All posts by h716a5.icu

What does £72m get you nowadays? Not a lot, if Nicolas Pepe’s performances for Arsenal so far are anything to go by.

Football is so much more than just goals and assists, but for a player who had a combined 33 – 22 goals and 11 assists – in Ligue 1 last year, the Ivory Coast international’s two in his first seven Premier League games does not make good reading at all, especially considering his solitary strike came from the spot.

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To say the 24-year-old was inefficient against Manchester United on Monday would be a bit of an understatement.

In fact, a fairer analysis would be to say he was a passenger throughout. The fact he was taken off after 73 minutes with Arsenal still in a position to win the game gives you a good idea of his display.

The fans took to Twitter to share their thoughts, and you can see some of the best comments from the social media platform below.

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…

West Brom regained possession of first place in the Championship following their victory over Cardiff City at the Hawthorns on Saturday.

After losing their unbeaten record in midweek at Leeds United, the Baggies showed incredible character to put that behind them and carry on as if nothing major had occurred.

Their enigmatic loan duo Matheus Pereira and Grady Diangana slammed home two delightful efforts from range to hand Albion a two-goal advantage at half-time.

Charlie Austin then finally bagged his first league goal for the club with a low-driven effort after beating the Bluebirds’ backline with a burst of pace.

Though, it is at this very point that manager Slaven Bilic could have cost them the game.

According to the Croatian post-game, he wanted his side to bag a fourth goal despite being already three to the good.

He makes a perfectly valid point in reference to the historic 2005 Champions League final, where Liverpool came from behind against AC Milan to beat them on penalties, despite being 3-0 down at half-time.

However, it might actually show that he has a lack of faith in his side to close out results when under pressure to do so.

His comments would have had an adverse effect if his players did indeed feel that way inclined, especially considering they had guided the team to nine straight games without defeat before this week.

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Their character also shouldn’t be tested as they rank first for points gained after falling behind – by a considerable margin too, having picked up 15 points from eight deficits.

Bilic’s men have only kept one clean sheet this season, so with the game at 3-0, it would appear likely that an opposition goal would be coming, so that may add some strength to the Croatian’s comments.

Either way, he should be backing his side to see out the victory as within five minutes of netting the third, substitute Danny Ward had hit one back, and that then soon was doubled to make the game nervously poised in the final stages. Is it any surprise there’s a lack of faith? Arguably not.

It remains to be seen how they would have reacted without his comments about ‘needing a fourth goal,’ but it must have played some part considering they almost crumbled to be on the receiving end of their own ‘Istanbul’ up in the west Midlands.

Romaine Sawyers did eventually get the goal his boss desperately wanted with pretty much the final kick of the game as he slotted home from Pereira’s pass.

However, if anything, Bilic’s comments show exactly why they did need that fourth goal.

Speaking exclusively to Football FanCast, former Arsenal striker John Hartson believes Tottenham Hotspur manager Mauricio Pochettino will walk before he is pushed if he is to leave following a bad start to the season.

Having already been knocked out of the Carabao Cup – one of their best chances of winning a trophy – by League Two Colchester United, Spurs have faltered in both the Premier League and the Champions League too, losing against Brighton and Hove Albion and Bayern Munich in their previous two games.

The pressure may well be building on the Argentine with some fans growing restless with performances and results and being open to the likes of Julian Nagelsmann and Massimiliano Allegri replacing the Argentine if he does go.

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However, reports suggest that his job under threat at the current time, with Daniel Levy ready to stick by the man who has helped Tottenham become a regular competitor among Europe’s elite.

Speaking about the 47-year-old, Hartson believes the international break may have come at the right time for him.

He said: “He looks to me as though he might need a break. He’s gone off to Qatar on holiday, and he’s using the international break to clear his head a bit.”

“I think he might well go on his own terms. He would sit down with Daniel Levy and leave on his own terms.”

The Welshman certainly wasn’t impressed with what he saw from the north London outfit against Bayern, and believes it is a sign of what is happening behind the scenes at the football club.

The 44-year-old added: “There’s a lot going on at Spurs in the last two or three months. Losing 7-2 against Bayern, was embarrassing. Spurs, with that back four, don’t get beaten 7-2. There are obviously major issues there.”

It’s hard to argue with Hartson, and Harry Kane has even admitted that the uncertainty for some players over their futures has affected performances on the pitch.

Pochettino recently suggested that he could be with Spurs for another five years, but a loss against bottom-of-the-table Watford next weekend could well leave him hanging by a thread.

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…

Ronaldinho is one of the universally beloved former stars in the world of football. And even though he is also part of the Barcelona faithful, having spent the best years of his career at the Catalan club, recently, in a pre-match press conference ahead of an exhibition game, the Brazilian talked about Real Madrid’s 19-year-old talent, as reported by EFE (via Marca).

What did he say?

It’s strange seeing a Barcelona legend talked extensively about a big Real Madrid talent but the thing that connects Ronaldinho to Vinicius Junior is their nationality.

Both the young star and the retired veteran are Brazilians and it doesn’t really come as a surprise to hear the now 39-year-old ex-Blaugrana icon shower Los Blancos’ talent with such praise.

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Ronaldinho mentioned how Vinicius is already playing for a big club and then went on to say he will become one of the world’s best in the not so distant future.

Here’s what he said in full:

“[Vinicius] is already at one of the best clubs in the world. I think he will soon be there, among the best.”

A hidden gem

Vinicius had a rocky start to his Real Madrid career, to say the least.

After a brilliant first season in which he managed to score seven goals and assist a further 13, it unfortunately all went downhill for the young talent.

Of course, a big part of that was actually an unlucky injury as Vinicius was sidelined by a ruptured knee ligament, making him miss out on nine games in total and more importantly, stopping his red-hot form altogether.

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

And he’s been struggling to truly reach those heights once again.

In the ongoing 2019/20 season, the Brazilian has only managed to accumulate 313 minutes in a total of seven games across all competitions so far, scoring one goal and assisting another in the process.

And sure enough, when his form went down and he started struggling, the alarm bells were all ringing in the media for quite a while.

But Ronaldinho seems to believe Vinicius is destined for greatness and if the 2018/19 campaign and his stint at Flamengo, during which he scored ten goals and assisted four in 49 games, are any indication, the talent and the potential are certainly there.

Real Madrid have a true gem on their hands and it will be up to them to groom him properly so he can become one of the best players in the world.

Ronaldinho seems to believe that is possible so why shouldn’t Real Madrid believe it as well?

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…

Perhaps in rather comedic fashion, Kalvin Phillips felt obliged to issue an apology to Eddie Nketiah after their win on Saturday.

What’s he said?

On Leeds’ centenary there was only going to be one man in the script that scored their winning goal.

It was, of course, Phillips. The local lad, Yorkshire born and raised, Leeds through and through, popped up with a vital strike from just inside the penalty area that saw the Whites win for just the second time in five outings.

The midfielder isn’t typically known for arriving in the opposition’s area but it was just as well he did.

It was a cool finish and one that had him apologising to the club’s strikers after the game. In quotes supplied by Leeds Live, he said:

“To be fair, I apologised to Eddie after the game because I know how eager he is to score and if it was Pat I’d have probably apologised as well.”

“I might start teaching Pat and Eddie how to finish! Don’t tell them I said that. Only joking.”

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Funny but damning

It was rather amusing that Phillips found the need to apologise to Nketiah and Patrick Bamford but it does have a deeper meaning to it, one that’s rather damning – especially if he’s joking about teaching them how to finish.

The fact of the matter is that Leeds are struggling for goals this term, mustering 16 strikes from the highest number of shots per game, 16.5, of anyone in the division.

Bamford has now gone an incredible seven games without scoring while Nketiah failed to make much of an impact when he came off the bench, unable to score from his two opportunities.

The Whites will need to find someone capable of hitting the back of the net on a regular basis if they have desires of going up and they were fortunate that Phillips ventured forward at the weekend to slot the ball home.

The positive is that Leeds are scoring goals from other areas of the pitch, namely Gjanni Alioski, but there is only so long they can go before it becomes a greater concern.

Not many players in the current Real Madrid squad can keep their head high and say they’ve been giving their absolute all throughout the 2019/20 season.

But if there’s one player who definitely can do so then it’s Karim Benzema, their 31-year-old forward.

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After all, he has already scored six goals in eight La Liga games and assisted one more.

And now, the big Frenchman has been nominated as one of the 30 players who are in contention to win the coveted Ballon d’Or trophy come the end of the year, along with the likes of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.

And it seems that Benzema is also one of the fan-favourites at the Santiago Bernabeu, if many of the supporters’ recent activity on social media is any indication at all.

Loads of them were simply gushing over their star on Twitter after Real Madrid shared his official nomination for the crown of the best player in the world.

Some were saying that he is the only player at the club who actually deserves the award.

You can see some of their reactions down in the comments below:

Having sealed a permanent move from French giants Paris Saint-Germain back in the summer of 2018, Odsonne Edouard has made it his mission to prove his old employers wrong for letting him go.

The 21-year-old fired in an impressive 22 goals last season and provided a further eight assists, and has continued that rich vein of form this campaign too.

Heading into Sunday’s clash against Aberdeen, the Frenchman had netted ten times already, and would no doubt have been hoping to maintain his hot streak.

And in a particularly blistering first-half performance for Celtic, Edouard scored the opening goal in stunning fashion, carrying the ball a long way before rifling the ball past a diving Joe Lewis.

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After seeing his impressive display, Bhoys fans took to Twitter to share their thoughts on the former PSG prospect.

Many supporters urged the club to simply hand him a new “lifelong contract”, whilst one fan in particular insisted he should be awarded this year’s Ballon d’Or award.

Check out some of the reaction of Celtic fans below:

Many West Ham United fans were left questioning what Ryan Fredericks must have done wrong after Manuel Pellegrini opted against starting the right-back at home to Newcastle on Saturday.

Fredericks had begun each of the Irons’ opening nine Premier League fixtures, but fell to the bench against Sheffield United last week and remained on the back-up list for the visit of the Magpies.

Some Hammers fans could not understand why Pellegrini favoured Pablo Zabaleta over the 27-year-old, though, with one suggesting there must be an agenda against Fredericks, while many simply questioned the Argentine’s decision not to play the 5 foot 11 defender.

Every Premier League club’s WORST player is named and shamed in the video below…

Fredericks had averaged 2.8 successful tackles per ninety minutes from 4.1 attempts in his nine top-flight appearances of the term before falling to the bench, along with recording 1.0 interceptions, 0.9 blocks and 1.0 key balls, per WhoScored data.

Zabaleta, meanwhile, did not register a successful tackle against Sheffield United until the 90th-minute last week, in a performance also encompassing three interceptions, two clearances and one key pass.

So when West Ham announced that Zabaleta would be starting instead of Fredericks against Newcastle, these were some of the reactions offered…

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…

Everton boss Marco Silva has praised Richarlison for his mentality and goalscoring nature. However, the manager also touched on his tendency to go to ground too easily.

What did he say?

Richarlison has been one of the Blues’ main men this past year, as he registered 13 goals for the Toffees in the last Premier League season. However, like most Everton forwards this time around, the Brazilian has struggled with just two league goals so far.

Silva took the time out to speak highly of Richarlison’s mentality and his talent around the box, although the Portuguese also felt it necessary to touch on the 22-year-old’s nature in falling down easy.

Silva told Everton: “Richarlison has a strong mentality, he is a worker, no doubts about that.

“That’s part of his talent… and part of his talent is that feeling and smell of the goal around the box.

“We are working with him because the Premier League is really tough and the message and the feedback to him is to always to stand as much as he can. Don’t fall down… even if it looks in many, many moments that the decisions are not fair with him.”

Don’t get a tag

Richarlison has been criticised this season for his tendency to dive. Against Tottenham Hotspur, the forward was again looked at for going down easy from minimal contact. His theatrics late on after a Serge Aurier interception were nothing short of embarrassing, as there was no contact at all.

This is not the first time in which the Brazilian has been pointed at for simulation. Back on the opening weekend in Everton’s goalless draw with Crystal Palace, Sky Sports pundit Charlie Nicholas noticed a similar theme in his play.

Nicholas said: “van Aanholt was sliding it but he actually doesn’t touch him. He went down very, very softly. He should have booked Richarlison.”

Hopefully, for Richarlison, Silva will speak more on his mentality and goalscoring nature in the future, and not have to add in the little comment on this issue.

It’s something a manager shouldn’t have to do and the Brazil international quickly needs to wipe this tag off his name.

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…

Newcastle United loanee Ronaldo Aarons has hailed Raheem Sterling as an inspiration and put the Manchester City star in the same bracket as Kylian Mbappe.

What did he say?

Aarons is currently on loan at Wycombe Wanderers where he has scored twice so far. The 23-year-old, who, like Starling, was also born in Jamaica, has praised the Premier League star for his actions on and off the pitch over the past few years.

The City man is no doubt inspiring many young players right now. However, it seems even top names like Aarons are feeling the effects of the 24-year-old’s infectious presence these days.

The Chairboys man told The Guardian: “He is like superman right now.

“He’s matured and found his mojo. I’ve spoken to him about that [his form]. He said he’s learnt to ignore everyone else and focus on himself and that’s what I’ve been trying to do.

“He is a massive, massive sort of role model to every kid like me. Raheem has been there and done it. Even though he is only a year older than me, which is crazy; it seems like he has been around for at least 10 years.

“I watch Raheem, Douglas Costa, [Kylian] Mbappé – I watch loads of players that play wide and score goals. I’ll watch clips at home or after training and I’ve got a match analyst that sends me my clips and shows me what I need to do.”

One of the best around

Sterling has certainly established himself as one of the best around over the past three seasons. For both club and country, the former Liverpool man is perhaps the first name on the teamsheet these days with his goalscoring record.

At City, Sterling now has an incredible 82 goals in 206 appearances, whilst he is England’s biggest threat with eight goals in the European Championship qualifiers.

Mbappe is perhaps slightly stronger in the goals department, as the Frenchman has a better ratio with 69 goals in 97 games. However, Sterling’s rise has been an inspirational one that his fellow professionals can only dream on.

The England star is continuing to improve and inspire the country with his actions both on and off the pitch.

Indeed, he is like superman.