All posts by h716a5.icu

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Wolves continued their rich vein of Europa League form with an emphatic victory in Armenia over FC Pyunik on Thursday evening.

Raul Jimenez netted a brace in between returning right-back Matt Doherty’s 29th-minute opener and Ruben Neves’ injury-time penalty – though the spot-kick was not without some sort of controversy which has left many fans at Molineux debating the incident.

The spot-kick was won by £16m summer arrival Patrick Cutrone, who was handed his debut in the 63rd minute, but was taken by their regular set-piece man Neves even though the Italian wanted to have the honours.

However, it appeared as though the Portuguese pulled rank instead after some debate and eventually slotted home the penalty himself.

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One supporter felt that the incident showed why Neves is a leader in the making whilst another lauded the decision by claiming there was no time for sentiment as scoring the fourth goal was more important.

Others would have liked their new man to take it as a further fan said you want your new striker to score as early as possible in a game you’ve already won. This was echoed by another who believed it would have been a confidence boost.

You can read the best of the reaction below:

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This article is part of Football FanCast’s In Numbers series, which takes a statistical look at performances, season-long form and reported transfer targets… 

Leeds may have looked somewhat uncomfortable against Nottingham Forest last week, but they bounced back in ideal fashion on Saturday afternoon.

Buoyed by a League Cup win over Salford, they returned to winning ways in the Championship courtesy of two strikes from Patrick Bamford.

He was poor against Forest, spurning six opportunities. Yet, faced with two chances that he simply couldn’t miss at the weekend, he was back among the goals as he showed his knack of being in the right place at the right time.

But arguably, it wasn’t the striker who impressed the most.

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Instead it was loanee Jack Harrison, a man who has just shown why Helder Costa will have to remain patient in the search for his first league start under Marcelo Bielsa.

Costa was fantastic in this division for Wolves, scoring 15 goals and claiming 14 assists across two terms.

Harrison doesn’t boast the same sort of goal threat but his overall impact is proving decisive, even if he was frustrating at Elland Road only a week ago.

He failed to trouble the ‘keeper, having no shots, whilst there was a lack of penetration as he was successful with just one dribble.

Against the Latics, he was much improved, though.

Harrison had the opposition on strings and caused problems for Nathan Byrne on an all too regular basis.

This time out, he completed three dribbles, displaying how crafty he can be with the ball at his feet whilst he was also fouled three times as Wigan tried desperately to halt him.

They failed to do so on too many occasions as he was still able to register three shots and four key passes.

There may not have been a goal or an assist but this was certainly promising from Harrison.

Thogden ranks all 24 Championship away kits in the video below…

He only found the net four times throughout the 2018/19 campaign but so far this season, there are indications that his end product is improving and he’s certainly becoming a more dangerous player.

At the age of 22, he’s sure to improve and it says a lot that he’s keeping someone like Costa out of the XI.

Bielsa showed a large degree of faith in putting him in from the start of the term and he’s repaid it brilliantly.

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Some Crystal Palace fans have taken to Twitter to moan about Aaron Wan-Bissaka’s inclusion in the senior England squad, as the right-back receives his first call-up.

Gareth Southgate has opted to include the 21-year-old defender – who completed a £50m move to Manchester United this summer – in his squad for the first time after he impressed in his first few games for the Red Devils.

However, what seems to be irking the Palace fans on Twitter is the fact that Wan-Bissaka has been called up at the first possible opportunity since moving to Old Trafford, having not received one whilst performing at an extremely high level in south London.

‘Big club bias’ is clearly on the minds of the Eagles supporters below, and they have a fair shout.

The Palace academy graduate recorded the most clearances, most take-ons, most tackles and most interceptions out of any full-back in the Premier League last term, but was overlooked for the senior squad with Southgate saying that he preferred to keep Wan-Bissaka with the Under-21 side.

Let’s take a look at what the Palace fans on Twitter have been saying…

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Tottenham Hotspur fans have hit out at right-back Kieran Trippier for his latest quotes on the club.

The England international has expressed his disappointment at his sale, insisting that he would have liked to remain in north London.

Per The Daily Telegraph, he said: “I had a conversation with the manager, a meeting with the chairman to see what my future was and I didn’t get the impression that they wanted to keep me. It is football. It happens.​

“I tried to speak to the chairman about it and I didn’t really get an answer. I spoke to the manager about his plans and I didn’t get a yes and I didn’t get a no. So, you get the impression.​

“It’s disappointing. I gave everything for the club and I wanted to stay, I had another couple of years left, but everything happens for a reason.”

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The defender made 38 appearances in all competitions last season, even playing the entire 90 minutes as Spurs lost the Champions League final to Liverpool in Madrid.

However, his season was characterised by a number of sloppy mistakes, namely a calamitous own goal against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.

His sale netted the club £20m and, while they haven’t truly replaced him by buying another right-back, it appears that Kyle Walker-Peters is well-placed to take on the role, while Serge Aurier remains in north London.

And fans have lashed out at Trippier for his take on his exit.

Take a look at the best of the reaction on Twitter below!

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This article is part of Football FanCast’s The Chalkboard series, which provides a tactical insight into teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

Real Madrid could most likely use some innovation at the tip of their attack and with so many injuries plaguing the squad, Zinedine Zidane should try sticking to the partnership of Karim Benzema and the newcomer, Luka Jović.

A simple tactical tweak and a formation change could accommodate both forwards and enable them to complement each other perfectly.

On the chalkboard

Currently, picking an ideal starting lineup is a task easier said than done for Los Blancos’ French manager.

With five players out with injuries and all of them being attacking players, a squad that was full with potential has suddenly been left rather sparse at the business end of the pitch.

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But even with that being said, Zidane still has two of his main strikers available to him and he should definitely use them. And the best thing about it is that Jovic and Benzema can easily be fielded as a tandem rather than two squad players fighting for the same spot. All it takes is a change in formation and some courage on Zidane’s part.

A new partnership

On paper, both Benzema and Jovic are better off as clear-cut strikers. Both players would most likely prefer being the only centre-forward at Real Madrid as that is their natural position.

But with the situation as dire as it is with all the injuries, Zidane might not have two reliable wingers at his disposal to flank his lone striker.

Both Benzema and Jovic are players who excel as lone strikers but they can also be effective when given a partner to work with. Benzema became accustomed to that in the 2017/18 season when he used to grace the pitch with Cristiano Ronaldo, and Jović did the same with Sebastian Haller last season for Eintracht Frankfurt.

It’s also significant that both players have a keen eye for both scoring and assisting. Benzema netted seven assists in La Liga last season while Jovic tallied six in the Bundesliga.

Of course, they did start the game against Villarreal together in a 4-4-2 formation but Zidane shouldn’t discard that option on the basis of a single game that ended in a draw.

Naturally, once Eden Hazard recovers from his injury, it’s likely that we won’t see Jović and Benzema playing together.

However, for the time being it’s an ideal opportunity for Zidane to experiment with utilising two elite attackers in a deadly front-two.

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This article is part of Football FanCast’s In Numbers series, which takes a statistical look at performances, season-long form and reported transfer targets…

In the past, an accusation thrown at England players was that they performed better for their clubs than they did for the national team, and it could be argued that was true of players like Frank Lampard, Paul Scholes or even Wayne Rooney.

All of the above underachieved in major tournaments, whilst out of the three only Rooney can boast of a better goalscoring record for his country than his club.

Another player who is threatening to follow a similar trajectory is Jordan Henderson, the midfield maestro who led Liverpool to their sixth Champions League title in June.

There is no doubting that he has developed leadership qualities over the last few years and become an influential figure in the dressing room whom Jurgen Klopp feels is invaluable, but he doesn’t share the same responsibility at national level – with Harry Kane the captain.

Whilst he has become a vital fixture in the German’s squad, Henderson has been in and out of the England team in recent years, and so far he is yet to reproduce the same quality on the pitch in some areas.

The former Sunderland player picked up his 50th England cap earlier this year in a match against Montenegro, but it is hard to pick a stand-out moment he’s had in a Three Lions shirt, whereas there have been several for the Reds.

There is no doubting his commitment and the energy he brings whenever he plays, but despite often playing against weaker opposition at national level, he has been unable to exert his influence on proceedings, with the England boss often experimenting with his midfield as a result.

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His average successful passes per game proves that point. 43 doesn’t appear too underwhelming but England have played teams such as Montenegro, Czech Republic, and the USA in that period, and comparatively the 29-year-old has averaged 51 passes per game for Liverpool this season.

A key aspect of Henderson’s play is his tenacity and endless energy, so winning just 40% of his duels is somewhat out of character and shows that his performance levels can dip when in an England shirt, although an average of 2.8% interceptions per match is a little higher than usual for the midfielder.

He may not be best suited to running with the ball at his feet and throughout his career he has never been productive in terms of goals and assists, but even so one of the latter in five games and just two successful dribbles in that time shows he needs to make improvements, and quickly.

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Wolves’ run of poor form in the Premier League continued at the hands of Chelsea with the visitors coming out on top with a 5-2 victory at Molineux.

Frank Lampard’s side picked up just their second win of the season, a back-to-back away one at that too as the Wanderers continue to struggle in the league.

The scenes pre-game were undoubtedly a mirror image of what was to come – the Wolves faithful at that point were unknowing about how the game would eventually pan out, but they were hopeful especially with Chelsea facing a critical absence in defence with Emerson Palmieri’s injury – he was averaging the highest rating of any other Blues player before the match at 7.57.

Nuno Santo made four changes to the side that lost to Everton before the international break – one of which was forced due to the red card Willy Boly picked up at Goodison Park, so in came Jesus Vallejo while Romain Saiss also dropped into defence.

The man of the moment, Tammy Abraham, netted three goals as well as an own goal as he tore apart Wolves’ rotated backline.

All three of his Chelsea goals came within 21 minutes of each other, beginning in the 34th minute to make it seven for the season – tied with Sergio Aguero for most goals scored this campaign.

Saiss certainly felt the strain of coming up against the 21-year-old, who has been in red hot form in the last three matches.

His dejected look was merely one that the whole squad would have been feeling as the hunt for a first Premier League victory this season rumbles on.

The game featured a number of young stars, in part thanks to Chelsea’s transfer ban, but Morgan Gibbs-White did have a moment for his former Young Lions midfield partner Mason Mount.

Mount earned his first England cap last week after being called up to Gareth Southgate’s squad for qualifiers against Bulgaria and Kosovo while Gibbs-White played in the Under-21’s Euro qualifiers.

Lampard came away as the happier of the two managers – all of Chelsea’s goals this season have come from academy graduates.

That’s Abraham, Mount and Fikayo Tomori, the latter two he managed at Derby County last season.

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Tottenham Hotspur will look to bounce back from a disappointing week when they face Colchester United in the third round of the Carabao Cup on Tuesday night.

Spurs surrendered leads against Olympiacos and Leicester City in the last seven days to end up with just a point to show for their efforts, and manager Mauricio Pochettino will want to see a big improvement on the road in Essex following successive sub-standard performances on their travels.

The Argentine manager has the chance to rotate his squad given they are coming up against League Two opposition, and we expect him to take full advantage of the opportunity.

Here is our predicted Tottenham XI to face the U’s…

Paulo Gazzaniga deputised for Hugo Lloris against the Foxes at the weekend following the birth of his baby, and we expect him to do the same against Colchester.

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There may well be a completely new defence from the one beaten at the King Power Stadium too, with Ben Davies, Juan Foyth and Kyle Walker-Peters coming in, as well as a full Tottenham debut for Japhet Tanganga, with Danny Rose, Jan Vertonghen, Toby Alderweireld and Serge Aurier all dropping out.

In midfield, Pochettino has reportedly already decided that Eric Dier is going to make his first appearance of the season, and we expect Oliver Skipp to be given an opportunity alongside him at the base of the midfield in a 4-2-3-1 formation.

Ahead of them, Christian Eriksen, Lucas Moura and Dele Alli take up the three attacking midfield positions, and it is a big opportunity for the latter – rated at £81m by Transfermarkt – to find some form and really get his season kick-started following injury troubles.

Last but by no means least, there is another debut up top for Troy Parrott, who fully deserves his chance in the starting XI.

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This article is part of Football FanCast’s In The Pipeline series, which takes a look at some of the most promising young talent either linked with clubs or emerging from their academies…

After two recent developments at Southampton regarding the goalkeeping department, Harry Lewis should be sensing an opportunity to progress at St Mary’s.

Who is he?

The 21-year-old stopper has made three appearances for the first-team at Southampton previously, so his impressive progress through the youth ranks has already been rewarded.

He’s also gained valuable first-team minutes in the past, spending the entirety of the 2017/18 campaign on loan with Dundee United and making 38 appearances as the Scottish side finished third in the Scottish Championship.

But some recent developments should have piqued Lewis’ interest in regards to moving up the pecking order.

May sense an opportunity

Fraser Forster, who was third-choice stopper behind Angus Gunn and Alex McCarthy, recently departed the club to rejoin his former side Celtic, so he’s out of the equation in terms of Ralph Hasenhuttl’s goalkeeping options.

But speaking of Gunn, the former Manchester City and Norwich man has been in mixed form in the Premier League so far this term, conceding three goals against Burnley at the start of the season and three goals against south-coast rivals Bournemouth last time out.

It was against the Cherries in which Gunn contributed to one of the two developments that may now have Lewis smelling blood in terms of a first-team opportunity.

The Saints No.1 came rushing out of his goal, getting himself in a mix-up with Jan Bednarek, allowing Callum Wilson to steal in and score what was perhaps the easiest goal of his life.

Of course, there is also the presence of current No.2 Alex McCarthy at St Mary’s, but he doesn’t seem to be too deep into Hasenhuttl’s first-team plans given Sky Sports’ story stating that the England international was up for sale back in the summer.

In addition to that, McCarthy is yet to make an appearance in the Premier League so far this term and has been restricted to just two appearances in the Carabao Cup – for now, he appears to be Hasenhuttl’s No.2, but the fact he could’ve been moved on should give Lewis encouragement for finding a pathway to becoming his replacement.

Forster’s exit, coupled with Gunn’s recent mistake and McCarthy’s transfer situation, may not see Lewis instantly handed the responsibility of being the club’s No.1. But he should be sensing a huge opportunity at St Mary’s; it is down to him to grab it.

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…

Just imagine what Chris Wood could do in a Marcelo Bielsa team.

The Whites play like a Premier League-ready team in transition but once they get the ball in and around the penalty area, they struggle to actually find the back of the net.

Leeds have managed the highest number of shots per game at 17.8 this term but only sit ninth in terms of goals scored.

They may be second in the league but it’s something that should serve as a cause for concern.

Patrick Bamford has worked hard and pleased supporters on Tuesday even despite going a fifth game without a goal. But his inability to find the net regularly from 3.6 shots on average each match isn’t too impressive.

Over the summer, they let their top scorer leave. 15-goal Kemar Roofe walked out of Elland Road and consequently, a huge void has been left.

It’s yet to be filled despite Eddie Nketiah netting four times but it does have you wondering what Wood might have been able to achieve.

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In 2016/17, he was immense, as the striker found the net 27 times in 44 games. A player of that goal scoring calibre in the Championship is clearly something they miss but let’s forget about his goals for a moment.

Leeds’ other lingering issue this season has been conceding from set-pieces. Indeed it was a problem Bielsa admitted they had last term too.

The west Yorkshire outfit have conceded a whopping 60% of their goals from set-plays in 2019/20 and it’s been a regular cause for concern with sloppy errors creeping in during these types of scenarios.

This season a lack of height has been in evidence. Ben White has been brilliant and won the PFA Fans’ Player of the Month for August but he is only 6 foot 1. That’s hardly a like-for-like replacement for someone such as 6 foot 4 Pontus Jansson.

He has left another big void behind like Roofe and a lack of physical players in the box could be attributed to their ability to concede regularly from corners.

At 6 foot 1, Bamford isn’t a large existence in the penalty area, particularly when defending. However, Wood acted as an extra body when defending and his added aerial abilities would now surely help shore things up.

Why are Leeds fans the best in the country? Find out in the video below…

In his final full season at Leeds before he left for Burnley in 2017/18, the £16.2m-rated forward managed to win 3.3 aerial duels and in the campaign prior to that, it stood at 3.7.

Leeds now no longer have an attacking player like that to help them in either penalty area. In fact, only Liam Cooper in the current squad is above winning three aerial duels per outing.

Wood didn’t just bring Leeds goals, but he was a useful and extra man that Bielsa could now deal with when defending set-pieces.