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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… 

Jurgen Klopp will have been disappointed on Wednesday as his Liverpool side could only draw 1-1 with Napoli.

The Reds dominated proceedings for the most part, amassing 71% possession during the 90 minutes, but they were only able to score once, through Dejan Lovren. Even that strike had come after Dries Mertens had opened the scoring.

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The former Borussia Dortmund manager made some changes to his side for this clash against the Serie A outfit, with three players being replaced in total. Mohamed Salah was back in the team on the right wing after being on the bench against Crystal Palace, whilst James Milner came into the midfield for Georginio Wijnaldum.

At right-back, Joe Gomez replaced Trent Alexander-Arnold.

It seemed a bizarre decision to play Gomez in that position. Not because he isn’t comfortable playing there – he actually has more games in that role than at the heart of the back four for the Anfield outfit – but because he offers considerably less going forward than the usual starter. For example, the 12 assists Alexander-Arnold picked up in the Premier League last season is three times as many as the former Charlton man has in his whole career to date.

Check out footballers’ biggest fashion disasters in the video below…

Against the Italian team, an adventurous full-back would not have gone amiss. Yet Gomez offered very little going forward. He did manage a 95% pass accuracy, but considering three of the back four were able to hit over 90%, that stat loses its gloss. On top of that, he failed to make a single key pass, and couldn’t land a single cross. He did complete his only dribble attempt, but it led to nothing afterwards.

Considering that Lorenzo Insigne faced Alexander-Arnold in the San Paolo Stadium in September, Klopp may have felt that he needed a more defensive-minded player in that position.

But the Italy international’s huge €350,000 fine before the game indicated that he wouldn’t even be included, which proved to be the case.

Even when Gomez did have some defending to do, he looked flustered, twice failing to clear the ball on his flank when it came into the box, allowing Napoli to have a second bite of the cherry on both occasions.

Fortunately for him, they failed to take advantage. He also won just three of the eight duels he contested, another example of his poor display.

In this match, the Reds were in desperate need of more creativity. So far this campaign, Alexander-Arnold’s 1.5 key passes per match in Europe puts him at number four amongst his teammates, whilst no-one comes close to his 3.5 in the English top flight. Considering how much pressure the Reds put their opponents under during the match, they could have done with him on the pitch from the start rather than for just 12 minutes. Gomez, though, just wasn’t able to offer the same kind of threat.

Meanwhile, Liverpool are interested in signing this lower-league speedster.

What proved to certainly be a fruitful move for Kyle Walker has turned out to be problematic for Tottenham Hotspur across their backline.

The right-back departed the club back in 2017 for a sum of £45million after Mauricio Pochettino decided to cash in, and the Englishman has certainly reaped the rewards of the transfer. Since his arrival at the Etihad, Walker has enjoyed tremendous achievements, including two Premier League titles and an FA Cup win.

However, it hasn’t been rosy for both parties. Since the 29-year-old left London, Spurs have increasingly let in more goals as they struggle to plug the defensive leak. In Walker’s final season with the club, Tottenham finished second in the Premier League and conceded just 26 goals, less than champions Chelsea and the lowest amount in the entire league.

But following his departure, defensive issues presented themselves and each campaign since Walker’s absence has seen Spurs let in more and more goals. The 2017/18 season – the first without their right-back – saw Spurs concede 36 goals, followed by 39 goals in 2018/19 and their worst yet this campaign having already let in 40 goals.

Despite veteran internationals Toby Alderweireld and Jan Vertonghen, as well as replacement right-back Serge Aurier, Spurs can’t seem to stop leaking goals. Meanwhile, Walker has contributed to Man City’s extremely low tally of conceded goals since he joined, including their +72 goal difference last season after conceding just 23 times.

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In fact, City’s No.2 has registered an average pass rate of 88.9% which is much higher than his usurper Aurier (78.3%). Walker also averages more passes per match (67.5) than the Ivorian (37.7) – (via WhoScored).

Although Tottenham made a tidy £39m profit on the Sheffield-born ace, the repercussions have been costly with the London side struggling to get near the second-place finish they managed in 2017. They are currently having a torrid season, sitting eighth in the league table, just two points ahead of Burnley and Crystal Palace.

Kevin De Bruyne, who has played a starring role in Manchester City’s side this season after coming back from an injury-ridden campaign, recently blasted the Euro 2020 format in a post-match interview after his native Belgium beat Cyprus 6-1. 

The Belgians qualified for Euro 2020 through finishing top of their qualifying group, beating the likes of Russia and Scotland to cement their place at the Championships next summer in a bid to take advantage of their golden generation and win a coveted international prize.

However, according to De Bruyne, the competition is already sucking the tension out of its group stage draw given the fact 12 cities throughout Europe will host games – with Wembley hosting the semi-final and final.

Judging by the format rules, Belgium already know who they are going to get – with Denmark and Russia looking like their Group B opponents due to the fact Ukraine and the Russians cannot play each other for geopolitical reasons.

Meanwhile, Belgium’s opponents will also have home advantage due to the fact they are both part of the 12 host nations.

De Bruyne, speaking to HLN Sport (via Daily Mail), labelled the competition a ‘disgrace’, stating:

“It’s a disgrace. For me this feels like competition distortion. Football has become more and more a business.”

As a result, City supporters had mixed reactions on social media, with a few confused about the format itself – and let’s face it, they aren’t the only ones:

City fans, do you agree with De Bruyne? Let us know in the comments below!

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…

DeAndre Yedlin was a surprise name on the scoresheet for Newcastle on Saturday, and that has led to praise from Paul Robinson.

What did he say?

Newcastle’s wing-backs are becoming key to the way Steve Bruce has set-up, and Yedlin showed against Bournemouth that he could be of use in the opposition final third, even though he had only scored twice before for the club in 100 appearances.

Robinson wasn’t just impressed by his goal, though, and believes the pace he has makes him very effective down Newcastle’s right flank, and an option which could be used more.

Speaking to Football Insider, he said: “He came from nowhere [for the goal]. He gives Newcastle another attacking option when he is allowed to be one, when his reins are off.

“He showed great athletic ability with his goal, he has good defensive capabilities as well.

“His engine to get up and down that right-hand side is phenomenal.”

Jetro Willems has proved similar effective down Newcastle’s left, also scoring this season, and he could have added to that on Saturday with four shots in total.

If Bruce can continue to get both contributing in both boxes then Newcastle will have the ideal balance from their wide players, and Allan Saint-Maximin and Miguel Almiron should benefit from more space and more chances too.

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More freedom

Bruce has begun his career at Newcastle in a rather conservative fashion, but given he lost the top two scorers from a team which managed just 42 league goals, that is somewhat understandable.

His set-up has proved effective and a return of 15 points from the games he has played is quite respectable, but with signs of improvement and confidence being shown, it may be time for him to grant the likes of Yedlin and Willems more freedom.

It could have multiple positive effects, allowing them to pose a danger in the box as well as a threat from out wide, meaning Saint-Maximin and Almiron can play closer to Joelinton – thus increasing his chances of scoring.

The Magpies boss may be concerned that giving them more license to roam forward will weaken the team defensively, but both wingbacks have shown sensibility in when to sit back and when to attack, as evidenced by the fact Yedlin and Willems made three and five tackles respectively on Saturday.

The international break allows time for Bruce to experiment with the slight changes and assess how they could advanatge his side, but with Yedlin currently proving to be of great use, as Robinson suggests, then he may be left to flourish as he is.

Nothing quite like a bit of nostalgia is there?

A look back at the past just to warm the heart and give you a chance to reminisce. Although thankfully you didn’t have to be too old to think back and take part in this debate.

As Chris Wilder pointed out the other day, the Blades have gone on a quite remarkable rise in the past couple of seasons. From near the bottom of League One to the top half of the Premier League in the space of three years.

Find out which Premier League newcomer is a future England boss in the making in the video below…

And it was those promotions that caused quite a bit of debate on Twitter. Famed Sheffield United YouTuber @IngoodNick17 asked the fans which of the two promotion seasons they enjoyed better, from League One to the Championship or from the Championship to the Premier League.

It was a close run affair, with the poll showing that 54% preferred the step up to the big time in the Premier League, but that doesn’t mean that those who preferred the first one didn’t put up any less convincing an argument.

Although both sides could agree on one thing, taking the opportunity to laugh at their Yorkshire rivals along the way.

Southampton fans on Twitter have called on the players to put some effort in when the Saints travel to Manchester on Tuesday evening, for the Carabao Cup tie at the Etihad Stadium.

Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side go into the game against the back-to-back champions after suffering a humiliating 9-0 defeat to Leicester on Friday evening, in front of their own supporters to make matters worse.

It equalled a 24-year long record for the biggest ever Premier League win, previously set by Manchester United against Ipswich in 1995.

Coming up against Pep Guardiola’s side, who have scored 201 Premier League goals across the 2017/18 and 2018/19 campaigns combined, is hardly ideal for the south coast side, but they have plenty to prove to themselves and the supporters.

We can’t speak for every Southampton fan, but some of the Saints supporters on Twitter want to see one thing in Manchester on Tuesday – a bit of effort.

Let’s take a look at some of the tweets…

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…

West Brom are living the high life under Slaven Bilic in the Championship this season.

At one stage they were the division’s only unbeaten side, they are on track to surpass the goal-laden exploits of last season’s squad while individual accolades also carry through the team as seen with Matty Phillips, who is on for a career-best year, and Sam Johnstone, who earlier this week had made the most saves of anyone in the top two divisions.

Their impressive start to the season does come at a cost, though.

Naturally, this level of performance will attract the interest of teams in a better position; after all, it is only England’s second tier.

Albion’s Nathan Ferguson has been one of the standouts amongst the squad after the Croatian promoted him to the first-team during the off-season.

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The 19-year-old primarily played as a centre-back for the U23 squad but made his senior debut at right-back, and he performed so well in front of the Sky Sports cameras that he picked up the Man of the Match award.

Since then, he has displayed his versatile ability even more by filling in on the left side of the defence in Kieran Gibbs’ absence, a position where he picked up his maiden goal in the Baggies’ 2-0 win over Queens Park Rangers.

Ferguson has done so well in the role that he’s still kept the former Arsenal man out of the starting line up.

Although, all of this has attracted the interest from the Premier League and even on Europe’s elite stage.

At first, it was only Crystal Palace looking to fill their Aaron Wan-Bissaka shaped void at right-back, but now Tottenham Hotspur, Juventus, and Atletico Madrid have been mooted with moves for the starlet.

West Brom are certainly trying to learn from previous mistakes, namely letting Louie Barry and Morgan Rogers depart in the summer, as they have reportedly offered Ferguson a new five-year deal.

But most crucially, what they must ensure is that a situation like the one with Saido Berahino doesn’t take over.

That will come down on whether the player truly wants to move to any of the aforementioned clubs, and of course, if the links hold any truth.

Across a two-season time period, Albion rejected bids for Berahino from Tottenham, Newcastle, and Crystal Palace, and to say that caused his downfall would be a major understatement as he’s now plying his trade in Belgium for Zulte Waregem.

Speaking about his wellbeing at the time, the 26-year-old (yes, he’s only 26) said via Birmingham Live:

Now it is quite extreme to suggest that Ferguson would follow down the same pathway as Berahino, but it only puts an emphasis on the power a club can hold on one’s career.

Sporting and technical director Luke Dowling and his manager must ensure that a similar situation does not occur.

If the 19-year-old wants to test his ability at the highest level, then don’t hold him back, if he wants to repay Bilic’s faith, then that’s even better. Signing a new deal would only emphasise that his mind is in the right place.

Either way, they have options in wait if he does make a switch in January – though keeping him would undoubtedly aid their promotion hopes substantially.

Let’s hope he stays and helps guide the side towards the promised land, that way he’ll be mixing loyalty alongside his dreams.

When Tottenham’s new stadium opened it was heralded as one of the best grounds in Europe.

Fans and pundits alike marvelled at the ground, but just six months after the opening some now believe that the Lilywhites’ new home is doing more harm than good.

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Indeed, a couple of ESPN pundits attempted to dissect what all the problems are at Spurs right now, and they said that the stadium is causing an issue.

After a couple of rather cringe-worthy jokes, they pointed towards the fact that there is a two-way mirror in the tunnel, which fans can stand behind before the players walk out, and they claim that having this feature can “breed paranoia” within the squad.

You have to say that there is a point to be made, despite the bizarreness of the ESPN video.

It must be quite a strange feeling in a part of the stadium that is usually completely off limits to fans, especially when the players are performing as badly as they are right now.

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…

In between the sticks, Southampton have a bit of a problem.

Angus Gunn has made the No.1 shirt his own so far this season – starting all eight of the Saints’ Premier League games – although he has been far from solid.

The former Manchester City and Norwich glovesman has made errors in each of his last three league outings against Bournemouth, Tottenham and Chelsea, while he has also shipped the third-most goals in the Premier League with 15.

However, the fact that he is ahead of No.2 Alex McCarthy right now speaks volumes about the quality of Ralph Hasenhuttl’s options – the Austrian’s comments on his goalkeeping situation pretty much sum the problem up.

What did he say?

The former RB Leipzig boss said: “I think the last games from Angus haven’t been the best so far.

“I think he has shown this season a few important games for us where he kept clean sheets and saved us points for sure.

“I am in the good position that I have two goalkeepers that are on the same level.”

Sums up the problem

Hasenhuttl mentions that both shot-stoppers are “on the same level” – those four words pretty much sum the problem up at St Mary’s.

There’s no point having two keepers when neither is significantly better than the other – Southampton have a number of players aside from the keepers who aren’t a clear level above their teammates, which is the bulk of the issue.

If everyone in a red and white shirt is of average quality, then it’s not a positive to have a number of those players on the same level.

Is Jan Bednarek much better than Jannik Vestergaard?

Is Che Adams much better than Danny Ings?

Is Cedric a substantial upgrade on Yan Valery?

No.

A lot of players at Southampton do feel very much on the same level – average. Hence why the Saints are currently sitting in 17th with just seven points out of a possible 24.

Contrary to what Hasenhuttl says about being “in the good position” of having two goalkeepers on the same level, that isn’t a positive if both men aren’t very good – a sentiment applicable to a number of Southampton players.

Defoe was understandably over the moon with his goals, but the fact that Paul Gascoigne was watching in the stands made it that much sweeter for the former England striker.

Born in 1982, Defoe will have grown up watching Gascoigne playing for the Three Lions, and understandably it seems that he’s a bit of a hero for him as he appears to be very proud to play so well in front of him.