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With every passing summer, Premier League clubs come under pressure to spend bigger and bolder than ever before. That will likely be the case in the coming transfer window, which will probably see the English top flight’s collective ‘cash splashing’ record obliterated for the umpteenth year in a row, and particularly at Liverpool.

After all, it’s almost common courtesy for boards to issue recent appointments like Jurgen Klopp an enormous transfer budget to begin remoulding the squad in their own image and there’s so much optimism surrounding the German gaffer at the moment that fans would likely kick up a fuss if he wasn’t handed sizeable funds to make signings of his own choosing.

But Leicester City have proved this season that bank balance doesn’t have to be the deciding factor in the Premier League table and whilst some of the transfer targets mentioned in the tabloids – such as Mario Gotze and Granit Xhaka – may leave Liverpool supporters fantasising, there’s plenty of promising talent already under Klopp’s nose.

So to prove Klopp doesn’t need to break the bank this summer – and perhaps more importantly, to prove Liverpool don’t need to administer another major squad overhaul – here’s a list of SIX players who could have greater impacts than new signings at Anfield next season.

JOE GOMEZ

Liverpool have been linked with a number of potential left-back signings ahead of the summer transfer window, most commonly FC Koln’s Jonas Hector, with the common consensus being that Jurgen Klopp will look to replace the somewhat mediocre Alberto Moreno.

But it’s been long forgotten that summer signing Joe Gomez enjoyed a phenomenal start to his Liverpool career, only to pick up a season-ending ACL injury in October. Comfortable on the ball, incredibly athletic and capable of playing anywhere across the backline, the 18-year-old offers Klopp a wealth of defensive depth.

DANNY INGS

Another promising youngster who unfortunately had his season cut short through injury, Danny Ings’ early showings for Liverpool saw him produce three goals in eight appearances across all competitions – until he unfortunately picked up an ACL injury in Jurgen Klopp’s first training session as Anfield gaffer.

A hard-working, nomadic and fluid forward who can convert chances or create them for others, the 23-year-old appears a good fit for Klopp’s high-pressing yet technical philosophy. So with fellow young frontman Divock Origi also showing great promise, Liverpool may not need to sign a direct replacement for Christian Benteke this summer.

MARKO GRUJIC

Much is expected of January signing Marko Grujic, who has been described as a crossbreed between Nemanja Matic and Reds legend Steven Gerrard. Indeed, the 20-year-old blends an imposing 6 foot 4 frame with a killer eye for goal, bagging five in 25 league outings for Red Star Belgrade this season.

The Merseysiders sealed a deal for the Serbian prodigy during the last transfer window but allowed him to return to Red Star Belgrade on loan for the rest of the campaign. With the Super League title now under his belt, the monolithic midfielder will be raring to go at Anfield next season.

LAZAR MARKOVIC

Many rushed to judge too soon regarding Lazar Markovic, including Liverpool, largely because of his rather overzealous £20million price-tag. The Serbia international endured a difficult debut season at Anfield and was subsequently sent out on loan to Fenerbahce last summer where he’s admittedly struggled to hit top gear.

But the attacker is still just 22 years of age and Jurgen Klopp appears to be a bit of a fan, insisting he’ll allow Markovic the chance to impress in pre-season. In terms of work-rate and speed, he certainly fits the German gaffer’s style of play, so in my opinion, he’s well worth another chance.

Sheyi Ojo

The current Liverpool squad notably lacks natural width, but promising youngster Sheyi Ojo could address that issue without the need to spend big in the transfer market. No doubt, the 18-year-old is still a diamond in the rough, with just 37 competitive appearances under his belt thus far.

But the England U19 is already producing. He bagged two goals and three assists in 17 outings (only five being starts) on loan at Wolves earlier in the season and has found a goal in the FA Cup and an assist in the Premier League since returning to Anfield in January. Blessed with great power and speed, the winger could be a real hit in the top flight if he’s given enough game-time.

JON FLANAGAN

Of all the young talents on this list, Jon Flanagan is the one I’m most excited about – which is an unusual thing to say about a full-back. Indeed, the 23-year-old was nothing short of phenomenal during the second half of the 2013/14 campaign, even making it into England’s provisional squad for the World Cup in Brazil.

After nearly two years of injury problems, the one-cap international made a comeback in January and has since worn the captain’s armband for the Reds in the Premier League – so Jurgen Klopp clearly rates the youngster highly. He’s another who could replace Alberto Moreno at left-back, or even dethrone resident No.2 Nathaniel Clyne – another underwhelming performer this season.

Another weekend, another batch of predictably enthralling Premier League fixtures.

The action kicks off at 12.45pm on Saturday with Norwich taking on Sunderland at Carrow Road in a crucial relegation clash that could decide the fates of both clubs, whilst fallen champions Chelsea and failed title-chasers Manchester City face each other at 5.30pm – in a game filled with some of the Premier League’s biggest talents.

In between, Manchester United could seal Aston Villa’s seemingly inevitable doom at Old Trafford, whilst Sunday sees shock table-toppers Leicester City play hosts to one of the Premier League’s form sides of the season, West Ham, and Arsenal lock horns with Crystal Palace in a feisty London derby.

In fact, there’s so much going on in the Premier League this weekend that you may struggle to truly absorb it all, so we at Football FanCast have whittled the action down to FOUR key battles you should be watching out for. So without further ado, here are the FOUR biggest battles in the Premier League this weekend.

Jermain Defoe vs Sebastien Bassong

Four points behind opponents Norwich City, albeit with a game in hand, only a win will do for Sunderland in Saturday’s early kick-off.

That will hinge heavily on veteran striker Jermain Defoe, whose twelve Premier League goals this season have kept the Black Cats’ survival bid alive. The former England striker has scored three in his last eight, securing vital points against Liverpool, Newcastle and Southampton.

And the expected absence of key centre-back Timm Klose, who came off against Crystal Palace last weekend with a jarred knee, leaves a noteworthy hole at the heart of the Canaries defence that Defoe will be keen to take advantage of.

The task of filling the towering German’s void will fall to Sebastien Bassong who, despite replacing Klose from the bench last weekend, has found himself out of Alex Neal’s favour since mid-March. Bassong is powerful and quick but it’s Defoe’s shrewd movement in the final third – not to mention his finishing ability – the Cameroon international must be most wary of.

This key battle will not only have a strong influence on Saturday’s scoreline, but also who avoids the drop this season.

JORDAN AYEW VS DAVID DE GEA

Saturday is Judgement Day for Aston Villa. Unless they claim at least a point or match Norwich City’s result this weekend, their seemingly inevitable relegation from the Championship will become a mathematical certainty.

Avoiding the drop will be an incredibly tough task at Old Trafford, where Manchester United have lost just twice this season – the second-least home losses of any Premier League side after Leicester City – and conceded just seven goals from 15 games.

But their best chance of doing so is sourced in winger-forward Jordan Ayew. He’s produced moments of individual brilliance this season to become Villa’s top scorer in the league, netting six in 25 outings.

That being said, United No.1 David De Gea was nothing short of phenomenal during the dying embers of the Red Devils’ 2-1 FA Cup win over West Ham in midweek.

Considering Villa have created the second-fewest chances of any Premier League side this season and De Gea has kept three clean sheets in his last five Premier League outings, the Birmingham outfit’s hopes could hinge on Ayew producing something special from long-range.

DIMITRI PAYET VS N’GOLO KANTE

This battle sees the arguably the best No.10 in the Premier League this season go directly against unquestionably the division’s top enforcer in West Ham’s Dimitri Payet and Leicester City’s N’Golo Kante respectively – both of whom have been nominated for the PFA Player of the Year award.

Indeed, the attacking midfielder’s return of ten goals and nine assists in the Premier League, whilst averaging the second-most created chances per match, 3.8, of any top flight star and producing moments of sheer magic from dead ball situations, has seen him ascend to cult status in England.

But Kante has been enjoying an equally affluent Premier League campaign, averaging the most tackles per match, 4.8, and second-most interceptions, 4.2, throughout the league to play an instrumental part in Leicester City’s shock rise to the table’s summit.

There probably won’t be two players in such strong form playing directly against each other this weekend and to make this battle even more exciting, both France international are going all out to claw their way to the centre of Didier Deschamps’ plans ahead of Euro 2016.

KEVIN DE BRUYNE VS CHELSEA

Having missed the 3-0 thumping at the start of the season, this will be the first time Kevin De Bruyne faces the club that deemed him surplus to requirements in January 2014.

Indeed, despite initially being included in Jose Mourinho’s first team plans, the Belgium international rapidly slumped down the pecking order and was eventually sold to Wolfsburg – where he flourished into one of the most exciting attacking talents in Europe and earned a £55million move to Manchester City.

The 24-year-old is enjoying a strong debut campaign at the Etihad, mustering up six goals and nine assists in the Premier League, and will be bursting with confidence for Saturday’s game after securing City a Champions League spot with a stellar strike against PSG in midweek.

Of course, the chance of showing his former club what they missed out on will provide extra motivation for the 5.30pm kickoff and worryingly for the Blues, they’re amid a bit of a sticky patch – winning just one of their last five in all competitions.

But City may still be revelling in the high of the most memorable European night in their recent history, so Chelsea could catch them off the boil.

What on earth is happening in the world? It seems that 2016 can not get any more strange. Forget Donald Trump in the US election or Kim Jong-un controlling North Korea as if he is playing The Sims, this year, the world has taken notice of one thing, that is of course, Leicester City. The fairytale has been the most publicised story in history with a team of rejects and ‘has-beens’ pulling together to win the title.

At the centre of the dream has been Jamie Vardy. A man who, as everybody now knows, was playing non-league football as recently as 2012, gradually worked his way up to play in the Premier League and incredibly broke the division’s goalscoring record for consecutive games netted in last season in Leicester’s magical campaign.

The 29-year-old has been such a hero, that right now, a Hollywood film of his life story is being written. But how does the fairytale end? Arsenal seem to have secured a deal for the Englishman, but will that ruin the story and will he be a good signing for the Gunners? FootballFanCast takes a closer look…

Unproven?

Vardy is a global superstar right now and is living the dream. The nimble forward scored an incredible 24 times in the league for Leicester last season and earned his first England caps – he has already scored three times for the Three Lions. Vardy scored eight more goals than Arsenal’s top scorer Olivier Giroud, too.

However, in the previous season for Leicester in England’s top flight, Vardy netted just five goals. He did manage to assist on 10 occasions that season, but at Arsenal, assists are left mostly for Mesut Ozil! Realistically, Vardy has had just one season in the limelight and even though it was an incredible season, this may be a move that damages his career and reputation.

Arsene, he’s 29!

Arsene Wenger so often opts to sign younger players and design around the future. The Vardy deal looks to be a short term plan, so perhaps Wenger is deciding to do what Sir Alex Ferguson did in 2012/13 when he signed Robin van Persie and won the league.

This signing may be literally just to fire Arsenal to the title one last time under Wenger as his contract expires in 2017. Wenger knows that Vardy is capable of scoring in the Premier League and doesn’t want to take the risk of signing a foreign striker who needs to adapt to English football. Nonetheless, it does seem weird for Arsenal to sign Vardy when the club is more than capable of splashing £50m-60m on the likes of Pierre Emerick-Aubameyang or Antoine Griezmann, who are considerably younger.

Is there more to come?

Jamie Vardy may have been the centre of attention throughout the season for the fans and the media but his Algerian team-mate, Riyad Mahrez, was the one who really stole the show. The PFA player of the year scored 17 goals and claimed 11 assists, and Vardy did rely on Mahrez throughout the season – the pair together were pivotal in Ranieri’s quest for success.

When Vardy plays for England, he is far less threatening. By no means does that mean he is not a class forward, but Vardy has found it difficult to adapt to international football and didn’t score until his fifth outing. Vardy is a lot more comfortable with Riyad Mahrez at his side and Arsenal fans will hope that he can lure the 25-year-old to north London with him.

Arsenal could be an incredible side with Mahrez, Vardy, Alexis and Ozil. Arsenal have of course already signed Granit Xhaka, which has signalled an unusual approach to the transfer window from Wenger’s perspective. The Gunners may actually be willing to spend money this summer and with Welbeck injured for nine months and Arsenal having no real other prolific striker, Wenger may actually go out and sign another!

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Does Vardy suit Arsenal’s style

If Arsenal’s style is missing tons of chances and passing the ball backwards then no, Vardy most definitely does not suit Arsenal’s style. But of course, Arsenal are certainly able to play free flowing attacking football which is why the world fell in love with them all those years ago (well, not all the world!).

Despite Arsenal playing possession football, the Gunners do create chances, and lots of them, whether they come from Ozil, the wingers, or the full-backs, chances come in abundance and Vardy loves nothing more than tucking away a clinical pass or cross – he could definitely score some of the chances that Giroud spurns.

There are just two problems with the Vardy and Arsenal mix. Firstly, when Arsenal get desperate, the wingers or full backs often lump a cross into the box, Vardy is by no means bad in the air, but he is nowhere near as tall as Giroud or Welbeck and would find it difficult to score the chances that the Frenchman sometimes does. The other problem is that so often we see Wenger plant his forwards on the wing. Why? Nobody knows, but as we have seen with Vardy in Roy Hodgson’s England side, he is not as effective on the wing and must play up front. The only other problem with Vardy, albeit a small one, is that he has been playing in a 4-4-2 system at Leicester and Arsene Wenger seems to prefer 4-2-3-1 which would leave Vardy isolated, can he handle it?

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Does the big move ruin the fairytale?

Many football fans out there will have seen the ‘Goal!’ film series. The man who wrote and directed these films has met with Vardy to script his very own Hollywood story, but this move could give the narrative a bit of a twist.

Of course, it is everyone’s dream to play for one of the world’s biggest clubs and live in the big city with all the fans, but perhaps this also makes Vardy the villain. Although Leicester owe a great deal of their success to Vardy, he himself owes his success to them. Without Leicester, Vardy would still be a ‘nobody’ playing, perhaps, in a park right now. Vardy would be joining a side that actually finished below his old team in the previous season and the move can really only be described as selfish. Perhaps the money incentive or maybe Vardy wants to play for one of the world’s best, but the move does seem to ruin the magical way in which his career has unfolded.

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While EURO 2016 has, at times, been a rather dull tournament compared to previous years, there have still been some sensational displays of talent, especially from relative unknowns hoping to make their mark on the European game.

Premier League clubs will have no doubt been watching the competition unfold intently, in the hope of sourcing a new star that they can claim from the grasp of other European elites.

With Champions League on the horizon and another Premier League battle set to commence, Tottenham will be looking for more talent to add the their already impressive young squad.

We take a look at FIVE players to have emerge from EURO 2016 that Spurs should be chasing.

Andre Gomes

A serious injury in 2015 kept Andre Gomes out of action for the first few months of the domestic season. However, since his return the 22-year-old has been a revelation for both Valencia and Portugal.

With Barcelona and Real Madrid rumoured to be watching Gomes closely, Tottenham will need to act fast if they are to land the technically gifted midfielder.

Ragnar Sigurdsson

As the full time whistle blew and England players collapsed to their knees after the ignominious defeat to Iceland, Ragnar Sigurdsson not only proved how good his national team are but also demonstrated his fantastic individual talent.

The defender has arguably been Iceland’s best player at these European Championships and is now in high demand.

Currently playing for Krasnodar in Russia, the 30-year-old will likely be available for a relative bargain and would bolster Spurs’ already impressive backline.

Adam Nagy

A young energetic midfielder, Adam Nagy was a major factor in Hungary’s impressive EURO 2016 run and looks set to leave Ferencvaros in his native country to head for pastures new.

With Benfica and Leicester both rumoured to be interested in the 21-year-old, Spurs will need to move quick if they are to capture one of the hottest young prospects in Europe.

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Alessandro Florenzi

Florenzi has, along with many other Italians, been under-estimated at EURO 2016. The incredible performances from the Azzurri have truly shocked the competition as many predicted Conte’s side to struggle to make an impact.

A natural box-to-box midfielder, Florenzi has been used in a variety of positions for both club and country and his versatility would be welcome at White Hart Lane.

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Kamil Glik

A disappointing quarter final defeat to Portugal put a dampener on an otherwise impressive EURO 2016 campaign for Poland, and Kamil Glik was a key figure in that.

The 28-year-old possesses incredible aerial ability and strength while still maintaining decent mobility. His leadership skills would be a great addition in a young Spurs team.

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Much has been made of Idrissa Gueye’s move to Everton, and he hasn’t even stepped foot on the pitch yet.

The no-nonsense midfielder is the club’s first buy since Steve Walsh’s arrival and he joins Martin Stekelenberg as the second summer arrival at Goodison Park.

The fact the former Leicester City scout has chosen Gueye as his first signing since joining Everton is pretty significant, and it highlights the potential he feels the Senegalese international can bring to the club, hence the comparison that is often made between him and N’Golo Kante.

Off course, we all know about Kante’s move from Leicester City to Chelsea this summer and it was his work that propelled the Foxes to their unlikely league win last season. He also played a big part of France’s run to the Euro 2016 final and he really is the man of the moment, despite playing in defensive midfield, often considered one of the most un-glamorous roles on the pitch.

But Idrissa Gueye is perhaps the only player that came close to Kante in terms of performance last season, with the Villa man seriously impressing in a squad that lacked guile, fight and quality throughout the whole season. In earnest, you have to wonder how bad it could have got for Villa had Gueye not been sat infront of the defence for the whole season.

Gueye brought aggression, an ability to tackle and an impressive amount of energy to an extremely flat Aston Villa midfield. His bravery in possession was evident in a team that lacked so much confidence during both Tim Sherwood and Remi Garde’s subsequent spells at the club.

And it seems that new Everton manager Ronald Koeman was aware of Gueye’s quality all along, despite the turbulent season the majority of his team-mates were facing.

“He was one of the players last season with the best records in interceptions and pressing in midfield,” said Koeman after confirming Gueye’s signing. “We need this kind of quality”, he added.

Praise indeed from his new manager, and it seems that Gueye is most likely to partner Gareth Barry in a 4-2-3-1 formation going into next season.

You have to wonder just how good it could get for Koeman’s side, if they can keep adding quality players like Gueye but more importantly, if they can keep hold of Romelu Lukaku. If they can bring in some quality to build a strong body around their Belgian hitman, he may be persuaded to stay.

And yet, regardless of who else the Toffee’s bring in this summer, the addition of Gueye really is a triumph. If Everton are to progress next season they need someone that is going to bring steely leadership to the field, and besides N’Golo Kante, there may be no-one better to do that in the whole league.

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It was another England performance that drew uninspiring expectations for the upcoming World Cup qualifying campaign.

Slovakia were always going to be one of the toughest opponents England would face in Group F and thanks to Adam Lallana’s deserved last minute winner, the Three Lions took three points from their opening fixture.

Three points, a win in Big Sam’s first England game and no injuries – a pretty good result, right? Yes, in one way if you want to look at it like that. But for others, there was one man in particular who was singled out for criticism in a game where England lacked a real ruthless edge.

You might have guessed by the man I’m talking about is Spurs striker Harry Kane, who has had a slow start for both club and country this season.

But we’re here to discuss his international form today and if we’re being honest, it made for pretty uncomfortable viewing. Kane huffed and puffed like an old horse-cart but wielded absolutely no end product. He looked tired, even though the season is only five games in, off-the-pace and a little lost.

He looked about as far away as possible from the clinical striker we’re used to seeing banging in the goals week-after-week for Spurs.

It was the ease with which he was marked that worried England supporters. Before Martin Skrtel’s impending red card, Kane did little to trouble the former Liverpool man. He looked quite un-alert at times and on a few occasions, failed to read the crosses and runs made by the likes of Lallana and Sterling. The wingers were struggling to create for a striker that looked completely devoid of even a yard of pace throughout the game.

That’s why it seemed so difficult to score. For all the long balls and runs down the wing there was no final product ready from Harry Kane to put the ball away with ease on numerous occasions.

England fans will seriously hope this is a blip by the former Leicester city loanee. He’s going to be one of, if not our biggest, goal threat as the qualification process continues and he really needs to find some form or he will find himself dropped.

With the likes of Jamie Vardy and Theo Walcott waiting in the wings from the sidelines, there is a real case to suggest that Harry Kane shouldn’t start the next tie against Malta in October.

Walcott looked bright and alert when he came on and many forget that his natural position is as the leading striker. Jamie Vardy is another solid shout for selection – we all know what the Leicester City hero did last season and what he will bring to this England side.

So it seems that Big Sam has a big decision to make ahead of a game that England are expected to win and win comfortably.

Does he keep Harry Kane in the side and hope he finds the back of the net to boost his confidence or does he switch it up?

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Our bar staff and landlord here in the Transfer Tavern like to keep our punters well informed about all things football from around the globe.

For a club the size of Celtic, some of punters below the border aren’t quite as well informed as they probably should be when it comes to the Hoops.

One of the proudest institutes in the European game, their struggles on the continental front have perhaps seen them cast into a relative shadow to those not supporting the club.

You never know when you may find yourself sat in the pub doing a pub quiz in the city center of Glasgow, having a few pints and the topic of Celtic comes up!

Then, you can thanks us for the insight.

With that all in mind, let’s have a bit of a history lesson and find out SIX facts that you probably didn’t know about Celtic Football Club…

Splashing the cash

On the 11th of July 2000, a record was broken at Celtic, to which has still yet to be beaten!

That is their record-breaking transfer fee paid for English striker Chris Sutton as he made the switch from Chelsea to the high-flying Scottish side for a fee of £6 million!

Back in the year 2000 that was quite a big sum in comparison to today’s market where players go for £20-30 million and no one batters an eyelid.

5 year wait!

When you think Celtic, the first thing to pop into mind is Scottish champions, because for as long as many can remember it seems they continue to bring the Scottish League title home year on year.

However, did you know that their very first league title came all the way back in 1893?!

That’s 5 years after the club was originally founded.

Busy, Busy, Busy!

Would you believe it if we told you that there was once 146,433 fans in one stadium at one time?

You’d probably laugh at us right?

With all the rules and regulations these days it’s rare that a stadium is actually at its full capacity.

But in 1937 they were a little more lapse on the situation.

Celtic broke the record for a club game in Europe when in fact an estimated 146,433 turned out to watch them face Aberdeen in the Scottish Cup final; that is an astonishing amount of fans in one stadium!

Coronation Cup

In 1956 Celtic defeated Hibernian 2-0 in the final of the Coronation Cup, which was held to celebrate the crowning of Queen Elizabeth II.

The teams invited included the best in Scotland football and English football at the time, and the final attracted a crowd of 117,000 at Hampden Park.

Quite the turn out for the Royal Family.

It’s amazing to think only 60 years ago there were more than 100,000 fans allowed into a stadium, how times have changed.

England Man

Did you know that Mr. England himself, famous for his rapping abilities, Mr. John Barnes was once the boss at Celtic Park?

Back in 1999, the former England and Liverpool striker was the head coach with Kenny Dalglish in an executive role.

However, it didn’t last long unfortunately! When Celtic found themselves on the end of a surprise defeat to Inverness in the Scottish Cup.

When Celtic found themselves on the end of a surprise defeat to Inverness in the Scottish Cup, Barnes was bounced out.

Lenny Legend

Neil Lennon became quite the fan favorite and many called for him to replace Ronny Deila and return to Celtic Park before the appointment of Brendan Rodgers.

But Mr. Lennon found himself leaving Celtic with quite the achievement by becoming only the fourth Celtic manager, after Willie Maley, Jock Stein and Gordon Strachan, to win three league titles in a row, as the Hoops dominated the SPFL.

We want to hear from you, Celtic punters or not, let us know if you knew these facts already or if you find yourself knowing more about the club than ever before… Comment below

The atmosphere, as ever, was electric at Celtic Park. Brendan Rodgers’ side seized their opportunity against Manchester City last time out and it brought a great deal of hope into this game against Borussia Monchengladbach.

The German side were far from full strength after starting the Bundesliga season in pretty indifferent form. Two defeats to open up their Champions League season reflects where Monchengladbach have been at so far this year. Their performances have been up and down, rarely looking like the side that impressed for so much of last season.

Instead of the close-fought affair that many had predicted at Celtic Park, the German outfit were dominant throughout as they all but killed off Celtic’s Champions League dreams for another year. Defeat left the Glaswegian side licking their wounds and requiring some sort of divine intervention to qualify for the Round of 16.

Celtic Park provides some wonderful imagery and here are FIVE of the best snaps from Wednesday night…

Decent night out

There are few places better to watch football than Celtic Park.

Add Champions League football, a cool autumnal Glasgow evening and a sense of optimism and you have quite an occasion. Pre-kick-off, there was a spine tingling roar around Celtic Park, which made Borussia Monchengladbach’s impressive start to the game all the more remarkable.

The German side clearly weren’t intimidated and perhaps Celtic found it actually cranked up the pressure on them.

Barking his orders

Borussia Monchengladbach dominated the first half and Celtic were left trying to get into the game, with their crowd quietened and their manager left wondering what had gone wrong.

Brendan Rodgers was not short of orders for his players during the opening 45 minutes.

Opening Up

Having dominated for the entirety of the game, it was of little surprise when the away side took the lead through Lars Stindl in the 55th minute.

Celtic had struggled to keep the German side at bay throughout the night and the gap in quality was plain to see up until this point. Changes followed from Brendan Rodgers as he tried to manoeuvre his side back into the game.

Leaving the last chance saloon

Last ditch defending summed up Celtic’s night. Too often caught out at the back and sitting in front of their own goal for much of the game, they were unable to press Borussia in the way they did Manchester City and were pinned back for much of the game.

The eventual breakthroughs were well deserved for the Bundesliga side and their quality shone through.

Looking on

Penny for your thoughts, lads?

Another Champions League adventure is over for Celtic, barring some sort of ludicrous turnaround in the footballing world. The glimmer of hope presented in that game with Manchester City was put out by an excellent Monchengladbach side and even reaching the Europa League looks unlikely now.

The new FIFA 17 The Journey mode had a lot of people excited about its release last month.

And now, after a month of being on the shelves, it has been announced that FIFA 17 The Journey was played at a rate of more than 178,000 matches per hour from September 24, 2016 to October 24, 2016 on Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and PC.

That equates to an incredible 124million matches in that month, with Alex Hunter scoring more than 164million goals (not even Marcus Rashford can do that!) over the course of those matches.

The Journey inspires fans to live their story on and off the pitch as Alex Hunter, the Premier League’s next rising star. Alex’s story is impacted by performance in matches and decisions made by fans off of the pitch, like selecting which of the twenty Premier League clubs Alex signs with to begin his professional career.

Unsurprisingly, with a record 20 League titles, Manchester United has been the fan favourite with 18% of players selecting the Red Devils. Liverpool FC (11%), Leicester City Football Club (11%), Arsenal (10%), and West Ham United (8%) round out the top five. No matter the club, there’s been no shortage of silverware for Alex Hunter, with fans winning more than 560,000 Premier League titles (beat that, Sir Alex!) and more than 1million FA Cup titles.

“It’s absolutely incredible to see the number of people engaging with The Journey,” said Adetomiwa Edun, the lead actor who plays Alex Hunter.

“The social media response has been phenomenal – to have fans shouting out for Alex during big football matches has been surreal – I can’t wait to see where Alex’s journey leads next.”

The Journey helped to engage 20% more players in FIFA 17 in its first week than FIFA 16 did in the same timeframe last year, and other modes are also seeing high engagement.

See the infographic below for more interesting stats about Alex Hunter’s journey so far…

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Dramatic doesn’t really do it justice.

Swansea City beat Crystal Palace in a bonkers game last weekend to seal Bob Bradley’s first win in English football, and – more importantly – to bring the Swans off the bottom of the Premier League table and leave them only two points from safety.

It’s still very early to be talking about relegation battles. But at this stage in the season, form is usually locked in and teams at the bottom are short on confidence, making a relegation scrap extremely likely.

For Swansea, however, one of the perks of being 4-3 down in injury time and winning 5-4 is the inevitable boost of morale in the engine room.

Their next game may be against one of the title challengers in Tottenham Hotspur, but that won’t bother them now – not after last weekend.

On top of that, Spurs aren’t exactly in stellar form just now. November was a tough for them – elimination from the Champions League and only one win in all competitions is surely cause for concern.

And so there’s a real chance for Swansea to continue their form, and to continue the misery around White Hart Lane.

Here’s why.

Swans on Song

Confidence could be key in this game. Swansea surely have plenty of it this week, but Spurs are lacking.

There’s not really much to suggest that Swansea are in good knick. They won a game against a fellow relegation struggler, sure, but they also conceded four goals at home to a struggling side.

That doesn’t spell great form, but sometimes that’s just it: in football you can often pinpoint psychologically important events and call them turning points. For Swansea, last week’s result could well be that.

Solid Spurs need to come out and play

Tottenham Hotspur have only lost one game all season – their last one – so why are they seven points off the top of the Premier League table? The answer is fairly simple: too many draws.

After only one last-gasp win over West Ham to shout about in all competitions since beating Manchester City on 2 October, and after four draws in six Premier League games in that time, Tottenham desperately need a win from somewhere.

One of the reasons they draw so many seems to be an innate conservatism rather than going all out for the victory. But their run of form means they’ll have to come out to get one against Swansea, and that represents a big chance for the Swans to capitalise on Tottenham’s recently leaky defence.

Spurs’ leaky defence

Last season, Tottenham’s defence was one of the best in the league, but this time around things are different.

With injuries to Ben Davies and Toby Alderweireld, Spurs were depleted at the back against Chelsea last weekend. In fact, it’s been a similar story all season, in one form or another.

Rotation – thanks to Mauricio Pochettino’s policy of resting defenders frequently in the Champions league – seems to have led to a bit of confusion amongst the back line, especially at its heart.

The centre-back partnership is arguably the most crucial part of any team. Last season, the Alderweireld- Vertonghen axis of competence made Spurs’ defence one of the most feared in the country.

This season, no partnership has emerged so far, and with Swansea in goalscoring form, it could represent a chance for the Jacks to get a run going.