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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…

Barcelona have a major conundrum on their hands.

Their squad is full of midfielders and the abundance of them is halting the progression of some of their most talented youngsters.

The case of Carles Alena is the most glaring one when it comes to first-team players as the young La Masia gem has been frozen out of the team since matchday one of the ongoing 2019/20 La Liga season.

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But worryingly enough, the Blaugrana actually have a problem even bigger than that one that will require their attention sooner rather than later.

We’ve already discussed how Riqui Puig, their 20-year-old midfielder prodigy, simply has to be given a chance by Ernesto Valverde but the situation is becoming much worse with each passing day.

Just recently, Puig suffered a horror tackle while playing for Barcelona B and while he escaped without any serious consequences, it should make one thing abundantly clear for the Blaugrana – he has outgrown the Segunda B Division and needs to move up as soon as possible.

These tackles have now become a regularity because the opposition simply don’t have any other tools to stop the youngster from wreaking havoc through their teams.

According to Sport, Barcelona currently have an internal debate about how to exactly approach this situation and it seems they have taken notice of the harsh treatment their young star has been getting with Barca B.

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

The three options they have for him on the table are staying with Barcelona B until he’s ready to step up, go out on loan or get promoted to the first-team instead.

Recently, many of the fans have even requested that he is promoted as they believe he already has the quality to play with the seniors.

But at this point, if promotion doesn’t guarantee him game time, a possible loan deal should definitely be considered by the youngster.

Even that is better than staying put, risking injuries, not improving and playing against opponents that are not really on his level.

The clock is certainly ticking for Blaugrana and they will have to make their decision before it’s too late.

Either make some space for him within Valverde’s squad or send him somewhere that gives him the chance to play at the highest level and keep developing in a much safer environment.

One thing is for sure – something has to give and something absolutely has to change.

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… 

Manchester City’s Tommy Doyle put in an excellent display on his debut for the club in a 3-1 over Southampton in midweek.

In a match where Pep Guardiola fielded four academy graduates, it was Doyle’s name which got the fans talking after another City win. Indeed he is just another one to add to the list of impressive young stars on the blue side of Manchester.

Throughout the game, City looked in their usual confident and free-flowing nature and large parts of this was down to Doyle. The 18-year-old did not put a foot wrong all night and dictated the flow of the game alongside Foden and Bernardo Silva.

During the match, Doyle attempted four dribbles going forward and completed all of them, just as he won all seven duels on the ground, as per SofaScore. The youth star would also make two key passes against the Saints – only Silva made more with four.

Not was Doyle positive moving forward, he proved to be an effective defensive screen as well. The midfielder made two tackles in the game, which was more than Eric Garcia in defence and his midfield partners Silva and Foden.

With a performance like this, Doyle has made a name for himself as one for the future at City. His display was very much similar to what we have seen centre-midfielders do under Guardiola down the years, with calm passing, creativity and willingness to pressure attackers all at the heart of his performance.

Considering City and Southampton are set to clash again at the Etihad on Saturday, perhaps the youngster has even put himself in contention to earn a place on the bench.

Looks like you really can’t please everyone.

According to reports from The Sun on Sunday (Print Edition, Page 61, 3/11), Birmingham City are set to make a run at signing Burnley forward Nahki Wells in the January transfer window.

The report claims that Burnley will be looking for £6m before they are willing to part with the 29-year-old, but when he comes with the goal record that he does of 59 goals in 197 games (via Transfermarkt) it would almost seem like a bit of a no-brainer.

Blues fans, however, were left with mixed feelings when they heard the news that the seven-goal man could arrive.

Some fans were claiming that £6m was far too much to be paying someone with that short a length left on their contract, and of that age.

Whilst others were so desperate to get some help to Lukas Jutkiewicz up top that they were willing to look past all that.

Find out what happened when a world-record-holding freestyler attempting skills with the worst pair of boots available on eBay in the video below…

Whilst they may be split now, you imagine that scoring plenty of goals if and when he does come in will be the quickest and easiest way of getting them all on the same side.

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…

Former Crystal Palace chairman Simon Jordan believes Jurgen Klopp is a better manager than Pep Guardiola and states that the Reds are “irresistible” right now.

What did he say?

Liverpool and Manchester City are set to clash this Sunday at Anfield. The European champions are currently six points clear of City and a win for the home side would put them a comfortable nine points ahead in the table.

Jordan told talkSPORT: “I debate the fact Pep Guardiola is the best manager in the world right now.

“I think Jurgen Klopp is a better manager because of the intensity and the irresistibility of Liverpool.

“Despite the beauty of Man City, and this is something I’ve already said and don’t care if fans like it or not, there’s something about Man City that resembles a Frankenstein club – they’ve just bought everything.

“There’s something about Liverpool’s style of play and attitude now that appeals to me personally. I look at Liverpool and I find them irresistible.”

Two of the greats

Klopp is slightly more experienced, as Guardiola is only 48 years old compared to Klopp who is 52. However, despite much less time in management, the Spaniard has certainly achieved a lot more than the German.

Guardiola spearheaded the great Barcelona side earlier this decade towards two Champions League medals, three consecutive La Liga titles and two Spanish Cups. To add to these incredible honours, the great Sir Alex Ferguson even stated that this Barcelona team was ‘the best team ever’ after losing to Guardiola in both of those European finals.

The 48-year-old would even surpass Klopp in his homeland by winning three Bundesliga titles with Bayern Munich, compared to the German’s two league medals with Borussia Dortmund.

There will be the argument that the City boss has had a much easier time as a coach. The money at the Etihad and the already table-topping teams in Germany and Spain made life much simpler for him.

On the other hand, Klopp has built much of this Liverpool team by himself. Eight of Liverpool’s starting XI in the recent Champions League final victory were all recruited by him.

Regardless of whether you’re team Klopp or Guardiola, the Premier League is currently witnessing two of the all-time greats at their brilliant best, and that can only be good news for the division.

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 enjoying a meteoric rise over the course of the past year or so, the fact Aaron Wan-Bissaka’s name is in the England conversation is a testament to how much he has grown in such a relatively short space of time.

Since bursting onto the scene with Crystal Palace, the 21-year-old made his high-profile move to Manchester United earlier in the summer, and he has quickly established himself as a mainstay of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side. Barring two Premier League games he missed courtesy of an injury, he has played in every other game in the top-flight.

Such were his impressive early impressions, he was called up by Gareth Southgate for the England squad in late August. And speaking about the decision to select him for the EURO 2020 qualifiers, the Three Lions boss remarked he had done well in his early weeks at United.

“We tracked him very closely last year and we thought he had an outstanding year but we wanted him to stay with the under-21 group. He’s adapted really well and very quickly to a high profile move and playing in front of 70,000 fans brings an intensity and a pressure so we’re really looking at him and Trent (Alexander-Arnold).”

But in this latest round of international fixtures, Southgate has opted against calling Wan-Bissaka up. In response, United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer insisted that Wan-Bissaka’s time would come eventually, and he could perhaps embrace the decision to further get acclimatised to life at Old Trafford.

“I remember when I wasn’t picked for Norway the first time, because there were loads of rumours about me being picked, and I thought it ‘thanks’, because ‘I’m just getting used to the Norwegian top league now’. I think Aaron is going to get his time in the national team soon enough.”

However, the key issue that could potentially be a death knock to the right-back’s chances of forging a successful England career is his key weakness in contributing going forward. The 21-year-old has averaged a measly 0.2 shots and 0.3 crosses per game in the Premier League this season, which when compared to Liverpool star Trent Alexander-Arnold’s numbers of 1.3 shots and 2.6 crosses per game, really shines a light on his offensive struggles.

Indeed, speaking on BT Sport (as quoted by The Express), Owen Hargreaves pinpointed how Wan-Bissaka must improve on his attacking game. He said: “He’s a really good player but he’s got to add that. He got three (assists) last season, hasn’t got any this season. I love him but here (at United) they use the full-backs, they get up the pitch and get goals and assists. He can improve on that.”

With Alexander-Arnold only 21 himself, and really showing the way of being a modern full-back, Wan-Bissaka desperately needs to revamp the key element of his game that is currently missing, or else risk seeing his England hopes go up in smoke.

This article is part of Football FanCast’s Loan Watch series, which takes a closer look at those players who are aiming to galvanise their careers away from the spotlight of their parent club.

West Bromwich Albion still sit atop the Championship table as the final international break of 2020 takes centre stage.

The following two weeks give manager Slaven Bilic an opportunity to refresh his mind ahead of a hectic festive period as the Baggies will surely look to continue their promotion push.

He’ll have the headache of trying to decide who will temporarily replace both Jake Livermore and Romaine Sawyers in the heart of midfield as they face a one-game suspension, but other more long-term factors could shape their season.

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Experimental361’s xG (expected goals) model revealed that the club should actually be sitting in sixth position, rather than at the summit, meaning to some extent, West Brom have had luck on their side.

One potential root of their problems, and it is no secret, lies in attack as their strikers have only combined for six goals in the Championship, which is merely 20% of their total scored.

Matty Phillips has bagged six himself, so that tells you all you need to know.

A striker could well be on the cards in January as Bilic looks to atone for his mistakes in signing the likes of Kenneth Zohore and Charlie Austin.

It is the latter’s performance which has been most surprising as the 30-year-old has an impressive record in this very division, scoring 69 goals in 143 appearances, per Transfermarkt.

However, this campaign he has only managed the solitary goal from ten starts.

That’s less than another one of their forwards, who is currently out on loan in the Championship…

Jonathan Leko has proven to be a vital member of Lee Bowyer’s Charlton Athletic side this campaign, scoring three goals and assisting two more.

The 20-year-old is a natural wide player, but he’s mainly been deployed as a striker, meaning he could come back to the Hawthorns with added versatile qualities that would make him of serious value to Bilic.

He’s performing better than Austin in the same league, can play in the number ten role, wide or upfront so it would make a ton of sense to recall him in January.

Leko’s pace and drive could well suit the system Bilic is trying to play too, you only have to look at how Grady Diangana and Matheus Pereira have thrived this season to see that

They have contributed with seven goals and ten assists, per WhoScored.

The Addicks loanee has scored more goals than Austin with fewer shots at goal (one per game), while his passing accuracy (78.5%) is much higher, meaning he should be more suited to the slick style of football on display in the west Midlands as Albion rank second in the league for pass success rate.

Arsenal fans have been blasting the club after the latest reports about a potential managerial change from David Ornstein.

According to the journalist from The Athletic, the club are rejecting suggestions that they are looking for a replacement for Unai Emery.

It was being reported that Raul Sanllehi had held talks with Luis Enrique and has dinner with Jose Mourinho over taking over from the Basque-born manager.

Emery has come under fire for the club’s current run of poor form after just two wins in 10 Premier League games. Indeed, there has been a suggestion from The Sun that Emery has until the new year to save his job.

His tenure at the club has seen him oversee a reported feud with Mesut Ozil and the fallout from Granit Xhaka’s substitution against Crystal Palace, as well as missing out on the Champions League last season and trailing the top four this time around.

Fans seemed to have had enough of the situation, launching a scathing attack at the hierarchy as they took to Twitter to react.

Fans are having a full on meltdown over the news on Twitter, with one suggesting they boycott the games, others placing Leicester above them as a more ambitious club and one simply admitting the club are hopeless…

Arsenal fans, what do you make of the reports from Ornstein? Let us know your thoughts!

West Ham United goalkeeper Lucasz Fabianski is still three to four weeks away from a return to action, that is according to Football Insider.

The Polish shot stopper has been missing for a while due to a hip injury and his absence has certainly hit the Hammers hard.

Fabianski is West Ham’s first-choice goalkeeper, but has missed their last six Premier League matches after picking up his injury against AFC Bournemouth (Transfermarkt).

The Hammers have struggled since he has been out, but it seems that they will have to continue without him for a little longer yet.

A Football Insider source has claimed that Fabianski’s rehabilitation is going well, but he won’t return to action until just before Christmas.

Whilst he has been missed the club do not want to rush him back and risk a relapse which would rule him out for even longer.

Since Fabianski has been missing the Hammers’ form has seriously nosedived. They were sat in fifth place with just one defeat to their name prior to his injury, but since he has been out they have failed to win, losing five out of six matches and, as a result, have sunk to 16th in the table (Transfermarkt).

His replacement Roberto has struggled whilst filling in and has conceded 14 times in six top-flight starts (Transfermarkt), who could play another four league fixtures if Fabianski is indeed out for four weeks.

Recent results have highlighted just how important Fabianski is to the team and his prolonged absence could be bad news for both the club and manager Manuel Pellegrini.

The Chilean is fighting to save his job at the London Stadium, but without his first-choice goalkeeper it is difficult to see them getting a positive result anytime soon when you consider how many goals they are conceding with Roberto between the sticks.

West Ham fans, how worried are you following the news that Lucasz Fabianski is still several weeks away from a return? Let us know in the comments below…

A number of Liverpool fans gave blunt, withering assessments of midfielder Naby Keita in response to a question posed by @AnfieldWatch on Twitter.

Followers were asked for their recommendations for a nickname for the 24-year-old Guinea international, whose Liverpool career has frequently been interrupted by injuries since his £52.75m arrival (as per Sky Sports) from RB Leipzig in 2018.

Having missed four games with a muscle injury in the opening half of last season, he was then ruled out for a spell in March and missed the end of the campaign after rupturing a tendon.

He departed the African Cup of Nations mid-tournament last summer due to fitness concerns and was missing for several weeks earlier this season with a torn muscle bundle, as per TransferMarkt.

Keita has only played 319 minutes of football this season, making just four starts in all competitions, and he hasn’t featured since the Champions League win over Genk at the start of this month. [via TransferMarkt]

These Liverpool fans on Twitter came up with disparaging nicknames for the Guinean due to his unenviable injury record, with some drawing comparisons with other injury-plagued Reds midfielders past and present in Alberto Aquilani and Adam Lallana:

Do you think Keita has been a disappointment at Liverpool or has he been horrendously unlucky with injuries? Join in the discussion by commenting below!

Leeds United are ready to let Gaetano Berardi leave the club for nothing next summer.

At least that’s what the most recent reports from Football Insider indicate.

The Whites are apparently set to cut all ties with the Swiss defender at the end of the season. However, that could change if the Whites fail in their quest to earn promotion to the Premier League.

It’ll be the end of an era if Berardi leaves Elland Road. The defender has made 143 appearances for the Whites and he’s been quite a prominent figure at the Yorkshire club over the past few years.

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Every Leeds fan knows that the 31-year-old has good and bad attributes. He’s the most red-carded player in the club’s history as he moved clear of Alan Smith’s seven after being sent off against Millwall earlier this season, but he’s also been quite a consistent and versatile performer, stepping in at full-back and centre-back when needed.

Are Leeds making the right decision in letting Berardi go? We asked our team of writers to give their verdicts.

Matt Dawson

“Letting Berardi’s contract run down until next summer, rather than selling him in January, would be the correct thing to do in this situation. Leeds’ lack of squad depth is evident and if they shipped on the Swiss defender, they’d be seriously short at the back.

“It’s unlikely the player would command a large fee anyway, especially given his seriously poor disciplinary record. He’s been sent off seven times since arriving at Elland Road but it’s not as though the Whites can afford to bring anyone in January to replace him.

“The club is held back by profit and sustainability restrictions while Victor Orta has already stated it’ll be a quiet January.

“On that evidence, they need all the bodies they can get. If they don’t go up then holding onto him would be smart too. If they do get promoted, however, the story changes. It’s highly unlikely he’d be up to the challenge of the Premier League.”

Vijievan Jeevathayalan

“Whilst he may be getting on a bit at 31, Gaetano Berardi has remained an ever-present in Marcelo Bielsa’s first-team squad this season, racking up 13 appearances across all competitions.

“And in the 11 games he has played in the Championship, Leeds have kept seven clean sheets. With Bielsa renowned for his tactical prowess, and fluid formations, Berardi’s versatility offers the side so much.

“This campaign alone has seen him play eight times at centre-back, three times at right-back, and once each at both left-back and holding midfield. Letting go of a player of that ilk on a free transfer next summer makes no sense from the Leeds hierarchy.

“If Leeds do get promoted to the Premier League for next year, it is vital they keep their core group of players together. And with 143 games to his name for the club, the Swiss ace has become an under-rated cog in the Leeds machine.”

Harry Sherlock “Leeds aren’t going to miss Berardi if he leaves the club. He’s made just six starts in the Championship and has completed the 90 minutes just three times in 2019/20. “At the age of 31, one has to think that he’s being phased out by Marcelo Bielsa. If they are promoted this season, reinforcements will be needed across the pitch and Berardi would likely be one of the first casualties of that, purely through a lack of minutes and his age. “It simply doesn’t make sense to give him a new deal at this stage; moving him on with a minimum of fuss is the correct course of action.” Charles Jones

“I think that Leeds are playing a very risky game with Berardi here.

“If Berardi goes at the end of the season the Whites will be left with just one senior centre-back in the squad as Ben White’s loan deal comes to an end this summer.

“Of course, they can dip into the market to replace him, but that could be a long process, and if their new defenders struggle to adapt to Bielsa’s intense training regimes and tactics then Leeds will be in trouble

“I think Berardi is quite a good squad player to have, so getting rid of him while there isn’t much depth at the back makes very little sense.”

Meanwhile, stats show that one Leeds man may have turned a corner this weekend