All posts by n8rngtd.top

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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…

Since Sheikh Mansour’s takeover, Manchester City have been blessed with some truly extraordinary players. The likes of Sergio Aguero, David Silva, Yaya Toure and Vincent Kompany, amongst others, have rightly taken the limelight at the Etihad. But one man who has arguably had just as big of an influence since his arrival, is Fernandinho.

The Brazil international joined City from Ukrainian giants Shakhtar Donetsk and has been a permanent fixture in the side’s midfield since. The 34-year-old has played under numerous different managers at the Etihad, but has been an integral part of every City team. Others have come and gone, but Fernandinho has been an ever-present.

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But with just nine months left on his contract, The Sun claim the Brazilian is “ready to wait” until later in the campaign to discuss a new deal. Whilst the report suggests both City and Fernandinho have a “strong relationship”, surely the Etihad side must look to get that piece of business done as soon as possible?

The big-money arrival of Rodri, and his impressive start to the campaign so far, has almost shunted Fernandinho to the shadows. But, despite the presence of City’s big-money signing, the 34-year-old still has plenty left to offer.

Indeed, speaking in November 2017, Pep Guardiola remarked: “I think Fernandinho, right now, is one of the three best holding midfielders in the world. He gives us a lot, with the ball and without the ball, in terms of many things we need to compete.

“I know the fans like the guys who score goals, but all managers know the value of this kind of player. Maybe the media don’t talk too much about how important they are.”

How much money could you make busking for a week as a freestyle footballer? Find out in the video below…

And that perhaps is the biggest reason why City should avoid overlooking Fernandinho this season and potentially even after that. He remains one of the side’s best ball-winning midfielders, and averaged 2 tackles and 1.4 interceptions per game in the Premier League last season, so it’s not as if Guardiola’s comments have expired.

As Rodri looks to settle into his first campaign in English footballer, Guardiola could do a lot worse than turning to an old hand to steer the side through a transition year for the Spain star.

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Nottingham Forest are hoping that Joe Lolley will be fit for this afternoon’s game against Fulham, according to BBC Sport.

The winger missed the game against Charlton Athletic due to a foot injury.

Albert Adomah is pushing for a starting place in tomorrow’s team after his equalising goal at The Valley.

Sabri Lamouchi’s side have had a mixed start to the season, winning one, losing one, and drawing two of their four games so far. The results leave them in 13th place in the Championship.

Fulham have been flying, and come off the back of a 4-0 thrashing of London rivals Millwall. The result was impressive because the West Londoners ended the game with 84.5% possession, the highest since Opta started recording stats in the Championship.

The introduction of Lolley would be a massive boost for the Nottinghamshire side ahead of the game. The Englishman has been one of the shining stars for the Reds this season, scoring one and assisting another in three Championship appearances.

However, his contribution goes far beyond just goals and assists this season. The attacker has been one of Forest’s best attacking players this season, having the joint-most shots, playing the third-most key passes and averaging mores dribbles than any other player in the squad.

Given the fixture will be played away to Fulham, having Lolley back will be crucial to Lamouchi. The 26-year-old’s average of three dribbles per game, mixed with his speed, will ensure that Forest carry a threat on the counter-attack.

His impact has been plentiful and he has proven to be a handful so far this season. Lolley being fit for the clash could be the key between the Reds being able to attack efficiently or being on the end of a thrashing.

How big a boost would having Lolley be? Join the discussion by commenting below… 

[ad_pod ]Something interesting happened on Twitter on Tuesday. Danny Mills’ name was trending for hours on end.What had he done? Had he made his first step into management? Had he been arrested? Had he come out of retirement? No, unfortunately what he did was much less remarkable than all of those things.Mills had named his combined XI for this weekend’s north London derby, and of course, this angered one side of the fanbase.

As you can see, Mills’ team is heavily built around Tottenham players, and that has incurred the wrath of many Arsenal fans.

Spurs’ back five is simply better than Arsenal’s. They conceded fewer goals last term, and individually their players are more talented. Indeed, this may be a different story once Kieran Tierney and Hector Bellerin are fit, but for now, it’s hard to argue against Mills’ picks.

The midfield is a similar story. Dani Ceballos makes it in after his impressive start to life in the Premier League, but he is joined by Christian Eriksen and Harry Winks.

This is a pick that some Gunners supporters weren’t happy with. They believed that Lucas Torreira deserves that midfield place, but it’s certainly a close call.

Up top, the former England international has chosen Harry Kane, Son Heung-min and Nicolas Pepe.

Now this was a controversial point for many supporters. Pierre-Emerick Aubamayang’s omission caused quite a stirÂafter he won the Golden Boot last term.

Mills’ starting XI was always going to be contentious, but when he picked his team for Sky Sports, he probably didn’t imagine it would get this type of backlash to the point where he was trending on Twitter.

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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… 

Arsenal were made to rue a poor first half showing against Tottenham on Sunday as they were held to a 2-2 draw in the north London derby.

The Gunners were shoddy in the opening 45 minutes as mistakes from Sokratis, Bernd Leno and Granit Xhaka meant they were 2-0 down at the break.

However, their formidable forward line dragged them back, as goals from Alexandre Lacazette and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang rescued a point.

Despite that, it could have been different had Unai Emery selected a different player in midfield.

On the chalkboard

One of the most surprising elements of the Spaniard’s team selection was the absence of Dani Ceballos.

Although he was restricted against Liverpool a week previous, failing to create a chance, his performance at the Emirates against Burnley showed the impetus he can bring.

Arsenal started with a midfield trio of Matteo Guendouzi, Lucas Torreira and Xhaka, but all of them failed to really create in the first period, with just the latter managing a key pass in the first half.

Guendouzi popped up with the equalising assist, but the Gunners arguably missed someone like Ceballos.

When he was introduced he proved he could cope with the frantic nature of the play and his ability to keep possession was something they missed during the early stages.

He was only on the field for 27 minutes but managed to create two opportunities and his close-knit control helped Arsenal have the better end to the game.

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Against Burnley two weeks ago, the 23-year-old mustered two assists, three shots and four dribbles, per WhoScored.

That was against a side who liked to sit back, and indeed that’s what Spurs did as they tried to catch their opposition on the counter-attack.

Perhaps on the road the midfield three that Emery chose would have been preferable, but at home, he could have afforded to play a more creative outlet.

If there were concerns that he wouldn’t be able to cope with the enormity of the occasion, he proved that wrong when he came on.

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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 are sitting pretty rosy in the Championship while the league takes the first international break of the season.

Slaven Bilic has guided his side to an unbeaten start which sees them sit in fourth position.

The Croatian has been able to fully implement his playing style thanks to his summer additions.

None of his key midfield options in the centre of the park have a pass success rate of below 85% – that’s including Filip Krovinovic and Romaine Sawyers who are new arrivals.

He has also since added to his squad following a deadline day flurry of arrivals. Ali Al-Habsi has signed for the club on a free transfer, and he may well not be the only one.

The Sun have reported that Danny Simpson is training with the U23 squad as he is still yet to join a club following his release from the King Power stadium.

But where would the 32-year-old fit into the Croatian’s side?

On the Chalkboard

There are clearly some benefits to signing a player that has a Premier League title and over 200 appearances in the top-flight to his name, but whether they outweigh the negatives is of personal speculation.

The Baggies already have two promising options at right-back in Darnell Furlong, a £1.5m summer arrival from Queens Park Rangers and Nathan Ferguson, who was promoted to the senior side upon Bilic’s appointment this summer.

Both have held their own amongst what appears to be a competitive battle for the starting position.

The pair are averaging over 1.7 clearances per game, and a dribble each while the younger Ferguson has more tackles (1.8), more interceptions (1.2) and has won more aerial duels (2.2), per WhoScored, but that is only because he has started five matches over the 23-year-old’s two.

It is likely that Simpson would command excessive wages having earned £45k a week at Leicester and that’s not something you need to risk, especially as the 5 foot 9 defender could be the third choice if signed on.

Those wages could be saved for January where Bilic will know what he’s missing if the club are still on the fringes of leading the league or lurking around the playoffs.

With options already in Simpson’s position, they should be more careful.

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Some Arsenal fans have taken to Twitter to react after Eddie Nketiah scored yet another goal for Leeds.

The 20-year-old striker joined Marcelo Bielsa’s side on a season-long loan from Arsenal this summer, and has taken to life under the Argentine like a duck to water.

Having previously netted three goals in just five appearances before Sunday’s trip to Barnsley, the Gunners academy graduate came off the bench to score the opening goal of the game with just six minutes left on the clock, taking his tally to four goals in six Leeds appearances.

Nketiah also won a penalty which Mateusz Klich converted in the 89th-minute to help secure the three points for Bielsa’s men, and some Arsenal fans wasted no time in jumping onto Twitter to respond to their loan star’s latest strike.

Remember the ‘golden goal’ rule? Find out why some fans want it back in the video below…

One supporter said: “At this point we’re not even surprised” after the youngster scored once again.

Let’s take a look at some of the Twitter reaction…

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This article is part of Football FanCast’s In Numbers series, which takes a statistical look at performances, season-long form and reported transfer targets…

Kai Havertz is no stranger to Liverpool fans with Bild linking him to the Reds throughout the summer, and he is one to watch as Bayer Leverkusen take on Lokomotiv Moscow in the Champions League on Wednesday.

He became the youngest player in Bundesliga history to reach 50 games, and since making his debut for Leverkusen is has gone on to score 30 and assist 22 in 110 appearances, leading to a reported asking price of €100m.

This season he has started reasonably well, and because of his previous form it is easy to forget he is so young, but the fixture against Lokomotiv Moscow could allow him the chance to shine.

Leverkusen will likely look to dominate possession as they have done in the league so far, averaging 58% possession, and that should provide Havertz with the chance to get ahold of the ball in useful positions, and his effectiveness in the final third could be crucial to a home win.

The midfielder’s pass accuracy shows he doesn’t waste much, and a success rate of 85%, as per WhoScored, is impressive for a player who often looks for that killer pass.

That aspect of his game is what he could add to Liverpool, as their current central midfielders lack the ability to cut open the defence, or go for goal themselves, as evidenced by their goal and assist record last season.

By contrast, the German struck 20 times in the last campaign, and will be looking to add to his single goal this term against the Russians, though his average of 1.8 key passes per game also means that he may claim his first assist.

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Due to his asking price and what he has shown so far, there may be pressure on Havertz to perform, but if he sticks to his natural game he should do well.

Along with his passing, he also has an eye for goal and generally keeps the ball well when in possession, whether passing or running with the ball. He has averaged two successful dribbles per game so far and that ability to take defenders on makes him unpredictable, which is suitable not only for the Champions League, but for Liverpool too.

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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…

Signed in the summer for absolutely nothing, one would assume that not many people thought Adrian would even get onto the pitch for Liverpool, let alone dazzle with his performances.

However, a calf injury to the Brazilian No.1 in the Premier League opener against Norwich cast the spotlight on the former West Ham glovesman earlier than anticipated, and he hasn’t let anybody at Liverpool down – not one bit.

You may argue that his slip-up away to Southampton was an incidence of him letting his side down, but even Alisson did that at times as a result of Jurgen Klopp’s desire to see his team play out from the back.

But surely, nobody expected Adrian to be this impressive. Surely.

A match-winning performance on his first Liverpool start – in the UEFA Super Cup final of all games – must have done wonders for the Spaniard’s confidence, and he is taking that into every game for the Reds as they attempt to win the Premier League.

Just by looking at the last two matches alone, the 32-year-old has come up trumps.

A remarkable save against Napoli was one that even Alisson would’ve presumably been proud of, and more recently, the 2-1 win over Chelsea was largely down to the Liverpool No.13.

A crucial one-on-one save from Tammy Abraham midway through the first half saved Liverpool, and he remained switched on to keep out Marcos Alonso’s goal-bound header in the second half with a brilliant save – Alonso was adjudged to be offside, but Adrian had no way of knowing that.

Incidentally, having arrived as a low-key backup goalkeeper on a free transfer, nobody would’ve expected Adrian to look the business for the European champions in a side gunning for a maiden Premier League title.

Adrian’s arrival can now well and truly be deemed as a shrewd addition, to say the least.

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This article is part of Football FanCast’s In Numbers series, which takes a statistical look at performances, season-long form and reported transfer targets… 

Everton’s win over Sheffield Wednesday was their fourth of the season, but it could be the most important yet.

That’s because it not only lifts a little weight off the shoulders of Marco Silva, but because the match also provided the Portuguese manager the chance to rotate his squad, and the performance of Tom Davies stood out.

It was only his second match of 2019/20 after playing just 11 minutes against Crystal Palace but he showed little sign of rustiness as he helped control the game alongside Fabian Delph in midfield.

Delph acted as the experienced figurehead and that suited Davies well, giving him the confidence to play his natural game, and he thus proved capable in attack and defence.

With Jean-Philippe Gbamin out of action for the foreseeable future and the return date of Andre Gomes still unknown, there is a chance the 21-year-old will start to feature on a regular basis, particularly as Morgan Schneiderlin hasn’t pulled up any trees.

The England U21 international made a great case to start at the weekend through his performance, and his energy showed that Everton have lacked intensity in their play this season.

That was epitomised by his industriousness on and off the ball, matched only by his midfield partner.

According to SofaScore, the pair managed a combined 147 touches between them, showing how vital they were to the Toffees dominating play with 62% possession.

That helped them maintain their early lead, as did Davies’ combative display. Winning six out of seven ground duels shows the desire he has to impress his manager, and that drive in his play may be what Everton need to turn the corner.

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Crucially, there is quality to match his work rate.

Alex Iwobi and Bernard were the only Everton players to make more than his two tackles, but he provided a great defensive cover to his defence by preventing the opposition from taking the ball past him.

It was little surprise, therefore, that Silva’s side kept what was only their third clean sheet of the campaign, and against a Manchester City side scoring goals for fun he may be in with a chance of starting.

He used the ball carefully and kept his team fluid in possession, and given that was his first start for the club this season there could be more to come.

Arsene Wenger, the banter merchant.Around this time in 1996, Arsene Wenger began his reign at Arsenal. Trainspotting had just been released in cinemas, John Major was Prime Minister, England crashed out of the World Cup on penalties (again), Manchester City were loitering around the bottom half of the old First Division and half their fanbase hadn’t been conceived yet, Dolly the sheep was born, the Duke and Duchess of York divorced, and Manchester United did the double.Watch Arsenal Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

Plenty has changed in the world of football since.

The Gunners have won ten major trophies including three Premier League titles and seven FA Cups, and legends have come and gone, including our man in question. And stories have been created.

Ray Parlour made 431 appearances for Arsenal over a Gunners career that spanned 13 years. It’s unsurprising, then, that he has plenty of anecdotes in the locker about his time playing under his former boss, Wenger…

We’d always assumed that Wenger, being the serious looking character that he was on the sideline, wouldn’t be all that funny. But clearly we were wrong. Silly us.