Aston Villa fans have criticised manager Steve Bruce and his tactics after club owner Tony Xia gave his thoughts on what the team need to do to improve.

As he often does, the Chinese businessman took to Twitter to interact with the fans, and this time, not many agreed with his views.

Most supporters are understandably still reeling from Easter Monday’s 3-1 defeat to Fulham, which was their second loss in a row.

They also suffered a 3-1 defeat to Reading on home turf two days prior, and now the club reside 12th in the table.

With three games left to play, the Villans are 15 points adrift of the playoff places, which is a hefty margin considering that the Midlands outfit dropped into the Championship just last summer.

In fairness to Bruce, he was appointed three months into the season following Roberto Di Matteo’s failed spell.

However, it seems that fans are feeling fed up with his management and they made it clear when Xia tweeted his thoughts.

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It’s hard not to see Pep Guardiola as the ultimate modern football manager.

He spearheaded a revolution at Barcelona, changed how the world saw the game, and gave rise not just to a new method of playing attacking football, but also – indirectly – to defensive mechanisms to stop it.

It’s more than that, though. Because even if you do see Guardiola as the ultimate innovator, that’s not his most accurate reflection of the modern game.

Football threatens to become more than just something that happens in the evenings and at weekends. With social media and 24 hour news, the game now leaves nothing to the imagination – there’s simply no time to imagine it. The kinds of people who spent their childhoods thinking about formations, best starting XIs and the players their team should sign in the summer are also the kinds of people who, nowadays, stay abreast of their club’s news constantly on Twitter. That’s to be expected. After all, they always thirsted for news, it’s just that these days they can get it on demand, without having to wait until Football Focus comes on TV.

But one of the unforeseen consequences of the internet era – it seems – is the idea that everything is black and white. It is precisely because we don’t have time to sit back and think about the game and its nuances that we don’t see any nuances at all. And this is Guardiola’s best reflection on modern life.

On one hand, you have the Guardiola fanboys: those who think he can do no wrong and that his system, once fully in place, will blow away all opposition, just as it did at Barcelona and – until the semi-finals of the Champions League, at least – at Bayern Munich.

On the other hand, you have the Fraudiola bunch: those who not only view such worship of an individual as suspect, but also mock the Catalan manager’s failures. Presumably, they think that – if he is the world’s best manager – he should be winning every trophy every year. And what’s more, to their eternal glee, they think that Guardiola has been ‘found out’ in the English league – a league they find more physical and competitive.

Charting a course between extremes is the modern way. This season at Manchester City, Guardiola has seen the two warring factions take aim at each other through the guises of think pieces and social media rants, but the middle voices – the ones who haven’t yet made up their minds whether or not Guardiola will be a success or failure at Manchester City, or whether he will be something in between – are squeezed out.

This season, while it’s fair to say that City have performed below expectations, it’s also fair to say he was dealt a tough hand. Without a good chunk of the types of players he usually likes to have at his disposal in order to play football in a certain way (pacey, athletic full-backs, midfielders who can control the game, attackers who can press high up the pitch, a goalkeeper who can both save shots and play out with his feet) Guardiola has had to make do and mend, and yet he also probably took too long to adapt the team’s style of play to the players he had in his squad.

But all of those thing can be true at the same time. Guardiola can’t be both a success and a failure at the same time, but he can be bits of one and bits of the other.

What’s also true is that Guardiola can be judged more diligently after this summer, and after a year assessing the strengths and weaknesses of his squad.

Still, the same old problem will be there: after a year in the job and presumably even more money spent this summer, it is unclear just what Guardiola will be expected to deliver. Will it be the league title? What about the Champions League? What happens if he misses out narrowly again: is it a sign of abject failure to come second in the league or get knocked out in a Champions League semi-final?

Once again, we come back to all or nothing, where inches are the difference between redemptive glory and abject failure. But the problem is, it was Guardiola’s success that made him divide the entire footballing world in such a way, just like Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.

Guardiola gave rise to modern football, but that modern way is what piles pressure on him this summer.

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Celtic achieved the incredible feat of going the entire Scottish Premiership undefeated on Sunday with a comfortable 2-0 victory over Hearts at Celtic Park.

No-one has been able to touch them in the Scottish top-flight this season. Brendan Rodgers’ side have only been behind in matches four times across the campaign, brushing aside most of the opposition with ease.

What’s more they have a chance to go one step further next week. and remain undefeated in both cup competitions too. Having already lifted the Scottish League Cup, they’ll face off against Aberdeen at Hampden for treble glory with the Scottish Cup.

It was Leigh Griffiths who got Sunday’s party started with a fine headed finish to bring his tally for the season to 18 goals, despite not starting between December and April. Stuart Armstrong got the second to spark scenes of jubilation and joy at a sold out Celtic Park.

As dominant as Celtic have been in Scottish football over the last few years, no-one expected them to go an entire season unbeaten and fans are rightly over the moon.

They took to Twitter to share their thoughts on it all…

Bryan Robson believes that Arsenal attacker Alexis Sanchez would be a great fit at his old club Manchester United.

The Chile international’s future at the Emirates remains uncertain as he is yet to sign a new contract with the Gunners.

The 28-year-old performed well this season, scoring 30 goals and producing 13 assists in all competitions, but he was visibly frustrated a number of times with Arsenal’s performances on the pitch.

United lacked firepower in the recent campaign, scoring 54 altogether in the Premier League, which was 32 fewer than top scorers Tottenham Hotspur.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic was their main source of goals as he finished the season as the club’s highest scorer on 28 in all competitions, with Juan Mata next on the list with 10.

It is unlikely that Ibrahimovic will have the same impact next season as he continues to recover from a serious knee injury, which could result in him not taking up the option of a further year at Old Trafford.

Robson, who won two league titles across a 13-year spell at United, believes that Mourinho should consider moving for unsettled Sanchez this summer.

The Daily Mail quotes Robson as saying:

“His character is right, he’s a tough player, he’s really skilful. He works hard for the team, can score and create goals. When you put that package into one, he’s the type that we would like here.

“Whether we can achieve that or Mourinho thinks the same – people always have different opinions on individual players about whether they’re the sort you’d like.”

Celtic fans are basking in the glory of an unprecedented domestic season after beating Aberdeen to lift the Scottish Cup on Saturday.

In a thrilling final, the Dons push Celtic to their absolute limit. With the scores level heading into injury time at the death of the match, Tom Rogic surged forward to bang one in past Joe Lewis in the Aberdeen goal to give the Bhoys a 2-1 victory, ensuring they take their place in the Celtic history books.

Derek McInnes’ side had gone ahead in the match thanks to Jonny Hayes before Stuart Armstrong equalised minutes later. With golden chances for both sides after that, the match could have gone either way. However, as we’ve seen so many times this season, the Hoops were incredibly strong in the final 15 minutes of match, putting the Dons under severe pressure that ultimately they couldn’t withstand.

Trebles, history and unbeaten records aside, one of the most talked about stories of the afternoon was the injury to Kieran Tierney and the subsequent aftermath.

Jayden Stockley struck the teenage left-back in the mouth early in the first half, splitting his lip and, as has been subsequently revealed, breaking his jaw. The injury required Tierney to be subbed off and go to hospital but he thrilled Celtic supporters around the world when he shockingly returned to Hampden at the end of the match to lift the trophy and receive his winners’ medal.

It was a fantastic moment on a day full of joy for Celtic fans and they took to Twitter to share their thoughts on his amazing trophy lift, with the player himself even saying the broken jaw was worth it…

As reported by The Liverpool Echo, Everton’s interest in Gylfi Sigurdsson could be tested significantly this summer with Swansea City slapping a massive valuation on the midfielder.

What’s the story?

With Davy Klaassen and Jordan Pickford through the gates at Goodison Park, it’s clear that Everton aren’t going to slow down their attempts to bring elite players to the club this summer.

The Liverpool Echo reckon the Toffees still hold a significant interest in Sigurdsson, despite having a £25m bid for him rejected last summer.

However, his valuation at the Welsh club has increased massively with the Swans now looking for a massive £40m for their star man, according to the report, which would smash Everton’s record transfer fee.

Is he worth the cash?

With nine goals and 13 assists in the English Premier League last season, Sigurdsson has been one of the stand-outs across the entire division, despite playing for a club who were mired in a relegation battle for most of the campaign.

He was a one man band at the Swans at times last season and arguably deserves to be surrounded by more talented players. At 27 years old he is entering the prime of his career and has definitely improved as a top-flight star since leaving White Hart Lane.

Koeman needs depth and quality at the club next season if he is to have his side truly compete in the top-flight and Sigurdsson adds both to attacking midfield in support of Romelu Lukaku.

The reported £40m is a huge amount of money for Everton but they’ve not been shy so far in the transfer market this summer and this is a player who could bring them to the next level. Is he worth it? We reckon so.

Arsenal fans will be keen to see some new signings come through the welcome gates at the Emirates this summer, but they will also be hoping that some star players do not head for the exit door.

Alexis Sanchez is one of those players who has a cloud of uncertainty surrounding him with regards to his future.

The Chile international’s camp were in negotiations with the Gunners over a new contract last season, but an agreement could not be reached.

Speculation has been rife that the 28-year-old will leave in this window, and a report from The Guardian claims that Manchester City are confident of clinching his signature.

The publication states that City could part with around £50m to sign the former Barcelona star, who is believed to be keen to play under manager Pep Guardiola.

Arsenal would prefer to keep hold of Sanchez, but if they refuse a sale this summer then they run the risk of him leaving next year for nothing when his contract expires.

Fans have been tweeting their thoughts on the latest twist.

As reported by French outlet Le 10 Sport, Arsenal are in the hunt for Toulouse’s wonderkid goalkeeper Alban Lafont this summer.

What’s the story?

With Petr Cech entering the twilight stage of his career, Arsenal need to start thinking about transitioning to a new number one over the next season or two. The Czech Republic legend is now 35 and isn’t the force between the sticks he once was.

That’s perhaps why then Arsene Wenger has cast his eye to his homeland for an answer to the solution. Le 10 Sport say Alban Lafont is a target for the Arsenal boss as the long-term replacement for Cech.

With David Ospina also set to leave the club, the outlet say Lafont would come in as a number 2.

Who is he?

Despite being just 18 years of age, Lafont already has an impressive number of appearances under his belt for the Ligue 1 side over the last two seasons. He has played in 62 matches in total.

He made his debut at the age of 16, becoming the youngest ever goalkeeper in the history of the French top-flight. With caps in four different underage groups for the French national team too, it’s clear he has a bright future in the game.

Transfermarkt reckon he’s worth £6.8m, meaning that if Arsenal do move for him, he may not cost the world.

While he might not be quite ready for regular English Premier League football, he appears to be a wise investment, especially if they can groom him to be Cech’s long-term successor.

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As reported by Spanish outlet Mundo Deportivo, Liverpool are interested in signing Barcelona star Rafinha this summer.

What’s the story?

With Jurgen Klopp hoping his side can build on last season’s top-four finish and compete in the UEFA Champions League next season, he’ll know that this transfer window is one of the most important at the club for  years.

They’ve already made some clever buys with Mohamed Salah, Dominic Solanke and Andy Robertson all joining up at the Reds this pre-season.

It seems though that the Liverpool boss is keen on adding some central midfield talent to his squad.

Mundo Deportivo report that the Anfield club are preparing a bid of between £26m and £36m, in a deal they are adamant is separate to any potential agreement that would see Philippe Coutinho leaving for La Liga.

The outlet report it’s a deal Barcelona are willing to do, meaning this could be wrapped up pretty quickly should firm offers be made.

The right fit?

Having been educated at Barcelona from a young age and featured for the first team regularly over the last few years, Rafinha would have little problem adapting to Jurgen Klopps fast-paced, attacking style should he make the move to England.

Last season he scored 7 goals for the Catalan giants, showing he has the desire to get forward and be a menace in the final third, having the versatility to either play through the middle or on the right flank.

Still just 24 years of age, he’s likely not to have even reached his full potential yet and becoming first choice away from the superstars at Barcelona could be the making of him as an individual.

He could add the composure and touch of class that the Reds are looking for to complete their midfield next season.

As reported by Italian outlet Corriere dello Sport, Chelsea are interested in adding midfielder Renato Sanches to their squad this summer, although Bayern Munich are only interested in sending him out on loan.

The report states that because the German club paid a large fee for him last season and still see him as having a long-term future at the club, they’d prefer to see him leave on a temporary basis.

While that’s not traditionally the kind of deal Chelsea have done in recent seasons, it’s still one that could make sense if Antonio Conte feels like he needs more depth in a squad that will be competing in three domestic competitions and the UEFA Champions League next season.

With Nemanja Matic’s future far from certain at Stamford Bridge, it’d make sense to bring in a bright young talent alongside the established stars at the club and new signing Tiemoue Bakayoko.

It’s certainly a potential deal that has been exciting Blues fans and they took to Twitter to share their thoughts on it all…