, at which point Leeds could swoop:

“The only thing I have been told about him is that he would prefer to leave it until the summer and then obviously take his pick of clubs.

“Obviously, if you leave on a Bosman, it means you get a bigger salary compared to if you were to move now.

“What I’m being told is he’s prepared to see the season out with Reading and then, whether they get relegated or not, move in the summer.”

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The Verdict: Good squad option

Swift wouldn’t exactly be a marquee signing for Leeds in the summer but he is someone who Marcelo Bielsa has openly admitted he admires in the past, calling him a ‘great player’.

That speaks volumes about the midfielder’s ability and his end product from the middle of the park is something that has been lacking at Elland Road this season, with Mateusz Klich and Stuart Dallas (one apiece) their top-scoring central midfielders in the Premier League.

Swift could come in as a strong squad option and someone who could improve further under Bielsa, so signing Aaronson for a fee now and Swift when his contract expires in the summer feels like a no brainer.

In other news, Leeds have been boosted in their efforts to sign one player. Find out who it is here.

Newcastle United are reportedly setting their sights on signing Leon King in the January transfer window.

The Lowdown: Emerging talent

At just 17 years of age, King is one of the emerging talents in Scottish football, having already made his senior debut for Glasgow Rangers.

The club’s coaches regard him as a ‘huge talent’ and are ‘convinced’ that he can establish himself in the first team at Ibrox in the coming years (Football Insider).

However, he is out of contract in the summer, so that presents a good opportunity for the St James’ Park outfit to sign him.

The Latest: Newcastle set sights on King

As per Football Insider, both Newcastle and Manchester United have now ‘set their sights’ on the Gers sensation ahead of the January transfer window.

Sources from Ibrox have revealed that there is ‘fresh doubt’ over the teenager’s future, and he could even be sold for a compensation fee of around £250,000.

The Tyneside club are ‘interested’ in opening talks with King over a pre-contract agreement in January ahead of a potential summer move.

The Verdict: One for the future

King is a player for the future, so it would be a smart idea for the Magpies to sign him now before he develops further and attracts interest from other clubs.

The defender clearly has a lot of promise, as he has also played for the Scotland national team at youth level.

The Newcastle Academy could then use and develop him, or he could be sent out on loan to get further experience playing men’s football, but it is clear that there are multiple possibilities with this potential signing.

In other news, NUFC are willing to pay big money for this rising star