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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…

Erik Lamela turned in a truly appalling performance as Tottenham Hotspur lost to Newcastle United in the Premier League on Sunday.

On the chalkboard

The Argentine started the season like a house on fire, forcing Jack Grealish’s mistake that led to Spurs’ winning goal against Aston Villa and then scoring one and laying on an assist against Manchester City.

But, when faced with Steve Bruce’s side and their low block, Lamela wilted.

He had 49 touches of the ball, per WhoScored, but had just one shot on goal, along with just one successful dribble. He was dispossessed twice and was fouled twice, too, and this was a classic example of his frustrating attributes.

Indeed, Lamela tends to be something of an ad-hoc footballer, one who decides what he’s going to do just as he gets the ball and while it can bamboozle defenders, it can do the same to his team-mates.

Against Newcastle, he had next to no impact in the final third.

Bring Eriksen in

Christian Eriksen was on the bench against Newcastle, just as he was against Aston Villa, but the time has to come to bring him back into the fold.

Lamela is a terrific bench player, one capable of disrupting defences after his introduction as a substitute.

But starting him, particularly against a team like Newcastle, is always going to be a mistake, given that they sit so deep. He needs space in which to work.

Watch Tottenham Hotspur Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

With a game against Arsenal looming, bringing Eriksen into the fold is a no-braineer, particularly at Lamela’s expense.

It would add a layer of creativity to their starting XI, and ensure that they are not left with a man down in midfield.

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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…

The Athletic’s Patrick Boyland has suggested that Fabian Delph could be a key player for Everton this season after he impressed in the 3-2 win over Wolves on Sunday, and he’s right.

What did he say?

Fabian Delph arrived at Goodison Park in a £10m move which some consider to be a real bargain. He had failed to start a Premier League match prior to the weekend due to injury but his introduction led to a win and seemingly more of a attacking threat from his team.

The England international replaced Morgan Schneiderlin in midfield to slot alongside Andre Gomes, and the pairing helped the Toffees to 58.7% possession, with Delph’s 62 passes the most of any player on the pitch.

In his assessment of the match, Patrick Boyland wrote for The Athletic: “Delph makes a difference, both with his leadership and ability in possession. He’s got to be a definite starter in there now, for me.”

The 29-year-old is amongst Everton’s most experienced players with 20 international caps, and has also captained Aston Villa and England on occasion, which suggests Boyland is accurate about his leadership qualities.

Just what Everton needed

Marco Silva’s side have dominated possession in all but one Premier League game so far this season, and therefore their failure to breakdown Crystal Palace and Aston Villa suggests they lacked intensity when on the ball.

Delph, by comparison, is a player who likes to drive forward with the ball at his feet and in doing so helps his team get up the pitch to support the forwards, thus given the opposition more to think about.

The former Manchester City player is more energetic than Schneiderlin and is able to get around the pitch at a faster pace, and it was his ability to press which resulted in Everton’s first goal against Wolves.

Watch Everton Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

Similarly, his presence in midfield should allow players like Gomes and Gylfi Sigurdsson to be more adventurous, and take up positions out wide to cross the ball, as the Icelandic did for Everton’s second goal on Sunday.

If he can stay fit he should be a very useful asset for Silva this season, and his versatility makes him a great option to have.

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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 Championship season is just three games old and Birmingham have experienced every result possible – a win, a draw and a loss in that very order, which sees them sit 15th in the table.

Their latest result, a 3-0 defeat at the hands of Nottingham Forest suggests that four points from their opening two matches was somewhat a false front as they were exposed against an impressive Nottingham Forest side.

Birmingham were caught napping when Joe Lolley slotted home a low drive from a quickly-taken free-kick before headers from Lewis Grabban and Michael Dawson secured a 3-0 victory.

Scoring goals seems to be the problem for Pep Clotet’s men having lost two key men in the summer.

Che Adams joined Southampton in a £15m deal after netting 22 goals at St Andrew’s whilst Jota joined arch-rivals Aston Villa having laid on 11 assists.

The Blues have scored just two solitary goals in their three Championship matches.

Watch Birmingham City Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

On the Chalkboard

The problem may lie in how they set up with just one striker in attack.

As Lukas Jutkiewicz showed in the 3-0 drubbing by Forest, he’s given far too much to do without any real support.

His heatmap and touchmap, courtesy of WhoScored, show the areas of the pitch he occupied during spells of the game.

You don’t really want your striker coming deep or drifting out wide to try and get the ball – and even at 39 touches, it was the lowest of any other Birmingham player who started the game which suggests no one was able to sufficiently provide or support him.

The 30-year-old also recorded a poor passing success rate of just 38.1% whilst only two of his four shots hit the target. He meanwhile lost possession four times too.

Had another player been in the vicinity of him then maybe the striker would have had a much better game.

If Clotet is going to have any success with the West Midlands club going forward, he may need to find a system which would allow Jutkiewicz some sort of support up top.

Whether that be throwing attacking midfielder Dan Crowley further forward or playing their only other senior striker option Alvaro Gimenez alongside him.

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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…

According to The Daily Mail, Everton are still keen on a deal for Chelsea’s Kurt Zouma, but also have alternatives in the back of their minds with just two days left before Thursday’s transfer deadline.

In the aforementioned report, it is stated that the Toffees may turn their attentions to Old Trafford if a move for Zouma is completely given the red light by Chelsea.

The Merseysiders may attempt to lure one of Chris Smalling, Phil Jones or Marcos Rojo to Goodison Park following the £85m arrival of Harry Maguire, as Marco Silva looks to beef up his backline which has just two centre-backs in it right now – Yerry Mina and Michael Keane.

But who should Everton target out of the three?

As you can see, we have excluded Rojo as he only made five appearances last term, so let’s take a more in-depth look at Smalling and Jones.

Judging by the stats, the pair are fairly well matched. Smalling beats Jones in the tackles per game department with 1.3 compared to the former Blackburn man’s 1.1, although the shoe is on the other foot when it comes to interceptions.

Check out some amazing tekkers in the video below…

However, the £18m-rated Smalling just edges it. The 29-year-old makes a whole clearance per game more than the United No.4, and also makes 0.4 more blocks per game on average.

Furthermore, Smalling has missed just eight games through injury since the end of the 2016/17 season, whereas Jones is not available as often as his fellow centre-back – the 27-year-old has missed 22 games in the same time period.

Of course, given how long the pursuit of Zouma has gone on for this summer, the France international appears to be the No.1 target for Silva and Everton.

If they simply can’t pull it off though, Smalling would be a decent alternative and should unquestionably be considered as favourite ahead of Jones and Rojo.

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Will West Brom ever have a new permanent manager?

For the moment, it seems like a never ending rinse and repeat cycle. This week, Technical Director Luke Dowling was reportedly set to speak with German boss Bruno Labbadia about the club’s vacant position.

But that wasn’t before Chris Hughton, Patrick Vieira, Michael O’Neill and Danny Cowley had all been thrown into the mix.

At this rate, the Baggies look unlikely to ever appoint a new boss.

The fact that Albion have essentially given themselves a deadline of having a new manager in place by the time pre-season starts at the end of June is evidence that their hierarchy don’t really have any clue what they’re doing.

This isn’t new, however. For many years they’ve flitted between managers at alarming regularity.

The sacking of Darren Moore now looks even more bizarre, with news of further delay tactics proving they never had a plan in place for when he was dismissed.

Given promotion was at stake, it was a clueless decision.

As the Midlands side now get set to embark on a second season in a row in the Championship, you’d be forgiven for thinking they’d get their priorities sorted out.

Speaking to Labbadia showed that strides were being made. But if pre-season is the benchmark, it seems unlikely that the former Wolfsburg boss will actually be the man to walk through the doors.

Given the short window of opportunity now available to sign players, surely you’d want a new manager in as soon as possible? If they continue to delay, their player recruitment could also be hindered.

In truth, everything at the Hawthorns seems like a mess. The finances aren’t in the best condition and that’s clear in their inability to bring back Dwight Gayle.

That in itself was a damning indictment of where the club are, but the lack of movement that’s seemingly happening behind the scenes is alarming.

After so long without a permanent manager it’s baffling that Albion fans could have to wait another month before they receive clarity over their future.

As another cracking Championship season draws to a close, check out the top 5 fan chants from 2018/19 in the video below…

The longer Dowling waits, the more likely the club are to descend into mediocrity.

Yes, West Brom need to make sure they appoint the right man, but they’re in huge danger of not leaving any time to do anything else this summer.

Considering the rebuild that needs doing, any manager that does finally arrive will need as much time as they can get.

But there could well be a situation where the new manager is given just over a month to evaluate his inherited squad and bring players in – if the plan for next season is promotion, which it should be, it will begin with an incredibly rocky start.

While certainly not the most glamorous name, Scott McTominay has been the biggest sustained success of the club’s academy in recent seasons. Indeed, the young Scotland international has impressed under both Jose Mourinho and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, winning an award last season under the former as a result of his rise to prominence.   

Even in fairly limited appearances amid what has been a difficult period for the Red Devils, strong praise from both the Portuguese and the Norwegian certainly suggests the youngster has a place at Old Trafford.

Still, according to Sport, the club are apparently interested in Ivan Rakitic if Barcelona sell the Croatian this summer. Undoubtedly a big name and someone who has played at the highest of levels for a number of seasons now, the fact he’s 31-year-old and was described as “baffling” by Sport (via Metro) after his performance at Anfield in the Champions League should be a worry.

United have spent a lot of money on big names since the retirement of Sir Alex Ferguson and not an awful lot of such signings have been a success, with even Wayne Rooney suggesting the club should change their strategy on that front when talking to ESPN recently.

Indeed, if his poor display against Liverpool wasn’t enough, then his decision to attend an annual festival in Seville (via AS) immediately after the humiliation was potentially as bad as Paul Pogba’s social media post after Mourinho’s sacking. Yes, it seems churlish to talk about off-field matters but with so much talk (Gary Neville really wasn’t happy) devoted to the Frenchman, criticising one and not the other would be unfair.

So, when you compare all that with McTominay’s impressive showing in the first leg against Barcelona in the Champions League, where he won 100% tackles and defensive aerial duels and completed two out of three take-ons (via Statman Dave), perhaps there’s an argument to suggest he should be given more of a chance.

Obviously, it wouldn’t be a like-for-like replacement should the Barca star arrive but with the likes of Eric Dier also linked with a move to the Theatre of Dreams, McTominany shouldn’t be lost in any potential shuffle.

United fans, do you think McTominay can continue his impressive development next season? Join the discussion by commenting below…

Lingard enjoyed himself as he got to watch Jaap Stam, Nicky Butt, Paul Scholes, David Beckham and their current manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer tear Bayern apart.

Solskjaer, opened the scoring within the first five minutes and United never looked back. Further goals from Butt, Louis Saha, Dwight Yorke, and Beckham sealed the win.

Lingard would have been seven when the treble was won and Rashford only two-years-old.

It was a pleasure for both of the local boys to cover this match, but for fans it was probably a sad reminder of what they used to have and what they are now left with.

Lingard and Rashford need to take some inspiration from the legends who were on display and improve the standard of their performances next season.

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Trusted to make his first Premier League start at Old Trafford against Manchester United as an 18-year-old.

Trusted to start up against Cristiano Ronaldo in the Champions League final at just 19.

But strangely, left on the bench against Barcelona in the first leg of the Champions League semi-final on Wednesday.

Trent Alexander-Arnold, a player who is having a truly wonderful personal campaign, was forced to watch from the sidelines as Joe Gomez took his place at right-back against the Spanish champions, as Liverpool crashed to a 3-0 defeat.

It has been suggested that Jurgen Klopp wanted Gomez’s added defensive solidarity to contend with the threat of Jordi Alba. But, even then, to leave Alexander-Arnold out was an embarrassing decision.

Chelsea fans were giving it large at Anfield on Sunday. Watch their afternoon get slowly ruined in the video below…

The 20-year-old has been instrumental in the Reds’ free-flowing, fast paced attacking football this season, where his technical excellence and vision has seen him score once and assist a whopping 11 goals for his teammates.

Yes, he can be suspect defensively, but when you’re away to Barcelona inside the Camp Nou with the incentive of grabbing an away goal, why would you leave such a forward thinking player out in favour of a natural centre-back who has only just returned to full fitness.

Gomez had played just 30 minutes since returning from a broken leg suffered away to Burnley in December, all coming from the bench after the game had already been won against Porto, Cardiff and Huddersfield.

The Charlton academy graduate did not want to be adventurous against the Blaugrana on Wednesday, and in doing so, invited the dangerous Jordi Alba down his flight – ironically, if Klopp had wanted to play Gomez to deal with the Spaniard’s threat, his inclusion led to the opposite of his desired effect.

Alba actually set up Luis Suarez’s opening goal with a deliciously measured low cross, and threatened to add to his tally of assists throughout the evening as Gomez allowed him to come back for more every time, all whilst the former Valencia man knew he wouldn’t have to worry about the Englishman coming the other way.

The 21-year-old embarked on a grand total of zero dribbles, made zero key passes, and was dispossessed four times as Barcelona clearly smelt blood down his side of the pitch.

However, it would be unfair to blame him – as aforesaid, he hasn’t even played one half of football since returning to action.

Klopp well and truly threw Gomez in at the deep end.

The former Borussia Dortmund boss very rarely gets it wrong on the big occasion in terms of team selection, but that one act of tinkering in a competition that could be Liverpool’s only chance of silverware this season may cost them dearly come the end of the campaign.

It could also cost Klopp more than just trophies; Alexander-Arnold will most likely be asking himself why he wasn’t trusted to play over a rusty Gomez when he has arguably had the best season out of any right-back in Europe this term.

Damaging the belief of a key player and facing a mountain to climb in the second leg? Klopp has truly messed up.

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According to reports in the Daily Mail, Sheffield United are ready to make Gary Madine a permanent fixture at Bramall Lane in the Premier League.

The Cardiff City loanee has been brilliant since joining the Blades in January but should the Yorkshire club keep him beyond this season?

Good for the Championship

Madine is undoubtedly one of the best forwards available to clubs in the second tier.

His game is dynamic as he can be deployed as both a target man and a poacher, he has fantastic hold-up play but also possesses a decent scoring record when used as the main striking threat.

During his last season at Bolton, the striker netted 10 times in the league but the goals dried up when he moved to Cardiff.

A loan spell to United followed, and despite only netting three goals, the 28-year-old has been seen as a handy player up top.

Lack of ambition

If this move is a sign of things to come for Sheffield United in the next season, then their fans should be anxious.

Although Madine has enjoyed a good spell at the Lane so far, he isn’t good enough to make an impact in the top flight.

Perhaps this move suggests that the funds aren’t there or that the Yorkshire club are making an early insurance signing for potential life back in the Championship.

With the abundance of wealth that comes with promotion to the Premier League, Chris Wilder could surely look at more lucrative players to play their target man role.

Former Wigan & Fulham man, Jimmy Bullard recently showed that he’s still got it! Check out the video below…

One positive for Blades supporters is that this move may open the door for Dean Henderson to return after his initial loan spell. Wilder clearly isn’t adverse to keeping on the loanees that helped him win promotion this season.

The Man United goalie has kept 20 clean sheets in the league, and therefore the Blades would be foolish to not go in for him ahead of their top flight return.

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Loads of Newcastle fans have been reacting to a post from the Premier League’s official Twitter account, as they shared one of Yohan Cabaye’s best Toon goals.

Newcastle’s transfer business has been the subject of much ire since Mike Ashley took over the club, and rightfully so.

Far too often the club have sold their best players only to replace them with lesser quality, which is exactly what happened with Cabaye.

The Frenchman joined the Magpies in 2011 for a relatively low fee, and eventually moved to Paris Saint-Germain three years later for £22.5m.

Pl>ymaker FC Exclusive: Jermaine Jenas reveals why Tyne-Wear is a more intense derby than anything London can offer – check out the video below….

Despite his short stay on Tyneside, the 33 year-old was a huge hit with the fans, due mainly to his knack of scoring wondergoals.

And that’s exactly what he did at Goodison Park back in September 2013, sending an absolute peach from outside the box in a 3-2 defeat.

Goals from midfield is a foreign concept at Newcastle these days, and fans are desperately missing their French maestro.

He has been without a club since January, so could the Magpies bring him in on a cheap deal this summer? The Twitter reactions down below certainly hope so…