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If you had told Newcastle fans before the start of the new Premier League season, that after five games, they would be sitting above Manchester United, and only behind Manchester City on goal difference, then they surely would have taken that.

And whilst the table seems to have a couple of things going in the Magpies’ favour, the damaging 4-1 defeat to Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side on Saturday seems to have just exposed some painful truths for Steve Bruce.

Despite a relatively successful summer transfer window that saw the likes of Callum Wilson, Ryan Fraser and Jamal Lewis arrive at St James’ Park, both the performances and results from Newcastle have left a lot to be desired.

They were very fortunate to pick up a point against Tottenham after a late VAR call, whilst they were comprehensively beaten 3-0 by ten-man Brighton as well. But even with some good wins against the likes of West Ham and Burnley, there’s a very worrying trend about the way Bruce is getting his team to play.

As per the Premier League’s official stats, the Tyneside club have played the most amount of long balls this season with a total of 335. Had Joelinton or Andy Carroll been starting up front, that tactic may have been somewhat understandable, but Bruce has opted to field Wilson in the number nine role, whilst he has the likes of Allan Saint-Maximin and Ryan Fraser as pacy, wide options.

Trying to go route one with those types of players and expecting them to win headers or get to the loose ball just seems like a complete waste of their talents, and Bruce still hasn’t worked out a way of making the most out of Saint-Maximin other than just ‘give him the ball and see what he does’.

It was no surprise that in the game against United on Saturday, they managed just 36% of the possession, and only had seven shots to the visitors’ 28.

The Magpies’ summer signings and attacking options surely warrant a change in playing style, and none of this long ball approach. Instead, Bruce continues to make an unforgivable mistake with the way he sets his team out.

It’s been quite the good week if you’re an Arsenal fan.

First, the Gunners ended their away-day hoodoo at a top-six rival by beating Manchester United 1-0 in the Premier League, before then brushing aside Molde 4-1 in the Europa League after an early scare.

Mikel Arteta’s side have picked up some momentum ahead of Sunday’s clash against Aston Villa, and it will be battle of two teams who are on the opposite spectrum in terms of very recent form.

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The Gunners are beginning to fly, whilst Dean Smith’s men have slipped to back-to-back defeats to the likes of Leeds United and Southampton after starting off the campaign with a bang.

With Arsenal having rested numerous key players for the game on Thursday, Arteta is likely to revert back to full strength at the weekend. And below is a look at how the Gunners might line-up.

After starting in mid-week, Bernd Leno will be one of the few players to retain his place for the game against Villa, but is likely to see a lot of changes to the men in front of him.

Gabriel, Hector Bellerin, Bukayo Saka and Kieran Tierney were among the names to be rested, and will all surely come in after helping to keep a clean sheet in that impressive victory at Old Trafford last weekend.

In front of them, Arteta has a huge call to make about Mohamed Elneny. The Egyptian was phenomenal in the game against United, partnered alongside Thomas Partey.

But the clash against Villa is likely to pose different problems, with the visitors potentially dropping back into a low block and trying to hit Arsenal on the counter-attack.

A bit more creativity and guile may be needed, and it’s why even after his tireless display last time out, Elneny could miss out with Dani Ceballos coming in.

Further forward, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Alexandre Lacazette and Willian should all start like normal, despite the fact Nicolas Pepe is in-form with his goal and assist against Molde.

Predicted XI: Leno; Bellerin, Holding, Gabriel; Tierney, Saka; Partey, Ceballos; Willian, Lacazette, Aubameyang.

Liverpool should do all they can to ensure that they don’t lose Georginio Wijnaldum on a free transfer at the end of the 2020/21 season.

The Dutch international’s contract with the Reds is set to expire at the end of the current campaign, with sides such as Inter and Barcelona reportedly interested in signing him (per Mirror).

Since joining from Newcastle United in 2016, the 30-year-old midfielder has established himself as a regular in Jurgen Klopp’s side, having made 199 appearances for the Merseyside club, contributing 19 goals and 16 assists (per Transfermarkt).

This season has been no different for the ever-present midfielder, as he has made eight appearances in the Premier League under the German manager, although his current average rating of 6.54 is below the level he has consistently produced since moving to Liverpool (per WhoScored).

However, Klopp is clearly a big fan of the midfielder and was full of praise after he made the Ballon d’Or shortlist in 2019, saying:

“Gini speaks on the pitch for the way he plays.

“It is just so obvious his importance. It is both directions, small spaces, big spaces, it is hard challenges, fine football, pretty much all of that.

“Is he the perfect midfielder? From the skillset 100 per cent. He has all the things you need. There was his header against Barcelona too. He is not the tallest, but he is good in the air. He is a good jumper with good timing, all that stuff. It all makes him a pretty good footballer.

“That is how it should be. It is not my fault if he goes under the radar. You cannot ask me why he goes under the radar. I don’t set the radar!” (per Liverpool)

Wijnaldum will surely be a fan’s favourite at Anfield too, and even if he does leave at the end of the season, he will be fondly remembered for his two goals against Barcelona in the famous Champions League semi-final comeback win.

Although Liverpool have talents such as Curtis Jones coming through the academy to potentially replace Wijnaldum in the future, the midfielder is currently valued at £36 million by Transfermarkt and it would be a huge blunder on the club’s part if they were to let him depart on a free transfer, considering the influence he has had in recent years.

This is a complex time for Celtic.

Heading into their clash with AC Milan on Thursday evening, it looked as though it was the worst possible time to face one of the giants of European football.

The Hoops were already knocked out of the competition and had nothing to play for. Perhaps with the pressure off it would have helped proceedings, but confidence was at an all-time low.

Celtic had won just two of their last ten matches before last night and their 2-0 defeat against Ross County marked the nadir of the season so far.

To put things simply, Neil Lennon is in real bother.

They are 11 points of the pace in the SPFL and as a result, he could be sacked. The man tasked with replacing him might be Mark Hughes, that’s if Peter Lawwell views him suitable.

The idea of Hughes heading to Parkhead was brought up last week by Paul John Dykes on A Celtic State of Mind podcast. “Mark Hughes is a name that’s cropped up over the last few days, I think the Celtic support are kind of divided on that one.”

You can understand why they’re a bit split on Hughes. At Southampton, he had a win percentage of just 18.5%.

That being said, the Welshman has traditionally overachieved and took Fulham to an eighth-place finish in the Premier League during the 2010/11 campaign.

Hughes then worked wonders with Stoke, establishing them as a top-half side in the Premier League, lifting the Potters to three straight ninth-place finishes.

Once he lost his job at Stoke, his profile was given the complete assessment by BBC journalist Phil McNulty: “There have been peaks and troughs in that career, but it is unlikely a man whose quiet exterior masks a fierce passion and determination to succeed is ready to walk away from management at a relatively young age.”

Lo and behold, he joined Southampton and for Celtic’s sake, they will have to hope he is ready to jump back in and take on the Hoops hot seat after some more time away.

His overachievements are notable on his CV but it’s the coaching that stands him apart from Lennon, someone who is reportedly still using Brendan Rodgers’ training methods.

It’s long been suggested that Lennon needs to balance his coaching staff properly and bring in his own men, but that wouldn’t be a problem with Hughes.

That’s because, in every job he’s had, he’s been joined by the same two people – Mark Bowen and Eddie Niedzwiecki.

In terms of banishing the nightmare Lennon appears to be having at Lennoxtown, Hughes would be pretty perfect.

He already has a structure and a balanced coaching staff – something Lennon has never had.

In other news, Celtic should regret missing out on their next Arzani… 

Are we finally reaching the end of Odsonne Edouard’s time at Celtic?

The striker has relentlessly been linked with a move away from Glasgow and could well have left for the Premier League last summer.

However, after winning the club’s Player of the Season award last term, he reaffirmed his commitment to the Hoops and stated he wanted to win ten in a row.

Yet, with January approaching, that looks like a distant dream. Edouard was only on the bench during the 2-2 draw with Hibernian and his future in the starting XI and indeed in the long-term is there to be questioned.

He did score against Hibs but if a tenth consecutive crown still looks as though it’ll elude Celtic in the New Year, Edouard may finally give in and ask to leave.

After all, Football Insider reported this week that after losses of £13m, the Glaswegians may have to cash in on one of their star men – that includes Edouard.

Thus, who could replace him?

Internally they have both Albian Ajeti and Patryk Klimala but they missed out on their perfect successor in Ivan Toney. Celtic were linked with the striker but Brentford signed him instead. Since then, he has scored ten goals for the Bees.

However, it now looks as though the Bhoys will target one of Toney’s former teammates at Peterborough – Siriki Dembele.

Naturally a winger, the 24-year-old has started to play more often as a centre-forward. He has flourished in that area of the pitch, scoring five goals in just 13 outings in English football this term.

Last season, he was hailed for his impact as a striker by Darren Ferguson: “The boy has been absolutely outstanding since realising he can play as a central striker. He destroyed Ipswich last weekend with a goal and two assists.”

That bodes particularly well, but so do the comparative stats.

In fact, Dembele has more to his game than Edouard overall. Although the latter naturally has more shots per game, the former conjures up 1.8 key passes and 3.5 dribbles per game. On top of that, he is fouled a colossal 4.3 times a match.

Compare that to Edouard and the differences are stark. The Frenchman only makes 0.6 key passes and 1.3 dribbles.

A different type of player, Celtic could give themselves a more dynamic threat in attack than they’ve ever had with Edouard. Exciting times.

Meanwhile, check out the unforgivable MISTAKE that Nick Hammond made last January…

Celtic clawed their way to their first win of their Europa League run this season on Thursday. Although the Hoops had already sealed their fate in that they would be knocked out of the competition, it was a spirited performance from Neil Lennon’s side.

Despite Lille’s efforts to bag two goals, Celtic outperformed them by netting three of their own David Turnbull, Callum McGregor and Christopher Jullien were on song, with the latter performing well in both defence and attack.

However, it wasn’t the French centre-back who stole the show for the Bhoys. Ismaila Soro was handed his first ever start for the Premiership club and he made sure he left a lasting impression.

Ismaila Soro shines for Celtic

The 22-year-old played the full 90 minutes of his first Celtic start and he was a rock in the middle of the park.

According to Sofascore, Soro contributed a whopping ten successful tackles and made two interceptions. He also won 13 of his 20 attempted duels and was fouled three times.

The Ivorian tank has made himself very difficult to be ignored as Lennon moves forward with his season. After a run of poor performances, the Hoops boss has an uncertain future and talks of a potential replacement have been swirling.

But experimenting with his team like he did last night has uncovered hidden gems like Soro, who could give Lennon a last-gasp chance of turning the season around.

Celtic trail by a hefty 13 points in the Premiership table as Rangers look set for glory. It’s a tough time to be a Hoops fan but one major positive from the match against Lille is that Soro is certainly an option Celtic must be utilising a lot more.

In other news, Hammond must bring Gyrano Kerk to Parkhead to fill the puzzle…

Leeds have a battle on their hands this afternoon as they take on Burnley in their next Premier League fixture. The fight will get underway at Elland Road at lunchtime and despite the Clarets being below them in the table, it will be no easy feat for the Championship winners.

Due to a major injury blow, the Whites will be without Robin Koch and captain Liam Cooper today, via premierinjuries.com. The crippling news of the skipper joining the two summer recruits on the sidelines could spell huge trouble for Marcelo Bielsa unless he comes up with a solid back-up plan.

Luke Ayling has been operating from the centre-back position in the absence of regular starter Koch, but without Cooper, Leeds look even more exposed.

Illan Meslier could be the man to pull his side out of a hole if he can put in a solid performance between the sticks this afternoon. With a weakened backline, the 20-year-old will need to be alert and at the top of his game in order to protect his goal from the threat of Burnley’s attack.

Whilst the French youngster has been a little off form in several games this season, he has also pulled off some superb performances. If he can keep a clean sheet or at the very least, help Leeds to a win today then it will be a huge confidence boost for the summer signing.

Meslier joined the Whites on a permanent £20,000 per week deal after enjoying a title-winning loan spell last campaign. He has been lauded as a “remarkable” bit of business by Graham Smyth, speaking on the Inside Elland Road podcast (via This is Futbol).

There’s just four points between Leeds and Burnley at the moment – another three for the Whites will put them on their way to comfortably surviving their first season back in England’s top flight.

In other news, Marcelo Bielsa could axe summer signing Helder Costa already…

Considering Wolves’ perplexing Premier League form of late, it will be of some relief to welcome a new competition.

They face Crystal Palace in the FA Cup on Friday night in a game that certainly won’t be easy.

The Old Gold struggled with Brighton’s attacking play last weekend and against the likes of Ebere Eze and Wilfried Zaha, things won’t get any easier.

So how could Wolves shape up when they welcome Roy Hodgson’s side to Molineux this evening?

Well, there could be a host of changes from the side that we saw last time out.

In fact, we’re tipping Nuno Santo to be brave and make as many as six changes. The first to note is bringing Patrick Cutrone straight into the starting XI.

The Italian was in the wilderness at Wolves but has now been recalled from his loan spell with Fiorentina. With Nuno planning little activity in the transfer window, he looks as though he’ll stay in the Midlands, rather than being shipped off elsewhere.

As a result, he starts as the focal point in attack, just ahead of Morgan Gibbs-White who has also been recalled from his loan with Swansea.

The Wolves boss confirmed that Adama Traore and John Ruddy will be in the starting XI but there are two changes in defence.

We’ve already suggested that Rayan Ait-Nouri should be axed and consequently, Max Kilman starts on the left-hand side. Summer signing Ki-Jana Hoever earns another start at right-back after impressing so much against Manchester United.

The final change we’re tipping is in the middle of the park where Owen Otasowie is recalled to the starting XI ahead of Ruben Neves.

Raul Jimenez and Marcal are still out injured and aren’t available for selection this evening.

AND in other news, Wolves can land huge Silva upgrade in 9-goal beast, he’s on his “way to the top”…

West Brom will be looking to make it back-to-back victories on the road when they head to east London to face West Ham United this evening.

Sam Allardyce recorded his first win as Baggies boss on Saturday afternoon as Albion defeated arch-rivals Wolves 3-2 at Molineux, and now he heads to a former stomping ground with the aim of steering his side to safety in the Premier League.

The Irons are unbeaten in five matches in all competitions, so will pose a tricky test for the 66-year-old and his squad at the London Stadium.

But what sort of lineup could we see tonight? Will Big Sam stick or twist with a winning XI?

Here’s what we are predicting, along with the latest team and injury news…

There could be as many as three changes to the side that conquered the Old Gold at the weekend.

First-choice shot-stopper Sam Johnstone is likely to still be out after testing positive for the virus and while he’s now back in training, this game could be too early for an instant return, so David Button continues between the sticks.

The first alteration could be to the backline as Darnell Furlong comes in for Dara O’Shea at right-back.

He’s the natural option in the role. The young Irishman may have been deployed to counter the threat posed by Pedro Neto but the former QPR man offers more of an attacking option, having contributed to three goals this term.

He’ll join Kieran Gibbs, Kyle Bartley and Semi Ajayi in a traditional back four.

In midfield, Chelsea loanee Conor Gallagher is available after serving a one-match suspension and we think he’ll come straight back in, meaning Romaine Sawyers faces the chop.

The arguable Player of the Season so far will surely partner skipper Jake Livermore with Saturday’s goalscoring hero Matheus Pereira continuing in the no.10 role.

Callum Robinson was deployed as a striker up at Molineux, but we may see him revert back to a natural left-wing position with Robert Snodgrass starting his second-ever Albion game.

It’ll be his first return to the Hammers since leaving them at the start of the month.

As the 25-year-old goes back to the flank, we could see Hal Robson-Kanu in the forward position to start his first match since September. The £30k-per-week ace had been out with a fractured arm until his 21-minute cameo on Saturday.

He’s surely in line to start tonight.

Allardyce will still be without Conor Townsend and Karlan Grant, who are more long-term absentees, whilst Grady Diangana and Matty Phillips have been ruled out too, as per BirminghamLive.

AND in other news, prolific 11-goal marksman could bring shades of Salomon Rondon back to the Hawthorns

West Brom’s pursuit of a new defensive midfielder has taken them in a new direction if emerging reports this weekend are to be believed…

What’s the word?

According to the Mail on Sunday (17/01, page 150), the Baggies are eyeing a move for Real Betis powerhouse William Carvalho this transfer window.

Albion boss Sam Allardyce is thought to be determined to land a holding midfielder before the end of the month, having been linked with Leicester City’s Hamza Choudhury in the past week, as per the Express & Star.

The 66-year-old also told reporters, via BirminghamLive, that three loan moves had fallen through, so reports linking the Midlands outfit with a move for the former Sporting Lisbon man is certainly intriguing, to say the least.

Big Sam’s next Nzonzi

It’s hardly a surprise that Allardyce is looking for a proper anchorman as the current West Brom side does not have one, aside from rarely-seen academy graduate Sam Field.

Big Sam has had many a top player in the role throughout his long managerial career – at Bolton, there was Fernando Hierro and Ivan Campo, whilst in charge of West Ham, he had Mo Diame and Mark Noble.

Although the most interesting comparison has to be made to Steven Nzonzi, who he signed at Blackburn Rovers in 2009.

The pair are both rangy, imposing 6 foot 2 plus monsters and most importantly, are out-and-out holding midfielders. Both have even been likened to Patrick Vieira, so it’s a fair assessment to suggest they are cut from the same cloth in terms of playing style and for their physicality.

“You can see [Carvalho] as a mix between Yaya Touré and the classical Patrick Vieira,” wrote the Guardian before the 2014 World Cup.

Indeed, his figures throughout the course of his career reinforce this perspective – as per WhoScored, the 28-year-old enforcer has averaged 1.6 tackles, 1.4 aerial duels won, 1.3 dribbles and one interception per game over 172 appearances.

This shows that defensively, he’s a brute as he’s making tackles on a very consistent basis, whilst the fact that he can hold onto the ball makes those Vieira comparisons all that more true.

Such dribbling numbers would rank him alongside the dynamic Matheus Pereira whilst no other Baggies central midfielder wins as many duels in the air, also per WhoScored.

The Baggies have leaked more goals than any other team in the top-flight this season, so the addition of an anchorman could help shore up a leaky backline and as evident above, Carvalho, who has been capped 63-times for Portugal, would be an ideal candidate to bolster the position.

“He’s an amazing player with fantastic passing ability for such a strong holding midfielder,” once lauded international teammate Tiago.

Whilst his performances at Euro 2016 drew glowing praise from Rio Ferdinand too, he told BBC Sport (via the Metro): “He’s a giant, he’s huge. What is most impressive was his calmness and he’s secure with the ball.”

He’s won the European Championships and the UEFA Nations League, so perhaps the £18m-rated brute is an even better option than the aforementioned Choudhury.

It’s on Luke Dowling and co to sanction this move.

AND in other news, Fewer touches than Button: £9m-rated lightweight will have Big Sam fuming…