The past week indicates that he could soon be out of the door at the Emirates Stadium, despite being appointed as the club captain just a few weeks ago.
It all started when he was substituted off against Crystal Palace last Sunday with around 30 minutes left on the clock.
Watch the moment Granit Xhaka’s Arsenal career may have come to an ugly end in the video below…
An unpopular figure in North London, the Gunners supporters let their feelings about the Switzerland international be known as they booed him off the field. The 27-year-old, though, was far from impressed with the way he was treated and decided to retaliate by shouting expletives in the direction of the stands.
He has since apologised, but whether or not that will burn any bridges remains to be seen. Either way, the fans will not be able to share their thoughts of him against Wolves, with Unai Emery confirming that the former Borussia Monchengladbach midfielder will not feature.
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Unsurprisingly, that has been met with delight by the Emirates faithful. They took to Twitter to share their thoughts, and you can see some of the best comments from the social media platform below.
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…
At least it’s good to hear someone being honest, but is that necessarily a good thing?
We spoke on FFC a few days ago about how assistant manager Chris Davies was trying to keep the club’s feet on the ground, and whether or not he was just trying to give the ‘diplomatic answer’.
It looks like it was a case of the latter because left-back Ben Chilwell has revealed that ambitions around the King Power have changed in recent weeks.
What’s he said?
Speaking to Leicestershire Live, Chilwell admitted that there has been talk of Champions League football around the dressing room and that the squad can reach those heights if they build on their current form.
Talking highly ambitiously, the England international said.
“It’s in the back of everyone’s minds. I’d be lying if I said we weren’t all thinking about getting top four because we want to aim high. We’re training hard every week. We’ll go into the Arsenal game fully confident. We’re quite happy to go along and keep getting wins. Hopefully we can keep improving.”
This is what happens when you sing about Jamie Vardy’s wife…
Time to deliver
This is where the difference comes into play with what Davies and Chilwell are saying.
Whilst Davies is trying to bring expectations down, Chilwell has gone out and ramped them up, saying that it’s been talked about inside the dressing room means that it’s now become acceptable for fans to start talking about it as well.
A victory over Arsenal could leave them between seven and ten points clear of fifth-place depending on how results go across the weekend, and whilst it is far too early to start talking about whether or not that’s enough of a gap to see them through to the end of the season, it would certainly give them a pretty sizeable cushion.
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Lose though and it’s down to three, and that’s a different task altogether to hold off that challenge throughout the season.
This is why it’s always best to follow the lead that Davies tried to lay down. Best to set your expectations at a reasonable level and then end up exceeding them, rather than setting them at a level that can’t be achieved and then end up disappointing the fan base.
It’s been a great start to the season, but that’s the keyword, start. Let’s wait at least until they’ve played every team in the league before making any rash predictions.
TalkSPORT pundit Adrian Durham has blasted Pep Guardiola for not giving Phil Foden a fair enough crack at breaking into the Manchester City first team.
Foden has been used sporadically since making his debut in November 2017, with 45 appearances and eight goals across the last two years.
Durham seemed furious as Foden was an unused substitute in the weekend defeat to Liverpool, directing his ire at his Spanish manager for leaving such a talent on the bench so often.
He said on TalkSPORT: “Phil Foden is talked up – and I’m not saying he’s the saviour of City’s title challenge – but we’ll never know.
“He’s got three defeats under his belt, Pep Guardiola, in the Premier League – that’s probably going to mean they have no chance of winning the title this season.
“And Phil Foden’s been nowhere to be seen. He hasn’t been given a chance. That lack of chance given to Phil Foden is totally unacceptable. Why is Pep Guardiola so against giving Phil Foden a chance?”
Foden is well-known to Guardiola. He handed him his debut in the Champions League nearly two years ago, and even recently apologised to the teenager after impressing in one of many cameos in a City shirt to date.
Durham may not need to make Guardiola aware of the option Foden offers, but with an average of little over 39 minutes per appearance (as per Transfermarkt) you can see where the pundit’s anger stems from.
And for the City boss to afford such little time to a player he once labelled as ‘the most talented player he has ever seen’, his continued bit-part role at the club seems even more confusing.
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Perhaps Guardiola has struggled to integrate the youngster into a team full to the brim with stars, but for a player who scored more than the likes of Ilkay Gundogan and Kevin De Bruyne last season, it seems the youngster has been hard done by despite his promising performances for City so far.
City fans, should Foden be playing more often? Let us know your thoughts below!
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.
Newcastle recorded back-to-back wins for the first time this season with victory over Bournemouth, but it could have taken a much different course when Jamaal Lascelles was substituted inside the opening 20 minutes.
Off the bench
With the Magpies 1-0 down after conceding from a set-piece, an injury to their skipper was the last thing they needed, and Steve Bruce could have been forgiven if he was feeling slightly worried about his team’s chances.
Other than last week’s win over West Ham they hadn’t scored more than once in a match, and had only one win at home all season – with disappointing draws to Brighton and Watford.
Despite that, Paul Dummett did an excellent job when called upon, and proved to his manager that there are an array of centre-back options in his squad now, with Ciaran Clark also scoring twice since coming into the side.
Dummett showed his effectiveness a couple of months ago in the 1-0 win over Tottenham, and he slotted into the back five with ease against the Cherries, keeping their usually dynamic trio up-front quiet.
Credit to Bruce
The form of Newcastle’s defenders currently is no coincidence, and is instead a sign of the good work Bruce has conducted since arriving at the club.
He has organised the back five superbly and stuck by that selection choice despite coming under fire at a few points during the campaign.
With Lascelles being forced off and Fabian Schar also sidelined, it was very much a makeshift centre-back trio in Dummett, Clark and Federico Fernandez, but they barely put a foot wrong and the Magpies looked comfortable after a slow start.
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Bruce has got the mentality right, too, and has his players working hard, as evidenced by the number of points they have won despite averaging 38% possession in the league. That should provide competition for places, and allow the Magpies to win games even with key players missing.
Newcastle’s captain will undergo a scan to determine the issue with his knee, but in the meantime Bruce may not be too concerned by his absence, as Dummett stepped up to the plate.
Unai Emery is not really living the dream at the Emirates at the very moment. Arsenal are currently sitting in sixth and things are looking quite bleak. The Gunners have gone five games without a win and as per The Mirror’s report, this could spell some trouble for their coach.
Of course, were Emery really to get sacked, the north London outfit would have to bring in someone with the ability to steady the ship and bring back their long-lost spark. Luckily for them, there are some big names currently available on the market that have the right tools for that job.
So without further ado, here are three coaches across Europe that could replace the Spaniard at Arsenal:
Ralf Rangnick
Rangnick is a name pretty familiar to those in the world of football. The 61-year-old German is currently overseeing Red Bull as head of sport and development, looking after their teams in New York and Sao Paulo.
And since we are talking here about a guy who basically taught Jurgen Klopp the ropes, he would no doubt be a huge step in the right direction of bringing that attacking and exciting brand of football back to the Emirates.
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Even though he embarked on this new journey relatively recently, when speaking to The Guardian, he did mention that he would be willing to leave his position for a chance to coach and develop a club of his own:
“I am happy where I am but if any club wanted to speak to me, the question would have to be: ‘Can I be somebody who can influence areas of development across the whole club?’ Otherwise you are only getting half of what I am capable of. If, after that, you can work together in a trustworthy and respectful way, then you are more likely to be successful.”
Needless to say, this sounds exactly what Arsenal need.
Niko Kovac
The now former Bayern Munich coach was sacked just recently as the Bavarians felt the cub was not heading in the right direction with the Croatian manager at their helm. But that was only partly true, however.
Yes, the results were largely mixed but that’s only from a point of view of a highly successful and demanding environment such as Bayern. In reality, the 48-year-old has managed to tally 45 victories in a total of just 68 games with the Bavarian giants, averaging 2.26 points per game.
Not to mention that he also won the Bundesliga and both the German Cup and the Supercup in the process as well. And his last game in charge? The 5-0 thrashing of Eintracht Frankfurt, his former club.
That should already be more than enough to present a reasonable case for Kovac, who is a free agent and would be available for nothing.
Massimiliano Allegri
Allegri is definitely the most renowned of the three options and Arsenal would surely be lucky to land a coach of his pedigree.
Of course, the 52-year-old is currently without a job ever having left Juventus at the end of the 2018/19 campaign, but he has done so after an incredible era of dominance.
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Allegri claimed the Scudetto in each of the five years he spent in Turin and has even guided the Bianconeri to two Champions League finals. Without too much exaggeration, he is definitely a proven option and would surely be able to lift the Gunners from their slump.
The questions remains, however – would he accept the job at the Emirates and how long will he be away from football, following a reported sabbatical after his latest stint.
Interestingly enough, he was reportedly on their shortlist even before Emery was appointed but the board went with the Spaniard instead.
Could Allegri give them a second chance and make a glorious return to the stage?
Mateusz Klich has been a key member of Marcelo Bielsa’s team since the Argentine took over but this season he has split opinion a little amongst the Leeds fanbase.The recent impressive performances of Tyler Roberts have played a role in that, causing some supporters to call for the Poland international to be dropped, but Klich’s display against Luton showed what he is all about.[ad_pod ]And it wasn’t just because he made the pivotal pass which resulted in the winning goal, as his all-round game was the subject of praise.In particular, it was his skill on the ball that has been highlighted, with fans particularly fond of his ability to keep possession as well as his fine first touch and intelligence – managing 85.5% pass accuracy.Such are his performances this season that one fan wished Leeds had another Klich in the team in order to give the 29-year-old a rest, and that underlines his importance to the way Leeds play.Here are some supporter reactions discussing how good he has been this term, including Saturday’s showing against the Hatters.
Meanwhile, not everyone performed well against the Hatters, with one player bearing the brunt of criticism from Leeds fans.
Arsenal have officially sacked Unai Emery after they failed to win a game for seven consecutive matches across all competitions.
Of course, with no one at the helm but an interim manager at the very moment, everyone must be eager to see who the Gunner go for to replace the Spaniard.
Interestingly enough, Mauricio Pochettino, who was also sacked by Tottenham Hotspur just recently, has been one of the contenders linked with the gig.
But as Alasdair Gold concludes, the Argentine doesn’t really seem like that kind of guy who would coach his former club’s big rivals just a week after getting axed.
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Still, this prompted a discussion among many Spurs fans who simply can’t imagine their former gaffer becoming an Arsenal coach.
Some say it would never happen, some think that it possibly could and there are some who would simply feel heartbroken by it.
You can see many of their reactions to Gold’s tweet regarding the prospect of Pochettino moving across north London in the collection of tweets below.
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Check them out…
In other news, many Spurs fans were not sure what to make of the club’s links with a 23-year-old German talent…
Everton were humbled at Anfield on Wednesday night in a fixture that laid bare the frailties under Marco Silva.
The game was dubbed as a must-win for the Portuguese manager and his side never truly looked like pulling off a shock result.
Liverpool ran out rampant 5-2 winners and left plenty of the Toffees faithful pondering over their future.
The topic of who will replace Silva has been rife in recent days and that has culminated in the aftermath of the midweek defeat.
In the aftermath of the defeat, BBC journalist Phil McNulty offered his verdict on the situation at Goodison Park and underlined the scale of the task that lies ahead of Marcel Brands.
While there are plenty of senior figures at Everton who regularly feature in the public eye, Brands’ role suggests that he must be the one to identify and appoint the right man to steer the club away from the relegation zone.
After reading this verdict, a couple of supporters backed McNulty’s standpoint on the current situation.
But the overwhelming feeling took on a more actively negative stance towards the former PSV Eindhoven technical director.
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His transfer activity was heavily scrutinised by one supporter while others simply suggested that the reputation he has established is lacking substance.
It remains to be seen what the Toffees will do next in the managerial market, but there’s no doubt that Brands is under intense pressure to make the right call with the club now languishing in the relegation zone…
Crystal Palace fans have taken to Twitter to react following comments from Italian footballing agent Federico Pastorello on Sky Sports about Wilfried Zaha’s chances of a transfer in January.
Pastorello – who The Daily Mail claim to be Zaha’s agent – revealed that his client is a “top player” and deserves a fresh challenge at a new club.
Of course, the Ivory Coast international handed in a transfer request back in the summer after seeing a number of bids from both Arsenal and Everton rejected by Eagles chief Steve Parish, but the forward has got his head down and carried on performing for his side – Zaha has two goals and an assist so far in the Premier League this season.
Chelsea are believed to be interested in a January move for the former Manchester United winger after seeing their transfer ban reduced.
However, it seems like some Palace fans on Twitter have reacted badly to Pastorello’s comments.
One supporter complained that the big clubs don’t deserve Zaha, having overlooked him for so long and opting for foreign imports such as Nicolas Pepe.
These two fans below also showcased some annoyance at the comments, with one stating that Pastorello is a “mug”.
The other supporter said that it is “actually embarrassing” how much Sky Sports are trying to generate transfer news regarding Zaha before the window has even opened.
A third Palace fan below that aforementioned supporter also echoed the same sentiment, stating that there is now another opportunity for Sky to try and sell the club’s players.
Towards the end of the tweets, there are some harsher words for Pastorello other than him being called a mug.
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This supporter below went one up on that, calling Zaha’s agent a “parasite” whereas – as you can see – another fan said that Sky are “absolutely obsessed” with the Palace academy graduate, stating that it is an “embarrassing agenda”.
In other news, see the starting XI we think Roy Hodgson should opt for against Watford on Saturday…
Several Tottenham Hotspur fans are calling for midfielder Oliver Skipp to be given more starts by manager Jose Mourinho.
The 19-year-old academy graduate has barely played for the first team this season and has managed to rack up just 12 minutes of game time in the Premier League so far (Transfermarkt).
However, he was given a 25-minute cameo in Spurs’ Champions League game against Bayern Munich (Transfermarkt) and it seems that he impressed the supporters, who want to see more of him.
He certainly held his own at the Allianz Arena as despite only being on the pitch for a small amount of time, he still managed to make one tackle, one interception and block one shot (SofaScore).
Mourinho has been chopping and changing his midfield recently. Indeed, he started with Harry Winks and Moussa Sissoko in the middle against Manchester United (Transfermarkt) and then switched Winks with Eric Dier for their game against Burnley (Transfermarkt), which suggests he still doesn’t know his best combination.
Many Spurs fans seem to think that Skipp should now be given his chance in the middle of the park, indicating that he is a better player than Dier.
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Here is what some have had to say on Twitter…
Spurs fans, would you like to see Oliver Skipp given a chance from the start? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below…