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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…

After scoring a hat-trick whilst on international duty with England’s U21 side, Eddie Nketiah has been attracting considerable praise from a former Young Lions manager, with comparisons to Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah being made in the style of play between the Leeds United striker and the Champions League-winning forward.

What’s the word?

Stuart Pearce, formerly manager of England’s U21s from 2007 to 2013, told BT Sport (via Goal) that Nketiah’s movement holds parallels to Salah, who joined the Reds for £34m in 2017, despite the Arsenal loanee having not started a Championship game for the Whites so far this season.

“I think if I was a striker in this day and age, a young English striker, I’d just copy Mo Salah in his movement, running in behind,” Pearce told BT Sport (via Goal)

“Nketiah’s certainly got that trait about him. The ones that run in behind are the ones that score goals in the modern game.”

Comparisons to Salah yet no Championship starts for Nketiah

Although Nketiah is yet to start a Championship game for Leeds in 2019/20, the forward has still scored four goals in nine appearances for Marcelo Bielsa’s side and the 20-year-old spoke out this week to air his frustrations at the lack of game-time he has been getting at Elland Road.

The Athletic’s Phil Hay revealed the extensive presentation that Leeds gave to Arsenal in a bid to convince Arsenal to allow the forward to spend the season in West Yorkshire, but so far Bielsa has been cautious to utilise the England U21 striker’s talents.

Bielsa has instead favoured Patrick Bamford in the starting striker berth for the Whites, though Nketiah has scored the same number of goals despite playing 535 minutes less than Bamford across all competitions.

After arriving on loan at Leeds, Nketiah would have been hopeful of gaining a regular run in a Championship side who are likely to feature in the promotion picture for the 2019/20 campaign.

Pearce’s comments point to a player who unquestionably has the ability to compete in the Championship, and with just one win in their last four league matches, Bielsa may well be tempted to hand him his first start this weekend.

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Aston Villa lost to Arsenal 3-2 on Sunday, and if you wanted to sugarcoat it, there were a lot of positives to take away from that game for the Midlands outfit.

Indeed, the Villans led twice against one of the top sides in the country, and for the majority of the game they looked the better team.

However, one player who is unwilling to give himself or his team any credit after the loss is Wesley, as he delivered a brutally honest opinion on Aston Villa’s YouTube channel.

It would be all well and good for Wesley to say that the performance was encouraging and that the results will follow, but the reality is that Aston Villa sit 18th in the Premier League, and they need to start winning games, especially ones they are winning against ten men in.

Watch Aston Villa Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

The striker’s message was loud and clear. They weren’t good enough against Arsenal and they need to work harder in order to start winning games. Exactly the type of attitude fans will love to hear from their star striker.

Ernesto Valverde is still trying to find his perfect formula.

But with the squad he has at his disposal, it really shouldn’t be that difficult. Barcelona truly are full of talented and world-class players but their coach is still experimenting with his preferred lineup.

Some worked well and some backfired but looking at their pool of talent, there should be no question about who should be starting from the get-go and who should be left on the bench.

Watch Spanish Football Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

It all revolves around merit and if you’re playing for a team as big as Barcelona, just having a good reputation should not be enough to warrant you an untouchable role.

With all of that in mind, here’s what we think Barcelona’s gala XI should look like in the future fixtures:

Marc-Andre ter Stegen should not be vacating his spot any time soon. He’s their undisputed first-choice goalkeeper.

The centre-back pairing should get the same treatment, too. Clement Lenglet on the left and Gerard Pique on the right pick themselves and Valverde should stick with this tandem going forward. Nelson Semedo should definitely be their number one right-back, ahead of Sergi Roberto, and once he returns from his injury, Jordi Alba should slot into that left-back position ahead of Junior Firpo.

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

In the middle of the park, there’s absolutely no debate – Sergio Busquets, Frenkie de Jong and Arthur Melo are the heart of this team and their engine. Picking these three together with no exceptions should be a no-brainer for the coach.

Finally, the forward line, which is where the fun begins.

Even though Luis Suarez has been a faithful servant to the Blaugrana ever since he arrived from Liverpool, it is time he makes way for the younger and more skilled crop of players.

Antoine Griezmann should, therefore, be Barcelona’s centre-forward, flanked by Lionel Messi on the right and Ousmane Dembele on the left.

Of course, the 16-year-old Ansu Fati should not be disregarded but they should still take their time with the prodigy and slowly integrate him into the lineup.

For that reason, if he can stay fit, Dembele should be the other winger for the squad, starting against Inter Milan on Wednesday.

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Liverpool have announced their squad for the Champions League group stages and the omission of Ki-Jana Hoever has puzzled some of the club’s fans.

Young players Harvey Elliott and Sepp van den Berg have been included in ‘List A’, which consists of 22 players who have not come through the club’s academy, whilst Trent Alexander-Arnold and Rhian Brewster are among the players in ‘List B’ – made up of homegrown players.

As a result, there is no space for the young defender, but several supporters of the Merseyside outfit believe Jurgen Klopp has made a mistake.

Hoever made his professional debut at the age of 16 in an FA Cup clash against Wolves, a game in which he gained a lot of plaudits. He is highly-rated by the staff at Liverpool and therefore fans believe it is a shame he has been overlooked in favour of newcomer van den Berg.

The Dutchman’s exclusion from the squad could mean that his young compatriot has overtaken him in the pecking order, and having seen Hoever feature for the first-team some fans are questioning why he has not been picked.

Here are the reactions from some confused Liverpool fans on Twitter.

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Mings said that he had a great experience during his time with the Three Lions, but the next part of his caption will be what many Aston Villa fans are really interested in.

The defender went on to say that he can’t wait to get back to the Midlands club and focus on the league.

This type of commitment will undoubtedly put him in the good books of many Villa supporters.

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Nottingham Forest manager Martin O’Neill says that club-record signing Joao Carvalho needs to fight for his spot in the starting XI, according to quotes via The Nottingham Post, and Reds fans have been quick to react on Twitter.

The 66-year-old was speaking ahead of his side’s Championship clash against Wigan Athletic at The City Ground on Saturday, where he will be looking to pick up his first points in charge having been beaten 1-0 by Bristol City at home on his bow.

Carvalho joined Forest for £13.2m, as per BBC, during the summer transfer window, and had been a regular in the side under previous boss Aitor Karanka, but he was relegated to the substitutes’ bench against Reading and then in O’Neill’s first game at the helm.

The switch from a 4-2-3-1 to a 4-4-2 formation certainly hasn’t helped the 21-year-old, who has primarily made an impact through the middle behind the striker so far this term, scoring three goals and providing a further six assists in 26 league outings, as per Transfermarkt.

Speaking on Thursday, via The Nottingham Post, the former Republic of Ireland boss said: “I think he is a very talented footballer.

“I think that, despite some very early promise, he is still getting used to the real demands of this league.

“He has definite talent, no question of that and, like anything else, it is up to him to fight his way into the side, hopefully.

“It is up to him to hopefully believe he will get a chance to play. I am sure during the coming weeks that could easily happen.”

Nottingham Forest supporters took to Twitter to have their say on the quotes, and while one said “O’Neill hasn’t got a clue about his squad”, another labelled O’Neill as “absolutely deluded”.

Here is just a selection of the Twitter reaction…

Martin O’Neill’s managerial return to Nottingham Forest didn’t go according to plan. Check out Matchday with Max’s gameday vlog in the video below…

Manchester United are facing an injury crisis ahead of their clash against Southampton this weekend.

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BBC Sport report that the Red Devils will be without five of their players at St Mary’s, including striker Anthony Martial and full-back Luke Shaw, who are ruled out with respective thigh and hamstring injuries. Defensive trio Diogo Dalot, Eric Bailly and Timothy Fosu-Mensah are also out.

It leaves manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer with somewhat of a selection headache, with the Norwegian potentially set to hand 17-year-old Mason Greenwood his first Premier League start in place of the absent Martial. Marcus Rashford should lead the line, with Greenwood possibly playing alongside him in attack after coming on as a substitute during last weekend’s 2-1 defeat to Crystal Palace.

In defence, 34-year-old utility man Ashley Young is predicted to replace the injured Shaw, having also come off the bench against the Eagles at Old Trafford.

Jesse Lingard could be dropped after a poor start to the season where he has failed to register a single goal, assist or key pass so far, per WhoScored – Juan Mata may well be drafted in as the England international’s replacement on the south coast.

Although United are missing a couple of key players, Southampton are also thin on the ground heading into this weekend’s duel. The Saints are missing both of their goalscorers against Brighton – Nathan Redmond and Moussa Djenepo – so will not be at maximum strength either.

With this in mind, United will still surely fancy their chances against a side who are still very much finding their feet this term after picking up their first points of the campaign last weekend.

United fans, do you fancy your chances against Southampton without Martial and Shaw? Let us know by commenting below…

Everton are set to offer Frank Lampard an interview regarding the vacant managerial position at Goodison Park.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by Sky Sports, who claim that the 43-year-old manager is one of the names on Farhad Moshiri’s shortlist of targets to replace Rafael Benitez in the Everton dugout following the Spaniard’s sacking last weekend.

The report goes on to state that the former Derby County and Chelsea manager is expected to be one of the first interviewed by the Everton board, who are also keen to speak with the likes of Belgium head coach Roberto Martinez and the former Tottenham Hotspur manager Nuno Espirito Santo.

However, Sky Sports News reporter Ben Ransom appeared to have reservations about the former England international’s suitability to the Toffees job, stating: “Lampard is an interesting one. I can understand why his name is mentioned because every time a Premier League job comes up, his name will be mentioned.

“He did well at Derby, he did pretty well at Chelsea. It’s a tricky one for Lampard. I don’t know if this is the right time for him but I can see why he would be interested because Everton is a really huge name in English football. They’re regarded as one of the sleeping giants.

“If you can go in and do well, there is a project there… and then you’re at a great football club, if you get the opportunity to be successful. But it’s such a tough job. It has to be the right fit.”

Moshiri may repeat Silva disaster

While it is true that Lampard did an impressive job at Derby – guiding the Rams to a sixth-place finish in the Championship, before beating Marcelo Bielsa’s Leeds United side in the play-off semi-finals and narrowly missing out on promotion to the Premier League after falling to a 2-1 defeat to Aston Villa in the play-off final – the 43-year-old enjoyed a rather less impressive spell in his following position as the Chelsea head coach.

Indeed, despite securing a respectable fourth-place finish in the league during his first season in charge at Stamford Bridge, at the halfway stage of the 2020/21 campaign, the Blues found themselves languishing down in ninth place in the top-flight standings – having won eight, lost five and drawn six of their 19 league fixtures.

This form ultimately led to Roman Abramovich calling time on the Chelsea legend’s spell at the club, with Blues midfielder Jorginho stating his belief after Lampard’s sacking that the coach did not possess the experience required to take on such a big job.

The Italian said: “Look, I’ll be really sincere here on Lampard. I believe, given he was a legend at the club, he skipped some steps necessary for learning before moving to a big club.”

“He came to a club where he is a legend, without having experience at other clubs. I think he came too soon, skipped a few steps ahead and wasn’t ready for a job at this level, to be honest.”

For fans of Everton, this assessment will be extremely worrying, as there is a very clear line that can be drawn between the potential appointment of Lampard and Moshiri’s previous appointment of Marco Silva.

Indeed, the now-44-year-old manager fought bravely against relegation with Hull City back in 2016/17, and, as a result of his impressive spell at the MKM Stadium, subsequently secured a move to Watford for the 2017/18 campaign.

However, the Portuguese coach would go on to last just 24 games at Vicarage Road, being sacked in January 2018 after a poor run of results, before Moshiri made a shock move to appoint Silva the following summer.

The now-Fulham manager went on to secure a semi-respectable eighth-place finish in the league during his debut campaign, however, with the Toffees sitting in the relegation zone after 15 games played in 2019/20, Silva was given his marching orders.

As such, considering their similar levels of experience and failure at a so-called big club, it would appear a very wise move for the Everton owner to do all he can to avoid a repeat of his disaster on Silva and swerve a move to appoint Lampard as the next Blues boss.

In other news: Sky reveal new “heavyweight” manager “under consideration” at EFC, fans surely livid

Leeds United boss Marcelo Bielsa is still contending with a wrath of injuries as his side welcome Newcastle United to Elland Road this afternoon.

The Yorkshiremen will be looking for back-to-back victories, having seen off West Ham last weekend, though there were worrying signs as the Argentine could only name one first-team player on his nine-man bench.

During that game, Junior Firpo and Adam Forshaw hobbled off in the first half, so that’s another two players he will be without heading into this encounter.

It will be interesting to see what sort of lineup he’s able to name, here’s what we are predicting head of kickoff…

There could be three changes from the side which won 3-2 a week ago.

Between the sticks, Illan Meslier is likely to remain but there will be alterations to the backline in front of him. Without Firpo, Bielsa has a decision to make and we could well see youngster Leo Hjelde handed a start after the 18-year-old gem looked so assured against the Hammers in both matches.

He’ll join Pascal Struijk, Diego Llorente – who is available after suspension – and Luke Ayling in a back four.

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Bielsa is still without Kalvin Phillips and now Forshaw, too, so Robin Koch is most likely to be deployed as the defensive midfielder, with Mateusz Klich and Stuart Dallas joining him.

The Northern Irishman played right-back last week, so he moves back to his natural engine room role, with likely skipper Ayling going back out wide.

After his game-winning hat-trick, Jack Harrison will remain on the left flank with current top goalscorer Raphinha on the right, but with Patrick Bamford still injured, there is a worry up top.

Young striker Joe Gelhardt could return after Phil Hay confirmed his availability. He will surely get the nod over Daniel James and Tyler Roberts. The Welshman is therefore axed from the line-up after some poor recent performances.

AND in other news, Bielsa could land his own Conor Gallagher in Leeds swoop for “silky” 15-cap sensation…

Leeds United could have a future star for many years to come in Lewis Bate.

The 19-year-old midfielder was snatched from Chelsea’s renowned academy in the summer for a seven-figure fee thought to be around £1.5m, though he is yet to make his senior bow under Marcelo Bielsa.

It could be time for the Argentinian head coach to unleash the shackles as the Yorkshire giants head into 2022, a year that could be defining for the club’s longevity in the big time.

A string of long-term injuries and inconsistencies on the pitch could see Bielsa and the club’s recruitment team, led by director of football Victor Orta, buck the trend of not spending in January.

Sat in 16th place, just five points above the relegation zone, something has got to change.

But perhaps they needn’t look much further than their Thorp Arch training base for one solution in midfield.

For a long time in the Bielsa era, the engine room has been a crucial cog to their success, none more so than long-serving Pole, Mateusz Klich. Very rarely has he been absent from the starting XI, until now.

Of Leeds’ 17 games in the Premier League this season, he has started just ten. A stark contrast to him making 93 starts from 94 games in the league and the play-offs between 2018 and 2020.

He just hasn’t been good enough, so maybe it’s time to hand the baton to an up-and-comer in Bate.

The 5 foot 8 sensation has been likened to Clarence Seedorf due to his ability to control games from midfield, whilst he idolises the likes of Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard.

“Primarily, Bate is a No. 6, able to play either role in a double 6, or in a 3 with two 8s. Despite being quick and robust for his size, the question during his transition into senior football is how much and how early he’ll be able to play as a solo No. 6., especially at a Premier League level,” once claimed U18 and U23 recruitment analyst Connor Rowden to LeedsLive.

“His ability to take control of the tempo of a game from deep, dropping into spaces and probing with his mastery of the short and long passing game is where he excels.”

Elsewhere, The Athletic’s Phil Hay has dubbed him “very gifted”, so all the hallmarks are there for him to become a suggests at Elland Road.

From his 16 appearances for the U23s, Bate has primarily played as a no.8, so he could well be the perfect man to feature over someone like Klich in 2022.

As such, his involvement could save chairman Andrea Radrizzani several millions of pounds in the upcoming window.

AND in other news, “What I have been told..”: Journo reveals Leeds transfer blow, Bielsa will be furious…