All posts by n8rngtd.top

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…

The Championship season is still in its infancy, and teams haven’t begun to separate just yet.

Indeed, there are just three points between ten spots from 2nd to 11th, but that won’t be the case for much longer.

As always, the league will begin to take shape over the next few weeks, and as we head into the festive period we should have a clearer picture of which teams are going to be challenging the playoff spots.

Watch Leeds United Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

Leeds have a great opportunity to separate themselves from the pack in the next few weeks as their upcoming fixtures are more than favourable.

United have already played nine of the 11 other teams that currently occupy the top 12 alongside the Whites, and their run of fixtures in November should stand them in good stead to pick up a number of points.

Leeds’ next match comes against QPR, and although the London club currently sit eighth in the league, a game against a team that has conceded 26 goals in 13 matches represents a great chance for the Whites to get a win.

Find out what happened when a world-record-holding freestyler attempting skills with the worst pair of boots available on eBay in the video below…

After that, Marcelo Bielsa’s side play five of the bottom eight teams in the Championship, and that’s where the Whites can put themselves in a commanding position in the league.

That run of matches may be what decides Leeds’ fate this term as they’ll either be riding the crest of a wave after a string of good results or they’ll be disheartened by faltering against opposition they should be beating.

This is a true test of not only Leeds’ character but also Marcelo Bielsa’s.

This will undoubtedly be a vital portion of the campaign that United supporters will look back on one way or another at the end of the season.

If they pick up maximum points more often than not, they’ll be in a very promising position.

This article is part of Football FanCast’s Transfer Focus series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent transfer news…

According to Spanish publication Mundo Deportivo, Manchester United are now interested in signing Inter forward Lautaro Martinez.

What’s the word?

Having allowed both Romelu Lukaku and Alexis Sanchez to leave the club in the summer, the Red Devils left themselves considerably short of attacking firepower. Marcus Rashford, Anthony Martial and Mason Greenwood have been the men tasked with leading the line for the Red Devils, and whilst there has been a recent resurgence from the from the initial two, the side still looks bereft of goals.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s team have scored just 13 goals in their opening ten Premier League games, and so it has been no surprise to see them being linked with a move for a striker. Reports in recent weeks have claimed the club are looking at Juventus’ Mario Mandzukic and Bournemouth’s Callum Wilson as possible options in the January transfer window.

Watch Manchester United Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

Now, Mundo Deportivo claim the Red Devils are ready to rival Barcelona for the services of Martinez, but that they could face a potential hurdle thanks to Inter’s reported €111m (£95.6m) valuation.

Combative

At just 22-years-old, Martinez is making his presence felt for one of Italian football’s biggest sides. Despite seeing both Lukaku and Sanchez join the club, the Argentine has not let the former United duo steal the limelight away from him this season. The centre-forward has struck seven times in 13 games across all competitions, including a goal apiece against Barcelona and Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League.

Solskjaer is seemingly keen on implementing a fast style of play, with pressing from the front. During pre-season in the summer, the Norwegian remarked: “We’ve been working hard, trying to get the front-foot press and trying to create and score as many goals as possible.”

And no doubt thanks to the Antonio Conte effect, Martinez has been doing that in abundance with Inter. In the Serie A this year, the 22-year-old has averaged an impressive 0.9 tackles per game – considerably more than the 0.2 and 0.7, Martial and Rashford have managed in the Premier League respectively.

Despite standing at just 5 foot 9, Martinez is no stranger to putting himself about, and going head to head with opposition centre-backs. He has averaged one foul per game in the Italian top-flight, and it’s that combative approach that would no doubt endear him to the kind of style Solskjaer wants to employ at United.

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…

Arsenal’s latest result against Vitoria in the Europa League has seen the club and manager Unai Emery receive considerable criticism from a number of the club’s fanbase.

However, the latest comments from summer signing Kieran Tierney are likely to serve as a source of optimism ahead of a crucial run of fixtures for the north London side.

What did he say?

Speaking to the official club website after Arsenal’s match with Vitoria, the Scot had the following to say:

“We know there is a lot going on that people are talking about. But we just need to forget about all that and concentrate on us, concentrate on bouncing back and concentrate on giving the fans something to cheer about.”

Are Arsenal capable of redeeming their 2019/20 campaign?

The arrival of Tierney in the summer transfer window from Celtic was promising as they went about rebuilding their defence in Emery’s second season in charge at the club, but a spate of inconsistent performances have prevented the club from gaining any form of momentum.

Incidents including Granit Xhaka’s exchange with fans in the 2-2 draw with Crystal Palace have seen considerable controversy arise around the club, with the Switzerland international having been stripped off the captaincy.

Therefore it is vital that the concentration that Tierney touches upon is present in Arsenal’s remainder of the 2019/20 campaign, but the Gunners will be faced with a testing fixture this Saturday when they face Brendan Rodgers’ men at the King Power Stadium.

Coming up against an in-form side at Leicester away from home will be a true test of Arsenal’s ability to cope with pressure, especially considering the surfacing of reports that Emery has just one month left to save his job at The Emirates.

The left-back will be hoping to play a significant part in any improvement at Arsenal after having started the last two league games, and fans of the north London side will be looking for a positive result against the Foxes in a bid to revitalise their 2019/20 campaign.

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

England will face Montenegro and Kosovo in their next two Euro 2020 qualifiers as they attempt to secure qualification for next year’s tournament. Whilst Trent Alexander-Arnold may be standing out offensively, Kieran Trippier is the best option for Gareth Southgate at right-back.

On the chalkboard

Last Thursday, Southgate announced his Three Lions squad for the all-important upcoming fixtures. For the slot on the right side of the defence, Alexander-Arnold and Trippier have been selected.

The latter left Tottenham to join Atletico Madrid in the summer for £20m and has already started 10 La Liga matches. The former, meanwhile, has been an ever-present in the Premier League for Liverpool. Whilst he may be one of the first names on the team-sheet at Anfield, it is the 29-year-old who should start for the national side.

Defensive solidity

Going forward, Alexander-Arnold is the more creative force, even if Trippier does not do too badly himself. The 21-year-old has made 3.6 chances per match in the Premier League, providing three assists, whilst he has averaged two per match in the Champions League.

That is compared to the former Burnley man’s 1.4 in La Liga. He does have four per match in Europe, but that is across just two matches, whilst he has two assists in all competitions compared to his rival’s four.

However, in a team that does not create too many chances – they have the 12th most in the league per match with 11.1 – he is the third-best playmaker, with Koke and Santiago Arias – who has played just three matches – creating more.

Watch Liverpool Videos With StreamFootball.tv Below

Defensively, though, there is a clear winner so far this term.

Los Rojiblancos are arguably the best defensive side on the continent. In La Liga no team has conceded less than the eight goals they have in their first 13 matches. In the Champions League, too, they are solid, having shipped just four goals, with just as many teams having conceded less.

Liverpool, meanwhile, have kept just two clean sheets in the 17 games Alexander-Arnold has appeared in this season, whilst they have conceded seven goals in Europe. 11 teams have a worse record.

England have impressed going forward – only Belgium and Russia have scored more in Euro 2020 qualifying – but defensively there have been issues. They conceded three against Kosovo despite being 5-1 up at half-time, whilst they also lost 2-1 against the Czech Republic. They have kept just three clean sheets in a relatively easy group, and this comes after they were beaten 3-1 by the Netherlands in the UEFA Nations League semi-final.

With 2.4 tackles per match compared to Alexander-Arnold’s 1.3 per game, Trippier will contribute more defensively, which is exactly what England need right now. For the future, the £72m-valued Liverpool star – as per Transfermarkt – will need to improve on his game going forewards if he wants to prove himself indispensable to Southgate.

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

Jack Harrison is quickly becoming one of Leeds United’s most important players.

This past month he’s been involved in goals almost every time he’s stepped onto the pitch as he’s scored twice and assisted four times in his last six appearances.

In fact, he’s scored twice in his previous two matches, and after scoring just once in his previous 14 it seems as if he’s figured something out in terms of finding the net.

Watch Leeds United Videos With StreamFootball.tv Below

This may be down to one emerging trait in his game which is allowing him to get into more threatening positions.

Harrison’s differing roles

Marcelo Bielsa has been switching between systems that utilise a three at the back as well as a four at the back, but he’s seemingly comfortable enough in either system to be an effective player.

Last week we looked at how Harrison’s tendency to drop back and receive the ball from deep allowed him to craft his own chances and manipulate defenders, but this week he’s shown another aspect of his game that may lead to him finding the back of the net more often.

Coming inside

A look at the 22-year-old’s heatmap against Blackburn shows that he was consistently making the same types of moves into the opposition area.

Indeed, there is a huge flurry of activity just inside of the opposition’s box, and that shows that Harrison has been coming inside more often.

This will, of course, give him more opportunities to have a look at goal, and after managing four shots against the Rovers and grabbing a goal this new style of play could add another element to United’s attack, especially when you consider their recent striking woes.

Marcelo Bielsa recently admitted that he didn’t like how Helder Costa wasn’t drifting inside like Pablo Hernandez. Funnily enough, he hasn’t listened, but Harrison seemingly has.

This has proved game-changing for him in each of his last two matches where he’s scored.

This article is part of Football FanCast’s Transfer Focus series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent transfer news…

Xherdan Shaqiri is preparing to leave Liverpool at the end of the season due to a lack of game time, according to Football Insider.

What’s the story?

The Switzerland international, who is rated at £22.5m on Transfermakrt, has reportedly told those close to him that he wants to leave Anfield during the summer.

This comes with the 28-year-old having played just 14 minutes of football for Liverpool this season, with those coming across three substitute appearances, the longest of which was just six minutes.

The former Stoke City man is said to recognise that he will not be breaking into the starting lineup in his preferred position on the wing, due to Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah standing in his way.

Watch Liverpool Videos With StreamFootball.tv Below

A challenge for Jurgen Klopp

This indicates how big a challenge Klopp will be facing in attempting to sign and retain high-level back-up wingers to offer cover for the two main men.

With Shaqiri being 28-years-old, the time he is supposed to be in his prime, it is understandable that he doesn’t particularly want to spend his matchdays sitting on the bench.

However, across the Champions League and Premier League, Salah already has 14 goal contributions, while Mane has 11, so the pair are virtually undroppable, meaning the only way a back-up can get substantial game time is through injury.

If Shaqiri does leave, Liverpool may struggle to find someone of a high level who can come in as his replacement, because they will end up facing exactly the same predicament.

Does Shaqiri deserve to start over Mane and Salah? Evidently not. But this is a player who grabbed eight Premier League goals and seven assists for a relegated Stoke during his final season with the Potters.

If someone with that output can’t at least force his way in occasionally, there will be a very small calibre of player who can.

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…

According to The Sun (print version, November 15, page 74), Southampton have scouted Nottingham Forest right-back Matty Cash at the City Ground this season, along with Everton and Crystal Palace.

Interestingly, Cash had never played as a right-back until Sabri Lamouchi arrived at Forest back in the summer, where the 48-year-old decided to transform the Slough-born star from a midfielder into a right-sided defender.

Lamouchi’s decision has definitely been beneficial to both Cash and Forest.

So far this season, the 22-year-old has scored twice and assisted two goals in 14 Championship appearances for the playoff hopefuls, while also recording some impressive defensive numbers to go alongside his clear attacking qualities.

Cash averages 2.8 tackles per game and 3.5 clearances per game, but how does he compare to Southampton’s current right-back options in Yan Valery and Cedric Soares?

As you can see, neither Valery or Cedric have been involved in a goal so far this season, which is pretty poor given the fact that Ralph Hasenhuttl tends to use wing-backs.

Neither of the Saints’ current right-back options can boast a tackles per game average that is higher than Cash’s, while Valery is the closest to his 3.5 tackles per game – albeit 0.6 away from it.

You may argue that Cash’s numbers are being registered in the Championship, arguably a weaker division in comparison to the Premier League.

However, to bolster our point that Cash would be an upgrade on the pair, we feel that his former days playing as a right-midfielder would enhance his suitability to being a wing-back under Hasenhuttl.

The Daily Mail’s Secret Scout described Cash as “showing maturity beyond his years in defence”, while his return of eight goals and two assists from right-midfield last term suggests that he knows where the back of the net is as well.

It is for the aforementioned reasons, and his superior statistics despite the difference in divisions, that Cash would be an upgrade on Valery and Cedric.

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…

Southampton defender Jack Stephens has told The Daily Echo that he believes he is currently in his “last chance” to get back in the team and stay there, and he is certainly making the most of it.

What did he say?

In what was described as a candid interview by The Daily Echo, the 25-year-old said on winning his place back in the team last month having failed to play since the opening day of the season:

“I had to go into the Man City game with a selfish mindset and prove that I’m good enough to play for the club.

“I just felt like it was maybe my last chance to get back in the team and to stay in the team.

“It was a long time since I’d played, and it was starting to feel like maybe it wasn’t going to happen for me.

“I’ve had my doubters, I think that’s fair to say. For me, there is that little bit of I’ve got something to prove and I want to prove it.

“I want to show that I’m good enough to play for this football club and that I can play centre-half for this team.”

He is proving it

Following his start in the 3-0 defeat against Burnley back in August, the former Plymouth Argyle youngster was dropped from Ralph Hasenhuttl’s squad completely for their following two top flight fixtures, and didn’t return to action until half-time of the 9-0 monstrosity against Leicester City.

There was little Stephens could do about that, but his performances against Manchester City in the Carabao Cup – in which he was their highest-rated Saints player according to WhoScored and also found the net – and in the Premier League – in which he made 15 clearances – suggest he still has a future with the south coast outfit.

He was also one of the only players to come out of the Everton defeat with any credit as he made some incisive passes from the back, and he was once again impressive against Arsenal at the weekend.

Showing some much-needed composure, he reduced the threat of the likes of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Alexandre Lacazette, even if the latter did score a brace.

[ad_pod ]

His concentration appears to have improved for the time being, and with the centre-back spots fully up for grabs he is doing everything he can to become a mainstay at the heart of Hasenhuttl’s backline.

In other Southampton news, this unexpected player could soon become club’s most important midfielder…

Many Leeds United fans have been debating who is the best player they have had since they dropped out of the Premier League, with many opting to select Spanish midfielder Pablo Hernandez.

Marcelo Bielsa’s side are on the verge of gaining promotion to the Premier League after an absence of 17 years away from England’s top flight (BBC Sport).

Having struggled over the years to gain promotion, Leeds came extremely close to top flight football last season after reaching the play-offs, but a defeat to Derby County saw those hopes ended.

This term, Bielsa has guided his side to the top of the Championship league table, sitting one point ahead of West Bromwich Albion and they are therefore very much on course to gain an automatic promotion place.

One of the key performers in Leeds’ side this term has been Pablo Hernandez. The Spaniard has firmly established himself over the last few seasons as one of the Yorkshire’s club’s best and most reliable players, contributing with 33 goals over his 148 appearances.

Looking back over the Whites’ time in the Championship, a number of players spring to mind when thinking of ones that have had the most impact, including the likes of Jermaine Beckford and Luciano Becchio – who both impressed at the club.

Asked by Twitter account @allday_leeds, fans have replied with various different players who they feel have performed well during their time away from the Premier League, but Hernandez appears to be the most popular choice.

Missing football!? There’s still plenty of Leeds discussion going on in the Vital Leeds Forum! Click here to get involved!

Rangers’ ongoing saga with the SPFL knows no bounds and Neil Doncaster’s recent interview with the Daily Record has riled up supporters at Ibrox tenfold.

The SPFL chief lifts the lid on ‘vile abuse and threats’ that his staff have faced since their season-ending vote and it hasn’t gone down well with the Gers faithful whatsoever.

The single toughest football logo quiz of all time…

World Class score: 95% | Expert score: 80% | Veteran score: 65% | Intermediate score: 45% | Amateur score: 30% | Try Again: 5%

He said: “It’s extremely unpleasant for all of my small team of staff dealing with all manner of hugely complicated issues. That would have been testing enough without all of these suggestions, innuendo and personal attacks.”

Rangers have pressed on with calls for his suspension whilst winning the support of Hearts and Stranraer to force an EGM of all member clubs on the 12th of May.

Steven Gerrard’s side sit some 13 points off their league-leading arch-rivals yet are unhappy with the decision to cut the season short.

Doncaster has been in charge of the SPFL since 2013 and this latest situation is no doubt one of the toughest challenges he’s ever faced.

Here’s what Rangers fans have been saying…

AND in other news, Rangers fans react to club announcement…