Jonjo Shelvey’s inexplicable decision to stand on the ankle of Spurs midfielder Dele Alli and subsequent sending off was the turning point in Newcastle’s opening match of the season.

However, to say that Newcastle wouldn’t have lost the game if Shelvey had remained on the pitch is stretching the bounds of probability somewhat.

Spurs had been poor by their standards in the first half but were still comfortably in control of the game at the time of Shelvey’s dismissal. Newcastle had managed just a single shot during the half while Tottenham fired nine at Rob Elliot’s goal with two finding the target. Mauricio Pochettino’s side had also dominated possession over the first 45 minutes.

So, how could Newcastle have turned those stats and the match in their favour? To find out, we used Football Manager to replay the match and tried out a variety of tactics as the Toon – here’s what worked for Benitez’s side.

Structure, Stamina and Set-Pieces

Newcastle’s best spell in the match yesterday came in the opening 20 minutes when they saw more of the ball than at any other stage of the game and looked lively from set-pieces. Their ability to crowd out the Tottenham midfield without losing their shape amongst the back four gave The Magpies a foothold in the match.

On FM, we tried to replicate this and asked the team to play with a structured shape and tasked Shelvey and Hayden with closing down Dier and Wanyama in order to cut off some of the supply to Eriksen, Alli and Kane.

This was particularly effective in the first half as Tottenham struggled to adapt their tactics around our strategy. Hayden repeatedly harangued Wanyama and restricted his options to playing mainly sidewards passes to Dier, who in turn was pressured into mistakes by Shelvey.

So far, so good but the real Newcastle side wilted in the second half and lost their shape quickly after Shelvey’s red card. We were keen to ensure the same thing wouldn’t happen in the virtual encounter so asked our full-backs to press the Tottenham wide men in case Tottenham attempted to switch their attacking focus away from the centre of the pitch.

Clever movement in midfield allowed Pochettino’s side to occasionally break through the midfield but with Ciaran Clark and Florian Lejeune asked to work together to block service to Harry Kane, Spurs were reduced to shooting from distance. Tiredness across our backline afforded Kane his first real glimpse of goal but Rob Elliot produced a good save to deny him.

Perhaps the biggest problem for Newcastle yesterday was a lack of very little in the way of chance creation. We inadvertently created opportunities for Dwight Gayle as the game opened up and Spurs switched to a more attacking style of play in search of a goal but found that we struggled to create any clear-cut chances – something that could become a regular feature for Newcastle this season.

Newcastle’s biggest threat yesterday came from set-pieces and it proved to be the case for us as well. Our winning goal came courtesy of a Clark header from a corner inside the last ten minutes with Tottenham set up to hit us on the counter. Matt Ritchie also forced Lloris into a good save from a free-kick from just outside the box but our attacking performance was far less satisfactory than our defensive one. Benitez will need to address that if Newcastle are to pull themselves clear of a relegation scrap this season.

FM Score: Newcastle 1-0 Tottenham Conclusions

Benitez certainly sent his team out yesterday with the right mindset and tactical approach as Football Manager proved.

Their pressing of Tottenham on a wider pitch than perhaps Spurs were comfortable with turned the game into a dull stalemate in the first half. Shelvey’s red card left them more vulnerable defensively but the team quickly abandoned their shape as tempers frayed around the Dele Alli incident.

By expanding on the pressing game that Benitez utilised early on in the game we were able to frustrate Spurs and confine the majority of play to the centre of the park as neither side particularly threatened at any point.

We rode our luck at times, grabbed a cheap headed goal and shut up shop to take a narrow but satisfying win. Rafa might have to rely on similar tactics if he wants to secure Newcastle’s survival this season.

After just three games of the new Premier League season, Slaven Bilic’s fate as West Ham manager appears to be balancing on a knife-edge. In fact, The TelegraphÂbelieve the Hammers gaffer has just a few games left to save his job with the Irons currently bottom of the table, yet to claim a single point and accompanied by an incredibly unflattering goal difference.But has Bilic passed the point of no return? Does he deserve more time to turn it around? Is the uncertainty surrounding his future little more than a knee-jerk reaction to an underwhelming start to the season? FootballFanCast are laying out the arguments for and against handing Bilic his P45, and then letting you decide what his fate should be.

Time to go – Chris McMullan

There is, no doubt, enough blame to share around. No-one should get away with it easily. There’s blame for the board, blame for the players and yes, blame for the manager.

It shouldn’t be blame for just one thing, either. There’s both a terrible transfer window, an unprepared squad and a catastrophic start to the season to be accounted for here. It can’t all be laid at Bilic’s door, but then what else can realistically be done?

For a start, if the definition of madness is doing the same thing over and over in the hope of a different result, there is at least evidence to suggest that the Hammers board has changed tack this summer. This time last year, the squad was filled with the sorts of new arrivals that only charitably bring the phrase ‘quantity over quality’ to mind. This year, things were at least different, as big name signings came to the London Stadium. Even if a much-needed central midfielder eluded them this window, they’ve tried in other areas. There could well be repercussions for the failures, but we still don’t know who’s fault they are.

Then again, there is also a sense that history is somehow repeating. When Sam Allardyce left West Ham he wasn’t sacked. His contract simply wasn’t renewed. Yet if that sounds like the kind of mutually beneficial sanity that escapes most trigger happy football clubs these days, it shouldn’t. Allardyce wasn’t renewed because it would have cost money to sack him.

Bilic is in a strikingly similar position this year. His contract runs out at the end of the season and it’s looking like he won’t be renewed either. Worse still, the situation looks like it will reach some sort of a climax before the summer, because at the moment, with the politics, the infighting and the leaked details around transfer failures and the terrible results on the pitch, Bilic will either have to be sacked or walk. And at the moment, from the outside looking in, it’s starting to look like the board are attempting to make him walk rather than pay him off.

If that’s the case, then come on lads: just get rid now. Stop these stupid power games and sack the manager like every other football club’s board of directors would. It’s sad that a man like Bilic would have to leave under such a cloud, but the stand-off helps no-one, and as much as some Hammers fans might like to see it, the board won’t sack themselves. So it’s Bilic who has to get it.

It’s time to wield the axe, bring in someone new, and at least try to avoid relegation at some point before Christmas. By which time it could well have become a genuine threat again.

Have more faith – Christy Malyan

Yes, West Ham’s performances this season have ranged from anonymous to abysmal. Yes, there are many similarities to the Hammers’ erroneous first half of 2016/17. Yes, the Irons often appear to lack the most basic of organisation and have resultantly developed a disturbing knack of conceding the softest and simplest of goals. Whether that’s a consequence of tactics, team selections, training methods, pre-season preparations or all four, responsibility inevitably rests with the manager.

Yet, if you ever needed evidence of English football’s relentlessly increasing short-termism, this is surely it – debates over whether a manager who finished the season previous in eleventh place and the season prior to that in seventh, both with a largely unspectacular team whilst moving to a new stadium, should be sacked just three games into the new campaign.

Three away games, I might add, against a Manchester United side who look set to obliterate everything in their path this term, an ever-solid Southampton outfit who boasted a man advantage for the best part of an hour and a Newcastle team situated in a region West Ham rarely take points back to London from, regardless of who is in charge.

Don’t get me wrong, there’s no guarantee things would have been drastically different if all of those matches had taken place at the London Stadium. But there are still 35 Premier League fixtures to go and even in the space of another three games, West Ham’s season could look wholly different if they take something near maximum points against Huddersfield, West Brom and Tottenham.

Likewise, although Bilic has been left with much better tools to work with than last season following a summer which saw the board make four proven signings for the starting XI rather than the fringes of the squad, that is a challenge in itself. Bilic’s essentially being asked to instantaneously produce results while changing over a third of his usual team. It’s inevitable a few eggs will be broken.

Once again, many of the concerns vastly pre-date the first three games of the current campaign. But Bilic’s had so much to deal with during his time as West Ham manager; the move to the London Stadium, the horrendous transfer window of summer 2016, Dimitri Payet’s mid-season walk-out; it would be unjustifiable to lay all of those problems on his doorstep alone.

Furthermore, the phrase ‘the better the devil you know’ instantly comes to mind. Are there more talented managers out there than Bilic? Most certainly. But are there more talented managers with such a historic and emotional connection to the club, who understand the Irons’ unique, idiosyncratic, turbulent and often demanding fan-base? The board will be hard-pressed to find one.

There is little place for anything but the bottom line in football these days. But amid one of the most unpredictable eras of West Ham’s history, in which they hope the London Stadium can move them to a higher level but will undoubtedly create many debasing problems along the way, a true steward of Bilic’s description can be invaluable.

Of course, results are results and Bilic must face the music if they’re not good enough. But before the Irons dispose of a manager who can act as both the balancing act and the lightening rod amid a period of uncertainty, it’s worth giving him a fair crack of the whip. Show some faith and let Bilic determine his own fate.

So West Ham fans, should he stay or should he go?

Tottenham Hotspur very rarely provide specific timelines of recovery for their injured stars, which leaves fans guessing.

Erik Lamela and Danny Rose have had lengthy spells on the treatment table, and as it stands, it remains unclear as to when the pair will return to action.

Lamela has undergone two hip operations over the past 11 months, while Rose has not played since January due to a knee problem.

It is rather concerning that the club do not know when the pair will be available for manager Mauricio Pochettino to select, and the ongoing uncertainty continues to irk the fans.

Not only that, but Victor Wanyama has joined the pair in the treatment room after hurting his knee at the start of the month.

Ahead of Tuesday night’s Carabao Cup game against Barnsley at Wembley, Tottenham revealed the team news on Twitter.

It is safe to say that the supporters were not surprised by the update as it looked all too familiar.

As reported by The Mirror, Liverpool and Everton are interested in signing one of England’s U20 World Cup winning starlets this January.

What’s the story?

While both clubs haven’t been shy in splashing the cash on established talents in recent transfer windows, it’s always prudent to keep an eye on the upcoming stars of the future and the two Merseyside clubs have both settled on one player in particular.

The Mirror say both clubs are interested in signing Charlton defender Ezri Konsa, a 19 year old who has just completed his first season as a professional for the League One side.

With players like Joe Gomez and Ademola Lookman already moving from the Addicks to the city in recent years, the paper reckon the club are preparing for January offers for their latest talent.

Who is he?

Konsa has limited experience of course, but in his short time playing for Charlton has shown significant potential, even winning their Young Player Of The Season award last term as they finished mid-table in League One.

He was also part of England’s U20 World Cup winning squad, making his youth international debut against Italy in the semi-final of the tournament.

It’s important for Premier League clubs to secure the best young English talent available and Konsa falls into that category in his position.

With the versatility to play at centre-back, right-back and in midfield, he’s shown he has the potential to be a top-flight calibre player, can the likes of Everton or Liverpool help him get there?

Carlos Carvalhal is experiencing a stressful time at Sheffield Wednesday, and it seems that he needs to mend his relationship with the fans.

Last season, the Owls finished 12th and they currently occupy that spot in the 2017-18 campaign having won four, drawn four and lost four.

As it stands, the club are four points off the playoff positions, but the supporters are getting restless due to a string of disappointing results.

The team have managed just one win in their last four Championship outings and it came in the form of a 3-0 thumping over Leeds United.

The players were unable to hold on to that form as they returned from the international break with a 2-1 defeat to Bolton Wanderers, who are at the bottom of the table.

It was a humiliating loss for the Owls, particularly as Bolton’s second went down as an own goal from Sam Hutchinson.

Kieran Lee pulled a goal back in the 68th minute but it was not enough to inspire a comeback.

It is safe to say that the fans are ready to see a change in management.

Belgium rounded off their extremely impressive 2018 World Cup qualification campaign with a 4-3 win over Bosnia-Herzegovina on Saturday night.

A late effort from Atletico Madrid attacker Yannick Ferreira Carrasco proved to be the difference between the two teams as Roberto Martinez’s side finished on a high.

It was a special night for Belgium’s Jan Vertonghen, who drew level with Jan Ceulemans on 96 appearances for the national team.

The Tottenham Hotspur centre-back also got his name on the scoresheet – netting Belgium’s third of the night in the 68th minute, which sent the visitors 3-2 ahead.

Vertonghen, who is valued at £25.2m by transfermarkt.co.uk is still only 30, and will soon set a new record when it comes to appearances.

He has developed into one of Europe’s finest centre-backs since joining Tottenham from Ajax in 2012, and as expected, the Spurs supporters have been out in force to pay tribute to the defender as he reached a very special milestone.

A selection of the best Twitter reaction can be found below:

Another dreary weekend for Everton has passed and at the moment there is very little for them to be positive about.

Manager Ronald Koeman is under intense pressure after overseeing just two wins in nine Premier League games.

On Sunday, the Toffees had the unenviable task of taking on Arsenal at Goodison Park, but there was a glimpse of a turnaround in fortunes when Wayne Rooney put the hosts ahead in the 12th minute.

The joy was short-lived though, as Nacho Monreal, Mesut Ozil, Alexandre Lacazette, Aaron Ramsey and Alexis Sanchez all scored to give Arsenal a 5-2 victory.

To make matters worse, Everton played the final 22 minutes with 10 men after Idrissa Gueye got sent off for a second bookable offence.

As well as Koeman, plenty of the club’s summer signings have come under scrutiny from the fans.

The Merseyside outfit, who have dropped into the relegation zone, spent in excess of £100m on new players, including Michael Keane and Gylfi Sigurdsson.

One man, though, who received praise rather than criticism was goalkeeper Jordan Pickford.

Despite the fact that the 23-year-old, who moved to Goodison from Sunderland in the summer, conceded five goals, the fans only had positive things to say on Twitter.

Roberto Carlos is a legend and an icon. He was also a man ahead of his time as one of the most recognisable players in world football who happened to play in the position usually reserved for defenders who were too small to play at centre-back and not good enough to attack on the wing. He was, however, a full-back who scored more than 100 career club goals, with a record of around one strike every eight games. Not bad for a defender, and especially at a time when a left-back’s primary job was to defend.

That might have been helped by the teams he played in and his roles within them, of course.

As a left-back for Real Madrid and Brazil, he was often up against smaller teams who would let Carlos’ team have possession more often than not, allowing the Brazilian to get up the pitch in support frequently. He was also an iconic free-kick taker, and that, too, helped him to get goals.

Clearly, training is imperative for every player, but a technique like this requires precision, and you only get that through heaps of practice, “half an hour forty minutes, not too much or your legs will start to feel heavy,” he says, and at Real Madrid, Roberto Carlos was able to practice with some of the best free-kick takers the world has ever seen.

Speaking at Betsafe Star Sixes 2017, Carlos said, “I’ve spent 26 years playing football, 26 years always staying on after training – we would always put the goals up and we would start hitting the ball and before you knew it half an hour, forty minutes would have passed and we would always put a bet on it, it would cost a lot, the loser would by dinner.”

“At Madrid with Beckham and Zizou (Zidane), Roni – Ronaldo (Nazario) – would also come but he’s never scored one goal against me in his life so we got rid of him! The top three are Beckham, Zidane & Diego Maradona.”

That Galacticos team is the stuff of legends, and for many children growing up around that time, the stuff of dreams. Take some of the best players in the world and put them together to create the footballing equivalent of a supergroup, though, and you do have a team of disparate figures who don’t always make the best team possible: as Zidane himself said when the Bernabeu side sold Claude Makelele to Chelsea, “Why put another layer of gold paint on the Bentley when you are losing the entire engine?”

But that was the way Madrid worked. David Beckham, brought up by Manchester United and turned into what he’d become, was a massive signing for the Spanish club, and although they were buying the best free-kick taker Carlos has ever seen, Madrid already had plenty of the greatest in the business. And the fact that the former England captain would only win one La Liga title as his only major honour in Spain rather shows the waste.

Carlos’s admission about Figo speaks to the excesses of that time, too, when Madrid were able to assemble a team of dreams without really giving too much thought to anything else. It must have been a special team to play for, even if the trophies mostly came to the club before and after that era.

“The forward who complicated my life was Figo. I used to dream about how I could stop Figo, if he came at me from the right or the left – such a great player; thankfully our president decided to bring him here to play with me.”

Rivaldo, Roberto Carlos and David James were speaking exclusively to Betsafe Star Sixes. For all the odds and betting markets on England vs Brazil, please click here.

As reported by The Daily Mail, West Ham United are interested in signing FC Krasnodar striker Fyodor Smolov this January.

What’s the story?

Dropping more points at home on London Stadium, it’s clear that David Moyes has quite the job on his hands if he’s to turn around the Hammers’ poor form and have them climb the English Premier League table.

Crucial to those efforts will be making the right moves in the January transfer window and it seems Moyes is already setting his sights on a firm target.

The Daily Mail report that West Ham are weighing up a £15m move for Fyodor Smolov, an in-form striker for club and country that may just have what it takes to fire the Irons forward.

The paper say that with just 18 months left on his contract in Russia, the 27-year-old is keen on a move to London.

Who is he?

Smolov may not be a household name in England, but he’s making quite an impression on the Russian scene for both Krasnodar and the national team, already netting 11 goals in 13 appearances for both so far this season.

Overall he’s scored a lethal 57 goals in 88 appearances for his current side, also providing 16 assists. That’s the kind of attacking contribution that could transform David Moyes’ starting eleven and soon see the Irons picking up results.

It’s an exciting potential transfer for supporters, perhaps even the perfect partner to the likes of Javier Hernandez.

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As reported by The Daily Record, Rangers defender Bruno Alves has warned he could be forced to re-evaluate his career at the club if he’s not a first choice ahead of the World Cup next year.

What’s the story?

Alves’ place in the team has been intermittent in recent weeks, mainly due to the injury, but was placed on the bench by interim manager Graeme Murty shortly after Pedro Caixinha was sacked.

Now he’s warned that if he isn’t picked to play regularly, he could be forced to move on ahead of the World Cup in Russia, a tournament he’s hoping to make with Portugal.

As quoted by The Daily Record, Alves said:

I am still playing for the national team and I need to play. We have a World Cup soon and I need to play and be fit, to try and be at the World Cup. This is important for me. Not just to help Rangers but I also want to help myself to go to the World Cup. I am an ambitious person. I like to play. If I don’t have space here or if I don’t play, I need to think about my future or about what’s going to happen next.

Those are fairly ominous words ahead of the January transfer window and in the wake of a dramatic week off the pitch for Rangers, perhaps comments that are ill-timed. The last thing they need right now are more negative headlines.

Pressure on Murty

Graeme Murty has a hard enough job over the next month to ensure that Rangers don’t fall too far behind Celtic and pressure from senior players is wholly unneeded. When making his team selections he shouldn’t feel like he has to take into account someone’s personal international selection.

Alves has performed solidly for the Light Blues this season but with players like David Bates and Ross McCrorie coming through from the youth ranks, Murty has trusted players ready to give everything for the Rangers cause.

It’s on Alves to prove he is irreplaceable with performances on the pitch.

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