Liverpool have enjoyed their start to the season so far as they continue to look to keep pace with Manchester City in the Premier League table.
The Reds have generally been in good form this season, having yet to taste defeat in the domestic competition, however, they did have a bad time in the Champions League last time out when they were beaten by Red Star Belgrade.
Jurgen Klopp has seen a number of his players not quite reach the heights of last season, with Mohamed Salah being notable – although it would have been extremely hard for him to replicate those exploits once again.
However, one of the German’s summer signings may have been an outstanding piece of business, but not just for the club themselves, but the player as well.
Xherdan Shaqiri joined Liverpool from Stoke City last summer when the Potters were relegated to the Championship for a bargain fee of £13 million.
The Switzerland international winger was thought to have been brought to Anfield to add cover for the front three of Salah, Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino, however, he has since found himself playing a key role.
Having already bagged two goals and two assists in his eight Premier League matches so far, the 27-year-old has thrived under the genius of Klopp, who has utilised the attacker in a number 10 position and he is reaping the benefits.
He made his first start for Liverpool in that particular position against Southampton in their 3-0 win and played a huge role in the first half, helping them get the three goals before his manager decided to take him off for defensive reasons.
Shaqiri (valued at £18 million by Transfermarkt) provides Liverpool with a fresh dynamic in the number 10 role, and the summer recruit already looks destined to enjoy an extremely exciting career at Anfield.
According to a recent Football FanCast poll, the majority of Swansea fans believe that Connor Roberts is worth over £20m after he signed a new long-term contract that will keep him at the Liberty Stadium until 2022.
The 23-year-old has played in all 18 Championship games so far this season, during which he has scored twice and provided one assist whilst switching between right-back and right-midfield.
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The 5ft 9in tall Roberts came through the Swansea youth academy and has had loan spells with Yeovil Town, Bristol Rovers and Middlesbrough. In January this year though he made his senior debut for the club, playing four times in the Premier League as the Swans were relegated.
With Graham Potter in charge though Roberts has gone from strength to strength. He now has eight caps and one goal for Wales and Swansea fans clearly believe that he is one of their most valuable assets, with a majority 27 per cent believing that the club could charge over £20m if any club were to come in for him.
Arsenal extended their incredible unbeaten run to 17 games with a 2-1 in away at Bournemouth on Sunday and the match was not without talking points.
Mesut Ozil was dropped to the bench and did not feature despite the Gunners’ difficulty unpicking the Cherries defence for much of the game, but Unai Emery has come out with a pretty decent explanation for why the former Real Madrid playmaker was left out.
An unexpected change in formation to a 3-4-3 meant that the inclusion of a number 10 was never going to be easy – albeit Ozil is capable of playing on the right of a front three – and the former Sevilla boss put it this way to Arsenal media:
“We thought how we can be better in the match today, which is very demanding with the physicality and the intensity, but every player is important.”
“(Bringing Ozil on) depended on how the match was going”.
In light of Henrikh Mkhitaryan’s poor showing in the 30-year-old’s stead, the Emirates faithful had some pretty strong words for Emery as they lamented the bold move.
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Tottenham supporters have been drowning their sorrows in recent times after seeing their side suffer defeat in the North London derby on Sunday.
Mauricio Pochettino’s men went into their clash with bitter rivals Arsenal off the back of victories over Chelsea and Inter Milan in the previous seven days, and thus full of confidence ahead of their trip across the capital to face Unai Emery’s Gunners. And at 2-1 up, things looked good for Spurs, only for their North London rivals to hit back admirably in securing a 4-2 win on Sunday, thus condemning Pochettino’s side to a fourth Premier League loss of the campaign.
Thus, there have been many disappointed Spurs supporters up and down the country in recent times, with defender Juan Foyth one man who has received much criticism for his display on Sunday, not least his error in the build-up to the third Arsenal goal.
And while the young centre back certainly didn’t have his best game on Sunday, there is only one man to blame for Tottenham’s defeat at the Emirates Stadium, namely manager Pochettino.
Ultimately, there were plenty of eyebrows raised when the teamsheets were announced on Sunday afternoon, as although Jan Vertonghen was indeed selected to start at centre back, despite only returning from injury against Inter in midweek, it came at the expense of compatriot Toby Alderweireld.
The 29-year-old had started each of Spurs’ previous 12 Premier League matches to underline his importance to Pochettino, at the same time highlighting just how vital a centre back he is given he helped keep things together in the absence of both Vertonghen and indeed Davinson Sanchez.
Yet Pochettino opted against selecting him for the North London derby, much to the surprise of many, and it’s a decision which backfired greatly as Foyth struggled for much of the afternoon, culminating in an error which led to Alexandre Lacazette netting Arsenal’s crucial third.
And while Foyth himself will surely be disappointed with his own display, one has to wonder why Pochettino, who after the match admitted that he needs to manage his squad during December, hence the decision to leave Alderweireld out, went for him over the 29-year-old.
Add in that Vertonghen wasn’t exactly at his best, which isn’t a complete surprise given he only returned from a lengthy spell out with injury against Inter Milan in midweek, and Pochettino’s decision to not play the club’s best centre back is looking more and more baffling as time goes by.
Ultimately, the Argentine hasn’t got a great deal wrong during his time in North London, but there is little doubting that his poor selection in the centre of defence played a vital part in his side’s demise on Sunday – Foyth did indeed struggle and played a role in Arsenal’s third goal, but Pochettino is the man to blame for Tottenham’s defeat at the Emirates Stadium.
Manchester United fought back from two goals down against Southampton to snatch a disappointing draw at St. Marys.
Jose Mourinho was under intense pressure following a poor start to the Premier League campaign and found himself two goals down after just 20 minutes. Goals from Stuart Armstrong and Cedric Soares looked set to give the Saints a memorable win. However, the Red Devils were level before half-time thanks to goals from Romelu Lukaku and Ander Herrera to rescue a point.
Despite investing heavily in the squad, United looked far from their best yet again with Marcus Rashford the only attacker showing any real quality. The youngster inspired their comeback before watching Lukaku limp off injured. The January transfer window is now less than a month away, and a new attacker should be on Mourinho’s shortlist.
The perfect addition to the squad could be RB Leipzig superstar – Timo Werner. Valued at £54m by Transfermarkt, the 22-year-old has established himself as one of the top forwards in the Bundesliga helping Leipzig become one of the top sides in Germany. Werner, who now enjoys a prominent role in the German national team, has long been linked with a move to the Premier League – now is the perfect time for Manchester United to lure him to England.
Werner has been in fine form this season, netting eight goals in just 12 Bundesliga appearances. A lethal finisher, the youngster, has bags of pace and loves to play on the shoulders of the last defender – something which United sorely lack in the attack. Werner is also comfortable on the left wing meaning he could play alongside Lukaku in the absence of Alexis Sanchez who faces a spell on the sidelines with injury.
Leipzig would want a huge fee for their prized asset, but United definitely have the financial capabilities to complete this deal which could transform their season.
The Daily Star recently reported that Barcelona are considering making a move to sign Everton attacker Richarlison as a replacement for the ageing Luis Suarez.
The Brazilian forward only arrived at Goodison Park this summer, for an initial fee of £35 million, but with terms that could see the selling club, Watford, eventually receive £50 million. The switch saw the 21-year-old reunited with Toffees boss Marco Silva, who was in charge at Vicarage Road when Richarlison first came to England.
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The 6-cap Brazil international has been in blistering form so far this season. He has already racked up eight goals and one assist in just fourteen Premier League outings. With that kind of return, it’s no wonder Barca are showing interest in the youngster.
It’ll certainly cost the La Liga giants to land their man though. Richarlison has a Transfermarkt valuation of £40.5 million, but many Toffees fans believe his true worth to be at least double that figure.
Of those who took part in our poll, 57% stated that they believe Richarlison to be worth more than £80 million. See the full results below.
Tottenham Hotspur manager Mauricio Pochettino started with left-back Ben Davies at centre-back once again in the 2-0 Carabao Cup quarter-final win against Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium on Wednesday night, and the decision might have been a kick in the teeth for youngster Juan Foyth.
On the chalkboard
Injuries to Jan Vertonghen, Davinson Sanchez and Toby Alderweireld during the season already have meant that youngster Foyth has had his fair share of first-team football, making six appearances in all competitions.
The 20-year-old himself only returned to the squad for the clash against the north London outfit’s arch-rivals, and he might well have expected to be named in the starting XI given Vertonghen, Sanchez and Eric Dier are all currently sidelined.
However, Pochettino instead went with Davies after he kept a clean sheet alongside Alderweireld in the 1-0 win against Burnley at Wembley last weekend, and the Wales international once again helped his side shut out the opposition attack.
Is it a major blow for Foyth?
It could well be, yes.
While he may be recovering following a brief spell out, the 5ft 10in Argentina international still surely would have expected to get the nod, especially after his manager came out and backed him following the mistake he made in the 4-2 loss against Arsenal earlier this month.
Now it appears as though Pochettino was clearly supporting his player publically but perhaps was concerned behind the scenes, and was afraid to play him against Unai Emery’s again in a big cup tie.
Following a few more days of training Foyth will be hoping he does get picked for the trip to Everton on Sunday, otherwise his short-term future, at least, looks bleak.
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Everton have failed to win any of their last 22 games against ‘big six’ opposition, with their last victory coming in January 2017 as they stunned Manchester City by beating them 4-0 at Goodison Park. The Toffees will be hoping to put this unwanted record behind them when they play Tottenham on Sunday afternoon.
The Merseysiders have been transformed under Marco Silva and they head into the Premier League weekend in eighth place, although they will certainly have their sights set on a top six place given the money that was spent during the summer transfer window.
Spurs though are in extremely good form and will be on a high after beating their North London rivals Arsenal in the quarter final of the Carabao Cup in midweek.
With both teams looking to play quick football it is set to be an interesting and exciting game, and here at Football FanCast we’ve taken a closer look at the tactical factors that could decide the outcome.
The Key Battle – Harry Kane vs Yerry Mina
During the summer, then Barcelona centre-back Yerry Mina was linked with both Tottenham and Everton after his impressive World Cup campaign in Russia. It was the Toffees who eventually prevailed though, signing the 6ft 5in 24-year-old on deadline day for £27m.
Since coming into the side he has impressed for Everton, but it will be his job to martial Harry Kane on Sunday, and the England captain has scored a brace in his last three games against the Merseyside club.
These two of course met in the round of 16 during the World Cup, where Kane’s second-half penalty was cancelled out by Mina’s late equaliser, but it was England who went through though after a tense penalty shootout. Mina dealt with Kane brilliantly that day, and he will need a similar performance if Everton are to get the three points this weekend.
The Key Dynamic – Tottenham’s High-Press
During their 3-1 loss to Manchester City at the Etihad last weekend we saw Everton trying to play out from the back.
However, Jordan Pickford’s mistake in playing the ball to Kurt Zouma at the wrong time led to City’s first goal, and Tottenham will employ a similar high-pressing style to that of Pep Guardiola’s side.
It is unlikely that Silva will change his philosophy for this game, but Mauricio Pochettino will have his side ready to make the most of any sniff of an error made by the Toffees.
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The Deciding Factor – The Midfield Battle
With both managers likely to play a 4-2-3-1 formation, the deciding factor in this game could be which midfield wins the head-to-head battle against their opposite numbers. The home side will likely play Andre Gomes and Idrissa Gueye in deeper positions with Gylfi Sigurdsson, who has been in tremendous form this season, in the number 10 role.
Gomes and Gueye offer Silva a perfect balance of defensive protection whilst still retaining a strong creative element, and it could perhaps be argued that they are stronger than the expected Tottenham pairing of Harry Winks and Moussa Sissoko, especially as the Frenchman seemed to slip back to his old ways against Arsenal in the week.
One Spurs player who did produce against Arsenal though was Dele Alli. The 22-year-old will surely play as a number 10 against Everton, and his goal against the Gunners exuded class.
The Impact Subs – Ademola Lookman vs Erik Lamela
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Having signed Erik Lamela for the club in the summer of 2013, Spurs fans are only now seeing the best out of the Argentine winger. So far this season, the 26-year-old has netted six goals and provided two assists in all competitions.
Although he may not start against Everton, it is highly likely that Pochettino will bring him off the bench to provide fresh legs in the second half, especially if Lucas Digne at left-back is getting forward and the Spurs boss wants to pin him back by forcing him to defend.
Everton though have a winger of their own to come off the bench. Ademola Lookman was kept around by Silva during the summer despite the potential for him to move away on loan. Whilst out at RB Leipzig in the Bundesliga last season, the now 21-year-old scored five goals and provided four assists in just 11 games. If he can re-discover such form on the weekend then he could prove to be the perfect impact sub.
Since taking over from Jose Mourinho on a caretaker basis, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s time at the helm of Manchester United has got off to a flying start. The former Red Devils striker has secured victory in fine style in each of his three games in charge so far.
Last time out, against Bournemouth, Solskjaer’s side delivered another fine performance at Old Trafford, inspired by a virtuoso Paul Pogba performance. As well as the Frenchman, who registered a brace, Marcus Rashford and Romelu Lukaku also scored for the hosts.
One player who failed to find his groove, despite many of his fellow attackers being in full flow, was Jesse Lingard. Although the 26-year-old has been one of United’s more reliable performers this season, he was not on the same wavelength as his revitalised teammates against the Cherries.
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Against Bournemouth, the attacker couldn’t get his creative game going. Whilst he was generally tidy on the ball – registering a very respectable pass completion rate of 91.1% – he could only produce the single key pass. What’s more, he could only complete one successful dibble and was not able to muster any shots.
Lingard also produced three unsuccessful touches – of the United starters, only Nemanja Matic committed more unsuccessful touches.
Solskjaer will be further disappointed with the lack of defensive contributions Lingard was able to make. Whilst he did make two tackles, the 22-cap England international made no interceptions, blocks or clearances.
On what was a great day for United, Lingard had a disappointingly poor day at the office.
Jack Harrison’s struggle to find his feet at Leeds United has arrived in tandem with a handful of reports linking the club with a move for Ibai Gomez, but a recent report suggest that they are set to miss out on the winger to Athletic Bilbao.
Indeed, a recent report from El Gol Digital suggests that Athletic Bilbao are on the brink of re-signing the 29-year-old in the coming days after impressing at Alaves since joining the club in 2016.
A recent report from AS (via Sports Witness) had hinted that Leeds were in the hunt for Gomez, but a reunion with Marcelo Bielsa looks incredibly unlikely at this stage.
Leeds may well turn their attention towards alternative targets to bolster their promotion bid, but Harrison’s form this month could yet be a determining factor in shaping their transfer strategy.
Harrison arrived at Elland Road on a season-long loan with glowing praise following him from Manchester to Yorkshire, with murmurs emerging from the Etihad Stadium hinting that he had the ability to thrive in the Championship.
But, despite his obvious technical quality, Harrison has failed to translate his ability into consistent performances and drawn plenty of criticism in the process.
However, barring a recent run of four league games without featuring in the league, Bielsa has largely stuck by Harrison and offered him plenty of opportunities to shine even when his form perhaps hasn’t justified an inclusion of any sort.
Clearly, for reasons which often elude the Whites faithful, Bielsa sees something in the 22-year-old, but with promotion on the line the Argentine may be forced to sign an alternative right-winger this month to ensure his squad is well stocked for the run in.
With just three games left between now and the end of January, Harrison has a make or break month ahead of him: a hat-trick of fine performances could be the difference between the arrival of a new winger or a more prominent role in the first-team squad for the remainder of the season.
It’s time for Harrison to build on his sporadic moments of quality and showcase the quality which Bielsa clearly sees in him.