Mohamed Salah’s goal record vs Newcastle United

Newcastle United will host Liverpool and Mohamed Salah on 27th August in the third week of the Premier League season. It's a massive game for both sides.

The Magpies will hope to build on their fourth-placed finish last season, while Liverpool will hope to push them out of the Champions League spots and rebound after a terrible campaign last time out. Of course, the Reds will turn to Salah to lead them.

But how likely is it that he gets one over on Newcastle United? Football FanCast delves into the stats to see just how well Salah plays against Newcastle.

What is Mohamed Salah's goal record against Newcastle?

Salah has played 13 times against Newcastle, with all fixtures coming in the Premier League, though not all of them were for Liverpool.

He actually played once for Chelsea – the Egyptian played 12 minutes in 2014 at Stamford Bridge. That, of course, was a very different Salah as the forward was transformed into a goalscoring machine on his move to Anfield.

And that shows in his record. Salah has six goals in 12 games against Newcastle for Liverpool. It's a great haul, but far from his most dominant – that's actually quite middle of the road in the Premier League for the Reds' star man.

What is Mohamed Salah's assist record against Newcastle?

Of course, Salah isn't just a goalscorer, but a creator too. And he has a fair few assists against Newcastle, with three in his last two games against the club.

In total, he boasts four across his 13 games to go along with his six goals, having been credited with a hand in three of the four scored by Liverpool against the Magpies last term.

What is Mohamed Salah's head-to-head record against Newcastle?

Newcastle have never actually beaten Salah's sides, whether he was on the pitch for Chelsea or Liverpool. His record stands at 13 played, 10 won, 3 drawn and zero defeats.

That record is actually Salah's best against any opponent across all competitions. He's never won more against a team without losing once – in fact, the only team he's ever defeated more than 10 times is Tottenham Hotspur (11).

And given all of his games came in the Premier League, there's a points tally. Salah has picked up 33 points in total against the Mapgies – just six shy of perfection.

What is Mohamed Salah's record at St James's Park?

It won't be a shock to learn that it's very good. Salah has played a total of six games at Newcastle, all coming for Liverpool.

He hasn't lost any of those meetings, of course, and has won four of them, drawing the other two. Though, it is notable that Salah has only ever scored once at St James' – that came back in 2019 and was a game where he also picked up an injury.

His team might do well there, but on an individual level, Newcastle isn't a particularly happy hunting ground for Salah:

Games – 6 Wins – 4 Draws – 2 Losses – 0 Goals – 1 Assists – 1 Who has Mohamed Salah scored against the most?

Mo Salah

In total, Salah has scored against 11 teams more than he has against Newcastle. As previously mentioned, that figure of six isn't necessarily a standout for the Egyptian.

Sitting right at the top of that pile is Manchester United. Salah's record against them is incredible, scoring 12 times in 12 games and managing another four assists. Manchester City come next – 11 goals and five assists in 19 meetings.

Tottenham's 18 meetings with Salah have seen them ship 11 goals, too, along with a single assist. Meanwhile, Arsenal, West Ham United, Watford and Leeds United have all conceded nine times to the Liverpool star.

Bournemouth have been the unlucky opponent on eight occasions, while Crystal Palace, Chelsea, and Southampton have all shipped seven.

How many goals does Mohamed Salah have in August?

Sticking to the Premier League, Salah has scored 12 goals in the month of August. It's a fantastic haul that, on the face of it, averages out to two August goals each season for the Egyptian.

It's actually slightly better than that, however. There were no August games in the 2020/21 Premier League season, which kicked off in September. If you count that as the equivalent of August in a regular season, you can add three more to Salah's total, with the winger bagging a hat-trick on the opening day against Leeds United).

What is Mohamed Salah's overall Liverpool goal record?

Salah was never really known as a goalscorer in his younger professional days – even his record with Basel was so-so. But once he left Chelsea for AS Roma, the Egyptian started to find his feet as a true goal threat.

29 goals in two Serie A seasons suggested something was there, but no one could have foreseen his explosion at Liverpool. Salah immediately broke the Premier League's goalscoring record for a 38-game season, scoring 32 times in his debut campaign.

Overall, the forward heads into the upcoming campaign with 137 Premier League goals for Liverpool, all coming in 218 games. That stretches to 186 in 305 across all competitions.

In all, he's one of the most dangerous forward players on the planet and has been for some time. Even if, for whatever reason, Newcastle usually find a way to handle him at home.

What is Mohamed Salah's Premier League record?

Liverpool winger Mohamed Salah.

Salah's 137 Premier League goals for Liverpool, combined with the two he got for Chelsea in his brief spell there lead to a grand total of 139. It's an incredible haul – only 13 players have managed more since the start of the league in 1992.

And so, even if Salah matched his lowest goals total for Liverpool in a single year (19) this coming term, he'd move onto 158 goals. That would be enough to leapfrog Michael Owen in 10th on the all-time list. He likely won't have reached this point by the time he faces Newcastle – but he'll hope to draw closer against the Magpies.

What is Mohamed Salah's assist record?

Mohamed Salah has cemented his place as a Liverpool great

Salah's 139 Premier League goals are a fantastic amount – but they're not all he can boast about. He's also claimed 59 assists in England's top flight, with two of those coming in Chelsea blue.

That has him sitting in 22nd place all-time and Salah will almost certainly enter the top 20 in the coming season. As Newcastle know very well, he doesn't just hurt you by scoring goals.

What is Liverpool's record against Newcastle?

Liverpool midfielder Jordan Henderson.

Liverpool and Newcastle have met a lot over the decades – their history as opponents dates all the way back to 1893. And as with just about everyone else in English football, the Reds boast a good record.

They've competed 185 times in their history, with Liverpool winning 91 of those. Newcastle have then won 50 themselves, leaving 44 games without a winner.

But what about in the Premier League? There have unsurprisingly been a fair few meetings since England's top flight rebranded – 56 in total – with Liverpool taking the vast majority of those points.

The Reds have won 33 of the 56, with Newcastle settling for a mere 11. In fact, the Toon have drawn more than they've won, with the points splitting 12 times.

What are Liverpool's recent results against Newcastle?

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp.

Liverpool have been dominant in recent times against Newcastle. Even last season – a campaign where the Reds struggled and the Magpies shone – Jurgen Klopp's side won both games.

The most recent was a 2-0 win at St James' Park that followed a dramatic 2-1 win at Anfield – Fabio Carvalho squeezed in a winner with seconds to play. In fact, Liverpool have won the last four clashes, having taken the points on both occasions in the previous season, too.

There were a couple of draws before that – 0-0 in Newcastle in 2020 and 1-1 in Liverpool in 2021. But you're probably noticing that there isn't a single win for the Magpies to mention here.

That's because you need to head all the way back to 2015 for the last time Newcastle beat Liverpool. That game finished 2-0 at St James' and was the second consecutive year that the victors wore black and white.

When is Newcastle vs Liverpool?

Eddie Howe

Newcastle will host Liverpool on Sunday, 27th August at 4.30pm UK time. It promises to be one of the biggest games of the season's early stages, with both sides looking to make a big statement.

Newcastle need early momentum if they're to prove that last season wasn't a fluke. It won't be easy, however – this isn't even their first big test. It comes one week after a trip to Manchester City as the Magpies face as tough an early test as you can get.

Liverpool, of course, need to make a statement of their own. They were truly awful at times last season, falling out of the title race almost immediately and then struggling to even compete for European spots. A late charge saw them briefly battle for fourth, but they'll be a Europa League side this season.

The winner will take a huge confidence boost from this one, then, and the Reds will turn to Mohamed Salah as their leader up top. His record in Newcastle isn't exactly sparkling, but he almost always returns home a winner.

Rangers Can Find Colak’s Heir In £5.2m Transfer Swoop

Glasgow Rangers manager Michael Beale was dealt a blow at the end of last season as centre-forward Alfredo Morelos left the club upon the expiry of his contract at Ibrox.

The Colombian was a prolific scorer for the side over the years and enjoyed an incredible spell in Scotland as he plundered 124 goals in 269 appearances in all competitions.

His exit left the Light Blues with a hole to fill at the top end of the pitch and they have done exactly that by signing Sam Lammers on a permanent deal from Atalanta, while 28-year-old striker Cyriel Dessers is on the verge of joining from Cremonese for £4.5m.

However, the Nigerian's pending arrival would mean that Beale would have five senior number nine options who are all aged between 26 and 30.

This suggests that the Gers could benefit from signing a younger striker with the potential to develop over time.

They could sign a forward in his early 20s in the hope that he is able to learn from the likes of Dessers and Lammers before working his way into becoming a first-team regular further down the line.

HNK Rijeka starlet Matija Frigan, who is valued at £5.2m, fits that particular bill having been linked with a move to the Scottish giants this summer and he could come in as the dream heir to Antonio Colak.

How did Matija Frigan perform last season?

The 20-year-old marksman made his senior breakthrough with Rijeka and caught the eye with his impressive performances through the middle of the pitch.

During the 2022/23 campaign, the Croatia U21 international plundered 15 goals in 31 appearances in all competitions for his club, including 14 in 27 league outings. This means that he averaged a goal more than once every two matches in the SuperSport HNL, while maintaining an average of a strike just over once every two games in total.

To put those numbers into context, his compatriot in Colak found the back of the net 18 times in 38 clashes for Rangers after his move from Greek giants PAOK last summer, with 13 of those coming in 24 Scottish Premiership matches.

The Croatian international scored once every 2.1 outings for the Light Blues as he proved himself to be a reliable scorer during his debut campaign in the country.

Rangers striker Antonio Colak.

These statistics suggest that the 20-year-old target has the goalscoring instincts and consistency to replicate Colak's success in front of goal.

The former Malmo finisher turns 30 in September and Beale could bring Frigan to Ibrox with the intention of replacing him either this summer or in the years to come.

The Rijeka star does not turn 21 until next year and would arrive as a player with potential, rather than an experience option who would be expected to hit the ground running. Although, his goalscoring record last season indicates that the quality is there for him to be a good option for the manager in the short-term as well.

Talent scout Jacek Kulig previously hailed the striker as "complete" while he also rated his potential at 8/10, suggesting that the exciting youngster has shown enough in his home country to be a highly-rated young talent.

Frigan could, therefore, be an excellent long-term signing for Rangers and one that would provide Beale with a dream heir to Colak.

Newcastle v Aston Villa: prredictions, preview & more

As Football FanCast previews the opening weekend to the 2023/24 Premier League season, we’ve taken a look at Newcastle United vs Aston Villa in a game between two sides who unexpectedly impressed in the last campaign.

When is the match and is it on UK TV?

Newcastle vs Aston Villa plays host to the season’s first Saturday Night Football installment on Sky Sports on Saturday, August 12, 5:30pm BST.

The fixture kicks off Unai Emery’s first full season in charge at Aston Villa after a stellar stint in charge so far, which saw the Villains go from relegation contenders to qualifying for the Europa Conference League by the end of the season.

Eddie Howe, meanwhile, will be hoping for a repeat from his side, as they look to make it back-to-back top-four finishes.

Every Opening day premier League fixture in full

Who is Newcastle United's key player?

Newcastle striker Callum Wilson

When thinking of Newcastle United’s key players, it’s hard to look past Callum Wilson.

The England international had a season to remember last time out, scoring a total of 18 Premier League goals.

With that confidence, Wilson should only enjoy a repeat in the forthcoming campaign, too, as should Newcastle, as a whole.

As Alexander Isak continues to offer plenty of competition, Wilson may well step things up another gear or two, resulting in even more goals for the Magpies.

Who is Aston Villa's key player?

Just like Newcastle, Aston Vila’s key player comes from within their frontline, with Ollie Watkins the dangerman.

Under Steven Gerrard, some may have been worried about the direction in which Watkins was heading. Since the arrival of Emery, however, the former Brentford striker has been a man transformed, ending the season on 15 Premier League goals.

Watkins’ battle against fellow England striker Wilson will certainly be an interesting one on the opening day.

How will Newcastle United line-up?

With a long summer ahead, Newcastle may well introduce some fresh faces on the opening night of the Premier League season.

The biggest move that the Magpies have been linked with so far is for Inter Milan’s Nicolo Barella.

According to Luke Edwards, Mike McGrath and Matt Law of The Times, Newcastle are closing in on a move for the midfielder this summer, in what could be one of the deals of the transfer window.

With that said, here’s how Newcastle could line up against Aston Villa: Nick Pope; Kieran Trippier; Sven Botman; Fabian Schar; Dan Burn; Nicolo Barella; Joelinton, Bruno Guimaraes; Miguel Almiron, Alexander Isak, Callum Wilson

How will Aston Villa line-up?

Leon Bailey and Aston Villa manager Unai Emery.

Having already signed Youri Tielemans on a free deal this summer, Emery has the option to throw the former Leicester City midfielder straight into his Aston Villa side to face Newcastle on the opening day.

The Frenchman will also be boosted by the return of a fully fit Diego Carlos, who missed the majority of last season through injury after signing for the club last summer.

It remains to be seen who else Villa will welcome this summer, but here’s how they could line up against Newcastle: Emiliano Martinez; Matty Cash; Tyrone Mings; Diego Carlos; Lucas Digne; Douglas Luiz, Youri Tielemans; Emi Buendia; John McGinn; Jacob Ramsey; Ollie Watkins

What were the last five meetings between the two teams?

In the last five meetings between these two sides, both Newcastle and Aston Villa have two wins apiece with one solitary draw.

The last time they squared off, of course, saw Villa shock Howe’s side by brushing them aside to comfortably win 3-0 at Villa Park.

There’s no doubt that Newcastle will be looking for revenge after an afternoon to forget last time out.

A positive for the Magpies is the fact that Villa’s last trip to St James’ Park ended in a 4-0 victory.

With that said, here are the last five results:

April 2023: Aston Villa 3-0 Newcastle United October 2022: Newcastle United 4-0 Aston Villa February 2022: Newcastle United 1-0 Aston Villa August 2021: Aston Villa 2-0 Newcastle United March 2021: Newcastle United 1-1 Aston Villa Who is going to win?

No doubt a tight affair, given how impressive both sides were last season, we could be in for a blockbuster opening to the 2023/24 Premier League campaign.

As both sides look to pick up where they left off, we can’t see past an entertaining draw between two of the most exciting teams in the league when they are in their best form.

FFC predicts: Draw

Warner, Rashid give Lions a thrashing

Rashid Khan and David Warner combined to ease Sunrisers Hyderabad to their second win of the season, and send Gujarat Lions crashing to another huge defeat

The Report by Nikhil Kalro09-Apr-2017
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details2:21

Hogg: What was Raina thinking?

Sunrisers Hyderabad dominated all aspects of a T20 game – batting, bowling, fielding and winning a toss – to consign Gujarat Lions to their second rout of the season. Sunrisers cruised to their second comfortable victory, with nine wickets in hand and 27 balls to spare.Lions stuck to the same combination as the first game – four overseas batsmen and five Indian bowlers – and lacked balance and penetration again. With the bat, they could muster just 135, their second-lowest first-innings total. With the ball, they’ve taken just one wicket in two games.Sunrisers, on the other hand, were outstanding in planning and execution. Rashid Khan flummoxed the Lions batsmen with his variations to become the highest wicket-taker of this season’s IPL. Then chasing 136, Moises Henriques struck his second fifty of the season, and David Warner made an unbeaten 45-ball 76, going past 1000 IPL runs at the Rajiv Gandhi Stadium and 7000 runs in T20 cricket.The IPL’s most significant trend
Sunrisers captain Warner was clear at the toss. He knew the surface would be slower in the afternoon and his spinners would be useful against Lions’ four overseas stars. After putting Lions in to bat – the fifth time in six games a team has chosen to chase this season – Warner started with left-arm spinner Bipul Sharma. The pitch played pretty much as expected: slow, low, and timing spinners wasn’t easy. Sunrisers’ spinners – Rashid and Bipul – returned combined figures of 8-0-43-3 leaving the Lions to play catch-up thereafter.Moises Henriques scored his second half-century of the season•BCCI

Legspin winning T20sPicking Rashid’s variations from his stock ball has been one of the harder tasks in Associate cricket. That is why he is regularly employed towards the end overs in T20Is for Afghanistan. In just two games, Rashid has shown discerning legspin isn’t simple for the elite either.Batsmen often look for a cross-batted option against spin they aren’t able to read. That seemed the case when Brendon McCullum chose to sweep in Rashid’s first over. He missed the googly and was struck in front of the wicket. Aaron Finch and Suresh Raina were deceived too: Finch by a googly and Raina by a regulation legbreak. Both batsmen missed the ball by a considerable distance, an indicator that they failed to pick Rashid. It was the first time a bowler took three lbws in an IPL game.Two of the best legspinners in the world currently, Rashid and Imran Tahir, both attack the stumps – a legbreak to a left-hander and a googly to a right-hander – to new batsmen. It has worked, and not just in the IPL.Not timing a T20 chaseSometimes, a higher total to chase frees up a batting team. Pacing an innings while chasing a relatively small total can also be fraught with danger because of the unpredictability of the end overs. Warner, however, didn’t change his normal approach to Sunrisers’ 136 target.With two left-handers opening for Sunrisers, Suresh Raina bowled the first over. He had bowled only 30 balls in the Powerplay and conceded 32 runs prior to this game. His first delivery was flat and straight, skidding on with the arm. Warner gave himself room and cut to point off middle stump. While that was a risky stroke, it showed Raina his best delivery could be taken for runs.That risk paid off in the next over, when Raina was forced to change his length. Warner used his feet against Raina’s flight to hit a straight six, and then used the depth of the crease to pull for six off a shorter delivery. He had raced away to 32 off 17 balls in the Powerplay, and Sunrisers were 59 for 1. By then, the game was effectively won.

Everton Could Land £48K-p/w "Tower Of Strength"

Everton secured survival from relegation in the dying minutes of the Premier League season after a dreadful campaign that once again saw the side perform at an abysmal level throughout.

Indeed, the initial arrival of Sean Dyche lifted Goodison Park off its knees after the sacking of Frank Lampard in January, but the promising early displays – such as the 1-0 win over Arsenal – quickly wore off leaving the Toffees to teeter on the edge of the relegation zone for many weeks and months.

Whilst the most obvious positions to strengthen will be across the forward line after losing Richarlison and Anthony Gordon over the last 12 months, there will certainly be a desire for Dyche to bolster almost every key position to ensure he has quality options on the bench and the ability to rotate throughout the season.

Everton have already made a decision on the future of those with contracts expiring next month; whilst Seamus Coleman, Andy Lonergan and Tom Davies have been offered new deals, Yerry Mina is one of the players who will not be retained beyond this season alongside Conor Coady who will not be offered a permanent contract to remain either after his loan spell.

As a result, there is a real opportunity for Dyche to identify new additions who can make an instant impact in Everton's defensive set up and one player who has been recently linked with a move back to the Premier League via the blue side of Merseyside is former Wolverhampton Wanderers star Romain Saiss.

Would Romain Saiss be a good fit for Everton?

With Coady and Mina are confirmed for an exit and with the club not ruling out the sale of both Mason Holgate and Ben Godfrey at this point, there is no reason why Saiss can't provide a solid short-term solution at a great price for Dyche.

The Morocco skipper has spent a year in the Turkish Süper Lig with Besiktas after parting ways with Wolves at the end of his six-year contract but could now be the perfect profile of player to partner James Tarkowski at Goodison Park next season.

Over 25 league appearances, the 33-year-old – dubbed a "tower of strength" by BBC pundit Danny Murphy – scored one goal, tallied up an 82% pass completion rate and kept six clean sheets, as well as averaging 64.1 touches, 1.2 tackles, 1.1 interceptions, 3.4 clearances and 4.6 duels won per game, proving he is still a massive presence on the pitch.

romain-saiss-premier-league-everton-transfers

Not only that, Saiss was one of the standout performers at the World Cup in Qatar at the end of last year after captaining his team to a record-breaking achievement by becoming the first African team to reach the semi-finals of the prestigious international competition, another testament to his impeccable leadership skills and rightful nickname as the 'Moroccan Maldini'.

With that being said, the £48k-per-week ace could be a massive asset for the Toffees next season as his consistency and reliability in defence would be warmly welcomed to soften the blow of Mina and Coady's exit next season.

Durham sanctions 'sent a message' – Harrison

Tom Harrison has insisted the ECB’s treatment of Durham has been harsh but “appropriate”.Harrison, the ECB’s chief executive, defended the decision to relegate Durham in the County Championship, impose a raft of points deductions in each of the 2017 domestic competitions and withdraw their status as a Test-hosting ground in return for a financial rescue package as a necessary “deterrent” to other counties.And while he did not fully confront the ECB’s role in Durham’s failure – notably its encouragement of the club building a Test venue – he did suggest Durham had to take responsibility for bidding more than they could afford in the pursuit of major matches.”Having been through the most serious financial crisis any county has been through – to the extent that the ECB was the last resort – we have to send a message to the other counties that this is not something that is going to be an attractive solution for any county finding themselves in that position,” Harrison told the BBC’s Test Match Special. “It’s not the ECB’s job to be the lender of last resort.”In any business, you have to understand what your revenue is and what your costs are. If one gets out of whack it is not a pretty situation and it will end up hitting the wall at some point. The ECB had to step in to stop that happening in May or June this year. It was going to happen unless we had taken steps to avoid it.”While it is very harsh in terms of the immediate penalties on the players for next year, I think it is appropriate and sends the message to other counties that this should be a significant deterrent. The playing sanctions are harsh but they are appropriate.”Harrison accepted that the ECB’s historic method for allocating games, which involved a bidding system, might have contributed to Durham’s debts, but suggested the club had to take most of the responsibility. And he insisted that the measures taken had provided Durham with the foundations for financial stability in the future.”The way matches were allocated was a bidding structure,” he said. “But no one was forced to bid a certain amount. There’s wasn’t a sword of Damocles over their head about having to stage Tests.”Our absolute priority was to safeguard the future of professional and recreational cricket in the northeast of England. Durham could now be in a position where, 12 months after the most serious financial crisis that’s met any county, they are off and running with no debt and a new management structure and can look forward to the future in a very different way than when they were burdened by debt.”Harrison also referred to the new-team domestic T20 competition – now set for a 2020 launch – as “the most significant development in county cricket in a generation”. Counties agreed to explore the proposals at an ECB meeting in September but the implementation has been delayed as discussions continue.

Xabi Alonso: Future Tottenham (or Liverpool) manager?

The Spaniard has been impressive since taking over at Bayer Leverkusen, and now faces Jose Mourinho's Roma for a place in the Europa League final

Xabi Alonso and Jose Mourinho have history, both as friends and as enemies. Not for the first time, they meet in a European semi-final this week; the apprentice versus the master, the bright young thing against the man who has been there, done it and told the world how special he was while doing it.

It promises to be a hell of an occasion at Stadio Olimpico on Thursday, as Mourinho’s Roma welcome Alonso’s Bayer Leverkusen for the first leg of their Europa League clash.

For Mourinho, it is a chance to confirm his return to prominence, after a few fallow years, by reaching his sixth major European final, and a second in successive seasons. Even at 60, there’s life in the old dog yet.

For Alonso, meanwhile, it’s the biggest test yet of his burgeoning managerial career, an opportunity to underline why so many are tipping the former Liverpool, Real Madrid and Spain star for a long and successful managerial career, one which will surely see him in the Premier League before too long.

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    Lighting up Leverkusen

    Alonso has had quite the impact since taking over at Leverkusen in October. Having inherited a side 17th in the Bundesliga, the 41-year-old has won 17 of his 32 games in charge since, losing only eight. His side have beaten the likes of Bayern Munich and RB Leipzig, and were enjoying a 14-match unbeaten run in all competitions prior to their 2-1 defeat at home to FC Koln last weekend. 

    Eliminated from the Champions League in the group stages, have taken to the Europa League well too, eliminating Monaco in an epic clash in the play-off round before seeing off Ferencvaros and Union St. Gilloise in the last 16 and quarter-finals, respectively.

    Now, only Roma stand in their way, as they seek to reach only the third European final in their history, and their first since 2002. "For the team and the club, it will be very nice," Alonso said this week. "To be in the semi-finals in Europe has not happened often in the club's history, [so] we want to make it as good as possible."

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    Destined to be a top coach

    To those who worked with Alonso throughout his distinguished, 18-year playing career, it is no surprise to see him succeeding in management. Mourinho certainly saw the potential, having coached the midfielder for three seasons at Real Madrid between 2010 and 2013.

    “His father was a manager, so he grew up similar to me,” he said back in 2019. “Then he became a player. A top player. His position on the pitch and his knowledge of the game [was] very high.

    "He played in Spain, in England and in Germany. And he was coached by [Pep] Guardiola with Bayern Munich, by myself in Real Madrid, by [Carlo] Ancelotti in Real Madrid, by [Rafa] Benitez in Liverpool. So, I think if you put all this together, Xabi has the conditions to be a very good coach.”

    Alonso himself has spoken of those key influences, and how they have helped shape him. "I've learned from each coach," he explained recently. "I've lived through good and bad moments. I tried to understand why they made the decisions they did so that I could start to build my own vision as a coach and a manager. But later, after taking the best piece from each one, you need to build your own personality and style, and not just copy and paste. It's about being authentic."

    His Leverkusen players have certainly responded to him. "When he got here, the first thing he did was to change the mentality within the squad," says forward Moussa Diaby. "He asked us to forget about what happened before he got there, and told us to play as if we were starting a new season.

    "He brought his experience to the club; he uses what he has been through as a player to help us improve on a daily basis. He's done really well so far, so long may it continue. We're very happy that he's our head coach, the team is playing well and we're heading in the right direction."

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    Taking his time

    What has been notable about Alonso’s rise to prominence is how carefully he has chosen his jobs. His reputation as a player was that of someone who always saw the bigger picture, and that has been evident so far during his coaching career too.

    He retired from playing in 2017, but rather than jumping in at the deep end with a high-profile senior role, he worked first with Real Madrid’s Under-13s side, and then with the B team at another former club, Real Sociedad before finally, after much deliberation, taking the plunge with Leverkusen last autumn.

    Roberto Olabe, the sporting director at Real Sociedad, believes such a patient approach will serve Alonso well in the long run. “With Xabi, one thing to know about him is that he considers every decision he takes very carefully,” Olabe told GOAL back in January. “So when he chooses to go to Leverkusen, it is because he feels he is ready.

    “He has stuck to the plan so far in his coaching career, and now he has taken this big step, and I say good luck to him. I have no doubt he will do well.” So far, so good on that front, you’d have to say.

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    So what kind of coach is Alonso, then? Well, it won’t surprise you to learn that Leverkusen have developed into a possession-based team since he took charge. They are one of only seven Bundesliga sides to average more than 50 percent of the ball, and have the fifth-best passing accuracy in the league. They also have the fourth-best expected goals (xG) figure, suggesting they are pretty adept at carving out good scoring opportunities.

    “Xabi is a midfielder, still!” Olabe told GOAL when asked about Alonso’s coaching style. “And I think midfielders want to have control of the game. If they don’t, they suffer a lot. He wants his team to have the ball, to be balanced, to control the space with possession. He wants to build this midfield zone, and he wants that axis player that can help him do that.”

    To achieve this, Alonso generally uses a three-man defence and a deep-lying midfield pivot, relying on his wing-backs to provide much of the side’s width and with two No.10s looking to pick up possession and create in more advanced central areas.

    Generally, it has worked well. Since the resumption of the Bundesliga season in January, Leverkusen have failed to score only four times in 22 matches, and have scored two or more in 15 of those games. They are certainly far from dull. 

    "We may be a young team, but we're also a very mature one," says Diaby. "Players here know what they want to achieve, and we also know what we shouldn't do. Young players need to be told what to do at times, and that's what their older peers are there for."

Chelsea Must Ditch £175k-p/w ‘Disgrace’ Vs Brentford

Chelsea return to Premier League action on Wednesday night, as Frank Lampard looks to ensure that the Blues don't make it five defeats from five under his tenure.

The west London outfit were treated to a weekend off due to Manchester United's involvement in the FA Cup final, although last week's 2-0 defeat at the hands of Real Madrid will still be fresh in Lampard's thinking ahead of this evening's game against Brentford.

If the former Everton boss wants to turn his fortunes around at Stamford Bridge, he must consider dropping Marc Cucurella, as the Spaniard has been a liability at the back since joining from Brighton last summer.

Should Chelsea drop Cucurella vs Brentford?

Lampard was forced to select the former Getafe man in the game against Real Madrid following Ben Chilwell's suspension, but now that the England international is available for selection, he should surely get the nod to start on the left side of Chelsea's defence.

Cucurella, who earns £175k-per-week, showed in both games against Madrid that he cannot be considered a reliable defender, as he was caught out of position for Chilwell's red card at the Santiago Bernabeu before he left Trevoh Chalobah completely exposed against Rodrygo at Stamford Bridge.

Jamie O'Hara, who works as a pundit on talkSPORT, labelled the 24-year-old a "disgrace" after his performance in Madrid, while BBC Sport contributor Raj Chohan also criticised him for his performance in the return leg.

He said: "Cucurella’s aggression is such an issue. Always mistiming his jumps out of the back 3. And doesn’t have the recovery pace to get back into position when it gets played around him. Leaves the gap for Rodrygo to run into there. Shocking."

Chelsea spent £63m to bring the Spanish defender to Stamford Bridge, but he has definitely not justified his price tag thus far, averaging a disappointing 6.65 rating from WhoScored which ranks him as the joint 14th-best performer in Lampard's squad.

Chelsea manager Frank Lampard

Despite often featuring as a centre-back as well as a left-back, the summer signing fails to rank in the top six Chelsea players for interceptions or clearances per game, while he is the second-most dribbled past player at Stamford Bridge, which emphasises why he has established himself as a defensive liability.

Brentford may be struggling for form at the moment, but they are still ahead of Chelsea in the table and will cause real problems with the dangerous attacking duo of Ivan Toney and Bryan Mbuemo at Stamford Bridge, so Lampard must ensure that his best defenders are on the pitch tonight.

Therefore, Cucurella must be dropped to the bench, with Chilwell returning to the starting side after his recent suspension in the Champions League.

Villa Could Land Watkins 2.0 By Signing ‘Fox-in-the-box’

Aston Villa are reportedly leading the race for Charlton Athletic teenager Miles Leaburn ahead of the summer transfer window and the striker could be the next Ollie Watkins at Villa Park.

Could Aston Villa sign Miles Leaburn?

According to Football Insider, a number of Premier League sides have scouted the 19-year-old during his breakthrough campaign at Charlton, but it is currently Unai Emery's side who are in pole position.

The 6 foot 5 forward has caught the eye with his performances in League One so far this season, notching 11 goals and two assists in 31 appearances in the third tier, with a solid 6.71 rating from WhoScored for his performances.

Manager Dean Holden has stressed that the youngster is not for sale this summer amid interest from top-flight clubs, and with his contract running until the summer of 2025, Villa may be forced to splash out if they want to bring Leaburn to the Midlands.

However, the prospect of playing Premier League, and potentially European football will surely be difficult for the teenager to turn down, especially if he looks at how Watkins has performed at Villa having first made a name for himself in the lower leagues.

Could Villa land their next Ollie Watkins?

Watkins would progress through the academy at Exeter City and contributed an impressive 26 goals and 17 assists in 28 appearances for the Grecians before joining Brentford in the Championship.

The striker went from strength to strength with the Bees and managed another 49 goals and 17 assists in 143 appearances for the West London outfit, which convinced Villa to spend £28m on him in 2020.

The 27-year-old has hit double figures in every Premier League season since and is now enjoying arguably the best form of his career under Emery, with 14 goals and six assists to his name in the league as Villa target a European finish.

Leaburn will surely be looking at Watkins' career as inspiration that he can make it in the Premier League one day and his goalscoring return and obvious physical attributes suggest that he could be similarly dangerous for Villa in the future.

Aston Villa's Ollie Watkins

Holden was full of praise for the teenage forward after scoring in a draw against Wycombe Wanderers last month, which took him into double digits for the season.

He said: “It proves he’s not just a goalscorer. His all-round game, as much as he’s got to learn, is solid. He is not just a fox-in-the-box, he’s not just someone who will run in behind and he’s not just a target man.

“All of those different parts of his game will improve because it is his first season in senior football. Why can’t he get to 12 or higher than that? He is such a great lad to work with – he wants to improve.

"He doesn’t for one second think he is the finished article, which is really exciting. Huge potential.”

If Leaburn could live up to his obvious potential at Villa, there seems no reason why he couldn't emulate Watkins. As a result, Johan Lange should definitely be looking to bring in the Charlton teen this summer before his stock rises even further.

Unai Emery Makes Aston Villa Transfer U-turn

Aston Villa will no longer move for a new first-choice striker addition this summer, with Unai Emery won over by Ollie Watkins, Football Insider reports.

What’s the latest transfer news out of Aston Villa?

Villa brought in teenage forward Jhon Duran during the January window and parted ways with Danny Ings, who was sold to West Ham. A new striker to partner Watkins was expected to be the club’s main priority this summer, according to Ashley Preece.

However, Watkins has enjoyed a purple patch of form under Emery in 2023, netting nine Premier League goals in the last 11 games, with Villa winning six of their last seven to climb the table.

As a result, it now looks as if Emery and Villa officials have had a change of heart when it comes to the upcoming transfer window. Football Insider journalist Pete O’Rourke shared an interesting development out of Villa Park in the last 48 hours regarding the club’s transfer plans.

He stated that Villa will no longer target a new first-choice striker, with Emery keen to build his side around Watkins. The forward is set to sign a new ‘bumper’ contract in the Midlands which means that a new A-list striker is not expected to be high on the wishlist list for Emery and his staff.

Ollie Watkins for Aston Villa

Is that a gamble by Villa and Emery?

This seems to be a real U-turn by Emery and Villa, with the manager recently admitting that he could look at bringing in another forward to rival Watkins.

NSWE are set to back the boss with a ‘huge’ transfer budget, so it’ll be interesting to see where he decides to splash the cash over the coming months.

You could argue that a new marquee attacker to rival Watkins and Duran and possibly play alongside the former of the two could have been a shrewd move, especially as Villa are the least prolific goalscorers out of the top nine Premier League sides.

Watkins’ fine form in front of goal has helped take Villa to 41 goals in 30 games, however, should he suffer an injury or a drop-off in form, Emery may have to turn to two youngsters in Duran or possibly Cameron Archer. Who knows, a new forward could still arrive between now and the time Emery begins his first full season in charge, but it doesn’t look as if it will be a big-money move.