This article is part of Football FanCast’s Transfer Focus series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent transfer news…
Newcastle have confirmed the appointment of Steve Bruce as their new head coach, replacing Rafael Benitez.
What’s the story?
When Benitez left at the expiry of his contract, some of the Toon Army may have been holding on to the faint hope that a takeover would arrive and Rafa’s replacement would be someone of his calibre or higher.
Instead, the Magpies have signed Bruce, despite Sheffield Wednesday’s insistence that there are still legal issues that need to be resolved.
The 58 year-old has joined on a three-year deal, and will be joined by Steve Agnew and Stephen Clemence.
A Newcastle fan shares his most gutting moment of the last 10 years supporting the Magpies in the video below…
The Elo system
When it comes to tactical expertise, attracting top players, winning major honours and pretty much everything else, Benitez would appear to be the far superior manager to his replacement.
However, stats website clubelo.com has an extremely interesting rating system, which evaluates clubs, players and managers based on a variety of factors.
Variables in the system include goal difference, strength of competition or league, home field advantage and expected goals, amongst others, from which an Elo rating is awarded to clubs and individuals.
And rather unbelievably, Bruce’s best head-to-head Elo rating comes against none other than Benitez, at a positive rating of 62.6, while Benitez’s worst opponent is Bruce, with a negative rating of the same value.
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According to the system, Neil Warnock is Bruce’s next best opponent, while the manager he struggles most against is David Moyes, whose teams have scored 26 goals to the 14 of Bruce’s.
You only need to read through the replies of Newcastle’s announcement tweet to see how the Toon Army feels about Bruce, but according to the Elo ranking system, he could be one of the few men on the planet who knows how to get one over on Benitez.
Whether that translates into positive performances and results for the Magpies is yet to be seen, but maybe there is a little bit of method behind the club’s madness.
This article is part of Football FanCast’s The Chalkboard series, which provides a tactical insight into teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…
One of the longest transfer sagas this summer has been that of Harry Maguire’s potential departure to Manchester United.
Earlier this month, they bid £80m for the central defender before it was reported that the transfer was imminent.
Also in the headlines has been Lewis Dunk who has been touted as a possible replacement for the Foxes in a £45m deal.
If the two transfers go through, they’d be huge for all clubs involved, yet Leicester could be forced into making a big change to their play.
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On the chalkboard
One of Maguire’s and Leicester’s favoured routes to goal in the past has been from set-pieces.
The centre-back scored against Sweden at the World Cup from a set-play whilst he’s popped up with a further three strikes from these situations in the last two years for Leicester.
Per Understat, he’s scored five times from corners and free-kicks in the Premier League alone throughout his career.
As can be seen below, Maguire likes to drift towards the penalty spot from Leicester’s set-plays, scoring twice and also hitting the post in those sorts of areas.
However, if they land Dunk this summer, this form of attack and route to goal may have to be changed.
According to Understat, the 27-year-old Brighton man scored twice from set plays in 2018/19 but his impact came far closer to the goal.
In fact, his effectiveness in the same place as Maguire was hugely limited, missing all but one of his shots from positions between the six-yard area and the edge of the box.
As a result, if Dunk arrives and Maguire leaves, Brendan Rodgers could find himself instructing his set-piece takers into playing the ball into a different area.
If you think the rumoured £80m for Harry Maguire is too much, check out how much his potential replacement will cost in the video below…
Both of the former’s goals last term came from closer than six-yards out, meaning it may be preferable for Leicester to have in-swinging corners towards the back and front posts.
Not only could Leicester’s defence be changed if they sign Dunk, but so could their attack.
Despite the arrivals of Daniel James and Aaron Wan-Bissaka, who have brought pace and promise to Manchester United’s attack and defence respectively, one aspect of the team remains in need of reinforcement according to Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, who had this to say during a fan event in Perth:
“I believe so much in this club and this project. To be manager of this club is fantastic. I’m standing next to the history of this club. I never had the honour of playing with [Bryan Robson] but we need a player like him in the team.”
Former Red Devils captain Robson, who sat beside legendary striker Solskjaer, spent 13 years at the club and won eight trophies. The lean midfielder was adept at winning the ball back before embarking on a trademark burst through towards the opposition box, after which he would carve an opportunity for himself or a teammate.
The 62-year-old netted an impressive 74 goals in 345 appearances for United and notched 26 times in 90 England showings – a difficult record to match but one that Solskjaer hopes he and his staff can find a player capable of equalling. We’re here to give the ‘baby-faced assassin’ a helping hand, so which five players could be United’s next Robson – someone who provides leadership, dynamism and goals? Check out Football FanCast’s suggestions below…
[snack_break title=”Paul Pogba”]
Soccer Football – Champions League Quarter Final Second Leg – FC Barcelona v Manchester United – Camp Nou, Barcelona, Spain – April 16, 2019 Manchester United’s Paul Pogba reacts Action Images via Reuters/Carl Recine
Permitting a serious attitude adjustment, the World Cup-winning Frenchman is certainly capable of becoming the player Solskjaer is after – the former Juventus man chalked up an astonishing 10 goals and six assists in the league last term.
There’s no doubting the number 6’s ability to net 20 goals in one season if he can properly apply himself but his legacy will never match that of Robson’s otherwise. The quality is certainly there and the task for both player and manager is to coax it out of him on a regular basis.
Pogba showed he can be a leader with France at last summer’s World Cup so the potential is there on that front as well, but we’re yet to really see him have the same impact at Old Trafford.
[snack_break title=”Sergej Milinkovic-Savic”]
According to Sky Sports, the Red Devils are eyeing the towering Serb in the wake of Ander Herrera’s departure and there’s no wonder as to why given the Lazio man’s impressive scoring record in recent seasons – the 24-year-old has struck 31 times in 162 appearances for the Serie A outfit, while also chalking up 18 assists.
At 6 foot 3, the Spanish-born powerhouse is a force to be reckoned with in the middle of the park and while he might not share Robson’s pace or slight frame, he is similarly adept at breaking the lines and testing the keeper – the number 21 completed 1.1 dribbles and took 2.2 shots per game last term, according to WhoScored. He could set United back a whopping £90m though.
In terms of leadership qualities, Milinkovic-Savic’s are yet to be truly seen. But he’s certainly got an action-packed style which, combined with his goal record, should help inspire those around him.
[snack_break title=”Dylan Levitt”]
The 18-year-old starlet might not yet be a household name but the signs are there that he could become a United regular in the years to come.
Levitt was invited to join first team training by Solskjaer ahead of the 2018/19 season finale against Cardiff City – an indication of how well highly-thought of he is – following an impressive campaign with the Under-18s in which he chalked up five goals and six assists in 14 appearances. If United have their next Robson in the academy, it could well be this Welsh youth international.
[snack_break title=”Giovani Lo Celso”]
Estadio Deportivo reported last month that Real Madrid, United and Spurs are interested in signing the Real Betis man, who chalked up 16 goals and six assists in all competitions last term and is capable of playing in front of the back four, as a box-to-box midfielder or in support of the strikers.
The former PSG man also completes a solid 1.6 tackles per game – testament to his ability to win the ball back – while his dribbling and long shots are listed as ‘very strong’ and ‘strong’ by WhoScored. If the Red Devils beat their London rivals to the Argentine’s signature this summer, they’ll be getting a player who can carry the ball well and test the keeper from any distance – sound familiar?
The only problem, of course, is that Tottenham appear to be far closer to signing the action-packed midfielder than United right now.
[snack_break title=”James Garner”]
Putting pressure on young players is always risky; some let it get to their head, but that hasn’t stopped the football world from drawing comparisons between United Under-17s captain Garner and Michael Carrick, who holds the youngster in high regard.
While Carrick and Robson were different players stylistically, they were both vital cogs in the United midfield for an extended period of time and their eventual departures were certainly felt. Likewise, if there’s one trait Garner does seem to share with Robson, it’s his ability to lead having already donned the armband for United at academy level.
Could academy talent Garner become a mainstay in the middle of the park just like both Red Devils legends?
This article is part of Football FanCast’s The Chalkboard series, which provides a tactical insight into teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…
Leeds United midfielder Mateusz Klich quickly became a key part of the side under Marcelo Bielsa following a tough start to his Elland Road career – playing every one of their Championship matches in 2018/19 – but now the Whites manager can ensure he doesn’t suffer from burnout.
On the chalkboard
It wouldn’t have been a surprise to see the Poland international leave the club last summer having been shipped out on loan to FC Twente after struggling to break into the starting XI under Thomas Christiansen.
However, the 29-year-old quickly became a regular in the starting XI following Bielsa’s appointment, and was the only Leeds player to be ever-present in all of their 48 league games last term.
While the midfielder started and ended the campaign brightly, however he did suffer from a massive dip in form in the middle – only two of his 10 league goals came between October 20 and March 12 – as fatigue appeared to set in.
Klich admitted via The Yorkshire Evening Post in September that he was “exhausted” and “so tired” following their 2018 pre-season exertions, and many Leeds supporters on Twitter commented on how drained he often looked in 2019.
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No repeat next season
Bielsa probably felt as though he had to helplessly sit back and carry on picking the Pole, as he had few other options to effectively fill that same role as the side aimed for promotion.
Adam Forshaw probably suited a more defensive role than the ‘No.8’ position Klich usually took up, while someone like Tyler Roberts was probably too attacking seeing as he had already moved back from a striker role to being more of a No.10.
However, things could be different next term considering the signings the club has made on the flanks, as well as the continued emergence of a couple of youngsters.
The addition of Helder Costa and the return of Jack Harrison and Jack Clarke mean that the Whites have plenty of quality and depth out wide, and that could easily see Pablo Hernandez move into more of a central position.
Watch fans explain why the Football League is better than the Premier League in the video below…
The experienced Spaniard is certainly someone who could fill the void left by Klich, while youngsters Mateusz Bogusz – who scored a stunning goal and received a 7/10 rating from the Yorkshire Evening Post for his performance against the Western Sydney Wanderers – and 2018/19 breakthrough talent Jamie Shackleton continue to impress.
Bielsa may need his Poland international more often than not, but if he does suffer a lack of form he no longer has to simply persist with him.
This article is part of Football FanCast’s Transfer Focus series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent transfer news…
According to TEAMtalk, West Brom are one of the several Championship clubs chasing Tottenham Hotspur defender Cameron Carter-Vickers on a loan deal – though, they face tough competition from Leeds United, Fulham, Derby County and Middlesborough amongst others.
What’s the word?
Despite their opening day victory, the Croatian reportedly wants four more new additions before the window slams shut on Thursday evening.
Bilic believes they have only done half their business this summer stating the need for quantity and quality – one of those needs appears to be in attack whilst links to both Carter-Vickers and a return for Mason Holgate suggests that all is not done in the defensive department.
On Saturday evening, Kyle Bartley partnered summer signing Semi Ajayi in the heart of defence with young prospect Dara O’Shea the only option at centre-back available on the bench.
Ahmed Hegazi’s time running out at The Hawthorns?
Ahmed Hegazi was a notable absentee as West Brom kickstarted their season with a win, but that was down to injury after the Egypt international underwent ankle surgery.
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Last season, he made 49 appearances for club and country whilst playing on the injury which was described as manageable but with the number of games Hegazi played, surgery was ultimately required to resolve the issue.
Carter-Vickers has been training amongst Mauricio Pochettino’s first-team but it seems likely another loan spell is on the cards having been sent out to the Championship three times now – Sheffield United, Ipswich Town and last season, Swansea City.
Hegazi may fall victim if a potential partnership begins to develop between Bartley and Ajayi, or if Carter-Vickers does join on loan and makes a substantial impact – it will be hard for the 28-year-old to cement his place back in the side as the aforementioned names, in theory, would have no reason to be dropped.
The 21-year-old already plays for the USA national side so it isn’t out of the realms of possibility that the youngster can come in and make a far greater impact than Hegazi would. In some defensive facets last season, he actually rated out better.
Thogden ranks all 24 Championship home kits in the video below…
The young defender’s passing success rate was higher than Hegazi’s (76.9%) at 91.6%, whilst he averaged better for interceptions per game at 1.2 compared to Hegazi’s 0.9 per game. Carter-Vickers also was more of a resolute option as he was harder to dribble past, only allowing an average of 0.1 per game whereas the Egypt international averaged 0.4.
Over the course of the summer, the Egyptian has been linked to a number of other clubs and most notably Premier League newcomers Aston Villa, who manager Dean Smith scouted at the Africa Cup of Nations alongside their new signing and fellow countryman Trezeguet.
If the 28-year-old isn’t able to break his way back into the Baggies starting line-up then exit links could easily resurface come January.
Crystal Palace came short of signing one of their top targets this summer and his agent has revealed that he can understand why it didn’t happen.
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CSKA Moscow’s Fedor Chalov, 21, has been on Palace’s radar for much of the summer. The club had allegedly had numerous bids rejected for the forward, including a ‘significant’ bid on the final day (According to Russian outlet Championat, via Russia Today journalist Danny Armstrong).
Palace were after a striker after Michy Batshuayi returned to Chelsea after a loan spell at Palace. Despite joining in January, Batshuayi finished as Palace’s top scorer as a conventional striker, bagging five times. However, the club were unable to strike a deal with anyone else, despite alleged attempts for other strikers, such as Britt Assombalonga, as per Football League World.
Now Chalov’s agent has come out and spoken about Palace’s attempt for the forward – who he describes as CSKA’s most important player – saying that he can see why the club snubbed the offer from the South London club.
“Fedor is one of the most striking football players in Europe, and the increased interest in him is completely justified,” he told Russian publication Championat .
“Especially from the side of one Premier League club [Crystal Palace], which made a significant offer, but CSKA refused to sell the player.
“The position of CSKA is completely understandable – they have serious goals, and Fedor is the most important player for them. We will follow the development of events and are sure that in any case Fedor has a great future.”
Palace may end up ruing their failure to sign the Russian forward considering their lack of choices up top.
Over the last league campaign, Connor Wickham, Christian Benteke and Jordan Ayew – Palace’s strike force for the upcoming season – only managed two goals between them, proving that more goals were needed.
Chalov won the Golden Boot last season in the Russian Premier League, scoring 15 goals, proving his ability to find the net at the age of just 21.
Additionally, he has the all-round game to bring others into play, according to a scout report from Total Football Analysis. As well as his obvious finishing talents, his link-up play has been highlighted, noting his ability to come short and play as well as get in behind.
The link-up play is something which would be important to Palace. A lot of goals came through Palace’s wingers last season, with 10 for Wilfried Zaha and six for Andros Townsend – more than any of Palace’s strikers – so it’s important that they can link well. According to WhoScored, he’s currently averaging 2.3 key passes per game in the Russian Premier League. To put that into context, no one in their squad last season averaged more.
It’s a shame Palace couldn’t sign Chalov as for the reasons previously mentioned. They could really do with him.
Palace now only have Ayew, Benteke and Wickham until January, which could be problematic given their recent history in front of goal.
It would not be surprising to see Palace go in for Chalov again if he continues this form. The board will be under pressure to sign another striker in January if Benteke and co don’t fix up. And based on all of the above, he could still be a good option in the future for the Eagles. Crystal Palace fans, gutted to miss out on Chalov? Let us know in the comment section below!
[ad_pod ]Having narrowly overcome Aston Villa on the opening weekend of the new Premier League season, Tottenham face a much harder task tomorrow.Mauricio Pochettino will take his side to the Etihad Stadium, where they will face Pep Guardiola’s back-to-back champions, who got their own campaign off to a flyer with a comprehensive 5-0 thrashing of West Ham.Spurs famously managed to get the better of the Citizens in the Champions League quarter-final last season on a historic night for the north Londoners, and they’ll be hoping to leave Manchester tomorrow night with another result under their belt.
Let’s take a look at the starting XI that Pochettino could put out against City…
We think that the former Southampton boss will go with almost the exact same XI that he chose to play against Villa, except for one change.
Erik Lamela started the game against the Villans, but proved to be ineffective in the final third, especially when compared with Christian Eriksen and how the Dane transformed the game when he came on – Eriksen made three key passes in just 27 minutes compared to Lamela’s two in 87 minutes.
Spurs are still without Heung-min Son who is serving the final game of a three-match ban, as a result of his red card against Bournemouth near the end of last season.
Dele Alli, Ryan Sessegnon and Juan Foyth are still out injured, whilst Pochettino said: “We’ll see,” when asked if Jan Vertonghen would be involved – the Belgian was left out of the squad entirely for the opening fixture.
Spurs did well against City last term in both the league and the Champions League, managing to come out of the league fixtures having lost just 1-0 on both occasions against one of the most ruthless sides in Europe, whilst we all know what happened in the Champions League.
They should be buoyed by those results and will hope to find a way to snatch a result once again at the Etihad this Saturday.
This article is part of Football FanCast’s The Chalkboard series, which provides a tactical insight into teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…
Aston Villa have certainly enjoyed the last week or so.
After they opened their 2019/20 account with two straight defeats to Tottenham and then Bournemouth, they have since recorded their first Premier League victory of the season as well as trouncing Crewe Alexandra in the Carabao Cup.
It now also means that all of their 12 summer arrivals have made their debuts or have at least featured this season – a few were returning players who were only at Villa Park on loan last season.
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Amongst those was Matt Targett, who made his first start of the season on Tuesday night at left-back but only could manage 43 minutes after picking up a hamstring injury, meaning he could be out of action for the next week or two.
Neil Taylor has been Dean Smith’s preferred choice in the Premier League this season, starting him in all three matches, rewarding him for his contribution in getting the club into the top-flight.
Though, Targett’s injury may be problematic in the short-term.
On the Chalkboard
Smith has told his players that they need to earn their place this season, which suggests it’s only a matter of time before Taylor faces the axe from the starting XI.
Of the 16 players used in the Premier League, the Welshman ranks 13th overall for average rating at 6.54 with only Tom Heaton below him of players that have started a game this season.
By playing Targett on Tuesday, the Villa boss was surely getting a look at whether he has stepped up to what has been asked of him, so the injury has come at a miserable time.
When comparing the 30-year-old’s season so far, his first back in the top-flight since 2017, you’ll learn that their summer signing has so much more to offer at left-back.
Offensively, Taylor has registered just 0.3 key passes without a single assist this season whilst Targett averaged 1.4 key passes per game in his 13 starts for Southampton and picked up three assists in that time.
The 23-year-old also recorded more interceptions at 1.7 per match whilst they were on par for tackles per game at 1.7, per WhoScored.
Taylor’s poor form meant a league outing for Targett was surely on the horizon but now he’ll have to wait even longer.
We are less than three months away from the release of Football Manager 2020 and today we have been teased with a sneak peak of what’s to come.
Football Manager remains one of the most popular video games in the world. The tactics, the intricate details, you really immerse yourself into the experience of the managerial role.
Fans across the world often have their own views and interpretations for how to be a successful manager and FM20 is going to be better than ever at giving you the chance to prove your worth.
They have today released the first trailer for the game and gives a taste of what is to come. Football Manager will be revealing the first key details and features of the game in mid-September through their official website and all of their official FM social media channels.
Football Manager 2019 was the fastest-selling, best-selling, and most played version of the series to date across all of its release platforms. Nine months after its release, more than 60% of the people who have bought the PC/Mac game in its lifetime are still playing it each month.
This year also marks the first time in history that Football Manager will be available as a launch title on a new platform; FM 20 will make its debut on Google’s Stadia and will be the fastest way to experience Football Manager.
Miles Jacobson, Studio Director of Sports Interactive, said: “Football Manager on Stadia includes technology that is only available on that platform, utilising the power of the cloud and Google’s data centres to ensure that more matches can be processed in parallel utilising spare bandwidth across the whole system.
“This means you can have more leagues loaded into your save, or just go for a faster experience by keeping the amount of leagues the same, but having the matches process quicker than you can on any other platform.”
From today until launch, fans who pre-purchase Football Manager 2020 (for PC and Mac) will receive a 10% discount from a SEGA approved digital retailer.
Additionally, those people will be able to get their managerial careers underway early through a fully-playable Beta version, which will be available roughly two weeks prior to the official street date.
So keep your eyes peeled in the coming weeks as Football Manager are set to release the game’s key features and details in September.
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…
Giovani Lo Celso’s cameo against Arsenal suggests he could have a major role to play in Tottenham’s season.
The Argentine was introduced as a second-half substitute with the score at 2-2 in a frantic north London derby.
Coming on for Son Heung-min, the change appeared to be designed to wrestle back some control for Spurs, having thrown away a 2-0 lead. It worked.
Lo Celso, a slick dribbler of the ball, touched the ball just seven times, per WhoScored, but he brought with him an element of calm and tranquillity in a sea of derby noise.
Three of those touches came as he controlled a falling ball on his knee, turned and beat Dani Ceballos, and then earned his team a free-kick as he was bodychecked on the edge of the box.
Throughout his cameo, he appeared to be the most composed player on the pitch and there were signs that he is getting to a level of fitness where he can actually start games, instead of merely influencing them from the bench.
Signed on an initial loan deal from Real Betis in the summer, Lo Celso scored 16 goals in all competitions last season and it is easy to see why.
Against Arsenal, even in a small cameo, Lo Celso showed that he constantly plays with his head up, looking to move the ball forward and progress possession.
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He made just four passes throughout the time he was on the pitch but every one of them was accurate and he also managed to make a tackle.
It remains to be seen exactly where he’ll play once he is fresh enough to be featuring from the start – he is not a winger so it is not difficult to imagine Spurs playing both he and Son together – but the signs are encouraging.
With the international break now underway, Spurs have a number of major players set to come back from injury, including Tanguy Ndombele and Ryan Sessegnon, both of whom were also signed in the summer.
When everyone is fit, Mauricio Pochettino has a number of remarkably strong options to choose from.