All posts by z3u9t.icu

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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 Football Insider, Aston Villa are in talks with attacking midfielder Callum O’Hare over a long-term extension to his current contract at Villa Park.

What’s the word?

O’Hare only has one year remaining after the club took up an option of a further year back in April.

It is thought the 21-year-old is highly-rated with those in the Villa hierarchy after coming through the club’s youth setup.

Since making his debut in the Carabao Cup in 2017, O’Hare has made nine first-team appearances for Villa and spent the second half of last season on loan at League Two outfit Carlisle United where he made 16 appearances, scoring three goals and laying on three assists.

It is believed that Dean Smith and Villa would like to tie the youngster down long-term before sending him out on loan again in order to gain further experience in the men’s game.

Watch Aston Villa Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

Wise for all parties

Villa fans saw a glimpse of O’Hare in pre-season but it was always going to be unlikely for the rising starlet to be able to throw his name into first-team contention considering the club’s summer exploits in bringing 12 players in for a combined £144.5m.

He could be one for the future though, so it makes sense to tie him down on a long-term deal, especially as he’s regarded as one of the brightest prospects to come through the academy.

With him unlikely to feature in the Premier League, it makes a loan spell imperative for his development – he’s played a couple of games in the Championship and half a season in League Two so any team in the Football League should do, but the higher up the ladder, the better.

That exposure to the men’s game should be appealing to most teams as a player from a top-flight academy might arrive like a deer stuck in headlights having never played anything outside of youth football.

O’Hare will greatly benefit too as if he impresses there’s a good chance that Smith will look to utilise him in the future, and you’d certainly expect that to be his plan considering they want to tie him down.

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Lots of Manchester United fans have taken to Twitter to reveal that they want James Maddison signed, after the Leicester No.10 grabbed a quite outrageous assist against Sheffield United.

The former Norwich man is reportedly a target for the Red Devils, and proved his creativity against the Blades with an outside-of-the-boot assist that a certain Dennis Bergkamp would’ve been proud of.

The 22-year-old recorded seven goals and seven assists last season in his first ever campaign in the top-flight, following a £20m move from Norwich, and also registered 2.8 key passes per game.

United have had a tough start to the season involving a draw with Wolves and a loss to Crystal Palace, which seems to have led to lots of fans on Twitter calling for the creative playmaker to be signed to bring more ingenuity to the side.

Let’s take a look at some of the tweets from the visibly impressed United fans…

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Rice understands the task ahead of him as he states there are big games coming up.

England face two more European Championship qualifiers, and after winning their first two matches 5-0 and 5-1, two wins over the next few weeks would certainly put them in the driving seat for qualification.

That’s not an easy task though. Although the Three Lions are expected to beat Bulgaria at Wembley, the game against Kosovo could be a tricky one. They haven’t lost a game since late 2017 – a run that stretches back 14 matches.

It’s good to see that Rice isn’t underestimating the opposition, and England can certainly rely on the midfielder to give it his all in these upcoming matches.

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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…

Crystal Palace’s 25-man squad for the Premier League was revealed on Tuesday following the closing of the various European transfer windows on Monday, and it included a whopping and unusual five goalkeepers.

New boy Stephen Henderson joined Wayne Hennessey, Vicente Guaita, Joe Tupper and Dion-Curtis Henry in the list of names, 17 of which must be home-grown.

Of course that doesn’t include their U21 players and scholars who are named on a separate list.

Watch Crystal Palace Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

While the Eagles’ summer transfer window may have ended on something of a high following the arrivals of Jordan Ayew – who has already hit some form – Victor Camarasa, James McCarthy and Gary Cahill, the south London outfit didn’t sort out two of their biggest issues with no striker or right-back arriving at SE25.

That caused a huge outburst of frustration from the Selhurst Park faithful on deadline day, although two successive Premier League wins in recent weeks including solid performances from Joel Ward and Ayew may have countered some of that anger – for now, at least.

The announcement does make the addition of Henderson look strange though given Palace had two other 21-year-old keepers available to them, who surely would have provided able back-up to Guaita and Hennessey if called upon.

The inclusion of five stoppers probably wouldn’t have happened if Palace got what they really looked to need during the summer, and while the wins against Manchester United and Aston Villa have been impressive, the latest squad list only goes to emphasise what we already knew.

Ultimately it wasn’t the best of summers, and the Eagles may well have some work to do in the market come 2020.

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[ad_pod ]Lots of Crystal Palace fans have taken to Twitter in delight after it was confirmed by the club that Shaun Derry had returned to SE25 as Professional Development coach.The 41-year-old had two spells with the Eagles as a player, from 2002-2005 before re-joining in 2008 and leaving for QPR in 2010.

Derry is fondly remembered by the Selhurst Park faithful for his efforts in the second half of the 2009/10 campaign, in which Palace embarked on ‘Survival Sunday’ on the last day at Sheffield Wednesday where the loser would face relegation – with the Eagles in administration, losing that game perhaps would have had more serious consequences.

It was Derry who was in tears on the pitch after Palace managed to survive with a 2-2 draw.

He has since managed Notts County and Cambridge, but had opted to step out of senior management in order to undertake an academy role with the south Londoners.

Let’s take a look at what the delighted Palace fans on Twitter have been saying…

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“Don’t forget about Emile Smith Rowe” were the words muttered by Mesut Ozil over pre-season.

“We know his quality,” the German added. And who better to get praise from than a player who has won the World Cup and multiple major honours throughout his career.

For Smith Rowe, it’s been a difficult 2019. Put out on loan at RB Leipzig in January, he played just three times from the bench after sustaining a groin injury.

That same issue has kept him out of action in 2019/20 and on the theme of Ozil’s words, it might be easy to forget about him.

Certainly for Emery it felt like that at times last term. He was given game time in the Europa League, a tournament the teenager scored twice in.

A new contract was given to the academy graduate in 2018 too but when Arsenal needed wingers in the Premier League, he was a neglected figure.

Smith Rowe is still yet to play in the top-flight, something that’s perhaps rather surprising when you consider Emery’s attention to youth.

This is the manager that has seemingly turned Matteo Guendouzi into a force to be reckoned with. He won his first call-up to the senior French national team at just 20, something that illuminates the progress made since he arrived at Arsenal.

The former PSG boss, coupled with Freddie Ljungberg, is seemingly using this season as a chance to blood the youth.

Joe Willock and Reiss Nelson started the opening two matches together whilst the likes of Bukayo Saka, Robbie Burton, Eddie Nketiah and James Olayinka got opportunities in pre-season.

Smith Rowe didn’t because he was injured but he cannot be further neglected as the season pans out.

Once he returns from injury there is a reason to believe he could challenge someone like Nelson for a starting berth, producing a rivalry for two young players hoping to profit from Henrikh Mkhitaryan’s loan departure.

The Armenian headed to Roma on deadline day of the European window just a day after he’d been utilised as a substitute on the flanks against Tottenham.

With the 30-year-old now out of the equation, there is a real chance for one of these young players to stake a claim.

Also at Emery’s disposal is Gabriel Martinelli who joined in the summer and scored against Colorado Rapids.

His frightening pace was in evidence when he made a late darting run from the halfway line against Fiorentina, demonstrating exactly why he was brought to London.

The Brazilian, Nelson and Saka are three players who could be utilised but seemingly now behind them in the pecking order is Smith Rowe.

His injury has played a major part in that but there was a time in 2018/19 when he might’ve been at the front of the queue instead.

The 19-year-old was mightily impressive in Europe last season, managing 2.3 shots per game according to WhoScored.

He was a regular goal threat and that’s something Arsenal didn’t have in wide areas too much last term, that’s unless Golden Boot winner Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang played there.

In the league, no Gunners wide man scored more than six times.

Nelson netted on seven occasions last term in the Bundesliga, again a healthy return, but there were also problems he had with Julian Nagelsmann when he was left out of the side as an educational measure.

Both players it seems have witnessed some sort of neglect but it is easy to forget about the youngster who had such an impact in the group stages of the Europa League last season.

Watch Arsenal Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

In an interview with the club recently, Emery said: “I want Emile Smith Rowe.”

It’s something that bodes well for the Croydon-born winger but there is still hard work to be done if he’s to get into the team.

Ljungberg has been brought into the Spaniard’s coaching setup to help integrate the younger members of the team into the senior side after his work with the U23s so Smith Rowe should be well placed if you bear that in mind.

This injury was a major setback in a what had been a breakthrough campaign but with Mkhitaryan now out of the question, a return to full fitness would be timely.

His potential rivalry with Nelson and co should be something to relish.

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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…

Barcelona take on Granada this weekend as they return to La Liga action following their Champions League draw with Borussia Dortmund and their success might depend on the performance Sergio Busquets musters up against Yangel Herrera in the middle of the pitch.

On the chalkboard

With only two wins in the ongoing 2019/20 La Liga season under their belts so far, the Blaugrana will be mighty keen to take all three points this weekend.

After all, both Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid are currently above them in the standings; the former are third, with eight points, Atleti are second with nine and Sevilla are top with 10. Barca sit sixth, with seven points.

Watch Spanish Football Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

But slow and steady wins the race, as the saying goes, and Ernesto Valverde’s men will need to start putting a run of form together soon.

Their clash with Granada is an important one, then, and Busquets could play a key role in the result.

Experience vs youth

Not much connects the 31-year-old Busquets to the 21-year-old Herrera other than their positions on the pitch. In fact, they are divided by a decade of football experience and that will certainly play into the veteran’s hands.

But Herrera is a player that Barcelona should watch out for. So far, in the 2019/2020 season, the Venezuelan has been involved in two games for Granada, tallying one goal in the process as opposed to Busquets’ one assist in three appearances.

The 21-year-old is adept defensively, though. He has registered two tackles, 0.5 interceptions and 2.5 clearances per game in La Liga this campaign and has also registered 0.5 blocks. Busquets, on the other hand, has three tackles, 0.7 interceptions, 0.7 clearances and no blocks to his name.

When it comes to the attacking phase of the game, however, both players have slightly lower contributions. Herrera has 0.5 shots and one key pass per game while his weekend opponent has 0.3 shots and 1.7 key passes per game.

From the looks of things, this battle might be decided by who can defend and disrupt their opposition better from deeper midfield positions, providing the springboard for their side to move forward.

Will it be Herrera who will leads Granada to a massive upset or will Busquets help Barcelona’s return to winning ways?

We’ll find out pretty soon.

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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…

QPR boss Mark Warburton has found a way to help the previously faltering Yoann Barbet get through matches with his clever tactical tweak.

What’s the word?

In the first five league games of the season, the former Brentford boss adopted a 4-2-3-1 formation, which came with mixed results.

The R’s earned two wins, two losses and a draw while using the system, and summer signing Barbet, in particular, appeared to struggle in the system.

Signed from Brentford, the 26-year-old gave away two penalties at the start of the campaign. He said: “I gave away two penalties in the last five years, I think, and then I gave away two in four games against Huddersfield and Swansea. It’s obviously not what I wanted.”

What’s changed?

In the last three Championship outings, Warburton has used a 5-3-2 formation, a tweak which has merited three consecutive wins – the R’s have actually won their last four league games, but the first of those was with the 4-2-3-1.

In Barbet’s case, the mistakes have disappeared from his game almost entirely in the new formation.

It seems as though having Toni Leistner and Grant Hall alongside him, with Ryan Manning and Todd Kane in the wing-back positions, is helping Barbet get through matches in a more comfortable fashion.

He is no longer standing out like a sore thumb, nor is he letting the side down – Barbet’s mini-resurgence is a testament to Warburton’s coaching skills and his persistence with the Frenchman when he could simply have dropped him from his side and been done with it.

Barbet outperformed Hall in terms of WhoScored’s match ratings against both Sheffield Wednesday and Luton, while the Londoners have only conceded four goals in those three games – one of which was down to a horrible error by Joe Lumley against Luton.

Having previously looked very uncomfortable in the 4-2-3-1, Warburton has found a way to bring the best out of a previously underperforming ace.

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Aston Villa fans have shown their concern about the current state of affairs after their side once again squandered points at home to draw with Burnley on Saturday.

Anwar El Ghazi gave Villa the lead at home in the first-half but Jay Rodriguez equalised in the 68th minute.

A flurry of action followed, with John McGinn scoring two minutes before Villa were pegged back again by Chris Wood.

Smith’s men have won just once in the league in 2018/19, beating Everton 2-0 in August, but have lost to Tottenham Hotspur, AFC Bournemouth, Crystal Palace and Arsenal, while also drawing with West Ham United and Villa.

Fans, perhaps understandably, are growing worried about the club’s results, and they face an important run of fixtures in October; they will play fellow promoted team Norwich City, Brighton & Hove Albion and reigning champions Manchester City.

And supporters have been quick to express their disillusionment and concern at their current predicament.

Take a look at the best of the reaction below!

Leeds United could not return themselves to top spot in the Sky Bet Championship on Saturday afternoon as they ran into a determined Charlton side at The Valley.

The Whites, as they often do, went into the game as favourites for the win and started the game with plenty of possession – with that theme continuing throughout the match.

However, they did very little with the ball – something we’re not used to always seeing with United – and when Charlton went 1-0 up, it looked as though that might well be the way it would stay.

So it would prove, too, on a frustrating afternoon for the side from Elland Road and a fair few members of the Leeds team that played on the day came in for criticism and debate around them on social media thereafter.

As Leeds’ number 9, Patrick Bamford came in for scrutiny, with fans debating his performance and merits on Twitter.

Let’s take a look at what some Whites fans have said about the striker since the full-time whistle yesterday…