All posts by z3u9t.icu

West Ham United fans have been left disappointed by only their second defeat of the Premier League season.

The Irons lost 2-1 to Crystal Palace on Saturday in a rather dour London derby but actually took the lead at the London Stadium.

Sebastien Haller scored the opener, with the Irons attempting to climb into the top four by claiming all three points.

However, Patrick van Aanholt equalised from the penalty spot after Declan Rice was adjudged to have handled the ball in the area, and Jordan Ayew grabbed a late winner.

The Ghana international’s strike was initially incorrectly ruled out for offside but was allowed to stand after VAR intervened.

And supporters were left gutted by the result at the London Stadium.

Indeed, they had also seen their side drop points last weekend as they drew 2-2 with AFC Bournemouth.

Take a look at the best of the reaction on Twitter down below!

It couldn’t really be put simpler than this.It’s no secret that Leeds United aren’t doing as well as they could this season, however when it’s put in terms as blunt as these, it takes on a slightly harsher tone.Writing in The Athletic, Phil Hay mentioned how Leeds United seem to be going down the same road as they did last year, signing off by saying:“Very little about Leeds United suggests they will avoid living on the edge again.â€Earlier in the article he points out that Leeds are currently well off course to be challenging for a promotion spot:“Over the past five seasons, it’s taken an average of 80 goals to lift a club out of the Championship automatically and Leeds’ current haul of 15 equates to just 63 over the 46 games — too few for a top-two finish.â€

Leeds fans weren’t ready to just take this news lying down, especially after he claimed the Whites were happy with how they were doing.

Supporters took it as an opportunity to blast both the board and Bielsa for their respective methods, and it left a rather sour taste in the mouth as some took it as a sign that their hopes of automatic promotion are dead before we’ve even reached Halloween.

Here’s some of the reaction.

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…

Still one of the most hotly-anticipated Premier League contests of the season, Manchester United versus Liverpool has had some truly barn-storming games in years gone by. Two of the most dominant clubs in domestic and European football, the match has lessened in significance in recent seasons over their differing plights.

The Red Devils have fallen off their perch dramatically since Sir Alex Ferguson’s exit, whilst the Merseyside club have enjoyed a renaissance under Jurgen Klopp. Two sides that appear to be heading in opposite directions meet on Sunday in the Premier League, and recent form indicates a rather comfortable win for the visitors at Old Trafford.

Watch the video below to see the most insane overhead kick you will see this week…

A defeat at home to their bitter rivals cannot be entertained. But arguably, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side face a must-win clash, rather than a must-not-lose encounter. Lying in 12th place in the league, and just two points off the drop zone, United are in the midst of a truly dark period in their history – their total of nine points from their opening eight games is their lowest total since the 1989/1990 campaign.

The pressure has intensified dramatically on Solskjaer and his players after another bitter blow before the international break, when they lost to a struggling Newcastle. Reports have suggested the Norwegian could be facing the sack, and a potential defeat to Liverpool could well be the nail in the coffin.

Watch Manchester United Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

But, all is not lost. For all the turmoil, Old Trafford will be at its rocking best on Sunday when Liverpool turn up. The visitors have enjoyed a flawless start to the campaign, and what better way to kick-start your season than by ending that run? United famously stopped the Invincibles’ 49-game unbeaten run in 2004, and the result catapulted them to a period of dominance for the rest of the decade.

Whilst a victory over Liverpool would be unlikely to cause such a similar effect now, it could be the turning point to which the fans, players and the manager rally around. The Red Devils are in desperate need of a history-defining result. Solskjaer’s emphasis on rebuilding the club with a core of young British players and academy prospects is promising, but it needs a sense of validation after a series of poor performances.

A win against Klopp’s men on Sunday would do exactly that.

Could this be the beginning of the end? Manchester United fans have had to put up with the Glazer family for a number of years now, and every time it has looked even remotely likely they could be heading out, it just hasn’t turned to be the case.

Earlier this year, reports had suggested a Saudi Arabian firm were interested in taking over the Red Devils, but that did not transpire in the end. However, it appears United may be saying goodbye to at least one of the Glazers in the near future.

According to The Sun, Kevin Glazer – son of Malcolm who took control of the club 14 years ago – is “set to cash out” of Old Trafford, after documents were recently filed with the USA’s Securities and Exchange Commission in proof of him converting all his B class shares into A class stock.

The report adds the A shares are available to be traded on the New York Stock Exchange, and that the “only conceivable reason is to sell up”. The Sun further notes however that the move does not necessarily mean the prospect of new owners anytime soon for United.

After hearing the news, Red Devils fans flooded to Twitter, and judging by their reaction, there is a definite sense of hope and wilful optimism that this could potentially lead to some massive change at the top.

Check out some of the reaction of United fans below:

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… 

Mauricio Pochettino’s experimentation at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium continued on Saturday as Davinson Sanchez was drafted into the starting line-up, only to be hauled off at half-time.

It was a strange call for the Argentine to make given Sanchez was Spurs’ best performing defender at that point, with Toby Alderweireld losing Abdoulaye Doucoure for the goal an example of his lack of form.

A change was necessary in order for Spurs to show more attacking intent, and Son Heung-min breathed fresh life into the attack, but the 23-year-old had barely put a foot wrong on and off the ball, and deserved to remain on the pitch.

Jan Vertognhen, like his compatriot, is not playing well, and he easily could have given away a penalty in the first half, but referee Chris Kavanagh gave him the benefit of the doubt in a clash with Gerard Deulofeu.

As a result, Sanchez should feel aggrieved that he was the man to withdraw, and in many ways it indicates a lack of faith in the centre-back.

His stats from SofaScore underline his effectiveness on the ball, with the biggest standout the fact he conceded possession on just four occasions.

By contrast, Alderweireld and Vertonghen gave the ball away 26 and 14 times respectively, and although they played the full 90 minutes it shows they were much more careless, and therefore the wrong man came off.

Watch Tottenham Hotspur Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

Such a move could knock Sanchez’s confidence, as Pochettino has undermined his ability and any faith he once placed in him.

It is also a worrying sign of the Argentine, as it shows his continued misguided belief to trust players to perform who he has relied on in the past, even when they are clearly struggling – having conceded 10 goals in two games prior to Saturday.

The £65,000 a week player also got his team on the front foot through his long passes, with three out of four successful, and it is that active approach which Spurs lack currently, struggling to break down Watford and failing to score against the likes of Brighton and Newcastle.

Pochettino has to start being brave by dropping his previous favourites, starting on Tuesday against Red Star Belgrade, because only then may Spurs get back to their best.

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…

Gjanni Alioski believes that Leeds’ struggles this season stem from problems beyond their control.

Speaking after the game against Preston North End, the Macedonian bemoaned their perceived lack of luck, not just in this game, but throughout the season so far:

“It’s not only tonight, because we play beautiful football but it’s not only the football we need to play. At the end, [we play] to score and we keep working on this and I hope the goals will come in the next games.

I think we need to be a little bit lucky, and [have a bit] more concentration, because what we want to work. We create so many chances. We create not only one or two, I think we have 21 shots and one goal. It’s not enough and it’s not only this game so we need to work how we work. Not only to be more lucky but I hope this will come.”

The old saying in football is that ‘luck will even itself out throughout the season’, and if Leeds’ problems with failing to convert their chances is down to good or bad fortune, we should expect a whole host of 5-0 victories once we get around the Easter period.

At the end of the day though, you have to be able to take these sorts of things into your own hands.

Struggling to convert chances is not something that is about ‘luck’.

When Mateusz Klich failed to score the penalty against Derby, there was no bad luck involved there, just a missed opportunity. Good fortune would be more akin to the beach ball goal that Sunderland scored against Liverpool all those years ago.

A lot has been made of Leeds United’s lack of ability, with the latest expected goals table from Experimental 361 showing that they are 12 points off where they should be in the league right now.

So if they can just learn to execute better, they wouldn’t have to worry about where the next points and goals are going to come from. As the famous saying goes, ‘the harder I practice, the luckier I get’.

There is one small area that Alioski might have a point on when it comes to ‘luck’ with Leeds and that was last season when they went through a catastrophic amount of injuries that hit the squad throughout the season.

If they can avoid going through spells like that, they might be onto something this season.

But given the injuries to Liam Cooper and Jamie Shackleton, it looks like their off to a bad start in that department. Earning promotion will certainly be easier said than done.

This article is part of Football FanCast’s The Chalkboard series, which provides a tactical insight into teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

Arsenal will face Wolves on Saturday in the Premier League as they look to bounce back from their penalty shoot-out loss against Liverpool in the League Cup. Kieran Tierney and Adama Traore could be the two players to have the biggest impact on the final result.

On the chalkboard

It has been a difficult time for the Gunners in recent weeks. Without a win in their last three Premier League fixtures, and rumours of dressing room unrest, Unai Emery has his work cut out to galvanise his side for this clash.

Watch the moment Granit Xhaka’s Arsenal career may have come to an ugly end in the video below…

Wolves, meanwhile, have had a mixed start to the campaign. They have only lost two matches in the league, but they have picked up six draws as well, with them not winning until the seventh game of the term.

Given the form of both teams, they will be feeling they can pick up three points here. The battle between Adama Traore and Kieran Tierney could be vital in regards to the final outcome.

Can Traore reproduce City magic?

22-year-old Tierney is finally getting himself into the Gunners side after an injury initially kept him out following his £25m move from Celtic in the summer.

Having started against Crystal Palace before playing just seven minutes from the bench against the Reds in midweek, he should be in the first XI versus Nuno Espirito Santo and co.

Watch Arsenal Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

Traore, too, is almost guaranteed to start as well.

Generally in a 3-5-2 formation, the former Barcelona man has started on the right of the midfield in the last three league matches, playing as a winger-cum-wing-back for the Portuguese boss. His performance against Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium, scoring both in a 2-0 victory, has been his stand-out display of the campaign.

On that day, Wolves had little possession, with just 24% compared to their opponents’ 76%, but when they did foray forward, they targeted City’s left flank far more than the other side.

This is a regular occurrence throughout the season so far, with 43% of their attacks coming down the right compared to just 35% down the left. No side has played down that side of the pitch more in the league so far.

That is to take advantage of Traore’s prominent dribbling skills. Against Pep Guardiola’s side, he beat his man three times, with his overall average for the campaign being 3.1. Only four players in the division have done so on more occasions than the 23-year-old.

If Arsenal are to get a positive result from the match, 12-time Scotland international Tierney will need to be at the top of his game, and cannot afford to go too far forward.

If he does so, £13.5m-valued Traore, will be licking his lips at the prospect of getting in behind him down that flank.

Having started just one game for Arsenal in the league, we do not know what to make of his defensive ability in England, but considering he was dribbled past just 0.2 times per match in the Europa League last term with the Bhoys, we can expect that he will not be scared to face the former Spain U21 international.

This will be an exciting battle between two evenly-matched players. Whoever prevails will surely help their side get the result they are looking for.

Celtic fans have taken to Twitter to discuss the prospect of signing loan star Mohamed Elyounoussi on a permanent basis, following the forward’s latest goal for the club.

The Bhoys secured the Norway international on a season-long loan deal back in the summer, and he has made an excellent start to life at Celtic Park with a huge amount of goal involvements.

Elyounoussi, 25, has scored seven goals and recorded five assists in just ten appearances for the Scottish giants since arriving from Southampton, with his most recent outing for Celtic seeing him score two and assist two in a 5-2 win over Hibernian in the Scottish League Cup.

One would assume that the former FC Basel forward won’t come cheap, as the Saints shelled out £16m for him back in 2018 – Elyounoussi has, however, made such a good start to his Celtic career that a permanent deal would seem extremely tempting.

Let’s take a look at what the Celtic fans on Twitter think about signing the Norwegian permanently…

Loads of Tottenham Hotspur fans have been slamming Christian Eriksen on social media for his performance against Everton, after stats company Squawka shared a numerical breakdown of his display.

Eriksen was named in the Spurs starting line-up at Goodison Park on Sunday, as he maintained his near-perfect appearance record for the campaign having only sat out one Premier League fixture and one Champions League Group Stage tie so far.

He again failed to add to his sole goal for the season across all competitions, though, as he did not register any attempts on Jordan Pickford’s net, and failed to notch up his second assist of the term having also not recorded any key passes.

Watch Tottenham Hotspur Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

No player gave up possession more often than Eriksen, as well, as the £75,000 per-week playmaker turned over the ball on sixteen occasions, 12 of which occurred in the first-half.

Spurs supporters fumed at Eriksen’s performance against Liverpool the weekend prior Tottenham supporters were left vastly disgruntled by his efforts once again, with one sharing in reply to his stats that he has suffered a ‘frightening fall from grace’.

Another suggested they would be happy if Spurs allowed the 27-year-old to leave for free in January, with Eriksen’s contract up in the summer.

Here are some of the messages shared…

It seems not many Barcelona fans are particularly keen on manager Ernesto Valverde, with sections of the support whistling the team at the Nou Camp recently. 

The Blaugrana sit top of both La Liga and their Champions League qualifying group as things stand, though some of their performances in both competitions have been unconvincing so far.

Inconsistency has been the main problem with Barcelona under Valverde. One week they could be emphatic and dismantle their opponents – they did it this weekend, beating Celta Vigo 4-1 at the Nou Camp. The next, they may be held by Slavia Prague at home in the Champions League, just like they were last week or lose convincingly to Levante.

It is a problem that has plagued the Catalan titans for the previous two seasons now. Even last term, as they won La Liga at a canter, they still came apart in tragic circumstances against Liverpool in the Champions League semi-finals and then lost the Copa del Rey final against Valencia.

It seems as though Barca fans have simply had enough with their current manager, and are yearning for the club to appoint a more charismatic suitor, one who will get results on the pitch whilst motivating the supporters and players off of it.

Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp is arguably the best manager in the world right now, especially after his side beat Manchester City 3-1 on Sunday afternoon. Indeed, he is the manager these fans appear to want to be given the role.

Barcelona fans, would you take Klopp at the Camp Nou? Join the discussion below..