All posts by h716a5.icu

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Leeds United booked their spot in the second round of the EFL Cup courtesy of a 3-0 win away to Salford City on Tuesday night.

It was a commanding performance from the Championship outfit, who proved to be far too strong for their League Two hosts.

Eddie Nketiah scoring on his debut will perhaps be the main story from Leeds’ point of view but the performance of Kalvin Phillips in the middle of the park was outstanding.

The 23-year-old was named the Man of the Match for his display, which was not much of a surprise.

And as expected, a number of Leeds fans have taken to social media to lavish praise on the midfielder, who was strongly linked with a move to Aston Villa during the summer.

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The Whites managed to keep hold of the academy product, though, and he will be hoping to inspire his team to a successful season.

A selection of the Twitter reaction can be seen below:

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The football transfer business is a funny phenomenon.

The summer transfer window has just passed, and yet soon clubs will be preparing themselves for the next period during which they can bring in new faces, which will be in January.

And supporters themselves have also turned their attention to next year, it seems.

Could Gabriel Martinelli become Arsenal’s star striker in the not too distant future? Deluded Gooner thinks so in the video below…

Arsenal Fan TV have asked their followers on their Twitter page who they would like to see jet into north London next year, and a lot of the fans have responded with the same name: Dayot Upamecano.

The 20-year-old has impressed in the Bundesliga, and has already made 75 appearances across two and a half seasons for RB Leipzig.

The Frenchman has previously been linked with the Gunners, and the fans now want him to boost their defence at the next moment he’s available. Supporters have taken to the social media platform to share their views, and you can see some of the best responses below.

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Adrian drops in with a very topical bit of banter about everybody’s favourite new system, video assistant referee (or VAR), as well.

Ah. The fact that Liverpool players are mocking VAR before it’s even managed to sting them properly gives you some indication over how popular it is amongst footballers.

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Despite a relatively strong start to the campaign, Sunderland fans are crucifying Jack Ross for his verdict on the loss to Peterborough.

The Black Cats had started this season excellently, with a 2-1 home win over Portsmouth and a hard-fought 2-1 victory at Rochdale both particularly encouraging signs – the latter hadn’t lost a home league fixture to a team other than Sunderland since February.

Yet, the mood has been dampened significantly by the collapse at London Road.

Two players were sent off for Ross’ side, and a brace from Marcus Maddison, who fans have wanted on Wearside for quite some time, only served to compound fans’ misery.

Ross is taking a more positive outlook though, saying: “It’s not a reality check for us because there’s no way in the world we were carried away or approached this game with (any complacency).

“If the performance was poor from minute one, I’d have accepted that as a potential criticism, but we were at it on Saturday.”

He continued: “Peterborough deserved to win the game, they’ve recorded a good result, and we move on.”

Unfortunately for the Scot, fans aren’t in a forgiving mood after such a heavy defeat to a promotion rival, and they have been slamming the 43 year-old for his verdict.

Many believe they have a squad good enough to earn promotion with a better tactician in the dugout, and just take a look at some of the Twitter reactions down below…

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Paul Glatzel’s signing of a new long-term Liverpool contract has led many fans to think of what could have been for Bobby Duncan.

The Reds U18 captain has been rewarded for his fine form last season, in which he scored 28 goals, and several fans have used the opportunity to compare his trajectory to that of Duncan, who also impressed last season.

However, instead of building on his first year at the club the 18-year-old voiced his discontent through a surprising attack on the club, which ultimately ended in him departing to Fiorentina in a £1.8m move.

Fans have praised the attitude shown by the German whilst praising the ability and potential of the young goalscorer, with others suggesting the club has made the move due to the Duncan debacle.

Liverpool do seem more concentrated on their youth, and may be aiming to avoid the risk of losing their academy players for low fees. The arrivals of Sepp van den Berg and Harvey Elliot this summer show they have an eye on the future, and Glatzel seems to be a part of those plans.

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Here is some of the reaction from Liverpool fans, with many considering him a better player than his former striker partner.

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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…

There are many unusual things about Southampton’s Kevin Danso.

Not least the fact that the confirmation of his capture on loan from Augsburg came a whole 17 hours after the transfer window had closed, but the 20-year-old defender is a real conundrum of a footballer in more ways than one.

A starting point would be to highlight the fact that the defender used to be a midfielder in the MK Dons youth ranks, where he played alongside Tottenham star Dele Alli, whilst Danso was also a striker in Reading’s academy.

He also took the bold decision to go out to Germany as a teenager, making his Bundesliga debut against Ralph Hasenhuttl’s RB Leipzig at the age of 18 years and 165 days.

More to the point – Danso’s latest act on international duty will be sure to raise Southampton eyebrows even more.

The 20-year-old took, and scored, a penalty for Austria’s Under-21 side on Thursday night.

It may presumably come as a shock to some sections of the Southampton fanbase that this young centre-back, who as we already know can play as a striker and as a centre-midfielder, can also efficiently take penalties.

What can’t Danso do?

Having arrived at St Mary’s as a centre-back, you would be forgiven for thinking that’s all he would be.

But no.

Danso has already featured at left-back for the Saints in a 2-0 win over Brighton on what was his Saints debut.

He then appeared at left-back again in the 1-1 draw against Manchester United, popping up on the right flank to grab an assist for Jannik Vestergaard’s goal with a brilliant cross – he then later got sent off for picking up two yellow cards.

It cannot be denied that Danso is an entertaining character to say the least, and the presumably unknown fact prior to now that he could take penalties is sure to be enough to raise Southampton eyebrows yet again.

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[ad_pod ]This article is part of Football FanCast’s The Chalkboard series, which provides a tactical insight into teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…ÂDuring the summer Leeds and Marcelo Bielsa had a decision to make.The Whites could either follow up on their summer-long interest in Ryan Kent, who has now moved to Rangers, or they could place their faith in Jack Harrison.A goal on the opening weekend against Bristol City was enough for the Argentine to be convinced that his current left winger was in fact the best option.It was an intriguing choice but it was one that eventually saw them get a loan deal for Eddie Nketiah over the line instead. It’s funny how things come together, but Bielsa can sit back and admire the positives, as well as ponder the negatives.

On the chalkboard

Harrison hasn’t been fantastic this season and the fact he’s only scored once tells the story of that.

As far as the 5 foot 9 winger’s numbers are concerned in terms of goal contributions he needs to improve quickly, especially with Helder Costa breathing over his neck and heavy criticism starting to sprout from supporters.

His lack of involvement since that Bristol City game may have Bielsa having second thoughts about the decision he took but in one key area, the 22-year-old is actually thriving.

In fact, he’s proving to be one of the most successful in the division at dribbling.

The graphic above, provided by All Stats Aren’t We but with data courtesy of Wyscout shows that Harrison manages just under six dribbles per match.

When attempting those, he manages to come out with a success rate of just below 70%.

That puts him up there as one of the best in the Championship for those in his position.

Only James McClean, Matt Phillips and Matty Cash have a higher success rate, although just one of them manage more dribbles per outing.

There are a host of individuals who attempt a higher number in each match, but they don’t come close to replicating what Harrison achieves.

This shows that more often than not, the youngster is able to keep possession of the ball, enhancing Leeds’ play in the final third.

How often he scores and assists could be an issue, but his success when it comes to dribbling with the ball at his feet shows the glowing influence he has on Bielsa’s team.

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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… 

Leeds vs Derby has become a fierce rivalry. The Rams were the subject of spy gate, an incident detailed only too well last season, but after Marcelo Bielsa owned up to the judgement call it didn’t stop there.

Their battle was renewed in the playoffs as Frank Lampard’s men came out on top.

Now managed by Phillip Cocu, they are a significantly different outfit and have had a pretty dismal start to the season.

As Leeds sit top, rejuvenated after their failings last term, their opponents this coming weekend are 19th with just one win under their belt.

However, as they get set to face off again, there could be an intriguing battle on the cards.

On the chalkboard

Liam Cooper was a stalwart for the vast majority of last season, being named in the PFA Team of the Year towards the end of the season.

The central defender has started this term in a similar way by ensuring that after seven games, his team have only conceded three times.

He is a titan in the backline having won 5.3 aerial duels per match this term but he was one of the players who cost them at Elland Road last May, facing a difficult test against Jack Marriott.

Cooper was run ragged by him and the rest of the Derby attack as Mason Mount, Harry Wilson and Marriott all found the back of the net in a 4-2 win.

Leeds’ dreams were crushed as the 28-year-old struggled throughout. A lack of communication with Kiko Casilla meant the Derby striker was able to take advantage of an error from both goalkeeper and defender to fire home their opening goal of the night.

Cooper was then at fault by giving away a penalty too. It was a torrid afternoon for the newly capped Scot who will need to be far better this time around.

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He’ll have the advantage in the air considering Marriott has only won 0.7 aerial duels per game but the Derby man averages 1.8 shots each match – a healthy return.

He was brought on after 44 minutes against Leeds earlier this year, scoring just a minute later after a lapse from Cooper.

Derby are lacking firepower under Cocu, scoring just seven, but the Leeds skipper shouldn’t take notice of that after his performance against the same opposition in 2018/19.

If Marriott starts up top, Cooper needs to be wary.

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This article is part of Football FanCast’s Expert Roundup feature, which provides three quotes from those in the know in order to illuminate fundamental strengths, weaknesses, quirks, stylistic comparisons and general observations of players, transfer targets and confirmed signings.

Tottenham Hotspur goalkeeper Hugo Lloris must be mightily relieved that not only did his team managee to take all three points against Southampton on Saturday, but that Serge Aurier’s first half red card appears to have overshadowed his dreadful error.

The France international had so much time to clear the ball when it was passed back to him as the 10-man hosts looked to hold on to the 1-0 lead they had, but he failed miserably with a Cruyff Turn to allow Danny Ings to prod the ball over the line.

Luckily for the north London outfit it didn’t prove costly as Harry Kane’s goal proved to be the difference between the two, but plenty of pundits have expressed their concerns over the experienced 32-year-old, who cost £12m when he signed from Lyon in 2012.

Here’s what they had to say…

Don Hutchison

Speaking on ESPN FC’s YouTube channel, the former West Ham United midfielder said: “You can’t try a trick there. If you’re going to try a trick make sure it comes off, he had loads of options to the left-hand side. It was ludicrous, it was bad professionalism and it was shocking goalkeeping.”

Jamie Redknapp

The former Tottenham star wrote in his Daily Mail column: “They were badly let down by errors from Serge Aurier and Hugo Lloris on Saturday and Lloris in particular is a worry. In the last year the Frenchman has made a few mistakes you wouldn’t expect from him.

Sam Allardyce

Speaking on Goals on Sunday, in quotes reported by HITC, the former England manager said: “The perception is that this is good for the game. For me, that is a false perception. This is just making the wrong decisions in the wrong areas most of the time. We have seen so many goals given away like this now – that’s just blatant poor play.

“When you start asking goalkeepers, who can’t play out from the back, and I think Lloris is a fabulous goalkeeper, but he falls short on the ball when he is playing out from the back.”

Verdict

They’ve all got a point, to be fair.

A player of Lloris’ experience and quality shouldn’t be making a mistake like that, and perhaps it is time for Pochettino to stop making the Frenchman play out from the back, as it is something he appears increasingly uncomfortable doing.

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That blunder could easily have cost Tottenham one or three points at the weekend had Southampton shown more quality in the final third, and that is the last thing they need following an already-tough start to the campaign.

It is certainly a worry the Argentine manager could do without considering the other issues he has to deal with, including the likes of Christian Eriksen, Jan Vertonghen and Toby Alderweireld all being out of contract next summer.

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

Garry Monk’s reign as Sheffield Wednesday boss extended to a third league game without defeat following their emphatic 4-1 victory over one of his former clubs, Middlesbrough.

The home side actually handed the Owls an early lead through Adam Clayton as his header soared past his own goalkeeper before centre-back Dominic Iorfa towered highest to double the advantage less than a minute later.

Paddy McNair netted one back for Boro, but that wasn’t enough as a goal-laden first half continued on.

Visiting winger Adam Reach fired in from just inside the area before Steven Fletcher picked up his fifth of the season in the 34th minute – surprisingly that would be the last goal of the match but nonetheless, a resounding victory for Monk and his men.

On the Chalkboard

In midweek, the 40-year-old had reverted to a 4-4-2 formation for the first time this season as they welcomed a strong Everton side to Hillsborough in the Carabao Cup.

Now the result might not have been what they wanted as they faced a 2-0 defeat, but they created several chances and even recorded more shots on goal than their Premier League opposition – despite making eight changes too.

Wednesday were far more clinical and ruthless on Saturday, converting all four of their shots on target, with Monk sticking with the formation he often deployed at Birmingham City.

It appears that this system could indeed be the right one to lead the Owls to success this season, they certainly have the strength in depth required to pull it off.

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Atdhe Nuhiu partnered Steven Fletcher at the Riverside, and that resulted in a goal and an assist between them – but against different opposition, he also has Sam Winnall to call upon.

Out wide, Monk has a wealth of options with Adam Reach, Jacob Murphy and Kadeem Harris while in the centre, summer arrival Massimo Luongo and Joey Pelupessy offer healthy competition to stand-in skipper Barry Bannan and Sam Hutchinson.

The brainwave to revert to a 4-4-2 formation at just the right time may have been a blessing in disguise as Wednesday moved to just one point of the playoffs.