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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…

Oh, here we go again

Whilst there have been some (Sky Sports via Leicestershire Live), that are predicting Leicester City can finish in the top four, it looks like Ian Wright believes Leicester City can go even further than that.

What’s he said?

Speaking on BBC Radio 5 Live’s Monday Night Club, Wright made the rather bold claim that the Foxes could go all the way yet again this season under Brendan Rodgers:

“People said they weren’t going to win the league when they did it. You can’t say that with football. Of course they can win the league! If Manchester City and Liverpool slip-up and you had to say ‘what team is in and around it that could take advantage’.

“The experience they’ve got, the manager they have got and the way they’re playing consistently. Of course, they can win the league. Whether they do it or not. Don’t write them off, never write them off. You’re talking about a club that has done that.”

Watch Leicester City Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

Just calm it down a bit

Wright might be getting caught up in the moment here.

Whilst it was a great result, you have to insert the caveat in that it was against a team near the bottom of the table that were down to ten men.

Take their game against Manchester United when they lost against a struggling outfit for example. The fact they couldn’t beat that side shows the Foxes are inconsistent, so results like the one against Southampton won’t become the norm.

When he talks about the likes of Manchester City and Liverpool making a slip-up, it’s going to have to be an incredible slip for someone like Leicester to be able to pounce on them.

Check out the best fan reaction from Southampton 0-9 Leicester in the video below…

City have finished the last two seasons with 100 and 98 points respectively, whilst Liverpool finished last term on 97 points. Judging by their start to the season, they’re looking as if they could run that total incredibly close or maybe even beat it.

For Leicester to be in with a shout of the title is just fantasy, and anyone who is putting them in that category right now, before people have even put their Christmas decorations up, is just trying to look cool.

Feel free to bookmark this and come back if they do win the league, but the reason events like them winning the title in 2016 are called ‘Once In A Lifetime’ is because they are exactly that, not once every five years.

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

Dejan Lovren turned in a titanic performance as Liverpool managed to grind out a vital victory over Leicester City on Saturday.

On the chalkboard

The Croatia international was partnered with Virgil van Dijk at Anfield and managed to outperform his team-mate against Brendan Rodgers’ men.

The 30-year-old hadn’t played for the club in the Premier League this season prior to the clash with the Foxes but enjoyed his rare outing.

Lovren tallied 57 touches throughout the game, and also had a pass completion rate of 88%, the highest of any Reds player to start the match.

Spectacularly, he also won a total of five aerial duels, one more than Van Dijk, and made two tackles, as well as eight clearances and two interceptions.

In every defensive department mentioned, he outperformed his team-mate.

The tandem needed

This could have been a thorny assignment for the Reds.

Leicester came into the game in red-hot form, having thumped Newcastle United 5-0 the weekend prior.

With the likes of Jamie Vardy and James Maddison both starting, it appeared as though the game could have been a thriller.

It was thanks to Lovren’s assiduity in defence that it wasn’t, and that the Foxes were kept at bay.

They did score – Adrian will be disappointed to have conceded Maddison’s effort – but Lovren’s titanic efforts at the back suggest that he should be in the starting XI more often.

It would mean dropping Joel Matip but, at the same time, Lovren has shown he deserves it.

When Arsenal shelled out a club record £72m for Nicolas Pepe this summer fans flocked to YouTube to watch his best bits. What they saw was a winger blessed with searing pace who loved a trick or two, sometimes more when the mood took him. He was an entertaining, invigorating bundle of energy and creativity.

They then headed for the stats and that’s when the excitement at his signing really kicked in. In 41 games last season for Lille, the Ivory Coast international scored 23 times and made 12 assists. Clearly there was an end product to the step-overs, a purpose to the razzmatazz.

His debut against Newcastle on the opening day of the season went exactly as you would expect from a player of his ilk. So keen was Pepe to impress and show what he could do that he was guilty at times of running down blind alleys, retaining possession when not the best option. And if it could be said that he ultimately flattered to deceive so be it. The goals would come. The assists would come. On that afternoon defenders were taken on and Pepe was a threat throughout. That was sufficient for an introduction: to show promise.

At Anfield towards the end of August Unai Emery shuffled his pack and played the 24-year-old just off Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. The intention was to capitalise on his individuality and to see what came of it from counters.

The plan nearly worked too, until Liverpool took control of the game and won all-too-easily. Until that happened Pepe created a couple of chances for himself and others. He was a threat, a live-wire.

Watch Arsenal Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

Fast-forward to a woeful performance at Old Trafford recently and that threat remained unfulfilled. Worse yet a series of disappointing displays had now led to the narrative forming that Nicolas Pepe was flopping and flopping hard. “His work rate, his lack of quality, end product, his body language. He didn’t seem up for the fight tonight”. That was Roy Keane’s assessment in his punditry role for Sky.

As for the player himself he has been candid enough to admit that, “It’s not been easy, we must tell the truth”. “I’m not good enough in my stats or my usual form,” he has publicly concluded.

Returning to Keane’s criticism however it is necessary to take umbrage with his last barb. “He didn’t seem up for the fight”. That really does depend on how you define the term.

Because anyone who saw the game – indeed anyone who has watched Pepe toil under immense pressure and expectation from this season’s curtain raiser on – will surely note that the attacker ‘shows’ for the ball every time. He doesn’t hide. And when he gains possession he refuses too to play it safe. How often do we see a player struggling for whatever reason play a simple five yard pass back to whoever gave it to him. Pepe doesn’t do that. He turns. He faces up. He tries constantly to make something happen.

Who says there’s no atmosphere at the Emirates? The evidence in the video above suggests otherwise…

That should be respected. Because that is directly taking on the fight to prove himself; a player charged with creating and dribbling. A player deemed to be 72 million times talented enough to pull that off.

Whether Pepe manages to change perceptions and become a success at the Emirates remains to be seen.

But his valiant attempts to make that happen is little short of admirable, and history suggests that it’s far too early to lay the flop tag in the close vicinity of Pepe’s name.

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

Real Madrid began their 2019/20 Champions League campaign in the worst possible way, with a 3-0 defeat to PSG in France.

The key battle in the game, of course, came in midfield – but Real lost it.

On the chalkboard

It’s true that it was Angel Di Maria who ran the show for Paris Saint-Germain as they hosted the Galacticos in the City of Lights. After all, it was the 31-year-old Argentine winger who scored two goals on the night, completely dominating his opposition.

Watch Spanish Football Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

But how exactly did it come to that? Bad defending? Perhaps. After all, that’s one of the problems this Real Madrid team is facing this season.

They still haven’t been able to keep a clean sheet in the ongoing campaign. But perhaps more concerning was the lack of control in midfield.

Toni Kroos, Los Blancos’ midfield general, lost his battle with ex-Everton star Idrissa Gueye and it immediately meant Real struggled to gain a foothold in the game.

A brilliant display

Zidane really needed his 29-year-old midfielder to best Gueye but it just didn’t happen.

Statistically, the Senegal ace edged out the German in almost all categories, establishing dominance in the centre of the pitch.

He registered 93.2% passing accuracy, while also notching three key passes, three dribbles and three tackles. By all accounts, he was a huge presence in both attack and defence, which can’t really be said for Kroos. The German recorded 93.3% passing accuracy, one key pass, two dribbles and two tackles.

Even though it wasn’t really a horrible night for Kroos, either, it was just not enough to stop Gueye’s dominance in the centre of the pitch.

Of course, Real Madrid were without Luka Modric, who is still recovering from his injury, and that meant that the German simply had to step up.

But he didn’t, he was outmatched, and his team paid for it.

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.

Aston Villa slumped to another Premier League game without a victory as Burnley twice hit back to earn a point at Villa Park.

The game had its controversial moments, not for the first time this season, as VAR toyed with the heartstrings of the home faithful.

It was Anwar El Ghazi who opened the scoring for Villa, meeting Frederic Guilbert’s cross just after half an hour before former West Brom man Jay Rodriguez levelled things up with a powerful header in the second half.

Watch Aston Villa Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

John McGinn edged Villa in front after having a previous effort chalked off, but that lead lasted a matter of two minutes as Chris Wood equalised with another headed attempt.

Snapshot

With the game tied at 1-1 in the 70th minute and the home team lacking in attacking flair, recording just two shots on target, manager Dean Smith brought on summer signing Trezeguet to spark a change, and it paid off inside ten minutes.

The winger did well to create some space to put in a cross for McGinn to fire home as Villa took the lead on the 79th minute.

Off the Bench

During Trezeguet’s 20 minutes, he assisted a goal, put in three crosses and had a further six passes in the final third of the pitch, per WhoScored.

In addition to that, he was fouled three times, thus giving a chance to stick the ball into the box onto the head of either of their towering centre-backs, who are both above 6 foot 4.

It also suggests that the Egyptian was a significant threat in the final third and had Smith introduced him earlier, the game might have gone differently.

He recorded the same number of crosses that El Ghazi managed in double the time and two more than captain Jack Grealish on the other wing, via WhoScored.

If Trezeguet was on the pitch before the 70th-minute mark, he could have had a greater impact on the match as he would have been given more time to show his creative exploits.

It’s something that clearly had some sort of influence as he assisted the goal that regained his side the lead, albeit not for long.

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Everton U23 manager David Unsworth waxed lyrical about 22-year-old goalkeeper Mateusz Hewelt following his display and clean sheet in the 2-0 win against Blackburn Rovers in Southport on Monday night, as per evertonfc.com.

What’s the word, then?

Well, the 22-year-old has been the first-choice for the U23s for a while now and he stepped up to the plate with a huge performance against the Lancashire outfit on Monday, with Unsworth seriously impressed with what he witnessed.

The one-time Toffees caretaker boss told evertonfc.com post-match: “That’s the best I’ve seen him.

“I’ve told him that. He made saves to keep us in the game and it was a fantastic performance. He gave us a platform to go and win the game. His was one of a number of outstanding performances.”

The goalkeeper made two brilliant saves to thwart Joseph Nuttall and John Buckley after Rovers started strongly, before goals from Bassala Sambou and Fraser Hornby eventually wrapped up the points for the Merseyside outfit.

What does future hold for Hewelt?

Despite being with the club since 2015 and the fact that he turns 23 years of age in September, he has only made one appearance in the first-team squad – away against Apollon Limassol in the Europa League in December 2017.

The stopper will surely be keen to prove that he can make the step up on a more regular basis sooner rather than later, and he may well have done exactly that with his latest display.

Marco Silva will be well aware of him and should be in direct contact with Unsworth to see who could be good enough to make the step up, and the 45-year-old’s latest comments prove he has the quality to make a difference.

With Jordan Pickford’s back-up Maarten Stekelenburg 36 years of age and only having just over a year remaining on his contract at Goodison Park, Hewelt could now be ready to seriously challenge the senior Toffees man.

[ad_pod ]Another season, another casualty at Vicarage Road.Javi Gracia is the latest man to fall victim to Watford’s laissez-faire attitude towards launching P45s at anyone and anything that crosses their path. The Hornets have sacked 13 managers in 11 years.Watch Watford Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

The Spaniard was reportedly dismissed on the grounds that the squad had “gone flat†under his command and would subsequently struggle to climb back up the Premier League table, where they currently sit in last place.

Within an hour of Gracia clearing his Troy Deeney bobbleheads from his desk, Watford had already appointed a replacement: ex-boss Quique Sanchez Flores, a former victim of Gino Pozzo’s cutthroat regime.

Bear in mind, Gracia’s expulsion follows a 2018/19 campaign that saw him lead Watford to an 8th-place finish and their first cup final in 35 years.

TalkSPORT pundits have discussed Gracia’s exit, and they describe the club as having “no patienceâ€.

Going off past evidence alone, we don’t give Flores long before he’s shown the door (again).

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Transfer insider Dean Jones believes that a Celtic swoop for Ahmed Kendouci would be the ‘icing on the cake’ for their January transfer window, as per GiveMeSport.

The Lowdown: Transfer request submitted

Kendouci has been linked with a move to Parkhead this month, despite Ange Postecoglou already adding to his midfield ranks with the signings of Reo Hatate, Yosuke Ideguchi and Matt O’Riley.

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The 22-year-old, who has scored 18 goals for Algerian club ES Setif, has even handed in a transfer request following links of a move to Celtic Park.

The Hoops’ crosstown rivals Rangers have also been name-checked with an interest in Kendouci, who can play as a central, attacking or left midfielder.

The Latest: Jones’ comments

Transfer insider Jones was talking to GiveMeSport regarding a possible late January move to Celtic for Kendouci.

He believes that a late move for Kendouci could continue the ‘positive’ steps taken under Postecoglou and labelled as potential late deal as the ‘icing on the cake’, saying:

“They don’t want to lose everything they’ve built, in terms of momentum, up to this point.

“Since Ange came in, almost everything has been a positive. I think this would be the icing on the cake if they could get someone of his quality through the door.”

The Verdict: Not vital

Even though another new face would be exciting for Hoops supporters heading into a crunch period of fixtures, not signing Kendouci this month wouldn’t be the end of the world.

Celtic are now well-stocked in the middle of the park following their January business and still have David Turnbull to come back into the frame from injury.

However, it seems as if the Hoops are keen on the versatile midfielder, and getting one up on their Glasgow rivals could be nice ahead of the Old Firm derby next week, so it may be one to keep an eye on ahead of Monday’s transfer deadline.

In other news: Kieran Devlin has claimed that another Premier League club are now ‘in for’ this Celtic gem

Wolves have decided not to make Francisco Trincao’s loan move from Barcelona permanent this summer, according to a fresh update.

The Lowdown: Trincao’s hit-and-miss spell

The 22-year-old arrived at Molineux on a temporary basis last year, with Barca deeming him surplus to requirements prior to the start of the new season.

Trincao has had some good moments, not the least of which a well-taken strike against Leeds United last time out, but he has only managed one goal and assist apiece in 22 Premier League appearances.

Wolves have the option of signing the Portuguese starlet permanently this summer – something that could see Adama Traore extend his stay at Barca in the process, having joined on loan in January.

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The Latest: Permanent move off

According to Mundo Deportivo [via Sport Witness], Wanderers ‘will not exercise’ the clause, though, which, therefore, ‘makes it more difficult’ for Traore, who has fallen out of favour after a good start to life at the Nou Camp.

It appears as though Bruno Lage has seen enough to decide that Trincao isn’t worth persevering with in the long term, which means Barca will have to pay €30m (£25m) if they want to sign Traore, something they are not currently willing to do.

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The Verdict: Good decision by Wolves

Trincao is a nice footballer to watch, possessing a lovely left foot and good balance, but ultimately, his lack of end product has been an issue throughout the season. He has the same number of assists as goalkeeper Jose Sa, which is fairly damning for a winger.

For that reason, Wolves would be wise to look at other options to sign permanently in the summer instead, as they look to kick on from a positive season to date.

They have Pedro Neto fit again, which is a huge boost, and finding someone to fill the opposite flank instead of Trincao could make them a more formidable attacking force, also providing competition for the likes of Hwang Hee-chan and Daniel Podence.

In other news, an expert has dropped a key transfer claim regarding one Wolves player. Read more here.

A journalist has claimed that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s (KSA) Public Investment Fund (PIF) could now sign Hans Hateboer for Newcastle United.

The Lowdown: Two in, third on the way?

The Magpies have already signed Kieran Trippier and Chris Wood from Atletico Madrid and Burnley respectively, and there will likely be more to come through the door at St James’ Park.

After a disappointing 1-1 draw at home to Watford in the Premier League on Saturday, the Toon Army will now be desperate for more bodies to come in, as Eddie Howe’s men look to try and haul themselves out of the dreaded relegation zone.

The Latest: Hateboer an option

Speaking to Tutto Atalanta, journalist Lorenzo Casalino has claimed that PIF could ‘immediately’ sign Hateboer for the Magpies

He revealed: “The team that could detect him immediately in this market session is the Newcastle of the Arabs in the Premier League, we will see…”

The Verdict: A useful option to have

Howe could certainly do with more bodies in his injury-plagued Newcastle squad, and Hateboer would give him a very handy option.

The Netherlands international is capable of playing in a variety of different positions across the pitch, including at centre-back, given his 6 foot 2 frame.

Also, he has a wealth of experience playing at the highest level, including in the Champions League as well as Serie A, and at 28 years of age, he is at the peak of his powers to help Newcastle get out of trouble.

In other news, find out who Newcastle are now in talks to sign