Despite draw Leeds look like they’re ready for the Premier League

Leeds were held to a frustrating 0-0 draw by fellow Championship title contenders Middlesbrough in what was already being heralded as a key clash despite it being so early in the season. 

It was the first time the Whites were unable to score this season as Tony Pulis employed his usual five at the back defence.

Star players, Samu Saiz and Kemar Roofe were stifled and unable to employ their high-press, high energy style of football although Leeds’ cause wasn’t helped by Pablo Hernandez being unfit to play.

Although a win over their promotion rivals would’ve been preferable, Bielsa’s men shouldn’t be deterred as they still remain one of the best teams in the league.

Indeed, following the game, Middlesbrough’s star man, Adam Forshaw labelled Leeds as playing like a potential top-four Premier League side.

The Breakdown

It may be a slight leap to compare Leeds to the likes of Manchester City, Liverpool, Manchester United or Tottenham, but so far this season, Bielsa’s side have certainly played like a Premier League side.

The Argentinian manager has already brought out the best of Samu Saiz and Kemar Roofe, while Barry Douglas is arguably one of the best players in the league and definitely Premier League standard.

It’s still early in the season but what we have seen from Leeds is a team that when it’s at its best, it can smother opponents.

Whether they can keep it up for the rest of the season, remains to be seen but so far Leeds look Premier League ready.

What do you think Leeds fans? 

Everton fans have differing views on Romelu Lukaku

It is always risky when football clubs post messages on their social media relating to players who have previously represented the team in question.

And that is more so the case with individuals who divide opinion.

Romelu Lukaku scored 87 times for Everton between 2014 and 2017, before making the move to Manchester United ahead of the 2017-18 campaign.

Lukaku was a popular figure during his time at Goodison Park, but there are a number of Everton fans who were disappointed with the manner of his exit.

On Wednesday, Everton’s official Twitter account posted a video of an 11-minute hat-trick that the Belgian had scored back in 2016.

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Some of the club’s supporters took to social media to pay tribute to the centre-forward, but there were those who decided to have a pop at him.

Lukaku has gone on to become a regular goalscorer at United, and for all of the criticism surrounding him, there is no question that he is one of the best forwards in Europe.

A selection of the Twitter reaction from the Everton fans can be seen below:

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Signing World Cup winning defender would be another superb piece of business for Liverpool

Liverpool have gotten off to the perfect start to the Premier League season, with five wins from five showcasing their title winning credentials.

The Reds have invested well in the squad despite heavy spending, and manager Jurgen Klopp appears confident of success, especially after an excellent win over Spurs this weekend.

However, more quality players would further improve an already talented squad, and there are bound to be a few out there in January who will be dying for a move to England.

One such player we think could be a superb addition and fits that mould is French World Cup winner Benjamin Pavard, who was simply superb over in Russia this summer, seeing his reputation and value rocket thanks to his displays.

Pavard has seen his worth shoot up in the last few months, and his versatility and ability in general make him an excellent signing for any top club in England, with Liverpool’s history no doubt of particular interest to the Frenchman.

The 22-year-old proved himself adept at world level over the summer, and with Liverpool wanting to challenge on all fronts this season, signing players who can play in various positions with ease like Pavard, could well prove to be a shrewd move by the club.

Liverpool  fans, what do you think? Good signing? Let us know in the comments!

Revealed: 80% of Tottenham fans want huge move for Fekir

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Tottenham fans were desperate for a new midfield signing this summer, and a whopping 80 per cent of fans want to sign versatile Lyon captain Nabil Fekir.

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Fekir’s failed move to Liverpool was one of the most confusing stories of the summer, as the Lyon skipper looked all set to join the Reds before the World Cup.

The deal fell through at the last second though, and the Frenchman showed Liverpool exactly what they are missing this week as he dominated Manchester City in the Champions League.

Tottenham meanwhile have lost three games in a row in all competitions for the first time under Mauricio Pochettino, and fans are fuming at the lack of summer investment.

Fekir clearly wants a move to the Premier League, and his ability to play anywhere across the attack or in midfield would make him the perfect Pochettino signing.

The 25 year-old would have been the perfect Coutinho replacement at Anfield, but a huge percentage of Tottenham fans want to hijack the deal, and you can find the full poll results down below…

Paul Lambert’s comments should leave Rangers fans positive for the season ahead

Under a raft of new faces and the introduction of Steven Gerrard, Rangers are beginning a new era in which the fans will hope that they can halt Celtic’s dominance.

Rangers’ arch-rivals are coming off a season where they became the first team to win the historic double treble. This season, however, Rodgers’ side are struggling and despite Rangers losing the Old Firm game, Gerrard’s men currently sit second in the table, five points behind Hearts.

Following Pedro Caixinha’s unsuccessful tenure at the club, Gerrard has come in and has seemingly started to turn Rangers into a side that can compete at the top.

This week, former Celtic man, Paul Lambert has insisted that Gerrard has already improved the side but that Celtic still remain the team to beat in Scotland.

The Breakdown

While Lambert still puts Celtic as the side to beat in the league, to have a former player of your greatest rival praising the team so early in the season, is only good news for the Gers.

Under Gerrard, Rangers already look like a much better team and the likes of Kyle Lafferty, James Tavernier and Joe Worrall have been superb this season. Moreover, with Jordan Rossiter returning and the emergence of Lassana Coulibaly, it looks as though Gerrard has put together a squad with enough talent to seriously challenge for the league.

Moreover, with Celtic losing Moussa Dembele and with Dedryck Boyata’s future uncertain, this Celtic squad could be there for the taking.

Thoughts Rangers fans?

Dream October: Man City

Man City have fallen under the radar somewhat this season, which is a surprise given just how good they were last term.

They haven’t been poor by any means, indeed they’ve only dropped points once, and they’re still up there at the top of the table, but the fine form of Liverpool and the reemergence of Chelsea has drifted talk away from the Citizens.

What better way to get the attention back, then, than by having an excellent October. The month may get Autumn well underway, but it will also give Man City a chance to put down a market for their plans this season – with a number of big games on the horizon.

Pep Guardiola, then, should be planning the rest of the month intently, and when the clock strikes 12:00 on November 1st, perhaps he can look back and say that October was perfect.

But what would constitute the ideal October?

UCL Success

After the success in the Premier League last season, there is no doubting that the Champions League will be the priority for Pep Guardiola.

He’s had a tough time in the tournament since he moved to the Etihad, and his tenure in Manchester can’t go down as a real success unless he is able to land the trophy with the big ears.

With the group stage now well underway, then, October will be a key month in determining just how competitive the English giants will be in the tournament. A good few results at the start of their campaign could be enough to guarantee progression into the final stage, and so the importance of the games in October cannot be understated.

Wins, and wins only, will be good enough.

Liverpool Smashed

Liverpool were the one team that seemed to have Pep Guardiola’s number last season, and this term, they’ll likely be their biggest rivals for the Premier League title.

In October, then, when the two titans meet, anything could happen.

A loss could have a seriously negative impact on Man City, but a win could finally get rid of the curse that appears to be building on the Etihad outfit.

A win over Liverpool would put down a real marker for City, and it would move that they’re gunning for the title once again.

Foden Makes An Impact

Phil Foden is the jewel in the Man City academy, and with the good reason. The young Englishman is simply fantastic on the ball, and he’s the perfect player for the Citizens.

Displaying brilliant technical ability an skill, Foden is up there with Europe’s brightest young talents, and under the managership of Pep Guardiola, there is no telling how good he could become.

He bagged his first goal for the club in the Carabao Cup last week, and with the teenager now coming into his own in the City first team, perhaps he could make more of an impact in the coming weeks.

If Guardiola gives him a few chances and he impresses as he did last week, he could find himself in the team in no time.

Liverpool fans look ahead to Sunday after Champions League defeat

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Liverpool fans seem to have put Wednesday night’s 1-0 loss at Napoli behind them and they are confident their team can bounce back on Sunday when they face Manchester City in the Premier League.

Jurgen Klopp’s men suffered a rare defeat in their Champions League match with the Italian side after a Lorenzo Insigne goal in the final minute of normal time capped off a rather poor performance by the Reds.

The club’s fans however feel the team can turn things around when they host Pep Guardiola’s men at Anfield. Both teams have yet to lose a match in the Premier League this season and, if last year’s fixture is anything to go by, Sunday’s clash should be another cracking one.

Reds fans are hoping for a similar performance to the one on that day when Liverpool brought City’s unbeaten run in the league to an end with a 4-3 victory.

Here are some of the Twitter reactions by Liverpool fans following Wednesday’s match:

Liverpool fans undecided on Aaron Ramsey rumours

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Liverpool fans appear to be undecided on the rumour they are showing an interest in Arsenal midfielder Aaron Ramsey.

Negotiations between the 27-year-old and the Gunners on a contract extension were stopped at the end of September when the club withdrew their initial deal that had been on offer to Ramsey for a couple of months.

According to the Evening Standard, Liverpool will have to rival Manchester United for the services of Ramsey with the Red Devils also keen on luring him to Old Trafford.

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While some Reds supporters have indicated that they would like to see Ramsey play under Jurgen Klopp, others feel that the Welshman isn’t good enough for them.

Here are some of the mixed Twitter reactions by Liverpool fans:

Tottenham fans heap praise on Winks display vs Spain

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Loads of Tottenham fans have been reacting to England’s win in Spain, and they’re absolutely delighted with the form of Harry Winks.

Tottenham fans will never forget last season’s win over Real Madrid, mainly due to the performance of Winks.

The 22-year-old completely bossed the La Liga giants’ midfield, and looked to be emerging as the clear choice to start in midfield for both club and country.

An ankle injury derailed his season though, and fans delighted to see him get back to his best.

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The youngster struggled in the recent defeat to Liverpool and at times against Barcelona, but he showed exactly what he is made of in Seville on Monday night.

Gareth Southgate’s side won 3-2 courtesy of a goal from Marcus Rashford and a brace from Raheem Sterling, but Winks is taking his fair share of the plaudits.

The Tottenham youngster pulled all the strings in midfield, and his ability to look forward and break lines with his passing is far superior to the likes of Eric Dier and Jordan Henderson.

You can find some of the best Twitter reactions to his display down below…

Between The Lines: Gareth Southgate hints that his front-three are here to stay

In his post-match press conference after England’s 3-2 win over Spain on Monday night, Gareth Southgate praised his new-look front-three but also hinted that they were under huge pressure before the game.

What did he say?

“I think all three of them (Harry Kane, Marcus Rashford and Raheem Sterling) have understandably had questions asked and all three of them responded with real top performances. We were able to play off them, they retained the ball well for us and allowed us to build…

… As a team, to come here and play the way that they did is a great reference point for the future.”

What did he really mean?

The fact that Southgate referenced the recent questions over these three players, especially after the 0-0 draw in Croatia last Friday night, proves that the pressure on them to deliver in Seville was huge in terms of retaining their places in the side.

This would have been particularly pertinent for Rashford, who missed a couple of gilt-edged chances against Croatia, and Sterling who had failed to score for England since 2015 before his double.

As captain, Kane is less likely to be dropped in the future despite not scoring now in his last seven appearances for the Three Lions, but it sounded as though even he needed to prove himself to Southgate in this new formation.

The after-effect

With Southgate then talking about the future and how this performance and result against Spain will stick with his side, it seems as though the front-three of Kane, Rashford and Sterling is here to stay.

This will obviously have an impact on those looking to break into the side, such as 18-year-old Jadon Sancho who made his debut for the senior side against Croatia and looked one of the most creative players on the pitch.

After blowing Spain away so convincingly in the first half, Rashford and Sterling should clearly now retain their places, but Southgate will need to be wary that their inclusion doesn’t harm the development of the younger, exciting players that are coming through the system.

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