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Manuel Pellegrini has pointed some of the blame for West Ham’s lack of goals at the door of Sebastien Haller, and many fans believe he has picked on the wrong target.

In his pre-match press conference ahead of the match against Sheffield United, the Chilean said that Haller requires better movement in the box, which indicates that he believes the problem isn’t a lack of service.

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That puts him at odds with the thinking of several fans, some of whom have become frustrated with the underwhelming performances of the Hammers’ creative players this season, and for good reason.

Pablo Fornals has failed to make an impact since his summer move with zero assists in 11 games, and whilst Felipe Anderson has provided four assists he has still fallen short of the standards he set last season – as highlighted in his anonymous display against Goodison Park last week.

That led to him being hauled off at half-time, but Manuel Lanzini stayed on, another player who has been the focus of fan dissatisfaction, with some accusations that he doesn’t get close enough to Haller on the pitch, supported by the fact he has just one assist in eight games this campaign.

Here are some of the reactions questioning Pellegrini’s comments, with many blaming the midfield for a lack of support.

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…

Lionel Messi recently received his sixth Golden Boot award after he had scored more goals than any other player in Europe last season. Following the ceremony, the little Argentine did an interview with Marca and discussed his career, his rivals and some of his teammates as well.

What did he say?

At this point, Messi winning all kinds of awards is no longer big news.

After all, the now 32-year-old superstar has practically won everything there is to win in club football, both on an individual level and as a collective with Barcelona.

But one thing that has changed with Messi over the years is his willingness to communicate with the media. Of course, a big part of that is due to the fact that Messi is now Barcelona’s captain following the departure of Andres Iniesta.

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And in his big interview with Marca, the Argentine has singled out one of his teammates and showered him with lots of praise in the process.

Of course, he was talking about the newcomer to the club, Frenkie de Jong.

Here’s what he said in full:

“It has been easy for him to adapt to the team because he came from a similar philosophy at Ajax. He grew up with the same idea and the same way of playing, although there he did not have much to play as an anterior [slightly further ahead in midfield than the holding midfielder]. As a pivot [or holding midfielder] he feels more comfortable, but he has adapted well. He likes to have the ball, play short passes, play passes between the lines, and he has a very fast and strong stride. He is a very complete footballer.”

The future of Barcelona’s midfield

De Jong very much looks like the prototype Blaugrana midfielder, as Messi has already pointed out.

But one other thing that the Argentine mentions that might slip under the radar is actually the 22-year-old’s adaptation process.

Messi has acknowledged that De Jong is actually being utilised differently by Ernesto Valverde and that his role has somewhat changed since his days at Ajax.

Watch Lionel Messi and Gareth Bale answer the internet’s weirdest questions in the video below…

Interestingly enough, Valverde’s idea of what kind of a midfielder the Dutchman is supposed to be and where on the pitch is he going to play has been widely discussed already and seems to be a point of interest in the footballing world.

As a result, many of the fans were in panic mode about the whole situation early on as they were worried Valverde would ruin the midfielder with these changes.

Still, even if De Jong is going through a transitional period, it’s not really showing that much in his performances.

In fact, he’s already shown he can drop masterful displays even when played out of his comfort zone.

So far, he’s been one of the top performers at Barcelona, ranking fourth according to Whoscored’s rating system for the ongoing season.

But Messi’s approval is definitely something that will not only help him adapt to his new environment but should also help him develop even further.

At the end of the day, the players that establish the best relationship with Blaugrana’s king have the best chance of succeeding at the club.

If he continues performing as he has done, De Jong’s future looks incredibly bright.

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…

Juan Miranda left Barcelona in the last summer transfer window and he will be playing at Schalke on loan for two seasons. And recently, in an interview with Mundo Deportivo, the 19-year-old La Masia outcast talked about his possible stay at the Blaugrana in the near future.

What did he say?

Miranda is one of those La Masia talents who, despite their obvious qualities, couldn’t make it into the first-team.

Of course, the young Spaniard has already had a taste of the senior squad as he has played a total of four games for them so far.

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Apart from that, however, he has only been an active member of the Barcelona B squad, tallying 30 appearances for the young crop of Blaugrana players, scoring three times and assisting a further two in the process.

With the arrival of Junior Firpo last summer, Miranda decided to go on loan in order to get some game time under his belt. But that also posed the question whether there even is a place for him back in Catalonia.

Speaking to Mundo Deportivo, the plan is pretty clear.

“Yeah right. If Barça love me, returning is the best decision. It is the best club in the world and this is our idea.”

One for the future

Even though his place under the Catalan sun was under question, Miranda’s mind seems to be set – if Barcelona want him, he will definitely return.

And looking at their choices in the left-back department, that might actually be a smart move for both sides.

Watch Lionel Messi and Gareth Bale answer the internet’s weirdest questions in the video below…

The 19-year-old can get all the experience he needs to develop in Germany and then, once Jordi Alba comes to the latter stages of his career, the young Spaniard can take over.

With Firpo on the sidelines as well, the Blaugrana seem to be set for the future.

Not to mention that Alba is already 30 years of age and is slowly but surely leaving his best years behind him.

And then when that happens – enter Miranda.

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

It’s not often that Marcelo Bielsa takes a gamble. His squad is thin and he prefers familiarity, making few changes to his side this term.

He’s used a league-low 17 players in the Championship and he’s predominantly only made changes because of injury.

It took a blow to Barry Douglas for Gjanni Alioski to earn his place while the same can be said for Jamie Shackleton who stepped into the shoes of Adam Forshaw.

Helder Costa has since replaced Pablo Hernandez on the right-hand side as well.

Injuries again will force the manager’s hand this weekend as the aforementioned Shackleton and Liam Cooper are set for a spell on the sidelines.

On the chalkboard

Bielsa hasn’t been shy in revealing his team news ahead of fixtures and before a clash with Wigan, he essentially disclosed his full XI.

He was also far from secretive on Thursday as he detailed the switches to his side he might make when they travel to Millwall today.

Speaking in his press conference, the following was noted:

It will be interesting to see just how the 64-year-old lines up but taking the decision to move Dallas would be a strange one.

The Northern Irishman has arguably been one of Leeds’ best players this season and has started in all ten league outings so far.

He ranks four-highest for average match ratings according to WhoScored and even popped up with a goal against Stoke. He’s been effective on the right and manages 1.7 tackles and 1.5 interceptions on average each outing.

Why are Leeds fans the best in the country? Find out in the video below…

The 28-year-old was brilliant at left-back in the dying weeks of last term and scored twice against Derby in the playoffs.

A winger by trade, he’s been moved into both full-back positions and taken on the roles with great professionalism.

There is no doubting he’d do the same in a central role but he’s played the majority of his football in wider spaces, suggesting he might struggle if moved inside.

After all, he’s only played through the middle three times in his entire career. Even if Bielsa thinks he has the qualities, it’s a risk, particularly when the midfield has struggled at times in 2019/20.

They’ve only been involved in two goals between them in the Championship and those are both courtesy of Mateusz Klich.

Dallas’ strong work ethic and ability to get up and down as he does in a full-back role should lend itself to the box-to-box style he’ll have to bring on Saturday but it’s still hugely unfamiliar.

Having made 1.1 key passes he has an eye for a pass but Leeds’ midfield was overrun when Shackleton went off last Tuesday.

They’ll have to ensure the same doesn’t happen with Dallas occupying his role as he did in the final quarter. Perhaps someone more familiar in the middle would be a better option.

The new international break has brought us many new transfer stories, as is usually the case.

One, in particular, comes from Tuttosport (via Mundo Deportivo) and it states that Inter Milan are interested in Barcelona’s experienced midfielder, Ivan Rakitic.

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The 31-year-old Croatian, who has won 104 caps for his country, seems to be one of the dispensable players in the Blaugrana squad and if some of the fans’ reactions are any indication, he is not among the most beloved players in the team.

Upon hearing this transfer update, many of them were actually thrilled about it and are hoping to see Rakitic gone as soon as possible.

Some were even praising and showing their love for Antonio Conte, Inter Milan’s manager, since he could be doing them such a big favour, while others are practically begging him to go through with the deal.

Of course, nothing is for certain just yet and the winter transfer market is still some time away.

You can see some of their reactions and comments down in the collection of tweets 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…

After his low-key arrival on a free transfer this summer – having been let go by League One side Rotherham – one certainly would not blame you for wondering why QPR signed Dominic Ball.

However, Mark Warburton’s use of the player has been simply fantastic.

How has he used Ball?

As per the R’s official announcement of the signing of the 24-year-old, Ball can play in a variety of positions.

The article states that he can play at right-back, centre-back and at defensive-midfield, while Ball has also worked alongside Warburton at Watford and Rangers.

The former Brentford boss has been using the 6 foot man in front of his back five in a defensive midfield position, adopting a 5-3-2 formation and to some effect – the Londoners have won their last four league games on the bounce.

Ball’s form has helped Eberechi Eze and Ilias Chair to flourish 

With Ball lining up in front of the backline, he practically patrols the midfield on his own and allows those ahead of him to flourish – some QPR fans were impressed with the player’s performance against Millwall, with one labelling him a “destroyer”.

Ball averages 2.3 tackles and 2.3 successful aerial duels per game, and his effective defensive work behind Chair and Eze is proving beneficial to the duo.

In Eze’s case, the 21-year-old earned his first call-up to the England Under-21 squad this season, and has three goals and two assists in eight Championship starts – the former Millwall man has also won three WhoScored Man-of-the-Match awards in that time.

With Chair, the Morocco Under-23 international recently signed a new contract with the R’s and has been showing some fine form in midfield alongside Eze – he records 1.9 key passes and two shots per game and is seemingly benefiting from having less defensive work to do with Ball behind him.

Warburton could have played Ball in any of his three positions, but the R’s manager’s use of him ahead of the backline is proving beneficial to Chair and Eze above all.

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West Bromwich Albion are set to travel to Stoke City this weekend after suffering back-to-back defeats against Middlesbrough and Brighton.

What’s the word?

The Baggies are firmly in the race for promotion this season under Darren Moore. They currently sit just seven points adrift of top spot with a game in hand ahead of their trip to the Bet365 Stadium.

Ahead of the fixture, EFL pundit David Prutton has delivered his pre-match prediction and tipped the Baggies to bounce back from their recent defeats with a vital victory, as per Sky Sports.

‘West Brom suffered a bit of a blow against Middlesbrough last week and again in the FA Cup on Wednesday, but Darren Moore is an upbeat boss and his side generally responds pretty well to setbacks.

‘I fancy them to go up to the Potteries and sneak all three points.’

A win away at Stoke would hand them the morale-boosting three points they need to heap pressure onto the Championship pace setters, and his assessment of Moore is telling about their promotion credentials.

Moore’s positive attitude holds key to West Brom’s promotion campaign

With so many clubs vying for just two automatic promotion places it looks like the race could go right down to the wire.

There is very little to separate the teams who have their eyes set on the top-flight right now, but a lack of mettle and bouncebackability could see a handful of clubs falter as the pressure begins to intensify.

As Prutton has alluded to, though, West Brom are a side who seldom allow a setback to tarnish their progress, and the fact they have lost back-to-back league games on just one occasion this season speaks volumes about their consistency.

Moore should be held responsible for that impressive record, as the manager is largely responsible for boosting morale within the dressing room and finding solutions to ensure one defeat does not signal the beginning of a rot.

Barring the defeat against Boro last weekend, Moore has guided his side to four victories in the six games which followed their league defeats this season, so the form guide reads well for the supporters ahead of the Stoke clash.

Spurs need to get back to winning ways later this evening after a trio of tough results in the Premier League.

Nuno Santo and his side welcome Slovenian champions NS Mura to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in the UEFA Europa Conference League group stages, where they opened the competition with a 2-2 draw at Stade Rennes two weeks ago.

The north London outfit have suffered three straight heavy defeats in the English top-flight and now according to some reports, the Portuguese head coach is under mounting pressure to turn things around on the pitch.

That means he cannot take today’s opposition lightly, despite the obvious difference in quality.

Last time out, Spurs crashed to a 3-1 defeat in the north London derby and after admitting that he got his team selection so badly wrong, Nuno will need to get it spot on this time around.

Dele Alli’s outing against the Gunners lasted just 45 minutes as he was hooked at the break, with the Lilywhites down by three goals. It was a rather damning statement from Nuno and one that could carry into tonight’s encounter.

Despite starting every single Premier League game since the arrival of the ex-Wolves boss in the summer, truth be told, the English midfielder has looked some way off hitting his former heights.

Spurs are amongst the worst teams when it comes to the final third – they rank last for average number shots per game (9.3), joint-bottom for big chances created (4) and second last for expected goals (5.47 xG).

It’s clear that there is something wrong with the makeup of Nuno’s midfield and attack.

Alli once delivered ten assists, also averaging 1.8 key passes per game, during the 2017/18 campaign, via WhoScored.

Such form had former players like club legend Darren Anderton comparing him to Paul Scholes and Steven Gerrard, even dubbing him a “freak of a talent” who was a “joy to watch.”

Things quickly turned sour under Jose Mourinho but he’s now been given a proper chance to impress – but he hasn’t taken it and you could argue that his presence is holding Spurs back at the moment.

He is yet to register an assist or key pass from his six starts in the top-flight, meaning he could be one of the many reasons behind their creative struggles up top.

The £27m-rated star, who is still only 25, has been out of Gareth Southgate’s England squad since their third-place playoff win over Denmark in the UEFA Nations League back in June 2019, over two years ago.

A bitter disappointment for someone who had clinched 37 caps by that point in his career – now he’s at a crossroads.

By comparison, Giovani Lo Celso has managed just the one league start but is averaging a squad-high 2.8 key passes per 90 minutes, which suggests he may well be the better option, should he be gifted a proper run in the side.

It may only be NS Mura tonight but Alli should be dropped as Nuno needs to search for a solution ahead of a crunch match with Aston Villa in the Premier League on Sunday.

He must be ruthless and not start the struggling midfielder today.

AND in other news, Paratici masterclass: Spurs eyeing 31-cap “absolute monster”, he’s a huge Dier upgrade…

Dani Vivian’s performances for Athletic Bilbao have caught the eye of Wolverhampton Wanderers, according to Spanish outlet Fichajes.net.

The lowdown

Vivian, a centre-back, has made his first-team breakthrough at the Estadio San Mames this season, starting seven of the first eight La Liga matches.

He’s averaged 4.9 clearances and 1.6 tackles per 90 minutes so far. Of Wolves’ current defenders, only Romain Saiss can better those numbers.

Wolves may still be in the market for a centre-back, having unsuccessfully pursued Lille’s Sven Botman and Marseille’s Boubacar Kamara during the summer transfer window (via The Athletic).

The latest

Vivian is ‘drawing the attention’ of three Premier League sides – Wolves, West Ham United and Arsenal. They’re said to be ‘compiling statistical reports’ on the Spaniard.

The new contract he signed last season runs until 2023 and, importantly, contains a release clause of €40million (£34million).

The verdict

Vivian may not yet be at the calibre of Botman and Kamara, two of the best young defenders in Europe, but his stock certainly seems to be growing by the week.

Intriguingly, the report adds that, the way things are going, the list of suitors will grow significantly before the end of the season.

Still, it’s hard to justify making him the third-biggest signing in Wolves’ history at this stage.

In other news, fans hailed this ‘magic’ moment.  

Tottenham Hotspur are now reportedly eyeing up a potential move to sign Nicolo Zaniolo.

The Lowdown: Spurs have tried before

It has been reported that Spurs tried to sign Zaniolo back in 2019 under the guidance of Mauricio Pochettino, but in the end they brought in the manager’s countryman, Giovani Lo Celso, instead.

Lo Celso has of course been affected by injuries during his time with the club, as one insider noted recently that his inability to complete 90 minutes is a big problem for Nuno Espirito Santo.

The Latest: Enquiry

As per Calciomercato, the North London club have ‘taken information’ about Zaniolo in recent weeks, despite the fact he looks set to sign a new deal at Roma.

He wants more money that he is currently being offered by the Serie A side, meaning that Nuno’s team could still take advantage of the situation if there is a breakdown in talks.

The Verdict: Sign

Once likened to England legend and former Lilywhites player Paul Gascoigne by his agent Claudio Vigorelli, Zaniolo is the creative spark in midfield that THFC need.

He has scored 15 goals and made a further six assists during his time at Roma, and has also scored two goals for Italy (Transfermarkt).

At 22 years of age, the £36m-rated maestro has a lot of potential, and with former Tottenham boss Jose Mourinho currently managing Roma, Spurs may be able to strike a deal.

In other news, find out which Beckham-like star was close to joining THFC here!