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Sheffield Wednesday got back to winning ways after defeating Wigan Athletic 1-0 at Hillsborough on Saturday afternoon.

Massimo Luongo, who was given his first league start for the club, scored the only goal of the game just before the hour mark to move the Owls to within one point of the playoffs.

The Australian international directed Adam Reach’s cut-back pass accurately past the visiting goalkeeper.

It means Garry Monk has amassed ten points from a possible 15 to start his reign in south Yorkshire.

The 1-0 victory also sees Wednesday pick up their fourth clean sheet of the season, and one man has been central to all of them – Julian Borner.

The 28-year-old joined the club in the summer on a free transfer from Arminia Bielefeld and won August’s Player of the Month award.

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Borner has played every single minute in the league so far this campaign, per WhoScored.

His performances have clearly continued to catch the eye of many a Wednesday supporter as they took to Twitter to laud Borner following the victory.

One fan claimed the German was the biggest asset they’ve had in 20 years, and that he was head and shoulders above any other defender in the division while another praised the club for being able to secure him on a free.

A further member of the Hillsborough faithful believed the defender should be the club captain with one more calling him a ‘beast.’

Here’s the best of the reaction:

Wolves pulled off one of the shocks of the weekend as they defeated reigning Premier League champions Manchester City on their own patch to add further woe to their title hopes.

Pep Guardiola’s side now sit some eight points behind league leaders Liverpool while Wolves have enjoyed an upturn in form with three straight victories in all competitions.

Adama Traore netted a brace inside the final ten minutes to secure the victory at the Etihad Stadium.

There was an early scare in the first half when utility man Romain Saiss suffered a hamstring injury and had to be substituted in just the 13th minute.

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Luckily, Nuno Santo was able to call on centre-back Ryan Bennett, who in recent games has been dropped.

But he reacted like a true professional to help his side record a clean sheet against a frontline containing Sergio Aguero and Raheem Sterling, who have scored 14 goals between them already this season.

It was also a landmark game for the 29-year-old as he made his 100th appearance in the Premier League, which is a solid return from a player that Wolves managed to pick up on a free transfer in 2017.

Several fans have taken to Twitter to share their thoughts on the occasion with one supporter claiming it was ‘well deserved.’

Another member of the Molineux faithful believes Bennett has been one of the best signings the club have made in recent times while one more hailed him as a ‘top professional.’

Here’s the best of the reaction:

Queens Park Rangers have commenced their 2019/20 Championship campaign in decent form to rise to 10th in the table, but the performances of one player and consequent links away from the club have got some fans talking about his potential departure from Loftus Road.

Ryan Manning, 23, has made 11 appearances for Mark Warburton’s side in the current campaign, registering three assists whilst also being the only player – alongside Eberechi Eze – to appear in all of the R’s Championship games so far this season.

Manning, who has earned a regular starting berth in the west London side’s midfield, has been linked with a potential move away from the club with Newcastle, Southampton and most recently West Ham rumoured to be interested in a move for the promising Irishman, per London Football News.

Following the report, some of the club’s fans have been having their say on a potential value for their vitally important midfielder.

Check out some of the best reactions from QPR fans below…

Some QPR fans, however, took a different stance, insisting that a player of Manning’s importance simply must not be sold if the club are to progress under Warburton.

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 season has been far from straightforward for Arsenal.

The Gunners find themselves third in the Premier League and with a 100% record in the Europa League. However, not everyone is happy due to some of Unai Emery’s tactical decisions.

Indeed, club legends Robin van Persie and Ian Wright criticised the manager’s defensive-minded approach to the Gunners’ 1-1 draw against Manchester United, per Optus Sport (via the Metro).

As Arsenal prepare to take on Sheffield United at Bramall Lane on Monday night, we look at two players who could be crucial to delivering victory up in Yorkshire.

Mesut Ozil

The manager was heavily criticised and rightly so for his approach to the United game.

Playing with three defensive-minded midfielders, Emery showed little intention of attacking and instead picked a side that was quite happy to play for a point at Old Trafford.

Arsenal legend Emmanuel Petit told French television, per the Metro: “Emery is sending negative signals by picking three defensive midfielders against a team there for the taking.”

With that in mind, the clash with Chris Wilder’s men looks like the perfect game for Mesut Ozil, who has the attributes required to unpick the lock of the opposition defence and maintain the Gunners’ good run.

The German set a Premier League record for the fastest player to reach 50 assists – which he achieved in 141 games for Arsenal. A player that has the vision the German possesses could be vital.

Bukayo Saka

On the basis that Alexandre Lacazette isn’t available for Monday, it’s imperative that the young English winger features. As witnessed against Manchester United where he grabbed an assist and completed two dribbles, Saka proved that he is perfectly capable of holding his own on the biggest stage.

As Sheffield United typically go with a 3-5-2 formation using wing backs, it is a perfect opportunity for Saka to penetrate the Blades’ defensive line. He will likely go up against George Baldock, who proved last time out that he can be beaten with the ball.

In the video below, we look at where it all went wrong for Arsenal’s former ‘saviour’, Mesut Ozil…

Against Liverpool before the international break, Baldock only completed one tackle, two fouls and was dribbled past on one occasion during the 90 minutes.

With his unsuccessful touches per game at an average of 1.4, any sort of high press could give Baldock all sorts of problems too. Saka’s got the youthful energy for that, as well as being able to create havoc once he’s got the ball back.

Arsenal fans want Ajax boss Erik ten Hag to replace Unai Emery at The Emirates.

The Gunners are currently fifth in the Premier League following their 1-0 defeat to Sheffield United on Monday.

A number of supporters have already grown tired of Emery’s management, having seen their side finish fifth last season too.

Indeed, #EmeryOut trended on Twitter following the loss at Bramall Lane and fans have already begun speculating as to who could take over from the ex-PSG boss – prompted by a tweet from a fan – with ten Hag a popular choice.

The 49-year-old has been in charge at Ajax since 2017 and oversaw their run to the Champions League semi-finals last season, where Tottenham Hotspur dramatically beat them.

He also won the Eredivisie in 2018/19, guiding the likes of Matthijs De Ligt, Frenkie De Jong and Dusan Tadic to glory; De Ligt and De Jong now play for Juventus and Barcelona respectively.

And fans think he should be the man to take the reins if Emery is ever given the boot.

Take a look at the best of the reaction below!

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…

So this came as a bit of a surprise.

Yet at the same time, it shouldn’t be that shocking when you consider the facts of the matter.

Alex Milosevic departed Nottingham Forest on Monday, with the club describing the move as ‘by mutual consent’.

Whilst it is not yet clear who instigated the move, the fact that the Swede was yet to make an appearance under Sabri Lamouchi since he took over might be an indicator that he was unhappy at his lack of playing time under the Frenchman.

So with him in the past, it’s now time to look to the future. Just where does this leave Nottingham Forest when it comes to the centre-back position?

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They now find themselves down to six centre-backs in the first team picture: Joe Worrall, Chema, Tobias Figueiredo, Yohan Benalouane, Michael Hefele and club captain Michael Dawson.

Now the last three men are all currently going through injuries, although Dawson’s is less serious than the former two.

So that means, for the time being, there are just three centre-backs that are ready and waiting to be called upon by Lamouchi. Dawson’s imminent return will take that up to 4.

Is that enough for Forest to last through the rest of the season? Not just in terms of the number of bodies, but in terms of ability as well? Let’s take out the four who have made appearances for far this season, and look at who Lamouchi has left.

Benalouane is a bit of a liability when it comes to discipline, with seven yellow cards and two red cards in just 14 appearances in a Forest shirt last season (via Transfermarkt). The same can be said of Hefele, who averages more fouls per game than he does tackles, 0.7 compared to 0.6 (via WhoScored).

Check out Matchday with Max’s latest Nottingham Forest vlog in the video below…

Whilst there has been talk that Forest should add another forward, they need to consider bringing in additional cover at the back as well, someone who can be relied on if one of the more senior players goes down. Hefele and Benalouane have proven they aren’t up to scratch.

Dawson and Worrall seem to be trusted by Lamouchi to start the majority of the campaign, and put together one of the better defensive records in the division, but with Dawson away, results haven’t quite been the same.

Liverpool fans on Twitter aren’t best pleased with the latest reports surrounding the future of Joe Gomez.

90min have reported that the centre-back could be on his way out of Anfield after becoming frustrated with his lack of playing time.

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It’s difficult to argue with his standpoint as recently he’s appeared in just two Premier League games for the Reds, with Joel Matip establishing himself as Jurgen Klopp’s preferred choice alongside Virgil van Dijk.

Supporters on social media are hoping that his current frustrations don’t lead to his exit in the near future.

Gomez is a fantastic young centre-back, and aged just 22 he’s already been capped seven times by England.

The former Charlton man could be the future of Liverpool’s defence, but if these reports are to be believed that won’t be the case.

Understandably, fans are annoyed at the prospect of losing such a talented defender.

Here’s what Liverpool supporters have been saying on Twitter…

That’s certainly some turnaround.

A recent story from Birmingham Live pointed out that Pep Clotet was one of the better performing head coaches in the history of the club, with the third-highest winning percentage.

Possibly off the back of that, the question was posed on Twitter of whether supporters thought Clotet had done a good enough job in his first couple of months in charge of the team.

Taking over Garry Monk, the Spaniard has so far guided the Blues to 11th in the table, albeit through some largely inconsistent form.

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Following a run of two matches without defeat, it seems as if he’s getting mostly positive reviews from the St Andrew’s faithful.

Many of them stated that now he’s got some time to get his ideas across to the players, their starting to see some better performances and results come through. It certainly makes a difference from earlier in the month when it was hard to find anyone who backed him.

Here’s what they’ve been saying on Twitter.

According to this report, Crystal Palace star Wilfried Zaha is the subject of interest from Chelsea with the Blues plotting a January swoop for the Eagles No.11.

Of course, Frank Lampard’s side are currently under a transfer ban, although the Court of Arbitration for Sport will hear the west Londoners’ appeal on November 20th.

If their ban does get overturned, then the side from Stamford Bridge are believed to be planning a triple swoop for Zaha, Leicester full-back Ben Chilwell and RB Leipzig forward Timo Werner.

It was well documented that Zaha wanted to leave Selhurst Park back in the summer, with the Ivorian even handing in a transfer request and feeling ‘devastated’ after Palace refused his wishes.

Everton saw an offer of £70m + James McCarthy and Cenk Tosun on loan rejected, and Eagles chief Steve Parish has said that he will allow Zaha to go if the club’s valuation is met and a replacement can be found.

So, should the south Londoners grant Zaha his wish in January?

Billy Meyers

“I think it would be utter lunacy to cash in on Zaha midway through the campaign. Crystal Palace struggle to score goals anyway having netted just ten times in 11 Premier League games so far this season, so to sell arguably their best player and most dangerous attacking outlet would be mad.

“It might become a difficult situation to deny the Ivorian his wish to leave for two successive windows, although it would make a huge amount of sense to wait until the summer. It’s not as if Palace need the money to sign players themselves either, as a £25m bid for Reece James and a £23m (Sky Sports via The Daily Mail) offer for Fedor Chalov back in the summer suggests the Eagles have funds to play with.”

Kealan Hughes “It’s a tricky one. Zaha hasn’t looked at his best this season and that is reflected by a return of zero goals and one assist in 11 league games so far, but his pace and trickery always gives Palace a chance in games – he is also vital in winning penalties for his team.“It is possible that in losing him, the side would lose not only quality but a talisman, and his absence could deflate the team massively, which would be a concern for their chances of not just surviving, but finishing comfortably.“However, the club should recruit a hefty fee for him, money which could allow them to bring in a top-quality striker. If they are in a promising position in January, with relegation unlikely, then it is best to let him leave. He is likely frustrated at being kept against his will anyway, and it is time they began to plan for life without him.” Charles Jones

“For me, Crystal Palace’s stance on Zaha in January depends on two things: where they are in the league, and how much they’re being offered.

“If the Eagles continue their good form and stay well clear of relegation, they should consider selling Zaha in January as it would allow them more time to prepare for life without him rather that having to scramble if he left in the summer.

“Of course, if they receive a big fee they will have time to figure out how exactly they want to reinvest that in their squad, and that’s what will be key for them. The Ivorian will inevitably leave Palace at some point, and if the London club are in a strong position in the league by the time January rolls around it may be the right time to sell him.”

VJ

“In this crazy world of transfer fees – think Harry Maguire to Manchester United for a world-record fee for a defender – Crystal Palace could quite conceivably demand top dollar for Zaha. The Ivory Coast international has been the linchpin of the Eagles’ attack for a number of years now, scoring 53 times and providing 67 assists across his two spells for the club. All it comes down to, is ambition.

“Does the Palace board realistically believe they can challenge for the European spots this season? Their start to the campaign has been encouraging, currently finding themselves ninth in the Premier League. Holding off on selling Zaha in January, and letting him leave next summer may be the best way to go about things. So for now, the London side must hold their aces and should say no deal.”

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…

Paul Merson has said in his Sky Sports column that it is Liverpool’s Premier League title to throw away.

What did he say?

The Reds are in complete control of England’s top tier as it stands. On Sunday, they went eight points clear after beating Manchester City 3-1 at Anfield, and they have won 11 of their first 12 games in the league.

Now, former Arsenal man Merson believes that it is Jurgen Klopp and co’s trophy to lose.

He said: “Liverpool have lost one game in the last 51 and they have played Man City three times in that time, so I just do not see them losing four or five games ’till the end of the season.

“That is what they would have to lose as City would not be able to afford to lose any games if they only lost three.

“So for me, I think it is Liverpool’s to throw away – if they do not win it this year, I cannot tell you when they will win it again.

“I do not see City catching them, not with their defensive problems at the moment. They are just nowhere near good enough defensively.

“And I just think Liverpool are too good and I just do not see them getting beaten by any of the lesser teams. And if they do, they have to score two or three goals, which is not going to happen.”

Defining for Klopp

For any fan hoping that Liverpool do not win the league this year, it certainly does look ominous. Being so far ahead of the Citizens after less than a third of the season does not make for good reading, and although Leicester City and Chelsea are both ahead of Pep Guardiola’s side in the table and have impressed this term, it is hard to imagine either of them challenging for the title.

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After 30 years without winning it, the league is the one the Liverpool fans appear to want the most.

Despite winning the Champions League last season, there was plenty of disappointment that they weren’t able to pip City to top spot even though they picked up a huge 97 points.

This year, there are no excuses. City have already lost three games, which is just one less than the entire previous campaign, and they do not look to be in the same form as they were last year. Apart from them, Leicester City, who are punching above their weight at second in the table, and Chelsea, who were unable to sign any players in the summer and are relying on their youngsters to come up with the goods, are their closest challengers.

This really is the best chance they will ever get, and it could prove to be a season that will define Klopp’s time upon Merseyside.

Win, and he will join the pantheon of Liverpool greats, securing his place in the history of the club. Lose, and his time at Anfield could be looked upon as a failure, especially from this position.

Ending this league drought is what everyone associated with the club wants. If they are unable to take top spot, it will be a sickening blow to come back from.