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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… 

West Brom may be unbeaten in the league under Slaven Bilic, but that doesn’t mean everything is perfect.

If it was then they’d have a 100% record intact and would be sitting rosy atop the Championship table – instead, they are fourth.

One of the more significant problems amongst the team is the issue of conceding goals – in seven matches across the Championship and Carabao Cup; they are yet to keep a single clean sheet.

That doesn’t bode well on any member of their backline.

Watch Championship Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

On the Chalkboard

It can be argued that the player most at threat is Kyle Bartley.

The Croatian signed Semi Ajayi at centre-back and Darnell Furlong at right-back, whilst also promoting Nathan Ferguson to the first-team fold.

Kieran Gibbs has more pedigree than anyone else, having had a long career with Arsenal in the Premier League, winning three FA Cups during his ten-year spell at the club.

He could indeed rotate in goal, having signed a third goalkeeper last week in Ali Al-Habsi, but even Johnathan Bond’s impressive showing in the cup wasn’t enough to put him ahead of Sam Johnstone.

That, therefore, leaves Bartley.

The 28-year-old is winning less aerial duels than Ajayi at 3.7 and has conceded more fouls than anyone else in the squad who have played regularly this season, averaging 1.7 per game.

Ahmed Hegazi is due to return from injury later this month, or in early October at the latest and is extremely likely to come back into the first-team fold immediately as he was a key player from last season – playing 40 games in the Championship.

He averaged a rating of 7.09, won 4.1 aerial duels and conceded far fewer fouls per game, per WhoScored.

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England’s youth teams have had unparalleled levels of success over the past few years.

They’ve won the U17 World Cup, U19 Euros and U20 World Cup. It’s fair to say that the future looks bright for the Three Lions.

Now, the U17 team has reached the final of the Syrenka Cup.

If you don’t pay too much attention to youth football and therefore don’t know what the Syrenka Cup is, it’s a yearly tournament that takes place in Poland for national teams at youth level.

England actually won the U17 version last year, and now they’re on the verge of another title after beating Austria 4-2 on Sunday.

The Young Lions’ squad could be filled with stars of the future, but there aren’t many names that fans will be too familiar with at the moment.

However, one player who many football fans should know is Harvey Elliott. The Liverpool man is the youngest player ever to play in the Premier League, and he’s played a part in this team reaching the final of this competition.

The 16-year-old took to Instagram to celebrate the team’s achievement and to look towards the final.

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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…

John Aldridge believes Sadio Mane is priceless to Liverpool and is in awe of the improvement he has made since arriving at Anfield.

What did he say?

The former striker knows what it takes to score goals on a regular basis for the Reds – he hit 63 goals in 104 appearances for the club – and thinks that Mane’s ability to do so makes him an incredibly valuable asset for Jurgen Klopp alongside Mohamed Salah and Roberto Firmino.

Liverpool have won five from five in the Premier League and the form of the Senegal international has played a role in that, with the forward continuing his fine start to the season by notching twice against Newcastle on Saturday.

The 27-year-old now has six goals in six games this term and Aldridge has suggested that he is invaluable to the club.

Speaking to the Irish Independent, he said: “He is there with Salah now as a scoring threat and if either of the pair were put up for sale by Liverpool [which is not happening by the way] the fee they would command would be well beyond the £100m mark.

“Keeping those three fit is vital to Liverpool and Klopp’s hopes of success this season, with the opening few weeks of this season confirming the European champions mean business in the Premier League.”

Success story

The former Southampton player is a fine example of the work Jurgen Klopp has done since he arrived at Anfield

His 65 goals and 23 assists since joining in 2016 are evidence of that and his £34m transfer fee seems a drop in the ocean in comparison to what he is now worth.

Indeed, Alridge is likely correct in his valuation of Mane.

Philippe Coutinho joined Barcelona for £142m after impressing on Merseyside, showing that the club will only sell at a price which they deem acceptable, even if the player wants the move.

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That would suggest his departure is very unlikely, particularly as the Reds have ambitions of winning the Premier League and defending their Champions League title.

If the club can continue their policy under Klopp of buying players at low cost and turning them into world-class performers, though, they are almost guaranteed to continue their present success.

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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…

Speaking on episode 71 of the Talking Shutt Podcast, Leeds Managing Director Angus Kinnear has revealed what was discussed during the opening round of talks with Marcelo Bielsa over his new contract.

What’s he said?

After Leeds failed to achieve promotion last season Bielsa’s future was always going to be in doubt.

This is a man who has been at some prestigious club’s around Europe but that didn’t seem to bother him as he put pen to paper on a new deal at Elland Road in May.

The Argentine has since led his team to the top of the table in the Championship after the first month and a half of the new campaign.

However, appearing on the Talking Shutt Podcast this week, Kinnear has noted how the talks happened and what was actually said in the meeting between him, Bielsa and Andrea Radrizzani. He commented:

“The first conversation we had was actually him talking through the analysis of what went wrong and what we need to do to put things right. After listening to him for an hour and a half I just looked at Andrea and said this is the man that’s going to take us up.

“It was so comprehensive and he knew exactly what we needed to do to get it right. He had a plan which was going to right the wrongs of last season. I think emotionally he wanted to stay.”

Passionate Bielsa

Kinnear’s comments are incredibly intriguing and it’s fascinating to see just how invested in the club Bielsa is.

Judging by those comments there is a definite project that the 64-year-old has in place and for him to bring that to the table during negotiations after the playoffs should bring great hope to Leeds.

The hierarchy did a brilliant job to get him on board in the first place but it appears that talks to get him to extend his stay in west Yorkshire were actually easier than anticipated.

Bielsa is clearly emotionally invested in proceedings and with Leeds sitting top of the league after their heartbreak last season, it only goes to show that he knew what needed to be done.

The Whites are in a perfect place at the moment and have been relatively unaffected by player sales. Could this be their year? Only time will tell, but with Bielsa at the helm they have an excellent chance.

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Tottenham Hotspur put in a disappointing display in their 2-2 draw against Olympiacos in the Champions League on Wednesday night, and midfielder Harry Winks was one of the few players to draw some praise from Spurs fans on Twitter.

For the second time this month, the north London outfit surrendered a two-goal lead away from home to end up with just a single point, with many of Mauricio Pochettino’s men simply failing to turn up in Athens.

However, Winks made his sixth successive start this season in the Greek capital, and he was one of the few players that showed good energy and work-rate throughout the 90 minutes, outshining club-record signing Tanguy Ndombele alongside him in the centre of the park, as backed up by Football London’s match ratings.

The England international’s display didn’t go unnoticed by Tottenham supporters on the popular social media platform, with one saying he is “essential to us right now”.

Another individual went a step further and added that ‘if Ndombele is worth £65m, then he was £90m today’.

Here is just a selection of the Twitter reaction…

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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… 

Some pretty major dilemmas have already occurred for Marcelo Bielsa at Leeds.

This season has seen fans call for Helder Costa and Eddie Nketiah to start as the form of Jack Harrison and Patrick Bamford starts to subside.

The former has completed one accurate cross all term while Bamford hasn’t scored in his last three outings.

One of his selection headaches was solved because of Pablo Hernandez’s injury. That will see Costa finally earn a league start but it’s in midfield where, arguably, his greatest dilemma of 2019/20 has now come up.

Watch Leeds United Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

On the chalkboard

Two positions in Bielsa’s midfield are absolutely nailed down – Kalvin Phillips and Mateusz Klich.

However, who starts beside the Poland international is very much up for debate.

Adam Forshaw started the season in solid fashion and has so far completed over 90% of his passes as he’s kept a disciplined lid on proceedings.

He’s been better going forward this season, taking two shots per game compared to the 0.8 he averaged in 2018/19, via WhoScored.

But Jamie Shackleton proved he had what it takes against Barnsley, completing the same number of tackles as Phillips which was four, and also playing three key passes.

The youngster’s performance was a little more timid against Derby, failing to register a single shot or key pass on this occasion but that doesn’t stop him from being a feasible option.

The final name who could start in that role next to Klich is Tyler Roberts.

He has recently returned from an injury where he had fluid drained from his knee and after appearing for the U23s a couple of weeks ago, he has been on the bench for the senior side.

Whether he has the capability to start yet remains to be seen but there are a vast number of options at Bielsa’s disposal.

If the 64-year-old wants more influence in the final third he could opt for Roberts who was involved in eight goals last season. Forshaw hasn’t found the back of the net in the Championship since 2015/16 and Shackleton is yet to score a single senior goal.

That being said, the former Middlesbrough man is probably the most viable option given the fact he started the season in the side.

Who Bielsa opts to go with will be interesting to see. It’s certainly open for debate.

Some Rangers fans demanded that Steven Gerrard take off Sheyi Ojo at half time after becoming infuriated with his performance last night.

The Light Blues slipped to a last-minute 2-1 defeat to BSC Young Boys in their second Europa League tie of the group stage, despite Alfredo Morelos putting the visitors ahead in Switzerland.

Two second-half goals from the Swiss outfit were enough to turn the tie on its head and ensure that Gerrard’s side suffered just their second defeat of the season in what was their 19th match of the campaign (Transfermarkt).

Ojo had a rather poor game against Young Boys, as he struggled to get involved and, when he did, he was largely ineffective.

According to the data collected by WhoScored, the Liverpool loanee had 33 touches of the ball, but was dispossessed once, had failed to control the ball on two separate occasions and was found offside twice.

Ojo managed just one shot (which was off target), completed one dribble and had a passing accuracy of just 75% in what turned out to be a bad day at the office (per WhoScored).

Indeed, fans had called for the winger to be substituted at half time, but Gerrard failed to take note and decided to keep the 22-year-old on the pitch for the duration of the game, annoying fans on Twitter in the process.

Here were just some of their cries for the manager to sub him…

Rangers fans, did you share the same views as these fans? Let us know your thoughts below!

A report from Spanish publication Don Balon has claimed that Manchester City are planning to launch an audacious bid for Kylian Mbappe next year.

According to Don Balon [via Sports Mole], the Premier League champions view the Paris Saint-Germain forward as a player around whom Pep Guardiola could build a team if Sergio Aguero and Gabriel Jesus depart, with David Silva’s exit next summer already confirmed.

Don Balon added that PSG value the 20-year-old France international at €300m (£268m), with @City_Chief on Twitter relaying the news to its followers.

Don Balon also claimed that Mbappe is open to the possibility of leaving the French capital if PSG again fail to win the Champions League this season.

The forward has only scored twice in six games for PSG so far in 2019/20, with a hamstring injury curtailing his recent involvement, but he has already scored 62 goals in just 93 games for the Ligue 1 champions.

Despite Mbappe’s excellent scoring record, these Manchester City fans on Twitter believe that he should not be a transfer priority at the Etihad Stadium and have instead called on the club to focus on other positions in identifying targets:

Do you think Manchester City are right to take an interest in Mbappe or should defensive signings be prioritised? Join in the discussion by commenting below!

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…

Having arrived from Shakhtar in a big-money deal back in the summer of 2018, Fred has spectacularly failed to live up to expectations at Manchester United.

The Brazilian struggled immensely in his first campaign in English football, making just 25 appearances across all competitions, with only 17 of them coming in the Premier League. The 26-year-old found it difficult to break into the United first-team on a regular basis, and there were reports earlier this summer that he could be on his way out of Old Trafford after just one year at the club.

Watch the video below to see the most insane overhead kick you will see this week…

However, a deal failed to materialise before the end of the transfer deadline, and he remains a United player for now. His start to the current campaign appeared to suggest things were not going to get any better, not even being named in the match-day squad for the first four league games of the season. Since then, the midfielder has featured in every one of the Red Devils’ matches, and has turned himself into a vital part of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side – whether by design or fortune.

His performances have remained unconvincing, and he has received his fair share of criticism for it. But there have been instances in his short time in English football that there is a gifted player just trapped inside of him. Speaking after the Manchester side’s dramatic triumph over PSG in the Champions League, Solskjaer revealed it was a truly seismic moment in Fred’s Old Trafford career.

“That was probably his breakthrough for us. You can see why we signed him. He’s got the mentality of a Brazilian international. He is a Brazilian international. He gets on the ball, no fear, no doubt whatsoever. We played a system today that he used to play at Shakhtar, and that’s why we signed him.”

Some players can fight through periods of low confidence and continue to deliver impressive performances. Fred clearly isn’t one of them, but that shouldn’t mean the Red Devils should simply throw him to the curb. It’s on the United staff to get the best out of him, and prove why they paid in the region of £47m to lure him away from Ukraine.

Watch Manchester United Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

His performances in the Europa League this year offer some serious signs of encouragement, so much so, that United fans even took to Twitter to hail their “midfield dictator” following their victory over FC Astana. In two games in the competition, the Brazilian has averaged an incredible 105.5 passes, two shots and 1.5 tackles per game.

It’s that kind of all-action dynamism Fred is capable of. And it’s exactly why United shouldn’t cut their losses on the £47m man just yet.

Everton fans have taken to Twitter to once again express their frustration at Marco Silva ahead of the visit of West Ham United on Saturday, following his attempted rallying cry.

It seems that fans have not let Silva off the hook over the international break, and with his comments of late, the supporters have done anything but get behind his recent rally cry.

Silva told Everton’s website: “When you have tough moments as a football team – and this is a tough moment for us as a club and our fans – we have to do even more and then we will see [results] on the matchday.

“As a team we have to show more, that strong character and personality that will have us playing to our best level again – and achieving what we want in every single match.

“In the tough moments, you can see the strong character… the strong personality. And how we can be strong as a team.”

Watch Everton Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

The former Watford boss has had a dismal start to this season, as the club sit inside the relegation zone on just seven points from eight games. Across the pitch, it has been a nightmare scenario for the Portuguese, conceding 13 goals in the league and scoring just six of their own.

On top of this, Silva has failed to register a single point since the club defeated Wolverhampton Wanderers almost seven weeks ago, losing to Bournemouth, Sheffield United, Manchester City and Burnley in that time.

The manager has come under much scrutiny throughout this campaign in areas such as poor tactical decisions and lack of change in the squad, and letting players like Jonjoe Kenny, who has gone onto have a fabulous season elsewhere, leave.

Here’s what the fans have had to say this time…