All posts by h716a5.icu

It is nearly time now.

Barcelona welcoming Inter Milan to the Camp Nou tonight as we head into the second group stage match of the new 2019/20 Champions League season.

The opening clash against Borussia Dortmund at Signal Iduna Park was a slight disappointment for the Catalans as the two giants of European football shared the spoils.

And seeing how that was indeed a tough game on the road, Blaugrana should still be happy with a point for their troubles. But now, with the Champions League making a big return to the Camp Nou, there will be no excuses and Barcelona will be put to a real test.

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Inter are no easy opponents, either.

Antonio Conte’s side are currently sitting pretty at the summit of Serie A, leaving the likes of Juventus behind them and their start to the ongoing 2019/20 campaign has definitely been more successful than their Wednesday night counterparts.

With a total of 13 goals scored and only two conceded, the Nerazzurri have been extremely prolific in front of the opposition’s goal and very tidy in front of their own, something we’ve come to expect from Conte’s sides.

The former Chelsea man will no doubt bring his A-game to Catalonia as well and seeing how his teams are usually well-known for their rigid and organised defensive systems, Barcelona will definitely have to get creative to unlock it successfully.

While scoring goals at the Camp Nou was never really a problem for the hosts, seeing how they’ve already scored 12 in just three games in La Liga this season, Inter are a completely different breed when it comes to tight defences and deep blocks.

Saying that the Blaugrana might struggle with breaking their guests down would not be a stretch and especially when we consider that both Ansu Fati and Ousmane Dembele are still out injured, leaving Barcelona with only a few natural wingers in the team.

In fact, looking at their squad and how likely everyone is to feature come Wednesday night, the only real wide option to stretch that tight defence of Inter might be the 21-year-old La Masia product, Carles Perez.

Until this season, the young winger has mostly been flying under the radar of the general public. But now, he has not only tallied one goal and three assists for Barcelona’s senior team but has also recently signed a new contract with the Catalans.

It seems that they believe he has a big part to play in their project for the future and so they decided to keep him in Catalonia until at least 30 June 2022, with two more years added to his existing contract.

Claiming Barcelona’s hopes and dreams of beating Inter lie solely on a 21-year-old’s shoulders is quite a damning and hyperbolic statement for all the Cules waiting for the game to start – but there may be some accuracy lying within it.

Perez is looking extremely likely to be the only natural wide man on the pitch for Barcelona, which means that he will have a unique job on his hands.

Both Luis Suarez and Antoine Griezmann love to position themselves around the centre of the pitch, making Inter’s task of marking them a lot easier. But it will be up to Perez to constantly keep them on their toes and making sure they can’t just turtle up and block all of Barcelona’s passing lanes.

Of course, the Blaugrana squad will have to perform as a unit and everyone will have to pull their weight come Wednesday night but without other natural wingers available and fully fit, Perez will certainly have a key role to play.

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…

It’s the topic that has more or less dominated the Leeds United universe since the game finished.

The penalty and red card that gave Millwall both a goal and man advantage after just 15 minutes.

Speaking on Sky Sports News (via Yorkshire Evening Post) former Premier League referee Dermot Gallagher and ex-player Stephen Warnock have given their views on not just the penalty, but the red card to Gaetano Berardi as well, and it seems as though referee on the day James Linington got both of his decisions wrong.

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What have they said?

Berardi was remarkably shown his seventh yellow card in a Leeds shirt last Saturday as he was adjudged to have brought down Tom Bradshaw.

The decision wasn’t just controversial because he barely touched him, but also due to the fact that the Swiss defender wasn’t actually the last man.

Speaking about the events that played out, Gallagher noted:

“Even if it is a penalty I don’t think it is a red card because Kalvin Phillips will cut him off when he goes down. If he’s touched, maybe he gets a little touch. But it’s not a penalty for me and it’s certainly not a red card.”

Former Leeds United player Warnock added to the analysis by talking about how he would have felt in that situation.

“When you talk about the players in and around, for a red card to be brandished is just incredible. I wouldn’t have been best pleased if that was me.”

A sigh of relief for Leeds

Whilst it will do nothing to change the outcome of the game, it will at least give Leeds United some hope they will be able to win their appeal to the EFL over the matter.

Given that Leeds are set to be down defender and captain Liam Cooper for a number of weeks through injury, it will certainly come as a relief to some at Leeds that they won’t have to dig any deeper into the squad to find a replacement.

Although given Berardi’s track record when it comes to discipline, it wouldn’t be unthinkable to picture a scenario where we might be revisiting this topic again soon after the international break.

Therefore, even if it does get overturned Marcelo Bielsa must think long and hard about whether Berardi is the right man for the job. So far it seems unlikely.

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…

Last season, Ryan Manning spent the campaign on loan at Rotherham.

The 23-year-old was used primarily as a midfielder by Paul Warne, making 14 appearances as a centre midfielder, seven as an attacking midfielder and one as a defensive midfielder, per Transfermarkt.

He managed to grab four goals and an assist in 27 Championship appearances for The Millers, but upon his return to the Kiyan Prince Foundation, there was a different plan in store for him.

Mark Warburton – who was appointed as the R’s boss back in May – decided to take the Irishman under his wing and alter his position slightly, moving him to left-back.

Manning has taken to the role like a duck to water, performing excellently in both a wing-back position and as part of a flat back four.

The full-back has registered the most assists for QPR in the Championship this season with three to his name – one off the summit of the league’s assist rankings – and has also created the most chances amid a barrage of other impressive statistics, as you can see below.

It’s safe to say that it was a masterstroke by Warburton to play Manning at left-back.

However, the Londoners could be made to pay for the former Brentford manager’s genius decision.

Premier League duo Newcastle and Southampton are interested in signing Manning for a cut-price fee, with his contract set to expire in the summer of 2020 – QPR do reportedlyÂhave the option to extend his deal.

It is presumably tough for any player in the Championship to ignore interest from the Premier League, and if Manning does leave as a result of his fine showings at left-back, then QPR may well have to pay the price for Warburton’s masterstroke with the Irishman by waving goodbye to one of their best players.

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

Let’s not write this guy’s obituary just yet.

Having started the first eight league games of the season, David Davis has since been reduced to a substitute. With the emergence of Ivan Sunjic into the fray as a defensive midfielder and other options further up the field, that spell could be about to get longer.

That doesn’t mean that his time at St Andrew’s should come to a grinding halt though, he still has a role to play.

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On the chalkboard

Pep Clotet has stressed the importance of defensive football, and playing defensively has been Davis’ forte.

With an average of 2.6 tackles and 0.8 interceptions per game, he’ll come in use when they need to ‘park the bus’ as it were.

There will be games this season where Birmingham City will need to be very much on the defensive and that is where Davis comes into play.

Even if he doesn’t start the game, there will be occasions where the Blues will need to see out a game, although ideally, they won’t leave it as late as they did against Middlesbrough before the international break.

Much like in baseball where they have a ‘closing pitcher’, someone to bring in when the game is safe and to simply see out the game, Davis can act in that role but in a footballing sense.

He can be someone to sit in front of the backline and snuff out attacks before they have a chance to get started.

With a passing accuracy of 79.7%, he’d also be able to help start a counter-attack if the opportunity presented itself.

So even though he might not be a regular right now, he can still find himself with a vital role to play, even if it isn’t one that you see every week.

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

As told by Football Insider, Everton attacker Bernard is fearful he may be frozen out of the team if Marco Silva departs and David Moyes takes his spot.

What’s the word?

Bernard was signed by Silva on a free transfer from Shakhtar Donetsk last summer and joined the club on a four-year deal after winning three league titles in five years in Ukraine.

The Brazilian is reportedly worried that should Moyes make a sensational return to Goodison Park, he will be pushed out the team. Bernard fears the Scot’s tough-tackling and defensive approach as a manager would subsequently mean a lack of game time under a Moyes rule.

The 54-year-old, who spent 11 years on Merseyside before moving to Manchester United, was reported by The Mirror to be interested in a return to the club should Silva face the axe.

During his tenure at Everton, the Blues were renowned for their aggressive nature and during his final year at the club, Moyes boasted the fourth-best defensive league record, conceding three fewer than champions Manchester United.

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A right to be fearful

Bernard was signed for The Toffees because of his speed and ability up top, rather than his ability in defence, as his 5 foot 5 stature is hardly a concern for opposing players.

During his time in Ukraine, the 27-year-old registered 28 goals and 35 assists in 128 appearances and has bagged three goals and four assists so far for the Blues.

In Moyes’ final few seasons on Merseyside, the former Sunderland boss put faith in the likes of Steven Pienaar, Marouane Fellaini, and Nikica Jelavic, players who are known and put in the team for the tenacious, aggressive nature.

The likes of Fellaini would be a thorn in almost any side with his physical abilities, and attackers like Victor Anichebe would be a worry for almost any defender with his strength and stature up top. Unfortunately, despite his blistering pace, these are all attributes that Bernard lacks.

From a defensive standpoint, the South American has actually made 1.3 tackles per game this season. However, at the same time, he has averaged a foul per match and just 0.2 interceptions.

Regardless of his creativity, should Moyes retake the helm, the forward should be very fearful of being frozen out of the side and he may need to add this to his game for future managers to look at.

One of the stars of Ajax’s run to the Champions League semi-finals last season, Donny van de Beek, announced himself to the world as one of European football’s brightest young midfielders.

The 22-year-old proved himself to be a reliable goal-scoring midfielder, scoring three times and providing a further two assists in the Champions League as the Dutch giants defied all expectations.

The likes of Matthijs de Ligt and Frenkie de Jong earned high-profile moves to Juventus and Barcelona this summer respectively, but Van de Beek stayed put despite links with super-clubs like Real Madrid and United.

Despite Ajax falling to a 1-0 defeat at home to Chelsea on Wednesday night, eagle-eyed Manchester United fans were seemingly left very impressed by his display.

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After seeing his performance, fans of the Manchester side flooded to Twitter to share their thoughts about the 22-year-old.

Many Red Devils supporters hailed his fine display, and insisted his style of play makes him a “more attacking Herrera”.

Check out some of the reaction of United fans below:

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 the January transfer window beckons, fans become more and more excited about the prospect of new arrivals at their club.

However, they also have to keep one eye on potential departures as players’ contracts enter the final few months before they’re able to move for free.

Leeds United have a number of key players whose contracts expire next summer, but we have just been given an insight into the club’s priorities when it comes to getting these deals done.

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What’s been said then?

In a Q&A session for Leeds Live. Beren Cross revealed where Leeds currently are in terms of negotiating new contracts for four of their current playing staff. He said:

“Klich is the next one to be signed off. There is intent to get something done for Pablo too. Berardi seems to be the last man standing when it comes to 2020 expiry dates. Not heard anything on Alioski.”

Mixed bag

This update is a real mixed bag.

The fact that Mateusz Klich is seemingly set to be signed to a new deal is great news as he’s started every single league game under Marcelo Bielsa and is creating the highest number of opportunities, 2.3 each outing.

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…

Likewise, hearing that the club are wanting to get Pablo Hernandez tied down to a new deal is a promising development as the two-time Player of the Year winner is arguably the Whites’ most important player – something elevated by their run of just two wins from their previous five matches when he’s been out injured.

However, his updates on Ezgjan Alioski and Gaetano Berardi paint a more glum future as their situations don’t look like being resolved in the near future.

With rumours circulating that Ben White could be on his way back to Brighton, it may be key to get Berardi signed onto a new deal, and with Alioski becoming Bielsa’s first-choice left-back in recent weeks, tying him down to updated terms could be equally important.

All in all, this is a mixed bag, and only time will tell what happens with all four of these players.

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…

Manchester City forward Gabriel Jesus does not mind playing on the wing so he can make room for the club’s top gun Sergio Aguero.

What did he say?

Jesus has been a fantastic goalscoring addition to City since he signed for £27m, scoring 50 goals in 112 appearances already. This season, the Brazilian has often kept Aguero out of the side and has scored five times in the 12 games he has played.

However, Jesus told The National’s Richard Jolly that he is happy to play a sidekick role for the club record goalscorer.

He said: “It is difficult to describe Sergio.

“Sergio is the top scorer of the club and every game he shows us why he is the top scorer so, of course, I have to learn from him because he is a legend. Every game he scores.

“I want to score every game but I think it is different. I am 22 years old, I have to improve and practice my finishing.

“Since the Copa America, I play right winger. I like it. I started with the position in Brazil at my old club [Palmeiras] and after I got to play as a striker but of course I like to play both positions. I think it is very important you can play more than one.

“It was my first game as a winger with five at the back for Southampton so it is difficult when you dribble past one [defender] and have another one.”

Aguero still the top dog, for now

Jesus’ start to this season has once again been positive. Five goals in 12 outings is a good return for a man who is still just 22. However, Aguero is still surpassing the ex-Palmeiras man as the club’s main goalscoring threat, with the Argentine bagging 12 goals in 12 appearances so far.

However, at 31 years old, there will not be many more years left for the legendary striker at the Etihad. Plus, with his contract ending in 2021, and his desire to return to Argentina, there is maybe just two years of his service left.

For now, Jesus can learn from Aguero as he continues to dominate up top. Also, playing on the wing will only benefit his abilities and versatility like we have seen with stars such as Thierry Henry.

Soon, however, we are likely to see the Brazilian become the main man at the Etihad.

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

Wolverhampton Wanderers are surely set for a busy January transfer window, not at least as they look to cope with the demands this season’s Europa League has thrown at them.

BirminghamLive reported last month that the club were keen on adding a centre-back and a central midfielder at the next opportunity, and the former is now a pressing area of concern after mainstay Willy Boly broke his fibula during training.

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Nuno Santo has used just 18 players in this season’s Premier League with summer arrivals Patrick Cutrone and Jesus Vallejo only combining for four starts, per WhoScored.

While the club have been linked to plenty of defensive options over the past week or so alone, Diego Llorente and Gabriel Magalhaes to name just two, they could instead make a rather exciting addition further up the pitch.

Italian outlet Tuttomercatoweb claim Wolves are ready to make an offer for Atalanta midfielder Dejan Kulusevski, and he could well be the perfect heir to Joao Moutinho’s throne.

Check out a hilarious review of Wolves’ new ‘Mexico’ kit in the video below…

On the Chalkboard

The 19-year-old has been outstanding whilst on loan at Serie A rivals Parma this season, scoring two goals and providing five assists, via WhoScored.

His performances have led to Italian media hyping him up to be the next Sergej Milinkovic-Savic, whose 33 goals and 24 assists in 177 appearances in midfield for Lazio has seen him frequently linked with a move to Manchester United, according to Sky in Italy via Sky Sports News.

And at the reported fee of £72m involved, it only highlights how much of a bargain Wolves would get in clinching the Swedish wonderkid as Kulusevski’s parent club are only demanding €25m (£21.5m) for his services.

Kulusevski is averaging 2.5 key passes, 2.4 dribbles and 1.2 tackles per game this Serie A campaign, which very much puts him in a similar mould to the Portuguese playmaker even if these numbers are actually vastly superior.

Moutinho has managed just 1.7 key passes and 0.5 dribbles per match in the Premier League this term.

Therefore, the Sweden U21 international would be the perfect man to take over from the 33-year-old as his career begins to enter its twilight years.

On Monday morning, Everton’s official Twitter account posted an image of Lucas Digne’s statistics from Sunday’s clash with Tottenham Hotspur.

It was the France international who provided the assist for Cenk Tosun to snatch a point for the home side in the final exchanges of the Premier League clash.

However, it would be fair to say that the Everton supporters were not in agreement with the post which was praising Digne’s performance on the afternoon.

Wayne Rooney puts himself forward for the Everton job in the video below…

The word “dominant” was used by the club’s Twitter account, but that was not quite what the Blues fans saw during his 90 minutes on the field.

There is a sense of frustration surrounding the club at the moment, but Digne has come up with four assists from left-back this season, which is far from disastrous when considering that Everton have won just three Premier League matches this term.

A selection of the Twitter reaction to the tweet is available to view below: