All posts by z3u9t.icu

As their goal-scoring struggles continue to get exposed this season, Manchester United quite naturally have been linked with numerous strikers in recent weeks.

Reports have claimed the Red Devils are targeting a potential move for Bournemouth’s Callum Wilson and Juventus’ Mario Mandzukic, whilst Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has publicly admitted the club’s next signing will be a centre-forward.

One man who was in their grasp, but was let go, is Brighton prospect Aaron Connolly. Sky Sports have previously reported the 19-year-old was on trial at Old Trafford before joining the Seagulls, and that United were monitoring his development.

Well, on Saturday afternoon against Tottenham, the Republic of Ireland U21 international well and truly showed why it was a major mistake for the Red Devils to not sign him up.

The teenager bagged himself a brace against Spurs and was a real live-wire throughout the game, having six shots at goal and ending the match with an impressive 8.8 rating as per Sofascore.

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After seeing his display, United fans took to Twitter to share their thoughts about the forward.

Many supporters of the Manchester side hailed the 19-year-old’s performance, and insisted he is already better than Marcus Rashford.

One fan in particular even remarked Connolly “played like a young Rooney” in the clash against Mauricio Pochettino’s side.

Check out some of the reaction of United fans below:

Manchester United’s all-time top scorer Wayne Rooney has posted for the first time since WAG-gate, and it’s not what we were expecting – or wanting, for that matter.Indeed, it seems the 34-year-old has finally learnt the intricacies of Twitter after years of posting about putting fellow users to sleep (but tagging himself) and asking Rio Ferdinand if he wanted a lift, as well as a selection of other questionable tweets that almost certainly weren’t vetted by anyone in public relations.Watch Manchester United Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

It was revealed yesterday that Colleen Rooney accused Rebekah Vardy, wife of Leicester City striker, Jamie, of leaking personal information about the family to none other than The Sun, which is disgraceful enough in itself.

While you’d expect 2011 Rooney, back when he was cool, to explode in a stream of rage-filled gobbledygook, the modern Wayne is far more composed (and boring), and instead of an image of a poorly edited Vardy effigy, we were given a throwback to when he called Old Trafford home (zzz).

It’s………….the same pair of boots.

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…

England moved closer to Euro 2020 qualification on Monday night as Gareth Southgate’s side thrashed Bulgaria 6-0 with purpose after having to deal with shameful scenes of racism at the Vasil Levski Stadium.

The Three Lions are now three points clear at the top of Group A with just two games remaining in November.

Aston Villa centre-back Tyrone Mings earned his first England cap and repaid the national team manager with a superb showing, keeping a clean sheet while being faced with the brunt of the racial slurs from the home crowd.

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His interview after the game showed his phenomenal attitude, only going to display his leadership qualities in further detail.

In doing so, Mings has undoubtedly cemented his name alongside last summer’s World Cup hero Harry Maguire in the heart of the England defence for the foreseeable future.

As a result, any hopes Conor Coady had of achieving a similar feat have surely just started to drift even further away.

Wolves supporters themselves have thrown the 26-year-old’s name into the equation at times this season, while The Daily Mail claimed earlier in the year that he was in serious contention to be called up after his role in their 1-1 draw with Chelsea.

Are Gareth Southgate’s Aston Villa roots the reason behind the Wolves player in the video below being overlooked?…

Per SofaScore, Mings won 100% of his aerial duels, registered a 95% passing accuracy, as well as recording one clearance, one tackle, and one interception.

Michael Keane was the man to make way for the Villa star, but after that showing, there’s surely no way Southgate goes back to the Everton defender – especially after fans and pundits alike blasted him for his role in the Czech Republic defeat.

If that’s the case, then it will be a mightily hard task for Coady to even get his name into the England fold. He hasn’t featured at international level since 2013 when he was part of Peter Taylor’s U20 World Cup squad.

It certainly gives Villa some bragging rights over their Midlands rivals too.

After a dire few weeks in which results and performances have left a frown on the faces of Tottenham supporters, they could be in for a surprise treat this evening when they host Red Star Belgrade in the Champions League.

Similarly to last year, the group stage hasn’t gone according to plan early on but playing against the fourth seed team at home should provide a great opportunity to get back to winning ways.

Mauricio Pochettino’s side has a boost, too, in the form of Giovani Lo Celso, who looks set to make his comeback from injury, with a hip problem ruling him out for almost two months.

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The midfielder returned to full training last week and likely brought new life into a camp which seems disheartened currently, with results not going as they wish and leading players suggesting it is a difficult situation to be in.

However, Lo Celso has brought a smile back onto the faces of some players including Davinson Sanchez, and if he can do the same for fans tonight then Spurs should get back on track.

There could be a lot of expectation on the Argentine’s shoulders. The club spent most of the summer trying to bring him in before finally confirming the loan move on deadline day, and the potential £55m price involved suggests he should be a key player.

Added to that, they have had to wait to see what he has to offer due to injury, with short cameos against Newcastle, Man City and Arsenal not enough for him to display his usefulness.

Tonight’s fixture, however, is ideal for allowing him to build-up fitness, and if Spurs are winning by the point of his introduction then that should benefit both Lo Celso and the team.

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…

David Luiz insists he has no plans to leave Arsenal just yet, per ESPN Brasil via Sport Witness.

What’s the word?

The defender joined the Gunners in an £8m deal from Chelsea in the summer.

He has since made a total of eight appearances in the Premier League, even scoring the winner in a narrow 1-0 win over AFC Bournemouth.

And while he says he does not know what will happen in future, having been asked about a potential return to Brazil, he maintains that he has no desire to move away from north London.

He said: “I, today, have no such plan. I don’t have that as a goal. But we never know, football goes very fast.”

He added: “I’m sincere to say that today I don’t have this idea. I have a two-year contract with Arsenal. I have my ambitions and goals here with Arsenal, so I came here. But we never know in the future.”

Seasoned winner

One has to imagine that Luiz is hoping to win trophies with Arsenal, having hinted towards his “ambitions and goals”.

The defender has won trophies at Benfica, PSG and Chelsea, including the Primeira Liga, Ligue 1 and the Premier League, one Champions League trophy and two Europa Leagues.

He is exactly the kind of character that the Gunners need and bringing him into the club was a major step forward.

And with him insisting that he is planning on sticking around for some time, his influence will be felt by the youngsters such as Bukayo Saka, Emile Smith-Rowe and Gabriel Martinelli.

His words, then, will be a boost for those looking for the Gunners to continue improving under Emery.

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…

Wolves sporting director Kevin Thelwell has commented on the situation surrounding young midfielder Morgan Gibbs-White by claiming that a loan move wouldn’t be right for him this season.

What’s he said?

Speaking at the recent fans parliament, Thelwell was questioned about the plans regarding their talented development squad ahead of January with the 45-year-old also talking about Gibbs-White, who is one of their only success stories to date.

He claimed that there could be several emerging prospects that could benefit from a loan move in the upcoming transfer window, but the 19-year-old is not one of them.

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Currently, the midfield starlet has been battling injury, although, that hasn’t taken away from the fact that he’s played just 120 minutes in the Premier League this season with the bulk of his appearances coming in their Europa League campaign – 63.5% to be precise, per Transfermarkt.

Thelwell said:

“We see him as a very, young player who will add more game time this season with us in Europe. I don’t think he has stalled at all. He’s in the right place with Nuno. He’s a top talent and going to be a fantastic player.”

Career in jeopardy?

The England U21 international has played 63 matches for the Wolves senior side since making his debut in January 2017, but just nine of those appearances have come this season.

Therefore, to say that he hasn’t ‘stalled’ is a little too premature as he’s clearly not been involved as much as he used to be regardless of being out injured right now – he’s been named on the bench in the Premier League six times without featuring.

By not playing, the youngster’s progression as a footballer will only be hindered long-term as he’s not getting valuable game time at the level in which Wolves are competing.

A loan move could do him a world of good, and if his performances gain some traction, he could easily return and become a regular in Nuno Santo’s future plans.

It would be a wise decision because he isn’t going to break into that long-term vision by not playing – he currently can’t prove anything to his manager as to why he should actually be involved other than when on the training pitch.

Gibbs-White won’t be short of suitable teams either considering he’s the sort of character that puts himself forward for captaincy on the international stage.

Leeds United fans on Twitter want to see Patrick Bamford and Eddie Nketiah on the pitch together after Marcelo Bielsa said that he could do just that by playing one behind the other.

The Argentine didn’t say that he was going to experiment with this tactic, but fans certainly want to see the Whites give it a go.

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If Bielsa is to use that tactic it won’t be this weekend as he revealed that Bamford has an ankle injury ahead of the QPR game.

With Bamford continuously being praised for his work rate and pressing it makes sense to want him on the pitch, but it’s almost impossible to make a case for keeping Nketiah on the bench.

He’s Leeds’ top scorer in all competitions and he’s been scoring at a rate of one goal every 88.3 minutes in the Championship this term.

Here’s what the Elland Road faithful have been saying on Twitter…

This article is part of Football FanCast’s The Chalkboard series, which provides a tactical insight into teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

Giovani Lo Celso enjoyed an excellent full debut for Tottenham Hotspur as they ran out comfortable 4-0 winners over Red Star Belgrade on Wednesday evening.

On the chalkboard

The Argentina international started the game in Serbia and turned in a tidy, assiduous performance in an initially raucous atmosphere.

Signed from Real Betis on an initial loan deal in the summer, Lo Celso opened the scoring with a clever volleyed finish and did not stop working throughout the encounter prior to his substitution.

Per WhoScored, Lo Celso had 102 touches of the ball, more than any other player on the pitch, and registered a 90% pass completion rate from 79 passes. Of the players to start the game for Spurs, only Moussa Sissoko, Juan Foyth and Dele Alli’s numbers were higher.

Lo Celso also laid on two key passes, had three shots on goal and won five of the five tackles he attempted from his position on the right of midfield. His tackle count was higher than any other player on the pitch, including both sets of defenders.

In addition to that, he also won the one aerial duel he contested and was never once dispossessed.

Keep him in the team

Lo Celso adds so much to this Spurs team.

Not only is he a creator who can play his team-mates into remarkably dangerous positions, he is also a grafter, a player who will sprint up and down the pitch again and again.

That he made more challenges than any player on the pitch is a testament to that and underlines the fact that he can influence the game at both ends of the pitch.

It is a far cry, too, from Christian Eriksen’s displays. The other attacking midfielder, who was initially benched against Red Star before coming on to score his side’s fourth goal, did not make a single tackle against either Everton or Liverpool while registering just one key pass in each game.

Lo Celso’s performance was a breath of fresh air, as he continually looked to make a serious impression for his new club.

If he keeps this up, Eriksen may well end up with splinters from sitting on that bench too long.

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…

Helder Costa had another rather ineffective game for Leeds this weekend against Blackburn Rovers.

Unfortunately, it was another week without a goal or an assist for the Portuguese winger, and his WhoScored stats show a rather sorry state of affairs as the winger seems to be trying too hard to do everything by himself.

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We understand that players will want to try and play through these types of ruts, but sometimes it’s best to go back to basics.

As you can see, Costa was attempting to do a lot of work by himself, he completed more successful dribbles than anyone else on the pitch, but he also had a substantial number of unsuccessful touches.

Unfortunately, the Wolves loanee didn’t make enough happen when he was on the ball as he had only one shot, which was off target, and played just one key pass.

As a winger whose strengths lie in is his ability to beat a man, you’d expect Costa to put in a lot of crosses, but he failed to deliver a single accurate ball into the box on Saturday against the Lancashire outfit.

It’s been said in the past by Bielsa that Costa’s pace and power isn’t suited to his system, but it seems as if the 25-year-old hasn’t listened to his manager’s comments as he’s seemingly aimlessly persevering by running at defences and continuously making very little actually happen.

His stats aren’t indicative of a terrible performance, but they do show that his style of play isn’t the way forward as his incessant dribbling doesn’t lead to many shots at goal, and as an attacking player that should always be the aim.

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…

It’s the curse of punching above your weight in the Premier League.

As soon as you start doing well, people just want to tear you apart and flog off your best pieces to someone else. That’s exactly the situation that Leicester City right-back Ricardo Pereira finds himself in after recent comments by Jason Cundy.

What’s he said?

Speaking on talkSPORT’s Drive, former Tottenham Hotspur defender Cundy spoke about just how well he’s been playing not just this season, but in the past as well, and how bigger clubs should be looking at going after him.

“He’s a perfect example of what a modern day right-back is, they’re not just a defender. Leicester are incredibly fortunate to have him. That’s the player that Spurs should be having at right-back”.

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Giving yourself a choice

This touches on a similar theme we discussed on FFC last week about Brendan Rodgers when he was being talked about as possibly taking over at Arsenal at some point in the future.

If Leicester are serious about their future and turning the club into one of the established ‘big sides’ in the Premier League, they need to lock down as many of these players down on long term contracts as possible, with the right-back being chief amongst them.

We’ve spoken before about how important someone like Pereira has been to the Foxes. However, if they want to keep him away from the prying eyes, they should give him a new contract to either keep him here for the foreseeable future, or at the very least so that anyone who does want to sign him, has to fork out an extortionate fee in the same way Manchester United did for Harry Maguire in the summer.

Either way it gives them a little bit of leeway when it comes to navigating the future of the team, a backup plan if you will.

Leicester have shown that they can easily substitute their ‘top players’ over the years if they have to, like replacing N’Golo Kante with Wilfred Ndidi so whilst they have a star on their hands in Pereira, at least they give themselves a bit of a chance to find the next one with plenty of funds at their disposal.

Whilst his contract runs out in 2023, and he’s currently on £70k per week (via SportRac), neither of them should be a deterrent to offering up a new deal. This past summer, Fulham signed Tom Cairney and Aleksandar Mitrovic to new deals even though their terms at the time ran out in 2023.

An increase in salary would be a great way of sweetening the deal and rewarding him for his performances since he signed. Whether his future is at the King Power or elsewhere, at least give yourself a little bit more power when the time does come around.