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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… 

Manchester City have been dealt another potentially disastrous blow as Rodri came off injured in the club’s win over Atalanta on Tuesday.

On the chalkboard

The Liverpool Echo have reported that Rodri’s injury could force the Spaniard out of the clash against fellow title rivals Liverpool, which is due to take place at Anfield on November 10.

Rodri was seen clutching his leg against Atalanta and his absence is only going to add further defensive concerns to the Pep Guardiola, with Aymeric Laporte’s injury already leaving him short of his most integral defensive asset.

Laporte will miss the rest of 2019 with a knee problem and his absence has already been felt with City losing to Norwich City and Wolverhampton Wanderers without him in the side.

These results have put Guardiola’s side in second behind Liverpool, and a win in the Goliath clash next month could put significant daylight between the two title contenders after just 13 games.

Indeed, Rodri put in a magnificent display in a makeshift defence for City against Crystal Palace and could be missed in the team.

Gundogan in holding role; Fernandinho at centre back

Ilkay Gundogan has not been an ever-present in City’s starting XI this season, starting six times out of the nine so far in the league.

However, the German has looked increasingly comfortable in a holding midfield role, impressing in the absence of Fernandinho towards the end of last season. He also bagged six goals and three assists in the 2018/19 campaign, averaging a 7.14 rating, per Whoscored.

As a result, Gundogan’s place in the midfield anchor role could be cemented in light of Rodri’s injury setback, with Fernandinho continuing to deputise at centre-back alongside John Stones.

Perhaps the natural option would be to start Nicolas Otamendi, who cost the club £32m, alongside John Stones, who cost a whopping £47.5m in 2016, in central defence, but that particular pairing are far from trusted by Guardiola.

In the time between Aymeric Laporte joining the club and September 12th 2019, Man City played 56 Premier League games. Pertinently, Stones and Otamendi started in a back four together in just three of those fixtures, per BBC Sport. If ever there was a statistic that laid bare the lack of confidence Guardiola has in this particular combination of central defenders then this was it.

With this acute acknowledgement in mind, it’s fair to assume that the internationally revered manager will continue to seek alternative options, forcing Fernandinho to continue in a central defensive role that he is becoming increasingly accustomed to.

Gundogan, for now at least, looks set to continue in the role that Fernandinho made his own in the Premier League in recent years, while the Brazilian may have to continue to adapt to his new surroundings in central defence.

Who is to blame for Spurs’ 7-2 defeat against Bayern Munich?

There’s certainly an inquest to be had after the London club suffered one of the most embarrassing defeats in Champions League history.

Do you point the finger at Pochettino? The shoddy midfield? Or the incompetent back line?

Watch Tottenham Hotspur Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

If we’re being honest it’s probably a mixture of all of the above. However, ESPN’s Craig Burley has highlighted two players that he thinks were at fault on Tuesday evening.

The pundit gave a scathing review of Serge Aurier and Danny Rose’s performances against the German champions.

Burley points to their inability to adapt throughout the game to Kingsley Coman and Serge Gnabry’s movement and pace, saying that they should have worked out that they couldn’t push tight on the wingers throughout the game.

Unfortunately, it didn’t work out like that for Spurs and Gnabry was allowed to score four goals on Tuesday evening.

Barcelona fans appear to have been impressed with what Frenkie de Jong has been able to achieve in his first couple of months at the Camp Nou.

According to a report by AS, as relayed by Barcacentre, the Holland international is believed to be leading the charts in terms of some of his statistics, with none of his team-mates thought to have been as impressive as him.

It is stated that the 22-year-old is the toughest player in the squad, he covers the most ground, wins the most balls, recovers the quickest, has the most aerobic capacity and provides the most diverse heart maps.

Barcelona signed the former Ajax midfielder for a mammoth initial £65m transfer fee, with another £9.5m potentially being added to the overall figure should he meet certain clauses within the deal (as per BBC).

Since arriving in Catalonia, De Jong has become an integral member of Ernesto Valverde’s squad as one of the first names on the teamsheet. He has made ten appearances across all competitions, scoring one goal and providing one assist (Transfermarkt).

Fans reacted to the news that the youngster had been topping the charts with delight, whilst many of them expecting the 22-year-old to become a star in the future.

Here are just some of their reactions…

Barcelona fans, what do you make of De Jong’s stats? Let us know your thoughts by sharing them in the comments section below!

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Everton have got off to a mixed start to the season and, after slipping to a third consecutive away defeat in the league, fans how showed support for Lucas Digne.

The Frenchman has, for the most part, continued where he left off last term – when he won Everton’s Player of the Year – and he has made a valuable contribution in defence and attack so far.

However, he failed to impress against Bournemouth in Sunday’s 3-1 defeat. Not only did he fail to find a target with 10 out of 12 crossing attempts, but he achieved a pass accuracy of just 68% and only once came close to adding to his season tally of three assists.

Despite an underwhelming showing from the left-back, fans have chosen to back their player and offer him support in response to his latest Twitter post, which stated that the squad is “always together”.

With Sheffield United the visitors to Goodison Park on Saturday there is a good chance for the Toffees to return to winning ways, and strong squad harmony will certainly be needed for success in the campaign ahead.

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Here are some of the reactions from Everton fan to Digne’s post…

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Times are really tough over at the Spanish capital and within Zinedine Zidane’s ranks.

Real Madrid have suffered a rather embarrassing 3-0 defeat at the hands of Paris Saint Germain at Parc des Princes, and it rounded up an overall underwhelming start to the new 2019/20 season.

And while the media are concerned with the Frenchman’s fate and the fans are bashing the players for their subpar performances, the squad will be gearing up for another tough away trip in La Liga and into the jaws of Sevilla.

The Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan stadium is one Los Blancos are very familiar with but it’s safe to say they don’t really hold it dear to their hearts. In fact, the last time Real Madrid won a game away at Sevilla was in the 2014/15 season and since then – all defeats. No points and a no victories to speak of.

Needless to say, going to Sevilla might be even worse than going to Paris to face Paris Saint-Germain, and that definitely says a lot. Not to mention that the Andalusians are on a really good streak at the very moment.

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Out of the five matches they’ve played across all competitions this season, they have won four while scoring eight and conceding just one against Celta Vigo on matchday three in La Liga. Currently, they’re sitting in first in the table and are in red-hot form. And Real Madrid? Well, they’re not – nowhere near that, actually.

And the worst thing yet? Sevilla’s coach is none other than Julen Lopetegui, Real Madrid’s former gaffer who got sacked after a similarly bad spell at the helm of the Whites. As things stand right now, the hosts just might go into the game on Sunday as the favourites and that says a lot about any team that’s facing the Galacticos.

With all of that in mind, we could conclude that this game against Sevilla couldn’t have come at a worse time and precisely for that reason, it will be crucial for Zidane to be bold in his decisions going into the weekend’s clash. And when we say bold, we mean throw everything out of the window and start anew bold, not give a Zidane-esque pep-talk before the game and hope for the best bold.

Real Madrid obviously have a number of problems, and those most likely go beyond just choosing the starting lineup or motivating your troops properly. Given how their results have been underwhelming, to say the least, a change is obviously needed.

If they can go into the next match with a blank slate mindset, they just might survive the trip to Andalusia and return with something to show for. Of course, a big part of that is simply pushing all the bad back – not bury it deep but rather acknowledge it while looking at the Sevilla match as the new beginning. They’ve failed before, sure, but every game is a new chance at redemption and you have to start somewhere, right?

But Zidane can hardly get the desired effect and feeling of a fresh start if he’s going to keep doing the very same thing and expect something to magically change for the better on its own. For that reason, he should also reshuffle the cards for the weekend. You have the likes of Federico Valverde, Rodrygo and Luka Jovic on the bench? Good, use them even if it means benching some of the stars from the usual Real Madrid blueprint.

We’ve heard talk about their “revolution” mentioned numerous times throughout the summer but maybe the revolution they seek is already set and Zidane just has to be brave enough to uncover it. It could all, however, start with the clash against Sevilla.

On paper, it looks like another tough challenge for Real Madrid, one that is bound to plunge them even deeper into the mud, but in reality, it could be a stepping stone towards something much better.

All it takes is a different perspective. Does Zidane have what it takes to push his team towards it?

We’ll find out on Sunday.

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Liverpool fans have taken to Twitter to react after Jurgen Klopp revealed that he tried to bring Jadon Sancho to Anfield from Manchester City, before Borussia Dortmund swooped in to sign the teenager.

The Bundesliga leaders signed the Citizens academy graduate back in the summer of 2017 for a fee in the region of £10m, and even handed the little-known forward the number seven shirt vacated by the then-Barcelona-bound Ousmane Dembele.

Since then, the England international has lit up the Bundesliga and is now one of the most precocious talents in world football. Sancho has scored eight goals and recorded 10 assists in all competitions for Dortmund so far this season, helping them stay above Bayern Munich in the table and on course for a first title since 2012.

Speaking on the matter, Klopp said: “Buying English players is a smart idea because we would never have a chance to get Sancho.

“We are not blind – we saw him, we liked him and then we think ‘can we get him?’ No. Because English clubs don’t sell them to other English clubs. I don’t know exactly what the reason is for that but they don’t do it.”

Understandably, Liverpool fans will have been gutted to hear that they missed out on Sancho, and have reacted to the news on Twitter…

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Having enjoyed a fine debut campaign in the top-flight with Leicester last year, James Maddison’s stock has understandably gone through the roof in the last 12 months.

The 22-year-old has taken to the Premier League like a duck to water, registering seven goals and seven assists in the top-flight last season.

Now, The Manchester Evening News claim Manchester United are continuing to monitor the midfielder over a potential move. The report mentions the Red Devils’ original interest had emerged in June, but that a move this summer was not deemed “foreseeable”.

It further claims Maddison fits the “ideal profile of target” Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is looking for, and that he is preferred over Tottenham playmaker Christian Eriksen.

After hearing the latest update on their possible swoop for the 22-year-old, United fans took to Twitter to share their thoughts on the matter.

Many supporters of the Manchester side revealed they are simply being set up for “disappointment”, and couldn’t envisage him actually joining the club.

Some Red Devils fans questioned why they hadn’t pursued a move for Maddison in the summer transfer window, and mocked the idea they are “monitoring” yet another player.

Check out some of the reaction of United fans below:

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After narrowly missing out on securing three points in their previous Premier League match against Watford at St James’ Park last weekend, when a late goal from Joao Pedro snatched a point for the away side, Newcastle United are back in action today with an away clash against Leeds United. 

Ahead of the clash at Elland Road against Marcelo Bielsa’s side,  Magpies boss Eddie Howe revealed that Newcastle will still be without Callum Wilson, Federico Fernandez and Isaac Hayden through injury, as well as potentially Matt Ritchie. Howe added in his pre-match press conference that Jeff Hendrick and Dwight Gayle returned to training this week. 

With that in mind, here’s how we feel Newcastle could line up to take on Leeds this afternoon, with two changes anticipated from the XI which started against Watford a week ago.

In goal, we think Howe will stick with Martin Dubravka after the Slovakian made four saves against Watford.

For the defence, we think the Newcastle boss will stick with the same back four which started against the Hornets, with Kieran Trippier at right-back, Paul Dummett on the left, and Fabian Schar and Jamaal Lascelles occupying the centre-back positions.

In midfield, we can see Howe sticking with Jonjo Shelvey and Joelinton, but Joe Willock comes back in to see if he can pull off something special as Sean Longstaff drops out. The ex-Arsenal youngster hasn’t hit the heights of last season this time around, but with Longstaff offering little attacking threat last week, he could be the fall guy for Willock today.

In attack, it would be hard to not see Allan Saint-Maximin occupying his usual left-wing position to see if he can wreak havoc on Leeds’ defence and potentially add some goals or assists to his record for the season and, more importantly, secure a win for his team. 

With Wilson still out, it would seem likely that Howe will stick with January signing Chris Wood to see if he can also cause the Whites some problems at the back and haunt his former club. 

On the right, we think Howe will put Miguel Almiron back into the team, with Ryan Fraser – who is currently picking up £63k-per-week according to Salary Sport – dropping out to freshen up the attack. The Scot pays the price for going 17 games without a goal so far this season.

Whether or not Howe goes with the starting XI that we have suggested, this will still be a big game in terms of their hopes of avoiding relegation this season, and one they might be capable of winning given Leeds’ less than stellar results so far in this campaign. 

In other news – Terms agreed: NUFC could land masterstroke with gem whose “shorts look like underwear”…

With the Premier League set to get back underway soon, Leeds United manager Marcelo Bielsa will be desperately hoping that his side incurs far fewer injuries and illnesses than they did in the first half of the season.

The Whites were among the most affected clubs in the top flight, with numerous star players ruled out for considerable amounts of time – Kalvin Phillips is still out of action now.

While Bielsa will be eager to keep his thin squad together for as long as possible, there may well be increasing opportunities for some of his club’s brightest young prospects.

Joe Gelhardt has already seen some first-team action in recent weeks and months, but it’s Nohan Kenneh’s potential exposure into the side which could cause the most excitement.

Describing himself as someone who is “aggressive and hard-working who likes to break down play”, but also likes “getting forward and scoring long-range goals”, Kenneh seems like he could thrive in the anchor man role if given the chance by Bielsa.

Speaking on The Roaring Peacock Youth Pod, Matty Ingham said: “One of the biggest prospects in the academy if we’re being honest. Big, physical presence, can carry the ball and he’s powerful and quick.”

The teenager has already admitted to modelling himself on Phillips, while he also added that he is a fan of Arsenal legend Patrick Vieira, saying: “Currently I look up to Kalvin Phillips as (we) both play in a similar position, but I occasionally watch videos of Patrick Vieira for his qualities in midfield.”

He also has a big fan in The Athletic’s Phil Hay, who dubbed the 19-year-old “supremely gifted”, while he has been a permanent fixture in the under-23s, predominantly playing at centre-back.

Standing at an imposing 6 foot 3, he seems to have the physical attributes to hold his own at Premier League level; and given his versatility of being able to play in defence and as an anchor man in midfield, seems like he could be a perfect squad option for Bielsa going forward.

While the excitement surrounding Gelhardt is understandable, Kenneh could be the kind of hidden gem who makes the biggest mark at Leeds.

Meanwhile, Phil Hay has dropped an exciting Leeds United transfer update…

According to reports by UOL Deportes in Brazil (as relayed by Sport Witness), Ajax have rejected a £12.5m bid for reported Everton transfer target David Neres as they seek a valuation of £16.7m.

Despite this, it is ‘expected’ that the 24-year-old will be sold during the January transfer window.

The Lowdown: Neres in poor form

The winger has seen his productivity decline in recent times. During the 2017/18 league campaign, the Brazilian produced an emphatic 14 goals and 14 assists in 32 appearances for the Amsterdam club.

However, this electric form seems to have dried up for Neres since then, who has scored three goals and set up another two in 15 Eredivisie games this season, although three of those goal contributions came in Ajax’s 9-0 win over Cambuur.

This poor recent form has led to the 24-year-old being dropped from the starting line-up, and he was an unused substitute in two of the last three league games. Shockingly, Neres is ranked 18th in the Ajax squad for shots averaged per game (0.6), an extremely poor indictment for an attacking player.

The Latest: Everton interested in Neres

Previous reports have linked Everton with the Brazil international, with claims that the club are ‘interested’ in the player arising as former director of football Marcel Brands was a keen admirer of the Dutch league.

According to reports by UOL Deportes in Brazil (as relayed by Sport Witness), Ajax have rejected a €15m (£12.5m) bid from Shakhtar for Neres. The Dutch champions are said to value the attacker at a minimum of €20m (£16.7m), and it is ‘now expected’ that Neres will be sold this month, with the player being ‘kept on Ajax’s negotiable list’ for now.

Everton will need to move swiftly if they are to bring the winger to Goodison Park, as Shakhtar are set to go back in with another bid to try and get their man.

The Verdict: Transfer could be hit or miss

Neres has made an impression across Europe, with the prolific winger netting 47 goals in 180 appearances for Ajax. Indeed, Jose Mourinho previously awarded him the highest of compliments, saying: “As far as I am concerned, David Neres fully reflects what a Brazilian footballer stands for. For me he is the best of this new generation.”

With Everton keen on bringing in a new right winger to the club, the 24-year-old’s relatively cheap price-tag could prove to be a gamble worth taking, if they are to get the player that Ajax originally signed.

However, if he produces the kind of form we’ve seen this season, it could be a move to earn unwanted comparison with that of Davy Klaassen, who flopped on Merseyside after moving from the Amsterdam giants for £23.6m in 2017. It’s hard to predict which way a potential Everton move for Neres would go.

In other news: Goodison Park exit could beckon for Everton ace dubbed ‘one of the best in Europe’