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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…

As quoted by The Telegraph, Marouane Fellaini has questioned Manchester United’s decision to sack Jose Mourinho last season.

What did he say?

The Red Devils parted ways with the “Special One” in December of last year, after a tumultuous start to the campaign. At the point of his removal, United were sixth in the Premier League table, but closer to the relegation spots than to leaders Liverpool.

However, Fellaini has now insisted the club should simply have been patient with Mourinho, and revealed managers need more than just a couple of years to build a successful side.

Watch the video below to see the most insane overhead kick you will see this week…

He said: “They brought in one of the best managers in the world in Jose Mourinho, he wanted to build a team and they sacked him. It’s not easy to build a team in that time, you need more than two years.

“I don’t know what they will do with Solskjaer but, for me, to win things and to improve, you need time. Mourinho, for the first season, he did amazingly, he improved the team, won things. OK, the second season was a bit more difficult, but he tried, you know, and did his best to help the team. Then they decided to sack him.”

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When asked if United had sacked the Portuguese man too soon, Fellaini remarked: “For me, yes, because a manager like that comes and he needs a lot of players to implement his own philosophy. He wanted to build his team and after two years, or two years and a half, they decided to sack him because the results were not there.”

Hasty

After Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s rapid start to life in the Old Trafford dugout, the memories of Mourinho were quickly forgotten. But with the Norwegian struggling immensely this season, speculation has already begun to mount over whether he is the right man for the job.

Fellaini’s comments delivers a damning verdict on United’s poor decision-making at boardroom level. Simply put, how can someone succeed when they invariably know a few poor results can see them given the chop? The hope for Solskjaer is that things are slightly different now, and he can work in the knowledge that there is a long-term plan in place. But their former midfielder’s words makes for ominous reading indeed.

Understandably, three Manchester City players make the XI after their incredible win over Watford.

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However, the team is heavily based around West Ham and Leicester players too after their huge wins against Man Utd and Spurs.

Three of the back five come from those clubs, as Lukasz Fabianski, Aaron Cresswell and Caglar Soyoncu get into the team, while further up the pitch James Maddison’s winning goal earns him a spot in the midfield.

Barcelona finally clinched their first victory of the new La Liga season. And while it was certainly an impressive victory for the Catalans, their newcomer star Frenkie de Jong didn’t really have a game to remember. That happened for a simple reason: he was played out of position.

On the chalkboard

It was quite a spectacular night for Barcelona at the Camp Nou. Ernesto Valverde deployed a lineup without Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez or Ousmane Dembele, all of whom were out with an injury. Instead, we saw a much different, younger, less experienced but still hungry Blaugrana.

And while Antoine Griezmann and the young La Masia graduates Ansu Fati and Carles Perez caught the eye, the spotlight was somewhat taken away from De Jong. The young Dutchman started the game on the left side of the midfield trident and despite having a decent game, he was uncharacteristically quiet by the standards he set at Ajax – driving them to last season’s Champions League semi-finals.

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This doesn’t mean he gave a particularly bad performance but he wasn’t able to express himself fully or the way he probably wanted to. All of that was caused by a relatively new and unknown role and despite Barcelona winning the game comfortably, there’s still a feeling that De Jong was underutilised by not being fielded in the defensive midfielder position which he took up 42 times for Ajax last season.

Back to the original

On the night, the Dutchman still managed to rack up 95% passing accuracy, which was to be expected, but he was not hugely involved. As a matter of fact, he had fewer touches than any other outfield Barcelona player in that clash as he only tallied 73. Looking at his heatmap from the game, we can see that he was, in fact, used as a make-shift winger of sorts, which is definitely an area he should be operating in.

As a result, other than participating in the build-up and sending long balls, De Jong hardly had an impact he would have hoped for; no key passes and just one dribble as opposed to being among the players with most touches in the game against Athletic Bilbao, the one he played as the team’s pivot.

In addition to that, when playing in his natural position, he tallied 4/4 ground duels and six recoveries of possession while this wide role didn’t give him as much to show for with only three recoveries and 3/7 won ground duels.

Valverde would be wise to revert De Jong back to his roots and back to the original blueprint if he wants to get the best out of him. Of course, even when he was played out of position, the young midfielder still managed to perform to a respectable standard but it’s a far cry from what he can potentially provide for Barcelona at the base of the engine room.

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[ad_pod ]According to Gazzetta dello Sport journalist Nicolo Schira, Arsenal are in talks with Alexandre Lacazette over a new contract at the club.The 28-year-old has found the back of the net on 38 occasions in 91 appearances for the Gunners since arriving from Lyon in the summer of 2017.The Frenchman still has little under three years remaining on his contract at the Emirates Stadium.However, according to Schira, Arsenal are holding talks with the attacker over a new deal which would run until 2023 and include a pay rise.Lacazette has netted twice in three Premier League appearances this season – including a goal against Tottenham Hotspur in the North London derby last weekend.Watch Arsenal Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

And it is not too much of a surprise that the Gunners are attempting to sort out a fresh deal for the 16-time France international.

A selection of the Twitter reaction from the Arsenal fans in relation to the reported contract talks can be seen below:

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Celtic managed to claim all three points against Hearts on Sunday as they won 3-1 in the Scottish Premiership.

Vakoun Issouf Bayo grabbed two goals whilst Callum McGregor was also on the scoresheet. A late penalty from Conor Washington gave the visitors a consolation.

However, despite winning, Celtic fans found something to complain about and understandably too after Scott Brown was at fault again.

He gave away yet another penalty for a foul on Sean Clare after previously being pulled up for one after a handball against Cluj earlier this month.

Supporters weren’t pleased with him at all as one fan said he needed to hand in his captaincy. Another simply told the 5 foot 9 midfielder to retire.

A further individual said Brown was miles off the pace whilst it was also claimed he was disgracing himself.

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The 34-year-old has been a stalwart down the years for Celtic, appearing 525 times for the Hoops, scoring 40 goals.

It appears patience is wearing thin with the Scot, though, whose days at the club may well be numbered if the reaction from supporters is anything to go by.

Here’s some of the reaction from Twitter.

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

The addition of record-signing Youri Tielemans was a stellar signing for Leicester.

After initially picking him up on loan earlier in the year, the Foxes fought hard to get their man and eventually brought him in for £40m, breaking the £30m fee they paid for Ayoze Perez only a few days before.

Tielemans was nothing short of a sensation in the Midlands during his first stint, scoring three goals whilst also helping himself to four assists in 13 Premier League matches.

The Belgian’s performances were superb but there is one specific area where he can improve in ahead of the new campaign.

Watch Leicester City Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

On the chalkboard

When the 22-year-old arrived for his temporary stay over the winter, Claude Puel preferred him as a central midfielder, an area that Brendan Rodgers then played him in too.

Yet, as the season reached its climax, he started to appear behind the striker with James Maddison out on the flanks.

Tielemans certainly knows where the goal, netting 44 times throughout his career so far. But there is room for improvement.

From shots inside the penalty area in 2018/19, his expected goals rate was 2.88 per Understat. However, outside the box it was just 1.24.

Have Leicester become a greater force than Arsenal? One Foxes fan makes the case why in the video below…

Taking a closer look at things, he scored just twice from attempts from range last season for both Monaco and Leicester, taking 47 shots in total outside of the box.

One of those goals happened to be from a set-piece but if we focus on the efforts he has from open play he needs to get better.

Just six of his attempts at goal from distance were saved whilst 15 shots from open play were missed completely.

Therefore, if Rodgers is to get the best out of Tielemans next season he may look to discourage him from shooting from distance.

Instead, the youngster may be better off playing the ball more simply or trying to work an opening for someone else.

There is no doubting the quality the Belgium international has, but this is one area he definitely needs to work on as he looks to progress his career.

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Mohamed Salah is yet to rejoin the Liverpool squad on their pre-season tour.

The Egyptian winger has had no time to rest this summer as his national team took part in the African Cup of Nations.

But unfortunately, one of the favourites to win the competition were humbled by South Africa and they were knocked out in the round-of-16 clash, a result that shook Egypt to the core.

Still, despite that heartbreaking defeat, Salah seems to be in good spirits and recovering for his big Liverpool return ahead of another huge season for the Reds.

He posted an

/BzxpgXHBnm1/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link” data-lasso->Instagram snap of his “pre-pre-season” workout recently and his teammates were unsurprisingly quick to respond to it.

It seems that his teammates are eager for his return as Dejan Lovren replied saying “ple-ple-please return”.

Georginio Wijnaldum was also on the scene and he just posted a series of muscle emojis for his friend.

After playing in the World Cup last summer and now the AFCON in the 2019 summer break, Liverpool fans may be concerned that Salah could suffer from burnout.

Only time will tell if he can continue to light up Anfield and inspire the Reds to another title challenge.

تحدث ديفيد بيتوني مساعد زين الدين زيدان عن فوز فريقه ريال مدريد في مينديزوروزا أمام ديبورتيفو ألافيس برباعية لهدف، لأن زيدان لم يتواجد بعد أن أثبتت إصابته بفيروس كورونا.

واكتفى ذراع زيزو ​​الأيمن بالإشادة بالأداء الجيد للاعبي ريال مدريد، وأوضح حديثه مع زيدان، كما كشف سبب استبدال إيدين هازارد.

وقال بيتوني في تصريحات نشرتها صحيفة “آس” الإسبانية: “كان فوزًا مستحقًا، استحوذنا على الكرة وقدمنا ​​مباراة جيدة، كنا جادين جدًا في الدفاع لأنهم أقوياء في الانتقالات ويقاتلون على كل الكرات، سعداء جدًا بلعبة الفريق”.

وأضاف: “في المباريات الأخيرة كنا نستحق أكثر من ذلك بقليل، اليوم كان جهد اللاعبين هائلاً، لعبنا بشكل جيد للغاية وسيكون مفيدًا للتحضير للمباراة القادمة، ضد ليفانتي”

وتابع بيتوني: “أنا سعيد حقًا بجهود الفريق، بالأمس أعددنا المباراة جيدًا واللاعبون قدموا أداءً رائعًا، أن ألافيس يلعب الكرات الطويلة، لذلك كانت الفكرة الأولى هي تجنب هذه الكرات”.

وأكد: “في مدريد عندما نخسر مباراة، هناك انتقادات وضغوط للمباراة القادمة، تعودنا على ذلك، لدينا خبرة، نحن نعلم أنه في كل مرة نسقط سننهض”.

اقرأ أيضًا.. بنزيما: سعيد بهدف هازارد وأتمنى أن يكتب قصة جديدة مع ريال مدريد

وبشأن التبديلات وتواصله مع زيدان، أردف: “بالنسبة للتغييرات أردت أن أعرف ما يعتقده زيدان لأنه المدرب وأهم شخص”.

وعن استبدال هازارد، أوضح بيتوني: “هازارد بخير، استبدلته لأنني أردت أن أضع فينيسيوس في مكان أكثر عمودية، لقد مر إيدن بموسم ونصف صعب مع الإصابات، عليك أن تتحلى بالصبر، رغم أننا نعلم أن الصبر في مدريد معقد”.

وشدد: “نحن نثق به كثيرًا واليوم قدم مباراة جيدة، لعب 63 دقيقة بشكل جيد، سجل وصنع هدفًا، رأينا نسخة مميزة منه اليوم، هازارد لديه موهبة ونحن بحاجة إليه”.

وكشف بيتوني عن الحديث مع زيدان، متابعًا: “من الواضح أنه كان سعيدًا جدًا بسلوك الفريق ولعبه، أخبرني أن أهنئ اللاعبين كما كان سيفعل لو كان معنا؛ لا شيء مميز، نحن نعلم أن كل مباراة هي قصة مختلفة، سعيد بموقف الفريق، الآن للراحة والاستعداد لمباراة ليفانتي”.

وامتدح بيتوني لاعبه لوكا مودريتش: “إنه لاعب جيد للغاية، ويتعاون بشكل جيد للغاية، نحن لا ننظر إلى عمر مودريتش، نرى أنه يعتني بنفسه، وأنه يتدرب بشكل جيد ويؤدي بشكل جيد للغاية في أيام المباريات”.

وأتم بشأن فارق النقاط مع المتصدر أتلتيكو مدريد: “نفكر في مباراة تلو الأخرى، لا ننظر إلى الفرق الأخرى، إذا كان أتليتي في الصدارة، فذلك لأنه يتمتع بقدر أكبر من الاستمرارية ويستحق ذلك، سنقاتل في كل مباراة لخفض فارق النقاط، يبقي الكثير وعلينا أن نركز على أنفسنا وليس على الآخرين”.

Spurs will look towards a big summer as they look to build on getting to the Champions League final.

Despite losing out to Liverpool, there is a big sense around the club that they than more than overachieved with their Champions League showing, and manager Mauricio Pochettino will no doubt be keen take some steps in the transfer market to ensure the club continues to progress.

With the new stadium finally open, Pochettino will be hoping to see some backing from Daniel Levy, and this weekend has seen the club linked with a move for Bournemouth defender Nathan Ake, who continues to impress for the Cherries under Eddie Howe.

While a £40m fee might seem a hefty chunk of change on paper, Ake has been brilliant under Eddie Howe, developing into the one of the finest young defenders in the English game after never quite getting his chance with Chelsea previously.

Ake fits the mould of a player Spurs would buy, given his age and the way he plays out from the back.

His relaxed style should not be seen as lazy though and he is strong in the tackle, as well as being dominant in the air, and with a chance of playing at what is seemed a higher level with Spurs, it looks like a match made in heaven.

Spurs are looking to move forward with young players who want to develop and prove a point under Pochettino, and Ake fits the bill perfectly given his performance in the 2018/19 season.

38 Premier League appearances where he averaged just under two tackles per game while recording over six clearances per game mark him out as an impressive defensive stalwart, and it is these sort of impressive stats which will impress the onlooking Spurs management team.

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West Ham United are attempting to shift five flops from the wage bill as they look to fund their summer business, per ClaretandHugh.

The Hammers have signed Pablo Fornals from Villarreal for a £24m fee.

But they are also attempting to move players out of the club, with Pedro Obiang, Jordan Hugill, Martin Samuelsen, Reece Oxford and Sam Byram all up for sale.

A deal that would have taken Oxford to Bundesliga club Augsburg has fallen through, however, while Hugill and Samuelsen have received little interest.

Championship club Nottingham Forest reportedly want Byram, while Obiang has been routinely linked with Roma, though it is not stated if any bids have been tabled for the duo.

With West Ham’s summer business still up in the air – Football FanCast understands that they would like to sign a striker and potentially a defender too – it seems imperative that some of the deadwood is shifted so that the received transfer fees can be reinvested into the squad.

But have the Irons picked the right players to move on?

FFC’s writers give their verdicts below!

Billy Meyers

“West Ham could be making a huge mistake by sanctioning these deals. Apart from Obiang, the other four are still fairly young and could still have something to offer at the London Stadium – Oxford and Samuelson are especially risky departures to agree to. The pair have shown great promise at times and should be given more of a chance.”

Charles Jones

“It’s hard to disagree with these players leaving the London Stadium if Manuel Pellegrini doesn’t feel that they have a future at the club. That list has a lot of unfulfilled potential in it and it is a shame that these players couldn’t produce the goods for the Hammers, but it’d be a pointless endeavour to keep them on the wage bill if they’re not wanted.”

James Beavis

“They are completely right. If they want to move forward and progress, West Ham can’t afford any passengers and these players clearly fit under that category. While some of them may be relatively young in football terms, they haven’t done enough to show that they have a big part to play at the London Stadium in the future. Pellegrini has made his mind up, and it would be difficult to argue with his decision.”