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Crystal Palace have reportedly received a boost in their pursuit of Rangers star striker Alfredo Morelos.

What’s the word?

Morelos has been linked with a move to the Eagles for a number of months now.

They were linked with a £20m January swoop in October 2019, but an official bid was never publicly revealed.

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The Colombia international remains at Ibrox but, according to a recent report from Goal, the Scottish giants are already preparing for life without the prolific attacker.

The report claims that the club are acutely aware of that fact it will be difficult to retain the striker in the next transfer window, and the club are forming a contingency plan to deal with that eventuality.

Swansea’s Rhian Brewster and former Sunderland striker Josh Maja form a shortlist of five strikers who are being considered as potential replacements for Morelos.

Coveted asset

While the news is undoubtedly a major boost for Palace in their pursuit, the extent of interest in Morelos’ services will provide some cause for concern.

Having scored 77 goals in 129 games for Rangers, the 23-year-old has established himself as a coveted talent, commanding interest from Atletico Madrid, Valencia, Newcastle, Aston Villa, Leicester City and Inter Milan, per the same report.

And, given Morelos is attracting interest from Inter and Atletico, two clubs who are regulars in the Champions League, there is no doubt Roy Hodgson and the rest of the Palace hierarchy would pull off a major coup if they can bring the hot-headed attacker to south London.

Rangers’ talisman has been sent off on a total of seven occasions in his career and has a tendency to let his emotions get the better of him, which presumably could influence how many of the interested clubs translate their admiration into a concrete offer.

His goal scoring record, however, suggests it could be a risk worth taking for Palace amid their recent struggles at centre-forward.

This article is part of Football FanCast’s In Numbers series, which takes a statistical look at performances, season-long form and reported transfer targets… 

Having made his Manchester United debut in a defeat to Arsenal a couple of years ago, Scott McTominay has made some serious strides in a staggeringly short amount of time. The 22-year-old has become a prominent player under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, and is arguably one of the first names on the team-sheet.

He has already made 16 appearances across all competitions this season, and has played the full 90 minutes in every single Premier League game barring just two. In a team that has struggled overall – United currently find themselves in seventh and a whopping nine points behind the final Champions League qualifying spot – McTominay has been one of the rare bright sparks. And when looking at the underlying numbers, it is easy to see why.

While McTominay may be seen by the outside world as someone who simply sits in front of the back four, breaks up the opposition play and then feeds the ball into the forwards, that has not been the case at all. The Scotland international is beginning to develop into a bona-fide box-to-box midfielder, and his natural engine and lungs is helping him become a hugely influential presence for United at both ends of the pitch.

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As per utdreport on Twitter, the 22-year-old has run 130.88km in total in the Premier League this season – the most distance covered by any player in the current United squad. And in finding himself all over the pitch, it is little surprise to see McTominay also feature highly in all the other main categories. As per Whoscored, his average of 2.3 tackles per game ranks him third amongst his teammates, whilst even in stats that are polar opposites like interceptions and shots, the academy product fares impressively well.

The matches in which the midfielder dominates is also a testament to his big-game mentality. In the victory over Chelsea in the Carabao Cup, McTominay’s match rating was the second-highest of any player on the pitch, whilst in the hard-fought draw against Arsenal, his 7.4 score was the highest of any United star. The 6 foot 4 powerhouse rises to the big occasion, and he is quickly becoming Solskjaer’s most trusted lieutenant.

Loads of Manchester City fans have taken to social media to tear into Ilkay Gundogan for his performance against Liverpool, as Pep Guardiola’s side were beaten at Anfield on Sunday.

Supporters were left frustrated by Gundogan’s role in the result, as many felt the German was somewhat responsible for each of Liverpool’s three goals and suggested that his general play in both offence and defence were not at the standard required.

Gundogan had a direct hand in Liverpool’s opening goals, as the £140,000-per-week midfielder’s poor clearance fell directly to the feat of Fabinho, who fired home a rocket from 25-yards out.

He then offered no defensive press as Liverpool looked to advance into Man City’s defensive half in the build-up to Mohamed Salah doubling the host’s lead, as Gundogan drifted around the centre of the field without any serious intent.

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Gundogan did himself no favours in the eyes of some Citizens for Liverpool’s third, either, as the 29-year-old stopped tracking Jordan Henderson back before the England midfielder delivered the perfectly-weighted cross for Sadio Mane to head home at the back post.

Gelsenkirchen-born Gundogan would see out the full 90 minutes despite the frustrations of some fans, in which he lost possession seven times, recorded no interceptions, was dribbled past four times and failed to find the target with any of his shots recorded by Sofa Score.

He did complete 91% of his passes played, though, and registered three key balls, which was the joint-most by any player for either side.

Here are some of the messages shared from Man City fans unimpressed by Gundogan’s efforts at Anfield as they were beaten 3-1…

Manchester City fans have taken to Twitter to state that they do not want to see Mikel Oyarzabal join the club after Leroy Sane was linked with a move to Bayern Munich.

According to TEAMtalk, City are prepared to let Sane leave the club to join the German giants, with Pep Guardiola lining up Oyarzabal as his replacement.

The report claims that club scouts see him as the perfect alternative, with his release clause just shy of £70m.

It seems that fans are massively against this move and it’s difficult to blame them given the standard of Sane’s performances since he joined the club from Schalke.

On the other hand, fans have called for the club to targets players such as Jadon Sancho instead, who was at the club’s youth academy before he moved to Borussia Dortmund.

Sane is currently sidelined with an anterior cruciate ligament injury which he sustained in the Community Shield and will miss the majority of the season.

His potential replacement, Oyarzabel, has had a sensational start to this campaign, scoring four times and providing three assists.

However, this does not seem to be enough for the fans…

It’s been almost impossible to criticise anything Marcelo Bielsa has done during his time as Leeds United manager.

The Argentine has been a real revelation since taking the job at Elland Road, and while he’s pretty much not put a foot wrong since taking the job, guiding his team to the playoffs last term, there’s one thing that is constantly costing him.

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Of course, we’re talking about the injury crisis that has plagued the Whites ever since Bielsa’s appointment.

United were hampered on their promotion hunt last term by injuries, and this season there’s been a similar pattern emerging.

Leeds have lost Pablo Hernandez and Liam Cooper for extended periods this term, and even this weekend they’re affected by knocks to Patrick Bamford, Barry Douglas and Ezgjan Alioski.

Bielsa’s system of helping players return from injury has come under fire in recent times as he allows his hurt players to spend time with the U23s before rejoining the first team.

This way of working has caused further problems for some players. Hernandez picked up another injury in his latest outing with the U23s and Cooper limped off earlier this week.

Our team of writers have attempted to analyse the Argentine’s way of thinking, and they’ve given their views on whether or not he’s right to use the U23s in this way.

Matt Dawson “Marcelo Bielsa’s decision to play senior figures in his U23 side is rather nonsensical. It benefited the academy hugely in the opening weeks of their campaign as they went five matches unbeaten when the likes of Helder Costa and Eddie Nketiah were playing for them. However, since the younger members started to play a more prominent role, their form dropped off. “This could have been down to many factors, one of which might have been due to their limited minutes when surrounded by first-team regulars in Carlos Corberan’s side. It’s all well and good building their fitness but that seems to have been completely counterproductive this term.“Pablo Hernandez returned to action the day before a Championship clash and subsequently got another injury for the U23s. Liam Cooper then picked up a knock earlier this week. On that evidence, it’s a bad idea and has to be stopped. Playing them at a lower level seems foolish. At the end of the day, U23 action is for the younger players to develop their games, not for the elder statesmen.” Billy Meyers

“This is something that Bielsa must stop doing.

“It’s all well and good giving your players a few minutes here and there to get back up to speed with things, but if key players such as Pablo Hernandez are going to miss first-team matches due to injuries picked up in U23 games, then what’s the point?

“The former Marseille boss would be much better off simply allowing them to make a full recovery and then easing them back with some first-team minutes off the bench. This is rather than needlessly risking them in U23 games where youth players may want to up their game against seasoned professionals, which could potentially lead to them going in harder on the experienced duo and other players of the same ilk.

“Bielsa must find a different way to ease his stars back into action.”

Vijievan Jeevathayalan

“Injuries are so incredibly difficult to predict, and so Marcelo Bielsa’s sentiment behind slowly easing his returning players into action through a less demanding environment like the U23s is perfectly understandable.

“The Leeds boss has been in and around the game long enough to know the scientific intricacies behind getting a footballer into peak match fitness, and instead of throwing them to the lions in an intense and physical Championship fixture, he has quite smartly brought them back through a different way.

“The setbacks suffered by Pablo Hernandez and Liam Cooper are just sheer bad luck, and placing the blame on Bielsa’s shoulders would be a major oversight.

“Not everything works out to perfection, and so there can be no question the Leeds manager has got his priorities straight with his use of the U23s and returning players.”

Charles Jones

“I think that Bielsa has to put a stop to this once and for all.

“The Argentine knows how destructive injuries can be to a season as he suffered plenty of them in his first term at Elland Road, so why on earth would he continue with a strategy that simply puts his players at risk even more?

“I understand it when it’s a young player such as Jamie Shackleton as he doesn’t have too much experience at the top level, and match sharpness may be an issue, but when it’s someone like Pablo Hernandez or Liam Cooper it simply makes no sense as these are seasoned professionals who won’t miss a beat due to a couple of weeks on the sidelines.”

This article is part of Football FanCast’s The Chalkboard series, which provides a tactical insight into teams, players, managers, potential signings and more… 

West Brom’s impressive start to life under Slaven Bilic finally came to an end in midweek as Leeds United defeated them 1-0 at Elland Road.

It meant that a run of nine straight games without defeat was halted, so they’ll be looking to get back on track as they welcome Cardiff City to the Hawthorns on Saturday.

The Bluebirds are on an excellent run themselves as they head into the match having not lost in seven straight games.

Therefore, by no means are the Baggies in for an easy test as they look to get back on track, so where could the game be won or lost this weekend?

On the Chalkboard

One of Cardiff’s best players this term has been summer arrival Marlon Pack, who has become a backbone in Neil Warnock’s side. That’s coincided with their unbeaten streak.

He faced some time out through injury, but he has come back into the side and played the full 90 minutes in back-to-back games, culminating in his best performance of the season on Tuesday night as the Welsh side emphatically defeated Queens Park Rangers 3-0.

The 28-year-old scored one of the three goals, made one tackle, and won four aerial duels as he picked up a season-high WhoScored rating of 8.21.

His opposite number this weekend will be Albion’s new creative number ten, Matheus Pereira.

The young winger is quite the enigmatic figure, but he’s been influential to Slaven Bilic this season, having scored one goal and provided three assists.

He’s a completely different player to that of Pack as he averages 1.3 dribbles and 2.4 key passes per game.

By contrast, the former Bristol City ace plays as many as 5.5 long balls per game and does more defensive work, recording 1.3 clearances and interceptions per match.

This weekend’s game could really be won or lost depending on how Pereira plays.

If he is utilised centrally as he has been since making his first full start against Blackburn Rovers at the end of August, it could well work out in Bilic’s favour.

This time they’ll need him firing on all cylinders after failing to score or assist against Leeds. His threat was nullified that time out so Pereira will have to bounce back.

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…

As quoted by Sky Sports, Ryan Giggs has said Daniel James was simply being “streetwise” when he fell down to the turf in Wales’ clash with Croatia.

What did he say?

Since arriving from Swansea this summer, James has been a revelation for Manchester United with his early season contributions. The 21-year-old has scored three times in the Premier League already for his new side, but he has come under some criticism for falling to ground far too easily – he was booked against both Wolves and Crystal Palace in successive matches over apparent simulation.

Watch how to cross the road like a boss with freestyler Ben Nuttall in the video below…

On Sunday, the winger appeared to be involved in a nasty collision with Croatia’s Domagoj Vida, and looked to have lost consciousness when he hit the ground. However, James returned to the action after lengthy treatment, and speaking following the end of the match, Giggs provided an explanation as to why he didn’t go off.

He said: “The physio came over but there was no problem. We did all the (concussion) tests at half-time and he was fine. He stayed down and was a bit streetwise. He told the doctors ‘I’m not moving, I’m just sitting still’. Not to get anyone sent off, he was just using his nous.”

Shocking

Whether Giggs thought his comments were intended as a compliment of James’ grasp of the dark arts remains unclear. But the fact the Wales boss used the word “streetwise” when the entire stadium and those watching at home thought there was something seriously wrong with the United prospect, is deeply worrying.

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Gamesmanship has always been intrinsically linked with sport. Trying to gain an advantage, duping oppositions players and referees, and doing anything and everything you can to find a win for your side has been part and parcel of any competitive event. But with football’s concerning history with head injuries – Petr Cech and Ryan Mason most notably – Giggs and James have brought shame on themselves.

Peter McCabe, chief executive of brain injury charity Headway, delivered a stinging rebuke of the duo’s actions.

“Ryan Giggs’ claim that the player was being ‘streetwise’ by staying down and appearing to have been knocked out is shocking. If that is the case and James was ‘acting’, it raises serious questions about the player’s understanding of the seriousness of concussion. It is simply not acceptable for teams to use concussion protocols for tactical gain.”

For a player who is already beginning to develop an unwanted reputation for diving, the last thing he needed was for the spotlight to be turned up a notch. Both Giggs and James have done themselves, Manchester United, and the entire footballing community, an entire disservice with their disgraceful actions.

أعلن أندريا بيرلو المدير الفني لفريق يوفنتوس الإيطالي، عن تشكيل البيانكونيري لمواجهة بينيفيتنو، ضمن الجولة 28 من الدوري.

يوفنتوس صاحب المركز الثالث يسعى للفوز من أجل احتلال الوصافة ولو مؤقتًا، في انتظار مواجهة ميلان وفيورنتينا مساء اليوم.

وعاد بيرلو للعب بثلاثة مدافعين مرة أخرة، بمشاركة دي ليخت وبونوتشي ودانيلو.

ويقود الهجوم كريستيانو رونالدو، بجانب ألفارو موراتا، كما جرت العادة مؤخرًا، في ظل إصابة باولو ديبالا. تشكيل يوفنتوس أمام بينيفينتو

حراسة المرمى: تشيزني.

الدفاع: دانيلو، دي ليخت، بونوتشي.

وسط الملعب: بيرنارديسكي، كييزا، آرثر، رابيو، كولوسيفسكي.

الهجوم: رونالدو، موراتا.

Manchester United left Molineux on Monday night disappointed, as Paul Pogba’s missed penalty prevented the Red Devils from maintaining their 100% record, but Ole Gunnar Solskjaer will be confident his side can restore the form they showed on the opening day.

Ultimately, it has been a positive start for Solskjaer who has already managed to get the likes of Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial firing, whilst his defence has kept things tight, conceding just one goal from their opening two Premier League fixtures.

Indeed, after a rather frustrating night last time out, how will the Norwegian set up his side this Saturday?

Aaron Wan-Bissaka could be set to face his old side for the first time, and the former Crystal Palace man has made a strong start this season, leading the way for tackles (as per WhoScored) at Old Trafford. Elsewhere in defence, the world’s most expensive defender, Harry Maguire, will surely continue to grow his partnership with Victor Lindelof, one praised by the Telegraph’s James Ducker.

In midfield, despite his penalty miss, Paul Pogba has been pulling the strings for United, producing two assists in his opening two Premier League appearances, so he should keep his place alongside Scott McTominay.

Perhaps the only change from Solskjaer will come in the no.10 spot, with Jesse Lingard only receiving a 5/10 (as per Manchester Evening News) for his performance against Wolves last time out. As a result, Andreas Pereira could come in to change things up after producing an assist on the opening day of the season.

Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial practically pick themselves these days because of their goals and the departure of Romelu Lukaku, whilst Gary Neville has stated that Daniel James will strike fear into the opposition after his opening couple of performances, so Solskjaer should opt to go with the Welshman and his fear factor.

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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… 

Aston Villa’s Tyrone Mings has had quite the career renaissance in 2019.

He found himself massively out of favour at Bournemouth, so he was duly sent out on loan to Villa Park, and he quickly became the clear choice at centre-back, going on to contribute substantially in their historic ten-game winning run.

After gaining promotion with the club, he then signed permanently in a £20m deal and in the Premier League so far, he’s clearly continued his imperious form as the 26-year-old has been called up to Gareth Southgate’s England squad for their 2020 European Championship qualifiers during this international break.

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That’s quite a turn around for a defender that had played just 17 Premier League matches across four seasons – serious injury only six minutes into his Cherries career effectively placed havoc with his time on the south coast.

He suffered torn anterior and medial ligaments in his knee, which ruled him out for well over a season.

On the Chalkboard

His performances can’t have sprung randomly from anywhere; the upturn has to be a correlation with his arrival at Villa, as he has had the perfect mentor to learn from.

Legendary Chelsea and England centre-back John Terry is the assistant manager at the club to Dean Smith, so undoubtedly he has contributed to Mings’ change in fortunes.

Terry captained England 34 times and could be the man to help England find a towering long-term option at centre-back.

The 6 foot 5 defender has the ‘ideal teacher’ according to Smith, who said: “JT has been an influence on Tyrone since he’s been here; he’s getting better and better. JT will give him a heads up [about being in the England squad], but Tom Heaton is also a regular in the set-up.”

Find out which Premier League stadium has been ranked the worst in the video below…

Smith also describes Mings as a ‘born leader’ in the dressing room, which admittedly only goes to show the effect of having someone like Terry around has had.

The 26-year-old is averaging a mighty 9.8 clearances per game in the league, which is the highest in the division by some margin, on top of 2.3 blocks and 1.5 interceptions per match, according to WhoScored.

So it’s no wonder that the titan is part of the England setup this time around. He’s been perfectly groomed, even if unknowingly, for this moment – thanks to Terry.

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