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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…

Speaking in his post-match press conference, West Ham manager Manuel Pellegrini has admitted he would have taken off every single one of his players at half-time if he had the chance.

What did he say?

The Hammers slipped to a 2-0 defeat to Everton on Saturday afternoon – a side that had lost their previous four Premier League games on the spin.

Over the course of the entire 90 minutes, West Ham managed just eight total shots on goal, 11 fewer than what the hosts fired off. After watching his team’s insipid performance, Pellegrini was brutally honest in his assessment of his side’s failings.

How much money could you make busking for a week as a freestyle footballer? Find out in the video below…

He said (as quoted by Football.London): “If I could have changed all 11 then maybe I would have done that because in the first half we did not shoot once, Everton dominated, had six or seven corners, scored and hit the post.

“We improved a little but more in the second half, had chances to score but it is a game we need to be very clear in what we need to improve and be the team that we were a couple of weeks ago.”

Responsibility

Whilst the Chilean’s comments were no doubt intended to voice his displeasure about the lack of quality and fight shown by his players, it does raise a serious question about his own management skills.

Surely it’s in his job description to choose the right players for the game, and then to make sure that they are properly motivated to perform once they get out of the changing rooms? The Hammers displayed no fight or determination in their display: as per Sofascore, they lost possession 17 more times, won 15 less duels, and completed 13 less tackles. The home side simply wanted it more.

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After hearing Pellegrini’s admission, West Ham fans understandably showed their disdain on Twitter.

Perhaps the Hammers boss needs to look in the mirror, and take some responsibility for his side’s abject display on Merseyside.

This article is part of Football FanCast’s Off the Bench series, which places in-game managerial decisions and squad selections under FFC’s microscope.

Real Madrid hosted Club Brugge at the Santiago Bernabeu in their mid-week Champions League clash and were held to an embarrassing 2-2 draw by their visitors.

But it was a half-time substitute who ended up saving the day.

Snapshot

Just like their opener in the European competition against PSG, the follow-up game proved to be another disappointment for Los Blancos.

Even though they were most likely expected to get the job done without too much trouble, Real dropped the ball completely, going 2-0 down before the first 45 minutes were even over.

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That made for a rather stressful second half as Zinedine Zidane’s troops looked to find a way back into the game.

And sure, with the efforts of Casemiro and captain Sergio Ramos, they clawed back and rescued a point.

But it was actually Alphonse Areola who pulled his weight and made sure Real exited Santiago Bernabeu without a chastening defeat.

Super-sub

Zidane revealed in the post-match press-conference that Thibaut Courtois had to be substituted due to some sort of discomfort. The Belgian simply couldn’t continue and the coach was forced to make the change.

But it was still a brilliant move and exactly what the doctor had ordered for the Galacticos.

Watch Lionel Messi and Gareth Bale answer the internet’s weirdest questions in the video below…

Courtois conceded some sloppy goals in the first half, that much was even acknowledge by Zidane himself who called the first goal “a joke”, while Areola came in and made a brilliant save, making sure Real Madrid didn’t go 3-0 down.

If that had happened, it would likely have been game over for Los Blancos. But the loanee from PSG performed when he was called into action and this should already be posing some serious questions to the big boss on the sidelines.

Areola ended the game with one save from inside the box, 92% passing accuracy and with a total of 18 touches.

And even though Real conceded two, none rattled the inside of the net while the Frenchman was on the pitch, meaning he already has two clean sheets to his name in the two games he played so far for his new club across all competitions.

Courtois appeared to be turning a corner after back-to-back clean sheets having previously gone without one since February, but the contrasting fortunes of both goalkeepers on Tuesday night should really have Zidane thinking about who continues between the sticks for Real Madrid going forward.

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…

Barcelona beat Inter Milan 2-1 in the Champions League on Wednesday.

Luis Suarez once again found his form and lethality and managed to rattle the inside of the net twice, completing Blaugrana’s heroic comeback and sealing the win.

Of course, Lionel Messi’s efforts should also not be forgotten as the little Argentine returned back to action only to drop another masterclass performance that warranted him the Man of the Match award according to Whoscored’s rating system.

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The two veterans pulled the strings and ensured Barcelona would return to winning ways in the Champions League after an opening day draw against Borussia Dortmund at Signal Iduna Park.

But this was by no means a procession.

On the contrary, Barcelona were extremely shaky in the first half and it only took a couple of minutes and one lapse in concentration for Inter to pounce and get their opener at the Camp Nou.

As big of a shock as that undeniably was for the Blaugrana audience, it’s also difficult to escape the notion that it was not really that much of a surprise.

Watch Lionel Messi and Gareth Bale answer the internet’s weirdest questions in the video below…

After all, the Catalans have already conceded a total of 11 goals across all competitions in the 2019/20 campaign and have been shaky throughout.

Were it not for Messi’s usual magic and Suarez’s newly-found sharpness in front of goal, this game could’ve been much different and the narrative of a heroic comeback would’ve been completely lost.

Of course, it was not all bad and Barcelona controlled the game with 66% possession and 17 shots compared to Inter’s 11 but that still doesn’t hide the fact that the Nerazzurri had the Catalans on the ropes at times, especially in the early segments of the game.

So while this victory is cause for celebration for sure, it also shouldn’t distract from the fact Barcelona are still very much struggling to find their groove and until they can muster victories on the merits of the whole team rather than on individual brilliance, Valverde’s back will continue being forced against the wall.

The commentators include teammates Largie Ramazani and Dion McGhee, as well as former Southampton forward Eljero Elia…

Hints of Michael Jackson there, but overall he gets a pass from us.

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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… 

Liverpool’s trip to Chelsea on Sunday promises to be an exciting clash but they will need Sadio Mane to be firing on all cylinders to take three points back to Anfield.

On the chalkboard

The Senegal international has been key to the Reds this season with four goals and one assist in five Premier League games.

He was also pivotal the last time these sides met, in August, scoring twice to ensure the match went to a penalty shoot-out, which Liverpool won to lift the UEFA Super Cup.

Keeping Mane quiet will be crucial to Chelsea, but they often struggle against him, with the forward scoring five and assisting two in his 12 appearances against the Blues.

Under Frank Lampard they have been far from solid in defence, too, with 11 goals conceded in the Premier League so far, with Cesar Azpilicueta receiving minimal support from a midfield which has missed the presence of N’Golo Kante for much of the season, as seen through their defensive record.

Azpilicueta has been a reliable performer for the Blues over the years, but fans on Twitter have been far from impressed with some of his displays so far this term.

Despite that criticism, according to WhoScored the right-back has led by example with 2.8 tackles per game, and that suggests Mane will be up against a dogged player who refuses to give up, as well as being a defender who reads the game brilliantly, making five interceptions in the Super Cup.

He did fail to contain Mane’s quality in that game however. The 27-year-old took up threatening positions throughout and had the finishing to match, so if he gets the ball in the final third he will be very difficult to stop.

The Liverpool forward loves to cut in from the right, but he is still at times impossible to stop because of his pace and quick-thinking.

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He can curl the ball into the top corner or link up with Roberto Firmino or Mo Salah on the edge of the box, as his average key passes per game prove, and therefore Azpilicueta will have a tough time dealing with the different type of threat he provides.

The best method for Chelsea is to play narrow, and keep Fikayo Tomori close to the right-back, reducing the gaps inside the box that Mane loves to take up, forcing him to dribble, an aspect of his game that hasn’t been as good this season, according to WhoScored.

Despite that, Mane is in a goalscoring mood and has showed this season that he only needs half a chance, and that makes it unlikely Azpilicueta, or Chelsea, will be able to stop him.

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Matt Doherty’s 93rd-minute equaliser on the road at Shrewsbury sealed Wolves a draw on Saturday afternoon and put a cap on the thrilling FA Cup Fourth Round tie. It also set up a replay that Wolves simply don’t need.

Down 2-0 after 71 minutes against an opponent they never should have trailed to, Wolves clawed their way back with goals from the Raul Jimenez and later Doherty that kept their contention in the competition alive. For a side that’s shown resilience and a knack of fighting back into matches all season long, it was just another example of what Nuno Espirito Santo and his squad are capable of.

As impressive as Wolves’ comeback at New Meadow was though, and the importance the draw holds for keeping them in the domestic competition, it’s now put them in a compromising spot in the Premier League.

Headed into Tuesday’s meeting with West Ham at Molineux, Wolves are still in contention for Europa League qualification, assuming it will once again be lowered to seventh place. Behind Wolves though is a pack of clubs from 9th to 12th – Leicester, West Ham, Everton and Bournemouth – separated by just two points and poised to make the race for seventh as riveting as the title chase and relegation battle.

In the middle of the table from here on out, every point and every match will matter, and it’s why Wolves’ replay with Shrewsbury is a massive disadvantage for the side from the west Midlands.

The FA Cup replay is set to be played on February 5th, right in the middle of a four-match league stretch in which Wolves play three teams trailing them by a maximum of two points. Home for West Ham and away for Everton and Bournemouth over the next four top-flight match days, Wolves are set to jump into what might be their most important run of the season.

It’s a stretch that could catapult them upward or send the season into a spiral, and they’ll now be forced to run through it with the added challenge of an FA Cup match stuck in there as well.

When Wolves reach the replay on February 5th, it will be their third match in eight days. If they win and reach the Fifth Round, they’ll advance to play again midway through the month before what will likely be a crucial match in the seventh-place race at the Vitality Stadium. The road ahead for Wolves is not a pretty one. 

Wolves’ upcoming stretch will be rigorous but not unprecedented; they very well may make it through unscathed. But Wolves have simply made things harder for themselves, and if they stumble in the league over the next month, they’ll regret Saturday’s draw and the subsequent replay that comes with it.

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This article is part of Football FanCast’s Loan Watch series, which takes a closer look at those players who are aiming to galvanise their careers away from the spotlight of their parent club.

You could be forgiven for not knowing all of the players that Wolves have out on loan – there’s no fewer than 13 of them stretched across the senior side and academy setup.

There’s Ivan Cavaleiro lighting up the Championship with three goals and two assists for Fulham whilst Helder Costa and Rafa Mir are also in England’s second tier.

But sticking with the English pyramid, Niall Ennis has impressed at League One outfit Doncaster Rovers so far this season as they sit on the cusp of the playoffs following a win over local rivals Rotherham United on Saturday.

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Ennis played 45 minutes in the match, picking up an assist and a rating of 7.86 – and that’s not even his highest for Rovers this season, per WhoScored.

The 20-year-old was introduced after the break and created the 66th-minute equaliser as his cross met James Coppinger, who slotted past the visiting goalkeeper.

Wolves’ man then could have scored himself before winning the penalty that secured all three points at the Keepmoat Stadium.

So far this season, Ennis has started just two of his five matches in the Championship for a total of 248 minutes, an average of nearly 50 per game.

The striker has managed to score and assist one goal apiece as well as registering 1.2 shots per game, via WhoScored.

He also picked up the Man of the Match award against Lincoln City with a WhoScored rating of 7.98, a game in which he played the full 90.

The performances shown by the Wolves starlet in south Yorkshire are just small measures towards the attitude shown by the Premier League club’s owners to invest in their future through the promotion of its youth talent.

Jeff Shi has spoken about wanting to make the academy better and by having young players impress out on loan in preparation for first-team minutes upon their return, it most certainly bodes well.

If the youngster continues to impress then he will surely soon reappear on the radar of Nuno Santo who played him in the FA Cup last term. The Portuguese has previously given an opportunity to the likes of Max Kilman and Pedro Neto this season and Ruben Vinagre and Morgan Gibbs-White in the past.

Ennis starring whilst on loan is merely a glimpse into the potential Fosun believes is at the club.

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Celtic face a real battle to land Zinedine Ferhat with Trabzonspor ‘on a mission’ to win the race, according to Foot Mercato. 

The lowdown

The French publication originally reported on New Year’s Eve that Nimes Olympique star Ferhat was on The Hoops’ radar.

The 28-year-old, who’s predominantly a right winger but can also play in a central attacking midfield role, is out of contract at the end of the current season.

He’s valued at £4.05million by Transfermarkt, but it’s worth noting that he’s also free to strike a pre-contract agreement with a foreign club ahead of the summer.

The latest

Ferhat has been ‘ardently courted’ by Celtic as well as Ligue 1 outfits Montpellier and Saint-Etienne, but there’s now a chance he ends up in Turkey, according to the French outlet.

Trabzonspor sources have indicated that Ferhat is a ‘priority recruit’, with ‘significant financial resources’ available for the pursuit.

They’re determined to secure his signature and could initiate talks ‘in the coming days’.

The verdict

Celtic should make a big push to see off Trabzonspor – Zerhat’s 2020/21 season was hugely impressive, as he combined six goals with ten assists for a side that finished down in 19th and suffered relegation.

Only Lyon’s Memphis Depay, who subsequently joined FC Barcelona, set up more goals in the French top flight last term.

Celtic started the January window strongly but the tide seems to be turning. They lost out to Middlesbrough after holding talks with Riley McGree and now Blackburn-bound Dilan Markanday seems to evaded them.

Ange Postecoglou may be frustrated if another target moves elsewhere.

In other news, Frank McAvennie thinks this summer signing could leave.

Newcastle could make a move for Liverpool’s Nat Phillips in the remaining days of the transfer window, according to The Athletic’s Chris Waugh. 

The lowdown

Newcastle are hopeful of signing a centre-back in a bid to address their woeful defensive record – they have the poorest expected goals against (xGA) tally in the entire Premier League.

Their top target is Sevilla’s Diego Carlos, and while he would like to join the Magpies, negotiations with Sevilla are proving difficult.

Phillips was heavily involved at Liverpool last season, helping the Reds to secure a top-four finish in the absences of Virgil van Dijk, Joel Matip and Joe Gomez. However, with that trio back fit and Ibrahima Konate signed during the summer, the 24-year-old centre-back has only made four appearances this season.

The latest

Waugh wrote for The Athletic that Newcastle are beginning to pursue ‘back-up options’ in case they can’t strike a deal for Carlos.

They are ‘debating’ whether to bring in ‘domestic defenders’, and Phillips is one of the England-based options named.

The verdict

When you see that Phillips ranks in the 99th percentile among positional peers for clearances and successful aerial duels, you might assume that he’s an ‘old-fashioned’ centre-back (via FBRef). Indeed, that’s how one former team-mate in Andy Lonergan described him, adding that “he’d head a brick wall if he could”.

While Newcastle fans may love that battling spirit, it might be something of a mischaracterisation. Phillips is also reasonably comfortably on the ball, slotting into the 85th percentile for progressive passes.

Liverpool are said to value Phillips at £15m, so this deal could be a lot simpler than their pursuit of Carlos.

In other news, this one-time superstar could land at St James’ Park

Leeds United are among a host of Premier League clubs who could potentially sign Derby County youngster Jason Knight, according to Pete O’Rourke.

The Lowdown: Knight impresses for Derby

The 20-year-old has become a key performer for Derby despite his tender years, scoring twice and setting up another two goals in 15 Championship appearances this season. Knight has even been compared to Wayne Rooney by the man himself, with the Rams manager clearly impressed by the attitude of his player.

The midfielder’s performances have caught the eye of top-flight clubs, and Leeds would appear to be a potential destination.

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The Latest: Leeds in the race

That has been confirmed by O’Rourke, who told GIVEMESPORT that the Whites are considered as possible suitors for Knight in the January transfer window. He outlined:

“Jason Knight also, a good midfielder, Republic of Ireland international as well. Lots of clubs looking at him.

“There’s the likes of Brighton, Newcastle, Leeds all interested in him, as well as West Ham. So, I think it could be a real battle on for his signature in January.”

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The Verdict: Exciting one for the future

Knight mightn’t necessarily be viewed as an immediate option for Marcelo Bielsa but he possesses the long-term potential to be a key figure for Leeds in the future.

It is vital that the Whites continue to plan ahead rather than solely focusing on the here-and-now, with someone like Kalvin Phillips eventually needing to be replaced, especially if the abundance of transfer rumours regarding the 25-year-old continue into 2022.

It should be stressed that Knight has already won eight caps for the Republic of Ireland, so he has shown that he can compete at a high level, and judging by Rooney’s endorsement of the player, he could significantly strengthen Bielsa’s squad depth at a crucial point in the season.

In other news, one Leeds signing reportedly won’t come cheap. Find out who it is here.