Jason Cundy believes Manchester United are heading for the Championship under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.It’s no secret that the Red Devils have struggled under the Norwegian’s stewardship since he was awarded the permanent job by Ed Woodward.Their worst start to a season in 30 years is more than likely going to be extended as they welcome league leaders Liverpool to Old Trafford on Sunday, leaving them languishing in the relegation zone without any real indication that they’re going to haul themselves out anytime soon. United have scored an average 0.7 goals per game since Chelsea, let that sink in.It’s stick or twist time for Woodward who’s recently come out and publicly defended himself, Solskjaer, himself, Ed, Woodward, himself and Ed. Does the soiled chief keep Solskjaer and hope that the second coming of Sir Alex Ferguson is on the horizon (impossible) or does he accept defeat for the fourth time in his tenure? We’ll soon find out.Championship pending, Cundy has delivered a very harsh verdict on Solskjaer’s United…

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…

Do you know the saying about ‘those who cannot learn from history are doomed to repeat it’?

Well when you look it up next time, there’s a good chance that you’ll see a picture of Marcelo Bielsa staring back at you.

You’d think that games like the one at home to Wigan Athletic last season, when a team that was fighting relegation and reduced to ten men only to come and win it would have been enough to prove to him that there are no easy games in this division.

However, it looks as if Biela’s stubbornness and refusal to change his style of play have ended up costing him again.

Regardless of whether or not they feel that the red card in the first half was fair or not, if Leeds are a team that have serious aspirations of getting promoted, perhaps it’s time for Bielsa to start taking this league a little more seriously.

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If he and Leeds find themselves in a situation where they cannot beat a team that were near the bottom of the table, who haven’t won a game since the middle of August and who lost their boss two days before the game, regardless of the ‘new manager bounce’, then you have to question just how seriously the Argentinian is taking this division.

Compare Leeds’ performance on the weekend to how Fulham played them a couple of months ago.

Scott Parker and his team saw there was a weak team to be exploited and tore them apart on the night, with 935 successful passes and 84% possession.

He has spoken before about how he likes to carry a thin squad, well this game clearly tells you that when you start a player who is predominantly a full-back at centre-back that you can’t just rely on your attacking ability to get you out of a jam.

This is why you need to have strength in depth, something else he should have learned last year during their injury crisis. Alas, he failed to learn from that this summer as they only brought in six players on loan while losing 31 either on a temporary or permanent basis.

There is still a lot of the season left to play, and whilst they are only two points off the top of the table right now, it will remain to be seen whether or not they have the capacity, both on the pitch and in the dugout, to stay near the top as the season progresses.

Something has to give, and it might just be Bielsa’s methods.

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… 

Spurs returned to their best against Red Star Belgrade on Tuesday and that was largely due to the performance of a resurgent Erik Lamela.

The Argentine has maintained his fitness this term but not his consistency, and as a result he has been in and out of the starting line-up, but with more displays such as the one he showed against the Serbian champions, he will soon be the first name on the teamsheet.

In fact, he was so good that Tottenham didn’t notice the absence of Christian Eriksen, leading some supporters to hope that the Dane never plays for the club again – with £20m-rated Lamela an adequate replacement.

Mauricio Pochettino’s side created chances throughout and looked a transformed side to the team which has lacked confidence and belief over the last few matches, with one win in seven prior to Tuesday.

What will be particularly pleasing for the Spurs boss was the link-up play between the front-three, with Harry Kane also receiving plaudits for his display, and Son Heung-min scoring two.

However, it was the 6-foot Lamela who stole the show, and his performance could have a long-term impact on the team’s strategy moving forward.

The winger showed it all against Red Star, and had a big hand in a lot of Tottenham’s positive display throughout the evening, as his stats from WhoScored suggest.

He showed great awareness to pick out Son with a back-post cross after helping Kane to open the scoring with a whipped corner early on, and the technical ability and clever movement for his own goal underlined how effective a player he can be.

Thanks to him, Spurs were able to pile the pressure on the visitors in a way they may have been unable to do with Lucas Moura on the pitch, as the Argentine is much more accomplished with the ball at his feet.

Check out a hilarious FIFA Forefeit Challenge with a Watford Ladies pro in the video below…

That is highlighted by the three key passes he made, and his pass accuracy of 92%, a contrast to the Brazilian who only managed 80% pass accuracy against Watford on Saturday, and thus failed to convince on a rare starting opportunity.

Lucas’ displays will only serve to weaken his chances of securing a regular role in the starting line-up, with Pochettino seemingly unconvinced with the winger, evidenced by the fact he was dropped for the Champions League final despite scoring the three goals to get them there against Ajax.

He has only started five matches this term, with the Watford match the first league game he has started since August, but the fact he produced just one key pass and zero shots on target suggests his boss has been vindicated in his latest selection policy, with Lamela’s performance another potential nail in his coffin in north London.

To get the best out of the front two, therefore, the Argentine is Pochettino’s best option, as other than Eriksen there are few players who can replicate his inventiveness and clinical edge, with three shots also bettering that of Lucas.

The 27-year-old is finally starting to find his fitness and form and now needs to trust of his manager, and if he gets that he could begin to stamp his authority on the team.

فاز فريق ريال مدريد الإسباني، على نظيره فريق ليفربول الإنجليزي، بثلاثة أهداف مقابل هدف، في المباراة التي جمعت بين الفريقين، مساء اليوم الثلاثاء، على ملعب “ألفريدو دي ستيفانو”، ضمن لقاءات ذهاب ربع نهائي دوري أبطال أوروبا. شاهد اهداف مباراة ريال مدريد وليفربول

المباراة شهدت مُشاركة لاعبنا، المصري، محمد صلاح، المُحترف في صفوف الريدز، حيث شارك كأساسي من البداية وحتى صافرة النهاية، وسجّل هدف ليفربول الوحيد في اللقاء.

ريال مدريد بتلك النتيجة يُنجز نصف المهمة، في التأهل لنصف نهائي دوري أبطال أوروبا، ولكن سيتعين عليه أولًا خوض مباراة الإياب، على ملعب “آنفيلد”، الأسبوع القادم.

تقرير المباراة

الشوط الأول

ريال مدريد أنهى الشوط الأول من المباراة، مُتقدمًا في النتيجة بهدفين نظيفين، لاعبو المرينجي، سيطروا على مجريات اللعب ، خلال الـ45 دقيقة الأولى، ونجحوا في ترجمة السيطرة إلى أهداف في شباك الضيوف.

الهدف الأول جاء في الدقيقة 27، بأقدام البرازيلي، فينيسيوس جونيور، بعد تمريرة طويلة أكثر من رائعة من توني كروس، من قبل وسط الملعب، وصلت إلى جونيور، المتمركز قبل منطقة الجزاء، حصل على الكرة، وانطلق بها تجاه منطقة الجزاء، وسدد الكرة بقوة في مرمى مواطنه أليسون بيكر.

وبعدها بدقائق، تمكن الدولي البرازيلي، فينيسيوس جونيور، من إحراز الهدف الثاني، بعد أسيست مرة أخرى من توني كروس، حيث حصل الإسباني على الكرة وتوغل لداخل منطقة الجزاء، ثم رواغ البرازيلي أليسون بيكر، الذي سقط أرضًا، وواصل ماركو ركض بالكرة ثم سجلها في الشباك الخالية في الدقيقة 36.

الشوط الثاني

ليفربول دخل الشوط الثاني، بشكل ضاغط على ريال مدريد، من أجل إحراز هدف تقليص الفارق، والعودة في النتيجة سريعًا، وتحقق ما أراده الريدز في الدقيقة 51، بأقدام محمد صلاح، حيث استغل تسديدة من جوتا، أوقفها مودريتش لكن الكرة كانت أسرع من الكرواتي، لتعود إلى صلاح المتمركز أمام المرمى، سددها في شباك كورتوا.

ريال مدريد، بعد الهدف، ضغط مرة أخرى على دفاع ليفربول، من أجل توسيع الفارق، وأهدر ماركو أسينسيو وكريم بنزيما، هدفان، ولكن المُتألق في المباراة، فينيسيوس جونيور، نجح في إحراز الهدف الثالث بالدقيقة 65، بعد تمريرة أرضية من داخل منطقة الجزاء من الكرواتي لوكا مودريتش لـ فينيسيوس الخالي من الرقابة داخل منطقة الجزاء، سدد البرازيلي الكرة من أول لمسة في مرمى أليسون بيكر.

This article is part of Football FanCast’s Monthly Review series, which analyses what managers can learn from the previous month and what the coming month could have in store.

September was a month of two halves for Nuno Santo and Wolves – well, it was more like three quarters to a quarter as some harsh lessons were learned, but also solutions were beginning to surface as we embark on October.

The west Midlands club started the month with three straight defeats, including their Europa League group opener against Braga at Molineux.

Those results followed the month of August, where they had won all of the qualification games on offer and were actually unbeaten in the Premier League with three straight draws.

Old

One thing Nuno can take inspiration from is that the 3-4-3 formation that won the Championship is still hugely effective.

The Portuguese boss scrapped it upon promotion to the Premier League, primarily opting for a 3-5-2 formation, which was maybe utilised to accompany the arrivals of Joao Moutinho, Leander Dendoncker and Raul Jimenez.

However, Wolves’ first win of the season came at the weekend playing with that old formation, so it’s something they should definitely stick with.

As previously mentioned on Football FanCast, it bridges the gap from midfield to attack more effectively and thus can bring the west Midlands club more success.

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New

Nuno is starting to realise just how monumental the burden of games will be this season.

Last term, the 45-year-old primarily used just 19 players in the Premier League as they secured a seventh place at the first time of asking.

That’s just not possible this time around as their progression in the Carabao Cup has meant they play two games per week for the foreseeable future – well into 2020, and then the FA Cup comes into play, which could add further weight to their schedule.

As many as 24 players have featured in the old gold shirt this season across all competitions, so there are signs that Nuno’s attitude is changing, but still, it could be better.

For instance, Pedro Neto, who has only started one league game this campaign, has since proven why their squad depth can be trusted following his impressive showing against Watford.

It’s time to do that in October, Nuno.

This article is part of Football FanCast’sÂOpinionÂseries, which provides analysis, insight and opinion on any issue within the beautiful game, from Paul Pogba’s haircuts to League Two relegation battles…

Everton returned to winning ways last weekend against West Ham United, with the club keeping just their third Premier League clean sheet of the season in the process.

Central to the success of the weekend result was the performance of Yerry Mina. The Colombian was a rock at the back and never gave the likes of Sebastien Haller a sniff in front of goal. However, as Sky Sports have reported, Mina could be set for a spell on the sidelines, as he is a doubt for the trip to Brighton & Hove Albion.

And Marco Silva appeared to confirm the bad news on Thursday in his press conference, revealing that Mina he hasn’t been in full first-team training so far this week.

Whilst this could force Mason Holgate into the starting XI, it should be the perfect time to thrust Lewis Gibson into the senior squad. Gibson is yet to make a senior appearance for Everton, although, the 19-year-old has been making a lot of noise in the youth academy.

The young England star won the U17s World Cup and also helped Everton’s U23s win the Premier League 2. However, Gibson is out of contract in the summer and could leave having not entered the first-team.

As shown by games recorded by Transfermarkt, Gibson is versatile and can play both right and left centre-back, whilst he has also dropped in at left-back. Being as versatile as he is, the Englishman could be vital going forward for Silva and prove himself as a valuable asset.

Injuries such as Mina’s could cause problems for the Toffees in the future and now is the perfect time for Gibson to come in and prevent such issues in the long run.

The former Newcastle man has proved his worth already in the youth setups for both club and country.

Plus, amid reported interest from the likes of Ajax, Gibson could end up moving away on a free.

Silva should use Mina’s injury as a chance to integrate him and this could be the youngster’s big chance to experience life in the senior matchday squad, even if he is merely spectating from the substitutes bench.

He’s never been called up to the senior squad before, but with Mina likely to be sidelined and no further senior back up players beyond Mason Holgate, this could be a landmark weekend in Gibson’s career.

Barcelona beat Sevilla 4-0 at Camp Nou on Sunday.

Goals from Luis Suarez, Arturo Vidal, Ousmane Dembele and Lionel Messi proved decisive in the Liga encounter, as Ernesto Valverde’s men recorded a crushing weekend win.

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Overall, it was a good performance by the whole team but once again, it was Vidal who caught the attention of the Blaugrana fans.

Barcelona were quick to share some impressive stats, stating that in 23 games in La Liga when Vidal was in the starting lineup, they are yet to be defeated once.

As a result, many of the fans were absolutely gushing over their Chilean midfielder, calling him their best signing in recent years and even urging the club to start him ahead of Sergio Busquets.

It seems that Vidal is well and truly one of the fan favourites at the Camp Nou.

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

أكد يورجن كلوب المدير الفني الألماني لفريق ليفربول الإنجليزي، على أحقية الريدز بالفوز الذي تحقق على حساب أستون فيلا اليوم.

ليفربول فاز بثنائية مقابل هدف على أستون فيلا، في المباراة التي جمعت بينهما ضمن الجولة 31 من الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز. “طالع تقرير المباراة”

وقال كلوب في تصريحات لشبكة “سكاي” البريطانية بعد المباراة: “لقد سيطرنا على المباراة، ارتكبنا خطأ واحدًا فقط واستقبلنا من خلاله هدفًا”.

وأضاف: “سجلنا التعادل وتم إلغاء الهدف بسبب التسلل، كما أننا في الشوط الأول لم نكن في حالة مزاجية أفضل، لكن بين الشوطين الكلمات كانت جيدة”.

وأكمل: “لم أكن مضطرًا لرفع صوتي كثيرًا بين الشوطين، كانوا يعلمون بأنفسهم أنه إذا واصلنا اللعب يمكننا تحقيق الفوز، وتعاملنا مع الشوط الثاني بشكل جيد للغاية”.

وواصل: “الشعور بالفوز راحة حقيقية، خاصة وأننا دافعنا جيدًا في الشوط الثاني، كما أننا كنا بحاجة إلى هذا الفوز اليوم، هذه النقاط الثلاث تبدو كبيرة للغاية”.

ودافع عن أرنولد صاحب هدف الفوز القاتل: “الجميع يعلم أن ترينت لاعب رائع، قرار ساوثجيت يعود له، لا يمكن أن نتحدث عنه كل أسبوع، ليس علينا تبرير مستوى لاعب كل يوم”.

واختتم: “علينا أن نضع الفرق الأخرى تحت ضغط، الكل يعلم خطورتنا عندما نبدأ في الركض”.

Speaking exclusively to Football FanCast, John Hartson called into question Tottenham’s transfer policy over the summer and their decision to bring in Tanguy Ndombele from Lyon.

It was a signing which was greeted with a lot of excitement by fans, partly because it signalled a move away from the club’s restrictive spending, having gone two whole transfer windows without making an addition prior to the summer.

Despite that, the Frenchman hasn’t exactly set the world alight despite scoring two goals in six league games.

As a result, the former Celtic striker has questioned the club’s decision to sign him, though he admitted there is time for Ndombele to improve.

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While speaking exclusively to FFC, Hartson said: “Did they really need him [Ndombele]? They paid an awful lot of money for Ndombele and I’ve not really seen it yet, but it’s probably too early to judge.”

The 23-year-old has so had a mixed opening to his Spurs career, and that could partly be due to the fact that he may not be at full fitness, with many Spurs fans noticing that it didn’t take long for him to look fatigued in the 7-2 defeat to Bayern Munich.

It could be a worry for the Tottenham hierarchy considering he cost an eye-watering £53.8m, a deal that broke the club’s record which previously stood at £42m for the capture of Davison Sanchez.

For that kind of money, Spurs could be forgiven for expecting a quicker start to life in north London, though as Hartson suggests it may take time for him to get up and running in the Premier League, and once he does he could show the best of what he has to offer.

The clearest indication that Ndombele’s performances have dropped off are his average passing stats, with 36 per game for Spurs in the league compared to 58 per game for Lyon last term, and that in itself suggests that he is yet to deliver the type of form that earned him a summer move.

Some Liverpool fans have taken to Twitter to point the finger at Jordan Henderson for his involvement in Harry Kane’s opener at Anfield on Sunday.

The 55-cap England international misplaced a pass in the opening minute of the game against Tottenham, and then saw his side come under attack from Mauricio Pochettino’s side after his error.

He failed to win the ball back before helplessly watching Kane nod the north Londoners in front, and his incompetence did not go unnoticed by some Liverpool fans on Twitter.

Henderson’s error left the European champions chasing the game throughout the first half, but he then scored a second-half equaliser against the side who Liverpool beat in the Champions League final to kickstart a comeback – Mohamed Salah’s penalty earned the Reds a 2-1 win.

One supporter said that the former Sunderland man should never have started in the first place, whereas another said that the 29-year-old is having a “shocker” of a campaign so far.

Let’s take a look at some more of the Twitter reaction…