All posts by h716a5.icu

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Leeds may have come through their potential tricky Carabao Cup tie with Salford but there was still room for a customary Kiko Casilla error.

The Whites won 3-0 with Casilla making five saves on his way to keeping a clean sheet, but it didn’t come without one sloppy mistake.

The Spaniard came to claim a free-kick but missed everything as the ball was fortunately hacked away before it crossed the line by Gaetano Berardi.

As a result, the 32-year-old took a host of criticism on Twitter. One fan said he wasn’t even good enough for Sunday League sides whilst a further individual labelled him embarrassing and dangerous.

Another supporter said he was a disaster waiting to happen as another called him a maniac.

Check out Leeds 1-1 Forest through the eyes of rival vloggers in the video below…

Casilla arrived from Real Madrid last January but has delivered some questionable displays since arriving at Elland Road.

One of his worst performances came in the playoffs as a calamitous error when clashing with Liam Cooper allowed Derby to score.

Despite making a succession of saves against Salford it still doesn’t appear as though he’s learned his lesson when it comes to positioning.

Here’s the best of the reaction.

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West Brom host Reading tonight as the fourth gameweek of the Championship season comes to a climax.

Slaven Bilic’s men are unbeaten in their three games so far this season with two victories and one draw.

Their most recent fixture saw them come from behind to defeat Luton Town on Saturday and the way the outcome panned out surely gave the Croatian plenty to think about going into this fixture.

Summer signing Kenneth Zohore remains goalless having played a part in all three Championship matches whilst three of their deadline day arrivals came off the bench to play their part at the weekend in Charlie Austin, Grady Diangana and Matheus Pereira.

So, will the Croatian stick with a similar lineup or give an opportunity to those that began the game on the bench? Here’s our predicted XI:

West Brom’s back five should remain the same, they are unbeaten after all – that means goalkeeper Sam Johnstone keeps his spot between the sticks with Kyle Bartley and Semi Ajayi at centre-back with young Nathan Ferguson and Kieran Gibbs on either side.

The midfield trio of Filip Krovinovic, Romaine Sawyers and Jake Livermore have impressed this season, all averaging above a passing success rate of 85% or better – not that they have many other options to choose from anyway.

Watch West Bromwich Albion Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

If any changes are to be made they are likely to be in attack.

Austin is in line for his full starting debut in the Championship after the lacklustre exploits of zero-goal forward Zohore.

He should get support from super-sub Diangana whose performance practically won them the game on Saturday – coming on a half-time, the 21-year-old scored two and earned a WhoScored rating of 8.81.

Matt Phillips who was a favourite under Darren Moore, making 25 starts last season, could make way on the right to facilitate the Hammers loanee.

Though, Kyle Edwards could keep his place on the other side with Chris Willock playing for the under-23s in midweek.

Whilst Pereira looks to be utilised as a backup option for the time being having come off the bench just twice across the Championship and the Carabao Cup.

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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…

Talking to episode 65 of the Inside Elland Road podcast, produced by Yorkshire Evening Post, Graham Smyth has provided his thoughts on Eddie Nketiah, seemingly being left in awe of the striker.

What’s he said?

Leeds were beaten for the very first time this season on Tuesday evening as they suffered defeat at the hands of Stoke in the Carabao Cup.

3-0 victors over the same opposition last weekend, a significantly different team then lost on penalties after coming from 2-0 down.

Nketiah once again got a chance to show what he can do and managed to get the Whites back into the tie with a strike in the second half.

His performance drew praise from YEP journalist Smyth who was quick to label his qualities and hail the way he’s been treated by supporters so far. He told the Inside Elland Road podcast:

“You would be forgiven if you were an alien or someone who didn’t like football and came to the match last night, the way he is greeted every time he gets the ball or anytime he does anything, you’d think this guy is a legend here, there’s probably a statue for him.

“He’s not just quick, he’s strong as well, he can finish, he looks like a great option for Leeds and a bit of a luxury from the bench.”

Nketiah impressing

The 20-year-old’s arrival at Leeds was rather timely. Kemar Roofe had departed for Anderlecht which left the Whites facing a season with just Patrick Bamford up top.

He has been brilliant in the opening weeks of the season, scoring four goals in five matches but Nketiah is well and truly keeping him on his heels, earning apparent legendary status, as Smyth puts it, from supporters during his first weeks at the club.

It’s easy to see why there is such an appeal too. Nketiah works hard and that was evident from the way he burst forward to get on the score sheet against Brentford.

Scoring a late goal is always sure to go down well and this was no different as the forward sent Elland Road into ecstasy after winning the game with nine minutes left in their clash with the Bees.

He’s had a fabulous start to his Leeds career and already has three goals despite only starting twice.

Nketiah got off the mark against Salford from a Helder Costa cross before the same combination was on hand versus Brentford.

The forward then confidently poked the ball past Jack Butland, scoring a simple chance in their defeat to Stoke.

So far, he has been the perfect back-up striker to Bamford.

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West Ham United fans have wished Michail Antonio well after he updated them on his injury recovery on Twitter.

The winger sustained a hamstring injury in the 2-0 EFL Cup win over Newport County last month.

He has subsequently undergone surgery in an attempt to correct the issue and The London Evening Standard reports that he could miss four months of action, ruling him out until 2020.

He posted on Twitter, however, that he is confident of making a swift return to action with the Irons.

He said: “Thanks for all the messages of support. This injury is nothing to a beast, I’ll be back bigger, better, faster and stronger.”

Watch West Ham United Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

And supporters are hopeful that the 29-year-old will be back sooner rather than later.

Indeed, his injury has left the club rather short in the forward positions, with Manuel Pellegrini having just Sebastian Haller and Albian Ajeti, both of them summer signings, to call upon, though winger Andriy Yarmolenko is capable of playing through the middle.

Take a look at the best of the reaction below!

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When your best striker finished last season with just 15 goals to his name, you know you’ve got some serious issues. Manchester United’s miserable campaign last year seemed to be perfectly encapsulated by their struggles in front of goal, and their work in the summer transfer window has only served to heighten the feeling they simply don’t have enough firepower.

Romelu Lukaku left to join Serie A giants Inter Milan in a £73m deal after just two years at Old Trafford, whilst Alexis Sanchez joined the Belgian in making the move to the San Siro. They may not have had the best of times last season, but they represented the only members of the squad with a proven track-record of finding the back of the net.

But with both now gone, the Red Devils have really left themselves in the lurch. The club have been blessed with some extraordinary options up front over the past couple of decades, but the potency that characterised previous eras is non-existent in 2019.

Be warned United fans, this won’t make for pretty reading.

1998/1999

In arguably United’s finest season in recent memory, Ferguson’s side did the remarkable by winning the Premier League, FA Cup and the Champions League in one season. Andy Cole and Dwight Yorke’s strike partnership was crucial to United’s success, as the duo struck up an almost telepathic understanding.

But as legend tells us, United’s two biggest heroes of the campaign were Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Teddy Sheringham – the super-subs who came on to turn the Champions League final on its head against Bayern Munich. It spoke to the depth of options Sir Alex had that his ‘second-choice’ front-line were the biggest reason behind them clinching the biggest trophy of them all.

2007/2008

When you’ve got Cristiano Ronaldo in your ranks, you’re bound to have a decent season. The Juventus forward was approaching the peak years of his career, and his total of 42 goals for the season made up half of what United’s strikers scored as a whole (84). Whilst the Portuguese superstar was undoubtedly the headline act, both Wayne Rooney and Carlos Tevez played their supporting roles superbly well.

Rooney’s 14 assists for the season pointed to how the former England international was more than content to play second-fiddle, whilst Tevez brought his much-heralded tenacity and energy whenever he stepped onto the pitch. Ferguson had a forward-line that essentially possessed it all. Pace, power, movement and clinical finishing.

2012/2013

In what turned out to be Sir Alex’s final year in charge at Old Trafford, United’s big signing of the season, Robin van Persie, carried the Red Devils to yet another Premier League title. The Dutchman arrived from rivals Arsenal in the summer transfer window, and proved exactly why the club brought him in.

In essence, the 2012/2013 campaign mirrored that of the year in which Ronaldo led United to the Champions League. Van Persie played the Ronaldo role with his sheer volume of goals, Rooney was the selfless Rooney once more, and Javier Hernandez did what Tevez did by giving United an extra goal-scoring option either off the bench or as a starter. It was the perfect symbol of how a well coordinated attack should look like.

2018/2019

Oh boy. To put this miserable-looking chart into perspective, United’s combined total of 42 goals from their four leading options up front was the exact same that Ronaldo managed all on his own in the 2008/2009 campaign.

Whether it was with Jose Mourinho at the helm, or with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, the Red Devils looked a shadow of their former selves. Whilst the former appeared to favour Lukaku as the side’s focal point, the latter wanted to inject more pace and movement, and opted to play Marcus Rashford as the number nine. Two different systems, the same end result. Nada.

Verdict

For all the criticism directed at Lukaku, the Belgian was hardly woeful. His time at Everton underlined his proficiency, and Solskjaer was arguably too quick to judge him for a relatively poor campaign last year. The season before, the 26-year-old bagged 27 goals and recorded nine assists.

Everybody involved in football, however, appear to have such short-term memories that those achievements rapidly became irrelevant.

United’s strike-force collectively failed last season. ‘Scape-goating’ Lukaku as the reason behind that seems incredibly short-sighted on Solskjaer’s part. Alexis Sanchez’s loan exit further undermines the strength in depth the Red Devils have up front.

The club with 20 titles to their name now boast an attacking front-line of Rashford, Anthony Martial and a 17-year-old Mason Greenwood, who has yet to score a competitive goal for the senior side. How the mighty have fallen.

Lukaku may well have been a flat-track bully, but at least he was a guarantee of a set amount of goals every season.

United’s hastiness in getting rid of him just looks all the more foolish when you consider the lack of firepower residing within the ranks.

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Manchester United could be about to have a precarious situation on their hands, depending on how manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer manages it.

Their centre-back Marcos Rojo has issued an ultimatum ahead of the January transfer window, which is merely stating that if he isn’t played, then he must be let go.

The Argentina international has made just 63 starts in the Premier League since joining the club back in 2014 from Sporting Lisbon and is yet to feature this season.

In the summer, a move to Premier League rivals Everton fell through and with the club splashing out £80m on Harry Maguire, his long-term future at the Red Devils appears to be wearing thin.

Some of the Old Trafford faithful shared their thoughts on Twitter on the 29-year-old’s recent comments.

One supporter said it was happy days and that he should be let go for £10-15m whilst another added that it should have been years ago considering how injury prone he is.

Rojo’s comments have been sparked by his lack of involvement at international level after missing out on Argentina’s Copa America squad in the summer whilst he didn’t feature this week in their 0-0 friendly against Chile.

Here’s the best of the reaction:

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Former England international Dean Ashton has been speaking to Football League World about Charlton’s impressive start to the season, although he has one concern regarding the Addicks.

Lee Bowyer has overseen a wonderful return to life in the Championship for the south Londoners, guiding them to four wins and two draws from their opening seven games having won the League One playoffs last term.

Their unbeaten start to the campaign was ended by Birmingham at The Valley last time out thanks to 16-year-old Jude Bellingham’s goal, a match in which Ashton’s one concern was evidenced.

What did he say?

Ashton said: “It wouldn’t surprise me if Lee Bowyer did manage to keep them there.

“The way he’s built the team and got them playing is good, and I think a lot will just come down to Lyle Taylor.

“If they can keep him fit to score the goals to keep them up there they’ll be looking strong because defensively they’ve looked pretty good as well.”

Ashton’s concern evidenced vs Birmingham 

In the 1-0 loss to Birmingham, Lyle Taylor was missing after sustaining an injury while on international duty with Montserrat.

Ashton states that “a lot” will come down to the 29-year-old staying fit and scoring the goals, and that much was certainly evident against the Midlands-based side.

With Tomer Hemed starting in Taylor’s absence, the Israel international struggled to replicate the former Millwall man’s impact.

Taylor has five goals and an assist in six Championship games so far this term, and his efficiency in attack will be key to Charlton’s hopes of success this season.

Bowyer’s men don’t often have unlimited chances – they managed just three shots to Brentford’s 21 in the 1-0 win over the Bees earlier this term – so having someone to finish off a rare chance is vital.

Against Birmingham, they didn’t have that man in Hemed, whereas his strike partner Jonathan Leko had no shots on target.

Taylor is unquestionably the side’s talisman, and Ashton is spot on in saying the Addicks need to keep him fit – the dire attacking performance against Birmingham proved just how key the 29-year-old is.

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Real Madrid defied the odds last weekend when they travelled to Sevilla and snatched all three points with a narrow 1-0 victory over their hosts.

By all means, this was a triumph worth celebrating.

After all, this was Los Blancos’ first victory away at Sevilla in four years, which is an incredible piece of information in itself.

Watch Spanish Football Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

But one other thing made it even more satisfying than it already was – the Galacticos finally managed to keep a clean sheet, their first one in the ongoing 2019/20 campaign, to the delight of supporters.

They quickly jumped to social media and Twitter to celebrate the achievement and many of them were seemingly over the moon about it.

And no one can really blame them, especially considering the venue and the opposition on the other side of the pitch.

You can see some of their replies in the collection of tweets down below. Take a look!

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Aston Villa fans criticised striker Wesley after another goalless performance on Saturday.

Dean Smith’s men drew 2-2 with Burnley at Villa Park, with Anwar El Ghazi and John McGinn on the scoresheet.

Villa paid a club-record fee for Wesley in the summer, spending more than £18m on the striker.

However, he has scored twice in seven games thus far and was particularly absent against Sean Dyche’s men.

Per WhoScored, he failed to have a single shot on goal and touched the ball a mere 18 times throughout his time on the pitch.

And some fans have called for him to be dropped; 21-year-old Keinan Davis has been suggested as a potential alternative by a certain section of supporters.

He has just 41 minutes of Premier League football to his name this season but has made a total of 49 appearances for the club, scoring four goals and registering five assists.

Take a look at the best of the reaction 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…

Sadio Mane cost Southampton just £10m.

When you think of the Senegal international’s excellent record at St Mary’s – he hit 25 goals and recorded 14 assists in 75 games – that simply has to go down as one of the best deals in the Saints’ history.

Of course, inflation makes that deal seem a lot cheaper than it would now be in modern day football, but it was still a phenomenal piece of deadline day business by the south coast club – they even grabbed Toby Alderweireld on the same day.

Surely, one would assume that a deal like the Mane one won’t be seen again for a while at St Mary’s, right?

Well, Ralph Hasenhuttl may have emulated the feat with a shrewd piece of business back in the summer.

£15m was sent in the direction of Standard Liege to secure the services of exciting young forward Moussa Djenepo in what seemed a relatively low-key move for an unknown quantity.

The 21-year-old has enjoyed a brilliant start to his Southampton career since arriving in the Premier League, scoring two goals in three league appearances for the club.

You may be thinking: “Hang on, how are you even mentioning Djenepo and Mane in the same breath?”

But Hasenhuttl himself even told the BBC: “He has a few qualities we saw when Sadio was here at Southampton. He is very quick and his movements are phenomenal.”

Some supporters on Twitter have even made the comparison:

On the basis that Mane is a Champions League winning, UEFA Super Cup and Premier League Golden Boot winning forward, whereas Djenepo is an inexperienced, unknown quantity, you’d be forgiven for thinking the comparison is premature.

However, if you were to compare their early Premier League careers and their playing styles, there is definitely reason to suggest that they are similar players with comparable attributes, both signed for a bargain price.

Both men tend to line up on the left wing, where they enjoy cutting in onto their stronger right foot and having a go at goal – it should also be noted that they are both rapid, direct and nimble players.

Also, both men arrived on these shores with relatively low profiles, with Mane only previously dazzling in the not-so-well-documented Austrian league for RB Salzburg where he hit 45 goals in 87 appearances, whereas Djenepo found some decent form in Belgium with Standard Liege.

That both players moved to the Premier League at relatively young ages – Mane was 22 and Djenepo just 21 – adds another weight to the comparison.

To quickly emphasise Djenepo’s potential, it took Mane 13 Premier League games to score two goals, with his first coming against Stoke on the 25th October 2014, and the next coming against Crystal Palace on Boxing Day of that same year; Djenepo matched that total in just his first three games.

They haven’t just been tap-ins either – far from it.

The Mali international scored an absolutely delightful goal on his second appearance for the Saints, nonchalantly curling an effort into the top-right corner against Brighton to hand his side the lead and ultimately the win.

In his next appearance, Djenepo scored the only goal of the game to grab another three points against Sheffield United with yet another wonderful individual effort.

The young forward twisted away from Oliver Norwood with an extravagant piece of skill, before bearing down on goal and dropping a shoulder to work the angle – he then finished with precision into the bottom left corner.

It goes without saying that the 8-cap international has a long way to go if he wants to emulate Mane’s achievements in the game, although the early signs are extremely encouraging.

Southampton would surely have to work a miracle to repeat the genius of the Mane deal, wouldn’t they?

Perhaps Hasenhuttl has already overseen that masterstroke.