All posts by z3u9t.icu

The problems at Old Trafford run far deeper than Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, that much is obvious from the failed spells of Jose Mourinho and Louis van Gaal, two respected and successful individuals in the world of management, but does it mean he’s going to be afforded more time?As many of you may now have noticed, the bulk of the issues faced by the club at pitch level are largely caused by those who spend their days mulling over numbers and money.Ed Woodward, the main antagonist, routinely appoints managers like your Van Gaal’s and Mourinho’s without a clear objective in mind, and when things inevitably start to fall apart, as they have done for every single coach since Sir Alex Ferguson’s departure, he then uses them as meat shields to absorb the barrage of abuse from angry fans.Watch Manchester United Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

Solskjaer, a much-loved character around the Red side of Manchester for his heroics in ’99, is just his latest victim. However, unlike Mourinho, who garnered less sentiment amongst the Old Trafford faithful, and was soon exiled, this time Woodward’s plan has backfired. The fans have realised where the problems lie, and they’re not happy.ÂThis moment of realisation hasn’t hit everybody quite yet, however.

In the wake of United’s dreadful 0-0 draw to AZ Alkmaar, in which they failed to register a single shot on target, talkSPORT’s resident tomato, Alan Brazil, raged (at least looked like he was) over Solskjaer’s management and believes his time could also be up…

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…

James Pearce has hit back at Danny Mills’ criticism of Jurgen Klopp’s trophy haul, citing five reasons why the German deserves more credit.

Former Manchester City man Mills angered Liverpool fans this week by suggesting that Klopp does not belong in the conversation with Liverpool’s greatest managers due to the fact he has only won one major trophy.

Pearce though, who covers the Reds for The Athletic, tweeted a comprehensive list of five reasons why the criticism is unfair.

Spot on

There’s nothing like some cold hard facts to put a pundit in their place.

Pearce’s point about the UEFA Super Cup was quickly dismissed by Mills, who claimed it is no better than the Community Shield.

As Pearce points out however, the Reds have also come incredibly close to significantly increasing that trophy haul.

The League Cup final in 2016 was lost on penalties, the Europa League final that same year was lost due to some horrific defending from Alberto Moreno, who is no longer at the club, and who knows what would have happened in Kiev in 2018 had Mohamed Salah not picked up that shoulder injury?

Klopp’s side of course racked up 97 points last season as well, a club-record, while his three consecutive top-four finishes are a far cry from the horrific depths the team had stooped to before his arrival – Brendan Rodgers achieved Champions League qualification at Anfield just once.

The former Borussia Dortmund boss has completely transformed the red half of Merseyside, and Pearce’s response to what was a rather strange dig is absolutely spot on.

Some Liverpool fans have had quite an unexpected reaction to David de Gea’s injury.

Premier League winner, Europa League winner, Super Cup winner, multiple appearances in the PFA Team of the Year, one Premier League golden glove and even an appearance in the FIFA World XI.

There’s no question that on his day de Gea is one of the most breath-taking goalkeepers in the world, and is more than capable of becoming a one-man team and winning games on his own – just ask Arsenal fans.

With that in mind, you would think the news that he limped off the pitch in Spain’s 1-1 draw with Sweden on Tuesday night would be music to the ears of Liverpool fans before they travel to Old Trafford on Sunday.

He has fallen short of his own lofty standards in the past 18 months though, enduring a horrific 2018 World Cup before committing four errors leading directly to goals last season, and some Reds fans are actually disappointed that he may not play this weekend.

They feel that Sergio Romero has more to prove and will turn into “prime Iker Casillas”, but nonetheless this is quite a strange reaction to one of your rivals’ best players picking up an injury right before a huge clash.

Take a look at some of the best reactions down below…

Charlton Athletic will bid to continue their impressive start to the 2019/20 Championship campaign after rising to eighth in the table when they travel to Bristol City on Wednesday night, and manager Lee Bowyer will be faced with a considerable dilemma as to he opts for in the Addicks’ starting XI.

Having comfortably beaten Derby County 3-0 in their last league game, Bowyer’s side are exhibiting form that could see them reach the play-off places come the end of the season, and therefore altering an XI in excellent form may be difficult for the Charlton boss to justify.

However, Jonny Williams left the field of play after 31 minutes with a knee injury with the Welshman replaced by West Brom loanee Sam Field, and the 21-year-old’s impressive display that culminated in him registering an assist could earn him a starting berth for the visit to Ashton Gate.

The club have provided no update on the extent of Williams’ injury, and therefore whilst it is possible the 26-year-old could feature on Wednesday night, this could present the perfect opportunity for Bowyer to rest Williams if fit, but also give Field the platform to impress after an assured performance in their victory against the Rams last weekend.

With the increased fixture congestion that the upcoming winter months will provide, the depth of Bowyer’s squad will be fully tested following their arrival in the Championship, though in a bid to ensure they can retain the momentum from their victory over Derby, wholesale changes are unlikely.

Jake Forster-Caskey should deputise again at left-wing back owing to the ongoing absence of Ben Purrington, with Darren Pratley forming part of a back-three in a bid to retain some defensive solidity for the trip to face Lee Johnson’s side.

Jonathan Leko is likely to start given his impressive start to the season after scoring two goals and registering two assists, meanwhile, Bowyer would be unwise to remove Chelsea loanee Conor Gallagher from the starting XI after his exceptional campaign so far with five league goals to his name, including a long-range strike against Derby last time out.

Dillon Phillips is likely to retain his starting berth in goal, whilst regular starters Chris Solly and Josh Cullen also look set to remain in the XI as they have for much of the season.

And with star striker Lyle Taylor absent through injury, Macauley Bonne will most probably continue leading the line for Bowyer’s side. He’s scored three times in his last four appearances.

Leeds United’s performance against Preston North End at Deepdale on Tuesday evening was rather flat.

The Whites didn’t show many of the qualities that we’ve come to expect from Marcelo Bielsa’s side over the past 12 months as they struggled to create any real clear cut chances – being limited to just three shots on target against the Lancashire club.

United struggled against Preston, and the stats from Kalvin Phillips that evening shows just how much they strayed from their normal game.

The defensive midfielder played five key passes, which is more than any other player who took to the pitch on Tuesday evening.

The 23-year-old also attempted eight crosses, an uncharacteristically high number for the central player as he usually averages around 1.8 crosses per game.

Watch Leeds United Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

The midfielder also attempted a disproportionately high number of long balls as he attempted 10 of those whereas he usually averages around 5.4.

However, the most staggering stat is his pass accuracy. Throughout last season and this term Leeds’ number 23 has averaged around 82 per cent pass accuracy, but that was way down to 60.9% on Tuesday.

It’s all well and good to look at these numbers and to say that Phillips had an anomaly of a game, but why did this happen?

The picture becomes much clearer when you look at the players around him.

Ever wondered how modern day skills would cope with the world’s oldest football? Find out in the video below…

Rather than having the reliable duo of Pablo Hernandez and Adam Forshaw in front of him, he had the out of form Helder Costa and an out of position Stuart Dallas.

Costa just wasn’t showing enough as a viable passing option for the man dubbed as the Yorkshire Pirlo. Costa had only 35 touches of the ball throughout the whole game, compare this to Hernandez who regularly has over 80 and you can see where the problem was.

With the short passing option out to the right-wing off the table, Phillips continuously had to go long with the ball, and understandably, his pass success rate suffered.

Of course, he played more key passes as his simple options often weren’t there, so he had to attempt the more audacious balls, and when they came off they were effective, but a look at his poor pass success rate shows that they weren’t finding their mark as often as he’d have liked.

Things have certainly gone swimmingly for everyone at Bramall Lane these past few weeks.

Unbeaten in the league in the last three games and keeping clean sheets in two of them, Sheffield United are proving they certainly aren’t going to be pushovers in this division.

Which is why it’s no surprise that their defence is starting to get some recognition from the pundits.

For the second week in a row, Blade right-back George Baldock has been named in Alan Shearer’s Team of the Week, although that doesn’t really come as a surprise to these fans who were full of praise for the 27-year-old.

Some were buzzing that they mooted him for a potential England call-up, urging Gareth Southgate to give him a cap.

Baldock has so far played ten times for the Blades in 2019/20. He’s currently making 1.8 tackles per game and also 2.9 clearances – via WhoScored.

Here’s the best of the reaction.

Do you remember Chris Wilder’s first ever game in charge of Sheffield United. We look at the players that played that day and what became of them in the video below…

Careful about hyping him up too much though, keep talking like that and he might just start attracting the attention of the big clubs.

Liverpool visit Aston Villa on Saturday and Jurgen Klopp should make a couple of changes to enhance his team’s chances of winning.

The Reds have barely put a foot wrong this season but there have been signs in the last few league games that they aren’t quite at their fluid best.

They struggled to break down both Manchester United and Sheffield United in their previous two league away games and though Villa are less resolute defensively than those two sides, Liverpool should do what they can to add to their attack.

A key change which could help that is continuing with Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain in midfield. The 26-year-old put in an impressive display against Arsenal midweek and now has three goals from his last two starts – two of which were brilliant strikes.

He offers the ability to drive forward with the ball – averaging 1.1 successful dribbles per game – and that makes him hard to stop but also opens up space for the front-three, which could be vital in getting the best out of Roberto Firmino, who has dipped a little recently and is without a goal or assist in his last four league games.

With that in mind, here’s how Liverpool should line-up at Villa Park.

The other noticeable change is Joe Gomez coming in for Dejan Lovren. It is an area that Klopp can’t seem to make a decision on – since Joel Matip’s injury he has rotated between the two.

Dejan Lovren had featured in Liverpool’s last two games prior to the League Cup clash with Arsenal but he came under fire for his performance against Spurs from supporters, which may well give Klopp something to think about.

Find out who is each Premier League club’s biggest bargain in the video below…Find out who is each Premier League club’s biggest bargain in the video below…

Against Spurs he was arguably at fault for Harry Kane’s goal and he almost cost Liverpool a second by allowing Heung-Min Son to get the better of him.

The Reds cannot afford such vulnerability at the back, and although Gomez has also drawn criticism from fans for his performance against Arsenal, he does at least offer natural comfort when in possession to the extent that he can also be utilised as a right-back, which could make all the difference against a Villa side that will almost certainly sit deep.

Against the Gunners he completed 13 long passes, and if he is able to perform to a similar level on Saturday then he could create chances for the front three, or at least find them in strong attacking positions.

That could be important to unlocking the Villans defence as well as giving the England international valuable game time.

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

Sunderland trio Lynden Gooch, Charlie Wyke and Lee Burge continue to be sidelined, and there isn’t any good news for fans to enjoy yet.

What’s the latest?

Phil Parkinson admitted that their progress has been slow so it is not possible to estimate when they may possibly return to training, with Wyke in particular having spent several weeks out of action.

The striker suffered damage to his anterior cruciate ligament, and though not as serious as a rupture it is an injury which should be treated with care and caution, and therefore the club may proceed with patience when bringing him back.

Wyke was initially given a 9-12 week estimate when he suffered the injury, a much longer time period than what is expected from Gooch and Burge, who have missed out due to a twisted ankle and a slight thigh strain respectively.

Watch League 1 Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

Restricting Parkinson

The injuries to the latter pair likely frustrated Parkinson, who would have hoped to have his full squad available to him at the beginning of his tenure.

That would have presented him with the opportunity to determine the levels of his players, both in terms of ability and their attitude in training, and the lack of options available may mean he has had to readjust his plan on how to set-up in matches.

His main concern will lie in attack, as without Wyke he is left with just two natural strikers in Will Grigg and Marc McNulty, but without Gooch in the side there is also a lack of creativity.

The winger managed seven goals and nine assists last season, and though Luke O’Nien debuted well against Southend with a goal of his own, Parkinson will likely be keen to get the pair of them linking up down the right flank again soon.

Wyke’s return is also likely to please fans. He began to turn around his form for the Black Cats towards the end of the last campaign and if he can perform in the lone striker role which Parkinson seems to favour, he could provide competition for Grigg’s place, which may lead to improved performances from the Northern Ireland international in turn.

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…

DeAndre Yedlin was a surprise name on the scoresheet for Newcastle on Saturday, and that has led to praise from Paul Robinson.

What did he say?

Newcastle’s wing-backs are becoming key to the way Steve Bruce has set-up, and Yedlin showed against Bournemouth that he could be of use in the opposition final third, even though he had only scored twice before for the club in 100 appearances.

Robinson wasn’t just impressed by his goal, though, and believes the pace he has makes him very effective down Newcastle’s right flank, and an option which could be used more.

Speaking to Football Insider, he said: “He came from nowhere [for the goal]. He gives Newcastle another attacking option when he is allowed to be one, when his reins are off.

“He showed great athletic ability with his goal, he has good defensive capabilities as well.

“His engine to get up and down that right-hand side is phenomenal.”

Jetro Willems has proved similar effective down Newcastle’s left, also scoring this season, and he could have added to that on Saturday with four shots in total.

If Bruce can continue to get both contributing in both boxes then Newcastle will have the ideal balance from their wide players, and Allan Saint-Maximin and Miguel Almiron should benefit from more space and more chances too.

Watch Newcastle United Videos With StreamFootball.tv Below

More freedom

Bruce has begun his career at Newcastle in a rather conservative fashion, but given he lost the top two scorers from a team which managed just 42 league goals, that is somewhat understandable.

His set-up has proved effective and a return of 15 points from the games he has played is quite respectable, but with signs of improvement and confidence being shown, it may be time for him to grant the likes of Yedlin and Willems more freedom.

It could have multiple positive effects, allowing them to pose a danger in the box as well as a threat from out wide, meaning Saint-Maximin and Almiron can play closer to Joelinton – thus increasing his chances of scoring.

The Magpies boss may be concerned that giving them more license to roam forward will weaken the team defensively, but both wingbacks have shown sensibility in when to sit back and when to attack, as evidenced by the fact Yedlin and Willems made three and five tackles respectively on Saturday.

The international break allows time for Bruce to experiment with the slight changes and assess how they could advanatge his side, but with Yedlin currently proving to be of great use, as Robinson suggests, then he may be left to flourish as he is.

Tottenham Hotspur fans have hailed the performance of Paulo Gazzaniga during the club’s 4-0 win over Red Star Belgrade on Wednesday evening.

The Argentine has been deputising for Hugo Lloris in recent weeks, with the France international sidelined until 2020 after sustaining an elbow injury in the 3-0 defeat to Brighton & Hove Albion.

He has, thus far, made eight appearances in all competitions.

Gazzaniga has impressed in that time, including on Wednesday night when he kept a clean sheet in Serbia in the Champions League group stage encounter against Red Star.

The former Southampton stopper, per WhoScored, made three saves throughout the 90 minutes as Mauricio Pochettino’s side won away from home for the first time in the 2019/20 season.

And supporters were quick to recognise the 27-year-old’s contribution on social media.

Fans took to Twitter to hail Gazzaniga; take a look at the best of the reaction on Twitter below!