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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…

Cristiano Ronaldo is a man who loves a good challenge and so far, he is yet to find one that can beat him.

His stay at Juventus, however, was not a complete success, at least for now.

Sure the Portuguese superstar has helped the Bianconeri get the Scudetto last season but that’s not anything particularly new at the club. The bigger goal is, of course, the Champions League, a title they haven’t won since 1996.

But if the recent reports coming from Eduardo Inda, who was a guest for Chiringuito de Jugones (via OKDiario), are true, Ronaldo might be contemplating a return to Manchester United next summer if Juventus fail to conquer Europe in 2019/20.

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Of course, he has a great history with the Red Devils, seeing how he donned their colours from 2003 until 2009 when he joined the Galacticos in the Spanish capital.

Ronaldo was extremely successful at Old Trafford as he managed to bag 118 goals and assist a further 69 in a total of 292 games for the English side, winning three Premier League crowns and one Champions League trophy along the way.

But even though losing such a big figure could potentially affect any side, Juventus could actually benefit from it in a way.

Ronaldo is already 34 years of age and not getting any younger and keeping him for too long could potentially become a costly exercise.

After all, despite his obvious pedigree and skill, the Portuguese superstar has fallen off just a tiny bit.

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This season, he only has six goals and two assists in 14 games across all competitions and has been subbed off in his last two fixtures.

Of course, he is still a huge brand for the Bianconeri but having Ronaldo in your team definitely costs money, and having an underperforming Ronaldo might cost even more.

This is not to say that he is completely finished already and it’s entirely possible he suddenly picks up his form and ends up bagging dozens of goals by the end of the campaign.

For him, it would obviously be routine at this point in time, but can Juventus really take that chance? Especially with the emergence of Paulo Dybala and some other young targets on their radar.

When everything is said and done, shipping Ronaldo off next summer might as well be like dodging a bullet that was bound to hit them sooner or later.

As for Manchester United, they are in a different position altogether.

The Red Devils will hardly be focusing on Champions League glory and having someone like Ronaldo would definitely boost them immensely, both on and off the pitch with the fond memories supporters will have of him, as well as his continued commercial attraction.

Just recently, ESPN reported that Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is on a lookout for a more experienced forward for his attacking line who can guarantee him goals.

Well, there’s hardly anyone better on the planet in that regard than Ronaldo himself.

For that reason, United just might be hoping Juventus fail in the Champions League so they can get their hands on the Portuguese superstar once again.

يحل فريق برشلونة ضيفًا على فياريال اليوم الأحد في إطار مباريات الدوري الإسباني “الليجا”.

طالع.. مباشر بالفيديو | مباراة برشلونة وفياريال في الدوري الإسباني

ويستقبل فياريال نظيره برشلونة على ملعب “لا سيراميكا” لخوض مباراة بالأسبوع 32 لليجا.

يدخل برشلونة المباراة وهو في المركز الثالث بجدول الترتيب ولديه 68 نقطة، ويسبقه ريال مدريد بفارق ثلاث نقاط في المركز الثاني، وأتلتيكو مدريد في الصدارة بفارق 5 نقاط.

فياريال يحتل المركز السابع ولديه 49 نقطة، بفارق نقطة واحدة عن ريال سوسيداد وريال بيتيس أصحاب المراكز الخامس والسادس على الترتيب. موعد مباراة برشلونة وفياريال

تنطلق المباراة في تمام الساعة الرابعة والربع عصرًا بتوقيت القاهرة، الخامسة والربع بتوقيت السعودية. القناة الناقلة لمباراة برشلونة وفياريال

تذاع المباراة عبر قناة beIN sports HD1.

يمكنكم مطالعة مواعيد ونتائج جميع المباريات لحظة بلحظة من مركز المباريات من هنا.

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…

According to The Sun, Arsenal have put Wolves centre-back Willy Boly on their radar following his impressive start to the season amidst defensive concerns of their own.

What’s the word?

Wolves have now won three straight games in all competitions, including the stunning scalp of reigning Premier League champions Manchester City on Sunday.

That’s a massive turnaround in form considering the west Midlands club were sitting second-bottom going into their fixture with Watford nearly ten days ago.

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Nuno Santo’s side have moved into 11th place with just two defeats on their record, which is better than Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United.

In midweek they also added life to their Europa League campaign with a 1-0 ‘snatch and grab’ win at Besiktas.

Meanwhile, Arsenal sit 3rd, but defensive issues continue to plague their team – even despite picking up a clean sheet on Sunday.

Unai Emery’s Gunners have conceded 11 goals from their eight matches, and reports suggest the Spaniard doesn’t see summer signing David Luiz or Sokratis as long-term options at the club. As such, they could move for Boly.

He has become somewhat of a fan favourite in his three years at Molineux, where he has amassed 92 appearances and scored eight times after being signed from Porto for £10m.

Indispensable

Wolves operate a system which utilises three central defenders, and if you took the 28-year-old out of the equation, then Nuno would be rather stuffed.

Despite now picking up three straight clean sheets, defending had been a cause for concern after Chelsea stuck five past them at home less than a month ago.

Boly’s featured in all three of those matches this week but didn’t against the Blues so it’s not a coincidence to see the west Midlands club looking more solid with him in the team

Those worries at the back are only emphasised by the fact that the Portuguese boss tried to add another player to his defensive ranks over the summer with Benfica ace Ruben Dias a regularly-linked target.

Aside from club captain Conor Coady, the other options in Ryan Bennett and Jesus Vallejo have been slated while Max Kilman is yet to taste more than a minute of top-flight football. Meanwhile, Romain Saiss has often looked better in midfield.

Wolves must not give in and they should do everything they can to keep hold of the towering 6 foot 5 colossus as he’s likely to be the most irreplaceable member of the currently squad. After all, they’re worst when he’s absent.

The Gunners will get to take a proper look at the £13.5m-rated man in just under a month when Wolves head to the Emirates.

This article is part of Football FanCast’s Injury News series, which considers the impact of the latest updates on players’ fitness

West Ham United goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski has been ruled out for at least two months, and Irons fans should find comfort in the rise of former stopper Adrian at Liverpool to see how number two Roberto could develop.

What’s happened then?

Well, the Poland international pulled up in the first half after taking a goal kick against Bournemouth, and it has been confirmed via BBC Sport that he has suffered a torn hip muscle.

It means that his ever-present run for the east London outfit in the Premier League since he joined the club on a free will come to an end this weekend, and he may not be back in action until December at the earliest if the initial diagnosis is correct.

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Roberto Jimenez Gago replaced the 34-year-old against the Cherries and while he did make one good save in particular his kicking wasn’t great, while he came under fire from some fans on Twitter for his display in the humiliating 4-0 Carabao Cup defeat to Oxford United last week.

Roberto could surprise everyone

It’s probably fair to say that West Ham fans won’t be expecting the Spaniard to be at the same level as their 2018/19 Hammer of the Year, having shown some weaknesses when he has been on the pitch.

Liverpool supporters may have had the same concerns when Alisson got injured on the opening day of the campaign and saw Adrian replace him however, but the former Irons man who left on a free earlier in 2019 has gone from strength to strength between the sticks for the Premier League leaders in the Brazilian’s continued absence, conceding five goals in seven top flight outings.

Given how West Ham fans criticised him when he played for them and how he was number two to Fabianski before departing, he is an unexpected source of hope for them in light of the recent development given first-team starts at Anfield would surely have been predicted to be few and far between if Alisson stayed fit.

Roberto could easily make the same impact as Adrian if the circumstances are right, and the London Stadium faithful need to get behind him to give him that confidence, rather than getting on his back as soon as he does something wrong like they may have done with other keepers in the past.

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When Tottenham Hotspur fans on Twitter were given four options and asked who they want the club’s next signing to be, the following supporters said they would prefer to see Borussia Dortmund’s Jadon Sancho arrive over Juventus’ Paulo Dybala.

The January window may not be anywhere near just yet, but that obviously hasn’t stopped the Spurs faithful thinking about who their side could potentially bring to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in the New Year.

The options given were Dybala, Sancho, Bruno Fernandes and Yousef Atal.

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The north London outfit of course came close to signing the former on deadline day before a move eventually collapsed, but a recent report in The Daily Star suggests Mauricio Pochettino could be lining up a second move.

Meanwhile, England international Sancho continues to go from strength to strength with Borussia Dortmund, with the 19-year-old having a remarkable 17 goals and 27 assists to his name in just 60 outings for the Bundesliga giants, which means that it is no surprise that he is rated at £100m minimum.

The following fans are under no illusions as to who they would prefer out of the duo.

Here is just a selection of the Twitter reaction…

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West Ham United face Norwich City this weekend.

They will be without Michail Antonio after his shock injury blow against Newport County in midweek, while Winston Reid is also ruled out.

Javier Hernandez could return, however, after shaking off a knee injury.

After the weekend win over Watford, in which summer signing Sebastian Haller scored twice, the Hammers need to keep their momentum going as they take on Daniel Farke’s side, who lost 3-2 to Chelsea on Saturday.

Football FanCast takes a look at how the Hammers could line up this weekend…

This is a rarity for Manuel Pellegrini: he can pick a completely full-strength XI.

With pretty much all of his first-team players fit, the backline is unlikely to change from the selection that helped defeat Watford.

Jack Wilshere, of course, scored against Newport and generally enjoyed an excellent game but it is difficult to foresee the former Manchester City boss dropping either Mark Noble or Declan Rice.

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Further forward, Pablo Fornals is fit to play on the right, while Felipe Anderson, who did play a part in the League Cup victory, is a shoo-in on the left flank.

Wilshere could well play in the No.10 role but it is more likely that it’ll be Manuel Lanzini providing support to Haller.

The Frenchman got off the mark in the Premier League with a brace and will be out to add even more to his tally against the Canaries, who have conceded eight goals in three top-flight games thus far this season.

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Liverpool are so far definitely enjoying their start to the new 2019/20 Premier League season.

After the first two games, the Reds are unbeaten and have two wins under their belts. And not only that but they’ve also clinched the UEFA Super Cup against Chelsea in Istanbul.

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It’s safe to say that Jurgen Klopp and his troops have started the campaign exactly the way they wanted to.

And spirits certainly seem high in the camp, at least if the players’ social media activity is any indication at all.

Trent Alexander-Arnold shared a funny snap on

/B1Y7ZnbgAzX/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link” data-lasso->Instagram with Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain that seem to depict a race between the two Reds.

But the thing is, Alexander-Arnold proclaimed himself the winner of the race while Oxlade-Chamberlain wouldn’t really agree with that, judging by his quick reply.

He emphasised that Alexander-Arnold shouldn’t really lie to all of his fans but also that they both know who the real winner was.

Of course, this was just harmless banter among friends and it just goes to show that the Reds are having a great time in the new campaign.

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Former Leeds United striker Noel Whelan has slammed Marcel Bielsa for over-relying on Kalvin Phillips, as told to Football Insider.

Phillips is one of four Whites players yet to miss a minute of Championship actions this season (WhoScored), with the defensive midfielder, along with Adam Forshaw, Ben White and goalkeeper Kiko Casilla currently Bielsa’s most heavily relied on options at Elland Road.

Leeds-born Phillips has even featured throughout both of his side’s Carabao Cup ties this term, with the 23-year-old one of only three players to remain in the starting line-up from the eleven who beat Stoke 3-0 in the league last Saturday.

Whelan now fears Bielsa’s handling of Phillips could risk the midfielder being sidelined or simply burning out, after his former side suffered numerous injuries last season.

“Yes, I think so,” Whelan told Football Insider when asked if Phillips was being overplayed. “The games are coming thick and fast and it’s a long season where you need your best players fit and firing throughout.

“Bielsa needs to show common sense and carefully man-manage the key players like Kalvin. I don’t think he should have played in the cup games, they were good opportunities to rest him and give someone else a chance.

“I hoped he wouldn’t play against Stoke the other night. I wanted us to win the match, but there is enough quality in the squad for Kalvin not to play every minute of every game.

“Given the amount of injuries we got last season, you can’t deny it’s a massive issue keeping everyone on the park.”

If Phillips is starting to burn out already, he is doing a good job of hiding it, as the Leeds product is currently averaging more tackles (5.8 to 4.1) and more successful tackles (3.8 to 2.8) per ninety minutes than he did throughout his 44 second-tier appearances including the Play-Offs last season, according to data collected by WhoScored.

The defensive midfielder is also averaging the same number of interceptions (1.4) and more blocks (1.6 to 1.4), as well as playing more passes (68.8 to 62.9) and is finding teammates more frequently (only mislaying 9.6 passes compared to 11.2) so far this term.

Bielsa not resting Phillips while he had the chance to in the Carabao Cup could come back to haunt the Argentine further down the line, though, as the Whites now only have league games to play until entering the FA Cup in the Third Round come the turn of the year.

Should Bielsa have rested Phillips in the Carabao Cup? Join the discussion by commenting below…

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Wolves’ new signing Jesus Vallejo has had plenty to say after his first few days at Molineux.

The Spaniard has praised club captain Conor Coady amongst other things and that has drawn a reaction from some supporters at the club.

Vallejo joined the club on a season-long loan last week from Real Madrid and was Nuno Santo’s first major summer arrival.

The 22-year-old captained Spain to their U21 European Championship triumph this summer but has only featured 19 times for the Spanish giants since joining them from Real Zaragoza in 2015.

A number of supporters took to Twitter to share their thoughts on his latest comments.

One fan said he couldn’t wait to see him play, believing the starlet was keen to make an impact whilst another supporter praised their boss, saying it shows the genius of Nuno after transforming Coady’s position and making him captain.

Others called Vallejo class and there was further praise for the midfielder-turned-defender with him being described as one sweet guy that has never shown a nasty side.

You can read the best of the reaction below:

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