Though it’s not been a vintage start to the season for Celtic after a difficult summer and failing to qualify for the Champions League, the fact Brendan Rodgers’ side went into the international break with a win over Rangers certainly stopped a disaster. 

So, it’s just the failings of the Scottish national team for Hoops fans to focus on during the break. All fun and game.

Indeed, the Tartan Army were smashed 0-4 at Hampden Park by Roberto Martinez’s Belgium in a dark moment for the Scottish game ahead of their UEFA Nations League opener with Albania tonight. The Red Devils, who boasted the likes of Eden Hazard and Romelu Lukaku up front, looked levels above Scotland and remained during the break.

In fact, the World Cup semi-finalists trained at Celtic’s Lennoxtown training base, with Bhoys badboy Dedyrck Boyata included. The Hoops’ official Twitter account posted photos of some of Europe’s biggest stars using the facilities, sending supporters online into a state of delight.

With that said, here’s a look at the reaction.

Tottenham have suffered back-to-back defeats in the Premier League for the first time this season.

The Lilywhites lost to Watford before the international break and were tasked with a visit from in-form Liverpool when the Premier League returned. Spurs never seemed to get out of first gear against Jurgen Klopp’s side who took an early lead through Georginio Wijnaldum from a corner. A possible weakness was exposed again with set-pieces proving to be a problem for Mauricio Pochettino’s team.

The Reds doubled their advantage in the second half with Roberto Firmino knocking the ball home. A late goal from Erik Lamela wasn’t enough to prevent the defeat against a title rival. Tottenham will be hoping to bounce back with a victory in their Champions League opener against Inter Milan on Tuesday.

Despite the transfer window closing, speculation persists that Toby Alderweireld could leave the club with less than one year remaining on his contract. Should he go, Tottenham should attempt to sign Manchester United defender – Eric Bailly. Valued at £31.5m by Transfermarkt, the Ivorian is reportedly far from pleased at Old Trafford and could consider a January exit.

The former Villarreal defender has seen his role reduced to a substitute under Jose Mourinho and could find first-team football if he moved to North London. Bailly would slot seamlessly into Pochettino’s side and would Spurs a long-term option in the back four. At just 24-years-old, Bailly is still developing and will only get better.

Poaching the Ivory Coast international from one of their biggest rivals could prove to be a masterstroke.

Tottenham fans, thoughts?

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Queens Park Rangers fans have endured a rollercoaster ride so far this season but are currently enjoying a major rise.

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Steve McClaren’s side lost their opening four Championship matches, including a 7-1 drubbing at the hands of West Brom, and it appeared that the former England boss would not last too much longer in his role.

Many fans called for his head on Twitter following the poor start but McClaren has since turned things around at Loftus Road, as QPR extended their unbeaten run to five matches following Wednesday’s victory over Millwall.

The club’s fine run includes three victories in four league matches that have sent QPR flying up the standings and the upturn has seen many change their tune in McClaren, stating that they were wrong with their criticisms.

Meanwhile, others who stuck by McClaren have now mocked those who called for his departure. We have gathered some of the best reactions below.

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Jose Mourinho remains in charge of Manchester United, but some fans are already plotting his replacement.

The Portuguese coach is under intense scrutiny due to unsavoury results on the pitch and the apparent airing of dirty laundry in public.

United have won just three of their seven Premier League matches this season, which has left them way off the pace in the title race.

As it stands, the Red Devils are nine points adrift of leaders Manchester City and second-placed Liverpool.

On Saturday in the early kickoff, Mourinho’s side were stunned 3-1 by West Ham United at the London Stadium.

Since the final whistle, the manager has dominated conversation and now some fans are discussing who should replace him if a change is made.

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Former Real Madrid boss Zinedine Zidane has emerged as an early candidate, but according to The Telegraph, United have dismissed rumours that they have approached the Frenchman about taking over from Mourinho.

Judging by the reaction on Twitter, not many supporters are keen on the idea of Zidane sitting in the Old Trafford hotseat.

In fact, a large number of fans would prefer Tottenham Hotspur boss Mauricio Pochettino to be their new manager.

Chelsea’s academy has earned a lot of attention over the years, and with good reason. Many of Europe’s best young talents have been growing behind the scenes at Stamford Bridge, and now Maurizio Sarri has the task of getting them into the first team. 

Though seen as an easy feat, it’s anything but, with the transition to performing for a top European side not an easy one for young players.

That said, there is no doubting that Chelsea have incredible youth talents within their ranks, and it’s hard to identify who is the best. It appears as though many Chelsea fans have already made their decision on that, though.

Undeniably, the two biggest names in the Chelsea academy at present at Callum Hudson-Odoi and Ethan Ampadu. Both, on occasion, have been involved in the first team, and whenever they’ve played they have looked solid.

We recently asked Chelsea fans who they think is Chelsea’s best young player, selecting both Hudson-Odoi and Ampadu in particular. Eager to include any other choices, we also included another ‘other’ option, with 8% of those polled voting for that. However overwhelmingly taking the win was Callum Hudson-Odoi, who picked up 54% of the vote, whilst Ampadu earned just 38% of the vote.

Clearly, both players are popular among fans, but Hudson-Odoi has done a lot to prove his worth in particular.

He was arguably the star of the show for Chelsea over the summer, impressing in the attack prior to the return of Eden Hazard, and though he hasn’t been given much of a chance over the last month or two, it’s clear that he’s got unbelievable potential.

At just 17-years-old, he’s still got more than enough time to make an impact as the season continues to progress, and it’s clear that fans have huge expectations.

Chelsea fans – thoughts?

Let us know below!

According to Italian website Calcio Mercato, Serie A side Atalanta are interested in signing West Ham midfielder Pedro Obiang. 

The Italian outfit are struggling this season, having only won one of their opening seven matches, and believe that the former Spain under-21 international could improve their fortunes this season.

However, The Hammers’ manager Manuel Pellegrini should do everything in his power to prevent this transfer happening, be it in January or the summer.

West Ham are now unbeaten in their last four matches in all competitions after a terrible start to the season. It is no coincidence the the club’s U-turn happened at the same time as the midfielder’s return from injury. Obiang (valued at £7.2m on Transfermarkt.co.uk) has only played six games in all competitions this season, and The Hammers have only lost one of them. Every game that he has not played in, they have lost so far.

This indicates how important the industrial midfielder is to the club, and how noticeable his absence is. After four games of the season, Pellegrini’s side were at the foot of the Premier League table having not won a single point. But Saturday’s dismantling of Man United at The London Stadium took The Hammers to 14th in the table with seven points.

This resurgence did not seem possible a few weeks ago, and the return of their star midfielder is clearly one of the main reasons. That is why it is so important to keep hold of him, particularly with the recent injury to Jack Wilshere.

Furthermore, with West Ham now looking like a decent side in the Premier League, with a good squad and a good manager, it would seem like a backwards step to join Atalanta now for Obiang. All the more reason for him to stay.

The Premier League season is eight games in, and unfortunately for Newcastle United it has been a miserable start to the campaign.

The North-East outfit are one of three clubs not to have won a single game, and it was heartbreak last weekend when Rafael Benitez’s side squandered a two-goal lead to lose 3-2 to Manchester United.

In the summer, the manager experienced the same frustration from the previous year as he was in the dark over transfer funds.

In the end, Benitez recruited six new faces, who were a mixture of loan signings and permanent acquisitions.

Even though the club are yet to win a top-flight match this season, the fans have been happy with some of the club’s new additions.

In a poll we conducted, we asked supporters who they believe was Newcastle best signing of the summer, and now that the results are in, we have compiled a list of the top three…

3. Fabian Schar

The Magpies were not hugely short on defenders, but after Florian Lejeune suffered an injury, the position alongside Jamaal Lascelles was up for grabs.

Schar joined from Deportivo La Coruna for just under £4m, but had to wait to get his chance in the first team.

After the first two league matches, Schar featured against Chelsea in what ended up to be a 2-1 defeat.

The defender started the following game, which was an EFL Cup exit to Nottingham Forest, but since then he has not featured on the pitch as he tries to adapt to English football.

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2. Salomon Rondon

Losing Dwight Gayle meant that the Magpies needed to recruit someone who could help with the goal effort.

Rondon was the man Benitez secured, but only on a loan deal from West Bromwich Albion.

It has been a slow start for the Venezuelan as he has featured in just four of the club’s Premier League matches.

Unfortunately for the attacker, his figures have not been ideal as he has recorded just one goal and one assist in five outings in all competitions.

It looks as though he will have to fight his way back into the team, but the forward does present another option for Benitez.

1. Federico Fernandez

The 29-year-old was recruited along with Schar to bolster the backline, and even though the club have been on the wrong end of results, he has looked comfortable in the defence.

Fernandez has regularly partnered Lascelles this season and has started five of Newcastle’s eight league matches.

The Argentine has kept just one clean sheet, which was a goalless draw with Crystal Palace.

However, during Lejeune’s injury absence, Fernandez has been an experienced figure at the back for the Magpies.

View the results in full below

[ad_pod ]West Ham United fans may feel concerned following Tottenham Hotspur’s announcement that Christian Eriksen is fit for Saturday’s Premier League match.The midfielder has missed Spurs’ last three matches in all competitions with an abdominal problem, but is expected to play a part this weekend.

How do West Ham stop Eriksen?

The Denmark international may have been out of action for the past few weeks, but he is one of Tottenham’s biggest threats when on the pitch.

Eriksen has the freedom to roam, can shoot from distance and marshals the supply to Harry Kane up front.

If the midfielder can be kept quiet, then West Ham have a good chance of getting something out of the clash at the London Stadium.

The main man who will be tasked with keeping tabs on Eriksen is 19-year-old Declan Rice, who has made the holding role his own since coming into Manuel Pellegrini’s side.

The teenager has been composed on the ball and he will benefit from the fact that Eriksen does not have the quickest feet in the world.

With Mark Noble and Pedro Obiang sitting in midfield, Rice can focus on protecting the back line and breaking up play from Tottenham.

Should West Ham feel confident anyway?

Spurs are only two points off the top of the table in the Premier League, which suggests that the Hammers should not feel overly optimistic.

However, Mauricio Pochettino’s side have not set the world alight just yet, and prior to the Hammers’ blip against Brighton, they had taken points off Everton, Chelsea and Manchester United.

On top of that, in the last 16 meetings between the two clubs in all competitions, West Ham have earned more wins (7) than Tottenham (6).

In fact, the last two games between the pair ended in a draw and victory for the Hammers, who have won two of their last three clashes against Spurs on home soil.

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Arsenal supporters have been making a lot of noise in recent times after seeing their side record a tenth straight victory in all competitions on Monday night.

Unai Emery’s men went into their encounter with Leicester City in the Premier League off the back of six successive wins in the league, alongside two successes in the Europa League and indeed a 3-1 victory over Brentford in the Carabao Cup. And despite falling behind to Claude Puel’s Foxes on Monday, the Gunners’ excellent winning streak continued as a brace from Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang alongside a Mesut Ozil strike sealed a 3-1 success for the North London giants, thus keeping them two points behind Premier League leaders Manchester City.

Thus, there have been many thrilled Arsenal fans up and down the country in recent times, several of whom have taken to Twitter in recent times to praise young forward Reiss Nelson, with many calling for Emery to recall him in January.

And while the 18-year-old is performing very well indeed on loan at German side Hoffenheim, those Arsenal supporters calling for his return are so wrong, as things are going so well for the forward that to disrupt that in bringing him back to a club where he is unlikely to play would be counter-productive.

Ultimately, the Gunners sanctioned Nelson’s loan to the Bundesliga club back in the summer likely as a result of the lack of playing time he would have at the Emirates Stadium this season, what with Emery very well-stocked in the final third of the pitch.

And in winning ten straight matches and playing some excellent attacking football in that time, Emery has clearly made the right call in allowing Nelson the time away from the club, what with the Gunners themselves not suffering, and the 18-year-old himself reaping the rewards of regular football.

The forward has been an absolute revelation at Hoffenheim in netting four goals in just six appearances for the German side to help them to eighth place in the Bundesliga, three goals of which coming in his last two league matches.

Thus, Nelson is clearly enjoying his football in Germany but more importantly is getting the opportunity of regular game time at a competitive level – playing in Premier League 2 is all well and good, but nothing can prepare one for the future better than regular football at an elite level.

As such, it’s perhaps unsurprising that some Gunners fans are calling for Emery to bring the youngster back to Arsenal come the New Year, but doing so would completely defeat the point of sending him out on loan in the first place – one rich vein of form shouldn’t immediately prompt his recall.

And returning to the Emirates Stadium is unlikely to do the 18-year-old any favours given it would still be unlikely that he’d command regular football – he may get the odd cup game, but regular starts in the Premier League are far from certain.

Whereas he appears to be slowly but surely getting to grips with life at Hoffenheim in starting their last league match and indeed appearing in their Champions League draw with Lyon on Tuesday night – why change something that is working for something that simply won’t benefit the 18-year-old?

Thus, those Arsenal fans calling for Emery to make a bold January decision are so wrong, as they should let Nelson continue to play his trade and improve at Hoffenheim.

Arsenal fans… what do you think? Let us know!

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Loads of Rangers fans have been running the rule over the weekend’s action, and they’re understandably fuming at Daniel Candeias’ red card.

Rangers got back to winning ways on Saturday after a difficult run of results, winning 2-0 at St Mirren.

Winning at St Mirren Park is never easy, and the Gers needed an absolute wondergoal from Candeias to break the deadlock.

The feisty attacker has often divided opinion amongst Rangers fans, as his end product does not always match his fabulous work rate, but he has been superb since the arrival of Steven Gerrard.

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His incredible strike earned him a yellow card for excessive celebration though, and the 30-year-old was then sent off after he received a bizarre second yellow.

The winger had a brief confrontation with Anton Ferdinand, and the St Mirren defender clearly initiated the contact before swinging his hand into Candeias’ face.

Referee Willie Collum’s decision to give Candeias a second yellow was truly confusing, and you can find some of the best Twitter reactions down below…