All posts by z3u9t.icu

This article is part of Football FanCast’s Opinion series, which provides analysis, insight and opinion on any issue within the beautiful game, from Paul Pogba’s haircuts to League Two relegation battles…

Heading into the clash on Sunday, Manchester United fans may have been forgiven for fearing the worst. The side had capped off a truly horrendous start to the Premier League campaign by falling to an embarrassing 1-0 defeat to Newcastle before the international break, whilst visitors Liverpool, had enjoyed a flawless start. It had all the makings of a truly forgettable afternoon for the Old Trafford faithful.

Instead, in arguably their most promising display since the 4-0 thrashing of Chelsea in their opening game of the season, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side were five minutes away from clinching a remarkable 1-0 victory against the league leaders. Whilst the United boss was understandably in a buoyant mood after the match, the sense of the performance and the result being a watershed moment should be tempered.

How much money could you make busking for a week as a freestyle footballer? Find out in the video below…

Make no mistake about it, Liverpool looked a shadow of their normal irrepressible selves at the weekend, losing possession 157 times, and completing just four out of their 23 attempted crosses. United certainly played their part in making the visitors look so distinctly ordinary, but Jurgen Klopp’s men did themselves no favours. The Merseyside club played right into the Red Devils’ plans, getting involved in 50/50 challenges, putting the ball out of play under little pressure, and trying to whip in David Beckham-esque crosses from 40 yards away.

Whilst Liverpool may have approached the game in that fashion, it will be highly unlikely Norwich will do the same next week. Or any of the other lesser sides over the coming months. As others have done before them – most notably Crystal Palace and Newcastle – they will be happy to sit back in their own box and try to counter-attack themselves. They will not be prepared to leave space in behind as Klopp’s side did on Sunday.

Watch Manchester United Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

In four games against Chelsea, Leicester, Arsenal and Liverpool, Solskjaer’s team have picked up eight points from a possible 12 – a very decent return indeed. But against sides they are expected to beat, they have come away with two. The big tests for the Red Devils lies in the clashes where the opposition won’t play into their hands as much. Playing 5-3-2 and counter-attacking against sides that want to dominate you is all well and good, but that approach won’t cut it week-in and week-out against the Premier League’s lesser lights.

So whilst United should rightly feel proud of their display on Sunday, it may not be the watershed moment either Solskjaer or the players hope for.

This article is part of Football FanCast’s Pundit View series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent quotes from journalists, pundits, players and managers…

QPR midfielder Dominic Ball has spoken to the media following the 2-0 loss to West Brom on Saturday, and his words are full of sense, maturity and realism.

The 24-year-old – signed on a free transfer back in the summer after leaving Rotherham – has emerged as a key cog in Mark Warburton’s side in a defensive midfield role, and has specifically helped the duo of Eberechi Eze and Ilias Chair thrive ahead of him.

Ball has made five Championship starts so far this term, and is a player who Mark Warburton knows well having worked with the 57-year-old at Watford and Rangers.

What did he say?

Ball told The Kilburn Times: “Going up against West Brom, I think we can critically analyse ourselves and say ‘you know what, we’re not there yet, we’ve got to improve in a lot of areas’ and that’s what we’ll be doing in training this week.

“I think we’ve had a very good season so far. As a team we still know we’ve not had a 100% performance.

“We’re still a new team, we’re still developing and finding out about each other.”

Sensible comments full of perspective 

It’s very easy in modern day football to go overboard after a loss and feel like everything is all doom and gloom.

Contrastingly, Ball’s comments have seen him take a metaphorical step back, analyse the context of the situation and give a sensible assessment on where QPR are at right now – there really is no need to panic, at all.

Put it this way. The R’s are still pretty much in the infancy of Warburton’s reign, and signed a number of new players in the summer – the drawing board was well and truly ripped up in the summer and replaced with a new one.

Because of that, things will need time to gel – it hasn’t even been all that bad, with the Londoners winning four Championship games on the trot before losing against Slaven Bilic’s side.

It’s easy to get carried away after going on such an impressive run so early into a new manager’s tenure, but with a player as level-headed as Ball in the side, one would assume that no-one in that QPR squad is going to get lost amongst the clouds this season.

This article is part of Football FanCast’s Pundit View series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent quotes from journalists, pundits, players and managers…

This one won’t go down well.

Not only have Leeds lost captain Liam Cooper to injury for the foreseeable future, but one former Leeds United player thinks there could be a permanent departure from the club soon if things don’t change.

What’s been said?

Noel Whelan spoke to Football Insider about young striker Eddie Nketiah, and he thinks that time could well be running out for Bielsa to show faith in the Arsenal loanee before the London club either decide to recall him, or he starts considering asking to be sent back:

Nketiah has scored four times since arriving in west Yorkshire but it’s now October and he’s still yet to start in the league.

Given Patrick Bamford hasn’t netted in six games, it would be understandable if he’s starting to grow frustrated. That’s certainly how Whelan thinks he could feel before too long. He said:

“There is the possibility he will be recalled in January. It all depends on how much game time he is getting, and at the moment he is only playing as a sub. He has showed a lot of talent and potential, and is a really exciting young striker. He’s loved by the fans.

“A lot of other clubs wanted him in the summer and you can see why. Much depends on the player’s character. It may only be a short time before he starts getting frustrated. How much is he willing to stay patient?”

Watch Leeds United Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

What should they do about it?

Leeds United are facing a bit of a problem when it comes to converting their chances so far this season and sit in tenth place for goals scored despite averaging the highest number of shots per game in the Championship.

It doesn’t take a genius to work out that there’s a simple solution to the problem – that’s playing the Arsenal man on a regular basis.

Nketiah, despite a lack of minutes, has shown an incredible knack of finding the back of the net when presented with the opportunity and it wouldn’t be too much of a surprise if he did eventually replace Bamford.

It’s now just a matter of who blinks first. Will Nketiah force his way out of Elland Road? Or will Bielsa bow to the pressure and give him more game time? It’ll be a tricky decision once the international break is done.

As Whelan says, Nketiah is loved by the crowd at Elland Road, would it really be in Bielsa’s best interests to let someone so adored just walk out because of a lack of minutes?

Imagine the backlash he’d get if he did.

[ad_pod ]

This article is part of Football FanCast’s Pundit View series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent quotes from journalists, pundits, players and managers…

As quoted by Sky Sports, Denis Irwin has insisted Paul Pogba is “vitally important” to Manchester United’s chances of success this season.

What did he say?

The France World Cup winner was the subject of intense transfer speculation over the course of the summer transfer window, with reports suggesting Real Madrid were intent on signing him.

However, a move away for the 26-year-old failed to materialise, and Irwin has now revealed Pogba’s ability on the ball marks him out as a “big, big player” for the club.

Watch Manchester United Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

He said: “There’s not too many players of Paul’s quality. He’s got plenty of players in front of him who have got great pace and I think he’s got the understanding of being able to pick a great pass.

“We need consistency out of him sometimes but going forward now and particularly where we’ve started dominating games he’s going to be a big, big player for us. I think every team needs a risk taker but I look at him and think he’s the one that can unlock doors.

“We’ve created enough chances to win games so he’s going to be vitally important for us.”

Narrative

Pogba’s transfer saga dominated the headlines this summer, and then his role in the penalty debacle against Wolves cast an even bigger shadow over his United future. The Frenchman undoubtedly has his critics, but scratch beyond the surface, and the 26-year-old has arguably been one of the Red Devils’ better performers this season.

United legend Paul Scholes criticised the former Juventus star for giving the ball away far too many times against Southampton, but what didn’t get mentioned was the fact he played four key passes – the highest of any player in Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side.

Pogba’s willingness to try those high-risk, high-reward passes means he is always likely to have a lower passing accuracy. But as was the case for Marcus Rashford’s second goal against Chelsea, when he does get his range right, it can be such a devastating attacking weapon for United.

Out of players who have played more than two games in the Premier League this season for the Red Devils, Pogba’s average of 2.8 key passes per game is more than double that of the man below him, Luke Shaw.

If United are to unlock defences and score goals this season, the Frenchman will have to be at his risk-taking best.

[ad_pod ]

[ad_pod ]

Crystal Palace will be looking to make up for their embarrassing 4-0 defeat to Tottenham this Sunday when they take on Wolves at Selhurst Park.

The Eagles were all but out of the game after just 23 minutes against Mauricio Pochettino’s men, having conceded three goals, and went into the half-time break 4-0 down – the defending on show from Roy Hodgson’s side was shambolic.

However, there is a good chance to get a result against a Wolves side who are yet to win a game in the Premier League this term.

Let’s take a look at the XI Hodgson should put out to give his side the best possible chance of a result against Nuno Espirito Santo’s men…

While Wolves at home is a vastly different kettle of fish in comparison to playing Tottenham away, there are some changes that Hodgson simply has to make.

Patrick van Aanholt, for a start, cannot keep his place.

The Dutchman was poor against Spurs, registering a WhoScored rating of just 5.26, the lowest of any Eagles player.

We think Jeffrey Schlupp should take the former Chelsea man’s place in what will otherwise be an unchanged back four.

Given the fact that Palace often struggle to break sides down at home – they were the only team to win more points away than at home last term – Max Meyer should be summoned into the starting XI with Schlupp dropping back into defence, where the four-cap Germany international can hopefully provide some attacking impetus.

Up top, an unchanged attacking trio of Wilfried Zaha, Jordan Ayew and Andros Townsend should help provide the width needed to harm a Wolves side who operate with wing-backs, meaning the flanks could be an area full of opportunity for Palace when Jonny and Adama Traore, or Ruben Vinagre and Matt Doherty, push forward.

With these changes, the south Londoners will have the best chance of getting a result against the Midlands-based side.

[ad_pod ]

Nottingham Forest fans have taken to Twitter in annoyance, after The Mirror revealed that Ben Osborn could be involved in a swap deal that would see James McClean team up with Martin O’Neill and Roy Keane once again in a move to The City Ground.

O’Neill is hoping to sign the 29-year-old whom he managed whilst as manager of the Republic of Ireland national team, as per The Mirror, where McClean arguably played some of his best football.

Osborn, however, came through the academy at the City Ground and has made over 200 appearances for the Reds, as per Transfermarkt, becoming somewhat of a fans’ favourite during that time as a result. The 24-year-old can also be used as a full-back as well as on the wing, so his versatility is especially useful to Forest.

Thogden has ranked his top 5 sets of Championship away fans for Pl>ymaker FC. Did your club make the list? Find out in the video below…

As a result of the aforementioned facts, fans of the play-off chasers are livid that he could potentially leave the club, if their reactions on Twitter are anything to go by…

A new attendance record for the Women’s Super League in England was set at the weekend at the Etihad Stadium for the clash of Manchester City and Manchester United.

City won 1-0 in front of 31,213 supporters, which beat the previous attendance record at a home ground in women’s football more than six times over, as reported by BBC.

Manchester City also hold the record for the highest attendance in English domestic football history at a home ground when 84,569 people flocked to Maine Road for an FA Cup clash against Stoke in 1934. [via TalkSPORT].

Manchester City-focused Twitter channel @SuperbiaProelia pointed out the club’s status as holders of attendance records for both the men’s and women’s game in England.

Despite these record attendance figures, Manchester City’s home ground has been mockingly called the ‘Emptyhad’ by some rival supporters, as per The Sun, who reported that the average number of attendees at the ground was roughly 46,000 despite official figures of around 54,000 regularly being published.

These Manchester City fans took to Twitter to ridicule the club’s perceived reputation for low attendances:

Do you think the 31,213 attendance for a women’s game on Saturday was a one-off or will it become a regular occurrence this season in the Women’s Super League? Comment below with your views!

Given the catastrophic season that Everton have had under the managerial guidance of Rafa Benitez with just five Premier League wins under their belt from a possible 19, it wasn’t much of a surprise to see him sacked from the club, especially after losing 2-1 against relegation strugglers Norwich City in their latest league outing.

Since then, Everton have made the decision to appoint Duncan Ferguson as their caretaker boss for the time being as they begin yet another search for a potential manager.

With there still being some time left until the current January transfer window closes, Toffees owner Farhad Moshiri could use this time to not only search for a suitable long-term manager to take the reins at Goodison Park but also to bring some new players to the club to help Ferguson get their season back on track and give the fans something to shout about positively.

One player the Merseyside club could look to bring in that would certainly get a lot of people talking is Real Madrid and former Chelsea winger Eden Hazard, who has recently been mentioned with a move back to the Premier League by reports in Spain, specifically with Everton and Newcastle United interested in taking the Belgian.

During his time with Chelsea, Hazard managed to score 110 goals and provide 92 assists in 352 appearances across all competitions with 245 of those appearances and 85 of those goals coming in the Premier League, highlighting the sort of experience that he’d be able to bring to Everton this month.

In addition to this, with the 31-year-old, who was previously labelled as a “superstar” by Jamie Carragher, having won two Premier League titles and one FA Cup during his spell with the west London club, he would also bring a winning mentality to Goodison Park if he were to make a move there.

Considering their lack of wins in the league this season, this is something that Everton could seriously do with at the moment and something that Ferguson would love to have in his squad as he looks to bring a bit of stability to the club and end the season as strong as possible.

Moving forward, if a move for Hazard would be financially viable for the Toffees this month, this is something that they should definitely consider doing to see if he can have a positive impact on the team going forward.

In other news: Offer made: Everton in talks with 48 y/o “gentleman”, Moshiri is taking a massive risk – opinion

Mark Guidi has dropped an update on Celtic’s bid to secure a deal to bring Jota to Parkhead on a permanent basis.

What’s the talk?

Speaking recently to The Go Radio Football Show (via Vital Celtic), the Daily Record journalist stated his belief that Celtic are comfortable concerning the situation of Jota, as Ange Postecoglou’s side have an option to purchase the 22-year-old written into the winger’s loan contract at Parkhead.

Guidi went on to state that the Portugal under-21 international also appears to be enjoying his time in Glasgow, something that the journalist believes will make it easier for the Bhoys to agree personal terms with the Benfica loanee.

Concerning Celtic’s potential signing of Jota, Guidi said: “I think Celtic will be comfortable with the Jota scenario because what we’re led to believe [is] they do have [a] first option. It’s there in black and white.

“That was part of the loan agreement – that Celtic have the first option at an agreed fee. The fee is already agreed so there’s probably no negotiation [to be had with Benfica]. The negotiation is really with the player, in terms of his individual package.

“So, in terms of financial outlay, if Celtic fancied doing A, B and C just now, and [then] leave [signing] Jota [until] the summer [they could], because they know Jota is theirs if they want him – provided they can agree personal terms.”

Fans will be buzzing

Considering just how impressive Jota has been since his arrival in Glasgow on a season-long loan deal last summer, Guidi’s reassuring words regarding the 22-year-old’s permanent switch to Parkhead are sure to have left the Hoops’ fanbase buzzing.

[snack-amp-story url=”https://www.footballfancast.com/?post_type=web-story&p=664142″ title=”Check out the latest Celtic news!”]

It is easy to see why fans would be excited for the Bhoys to secure the winger’s signing. Over his 12 Premiership outings in the current campaign, the £4.95m-rated trickster has been in astonishing form for the Hoops.

Indeed, the Portuguese forward has already scored five league goals, registered four assists and created two big chances for his teammates, as well as taking 2.8 shots and making 1.4 key passes per game.

These returns have seen the £7.1k-per-week forward average a remarkable SofaScore match rating of 7.31, ranking him as the joint seventh-best player in the Scottish top flight.

As such, should Postecoglou indeed manage to get a deal over the line for Jota this season, particularly for the reported fee of £6.5m, it would undoubtedly be a major coup for the club. Not only is the winger likely to be a continuous source of goals and creativity during spell at Parkhead, he could also become a hugely valuable asset for the Bhoys further down the line in terms of making an enormous sell-on profit.

In other news: Celtic dealt huge blow as fresh twist emerges on 24 y/o, Postecoglou will be fuming

Antonio Conte is reportedly now strongly interested in signing Nahitan Nandez for Tottenham Hotspur once the January transfer window opens.

The Lowdown: Conte knows him well

Nandez is a player that Conte will know well from his time in the Serie A, where the Uruguay international has managed to score four goals and make a further nine assists in 88 games in total over all competitions for Cagliari over the last three seasons (both of the meetings between Cagliari and Conte’s Inter last term.

With claims that Giovani Lo Celso could leave Spurs next month, added to the fact that they have been linked with midfielders like Franck Kessie in recent days, it is no surprise to see Nandez as a player that they would also be interested in, should he be allowed to leave Sardinia of course.

The Latest: Strong interest

As per Calciomercato, there is now ‘strong interest’ from Conte and the Lilywhites in Nandez, as well as from Inter.

However, Cagliari do not want to let him go, and he currently has a release clause of €36m (£30.3m), although it is thought that that price could be negotiated down.

The Verdict: Lo Celso replacement

If Lo Celso were to leave the Tottenham Hotspur stadium next month, then Nandez would be the perfect replacement for him.

Just one year older than the Argentine at 26, he has averaged more key passes (1.1), dribbles (1,5), crosses (0.6) and long balls (1.9) in their respective domestic leagues so far this season, on top of his two assists (WhoScored).

Serie A experts think very highly of him, including journalist Mina Rzouki, who even went as far as to claim that he was ‘unstoppable’ back in May, while Conor Clancy likened him to a ‘machine’ and described him as ‘powerful’ despite his small stature (This is Futbol).

Nonetheless, Nandez would certainly be a smart addition to Conte’s squad for the right price.

In other news, find out who THFC’s three worst players were against Southampton here!