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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…

Sheffield Wednesday boss Garry Monk has been slammed by Tony Pulis for his role in Middlesbrough’s current demise, and it should serve as a stark warning ahead of his current club’s imminent first transfer window under him.

What’s he said?

The 40-year-old was finally appointed as Steve Bruce’s successor at the start of September, and last weekend signalled his tenth game in charge as the Owls lost to Blackburn Rovers – only their second Championship defeat under his stewardship.

Monk has had to work with a squad that was built by his previous incumbent, so he is yet to stamp his mark down on the south Yorkshire club fully.

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Pulis, who is currently out of work himself, took over from Monk at Boro back in December 2017 and has effectively blamed the Wednesday chief for their struggles this season.

They currently sit in the relegation zone, some 12 points off the promotion-chasing Owls.

Speaking on Ian Holloway’s new podcast, the former Stoke City boss said:

“To sell the players that we sold – Forshaw, Christie, Gibson, Bamford, Traore, to name just five. I think we cut the staff by 15-16 players in the 18 months I was there, just to rejig the finances which was important after an absolutely disastrous window.

“The football club is struggling today because of what happened two-and-a-half years ago. It’s not what Woody’s done, or what the players are doing or anything like that. The big, big point was two-and-a-half years ago.

“If you have a bad window, a disastrous window like that and your recruitment is no good, then you’re going to suffer.”

January warning?

Pulis refers to the summer of spending that occurred in the north-east just months before he took over, which was when Monk was in charge.

He signed nearly £50m worth of players – Britt Assombalonga (£14m), Martin Braithwaite (£9m), Ashley Fletcher (£6.5m), Jonny Howson (£6m), Darren Randolph (£5m) and Ryan Shotton (£3m) to name just a few.

It clearly didn’t pay off as Monk was sacked by Christmas, and Pulis was left with a financial mess to deal with off the pitch in order to balance the books – thus the likes of Adam Forshaw and Adama Traore were sold.

This should serve as a warning to Wednesday owner Dejphon Chansiri, who has recently revealed that he is prepared to back his manager in January, as a similar situation simply cannot ensue in south Yorkshire.

The club have been faced with several transfer embargoes in the past, so they do not want history to repeat itself, and they certainly do not need to go down the same path as Boro in recent times.

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…

Manchester City threw everything they could at Liverpool on Sunday, but even the genius of Pep Guardiola could not undo the brilliance of the European champions.

The likes of Raheem Sterling and Bernardo Silva saw plenty of the ball, having 142 touches between them.

However, despite Silva’s goal late on, the forwards really struggled to penetrate the solid Liverpool defence. Throughout the game, City looked like they lacked a plan B, as their usual free-flowing, threatening nature was constantly restricted by the likes of Virgil van Dijk.

As the game went on it seemed as if Guardiola missed one man who he has not seen play for some time, namely Leroy Sane. The German has been out injured ever since the Community Shield and is expected to return in February.

However, against the Reds, Sane’s absence was almost audible. The 23-year-old is no stranger to a showdown with Liverpool, scoring twice against them in his career so far. Last season, he bagged the winner in what would later turn out to be a title decider, and two seasons ago, he would also score an equaliser in the 4-3 defeat at Anfield.

Over the years, Sane’s pace and skill has played a part in City’s dominance of English football, as he has bagged himself 39 goals and 45 assists. Surely, Guardiola would have been wanted to bring on the winger at some point as he watched his side struggle to dissect their way through Liverpool’s defensive unit.

His speed to get at Liverpool’s tough defence could have been a huge factor in this tie.

Late on, just as Silva made it 3-1 on the 78th minute, Sane could have come on and caused havoc on the left, just as he did in the win at the Etihad in January.

The 21-cap Germany international has been subject to interest from Bayern Munich for many months, with The Athletic reporting most recently that City are drawing up plans to replace him.

However, if this result is anything to go by, his pace, goalscoring prowess, and ruthlessness on the left side cannot be squandered.

Sane brings something different to the table and Guardiola missed him dearly on Sunday.

بعث نادي ريال مدريد بتهنئة لغريمه برشلونة على تتويجه بكأس ملك إسبانيا بعد فوزه على أتلتيك بلباو.

وفاز برشلونة على أتلتيك بلباو برباعية نظيفة، ليتوج بكأس ملك إسبانيا للمرة 31 في تاريخه.

وعبر حسابه الرسمي على موقع “تويتر”، غرّد ريال مدريد: “تهانينا لبرشلونة ومشجعيه على الفوز المستحق بكأس ملك إسبانيا”.

وسجل لبرشلونة كلاً من أنطوان جريزمان وفرينكي دي يونج، وأحرز ليونيل ميسي هدفين، ويمكنكم مطالعة تقرير المباراة وأبرز أحداثها بالفيديو من خلال هذا الرابط.

Enhorabuena al @FCBarcelona y a sus aficionados por su merecida Copa del Rey 2021.#RealMadrid

— Real Madrid C.F. (@realmadrid) April 17, 2021

This article is part of Football FanCast’s Injury News series, which considers the impact of the latest updates on players’ fitness.

Joel Matip will miss Liverpool’s clash with Red Bull Salzburg, and the likely switch to Joe Gomez will place more pressure on Trent Alexander-Arnold’s defensive abilities.

What’s the word?

Matip will not make Wednesday’s battle with the Austrian outfit after picking up a knock against Sheffield United, Paul Joyce has confirmed.

Given how well the Cameroonian has played in 2019 it makes sense not to take any risks, and so Gomez is expected to fill in against Salzburg and possibly against Leicester, depending on the extent of the injury.

Gomez though has one weakness in his game, and it will force Alexander-Arnold to focus slightly more on his defensive duties, thus affecting the side’s ability to create chances.

Alexander-Arnold has to help

So what is that weakness? Well, for all Gomez’s qualities, which include excellent recovery speed and fantastic ball-playing ability, the England international does tend to lose his man at the far post sometimes. Quite simply, he just switches off.

It happened at the Emirates in that crazy 3-3 draw back in 2017 when he allowed Alexis Sanchez to run straight past him and score, and again a few months later when he lost Johann Berg Gudmundsson. Even some fans have noticed it over the years.

Given that Salzburg wonderkid Erling Haaland stands at 6 foot 4, it would be ne surprise to see the Austrians look to expose Gomez by standing balls up to Haaland at the back post. The Englishman averaged just 1.5 aerial wins in the league last term, while Matip is winning a whopping 6 per game this season.

So, it will be up Alexander-Arnold to just provide that little bit of extra support for his compatriot, and perhaps not push forward quite as much as Liverpool’s full-backs usually do.

This will of course harm the Reds’ creativity, which comes mostly from the flanks, as well as the fact that they will lose Matip’s marauding runs and incisive passes, something Ian Wright heaped praise upon after the clash at Bramall Lane.

The injury to Matip may seem a simple straight swap to Gomez, but it could actually effect the Reds more than you would think, especially down that right flank.

In today’s Tottenham Hotspur roundup, we take a look at some of the biggest stories involving the Lilywhites from the last 72 hours. Daniel Levy has discussed his decision to build a new stadium over bringing in new signings, Jack Clarke’s saga has turned him into a wanted man, and Anton Ferdinand has insisted Harry Kane should leave the club to win trophies.

‘He’s got to go’, says Ferdinand

Report: When speaking to talkSPORT, former West Ham defender Anton Ferdinand stated: “If I’m honest, he’s got to go. He’s a fantastic player, there is no question, there is no doubt about it.

“He wants to wake up in how many years’ time, speak to his children, his grandchildren and say ‘look what I’ve won’… not ‘look I’ve played for this club for 10 years and was loyal to this club, playing for this club for 10, 15, 20 years’.”

Verdict: Since breaking into the side, Kane has scored an incredible 168 goals in 259 appearances, as he chases records such as Alan Shearer’s Premier League one. But, as Ferdinand stated, with the ability Kane has he should be winning trophies, and if the striker wanted to he could probably get into any team in world football.

Of course, winning silverware is by no means beyond Tottenham – they did reach last season’s Champions League final, after all. But will they become serial trophy winners in the same way as Manchester City, the back-to-back champions, or Chelsea who tend to even end bad seasons – such as Antonio Conte’s last – with silverware? Recent history suggests not.

Clarke a wanted man

Report: The Express reports that Spurs are considering bringing Jack Clarke back to the club as Leeds United boss Marco Bielsa continues not to include the teenager in his plans for the season. It is reported that the likes of West Ham, Crystal Palace, and Everton are considering a move for the 18-year-old, should Spurs bring him back from the Whites in January.

Verdict: After winning the Young Player of the Year at Leeds, Spurs signed the winger in July and immediately loaned him back to the Yorkshire club in the hope he could continue his development there. Clarke bagged two goals and provided four assists in 22 Championship appearances last year, but in 2019/20 he’s still awaiting his first league outing of the campaign.

There’s little point in him wallowing on the Leeds bench but with Lucas Moura, Son Heung-min, Christian Eriksen and Erik Lamela all battling for spots out wide back at Tottenham, sending Clarke out on loan is the right call. If Spurs can get him some Premier League experience this season, they’ll be turning a difficult situation into a major positive for the youngster.

‘We could have easily spent more money on players’ says Levy

Report: Daniel Levy has spoken to the Financial Times, discussing his decision to build Spurs’ new stadium at the expense of more signings. The Spurs chairman said: “I understand as I am a fan, clearly you want to win on the pitch. But we have been trying to look at this slightly differently, in that we want to make sure we ensure an infrastructure here to stand the test of time.

“We could have easily spent more money on players. Who knows if that would have bought us more success or not. The right approach is to build from the bottom up. There is no quick fix to becoming a much more significant global club.”

Verdict: Undoubtedly, Spurs’ new stadium is state-of-the-art with some alleging the cost to be more than £1billion. However, despite the luxury of the new home, not signing any players at all for two transfer windows is inevitably going to leave supporters questioning the club’s ambitions.

Likewise, perhaps if Levy had brought in more new players, the likes of Christian Eriksen wouldn’t be looking elsewhere. Even after snapping up Tanguy Ndombele this summer, it still feels as though Spurs haven’t taken advantage of their Champions League finalist status in the transfer market – perhaps because of the major rebuild of the club’s home.

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An article in The Times has revealed all the details on David de Gea’s new Manchester United contract, but there’s one aspect of it that fans just aren’t buying.

Regardless of the circumstances, it’s always good news when an immensely talent player puts pen to paper on a new deal with your club.

Yes, Manchester United’s Spanish shot-stopper has declined significantly in the last 18 months, but on his day he is still up there with the very best, and some fans were even getting emotional when his new deal was announced this week.

As more details emerge however, such as the fact that he will earn roughly £375,000 a week, fans have been left baffled by one thing.

According to the report, De Gea was impressed by the Red Devils’ “ambition and direction”.

Needless to say after several years of disappointment following the departure of Sir Alex Ferguson, fans are calling fake news on this one.

Take a look at some of the best Twitter reactions down below…

It was not really a dream start for Barcelona as they raised the curtain of the new 2019/20 La Liga season at San Mames against Athletic Bilbao. After 90 minutes of struggle and one Aritz Aduriz wonder goal, the Catalans saw themselves open the new campaign with a defeat. But what exactly can we extract from their trip to the Basque land? Here are three things we learned at the weekend.

New signings need some time

Two Barcelona players made their La Liga debuts in their new Blaugrana colours at San Mames: Frenkie de Jong and Antoine Griezmann. Both players started and finished the game but couldn’t really push the outcome in Barcelona’s favour. they will both need some time to gel with the new squad and Ernesto Valverde will have to find a way to make their transitions as smooth as possible.

Griezmann only made 33 touches on the night with only seven being inside the box and one just on the edge of it. He also registered three shots but none were on target. De Jong, on the other hand, was one of the higher-rated players on the pitch but was unable to dictate the tempo like he usually does despite maintaining 93.9% passing accuracy.

There were some promising signs but a lot more will be expected from the duo in the future.

Does the 6th May 2009 ring any bells Chelsea fans? If so, you might want to give the video below a miss…

San Mames is becoming a problem

Barcelona have a bad record at San Mames, that much is becoming pretty obvious. Overall, they’ve played a total of 89 games there and have only won 26. In fact, their last two outings there, once now in 2019/20 and once in 2018/19, have resulted in a draw and a defeat. The Basques seem to have the Catalans’ number and they’re enjoying having them as guests at San Mames.

Not to mention that Barcelona’s goal difference there is -36, meaning that not only do they rarely win but they have trouble keeping up with their hosts in their backyard when it comes to scoring, something they are usually quite good at.

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No Messi, no party

When there is no Lionel Messi for Barcelona, they simply look like a different team altogether. But while that may not be such a surprise considering Messi’s pedigree, seeing Barcelona struggle so much without him could spell trouble for Valverde. One thing is to miss Messi but to completely depend on him is very much a different and bigger problem.

The little Argentine scored in seven of the last nine opening games in La Liga, tallying a ridiculous 14 goals in the process. It’s difficult not to miss such a huge presence on the pitch, that much is obvious, but Barcelona looked like a team out of sorts and out of ideas – managing only two shots on target.

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The reputable journalist has revealed Dybala has not yet made a decision about his future although it is claimed he wants a ‘super contract’ on a ‘top wage’, with the Premier League outfit having to improve their offer.

Manchester United are also thought to have asked about the availability of Mandzukic as well. Juventus are thought to be open to letting the former Croatia international leave but they will only sell him as part of the swap deal between Romelu Lukaku and their Argentine star.

Dybala’s name has been linked with Manchester United amid a swap deal for Lukaku for some while as the Premier League outfit proposed the idea to Juventus, according to claims by Tuttosport (via Sport Witness). However, Mandzukic being included in the deal could be something Ole Gunnar Solskjaer thinks about strongly.

In regards to the Argentine, the 25-year-old has been clinical in front of goal throughout his career, especially when deployed as a secondary striker. In 182 games for Juventus, Dybala has scored 78 goals and provided 30 assists (via Transfermarkt), with 43 goals in his 93 appearances coming in that particular role.

His versatility is something that can appeal to Solskjaer as well (who is thought to be a huge admirer of the South American), as he would provide him with a number of different attacking options in the final third of the pitch. As noted by WhoScored, he can be utilised as an attacking midfielder and be rather effective. In his six games there, he provided Juventus with two goals and one assist, whilst managed to produce an average of 1.7 key passes per game and 1.7 dribbles.

Add in the experience of Mandzukic and what he can bring to Old Trafford, Manchester United’s goalscoring woes of last season might become a distant memory. They managed just 65 in the Premier League and finished fifth in the rankings just ahead of Chelsea in terms of goals scored but the Croatian could help improve that number.

Although he is entering the final stages of his career at 33-years-old, the forward has been prolific in front of goal for every club he has been a part of. Over his illustrious career, Mandzukic has managed to find the back of the net on 188 occasions in his 476 career appearances to date (Transfermarkt).

Marcus Rashford might be Solskjaer’s first-choice striker, but adding a player of the veteran’s calibre could help to take him to the next level of his game as he could learn from a player who has won almost everything available throughout his glowing career wherever he has gone.

As detailed by Transfermarkt, Mandzukic can also play in a number of different positions like Dybala, which could also work in tandem with the 21-year-old currently playing at Old Trafford. As noted by WhoScored, the Croatian bagged nine goals and six assists in his 25 Serie A outings last season, including an average of 1.2 shots and 1.2 key passes per 90 mins, although his dribbling skills left plenty to be desired (0.2).

However, whether he is worth bringing into the club at the expense of Lukaku is something that needs to be thought about as the Belgium international’s stats may suggest otherwise. He scored 12 goals in the Premier League last season, according to the figures collected by WhoScored, he managed an average of 1.7 shots per game and provided his team-mates with less than one key pass a match (0.7). But, his stats continued to get worse the further you delve into them.

He completed less than one dribble per game (0.7), he was found offside 0.7 times – perhaps that had something to do with the extra weight and how unfit he was as Gary Neville alluded to in his scathing attack of the forward? – whilst his ball control was far from solid.

Having been dispossessed 1.4 times on average per game and making an average of 1.6 bad touches per match it is hardly any wonder as to why a number of fans were quick to tear into him on social media on a number of occasions (including his birthday).

Manduzkic’s name being thrown into the mix is an intriguing development and, as mentioned, it might be worth Manchester United thinking strongly about, especially if they can land Dybala at the same time.

The duo, on paper, certainly look like individuals that can offer Solskjaer the additional goal threat they lacked last season, whilst one could bring a certain amount of experience whilst the other would bring a South American flair to the side that could help them in the final third of the pitch.

Whether any deal like this happens remains to be seen, especially with Romano detailing plenty that still needs to happen, but with just days to go in the transfer window, it will surely be an interesting watch.

Manchester United fans, what do you make of a Dybala and Mandzukic-Lukaku swap deal? Would you want the Juventus duo at Old Trafford for the upcoming campaign? Let us know your thoughts by sharing them below!

قاد الثنائي، محمد صلاح، ساديو ماني، فريقهما ليفربول الإنجليزي، للفوز على لايبزيج الألماني، بهدفين نظيفين، في المباراة التي جمعت على ملعب “بوشكاش أرينا”، بالمجر، في ذهاب دور الـ16 بدوري أبطال أوروبا. شاهد اهداف مباراة ليفربول ولايبزيج

المباراة شهدت مشاركة، مُحترفنا المصري، كأساسي، حيث لعب مُنذ ضربة البداية وحتى الدقيقة 89 وحل نيكو ويليامز بدلًا منه، وسجّل هدفًا رائعًا.

بتلك النتيجة يُصبح ليفربول على بُعد خطوة إلى التأهل لربع النهائي، حيث من المُقرر أنّ يخوض مباراة الإياب، في مارس القادم، على ملعب “آنفيلد”.

تقرير المباراة

الشوط الأول

انتهت الـ45 دقيقة الأولى، بالتعادل السلبي بين الفريقين 0-0، حيث لم يتمكن هجوم الريدز من هز شباك لايبزيج.

القائم وقف أمام لايبزيج في بداية الشوط الأول بالدقيقة الرابعة، وتعاطف مع البرازيلي أليسون بيكر، حيث تصدى القائم لتصويبه من الفريق الألماني.

وأهدر محمد صلاح فرصة إحراز هدف أول في المباراة لـ ليفربول، قبل الربع ساعة الأولى في الدقيقة 14.

وفي الدقيقة 24، وقف الحظ أمام ماني وليفربول، بعد عرضية من فيرمينو بعد تمريرة من صلاح، وصلت إلى منطقة الجزاء، ارتقى لها السنغالي ساديو ماني، ضرب الكرة بالرأس ولكن جاءت أعلى مرمى حارس لايبزيج.

وكاد الاسكتلندي، أندرو روبرتسون أنّ يحرز الهدف الأول لـ ليفربول في الدقيقة 30، حيث استغل خروج خاطئ لحارس المرمى، ولكن وتصويبه ظهير الريدز ذهبت أعلى المرمى بقليل.

وسجّل ليفربول هدف أول في الدقيقة 40، ولكن الحكم ألغى الهدف، حيث تلقى فيرمينو تمريرة أرضية من ماني، داخل منطقة الجزاء، سددها فيرمينو في مرمى لايبلزيج، ولكن حكم الراية ألغى الهدف لأن كرة ماني كانت خرجت من الملعب قبل تمرير الكرة لـ فيرمينو.

الشوط الثاني

ليفربول دخل الشوط الثاني من أجل إحراز هدف أول، مُبكرًا، وتحقق مُبتغاه مُبكرًا في الدقيقة 53، عبر أقدام صلاح، الذي سجّل الهدف بعد خطأ في التمرير من مدافع لايبزيج، الذي أعاد بالكرة إلى الخلف بالخطأ ليحصل نجمنا المصري على الكرة قبل قلب الدفاع، وانطلق بالكرة وتوغل لداخل لمنطقة الجزاء وسدد الكرة في مرمى لايبزيج.

اقرأ أيضًا.. ماني يحقق رقمًا مميزًا مع ليفربول بهدفه أمام لايبزيج ويُطارد محمد صلاح

ولم تمضى بضعة دقاق أخرى، وتمكن الضيوف من إحراز الهدف الثاني، وهذه المرة عبر ماني، حيث جاء الهدف بعد هفوة دفاعية جديدة من لايبزيج، حيث حصل ماني على الكرة بعد خطأ من الفرنسي أوباميكانو، مهد الكرة برأسه ثم انطلق بسرعة لداخل منطقة الجزاء، وسدد كرة قوية في شباك مرمى لايبزيج.

Marvelous Nakamba is trying to force a move from Club Brugge to Aston Villa by not returning for preseason training, according to Le Soir, via Sport Witness.

The defensive midfielder had been afforded extra break over the summer, having participated at the African Cup of Nations with Zimbabwe, though he didn’t report back on Monday morning.

This comes after a €10 million offer from Aston Villa was turned down by the club, who have already sold Wesley to The Villans.

Nakamba is holding out for a move, though Club Brugge have maintained the offer that came in was below their expectations.

On WhoScored, the Zimbabwean is cited as being very strong at tackling, while passing, concentration and ball interceptions are also among his strengths.

This skillset would be of benefit to Aston Villa, as they have lost holding midfielders in the side now that Mile Jedinak and Glenn Whelan have left – having made 1.2 and 1.3 tackles per game respectively. Indeed, Nakamba made 1 tackle and 4 interceptions per 90 mins at the Africa Cup of Nations, while ESPN’s detailed write-up of him back in 2018 hint at a strong presence in the deeper parts of the midfield.

‘A captivating mix of flair and tenacity to Nakamba’s game, qualities which enable him to thrive in deep midfield areas where he uses his sheer strength to win duels, and his sharp brain to the team help retain possession’, wrote Simba Mushati.

Conor Hourihane has been filling the role, but his strengths are more centred around creation and technical ability – with his strongest traits including key passes, taking set-pieces and long shots.

This means the club are missing a midfield protector who can shield the backline. They avoided punishment in the Championship on their stunning unbeaten run but the Premier League is obviously another step up in quality.

Aston Villa should definitely be looking to bring in a natural holding midfielder who will offer greater protection to the backline following the exits of Whelan and Jedinak.

Alongside John McGinn and Jack Grealish in a midfield three, or even as a pivot with the latter ahead of them as a No.10, someone as combative as Nakamba could help ensure the team remains solid and compact.

Villa fans, how pressing is your need for a holding midfielder? Join the discussion by commenting below…