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…

Having strengthened their squad with the additions of Che Adams and Moussa Djenepo – as well as Danny Ings’ permanent move being confirmed – earlier in the summer, it has been a quiet time for Southampton more recently in the transfer market.

The Telegraph reported when they were on the verge of signing Adams that their next priority was a new centre-back, with a wing-back another position mentioned, but with just two weeks until the transfer window shuts there is no sign of anyone yet – or any rumours surrounding potential targets, in fact.

That may well be down to the fact that they have so far been unable to shift some of the players they are keen to move on, including Mario Lemina, Charlie Austin and Guido Carrillo.

Those three have been frozen out of the club’s pre-season preparations to date, while others that the south coast outfit are reportedly willing to listen to offers for – such as Cedric Soares, Wesley Hoedt, Sofiane Boufal and Fraser Forster – have still been heavily involved with the rest of the first-team squad which perhaps suggests they could still have a future under Ralph Hasenhuttl.

So, if Saints fail to make another addition by the close of play on August 8, what could their 25-man Premier League squad for the 2019/20 season look like?

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Firstly, it’s important to remember that anyone born after January 1, 1998 doesn’t count as part of the list, which automatically excludes Djenepo, Michael Obafemi, Yan Valery and Jake Vokins among others.

As things stand and if no more signings occur, here are the players that could make the Autrian manager’s selection when he has to submit his list following the closure of the transfer window.

Goalkeepers

Angus Gunn

Alex McCarthy

Fraser Forster

Defenders

Ryan Bertrand

Sam McQueen

Jannik Vestergaard

Maya Yoshida

Jan Bednarek

Wesley Hoedt

Jack Stephens

Cedric Soares

Midfielders

Oriol Romeu

James Ward-Prowse

Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg

Stuart Armstrong

Harrison Reed

Attackers

Nathan Redmond

Danny Ings

Moi Elyounoussi

Che Adams

Shane Long

Josh Sims

Sofiane Boufal

Marcus Barnes

That list totals 24 names, which shows there is still room for a new addition over the age of 21 – as long as Austin, Lemina and Carrillo go or aren’t included if they stay.

Hasenhuttl admitted to BBC Radio Solent (11:25) recently that he wouldn’t be scared if he started the new campaign with the squad that he has now, but the overriding feeling among the St Mary’s faithful is that a new centre-back is imperative.

An interesting fortnight ahead, then.

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This article is part of Football FanCast’s Transfer Focus series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent transfer news…

According to BBC Sport, Arsenal prospect Xavier Amaechi has completed a move to German side Hamburg on a four-year deal.

What’s the word?

The 18-year-old was a notable absentee from Arsenal’s pre-season tour to the USA this summer, and it was understood that it was down to his uncertain contract situation that the decision was taken to leave him at home.

The starlet had just one year remaining on his existing deal and had shown no willingness to sign an extension over concerns that his pathway into the first-team was not clear-cut.

Now, the report has confirmed that Amaechi has joined Hamburg for a reported £2.25m plus performance-related add-ons, whilst the Gunners have a sell-on clause but no buy-back option on the winger.

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Not the end of the world

Amaechi had been one of Arsenal’s most highly-rated academy players for some time, but his contract stand-off certainly didn’t help him convince the Gunners hierarchy that he was deserving of a first-team place.

Instead, 17-year-old Bukayo Saka seemingly overtook him in the pecking order, so much so that Unai Emery took him on this summer’s pre-season tour and gave him a prominent role. Indeed, other than Saka, the Gunners also have the likes of Reiss Nelson and Gabriel Martinelli amongst their books as young and exciting wide options, so the talent is certainly there.

It is near enough impossible to keep everyone happy, and as the old saying goes, you win some and you lose some. Whilst Amaechi’s exit may initially be seen as a disappointing loss, the Gunners’ burgeoning academy will certainly help to erase any painful memories.

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Everton could lose out on Barcelona winger Malcom to Zenit St. Petersburg, according to Calcio Napoli 24.

The Russian outfit are said to have offered €45m (£41m), while Everton have only gone as far as €40m (£36.5m) as of yet.

The route from Camp Nou to Goodison Park has been a well-trodden one, with Lucas Digne, Andre Gomes and Yerry Mina all having made the move, though it seems Malcom will not be following them.

Malcom started nine competitive games for Barcelona and came on as a substitute for 10 last season, scoring three goals and assisting twice, as per WhoScored, while he also contributed 0.9 key passes and 0.7 dribbles to the club’s attack.

One of those goals and both assists came in the league, which saw the Brazilian get a goal contribution every 202.7 minutes.

In comparison, Theo Walcott, Everton’s main right-winger last season, started 24 Premier League games and came off the bench for 15, scoring five goals and assisting two, giving him a goal contribution every 303.4 minutes.

He also only made 0.6 key passes and 0.8 dribbles per game.

Obviously, Malcom was never likely to be the focal point of the Barca attack considering some of the talent available to the Blaugrana but his numbers last season weren’t better than the current options.

So, when the potential fee being paid is considered, they may want to focus on other areas considering the fact they also boast Bernard who’s attacking output was better than his countryman. Indeed, Bernard averaged 1.2 key passes per game and 1.2 dribbles a game and the seemingly imminent transfer of Moise Kean could afford Richarlison the chance to revert to a wing role, further bolstering the ranks.

Will Everton regret not signing Malcom? Join the discussion by commenting below…

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The Rangers starting XI for the crucial FC Midtjylland Europa League qualifier has been announced and the fans aren’t sure what to think.

Steven Gerrard’s men travel to Denmark tonight for the first leg of the penultimate knockout phase before the Europa League group stages. The Gers know that should they progress through the two-legged affair, they’ll face either of Legia Warsaw or Atromitos in the next round.

The headline news from the selection is the return of Jon Flanagan, who’ll get his first minutes of the season at left-back.

He takes the place of Borna Barisi,c who was poor in the last round of qualifying, according to the fans themselves. Gerrard also starts with Alfredo Morelos up top after there had been speculation of a bid from West Brom earlier today, per The Daily Record.

The fans are particularly pleased to see Flanagan back in the line-up, particularly if it means not seeing Barisic.

Here are the best fan reactions to Gerrard’s line-up for the crunch tie on Twitter:

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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…

Aston Villa’s former captain Ron Vlaar has had his say on his time in the West Midlands, giving a damning indictment of the situation the club found itself in, speaking to The Athletic.

What’s he said?

Vlaar joined the club in 2012 from Eredivisie outfit Feyenoord and soon became the captain after the unfortunate circumstances of Stiliyan Petrov who was battling cancer.

The 34-year-old, who is still playing football for AZ Alkmaar, made 88 appearances at Villa Park before leaving in the summer of 2015.

The following season, Villa were relegated from the Premier League after finishing bottom and it certainly wasn’t a surprise for Vlaar who offered an incredible insight into what happened. He told The Athletic:

“I was fighting with myself because of the lack of direction and I wanted to see some more of my team-mates trying to improve their game.

“I missed the hunger from those around me to improve. There wasn’t much extra training or effort, and if some of [the players] didn’t play, they were disappointed and their laziness started to show.

“It’s not a coincidence Villa went down because there were no investments towards the end, either. It wasn’t going to change. I wasn’t surprised when Aston Villa were relegated.”

Things are different now under Dean Smith

Vlaar’s comments only highlight how things have changed in the space of just five years.

Lacking direction, laziness and no investment – three things you’d hardly associate with this current Villa crop and that’s all down to Dean Smith and his team.

They are now playing a more attacking and direct style of football that requires the energetic sort of player – any laziness in this squad isn’t going to get you very far.

The club’s owners have also splashed out around £144.5m on 12 summer arrivals, demonstrating that a lack of investment now certainly isn’t an issue.

Against Tottenham on the opening weekend, a team who themselves play a fast-paced passing game, Villa recorded 78.1% passing success rate which isn’t too shabby considering the quality of opposition and ranked 13th for teams in the division last week.

The difference in their play was summed up by the 210 short passes they made against Spurs, detailing the hard work put in during training.

Last season in their Championship playoff-winning campaign, Smith’s side were the third best in terms of passing success averaging 79.8% for the season so it only goes some way in showing how a lackadaisical attitude has been fully transformed in the West Midlands.

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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 unbeaten in four Championship games so far this season with two home draws and two away wins.

Baggies boss Slaven Bilic has mainly deployed his preferred 4-2-3-1 formation so far with eight players starting every game possible.

The two at the base of the midfield are included in that – both summer arrival Romaine Sawyers and Jake Livermore, who has been at the club since 2017.

In pre-season, the Croatian revealed that youngsters Kyle Edwards and Rekeem Harper would be a key part of his plans, he said:

“Young players go up and down, but we need him. We need Rekeem [Harper], we need Kyle Edwards too.”

Yet the former hasn’t really had a say on the pitch this term.

A few weeks before those comments, the 19-year-old signed a new contract keeping him at the Hawthorns until 2022 and he also wasn’t loaned out this transfer window.

Watch the video below to find out how CR7 achieves some his best skills…

On the Chalkboard

Harper played 16 times in the Championship last season but has been restricted to just six minutes in the league, coming on as a substitute on the opening day.

He has since been named on the bench just once meaning he hasn’t even been part of the matchday squad for games against Luton Town or Reading on Wednesday night.

Sawyers and Livermore have impressed as the anchoring duo in midfield with both players averaging a 92.1% and 87% passing success rate respectively, as per WhoScored.

It would be understandable to see why Harper hasn’t been able to break into the starting XI on that basis but it is rather bizarre that the young prospect hasn’t even featured on the bench in the last few games.

It raises question marks over whether or not his development should have been focused elsewhere just like it has with Sam Field and Jonathan Leko, who have both gone on loan to Charlton Athletic.

His progress is at risk of being stalled especially as he doesn’t look to be getting any match experience anytime soon.

It remains to be seen whether there are any underlying concerns such as an injury, especially as he didn’t feature for the U23s at the start of the week – yet summer singing Chris Willock did.

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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…

Former player Stan Collymore is excited about Liverpool’s prospects in the future due to the quality of the young players already at the club.

What did he say

Liverpool took a different approach to transfers this summer and with Jurgen Klopp not looking to add to his first-team squad, young players with the potential to develop were the focus of the club.

Harvey Elliott and Sepp van den Berg arrived from Fulham and PEC Zwolle respectively, and will feature in Liverpool’s youth set-up until they are considered ready for the step-up to the senior squad.

The club has enjoyed success from its academy in recent years through the emergence of Trent Alexander-Arnold, and Collymore is a big admirer of the right-back.

Speaking on his podcast, The Last Word with Stan Collymore , the former striker picked out three big prospects at the club: “The future is very bright for Liverpool.

Harry Wilson, he’s going to be a massive plus for them and I do wonder, thinking ahead, Harvey Elliott, a young teenager that’s gone to Liverpool, [along with] Harry Wilson – we’ve still got Trent Alexander-Arnold – that when those two guys hopefully go into the Liverpool team, Trent will be a veteran.”

Of the three only Alexander-Arnold has featured for Liverpool in a competitive game, but Wilson is edging closer to first-team involvement and if he does well on loan at Bournemouth this season – which he is currently with two goals in two games – then he could become a part of Klopp’s plans soon.

How important is promoting youth for Liverpool

Compared to clubs like Tottenham and Arsenal there have not been many Liverpool academy products who have worked their way into first-team contention in recent years, but Alexander-Arnold is a shining example of how well it could work.

Big things are expected of Elliott, too. Last season the 16-year-old became the youngest ever player to play in the Premier League after he tallied an impressive record of five goals and three assists in his 12 youth appearances for Fulham.

Klopp has proved he isn’t afraid to hand youth players a chance, last season Ki-Jana Hoever and Curtis Jones featured on the pitch whilst Rhian Brewster was included in the matchday squad against Barcelona and Tottenham in the Champions League.

Judging by their accomplishments so far Collymore is right to name the three players he did, and if Wilson and Elliott emulate the attitude shown by Alexander-Arnold they may not be too far behind him.

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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 talkSPORT, former Crystal Palace chairman Simon Jordan has insisted Manchester United’s “fear factor” at home has disappeared.

What did he say?

United suffered a shock 2-1 defeat to Palace at Old Trafford on Saturday, meaning they have picked up four points from their opening three Premier League games of the season.

Now, Jordan has insisted the ‘Old Trafford fear factor’ has gone, and revealed he didn’t think Solskjaer could truly lead the Red Devils back to their former glories.

Watch Manchester United Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

He said: “Looking at that performance; there is no fear factor, nobody cares about Old Trafford because that image is gone. And I don’t think it is going to come back under the stewardship of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer because part of that image, as we know, was best players winning games.

“But also, was this figure at the very head of Manchester United as a football operation which was (Sir Alex) Ferguson. Are you seriously saying to me that the serious times of Man United, with Liverpool and Man City disappearing into the horizon, that Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is going to operate at the level that is required? I don’t think so!”

Fear factor is long gone

The ‘Old Trafford fear factor’ arguably died the moment Sir Alex Ferguson stepped away from the club. United have simply not been the same since the departure of their iconic boss, and the sheer aura that helped create that presence is sorely missed.

Check out the below above to see football played as you’ve never seen it before… in a maze!

Solskjaer cannot be held accountable for opposition teams finally having the courage to take the game to United. Ferguson left six years ago, and since then, the Red Devils’ dominance has slowly but surely eroded.

The United boss has not been in the job for a full year yet, but there have been glimpses of the kind of team he is looking to build. The performance against Chelsea, and the victories over Tottenham and Arsenal last season, showed the Norwegian there is certainly something to work with.

But make no mistake, this remains a rebuilding job that could take another couple of years. The so-called ‘fear factor’ will simply have to be created from scratch again.

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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… 

Is it any surprise this season that when Patrick Bamford hasn’t been at the races, Leeds have dropped points?

Probably not.

It appears that when Bamford has a bad game, he is particularly poor and even if he showed a willing work rate, his finishing once again let him down on Saturday.

If you consider the bigger picture this season, the 25-year-old has started the campaign in impressive form, scoring four in six outings.

However, despite the striker being a help, he is also a huge hindrance to Leeds.

Going into the new season he had the burden thrust upon him of becoming the club’s leading striker and he’s seemingly taken that on gleefully after Kemar Roofe’s departure.

But he will continue to hurt Leeds, rather than the opposition, unless he improves his composure.

Against Nottingham Forest, a 1-1 draw, he wasted six chances as he hit the woodwork and missed some simple opportunities.

This time, in Leeds’ defeat against Swansea, he wasted four chances.

His performance on this occasion came as an extra concern because of the result. Three of his opportunities were completely off target as he also registered two unsuccessful touches.

Considering he found possession of the ball just 26 times, that is alarming.

Bamford’s failures when it comes to his play in possession has been documented on FFC before but he was rarely involved on Saturday.

His poor performance was summed up by the fact he was dragged off for Eddie Nketiah with as long as 29 minutes to go.

It wasn’t his day and if his inconsistency continues, it could become an issue in Leeds’ race for promotion.

In the tight games, you need big-game players and in two of their toughest tests so far, Bamford hasn’t stood up when it matters.

Perhaps finally opting for two strikers might deter some of the focus away from the 6 foot 1 forward.

After all, the role he had in Nketiah’s goal against Brentford showed the intelligence he displays and the impact he can have even when not scoring.

Yet, against Swansea, this wasn’t on show.

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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…

The January transfer window of 2017 was pivotal for Crystal Palace and still is to this day.

Sam Allardyce managed to sign Luka Milivojevic and Mamadou Sakho, both of whom have worn the armband for the Eagles since arriving, whilst Jeffrey Schlupp and Patrick van Aanholt were also signed for £12m and £14m respectively.

It is the latter two who will be under the microscope today.

Much has been made of van Aanholt’s form this year. Back in March, popular Palace blog HLTCO attempted to find out just where exactly it was the Dutchman was lacking, whilst others on Twitter have been critical of his performances from the current campaign.

One player who does seem to help the former Chelsea and Sunderland man out, however, is Schlupp.

The Ghana international is able to play in a left-forward position, a left centre-midfield position or even at left-back, so when he tends to play ahead of van Aanholt, the left flank seems much safer for the goalscoring full-back to attack at will and keep opposition wingers at bay with Schlupp’s help.

The proof can be found in the Eagles’ results too.

In the first two games of the campaign, Schlupp didn’t make a start and van Aanholt struggled – his awful positioning for Sheffield United’s goal which allowed John Lundstram to tap home was glaring.

In that game against the Blades, the 29-year-old earned a 6.1 match rating from WhoScored, the worst of any player on the pitch.

However, in the two games in which Schlupp has come into the starting XI, the Netherlands international has felt comfortable enough to go forward and score a last-gasp winner at Old Trafford, and also keep a clean sheet against Aston Villa at home.

The Ghanaian has even spoken of his understanding with his teammate, so if that doesn’t support the argument, I don’t know what will.

Without Schlupp, van Aanholt seems exposed, but with the Premier League winner, he appears to be far more comfortable.

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