Louis Van Gaal’s first season as Manchester United boss has taken some time to get going.
Having struggled to work out his most effective formation – using 32 players in that experimentation process – it looks as if the Dutchman has finally found a formula that works.
There have been times throughout the season when Juan Mata’s Old Trafford future didn’t look too promising. But the last few weeks have given the Spaniard some hope, as well as the Old Trafford faithful who have been wondering whether their £37.1million man would ever be given the real chance to prove his worth.
But the Guardian have recently published the stats to prove Juan Mata does indeed deserve a more regular slot in Van Gaal’s starting XI. In fact, his stats are so impressive they really do need to be shown to the Dutch boss if he hasn’t already seen them.
For Mata boasts the sixth best passing accuracy in the Premier League this season (89.65%). It’s not the best, of course, but when you consider passing accuracy also ranks defenders and defensive midfielders who often pass sideways and under limited pressure, the inclusion of an attacking midfielder like Mata really does stand out.
To put that in to more context, of the top ten players with the highest pass accuracy, seven are defensively minded, while you’d argue Manchester United’s Antonio Valencia could also be put in the bracket given his role as a wing back for much of the season.
So that leaves United’s Mata and Manchester City’s Samir Nasri as the most effective attacking midfielders in the Premier League – by a country mile, too.
Furthermore, Mata’s shot conversion rate is 38.89% (joint best in the league with Stoke’s Jonathan Walters), which further backs up the suggestion that Mata has been one of United’s best performers so far this term.
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So Van Gaal really should use the former Chelsea star to his advantage and squeeze more of his creative juices out of him on the pitch, particularly if they are to continue their late surge for a top four finish…
Rob Hulse… if you could finish we would be at Wembley right now.
The Lions F.A. Cup quarter-final with Blackburn Rovers ended goalless after a match devoid of much quality, but we deserved the win.
After absolutely diabolical performances against Wolves and Peterborough in the last two home games, a response was demanded, and we certainly got it. All we wanted is a typical ‘Wall performance, a game with passion, heart and commitment.
The Lions controlled the game without making it pay, a typical factor since Wood and Henderson left, we just can’t score when controlling the game.
We had chances, Keogh hit the post from a tight angle, and Hulse missed that sitter from inside the box.
Then there was Danny Shittu’s shot…
A shot from all 0f 50 yards was a thunderbolt, his shot was met with cries of “Don’t Shoot!” it was brilliant saved by the goalie.
We played well but I was so surprised with how poor Blackburn were with a strikeforce that cost over £11million you’d expect a lot more quality then shown. If my club spent that amount of money while playing like that, I’d be asking questions.
Yes we are disappointed about not winning the game, but there’s now a second chance to get to Wembley, with the replay at Ewood Park tonight.
Both teams are in very poor form but I believe we could get a result up there, it’s the cup, anything can happen!
It will be hard but a win up at Ewood is not impossible, espically with the injuries Blackburn have, with three more players joining the already lengthy injury list after Sunday’s game.
One thing that annoyed me after the game was Rovers manager Michael Appleton’s comments. He claimed that ‘Wall took “cheap shots” during the game and he applauded his players for “Putting up with it” – quite ironic, that was a cheap shot within itself Michael.
This is what I find now with some Championship teams. They have great squads, like Sunday, and on paper Blackburn should beat us easily. But they don’t have enough fight or desire within the team; look at David Bentley for example, he was rattled once and went missing for the rest of the game.
He also said “As long as we get a strong referee on Wednesday I don’t see there being any problem,” – surely a ref giving out seven yellows is a strong ref? Basically you want a ref who will give you decisions no questions asked, doesn’t work that way.
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Also the winner of this does have a realistic chance of getting to the final as they will be playing Wigan, and the winner of that will be playing in Europe next season.
Millwall have already played in Europe once in their history, another European tour on the cards?
Newcastle United will look to move one step closer to retaining their Premier League status and pick up their third successive home win when they host fellow strugglers Huddersfield Town at St James’ Park on Saturday.
The Magpies faced a crunch clash against Southampton on Tyneside last time and a comprehensive 3-0 victory moved them four points clear of Saints and the relegation zone, with Chelsea loanee Kenedy scoring a brace and Matt Ritchie also getting a goal.
The Toon will know that they can move to within five points of the magic 40-point mark with a victory against the Terriers, with seven matches still left to play following the clash against the Yorkshire outfit.
Rafa Benitez took his side to a training camp in Spain during their three-week break without a top flight fixture, and he will hope that his players can pick up from where they left off before the international break, and that his players have returned unscathed.
The Spaniard will know that his team are still in a precarious position right now considering they still have to play Tottenham Hotspur, Arsenal, Chelsea and Leicester City and Everton away from home, and if they can’t win against Town on Saturday they really need to make sure they don’t lose, either.
The hosts will certainly fancy their chances of overturning David Wagner’s men considering they have only taken 11 points on the road, and netted just 25 goals in total.
Benitez reverted to a 4-4-1-1 formation and made three changes to his XI for the visit of Saints last time out, and while ideally he would probably want to make no alterations this weekend, the situation may be taken out of his hands.
Here is how Newcastle must line up against Huddersfield, ahead of Martin Dubravka in goal…
Newcastle’s back five of Dubravka, DeAndre Yedlin, captain Jamaal Lascelles, Florian Lejeune and Paul Dummett have kept successive clean sheets at St James’ Park, and there is no reason why they won’t all be selected to try and get a third when Huddersfield come to Tyneside.
Lascelles and Lejeune’s partnership at the heart of the defence is continuing to flourish, while Yedlin and Dummett have been particularly impressive from a defensive point of view in recent weeks, with Dubravka seemingly giving the backline more confidence than they perhaps had previously.
Jonjo Shelvey put in a man-of-the-match display alongside Mo Diame in the middle of the park against Southampton, and the duo must get the nod against Huddersfield too with Mikel Merino, who the fans want to see deployed in a more advanced position, and Isaac Hayden once again settling for a place on the substitutes’ bench.
Kenedy must start on the left of the midfield four following his brace and all-round impressive showing in the win against Saints last time out, but Benitez may have a decision to make on the right after Matt Ritchie picked up a groin problem while on international duty with Scotland.
If the 28-year-old isn’t 100% fit then he shouldn’t be risked ahead of the run-in, with Jacob Murphy more than capable of stepping in and causing the Terriers defence plenty of problems.
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Ayoze Perez hasn’t always made the biggest impact on matches playing in the No 10 role behind the striker this season, but he was heavily involved in Newcastle’s 3-0 win against Southampton last time out having been dropped against Liverpool, and he deserves his place in the XI for the visit of the Terriers.
Meanwhile, Dwight Gayle didn’t get a goal against Saints but he worked hard and caused plenty of problems, and he will certainly fancy his chances of finding the net against another lowly Premier League side.
While Islam Slimani played 25 minutes for Algeria during the week it may not be enough for him to make the squad on Saturday, and he should only be risked if he is 100% fit.
Liverpool’s 19-year-old teenage sensation Jordan Ibe, burst onto the scene on Saturday night with a tremendous performance in the Merseyside Derby. Many people would agree that he was the best player on the pitch, nearly scoring a sensational goal after a 60 yard dash. Considering it was a big derby match, the kind of which Ibe wouldn’t have experienced before, he didn’t let the pressure get to him and played his natural game quite brilliantly.
Playing as right wingback, Ibe showed his defensive qualities by tracking back when needed, and put in a high energy shift where he never stopped running. At just 19, Ibe could very well emulate Raheem Sterling and become the next Premier League star to emerge at Anfield.
Ibe started his career at Wycombe Wanderers and made his debut at just 15 years of age against Colchester in the League Cup. Shortly after he became Wycombe’s youngest ever Football League player, and before long, their youngest ever goalscorer too.
Liverpool quickly snapped him up but, Ibe had to wait until the 2013/14 before getting regular football on loan at Birmingham. He made 11 appearences at St. Andrew’s, scoring once during his spell at the club. However, it was Ibe’s loan move to Derby when he really started to emerge as a future star.
Scoring five times in 20 outings, Ibe was an outstanding performer for the club and played a big role in their promotion chasing exploits. Playing predominately on the left wing, Ibe used his extreme pace and trickery to make Championship defenders’ lives a misery for five or so months.
In terms of his international career, Ibe has made his way through England’s youth ranks being capped at the under 18, 19 and now the under 20 levels. With the under 21 European Championships taking place in the summer, it wouldn’t be a bad decision to have Ibe in the squad as he seemingly has a lot to offer already.
A player with great acceleration and pace, Jordan Ibe has what it takes to become a star in English football. A winger who can play on either flank and loves to cut inside, Ibe also boasts a keen eye for goal. Whilst his finishing abilities will improve, he has fantastic creative and technical attributes that can see him go far for Liverpool in the Premier League.
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Willing to help out with defending when needed, this is a great sign as many youngsters of today focus more on attacking rather than put the hard yards in tracking back. At such a young age, there is obviously areas in which can be improved on. But with all the talent and ability, if he can continue to put in performances as in the Merseyside Derby, then it is hard not to see a future great player for Liverpool.
I spoke incredibly highly of Santi Cazorla when he first came to the Premier League last summer, and like the former Villarreal and Malaga midfielder, Ignacio Monreal should be considered an equally impressive coup.
Hindsight certainly offers plenty when looking at how Monreal’s arrival at Arsenal came about: an injury to Kieran Gibbs can finally be thought of as a good thing, as without the pressing need for another capable body in that position, Arsene Wenger would have continued to sit on his hands.
But Nacho Monreal is about as real a left-back as they get, and one which Arsenal have been crying out for since Ashley Cole left in 2006.
With Gael Clichy, the Frenchman only had one season of notable quality before it all went south. Kieran Gibbs was a midfielder converted into a defender, and, like Clichy, was a far more assured weapon in the attacking-third. Players brought in as back up like Armand Traore and Andre Santos should never have been deemed good enough to play for the club.
Monreal began his career in La Liga on the left side of Osasuna’s defence, while Cesar Azpilicueta took up the position on the opposing flank of the Pamplona outfit’s back line. Here was a defender in Monreal who was a natural in that department; he wasn’t a converted winger because his club or national team needed full-backs (Sergio Ramos falls into that category), and prior to Azpilicueta’s move to Marseille, both would have been well on course for greater things in Spanish football.
What Arsenal have in Monreal is a player who understands his duties as a defender. He’s extremely reliable and is equipped with the awareness to know when to push on. You can train that sort of consistency into any of the other Arsenal full-backs who have been used in that position, but for players like Monreal, it’s a natural part of his game.
In La Liga, the former Malaga full-back was considered one of the best in his position. Plenty of talk will surround Marcelo, Fabio Coentrao and now Jordi Alba, but others have quietly gone about carving their reputation into the modern makeup of the league. Monreal had and continues to have enough merit to warrant a place in the top five left-backs in Spain, alongside Filipe Luis at Atletico, who would also have been a fine acquisition for Arsenal’s attacking game. If there was no Jordi Alba; or let’s say if his transition from winger to full-back wasn’t as smooth as it turned out to be, Monreal would more than likely be the starter in the Spanish national team.
It was fairly predictable that many in England wouldn’t have been aware of Monreal’s qualities when he was linked with the move to Arsenal on deadline day. It’s not really a surprise that a player, no matter his talent, goes unnoticed if he’s not backed by the heavyweight name of either Real Madrid or Barcelona. But Arsenal should consider this an absolute steal, and one which they’re certain to benefit from for many years in the future.
Monreal was always likely to be high up on the list of assets at La Rosaleda who needed to be sold in order to balance the books, along with Isco and Ignacio Camacho. And what Arsenal now have is a player who, like Cazorla, has been picked up for at least half of his realistic value in the market.
The player benefits enormously from this deal too. His game is sure to be enhanced even further, as competition from Kieran Gibbs is a step up from what Eliseu could offer at Malaga. The player now does have a big name club to back up his ascent into the limelight of first-team football in Vicente del Bosque’s side. Jordi Alba may be as natural as they come in terms of attacking – a trait which has become vital to a modern full-back’s game; however, Monreal is the sturdier of the two defenders.
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Monreal will bring more to Arsenal’s defence than Gibbs, who has developed well in that role this season. The player’s debut against Stoke in the league showed that he can combine well with others in the final-third, possessing the intelligence to get behind defenders and provide a good delivery for those in the box.
Maybe three or four years ago, Monreal would have been a typical ‘Arsene Wenger signing,’ relatively unknown and yet to make his mark on a bigger footballing stage. However, it’s not too much of a shame that his arrival has been delayed, as, at 26, the player brings with him enough experience to become an instant hit at the Emirates.
Manchester United have turned to Celtic star Kieran Tierney as they look to sort out their left-back issues in the summer transfer window, according to the Daily Record.
What’s the story?
As Ashley Young has been filling in at left-back for much of the season and Matteo Darmian, Daley Blind and Luke Shaw all look set to leave the club in the summer, United need a new left-back as a matter of urgency.
The report suggests that Alex Sandro of Juventus was first choice but Jose Mourinho is balking at the idea of a transfer fee in excess of 70 million euros and has turned to Tierney – who is valued at £4.5m by Transfermarkt.
Mourinho is also reportedly impressed with Tierney’s greater versatility – he can play as a right-back or as a centre-half – and he would command a lower fee than Sandro.
Would it be a good move?
It feels like a traditional Manchester United move to make,; a player Sir Alex Ferguson would have signed.
Some might snear at the idea of one of the world’s biggest and richest clubs buying a player from Scottish football, but Tierney is a player of great potential.
He is still only 22, so he would have plenty of time to be moulded into a United player. Playing for Celtic is also a goldfish bowl, so he will have had a taste of the pressure players at Old Trafford are under.
I can understand why Sandro was ahead of Tierney in the initial pecking order but Manchester City blew up the full-back market last summer and, like across the board in football, fees in that position are getting out of control.
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The report suggests that a £20m would be commanded and that represents decent value in the current climate. Blind and Darmian have struggled to adjust having come from abroad but Tierney should, in theory, be better accustomed to the English style.
It was the day Liverpool fans hoped would never come, but now it has finally arrived. After some rather suspect contract negotiations, Reds skipper Steven Gerrard revealed earlier this week that he plans to leave Anfield, after seventeen years, at the end of the current Premier League season.
Liverpool’s captain fantastic will be sorely missed but there’s little time for such emotive tributes – the Merseysiders are now running against the clock to find a successor to their decade-spanning talisman midfielder.
Of course, the issue can be delayed until the summer but for the sake of a smooth transition, perhaps it would be best for Liverpool to secure Gerrard’s successor this January.
So with that in mind, here’s SIX such midfielders Liverpool could realistically sign before the end of the month.
YOHAN CABAYE
PSG playmaker Yohan Cabaye may not be blessed with the robust dynamism of Steven Gerrard’s younger years, but he does share many traits with Liverpool’s talismanic captain – particularly, a blend of industriousness and cultured passing, in addition to a world-renowned potency from dead ball situations.
The 28 year-old is well proven in the Premier League too, having amassed 18 goals and 15 assists in 93 appearances for Newcastle before leaving for Parc de Princes last January. The £20million signing has since struggled to break into the PSG first team however and is now reportedly prepared to move on.
The France international should be within Liverpool’s financial reach but recent speculation has linked him more consistently with a move to Arsenal.
ILKAY GUNDOGAN
German international Ilkay Gundogan emerged as one of the most promising central midfielders in world football during the 2012/13 campaign, earning a spot in the illustrious ESM Team of the Season for his intrinsic role in Borussia Dortmund’s surprise march to the Champions League final.
He’s endured a rather harrowing time since, missing almost the entirety of last season (and the World Cup) through a back injury and now finding himself in a shock relegation battle, with the Black Yellows currently joint-bottom of the Bundesliga table.
The 24 year-old’s enormous potential is hard to ignore however, and his energetic, lucid and mobile brand of playmaking, filled with one-twos and short, incisive dribbles, would particularly suit Liverpool’s style of play going forward.
It’s still a bit of a risk however, considering Gundogan’s recent injury problems, and although he’d likely be willing to jump ship from Westfalen this January, the promising midfielder extended his contract by an extra year in April 2014, so Dortmund are under no immediate obligation to sell.
DANIEL PAREJO
Liverpool have been linked with Valencia star Daniel Parejo on countless occasions before, so what better excuse than Steven Gerrard’s end-of-season departure to invest sizable funds in their long-term target?
The 25 year-old is rather wiry and slight compared to your average Premier League midfielder, but he’s a fantastic technician with great vision and a consistent contribution in front of goal, claiming nine goals and ten assists in 62 appearances over the last two-and-a-half campaigns.
The current season has arguably been Parejo’s best yet for the Mestalla outfit, netting four in 14 and averaging 2.8 tackles, 1.1 successful dribbles and 1.3 shots per match whilst donning the captain’s armband on a permanent basis.
Resultantly however, and with Valencia just five points off La Liga leaders Real Madrid, Liverpool might struggle to convince the Spanish side to sell their skipper mid-season.
Miralem Pjanic
Another name Liverpool fans will know well, Roma playmaker Miralem Pjanic has been strongly linked with an Anfield switch before.
The Bosnian international demonstrated enormous potential at former club Lyon and is now realising it at the Stadio Olympico, having played a pivotal role in the Roma side that recorded a runner-up finish in Serie A last season.
His output is impressive for a central midfielder, with twelve goals and 15 assists in his last 77 league appearances, but it’s the 24 year-old’s intelligence on the ball and ability to consistently create chances, boasting 56 already this term (Gerrard has made 41, in comparison) that particularly stands out as his defining attribute.
Pjanic has been on the verge of the world elite for some time and moving to the Premier League could make that a reality. The 5 foot 11 midfielder penned extended terms during the summer however, protecting his value, and Roma remain unlikely to sell whilst they also stand to lose central midfield partner Kevin Strootman, a known target of Manchester United and Chelsea.
MORGAN SCHNEIDERLIN
Tough-tackling Southampton star Morgan Schneiderlin may not be an exact Steven Gerrard reincarnate, but the Frenchman is a well-rounded, highly-talented midfielder that looks ready to ply his trade at a higher level.
Indeed, the 25 year-old currently ranks fifth in the Premier League’s tackle charts this term, with an impressive 3.5 per match, and also boasts dependency on the ball through his pass completion rate of 89%.
He’s more water-carrier than playmaking visionary, but Schneiderlin chips in with the odd goal too, with eight since his Premier League arrival two-and-a-half-years ago, including a return of three in 14 this season.
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Combine that with an athletic and aerially effective 6 foot 2 frame, and Schneiderlin would bring a new sense of solidity to Liverpool’s engine room.
Although there have been rumours that Schneiderlin could leave this January after attempting to force a move during the summer, he’s recently insisted plans to stay with the Saints until at least the end of the season.
That doesn’t mean he’s completely out of Liverpool’s reach, but will likely add a few extra million to his transfer fee.
FABIAN DELPH
This list felt somewhat macabre without the inclusion of a single home-grown player, so representing the England massive is Aston Villa star Fabian Delph.
There will be understandable disputes over the 25 year-old’s quality when compared to Liverpool’s veteran skipper but there’s also some similarities – particularly his blend of industry, dynamism and flair going forward, epitomised by his memorable goal against Chelsea last season, shown above.
It’s been a fantastic 2014 for the tenacious midfielder too, winning the Villain of the Year award at the end of last season and more recently a spot in Roy Hodgson’s England squad, with three caps since his September debut.
Furthermore, Delph’s contract is set to expire at the end of the season and with extended terms becoming increasingly unlikely, it appears Villa will be forced to sell in January. That makes the Three Lions starlet the cheapest and most viable option on this list by quite some distance.
Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini has urged his star-studded strike force to improve after recent results.
The Premier League champions slipped to a surprise 1-0 defeat against Sunderland on Boxing Day, despite having more possession and shots than their rivals.
Alongside Sergio Aguero and Carlos Tevez, who started against the Black Cats, the Italian has Edin Dzeko and Mario Balotelli at his disposal.
The quartet have managed just three goals in City’s last eight games, and Mancini believes that they must improve if the club are to challenge Manchester United for the league title:
“We still have a big problem that we don’t score, and we need to change.” He told the Manchester Evening News.
“Maybe we need to play without a striker, or with just one striker. We need to do something.
“If we want to win this championship we need to score like we did last year.
“We have top strikers, but maybe we are too soft when we get a chance because we think we have good players and maybe we feel we will score the next chance that comes along.
“We have four top strikers, and it is time that those top strikers started to score. That is what they are there for, to score goals.”
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Mancini went on to suggest that he will not attempt to bring in a striker to solve their problems next month:
“We can’t keep thinking of bringing players in.
“We have a good team, good strikers, but we need them to be strong when they get a chance.”
Manchester United bounced back from their shock Champions League elimination at the hands of Sevilla in midweek with a win over Brighton in the FA Cup on Saturday, securing their place in the semi-finals of English football’s top cup competition.
It wasn’t the most convincing performance, the Old Trafford visitors actually finishing up with more than twice the number of efforts at goal as the home side, but Jose Mourinho will be pleased his team got the job done to ensure they could still end the season with some form of silverware.
Romelu Lukaku opened the scoring after 37 minutes to put the Red Devils in control of the tie, but it was arguably the second goalscorer, Nemanja Matic, who had the biggest influence on the match.
The Serbian international – who Transfermarkt value at £36million – provided the assist for Lukaku’s opening strike before netting himself late on with just seven minutes left on the clock. He also gave United a crucial platform in midfield, completing seven dribbles and a whopping 114 passes.
So, United fans, was Matic the Man of the Match against Brighton, or should that honour go to one of his team-mates? Let us know by taking part in the poll below and giving each Red Devils star a performance rating out of ten…
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It’s safe to say that Newcastle United have endured a very difficult start to the Premier League season. Once more, the Geordie fans have openly protested against manager Alan Pardew in their attempt to remove the former Southampton boss from the St. James Park dugout. Owner Mike Ashley has not been spared from criticism either – and offering Pardew an eight year contract in 2010 looks like being one of the worst decisions he has ever made. Sacking the former Charlton Athletic gaffer would give Pardew a hefty pay-off, and the last thing Ashley wants to do is reward his under-performing manager.
This is the exact reason why the under fire chief is still the main man at Newcastle. Things could be looking up for the former West Ham boss, claiming their first win of the season at home to Leicester City at the weekend. Despite sitting in the relegation zone, Pardew’s men have only lost three games from eight matches, the same amount as the likes of West Ham, Liverpool, Tottenham Hotspur and Everton. The problem is too many draws, with local rivals Sunderland the only team to have drawn more games than the Tynesiders, with the Black cats one place above them in the table.
The style of play Pardew plays has also angered the fans. One word to describe it is predictable. A simple 4-4-2 formation is the system used to get the ball up to the forwards as quickly as possible. This can sometimes work, if the two strikers are top quality and are willing to work hard. Despite finishing as the top scorer for French side AS Monaco, Emmanuel Riviere has failed to deliver the goods since his £6m move to England in the summer.
Currently, the Magpies have the third worst tackles per game rate in the Premier League and the fourth worst in terms of shots on target per game. This just shows that Pardew has a struggle on his hands at both ends of the pitch. Defensively, they have been surprisingly poor and it’s hard to see why they have leaked goals due to the amount of experience Newcastle have to call upon. With Steven Taylor and Fabricio Coloccini the first choice centre back pairing having played a combined total of 395 games in the famous black and white of Newcastle, it’s hard to see why questions are being asked at the backline. Daryl Janmaat, who had an impressive World Cup campaign with Holland, is another who could be plying his trade at a bigger club, and has made a decent start to his Newcastle career as Mathieu Debuchy’s replacement. But this hasn’t stopped the goals flooding in at the wrong end.
Many have put most of the blame on Alan Pardew, with only some laying the responsibility for Newcastle’s poor start to the 2014/2015 campaign on the players. In all fairness, it’s been a combination of the two. In many games, especially the 4-0 loss away at Southampton, Pardew’s tactics have been laughable, while on the other hand, the players have failed to perform to the levels they should.
So, despite results and performance slightly improving in the last two games, is Pardew’s job still in jeopardy? Yes is the answer.
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