All posts by z3u9t.icu

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…

With Lyle Taylor in the side this season, Charlton were a force to be reckoned with.

The Montserrat international had five goals and a solitary assist to rave about from his first six games in the Championship.

Lee Bowyer’s men sat happy in the playoffs but an injury to the striker over the international break just shy of two months ago nearly put a huge dent in their aspirations.

With Taylor absent from the team, the Addicks had only won one match from a possible five going into their encounter with Derby this weekend.

However, their most comfortable performance without him was seen as they ran out 3-0 victors on Saturday.

Macauley Boone was in particularly good form and of late, he’s proving that they may not have quite an overreliance on Taylor.

In fact, they’re showing they may be able to cope without him.

Bonne was rarely afforded much game time when Taylor was in such good form but in recent matches, he’s taken to the division like a duck to water.

It’s made it easy to forget that he was plying his trade in the National League last term.

The 23-year-old has now scored three in his last four outings and added to his collection against the Rams early in the first half.

It was a superb display from the former Leyton Orient striker as he also won three aerial duels in the process.

Not only that, but he made the same number of clearances, proving his worth in defensive scenarios as well as attacking ones.

Charlton fans have been quick to voice their frustrations this season, particularly with their forward line since Taylor was injured. Last month Tomer Hemed attracted harsh criticism but the Londoners’ woes seem to be behind them.

With Bonne in this type of form, a resurgence up the table could well be on the cards. If Bowyer can find a way to fit both him and Taylor into the side when he returns they could be a force to be reckoned with.

Either way, Charlton have now displayed they can cope without their talismanic forward when necessary.

[ad_pod ]

Sheffield Wednesday ran riot in the north-east on Saturday afternoon as they thrashed Middlesbrough 4-1 at the Riverside to go one point off a playoff position.

It meant that Garry Monk extended his unbeaten run as Owls boss in the league to a third straight game as he downed one of his former clubs.

The south Yorkshire club took the lead through an Adam Clayton own goal before Dominic Iorfa headed home to double the advantage, all within the first six minutes of the match.

Boro scraped one back through a Paddy McNair half-volley, but that wasn’t enough as Monk’s men continued to be rampant.

Adam Reach and then Steven Fletcher, who netted his fifth of the season, made it 4-1 before the break.

The 40-year-old named a towering 4-4-2 line up as Atdhe Nuhiu came into the starting XI after earning them a point last time out against Fulham.

Several of the Hillsborough faithful have been sharing their thoughts on the 6 foot 6 colossus following the victory.

One supporter said he was absolutely unplayable, also labelling him ‘top class’, whilst another said it wasn’t a coincidence that his introduction meant the team picked up all three points.

A further member of the Owls crowd even went as far as calling the Kosovan international the main difference between both teams.

Here’s the best of the reaction:

Ansumane Fati is one of those young prodigies that simply leaves everyone in awe.

And it didn’t really take long for the 16-year-old talent to become a shining star on the footballing stage.

Even though he is very much still at the beginning of his career, Fati has already achieved quite a lot, even scoring two goals and assisting one in the five games he’s played in the 2019/20 La Liga season.

Watch Spanish Football Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

Unfortunately, he also sustained an unlucky setback and had to miss Barcelona’s last couple of games.

But if the newest reports are to be believed, Fati has now recovered and even participated in the team’s training session, which could mean that he’ll be available for selection come the weekend’s clash against Sevilla.

Upon hearing this update, many of Barcelona fans were simply thrilled about it as they couldn’t wait for the 16-year-old’s return.

Some were saying that’s it’s the “best news” they’ve heard and others were just overly excited about his comeback.

You can see some of their reactions and comments down below:

[ad_pod ]

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…

One of Wolves’ summer arrivals could be on the fringes of the first-team sometime soon, that’s according to their Under-23 manager Rob Edwards.

What’s he said?

The west Midlands club signed Meritan Shabani on a three-year contract from Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich for their youth team, and it appears he’s already been impressing.

The 20-year-old made three senior appearances in Bavaria, two coming in the league and has been capped at Under-20 level for Germany.

His arrival was undoubtedly part of Fosun’s plans to improve the youth setup at the club.

In four Premier League 2 matches this season, the midfielder has scored one goal, shining in the eyes of Edwards, who said:

“Meritan is showing more and more quality all the time, every day.

“We’re excited to have him in the building.

“He’ll get more and more used to English football the longer he’s here, that’s obvious, but we’re really pleased with how he’s performed.”

A viable alternative?

Wolves will surely look to rotate their squad throughout the season, having pulled out all the stops to make the Europa League group stage.

If they advance into the Carabao Cup quarter-finals then two games a week will become normality, if it hasn’t already, as they continue on into 2020.

Joao Moutinho is the club’s only true out-and-out number ten, and his absence against Everton was painstakingly clear, as we have previously highlighted this week.

The form of Shabani for the youth team should at some point catch the eye of Santo, which could give him an alternative option in that role, instead of trying to force his defensive-minded midfielders to play the same way.

The 20-year-old had enough quality to feature in a couple of Bundesliga matches, so he should be able to handle a step up from English youth football to the Premier League.

[ad_pod ]

Paris Saint-Germain got their 2019/20 Champions League campaign off to the perfect start with a 3-0 win against Real Madrid. 

Thomas Tuchel’s side produced a fantastic display to beat the 13-time winners at the Parc des Princes and, in doing so, it means they have taken control of Group A.

Former Los Blancos winger Angel Di Maria was the star of the show, netting a brilliant first-half brace to put the French side in charge. Then after a Gareth Bale goal was ruled out by VAR, Thomas Meunier secured the three points with a well-worked goal in the dying minutes.

The victory was made even more impressive due to the fact that PSG managed to win the game without their trio of attacking stars – Kylian Mbappe, Edinson Cavani and Neymar – who were responsible for 85 goals last season.

Tuchel was extremely impressed with his side, saying: “It was a great team performance and this for me is the biggest thing – we were the better team and we won deservedly. Everyone worked together, we never lost the structure and we attacked brave.” (Via Daily Mail)

The German manager also believes that the club have made significant strides forward from last year’s disappointing Champions League campaign. In their first group game last term they were beaten by Liverpool and then eventually were eliminated by Manchester United in the round of 16.

It was not just the manager who was impressed with their performance either, with plenty of their fans taking to Twitter to express their delight at the result.

[ad_pod ]

Nottingham Forest fans have taken to Twitter to react after former Red Roy Keane returned to the club as assistant manager, following the appointment of Martin O’Neill as manager, as revealed by the club’s official website.

The Irishman made over 150 appearances for Forest back in the 90s, per Soccerbase, before leaving for Manchester United, and will be reunited with O’Neill who he worked alongside at international level for the Republic of Ireland national team.

Impressively, the duo oversaw qualification for the 2016 European Championships, including a famous win over world champions Germany. They then managed to advance into the last 16, having progressed from a group including the likes of Italy and Belgium.

Thogden has ranked his top 5 sets of Championship away fans for Pl>ymaker FC. Did your club make the list? Find out in the video below…

Keane’s arrival should ensure that no Forest players even dare to misbehave, as the 47-year-old is a stern operator who takes no nonsense from anybody. O’Neill also used to play for the Reds, so a former Forest duo in charge of the team can only be good news for a club desperately chasing the play-off positions this season.

Let’s see how Forest fans reacted on Twitter…

[ad_pod ]

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.

West Ham United could be set to hand Darren Randolph a new contract at the London Stadium.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a claim made by Sami Mokbel, with the Daily Mail journalist revealing a post on Twitter that, following his link with a move to Aston Villa, David Moyes has no intention of sanctioning the departure of the 34-year-old this month, before going on to claim that the 58-year-old could even hand the Hammers third-choice shot-stopper a new deal in East London.

This comes following an earlier claim made by ExWHUemployee, with the club insider stating that West Ham are keen to move the goalkeeper on this winter – something that is largely down to the former Republic of Ireland international’s hefty weekly wage, which Moyes would rather spend on other areas of his squad.

However, in his tweet, Mokbel said: “Darren Randolph proposed move to Aston Villa unlikely to happen. David Moyes wants him to stay at West Ham and views him as a big part of the dressing room. Randolph could now be handed a new contract.”

Fans will be fuming

While Randolph is undoubtedly an extremely decent option as a third-choice goalkeeper, the fact remains that the goalkeeper is currently taking home a whopping £42k-per-week on his current deal, something that, considering his number of appearances this season, would indeed appear to be a waste of money – as ExWHUemployee suggests.

In the current campaign, the 34-year-old is yet to make a single appearance for the Hammers, with Lukasz Fabianski being Moyes’ first choice in the position, while Alphonse Areola has typically featured in both the Europa League and domestic cup competitions.

In fact, since the Irons resigned Randolph in a £4m deal two years ago this month, the ‘keeper has made a grand total of just nine appearances in all competitions, with only five of these outings coming in the Premier League.

Furthermore, in a recent poll ran on Football FanCast, the overwhelming majority of West Ham fans claimed that they would like to see the club allow Randolph to leave the London Stadium on a free transfer this month, as a result of the veteran shot-stopper’s lack of game time and hefty weekly wage.

As such, should the Irishman indeed be in line for a new deal in East London, as Mokbel suggests, it would undoubtedly leave fans of the Hammers fuming – and we have to say, we can understand why.

In other news: Sheth drops major WHU transfer update on “bombshell” signing, fans will be buzzing

A number of Wolves supporters have been showing their love for Joao Moutinho after footage of his superb goal against Brentford was posted by the club on Twitter.

Wanderers carried on their magnificent recent form on Saturday afternoon, battling their way to a 2-1 win against the Bees in west London. A tight game saw Moutinho open the scoring with a great strike early in the second half, before Ivan Toney equalised and Ruben Neves bagged the winner.

It was another impressive day at the office for Moutinho, who is still producing big performances at the age of 35 and received an 8.6 match rating from Sofascore, the highest of any player in the match.

On Saturday night, Wolves’ official Twitter channel shared new footage of the veteran’s strike, further highlighting his evergreen brilliance as a footballer and showing why so many supporters are calling for his contract to be extended beyond its current expiry date of June 2022.

Wolves fans love Moutinho’s goal v Brentford

These Wolves fans took to Twitter to provide their thoughts on Moutinho’s goal, with one supporter hailing him as a “magician”.

“Jeff Shi I hope you’ve got his new contract ready to sign”

Credit: @juzzawwfc

“Magic!”

Credit: @mrwolf91231350

“Pure class today…there’s only one @JoaoMoutinho”

Credit: @NotoriousD0s

“He’s magic you know”

Credit: @shellwwfcsankey

“A massively underrated finish. Unreal from him”

Credit: @TomDudley97

“The greatest. Give him a new deal!”

Credit: @bromWWFC

In other news, Wolves have been boosted in their efforts to sign one player in January. Find out why here.

As per a fresh claim from the paper edition of Sport, via Sport Witness, it appears that Tottenham manager Antonio Conte has personally set his sights on signing Barcelona defender Clement Lenglet.

The Lowdown: Spurs eye defensive options…

As Conte and managing director Fabio Paratici prepare for their first January transfer window at Tottenham, it is believed that defence is one major position which could be bolstered.

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/spurs-latest-updates-5/” title=”Spurs latest updates!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

Football Insider have even claimed that they are eyeing a sensational double move for Netherlands duo Stefan de Vrij and Matthijs de Ligt from Serie A, while The Athletic reported that Conte also wants to strengthen at right-wing back for his 3-4-1-2 formation.

As per an update from Spain, it appears that the Italian has set his sights on La Liga as well.

The Latest: Conte ‘wants’ Lenglet…

According to Sport’s information, via Sport Witness, Conte has personally set his sights on signing Lenglet for Spurs and ‘wants him in his team’.

Additionally, as Barca look to trim their wage bill, they ‘do not rule out’ selling the Frenchman despite his recent resurgence under new manager Xavi.

The Verdict: Get it done?

An adept ball-playing centre-half, the 26-year-old has averaged an impressive 90.5% pass accuracy out from the back over his La Liga cameos for the Catalan giants this season, a higher figure than anyone in the Tottenham squad by comparison (WhoScored).

Still yet to reach his prime, Lenglet could also provide a degree of composure in this regard for many more seasons, while France boss Didier Deschamps has also called him a ‘top player’.

His reported valuation of around €25m (£21m) could be a bone of contention, but it remains to be seen whether Paratici and chairman Daniel Levy will grant Conte his wish and bring the player to north London.

In other news: ‘Wow’, ‘Statement’…Tottenham pundit thrilled as Paratici lines up talks for ‘big signing’, find out more here.