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[ad_pod ]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…Steve Bruce has criticised the “over sensationalised†reaction to his start to life at Newcastle, but history suggests this is only going to end one way.

What’s the word?

After a tough start to life on Tyneside, Bruce has faced loads of criticism from both former players and the fans, leading him to question the attitude surrounding his position after such a short spell at the club.

Of course, he is right, a few good results would indeed turn the tide of emotion at St. James’ Park, but that turnaround doesn’t seem too likely to come in this weekend’s trip to Champions League finalists Tottenham, considering how easily the Magpies were dispatched by newly promoted Norwich last weekend.

And while his comment does hold true for the most part, recent history points to the manager going down a very slippery slope indeed.

A path once trodden

In September of 2017, the then-Aston Villa manager called for an end to the “mass hysteria†around his side’s poor run of results, and claimed he was convinced he had the tools at his disposal to not only turn things around, but to challenge at the top.

12 months later, he was sacked after one win in nine games, having never mounted anything close to a serious promotion charge. Funnily enough, the Villans went on to win a remarkable ten games in a row under Dean Smith with the exact same squad, earning promotion through the play-offs.

Clearly then, Bruce was right, he did have the right players at the club to succeed. Unfortunately though, they couldn’t succeed under him.

And just as Villa’s players performed better under Smith than Bruce, the Magpies have so far looked dazed and confused since he replaced Rafael Benitez, under whom they managed to break the top ten and regularly stumped the ‘big six’.

So while Bruce may see his latest comments as fighting talk, they echo an identical sentiment to those he made at Villa, and at the moment he seems destined to follow the footsteps of the path he trod in the Midlands.

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Loads of Spurs fans have been reacting to an absolute horror tackle suffered by Giovani Lo Celso while on international duty.

Ah the international break. As soon as the excitement for the new season kicks in, we are brought back down to Earth by two weeks of mostly turgid football, during which time we hope and pray that our club’s greatest assets don’t pick up injuries.

And you can’t blame Spurs fans for feeling particularly hard done by. They have seen their key men get injured while on England duty in the past, and plenty are now reacting to the horrific challenge Lo Celso suffered while paying for Argentina on Thursday night.

Now, before we go any further, we are happy to report that the summer signing seems to be okay, revealing that the injury that forced him off the pitch was actually to his groin, and is “not something to worry about”, per Sky Sports.

That hasn’t stopped fans from fuming at a tackle that came earlier in the match though, as the 23 year-old was hit with a potential leg breaker by Chile midfielder Charles Aranguiz, which you can view below.

The match ended in a 0-0 stalemate, and you can see some of the best fan reactions down below…

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[ad_pod ]At its peak, Nemanja Vidic’s partnership with Rio Ferdinand at the heart of Manchester United’s defence probably left opposition forwards paralysed with fear.The Serbian was an absolute rock for the Red Devils, and was a major part of the their years of dominance in English football.Such was his blood and thunder style of play, Sir Alex Ferguson once remarked: “How many centre-halves can you name who actually like defending? Vidic liked it. He loved the challenge of sticking his head in there. You could tell that the thrill of contesting those 50-50 balls animated him.”Naturally, there has been an argument in respect to where he may rank amongst the greatest defenders of the Premier League era, and in a poll from Sky Sports, that question was seemingly answered.After seeing off competition from the likes of John Terry, Sol Campbell, Tony Adams and Ferdinand, amongst others, the final two left standing were Vidic and Liverpool’s Ballon d’Or contender Virgil van Dijk.The final result? Van Dijk with 45% of the vote, and United’s defensive machine with the all-important 55% to secure the win. After seeing the results, Red Devils fans flooded to Twitter to voice their thoughts on the matter.Many supporters of the Manchester side revealed they were left confused by the poll and wondered how the results were even that close.Some fans simply hailed Vidic and showered him with glowing praise for his performances for United.Check out some of the reaction of United fans below:

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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…

This Saturday, La Liga finally returns to the Santiago Bernabeu as Real Madrid host Levante on matchday four of the new 2019/20 campaign. And, by the looks of things, it’s set to be a real banger.

On the chalkboard

After the first three games of the new season, Real Madrid have only tallied one victory and are currently actually sitting one spot below their weekend opponents Levante. Apart from their opening day victory against Celta Vigo, Los Blancos haven’t been able to snatch all three points and have drawn both of the games in the build-up to this one.

Watch Spanish Football Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

Levante, on the other hand, have been somewhat more successful, claiming the fourth spot by following up an opening day defeat with two consecutive victories. But what’s even more impressive is that they’ve scored four goals in their last two games, and they are looking to really cause some trouble to the Galacticos.

With that being said, Zinedine Zidane will be hoping one particular battle goes his way on Saturday.

Attack vs defence

Real Madrid will be without Gareth Bale this Saturday as the Welshman is serving a suspension for getting sent off in the game against Villarreal. This might cause a problem because Bale has actually scored two goals and assisted one for Los Blancos so far and has been a big presence on the pitch.

But with that in mind, that might also place more pressure on Karim Benzema, who will absolutely have to be at his best if Real Madrid want to win this game. Just like Bale, Benzema has also netted two goals and an assist so far and will go head to head with one of Levante’s outstanding performers this term, Ruben Vezo.

The Galacticos will be hoping that Benzema’s 3.7 shots per game edge out Vezo’s 1.7 tackles per game and that the Frenchman can utilise his passing against the Portuguese’s ability to intercept. Benzema has averaged 1.3 key passes per game while Vezo has two interceptions per game to his name so far.

And Benzema might have some trouble getting past Vezo with his one dribble per game as the 25-year-old defender has, so far, only been dribbled past 0.3 times per game.

Both men are, however, pretty good in the air and it will be interesting to see who exits that bout as the victor.

Benzema tallied 2.3 aerials won per game while Vezo registered 3.7 under his belt.

By all accounts, it seems that this battle just might decide the whole game on Saturday.

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BBC Radio 5 Live pundit Chris Sutton issued a three-word verdict on West Ham United defender Arthur Masuaku’s red card in the goalless draw against Aston Villa on Monday night.

What did he say?

As per the BBC Sport match report, Sutton labelled the Frenchman as “reckless and brainless” on air following the second-half dismissal, suggesting that referee Mike Dean had made the right decision to send him off.

The second yellow for a swipe at Ahmed Elmohamady followed a cynical challenge on Frederic Guilbert in the opening 45 minutes, as the 25-year-old trudged off down the tunnel for an early bath at Villa Park.

Is he right?

Yes and no.

The former Premier League striker is certainly right to call out the left-back for being reckless, and it was a silly tackle to attempt given he knew he was already on a yellow card from the first half.

Watch West Ham United Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

However, a look back at the decision via replays suggested that Masuaku actually made very little contact – if any at all – with the Villa man, and that a second booking was harsh.

VAR was unable to be called upon in the circumstances because it was a yellow card rather than a straight red, but if it had it is likely the decision would have been overturned, despite what Sutton may have said.

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This article is part of Football FanCast’s Transfer Focus series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent transfer news…

According to The Express, Crystal Palace, West Ham and Everton are paying close attention to Jack Clarke’s unhappy situation at Leeds, with Tottenham seriously considering recalling the winger.

What’s the word, then?

Well, Spurs signed the 18-year-old from Leeds in a deal worth £10m back in the summer, before loaning the teenager back to Marcelo Bielsa’s side.

However, the Argentine boss has given Clarke the cold shoulder since his return to Elland Road, restricting the Leeds academy graduate to just two appearances in the Carabao Cup.

As a result, the north Londoners may activate their recall option in the deal before finding a new temporary home for the winger.

In Palace’s case, the Eagles saw their interest knocked back having enquired about Clarke in January, so it’s safe to say the winger is someone who is definitely on their radar.

Depth and DNA

For a while now, Roy Hodgson has had only Wilfried Zaha and Andros Townsend as his options on the wing, with Jeffrey Schlupp – a sporadic appearance maker in wide attacking areas, per WhoScored – becoming more of a left-sided centre-midfielder under the former England manager.

Even Bakary Sako, a man who was released in the summer of 2018 before West Brom snapped him up, was brought back to the club in January of this year on a short-term contract to amend the situation.

Fast, direct wide men are a part of Palace’s DNA, and signing Clarke would allow the Eagles to finally have a bit of depth in what is a key area in terms of the way Hodgson’s side operate.

They should do all they can to win the race for his signature.

What team will Unai Emery choose to face Manchester United on Monday?

Arsenal travel to Old Trafford in search of a fourth successive victory, and they will fancy their chances against a side that lost 2-0 to West Ham in their last Premier League match and were also taken to penalties by League One team Rochdale in the League Cup last week.

Joe Willock could be amongst those to be given the nod after some impressive performances in the last few fixtures. He was on the scoresheet against both Eintracht Frankfurt in the Europa League and Nottingham Forest in the League Cup. After much promise, the 20-year-old is finally getting his chance this season, having already made seven appearances.

Watch Arsenal Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

The Gunners supporters, it appears, want him to start against the Red Devils. They have taken to Twitter to share their thoughts, and you can see some of the best comments from the social media platform below.

Crystal Palace fans have been left delighted by their climb into the top four.

Roy Hodgson’s men beat West Ham United 2-1 at the London Stadium, as they came from behind in east London.

Sebastien Haller gave the Irons the lead but Patrick van Aanholt equalised from the penalty spot after Declan Rice was adjudged to have handled the ball in the area.

Jordan Ayew gave the Eagles all three points with a late strike, despite initially seeing it ruled out for offside. VAR stepped in and allowed the goal.

The result moved Palace into the top four prior to Arsenal’s clash with Bournemouth on Sunday.

And fans were delighted with the display and the prospect of playing European football next season.

Of course, there remain 30 games of the season, with 90 points for each team to play for.

However, that has not stopped supporters getting carried away; they have lost just twice this term.

Take a look at the best of the reaction below!

There are not too many things that make Barcelona fans overly excited these days.

Of course, the team is finally back to their winning ways; they have clinched four victories in a row across all competitions, including a thumping 4-0 triumph over Sevilla at the Camp Nou.

Watch Spanish Football Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

But the club’s shirts have been somewhat of a thorn in their side for a while now. When Barcelona announced their third kits, fans hated it, and now – some new shirts have seemingly leaked for next season and for once, the Blaugrana fandom loves it.

Many fans swarmed social media and Twitter with messages of excitement.

They can’t seem to wait for the potential shirt to hit the shelves and see Lionel Messi and Co wearing it.

The design is a rather unusual one for Barcelona, seeing how it could be black with gold stripes.

But many of the fans don’t seem to mind that at all. On the contrary – they love it.

You can see some of their replies down in the tweets below:

Of course, Matty Longstaff makes it into Shearer’s team after his game-winning goal against the Red Devils.

This shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone, but the fact that he’s the only Newcastle player in the entire team is a little bit of a shocker.

Jetro Willems and Allan Saint-Maximin have every right to feel hard done by after their impressive performances, but on the other hand, it’s good to see Shearer’s bias not shining through on this occasion.