Everton fans are positive after the club were drawn against Leicester City in the quarter-finals of the Carabao Cup.
The Toffees secured their place in the pot with a comfortable 2-0 win over Watford this week, thanks to goals from Mason Holgate and Richarlison.
The place in the quarter-finals may have eased the pressure slightly on Marco Silva, with the club in major trouble in the Premier League, sitting just two points above the drop zone.
However, despite their poor form throughout the year, it seems as if the Everton fans are confident they can progress to the semi-finals of the EFL Cup. A lot of supporters have discussed the home draw and alluded to their confidence ahead of the tie, with one fan saying they would “fancy us against most at home.”
Many other supporters have breathed a sigh of relief after they avoided the big guns such as Liverpool and Manchester City. Although, with Leicester sat in third and fresh from their 9-0 win over Southampton, it will not be an easy draw by any means.
However, a lot of the Everton faithful are confident nonetheless.
Of course, Matty Longstaff makes it into Shearer’s team after his game-winning goal against the Red Devils.
This shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone, but the fact that he’s the only Newcastle player in the entire team is a little bit of a shocker.
Jetro Willems and Allan Saint-Maximin have every right to feel hard done by after their impressive performances, but on the other hand, it’s good to see Shearer’s bias not shining through on this occasion.
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…
With Lyle Taylor in the side this season, Charlton were a force to be reckoned with.
The Montserrat international had five goals and a solitary assist to rave about from his first six games in the Championship.
Lee Bowyer’s men sat happy in the playoffs but an injury to the striker over the international break just shy of two months ago nearly put a huge dent in their aspirations.
With Taylor absent from the team, the Addicks had only won one match from a possible five going into their encounter with Derby this weekend.
However, their most comfortable performance without him was seen as they ran out 3-0 victors on Saturday.
Macauley Boone was in particularly good form and of late, he’s proving that they may not have quite an overreliance on Taylor.
In fact, they’re showing they may be able to cope without him.
Bonne was rarely afforded much game time when Taylor was in such good form but in recent matches, he’s taken to the division like a duck to water.
It’s made it easy to forget that he was plying his trade in the National League last term.
The 23-year-old has now scored three in his last four outings and added to his collection against the Rams early in the first half.
It was a superb display from the former Leyton Orient striker as he also won three aerial duels in the process.
Not only that, but he made the same number of clearances, proving his worth in defensive scenarios as well as attacking ones.
Charlton fans have been quick to voice their frustrations this season, particularly with their forward line since Taylor was injured. Last month Tomer Hemed attracted harsh criticism but the Londoners’ woes seem to be behind them.
With Bonne in this type of form, a resurgence up the table could well be on the cards. If Bowyer can find a way to fit both him and Taylor into the side when he returns they could be a force to be reckoned with.
Either way, Charlton have now displayed they can cope without their talismanic forward when necessary.
This article is part of Football FanCast’s The Chalkboard series, which provides a tactical insight into teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…
Wolves are still chasing that first elusive win in the Premier League this season following their 1-1 draw with Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park on Sunday afternoon.
Only Watford are below them in the table currently which coincidentally is their next league fixture this coming weekend.
The west Midlands club are yet to record a domestic victory but have only lost two of their six matches, and that could have been much worse at Selhurst Park as they went behind to a Leander Dendoncker own goal before Romain Saiss received his marching orders.
But Diogo Jota popped up with a stoppage-time equaliser to rescue a point – manager Nuno Santo hopes that can be used as a springboard to get their Premier League campaign properly underway.
On the Chalkboard
Despite there being a lack of a goal in the first half against Palace, Wolves looked dangerous and certainly more creative – and that was down to the fact that the Portuguese boss reverted to the 3-4-3 system which won them the Championship in 2018.
They recorded seven shots before the break compared to the Eagles’ one, per WhoScored.
It is a tactic that Nuno should persist with for now as it could begin to turn their season around.
In their defeats against Chelsea and Everton, the gaps between midfield and attack were far too severe meaning the ball just couldn’t find its way to the team’s leading man Raul Jimenez.
That only invited the pressure back onto the defence, who buckled to concede eight goals across the two matches.
Wolves midfield and attack together (L) and Raul Jimenez (R) heat maps vs. Chelsea
Here you can see just how ineffective Jimenez was by focusing on his heat map on the right. He often had to come deep, and even wide, to pick up the ball. Meanwhile, on the left there’s barely any activity near the penalty area from the midfield and attack. This emphasises the lack of link-up play in the final third.
Again this is further shown just a week earlier as the 28-year-old, who bagged 13 in the league last season, is having to contribute all over the park just to get involved.
Wolves midfield and attack together (L) and Raul Jimenez (R) heat maps vs. Chelsea
He wasn’t helped at all by Wolves’ midfield as the most active area was deep centre, which makes it all that more difficult to get the ball to their two strikers.
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The 3-4-3 system plugs that void by allowing more fluidity in the final third – the two forwards either side of the Mexican can operate in the half-spaces, enabling the wing-backs to bomb on if need be.
While they would be exposed against a team of Manchester City’s stature and prowess because a two-man central midfield pairing has the potential to be seriously overrun, this tactic can certainly be used against those of lesser quality, like Watford on Saturday.
By operating in the half-spaces, the two wide forwards can effectively become central attacking midfielders and consequently fill the gap that’s been vacant in recent games.
Just look at the difference it made against Palace. The heat map below shows that Wolves were far more penetrative in the final third, particularly on the wings which in turn allows the creation of chances through crosses.
The familiarity of a system that served the likes of the underperforming Ruben Neves and Conor Coady so well in the Championship could be highly beneficial.
This article is part of Football FanCast’s Off the Bench series, which places in-game managerial decisions and squad selections under FFC’s microscope.
Leeds bounced back from a tough result against Charlton last weekend to defeat previously unbeaten West Brom on Tuesday.
It appears that the mini-crisis is over at Elland Road following a run where they’d only won one of their last five games in all competitions.
Surprisingly, Marcelo Bielsa opted for an unchanged line-up, one which demonstrated his faith in the players he has at his disposal.
It paid off as they won 1-0 but it didn’t come without its troubles as the Baggies had the best of the possession, something that’s been a rarity for a Leeds team who have averaged over 60% this term across all matches.
It was in the final quarter of the match that they were really up against it, however.
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Snapshot
Leeds opened the scoring in the first half courtesy of Gjanni Alioski. Jack Harrison held the ball up well on the left-hand side and then laid it on a plate for the left-back to fire into the bottom corner.
The Whites had 19 shots but failed to score another goal as Slaven Bilic’s men aimed to extend their unbeaten run.
Bielsa chose to go incredibly defensive in the final 15 minutes as he replaced Tyler Roberts, who had already been brought on, with Luke Ayling.
Off the bench
This was a strange substitution to make, especially considering Roberts had only come on at half time. He was making just his second appearance of the campaign while Ayling came onto achieve his first minutes in the senior team since getting injured.
It was a risky call given presumably his lack of match fitness but it was one that looked to give the west Yorkshire side more control in midfield.
Stuart Dallas moved slightly further forward with Leeds looking weaker since Jamie Shackleton was withdrawn because of injury.
Why are Leeds fans the best in the country? Find out in the video below…
However, putting on another defender only invited more pressure on Leeds’ defence.
Bielsa made a similar call against Derby just over a week ago when he introduced Barry Douglas for an attacking player in Pablo Hernandez.
The Rams consequently scored and it might easily have happened again on this occasion. It was a risk but it was one that eventually paid off as they kept a clean sheet.
When Ayling came on, West Brom had 75% of the possession and achieved four of their ten shots, via WhoScored. Because of the lack of players to drive them up the pitch, they were unable to get on the ball regularly.
Leeds have now had two times to go in for the kill this season but have instead opted to sit back. This time it worked but against Derby it didn’t. The Argentine must learn from what happened in that game and be careful.
West Ham United midfielder Edimilson Fernandes is currently on loan at Fiorentina, having seemed surplus to requirements by Manuel Pellegrini ahead of this season.
The 22-year-old has made 48 appearances for West Ham, whilst he has been a regular for Fiorentina this term, scoring twice in 21 Serie A games.
Fernandes was on the scoresheet in Fiorentina’s 4-1 win over SPAL on Sunday night, which led to a number of West Ham fans discussing the midfielder.
One particular Twitter account claimed that the Hammers should recall Fernandes, which led to an interesting debate.
It would be fair to say that the majority were struggling to agree, however, when it comes to the Switzerland international.
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Indeed, there were those calling for the midfielder to return, but others feel that he has already proved that he is not good enough to turn out for the Hammers on a regular basis.
A selection of the Twitter reaction from the West Ham supporters can be seen below:
Newcastle United are still in with a chance of landing Diego Carlos in the January transfer window.
What’s the talk?
That’s according to a claim made by Kaveh Solhekol, with the Sky Sports journalist revealing on a recent episode of The Transfer Show that, despite Monchi recently suggesting that the Magpies’ move for the centre-back was all but over, there is actually the slim possibility of PIF managing to strike a deal for the 28-year-old this month.
Speaking about Newcastle’s interest in Diego Carlos, Solhekol said: “Sevilla [are] playing hardball. They don’t want to sell him to Newcastle for less than €45m, we’ve been told. It looked like that deal was not going to happen.
“The Sevilla sporting director, Monchi, came out yesterday and said: ‘It’s not happening. We saw their offer, it’s not enough. The player is going to stay with us. There isn’t enough time for us to sign a replacement.’
“But, I was told earlier this morning that there is still a small, small chance that this could happen. Somebody involved in the deal said: “Don’t say it’s impossible, don’t say it’s finished. The window is still open, so there is a possibility.’
“I don’t want to get anyone’s hopes up because I still think it’s unlikely that it will happen, but, behind the scenes, people are still working to try and make it happen.”
Fans will be buzzing
Considering just how talented a defender Diego Carlos quite clearly is, should Solhekol’s latest update regarding Newcastle’s interest in the Brazil international prove to be correct, the St. James’ Park faithful will be buzzing.
Indeed, over his 21 LaLiga appearances so far this season, the £40.5m-rated centre-back has been in remarkable form for Sevilla, helping his side keep 10 clean sheets and scoring two goals, in addition to making an average of 0.8 interceptions, one tackle, 3.6 clearances, 60.3 passes and winning 63% of his duels per game.
These returns have seen the £40k-per-week defender average a SofaScore match rating of 7.13, ranking him as Julen Lopetegui’s third-best performer in the top flight of Spanish football – a highly impressive feat considering the 28-year-old is part of a side currently sitting just four points off first place in the league table.
As such, it is clear for all to see that, should a deal remain on the table for Carlos prior to the closure of the transfer window on Monday evening, PIF must do all they can to bring the centre-back into the club – as his signing would undoubtedly provide the Magpies’ survival chances this season with a substantial boost.
In other news: Luke Edwards drops major update on late Newcastle transfers, PIF finally mean business
Leeds United could soon have another teenage goal machine on their hands…
What’s the word?
According to the Daily Star, the Yorkshire side are among a number of Premier League teams taking a keen interest in Rangers prodigy Rory Wilson, who is regarded as one of the brightest prospects in Europe.
Both Manchester clubs, Liverpool and Newcastle United are also thought to be monitoring his progress with scouts from City and United watching him in action for Scotland U17s this week, where he bagged two goals against the Czech Republic.
He has featured for the Gers’ youth team in both the Lowland League and in the UEFA Youth League.
Any club that signs him will have to pay compensation, likely to be in the region of £300k, as per the report.
Forget Gelhardt
The Whites have a track record in signing young, promising starlets, especially those of an attacking persuasion and Wilson could be the next to follow in the footsteps of Sam Greenwood and Joe Gelhardt.
Much like the latter, there seems to be plenty of hype surrounding the Rangers gem, who has bagged an astounding 40 goals for the Scottish club this campaign.
Scotland has recently become a hotbed for young talent for some of Europe’s biggest clubs – Celtic youngster Ben Doak is the latest name to head south after clinching a move to Liverpool, whilst the likes of Calvin Ramsey and Kerr Smith have attracted interest in recent windows.
What bolsters Leeds’ chances of adding this goalscoring talent to their youth squad is the fact that Wilson has reportedly rejected Rangers’ offers of his first professional contract – in a bid to follow Billy Gilmour into the Premier League.
You’d imagine that his arrival would put competition at Gelhardt’s door, especially as he has struggled to start matches despite the injuries to Patrick Bamford.
Even though he’s bagged two goals from the bench in 13 appearances this season, the former Wigan prospect has been restricted to two starts, neither of which have come under new manager Jesse Marsch, who didn’t even introduce him during their 3-2 win over Wolves before the international break.
Wilson is clearly a very talented youngster with bags of potential and the Yorkshire giants must ensure they win the race to sign him, rather than letting one of their rivals get a boost towards their future.
For six figures, it’s a low-risk bargain with the potential of high rewards.
AND in other news, Fabrizio Romano reveals fresh Raphinha development…
A promising update has emerged on Newcastle United’s pursuit of Lille centre-back Sven Botman in the January transfer window…
What’s the talk?
Whilst linking to an article from his colleague Simon Jones, Daily Mail journalist Craig Hope has provided an update on the situation, tweeting: “Newcastle remain in contact with Lille over defender Sven Botman.”
This comes after The Athletic reported earlier this week that the deal is all but dead and the defender is poised to remain in France until the end of the season.
Excitement for Eddie Howe
This news will surely leave Eddie Howe feeling excited, as it leaves the door open for Newcastle to sign Botman before the transfer window slams shut at the end of the month. It shows that the Magpies have not given up on a move for the 22-year-old just yet and are continuing to attempt to change Lille’s stance in order to bring in the centre-back.
Howe will be delighted with this, as the Dutchman could be an excellent addition to his squad in an area where the Magpies are in desperate need of strengthening. Only Norwich (44), who have played an extra game, have conceded more goals than Newcastle (42) in the Premier League this season, so they could need to resolve their defensive issues before they start to think about avoiding relegation.
Federico Fernandez’s SofaScore rating of 6.77 leads the Newcastle squad in terms of centre-backs this season, whereas Botman has averaged a score of 7.02 for Lille in Ligue 1. The former Ajax man also helped his side to win the league title whilst keeping 20 clean sheets in the French top division last term, showing that he can be a part of a successful defence.
This shows that the youngster could come in and improve the team in the short-term by putting in consistently high-quality performances, if he is able to translate his form from France over to England. He could also have a significant impact in the long-term, as he has plenty of potential left in him at the age of just 22.
Howe could get excited about this possible deal as he could have the opportunity to work with Botman on the training pitch in order to help him develop his game. The former Bournemouth boss could enjoy watching the Dutchman improve as a player over time, whilst also enjoying his displays on the pitch in the shorter-term.
AND in other news, Fabrizio Romano drops exciting Newcastle United transfer update, fans will be buzzing…