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According to The Nottingham Post, Forest manager Aitor Karanka has said that he hopes that his side are not fatigued ahead of their clash with second place Middlesbrough today.

Both clubs had a midweek game, and while Karanka only changed one player between the weekend draw with Blackburn and the midweek draw with Millwall, The Boro’s Tony Pulis was able to make three changes between his fixtures.

However, while this could raise the possibility of fatigue amongst his squad, Karanka will know exactly what he is doing. The Spaniard knows that he has a very deep squad with a number of good players that he could still turn to. The likes of Ben Watson, Michael Dawson and even Daryl Murphy, none of whom started midweek, could come into the starting XI without affecting the club’s performance much.

Karanka will be comfortable with the depth of his squad, and, as said previously, that will benefit him throughout the season.

The trouble is that Middlesbrough may have the quality to match Forest’s changes. While The Boro do not have as deep a squad as The Reds, the ability of the ones that they can call upon is the reason why they are doing so well this season.

Of the three changes that Pulis made for his club’s encounter with Ipswich in the week, two of them scored- Mo Bešić and Stewart Downing. This goes to show that Pulis can trust anyone he calls upon in his squad. While Karanka has the luxury of being able to call upon a lot of players, he may not have the same amount of confidence as his Welsh counterpart.

Aston Villa are searching for a new manager after Steve Bruce was given his marching orders last week.

The former Manchester United man was sacked following a poor start to the season with Villa currently sitting in 13th in the Championship table. Rumours persisted that Bruce could be sacked before the season commenced following a takeover of the club, but the Englishman was given the full backing of the board. After a string of bad results, his position at the club became untenable.

Despite their poor showings, Villa are still only four points behind the play-off places and promotion to the Premier League is not unrealistic if the new manager can turn things around quickly. Managing to keep hold of Jack Grealish in the summer will also be a welcome boost for whoever replaces Bruce in the dugout.

Many names have been linked with the job including former Arsenal striker – Thierry Henry. The French legend quit his punditry job earlier this year to focus on becoming a manager at club level. Currently the assistant manager to Roberto Martinez with Belgium, Henry turned down the chance to manage Bordeaux in the summer and is reportedly wanted by the Villains.

Both Rangers and Derby County followed a similar route when appointing Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard over the summer with both novices making a decent start to their managerial careers. For Villa, naming Henry is simply too significant a risk to take with the club in such a precarious position.

The former Barcelona is untested, and Villa need someone with experience to get the squad back on side and playing good football again. Appointing Henry would definitely grab the headlines – but Villa must use their head and seek other options.

Aston Villa fans, thoughts?

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Following a Sky Sports report that Dean Smith has been appointed as new Aston Villa head coach with John Terry as his assistant, the club’s next move should be to make a fresh approach for Chelsea centre-back Gary Cahill.

Villa’s defensive frailties

Terry and Smith are set to link up with the Villa squad on Monday, and Blues legend Terry will be keen to tie up some loose ends with the Midlands club after he left them in the summer following play-off final heartbreak. He captained Villa for the 17/18 season after 19 years and 492 appearances for Chelsea and has been a miss so far this term as the Championship club have been leaking goals for fun and slipped to 15th in the table, a far cry from their final standing last season.

The Villans went nine games without a win under Steve Bruce, having also conceded seven in their last four Championship outings. They have struggled with injuries and suspension, even being forced to deploy midfielder Mile Jedinak as a makeshift centre-back and more recently playing veteran Alan Hutton alongside Manchester United loanee Axel Tuanzebe.

Terry himself may not be able to solve the defensive issues as he did last year, but the back four is clearly in need of a leader and he should play a big hand in bringing one in.

Why it’s a great signing and how it might happen

The former Bolton man has been a mainstay at Stamford Bridge since his £7m move to London in January 2012 but is now back-up to German international Antonio Rudiger and he has already made his disappointment clear, with the Telegraph reporting in September that he could leave in January in search of regular football.

Terry and Cahill have a long history, having played for both Chelsea and England together, and considering that the latter’s contract expires in Summer 2019 he could be available for a fair bit less than the £13.5m he is valued at by Transfermarkt. Could his former teammate convince the 32-year-old to accept an ambitious offer from the Claret and Blue in January?

It’s a transfer that makes sense for all parties, even Chelsea, who should consider reasonable offers when the Winter window opens. Otherwise they risk losing the experienced defender on a free once the season draws to a close.

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In his post-match press conference, Gareth Southgate avoided praising Eric Dier directly for his tackle on Sergio Ramos in England’s 3-2 win, but in a response to a question about the Spurs man he praised the mentality shown by his players.

What did he say?

We know that Sergio Ramos and (Sergio) Busquets will run the game if you allow them to, between them they have more caps than our entire squad, so we did talk about the mentality of going into the game.

“There’s how you want to play, with and without the ball, but then there’s the mentality you’ve got to show if you’re going to come to a place like this and win, and you’ve got to show the nouse and the tactical awareness, but also the nerve to go and take those guys on.”

What did he really mean?

Dier was ludicrously booked for his excellent tackle on Ramos in the first half, and Southgate avoided saying anything about the incident directly, presumably to stay on the right side of UEFA.

However, he made it clear that his players had been asked to go out and ruffle the feathers of the stars of the Spain side, and Dier did this brilliantly.

With the ball heading back to Ramos in his own penalty area, Dier began charging at the Real Madrid man and when he took a poor touch, the England midfielder put in a strong sliding challenge and the ball fizzed out for a goal kick. The referee deemed it as a foul and yellow card, but with the scores still at 0-0 it clearly set the tone for the first-half siege that was about to come from England.

Dier’s importance

Dier, who hasn’t always impressed in an England shirt, clearly stepped up to Southgate’s mark against Spain and the manager’s comments about an impressive mentality and nerve could see the 24-year-old Tottenham man become increasingly important for his country.

In the World Cup in Russia, Southgate favoured a 3-5-2 formation with just a single holding midfield player, but in the two Nations League ties with Croatia and Spain he has played Dier alongside either Jordan Henderson or Harry Winks, who have both helped out defensively and allowed Ross Barkley to play further forward.

England failed to beat a major nation in the summer despite reaching the semi-finals, but after taking four points from Spain and Croatia in this international break in the new 4-3-3 formation it would seem that Dier and another holding midfielder will be getting more game time for the Three Lions.

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Loads of Leeds fans have been reacting to the win over Ipswich, and they think it’s time to drop Samuel Saiz in favour of Adam Forshaw.

Leeds cruised their way to the top of the Championship at Elland Road on Wednesday, beating a rather poor Ipswich side 2-0.

The Whites had suffered a bit of a dip in form while injuries ravaged the squad, but they will never get a more comfortable three points than they did on Wendesday night.

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Kemar Roofe put the hosts in front in the first half, and Liam Cooper scored a deserved second goal with a cultured finish from the edge of the box.

One man who struggled to have his usual impact though was Saiz, who has just looked a step off the pace in the last couple of games.

Bielsa has given the little Spaniard has the license to try roam around the attack and try risky passes, but those risks have become downright wasteful in recent weeks.

Fans are now calling for the impressive Forshaw to start Saturday’s clash against Nottingham Forest, as Biesla’s experiments with Saiz are simply not working.

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

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Manchester City’s defence of the EFL Cup continues on Thursday when they take on fellow Premier League side Fulham at the Etihad Stadium.

The newly-promoted Cottagers have made a dreadful start to the new league season and are currently languishing in the relegation zone having conceded a division-worst 28 goals in just ten games so far.

The Cityzens will be confident of victory in the midweek fixture and of heaping yet more misery upon the Cottagers. However, Pep Guardiola will also see this as an opportunity to rotate his squad to give some lesser-used players and youth prospects a chance to shine for the first team.

Amongst those likely to come into the starting XI is Phil Foden. The City academy product is an exceptionally exciting talent who has already received plenty of first team exposure. Though, with his contract set to expire at the end of this season, the 18-year-old will likely want more regular football before committing his future to the club. 

For that reason alone, Foden ought to be the first name on the team sheet for Thursday night.

What do you think, City fans – should Foden start against Fulham?

Southampton supporters have been drowning their sorrows in recent times after seeing their side suffer a sixth Premier League defeat of the campaign at the weekend.

Mark Hughes’ men went into their clash with champions Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium off the back of successive 0-0 draws against Newcastle United and Bournemouth, yet having failed to taste success in the league since their 2-0 win over Crystal Palace back on September 1. And that remains their only league victory to date as a brace from Raheem Sterling as well as strikes from Sergio Aguero, David Silva, and Leroy Sane, alongside a Wesley Hoedt own goal, inspired the Citizens to a 6-1 win on Sunday, thus leaving the Saints just two points clear of the Premier League’s relegation zone.

As such, there have been many disappointed and angry Southampton fans up and down the country in recent times, several of whom are beginning to turn on manager Hughes, who has overseen just one league win in their opening 11 matches so far this term.

Thus, it’s time for the Saints hierarchy to cut their losses and get rid of the ex-Stoke City chief, with Sam Allardyce the man they must turn to if the South Coast outfit are to remain in the Premier League this season.

Ultimately, one mustn’t forget the job Hughes did in steering Southampton away from danger last season, what with the club very much in the relegation mire when he was appointed back in March, only to finish a place above the bottom three come the end of the campaign.

Yet the 55-year-old has been unable to take the club forward since then with only one league win so far this term, in which time they have managed a paltry seven goals to underline just how much of a struggle this season looks set to be for the South Coast club.

And after another heavy defeat on Sunday, time is running out for manager Hughes, yet the Saints hierarchy must make the move now to relieve him of his duties, with Allardyce the ideal man to come in and move the club up the table.

The former England boss has an outstanding record when it comes to keeping teams in the Premier League, be it remarkably leading Sunderland to safety back in the 2015/16 campaign, doing the same again with Crystal Palace the season after, and indeed moving Everton away from the drop zone last term to the dizzy heights of eighth place.

And while many Saints fans are likely to bemoan Allardyce’s appointment given the negative style of play likely to be implemented by the 64-year-old, it’s not as if their club are playing particularly great football now under Hughes – the difference being that they may actually get some results under Allardyce.

Ultimately, things look to be heading only one way for Southampton under Hughes, and while it’s still early in the season and they aren’t actually in the bottom three, the slide needs arresting quickly before it’s too late – Hughes simply isn’t the man for the Saints at present.

And while it’s an appointment unlikely to be met with huge enthusiasm, Allardyce might well be the man to keep the Saints afloat this term, which is why they must seek to axe Hughes in favour of the ex-England chief.

Southampton fans… what do you think? Let us know!

Man City and Man United face off this weekend with the pressure on Jose Mourinho to get a result.

Man U have been pretty poor overall this season and despite, Jose Mourinho being a defensive master, United have been terrible at the back and have given David De Gea plenty to do.

In City’s case, it seems as though they’ve picked up from where they left off last year as Pep’s men have gone unbeaten while also winning nine of their 11 games, thanks in large part to Sergio Aguero.

David De Gea

Signed for £18.9 million, seven years ago, David De Gea didn’t make the best of starts to his career in Manchester. The Spanish goalkeeper was constantly criticised for his lack of decisiveness and strength when dealing with crosses but since that rocky patch at the beginning of his career, the former Atletico Madrid goalie has gone on to become one of the best in the world.

Over the last few years, De Gea has been an ever-present in the Manchester United side and has made the £18.9 million look very cheap.

From day one, his distribution has been superb and but it’s his ability to pull off outrageous saves that has developed massively as seen by his ‘Man of the Match’ performance against Arsenal last season.

Mourinho admitted that he’s not confident that De Gea will stay beyond this season and if he does go, there’s no doubt that he will go down as one of the best goalkeepers in the world.

TT Grade: A+

Sergio Aguero will forever be remembered for his title-winning goal which handed City their first Premier League trophy and also their first top division title in 44 years as they beat arch-rivals Manchester United on goal difference.

Signed for £35 million in 2011, Aguero has represented a new era at the club as the Argentinian has helped take the club to new heights and won three titles during his time in Manchester.

A world-class striker, Aguero has been a constant goalscorer over the last few years at the club and impressively, even with the arrival of Gabriel Jesus, he seems to have taken his game up another level and is now firmly entrenched as Pep’s first-choice striker.

This year he scored his 150th Premier League goal and became only the ninth player to do so. Whenever Aguero leaves the club he will surely go down as one of the best to ever player for City and as it stands, £35 million seems like absolutely nothing for someone of his quality.

TT Grade: A+ The Verdict

A battle between two players that will go down in Premier League history as two of the best, when they leave their respective clubs, it’s going to be incredibly hard to replace them.

De Gea has constantly saved Man United and during their current poor patch post-Ferguson, he’s been the one shining light.

While De Gea has had to play in a side that has been going downhill, Aguero has been part of a side that has risen to the top incredibly quickly. For his incredible record, Aguero wins this one – but only just.

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Harvey Barnes has been loving life with West Brom in the Championship this season, but in the 4-1 thrashing of Leeds on Saturday evening he proved once again that he won’t be in this division for much longer.

The 20-year-old is currently on loan from Premier League club Leicester, and if they don’t recall him in January then we can surely expect to see him in the Foxes’ side come the 2019/20 season.

Against Leeds, Barnes played in attacking midfield alongside Matt Phillips as the Baggies demolished the Whites and moved up to fifth in the Championship table.

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Darren Moore’s side started brightly and had chances to take the lead in the first half, but the two sides went into the break with the score still at 0-0. In the second period though, West Brom stepped their level up a notch as Hal Robson-Kanu and Matt Phillips fired them into a two goal lead.

Then, with just under 10 minutes to go, Barnes raced onto a loose ball and calmly slotted the ball past Leeds keeper Bailey Peacock-Farrell to make the result completely safe.

The goal was Barnes’ sixth of the season after just 17 league games. Add that to his three assists and that is a seriously impressive return for the young England U21 international.

Barnes was a constant threat against Marcelo Bielsa’s side as he racked up seven shots and two key passes. His energy and work-rate were also demonstrated by the five fouls committed on him, proving that the only way Leeds could find to stop him was fouling him.

While his passing accuracy stats could improve, Barnes is clearly a huge talent and he is enjoying a fantastic spell of form with the West Midlands side. However, it is also clear that if his performances stay at this level then he won’t be in the Championship for too much longer.

Ashley Williams was thrown into the first XI at Everton following his arrival from Swansea City in 2016.

The defender was bought by Ronald Koeman, who was sacked the following year, but his stock has decreased in recent seasons.

Current manager Marco Silva did not feel that the centre-back would contribute much in the 2018-19 campaign as he allowed him to join Stoke City on loan.

Williams’s departure coincided with the arrivals of Yerry Mina and Kurt Zouma, who signed a season-long loan deal from Chelsea.

With the revival of Michael Keane added into the mix, it is fair to say that Williams has not been missed at Goodison Park.

The 34-year-old featured for Wales against Denmark on Friday, but his performance did not exactly catch the eye for the right reasons.

Check out the harsh words the Playmaker FC squad had to say about Wayne Rooney’s England career in the video below

Zouma has been a regular feature in Silva’s lineups this season, but he is expected to return to Chelsea next summer, which would leave an opening for another centre-back

Given that Williams’s contract at Everton expires at the end of the season, what should the club do with him?

Let us know by voting below.