There is no doubt that change is needed at Goodison Park next season. Indeed, if Marco Silva is to make a real stamp on Everton history in a positive way, he has to look towards the board for help. Clearly, a lot of money has been wasted over the last few years, but the investment cannot stop.

Fans have been on an emotional rollercoaster this season at Goodison, that’s for sure. With results going up and down, literally no one knows what the Toffees will do next. Perhaps that hints at a building process more than anything but it’s fair to say the team have been far from wholly convincing.

However, through all the unease, last weekend proved to be one hell of a performance from the squad, and after battering Chelsea 2-0, is it finally time to look onwards and upwards to what can be a successful spell for the Portuguese in charge?

We are going to look at a couple of requests that the 41-year-old should ask the board for, in order to truly begin a new era at Everton.

Make loan deals permanent 

After a busy summer of predominantly loan deals last year, Marco Silva should look to go one better this summer and push to make them permanent. Andre Gomes and Kurt Zouma have been two of the most standout players within the Everton side this season, at times pulling the team through games where they have looked below par.

Should Silva manage to sign these two players on long term contracts, it would bring a sense of stability within the side, knowing that there isn’t a huge need to go out and look for new quality players in these positions.

It would be huge for the Toffees’ future if he were to secure two of their most consistent performers in the Premier League.

Address the striker issue 

Since joining from Besiktas, Cenk Tosun has not been the striker to replace the on fire Romelu Lukaku. With such high hopes, the Turkish attacker has struggled and, in turn, has left Silva struggling with who to pick up front.

It can be argued that Dominic Calvert-Lewin isn’t experienced enough just yet to hack a full Premier League season as the main hitman, as well as noting that Richarlison isn’t an out and out striker and can not be relied on when it comes down to scoring all the goals.

Silva must look to the market in order to find someone who can help Everton put the ball in the back of the net week in, week out and have the same effect that Lukaku did a few years ago.

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Crystal Palace are pretty much safe for another season despite an indifferent performance against Manchester City last time out, and so it would seem that Roy Hodgson has done his job, albeit in uninspiring fashion.

There is no denying that given the talent that the Eagles have on their books, they could certainly be challenging for a top ten spot rather than always looking over their shoulders at the relegation zone.

That is the way Martin Samuel sees it, as feels their 2018/19 campaign has been wasted.

Here’s what the Daily Mail columnist had to say:

“Once again, faced with superior opposition, Crystal Palace only tried to win the game having lost it.

“At Tottenham, they were 2-0 down before getting on the front foot late, and delivering several scares; against Manchester City, the same scoreline sparked life and Palace actually pulled a goal back before being caught by a counter-attack.

“Yet this isn’t a weak squad. It is potentially a match for any of the six teams above them in the Premier League table, yet too often they go out to play with minimum ambition.

“Leicester are seventh, but Palace have beaten them home and away this season. They have beaten Wolves away, too. If Palace lose Wilfried Zaha and Aaron Wan-Bissaka this summer, Roy Hodgson’s caution may be justifiable.

“This season, however, has been a waste.”

Indeed, the Eagles are formidable opponents on their day and have got some fantastic results this season – a 3-2 win at the Etihad Stadium, which Samuel declines to mention, included – however their approach when facing top teams is unbelievably boring and negative.

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He rightly believes that they should be giving a far better account of themselves than they did at Selhurst Park on Saturday considering the calibre of players they have in certain areas of the pitch.

With one of Europe’s highest wage bills, the Eagles certainly shouldn’t be playing it as safe as they are – it’s a depressing sight and, regardless of plans to develop the stadium, there has been very little ambition at Selhurst Park this campaign.

Palace will be expecting a lot of interest in their two main stars – Wan-Bissaka and Zaha – this summer and as long as they keep both then there will be no excuse for Hodgson’s unnecessary caution next season.

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It can’t be denied that the England international team has some thoroughly exciting young players coming through the ranks right now, arguably some of the best youngsters in world football.

The likes of Trent Alexander-Arnold, Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Phil Foden, Declan Rice, Jadon Sancho and many more are all set to become the spine of the national team in future, but away from the glitz and glamour of the Premier League, which Championship Englishman could be set for a call-up in the near future?

There are a number of names, such as Che Adams and Jarrod Bowen, whose form this season has attracted admiring glances from the top-flight, but one man developing nicely is Aston Villa’s Jack Grealish.

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The Villans’ academy graduate made his Premier League debut at the age of 18 against Manchester City, having previously been named on the bench as a 16-year-old.

Interestingly, the early days of his career were clouded in controversy, with the attacking midfielder allegedly using laughing gas and acting unprofessionally on more than one occasion – Remi Garde demoted him to the Under-21 side after a wild night out in Manchester.

Nowadays however, a 23-year-old Grealish is finally starting to knuckle down and focus on his football, avoiding controversy and overcoming adversity in a similar way to that of Raheem Sterling.

Grealish, who was also eligible to represent the Republic of Ireland, has managed to score four goals and record four assists in the Championship this season, visibly stepping up to the plate and maturing for his teammates and manager.

The most telling aspect of that statement is the recent Second City derby between Villa and Birmingham, in which Grealish was handed the armband in what is perhaps the biggest game of the season for the fans and for the club’s bragging rights.

After being shockingly assaulted by a fan, Grealish reacted calmly and professionally, refusing to retaliate at a time where a reaction would’ve been more than justified.

Instead, he brushed himself down, got on with things and managed to score the winner in a 1-0 victory at St Andrew’s.

Tottenham were keen on signing him back in the summer, which speaks volumes about his current ability, potential, and his ceiling to improve given Mauricio Pochettino’s desire to get his hands on him and nourish his talent – Grealish himself feels he would’ve received a call-up had he moved to north London.

He has always been tipped for big things since he broke onto the scene, but after a period of stagnation whilst he attempted to find himself and grow out of his immature ways, things are starting to become clearer for a young talent who now has his head screwed on.

He is sure to benefit hugely from his personal growth in the near future though, as will England and Gareth Southgate who have a real talent on their hands.

Chelsea striker Tammy Abraham is having another fine loan season this term, smashing the 20 goal barrier at Aston Villa.

The young England man has been in fine form, especially since Dean Smith took over the reins at the club, and we here in the Tavern have been massively impressed with his displays throughout the season, not to mention his goalscoring ability.

However, with news emerging that Abraham is set to be the subject of a big bid from German club RB Leipzig, we think that his parent club Chelsea need to take action and ensure he doesn’t move away from Stamford Bridge.

With an impending transfer ban looming over the club, Chelsea cannot simply afford to let a young player like Abraham slip the net, and they don’t want a situation similar to that with flying winger Callum Hudson-Odoi.

Abraham is a class act, and only game time in the top flight will give him the chance to prove he can indeed become a top Premier League striker.

Losing him to a club in the Bundesliga should be the last of Chelsea’s thoughts, and much like we have seen with Jadon Sancho, they’d kick themselves if he did indeed develop into a world star while away from their clutches.

Abraham deserves his chance, and he could well save the club millions by proving to be the man who can bang in the goals for the Blues.

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Liverpool will look to add another three points on to their tally in the exciting Premier League title race with Manchester City when they face Southampton at St Mary’s on Friday night.

The Reds secured a dramatic late win against Tottenham Hotspur at Anfield on Sunday which took them back to the top of the standings, albeit until Wednesday night, and Jurgen Klopp will know that given the calibre of Pep Guardiola and his side they may have to win all of their remaining matches to lift the famous trophy come what May.

A fixture against the Saints certainly won’t be an easy one either, considering the south coast outfit are on a two-match winning run and have beaten both Arsenal and Spurs on their own patch since Ralph Hasenhuttl was appointed in December, as well as drawing away at Chelsea.

Paul Tierney, who officiated in Everton’s win over West Ham United at the weekend, will be the man in the middle under the floodlights, and while many of his statistics are pretty unremarkable in comparison to his refereeing peers, one certainly sticks out.

The 38-year-old has taken charge of 20 top flight fixtures so far during the 2018/19 campaign, and quite remarkably not a single one of those has ended in a draw, as per WhoScored stats.

In fact, there is a 40% home win 60% away win bias from those games, and if history repeats itself once again it suggests that the spoils won’t be shared.

The hosts certainly still need to get points on the board in their battle to beat the drop and are likely to want to go and get three to move a step closer to survival, and as aforementioned the Merseyside visitors are in a similar boat but for very different reasons.

In a strange spell of fate, Tierney was also the referee when the two teams met at Anfield back in September, with the game ending in a 3-0 win for Klopp’s men, while he sent off Saints skipper Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg for a poor tackle against Manchester City back in December.

In will certainly be interesting to see what the outcome is, but if the stats are right we can already rule one of the possible three of those out.

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Raheem Sterling this, Raheem Sterling that. The media’s most-wanted-individual-turned-media-darling is hogging all of the headlines right now, and rightly so in fairness.

Seven goals in his last four games, including hat-tricks against Watford and the Czech Republic, the Manchester City forward is at the top of his game, showing world-class ability in the process.

However, one man who plays alongside him at club level, but doesn’t get near enough media coverage for his exquisite ability, is Leroy Sane.

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The German international appears to be trusted less by Pep Guardiola, having made just 18 league starts compared to Sterling’s 24 – even then, Sane has still managed to score eight goals and record nine assists.

At international level, during a time where Joachim Low has been notably ruthless since his side’s World Cup embarrassment in dropping names such as Thomas Muller and Jerome Boateng, Sane has stepped up to the plate.

His performance against the Netherlands on Sunday evening was one to behold, and showed that, even despite suffering racist abuse from his nation’s own supporters, he can be trusted by his coaches to fulfil his duties to an exceptional standard.

The former Schalke winger netted Germany’s opening goal against the Dutch with an excellent effort inside the far post, his strike being one of two shots from a total three that managed to hit the target.

Sane impressed throughout against stellar names such as Virgil van Dijk and Matthijs de Ligt in the opposition defence, and managed to complete an eye-catching three dribbles, which drew a whopping five fouls from the Dutch players.

Much of the focus has rightly been on his City counterpart Sterling, but Sane’s excellent performance for his country could well be the catalyst for him stepping out from the Englishman’s shadow in the closing weeks of the season.

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Phil Neville has made the ridiculous assertion that Manchester United need to sign Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Eric Dier this summer, per Sky Sports.

Dier has struggled for form this season but Neville, the manager of the England Women’s team, believes that the 25-year-old should be on the club’s shortlist for the summer.

What’s the word?

Dier has been a key member of Mauricio Pochettino’s squad in recent seasons, making a total of 204 appearances for the club.

However, this season, Dier has struggled for form and consistency, enduring an injury-hit campaign.

He has completed 90 minutes 10 times in the Premier League, struggling with both appendicitis and tonsillitis.

Nevertheless, Neville believes that the England international would be a shrewd addition for United.

Asked by Sky Sports to name his dream signings for his former club, he said: “Eric Dier as the holding midfield player and Philippe Coutinho, who there has been a bit of speculation about.

“You have to have British players in a title-winning team. [Ander] Herrera, Fred and [Scott] McTominay are part of the squad. [Nemanja] Matic, this season, has had a dip.”

Has he watched Dier?

This is an absolutely ridiculous assertion from Neville.

Dier has endured a below-average season at best and a poor one at worst.

Per WhoScored, he averages a total of 1.5 tackles per game in the Premier League – this is a player who is routinely deployed in a defensive midfield role – as well as 1.3 fouls. He makes just 0.4 blocks across 90 minutes on average along with 0.9 interceptions.

In attack, he completes 0.1 dribbles across a game, meaning he may as well not carry the ball forward at all. He also has 0.4 shots per game, 0.4 key passes and has a pass completion rate of just 84.3%.

This is far from the elite central midfielder that United need.

As for the claim that a title-winning team needs a British player, that does not even bear unpicking, such is its sheer stupidity. But for argument’s sake, just two British players made 30+ Premier League appearances for Man City last season, and a mere four made above 17.

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Tottenham Hotspur supporters on the Spurs Community forum have been discussing the starting XI they would pick for the Premier League clash against Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday.

The north London outfit will look to retain their spot in the top four against Pep Guardiola’s men, whom they beat 4-4 on aggregate on Wednesday to advance to the semi-finals of the Champions League.

With Moussa Sissoko picking up a groin injury against the Cityzens, and with continued doubts over the fitness of Eric Dier and Harry Winks, one fan believes that Mauricio Pochettino should rotate his side and start centre-back Juan Foyth as a defensive midfielder at the weekend.

The positives

The 21-year-old looks to be ready-made for the role.

He is decent in possession of the ball, loves a tackle and an interception and isn’t particularly slow.

Given his centre-back background he should conceivably be disciplined from a positional sense, and that would certainly help him if he was coming up against David Silva, Bernardo Silva and Kevin De Bruyne.

Of course, he should also be more reliable than the attack-minded duo of Dele Alli and Christian Eriksen, who would otherwise have to be trusted to perform more defensively against the Premier League champions.

The negatives

On WhoScored the Argentine’s weaknesses are listed as his concentration, his discipline and his ability to win aerial duels.

All of those can be crucial traits in a defensive midfield position, and those shortcomings would certainly be a worry against City.

Three yellow cards in 706 minutes on the pitch in the top flight this term is a particularly worrying stat, as he will be coming up against tricky players that could easily get the better of him at the Etihad.

Verdict

So what should Pochettino do?

While it may be tempting to give Foyth a go in this position in the future, he shouldn’t do it against a team that will surely be out for revenge as they bid to win the Premier League title.

Playing Victor Wanyama flanked by Alli and Eriksen would still be a safer bet than blooding the South American youngster in such a big game – experience is key.

يرى أحمد حسن قائد منتخب مصر المعتزل ولاعب إندرلخت البلجيكي سابقًا أن بيراميدز يحتاج لمدرب كبير يقود الفريق خلال الفترة المقبلة خلفًا للكرواتي أنتي تشاتشيتش المدير الفني الحالي.

وخسر بيراميدز فرصة التتويج بلقب الكونفدرالية للمرة الأولى في تاريخه بعد هزيمته أمام نهضة بركان بهدفٍ وحيدة في مباراة مثيرة للجدل تحكيميًا أدارها السنغالي أليوم نيانت.

وقال أحمد حسن خلال مداخلة هاتفية عبر برنامج “نمبر وان” المذاع على قناة “النهار”: “كنا نتمنى أن يحقق بيراميدز بطولة الكونفدرالية لأنها ستضاف لمصر وحينها سنكون متسيدن للكرة الإفريقية”.

طالع أيضًا.. مدرب نهضة بركان: درسنا نقاط قوة بيراميدز.. واستحقينا لقب الكونفدرالية

وأضاف: “بيراميدز كان لديه فرصة كبيرة، وواضح من البداية أن المدير الفني انتي تشاتشيتش ضعيف فنيًا، بيراميدز لم يصل لهدفه، الموسم الماضي نجاحه أكثر من الموسم الحالي، وحتى في آخر 5 جولات كنا ننافس على الدوري ووصلنا لنهائي الكأس”.

وتابع: “مدرب بيراميدز كان يجب عليه أن يبدأ بالغاني جون أنطوي كمهاجم أساسي لأنه هداف الفريق وكان يتحتم عليه أن يبدأ بالقوة الضاربة”.

وواصل: “كان على مدرب بيراميدز أن يلعب بنفس الطريقة التي استخدمها الأهلي والزمالك في المغرب”.

وأردف: “خلق الداوفع في بيراميدز غير متواجد والدليل النتائج، ويجب على مسئولي النادي أن يتعاقدوا مع مدير فني كبير صاحب إمكانيات فنية تتناسب مع اللاعبين”.

واستأنف: “بيراميدز اشترى إسلام عيسي بـ45 مليون جنيهًا ويبحث له الآن عن إعارة”.

وأضاف: “كما قلت سابقًا، أتمنى من رمضان صبحي أن يكون خليفة محمد صلاح (لاعب ليفربول الإنجليزي الحالي) في الدوري الإسباني أو الايطالي وإمكانياته تسمح بذلك ولكن هو اختار الانضمام لنادي بيراميدز”.

واختتم: “لدي علامة استفهام على انضمام شريف اكرامي لنادي بيراميدز رغم أن هناك ثلاث حراس مميزين وهو رحل من الأهلي لكي يشارك”.

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Leicester are interested in completing a deal to sign Daniel Sturridge in the summer, according to The Sun. But is he a risk worth taking?

What’s the word?

Brendan Rodgers is reportedly plotting a reunion with Sturridge according to The Sun who are claiming he could join the Foxes on a free transfer.

The forward’s contract ends in the summer, meaning he’d be free to talk to clubs when his current deal ends in June.

At 29, Sturridge has started just five times in all competitions for Leicester this season so it’s hardly a surprise that Jurgen Klopp has been willing to let his contract run down.

According to The Sun’s report, Liverpool are also set to be braced by interest from MLS clubs.

Career revival on the cards?

Sturridge has had a torrid time with injuries in recent seasons and has gone from being one of the most prolific strikers in the league to sitting among the substitutes, forced out of the team by the dynamic trio of Roberto Firmino, Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane.

Given how sensational they’ve been, Klopp’s team selection is more than understandable. But, if Sturridge was to make the move to the King Power then he’d be set for a career revival.

Rodgers is the manager he flourished under the most when the pair were at Liverpool together. In the 2013/14 season, the Englishman scored 21 goals in 29 Premier League appearances, almost helping them to the title.

Although his injury record is concerning and makes the deal a risk, a Rodgers and Sturridge partnership has the potential to be a dream link up for the Foxes.

Jamie Vardy has been tasked with scoring the brunt of the goals in the Leicester side for a while, but with Sturridge they’d have someone else capable of finding the net regularly too.

On a free transfer, it would represent far better business than Kelechi Iheanacho and Islam Slimani have been for the club.