All posts by h716a5.icu

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…

Real Madrid slipped once again and threw away valuable points against Club Brugge at the Santiago Bernabeu in the Champions League group stages on Tuesday.

Zinedine Zidane was still able to identify some positives from the game in the post-match press-conference but will that actually be enough for Los Blancos moving forward?

What did he say?

A draw in the Champions League is hardly a disaster and even the best of teams can afford a slip-up or two in the early stages of the competition.

If Real Madrid are going to fluff their lines, it’s still better they do it in the group stage as opposed to suffering blunders once the knockout phase commences. Assuming, of course, that they will progress from the group.

Watch Spanish Football Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

Zidane, however, tried really hard to identify some positives from the clash that quickly turned sour for the home team.

Apart from the point they still mustered at the end of the night, the French manager also talked about his players’ reaction when they went 2-0 down and how they managed to claw their way back.

Here’s what he said in full: “We weren’t in control of any aspect of the game and the second half was a different story and we changed the complexion of the game.

“What I take away with me is the reaction from the players because they’re the ones who changed the game. That’s what I take away with me, that and the point.”

Is that enough?

Such a big comeback should definitely be commended.

Going 2-0 down and still managing to salvage a point at the end of the day is no small feat, regardless of whether you are Real Madrid or a third-tier club in Spain.

But it still doesn’t change the fact that Zidane’s men allowed themselves to get into that position in the first place.

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

Things were finally looking good – they managed to keep three clean sheets in the last three clashes in La Liga, they are top of the table back in Spain and this game against Club Brugge was supposed to completely turn the tides in their favour and ensure they still have a shot of topping the group.

But all they got, in the end, was a point while group leaders PSG are very close to completely running away with it, having already beaten Real and bested Galatasaray on Tuesday too.

So yes, Zidane has every right to try and extract any positives he can but even a heroic comeback shouldn’t really mask the elephant in the room – Real were poor and despite some signs of life, they are still far from where they need to be.

Brugge proved as much.

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…

Lille Sporting Director Luis Campos has likened Arsenal forward Nicolas Pepe to Cristiano Ronaldo and Kylian Mbappe.

What’s the word?

Campos, 55, has been in his talent-spotting role with Lille since 2017 and has been responsible with unearthing over £500m worth of young talent that has been sold on with Monaco and Lille respectively.

After the Ivorian’s £72m move to the Gunners’ from the French-outfit in the summer, the 24-year-old is yet to uncover the scintillating form that resulted in him moving to north London.

Speaking to Sky Sports, Campos believe that Pepe has all the tools in his locker to become one of the very best and has drawn a comparison between the winger and the Juventus and PSG stars.

“In my opinion one of the characteristics of a top, top player is that they like football”, said Campos.

“I remember working with Cristiano Ronaldo and Kylian Mbappe. They know everything about football. Mbappe knew all the results of the second division in France.

“Nicolas Pepe is like that. Heʼs another example of the importance of a player liking football. After a game he watches the whole game again two times, to make himself more perfect.”

Fan of football

Campos emphasised the fact that because Pepe is a “fan of football”, it is a vital trait to possess. It certainly showed during his time with Lille.

The Ivorian winger scored 37 goals in 79 appearances for Les Dogues and provided 17 assists, encouraging the Gunners’ to spend a gargantuan sum of money for his services.

It’s easy to see why Campos believes in the comparisons, a tricky and pacey winger with an eye for goal and a killer pass similar to the PSG star and the former Manchester United winger.

Despite having a difficult start to life in north London, there are sure to be plenty of opportunities for Pepe to excel in his role.

With the Gunners’ possessing attacking power in Alexandre Lacazette and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang alongside him, he has the top-class teammates alongside him to live up to Campos’ beliefs.

One or the other, you can’t have both.

That seems to be the rationale when it comes to team selection in the eyes of former Forest player Colin Barrett.

He says that there is only room for one of either Tiago Silva and Joao Carvalho when it comes to the starting eleven.

What’s been said?

In an interview with Seat Pitch, Barrett said that both players offer something different to the game, and that it is hard for Lamouchi to pick between one or the other:

“It’s an interesting one because they are both quite different. Tiago has the box-to-box aspect, the graft and the eye for a pass. Joao has the flair and the ability to take risks – he’s the luxury that you simply have to cater for. Ultimately though as the season progresses they will fight for one shirt.”

It’s not impossible

Whilst Barrett may seem to think that it’s a case of one or the other, it’s not impossible for the two to work together.

In the 4-2-3-1 formation, as previously discussed, Samba Sow will be the predominant defensive midfielder because of his ability to protect the back four.

It’s then left to the two of them to be responsible for the attacking aspect of midfield.

Going back to what Barrett said there’s an argument for them both to operate in the same team. That is something that could be done by having Silva alongside Sow in front of the back four.

You’d then be able to push Carvalho forward to act as the more creative player fashioning chances for the likes of Lewis Grabban and Joe Lolley in and around the penalty area.

Both Silva and Carvalho have high pass completion percentage rates of 78% and 81.8% respectively, so they both keep the play ticking over.

Therefore, instead of sacrificing one over the other why not let both of their talents shine in the middle of midfield and create as many chances for the attacking players as possible?

Something like this would definitely boost their desires of securing a promotion or playoff place.

Georginio Wijnaldum has had an incredible start to the 2019/20 campaign.Coming off the back of winning the Champions League last term, the Dutch midfielder has only gotten better.Watch Liverpool Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

He’s started every single one of Liverpool’s Premier League games so far as the Reds have won each of their opening eight matches, and on top of that, he’s been in great goalscoring form for his country, netting four goals in his last four games for the Netherlands.

Form like this would see many take their foot off the gas, but Wijnaldum seems keen to push on and get even better in the coming weeks.

The 28-year-old has shown exactly the type of attitude needed to win a Premier League title.

Wijnaldum hasn’t allowed himself to get carried away by his own good start to the season, and he’s clearly willing to do everything possible to make the good times continue in the coming weeks and months.

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…

Bukayo Saka is desperate to keep his place in the Arsenal starting line-up despite Alexandre Lacazette’s return to fitness, per Football.London.

What’s he said?

The France international suffered an ankle injury during the 2-2 draw with Tottenham Hotspur and subsequently missed clashes with Watford, Aston Villa, Manchester United and AFC Bournemouth.

Saka has played in the latter three of those games, registering an assist against United, and he is hopeful of retaining his spot.

He said: “It’s always good to have all our best players available, all of us competing makes us push to play better and better.

“If one player is injured then others get an opportunity but I want everyone to come back and do the best for Arsenal.

“The boss knows what I can do, what the other players can do. Different games require different players but I feel like I’ve shown the boss he can trust me. Whatever game he puts me in I’ll always give it my all.”

An exceptional talent

Saka is an excellent player and he has shown as much in recent weeks.

The England U19 international has been a shining light for the youth teams, netting 16 goals in 26 games for the Gunners’ U18 side, along with scoring six and providing 10 assists for the U23s.

Having been handed an opportunity, he has grasped it with both hands.

Per WhoScored, in the Premier League prior to the clash with Sheffield United, Saka has averaged 1.7 key passes per game, two dribbles, 1.3 shots per game, as well as 2.7 tackles.

In the Europa League, his stats are even more impressive. He has made just one appearance – in the 3-0 win over Eintracht Frankfurt – but he scored once, provided two assists and laid on five key passes in a virtuoso display.

It remains to be seen how manager Unai Emery will utilise him across the remainder of the season but one thing is for sure; he deserves to play regularly.

Liverpool fans have been reacting to the news that left-back Andrew Robertson has missed out on a nomination for the prestigious Ballon d’Or award.

The 25-year-old proved to be a bargain buy for the Reds after his £8m move from Hull City in 2017. He scored once and accumulated five assists in 22 Premier Leagues for the Reds during his first full campaign, which saw him take Alberto Moreno’s position in the squad.

Watch Liverpool Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

Unbelievably, the Scotsman bettered this during the 2018/19 campaign with 11 assists in 36 games and a pass success rate of 83.2%. As a result of his achievements, he was named in the PFA Team of the Year alongside teammates Trent Alexander-Arnold, Sadio Mane and Virgil van Dijk.

Despite all that Robertson has achieved in the past 12 months, the 25-year-old missed out on a nomination for the individual gong which has incensed Liverpool fans.

Here you will find some of the best responses from Reds supporters…

Luka Modric has just returned from another injury, his second one of the ongoing 2019/20 season.This time it was just a small bruise but it still meant the Croatian midfielder would miss two games in the span of eight days he was out of commission.Watch Spanish Football Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

Needless to say, the absence of such a key man is always a big thing for Real Madrid.

But now he’s back and before he could even don the royal white of the Galacticos, he got called up for Croatia’s upcoming two upcoming international games that will take place in November.

Upon hearing this update, many of the fans couldn’t believe he was going away once again because this season the 34-year-old has spent more time playing for his national side than he has for Real Madrid.

Currently, he tallied 246 minutes for Los Blancos since the start of the season and 337 minutes for Croatia.

Of course, this will balance itself out as the campaign goes on but many of Real Madrid fans were simply not happy that he’s spending so much time away from his club and, by doing so, risking further injuries.

You can see some of their replies down below:

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.

Birmingham City crashed to defeat in the Welsh capital on Saturday afternoon despite playing against ten men for the best part of 40 minutes.

Pep Clotet’s men were smashed 4-2 by Cardiff City thanks to a hat-trick from midfielder Joe Ralls.

But the caretaker manager may have cost his side any chance of a late comeback with a crucial decision he made with ten minutes to go.

Watch Birmingham City Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

Snapshot

The home side went down to ten men in the 52nd minute with the game poised at 2-1, but Neil Warnock’s side still managed to bag a third before the Blues could even answer.

And despite chasing the match, Clotet decided to withdraw one of their most influential players with ten minutes to go, and that may have been a terrible move.

Odin Bailey replaced Dan Crowley before they went on to lose the game 4-2, with captain Harlee Dean also seeing red.

Off the Bench

In recent weeks, the 22-year-old midfielder has been singled out as one of Birmingham’s best players by sections of the St Andrews faithful, and this game was no different.

The former Arsenal man recorded a passing accuracy of 86%, registered two successful dribbles, one key pass, and had five shots at goal, per SofaScore.

So it is clear to see he had a significant impact on the match on the right flank – he even could have scored as one attempt cannoned off the woodwork in the second half.

By withdrawing his presence, the side struggled to create much, and it took a moment of magic from Ivan Sunjic to draw them close at 3-2 as he pelted in a trademark screamer, but aside from that, Clotet’s men looked lacklustre in Crowley’s absence.

Had the £700k man remained on the pitch, City may well have seen the promising midfielder create something or score a goal himself, he was very much trending towards that until he was hauled off ten minutes from time.

Arsenal’s summer transfer business saw a number of key players arrive at the club including Nicolas Pepe in a £72m deal from Lille and David Luiz in an £8m agreement with Chelsea.

But it is the concerning news regarding one summer signing who is yet to feature for the club that has got these fans venting their frustration.

William Saliba was signed from Saint-Étienne in a £27m deal in July, but the centre-back was loaned straight back out to the club he was departing in a bid to continue his development.

Saint-Étienne have confirmed that the 18-year-old has suffered a crack to his fifth metatarsal, and whilst events on the pitch are currently serving as a source of disappointment for the club, it would appear that even away from first-team affairs the 2019/20 campaign continues to be a problematic period for the north London outfit.

Saliba had played five times in Ligue 1 this term until he was ruled out.

Here are some of the best reactions following reports of Saliba’s injury.

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…

Just a week after producing a toothless display against Bournemouth, Anthony Martial made some dramatic improvements in his overall game against Brighton on Sunday afternoon.

The France international cut an isolated figure last time out, failing to connect the midfield and attack, and refusing to adapt his style to what Manchester United desperately needed. It undoubtedly would have been a major worry to Ole Gunnar Solskjaer that his number nine simply couldn’t involve himself in the build-up play.

But against the Seagulls at the weekend, the 23-year-old appeared to learn some crucial lessons from the game before, and showed that he does indeed have more strings to his bow than just being a ruthless finisher in front of goal.

Where last weekend the £250k-a-week star didn’t provide a single key pass, this time it was arguably the dominant facet of his performance. The former AS Monaco man looked at his creative best, interchanging with his fellow forwards, and being remarkably unselfish when given the opportunity to cut the ball back or find his teammates in a better position.

His four key passes were the highest that any player on either side managed, and he was duly rewarded by picking up two assists by the end of the game. Martial also had ten more touches than he did against Bournemouth, and staggeringly went from a 6.6 match rating as per Sofascore (the joint-worst of any player who completed the full 90 minutes), to having the highest match rating of any player against Brighton (7.9).

It was truly chalk and cheese, and would have eased some of the legitimate concerns Solskjaer may have had over his star forward’s ability to lead the line in the long-term. Of course, this is just one game, and the true test will lie over the coming weeks and months, but what once looked like a major failing in his arsenal, appears to be something he does have tucked away in his locker.