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Alan Hutton has called into question Mauricio Pochettino’s selection policy and in particular his tendency to overlook Lucas Moura.

The Brazilian has started just four games this season despite Spurs struggling of late, and some fans believe he is more deserving of an opportunity given the success he has had with the club previously.

Many think his presence would help to get the best out of Harry Kane, arguing that his pace allows him to be a key threat.

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The stats would support their thinking, as the 27-year-old has averaged 1.3 successful dribbles per game, despite averaging just 40 minutes played per match.

Added to that, he is being praised for his attitude and the continued hard work he shows, with Hutton suggesting he looks like he is trying his hardest, alluding to the fact that others may not be.

He also commented that his pace can be a valuable asset for Tottenham even when he is not at the top of his game, and therefore Pochettino is missing out by not picking him, something many fans agree with.

The Manchester Evening News’ Stuart Brennan has launched a scathing assessment of Liverpool’s start to the season, and many fans aren’t too happy with what he has said.

Typically covering Manchester City, Brennan has accused the Reds of being lucky in their start to the campaign, and argues that City have been more convincing despite the fact it is Jurgen Klopp’s side who boast a 100% record in the league.

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In particular, he highlights a “stalemate” in Liverpool’s trip to Burnley prior to a fluke goal from Trent Alexander-Arnold, which came as a result of a deflected looping cross.

However, the fact he fails to mention the Reds went on to score two more, had 15 total shots and 64% possession has irked some fans, and many have decided to castigate or make fun of him.

One described the article as nonsense and it is clear they feel his viewpoint is an unfair one, as their team has scored 20 goals and only conceded six in the league, ranking second and first in the two departments.

Here are some of the reactions from the Anfield faithful.

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…

Leeds United were once again rescued by Eddie Nketiah on Tuesday evening as the striker scored the Whites’ only goal of the game to earn them a point against Preston at Deepdale.

His goal means that he’s now Leeds’ top scorer in all competitions, netting five goals despite playing only 388 minutes for the Yorkshire outfit.

That means that he finds the net every 77.6 minutes for the club, and understandably there have been calls for him to start.

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However, there is an argument to be made that Bielsa is actually using him perfectly.

Nketiah’s strengths lie in his finishing – he’s taken 11 shots in the league and has scored three times.

However, the Arsenal loanee doesn’t have the same abilities as Patrick Bamford when it comes to pressing the backline and linking play between the rest of the team, and if you’ve watched any of Marcelo Bielsa’s teams you know just how important that is to the Argentine.

Nketiah may actually be best utilised when he’s coming off the bench as there is usually more space for his fresher legs to operate in against fatigued defenders.

It’s very reminiscent of the way Borussia Dortmund used Paco Alcacer last season.

The Spaniard was one of the top scorers in the Bundesliga, netting 18 goals throughout the campaign, but he only played 1205 minutes for his team.

Why being the away goalkeeper at Leeds is the toughest job in football in the video below…

Most of his appearances were off the bench, and that was when he was at his most effective as 13 of his 18 goals came during those cameo appearances, while in 11 starts he only netted five times.

Alcacer never worked as well as a starting striker due to the fact he couldn’t manipulate the space as effectively as he could when he was coming off the bench.

Nketiah may very well be the same, his work rate isn’t at the same level as Bamford, and Bielsa’s current system of subbing the Arsenal loanee on late is clearly working as the England U21 star is Leeds’ top scorer in all competitions.

He’s single-handedly won Leeds seven extra points already this term as he netted the winner against Brentford, broke the deadlock late on against Barnsley as well as winning the penalty for the second goal,

This week he even bagged a late equaliser against Preston.

He’s a top striker, but with the way the Argentine wants his Leeds team to operate, the best way to use the 20-year-old may be to continue bringing him off the bench.

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…

After arriving at Arsenal from Lille in a club-record £72m deal during the summer transfer window, expectations would have been understandably high as to what Nicolas Pépé could deliver in his debut Premier League season.

Having scored 22 goals alongside registering 11 assists in 38 Ligue 1 appearances from his final season in France, the Gunners had seemingly signed a potent goalscorer with the potential to ignite their domestic and European prospects.

Yet until Thursday night when he came up against against Vitoria Guimaraes, the Ivorian had not lived up to the expectations that had surrounded his arrival at The Emirates, to his own admission according to The Mirror.

“Of course I knew it would be hard. This is a league totally different to Ligue 1. There is a different intensity. I had to adapt quickly because expectations were high. Unfortunately, that is not what I did at the beginning – but I had the manager’s trust and the players have supported me. I keep working hard.”

It would be hard to debate that self-assessment too; Pépé had just one Arsenal goal to his name after a shock defeat to Sheffield United on Monday night, albeit coupled with three assists, and couldn’t make the difference against the Blades.

On Thursday night, however, a well-struck free-kick from Pépé in the 80th minute saw Arsenal draw level, while another outstanding dead ball strike from the 24-year-old in injury time ensured Unai Emery’s side collected all three points against the Portuguese outfit, and it felt like a moment that has the potential to ignite the forward’s Arsenal career.

Emery had spoken candidly in the week about his summer arrivals needing time, drawing comparisons between Liverpool’s signing of Fabinho and the period of adaptation that is required for new arrivals to the Premier League.

Pépé has now played 12 matches in all competitions for the north London side this season, and we are perhaps now starting to see the full potential of former Lille man and the credentials that encouraged Arsenal to break their transfer record in bringing him to the club.

Given the clinical nature of the club’s main striker, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, who won the Golden Boot accolade from 2018/19, grabbing the headlines has been difficult so far for Pépé – something he would have been understandably accustomed to during his final season in Ligue 1.

Yet after a match-winning brace and a sensational performance, this could prove to be the display that serves as a reminder to Pépé of his unquestionable ability, providing a platform to kick on and impress in his debut Premier League season with the Gunners. 

Arsenal purchased their club-record signing to decide games in their favour, and the 24-year-old finally has an example of that to build on. It’s now a case of doing so on a more consistent basis, starting with Arsenal’s home clash against Crystal Palace this Sunday.

Many Arsenal fans have responded on Twitter after the club account tweeted about an interview with Gabriel Martinelli.

@Arsenal tweeted quotes from the young Brazillian, where he describes himself to the Arsenal fans so that they know a bit more about the player.

He said (via the Arsenal website): “Sure, you’ve seen me play but you probably don’t know too much about me. So let me tell you a little bit about my story so far.

“I guess the most important thing is that I’ve always known I would be a footballer. My family and I always believed I could do it. They boosted my confidence and have supported me, no matter what.

“I’m proud that Arsenal has put its trust in me, so I will always give my all to help this team reach the top. That’s where it belongs.

“What they can expect from me now [Arsenal fans]? Someone who always gives his best, his maximum, and who always plays with his heart. That’s the most important thing you need to know about me.”

Martinelli joined Arsenal in the summer from Ituano in Brazil, where he had managed to score 10 goals in 34 appearances after debuting in 2017, according to the BBC.

Despite being only 18, the Brazilian has managed to rack up a decent amount of football under his belt considering that he is in his first year in England. The attacker has scored four goals in five games for the club – with just two of those starts.

Martinelli was able to bag a brace and an assist against Standard Liege in the Europa League as well as two goals against Nottingham Forest in the EFL Cup. His other three appearances have been from the bench in the Premier League, playing against Newcastle United, Bournemouth and most recently Sheffield United.

Unsurprisingly, Arsenal fans loved to hear what they did from the young attacker, and messages of support poured in for the teenager, as you can see below…

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

When Lyle Taylor went away on international duty with Montserrat and came back with damaged knee ligaments, you wouldn’t blame a handful of Charlton fans for fearing the worst without their talisman from six Championship games onwards.

At the time, Chuks Aneke was the only other Addicks striker to have found the back of the net – summer signing Macauley Bonne was still goalless, as was Tomer Hemed.

However, in the 29-year-old’s absence, Bonne in particular has stepped up to smash home five goals in six starts, matching Taylor’s tally from the first six Championship games of the campaign before injury struck.

Interestingly, Lee Bowyer has used eight different formations this season according to his Transfermarkt page, so how could the 42-year-old set his side out when Taylor is fit?

The first one is pretty obvious thinking.

Before Taylor’s injury, Bowyer was preferring to use Jonathan Leko alongside the Montserrat international. However, given how well Bonne has done, putting Taylor alongside the former Leyton Orient striker when he’s in such a rich vein of form surely makes the most sense for the south Londoners.

Additionally, the 4-3-2-1 formation has been used eight times this term by Bowyer, so this system seems the most realistic.

Bowyer used this 3-5-1-1 formation against West Brom last time out, and has deployed this three-at-the-back system a couple of times already this season.

This lineup would see Bonne drop out for the talismanic Taylor, with Erhun Oztumer slotting into an attacking midfield role while he deputises for the injured Jonny Williams – the Welshman is expected to miss at least two months.

This formation – a quite basic 4-4-1-1 system – was used in the 3-1 win away to Stoke in the second Championship game of the current campaign, with Leko out on the right wing and Williams on the left.

Bowyer could definitely use the same system in order to get arguably his three biggest goal threats – Gallagher, Bonne and Taylor – into the same side, while also keeping the backline in a traditional four-man style.

When the main man who hit 21 League One goals last season comes back to action, Bowyer will have somewhat of a selection headache – however, these systems are just three of many ways in which the former Leeds midfielder could set his side out.

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… 

Although Aston Villa’s defeat to Liverpool on Saturday was extremely disappointing for the club given they had taken the lead against Jurgen Klopp’s side, the West Midlands’ outfit would be unwise to take no collective or individual positives from the fixture against the champions of Europe.

A first-half goal from Trezeguet was not enough for Dean Smith’s men, with late strikes from Andy Robertson and Sadio Mane propelling the Reds on to extend their unbeaten run in 2019/20.

But one of Villa’s star performers in the fixture is steadily going about his business in underlining his indispensability to the club. 

Signed from Club Brugge in an £11m deal, Marvelous Nakamba has slowly grown into his role as an enforcer at the heart of Smith’s midfield, and the fact it took Liverpool until the 87th minute to break their duck against the newly-promoted side points to the outstanding job that the Zimbabwean international is doing at Villa Park.

Having not started in his side’s first four league games, Nakamba has been a mainstay in the starting XI for Villa’s last seven league fixtures, during which time they have picked up points in every game excluding away trips to Arsenal and Manchester City alongside Saturday’s defeat to Liverpool.

The midfielder made two interceptions against the Reds – no player in the 11th round of fixtures made more than three – whilst also making six tackles; the most of any player on the pitch.

Impressively, Nakamba’s tackle success rate of 83.3% was the second-highest of any player last weekend who attempted more than five tackles; only behind Manchester United’s Scott McTominay.

This profile of player, whose duties are primarily defensive, is proving crucial to Smith – despite his side’s porous backline who are letting their guard down late in games, as shown against Liverpool. 

Nakamba displayed his industrious work rate yet again on Saturday, and the midfielder remaining fit will be crucial for Villa if they are to get their season back on track and regain some momentum in an attempt to remain a Premier League side for 2020/21 and beyond. 

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…

Kyle Walker-Peters’ time at Tottenham Hotspur is surely up.

The young right-back was not training with the Spurs first-team before their Champions League clash with Red Star Belgrade, per The London Evening Standard’s Dan Kilpatrick, and appears remarkably unlikely to add to his four appearances already this term.

In total, the 22-year-old has made 23 appearances for the north London club but he has reached a crossroads now.

It was supposed to be his opportunity. Spurs sold Kieran Trippier to Atletico Madrid in the summer and the logical thing to do appeared to be to promote Walker-Peters to be Serge Aurier’s understudy, particularly if they decided against buying a replacement.

Indeed, the latter came true – Spurs did not buy a right-back in the summer but Pochettino instead opted to promote Juan Foyth to the role.

When the Argentine sustained an injury, Aurier was picked to start. He has not enjoyed a good season thus far.

Per WhoScored, he has garnered a rating below six on three separate occasions. He was sent off against Southampton and conceded a penalty as Spurs lost 2-1 to Liverpool at Anfield. The Reds’ winning goal came from that spot-kick.

Even still, Walker-Peters can’t get a look in.

This is a promising right-back with a major upside. He played 90 minutes against Manchester City and was remarkably solid, winning four tackles, making one interception and two clearances. He played 90 minutes on the opening day in the 3-1 win over Aston Villa, too, but just 62 in the loss to Newcastle United.

He has not even been in the squad since in the top-flight. Walker-Peters did start the penalty shootout defeat to Colchester United in the Carabao Cup but, really, the less said about that the better.

It has become apparent, though, that Pochettino simply doesn’t trust him; that he doesn’t believe he can rely on him in the biggest games.

At the age of 22, Walker-Peters has perhaps another decade, if not more, at the very top of the game but it is not going to happen for him at Spurs.

At this point, one has to imagine he would be better off attempting to find himself a new club.

The chance doesn’t look like it is going to come his way in north London.

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…

Speaking to The Express, Emile Heskey has delivered his verdict on Timo Werner’s chances of succeeding at Liverpool.

What did he say?

The RB Leipzig striker has been the subject of intense transfer speculation for many windows now, but has yet to finally make a move away from the German club. Reports in recent weeks and months have suggested Liverpool could be one potential destination for the 23-year-old were he to leave.

And now, Heskey has shared his thoughts on the situation, and insisted that despite the Reds possessing the likes of Roberto Firmino, Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane in their attacking ranks, Werner should hold no fear about the prospective competition.

He said: “You always want to challenge yourself, regardless of who else is there. When I came to Liverpool, Robbie Fowler and Michael (Owen) were there. Players like that. I think Titi Camara was there too and he had a good start to the season. (Could Werner join Liverpool?) I don’t see why not.”

Second fiddle

Whilst Heskey’s comments about his own experience at Anfield are understandable – Michael Owen and Robbie Fowler were truly great goalscorers – it is slightly different for what Werner would face were he to join the red half of Merseyside. Liverpool’s front three of Firmino, Mane and Salah have well and truly established themselves as the cornerstone of Jurgen Klopp’s side’s attack, with each of them already playing 18, 17 and 17 games respectively, and there is an incredibly delicate balance to them. They are a fixed unit that complements each others’ qualities.

Whilst the likes of Divock Origi and Xherdan Shaqiri may admirably fill in here or there, it is undisputed who Liverpool’s main forward line is, and how important they are to the Reds’ way of playing. Werner would have to settle for playing second-fiddle, and that would seriously bring into doubt his own ambitions of making it to the very top. Whilst the move makes a lot of sense for the Reds – they would be bringing in another goal-scorer (he has scored 15 times in 17 games this season) – it doesn’t hold much logic on a personal level for the £58.5m-rated man himself.

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.

When Jordan Hugill left West Ham United to join Queens Park Rangers on loan during the summer, he did so as a man with a point to prove

He had pretty much been discarded by the Hammers after playing just 22 minutes of football for them across three substitute appearances in 2018.

The striker spent last season with Middlesbrough, scoring 6 goals in 20 league starts and 17 substitute appearances for the club – a decent total, albeit far from eye-catching.

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He has really kicked on this season at the Kiyan Prince Foundation Stadium though, already exceeding last season’s goal tally with 7 strikes from 11 starts and 4 substitute appearances – that tally includes a brace against Sheffield Wednesday to secure a 2-1 victory for QPR.

Following that game, Mark Warburton summarised how useful he has been for the club, as he was quoted on West London Sport as saying: “A good striker feeds off of good chances and I told him he’d get that by coming to QPR, and he has. He’s responded really well.

“There were good quality finishes today I’m sure he upset a few in the crowd. But you have to do that. You have to come to a tough venue and draw the fouls, and you have to be strong, and you have to look after the football and link play – and he did all of those and more.”

The 27-year-old’s effectiveness hasn’t come solely from goals though, as he has won 3.3 aerial duels per game, helping to bring strike partner Nakhi Wells into the game – his influence is indicated by the fact he has already been awarded Man of the Match twice by WhoScored.

His lack of polish is still evident though, marked by 6 yellow cards, 2.2 fouls committed per game, as well as his average of 2.5 unsuccessful touches.

It is this side of the former Preston North End striker’s game that makes it unlikely Manuel Pellegrini will reinstate him to the West Ham team, but that should not detract from the fact Hugill, who is valued at £5.4m by Transfermarkt, has achieved some form of redemption this season after a tough couple of years since moving to the Hammers.