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Jamal Lewis badly let Steve Bruce down against Leeds United on Wednesday night as the Newcastle United defender got torn apart by Raphinha in a 5-2 thrashing at Elland Road.

The Toon endured a frustrating first half in West Yorkshire with Marcelo Bielsa’s Whites dominating possession, leaving the Magpies to feed off scraps as the visitors struggled to connect yet returned to the dressing room at the break with the score miraculously level.

Yet a humbling was on the cards, and that was exactly what Newcastle were dealt when the floodgates opened in the second period, with Stuart Dallas, Ezgjan Alioski and Jack Harrison unleashing an 11-minute blitz on a helpless Karl Darlow.

Leeds ended the match with a mammoth 25 shots to their name with 10 on target compared to Newcastle’s toothless four directed on Illan Meslier’s net with five sailing wide of the post and one effort blocked, per SofaScore.

Raphinha brought the magic to Bielsa’s plans on Leeds’ right-flank with seven shots and two key balls, with the 24-year-old comfortably having Lewis’ number throughout the evening encounter at Elland Road.

Bruce had high hopes for what the future would have in store for Lewis when the 22-year-old joined from Norwich City in the summer in a £15million deal that could rise to £20m with add-ons but saw nothing of the sorts in West Yorkshire.

“Jamal is a very exciting prospect,” Bruce said, via The Shields Gazette. “He is only 22 and has a wonderful future ahead of him. I hope he’s a Newcastle United full-back for years to come.”

Lewis has now started 11 of his 12 Premier League appearances this season but was massively out of his comfort zone at Elland Road, where the Northern Ireland international completed just 12 of his 21 passes for a mere 57% completion rate.

The young full-back offered no attacking presence, either, with zero crosses attempted, no key balls recorded, zero shots on goal, just one successful dribble and only one of four long passes finding teammates, while losing possession 10 times.

Bruce rarely saw Lewis offer a hand defensively as Leeds wreaked havoc on a disjointed Newcastle line-up, with the Canaries product dribbled past once, making just one successful tackle, one interception and two clearances.

Lewis would leave the field at the full-time whistle having contended just three ground duels and two aerial contests, with his horrific performance only worth of a 5.8 out of 10 match rating from SofaScore, the lowest of any player who started for either side.

AND in other news, Lee Charnley must secure a January loan exit for an in-demand Toon gem Steve Bruce takes for granted.

Leeds’ season took somewhat of a reality check on Sunday evening.

Battered at Old Trafford in their biggest game since returning to the Premier League, Marcelo Bielsa’s team were a sight for sore eyes.

Thus, are changes needed? Quite possibly.

On the chalkboard

Bielsa’s side aren’t usually cut open at will but against Manchester United they were absolutely demolished by some sweeping football from Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s men.

The final score was 6-2 as Illan Meslier was forced to witness 26 attempts on his goal. The young French stopper managed to save eight shots but that wasn’t enough as the defence in front of him were carved apart.

What hasn’t helped is a number of injuries. Robin Koch and Diego Llorente were missing from the squad that played United and then on 72 minutes, their situation was made worse when Liam Cooper hobbled off.

What didn’t aid their cause either was the performance of Gjanni Alioski. Time and time again he was caught out by Dan James, losing a mammoth 67% of his duels.

That being said, the week before he was a goliath defensively and in the final third, registering a goal versus Newcastle and winning 81.8% of his duels. However, there lies the major question with Alioski – his consistency.

The solution

Leeds will need all the experience they can get at the heart of their backline now. Charlie Cresswell and Pascal Struijk are candidates to replace the injured Cooper which means senior heads don’t look too hopeful.

As a result, it would perhaps be risky to throw another youngster in the mix but before too long, Bielsa will need to start unleashing Leif Davis.

The 20-year-old, who has coined the phrase ‘very good Davis’ for something Bielsa once said in pre-season, is a promising talent that hasn’t really emerged as a genuine option yet.

He has made two substitute appearances in the Premier League this term, coincidentally against both Manchester clubs, but standing at 5 foot 5, he’s not exactly a height to be reckoned with.

Crucially, however, he has pace. That’s something Dean Windass exclusively told Football FanCast Leeds needed more of in their backline.

Consequently, Davis should become a real contender to make the starting XI. In terms of the way the left-back uses the ball, it’s incredibly eye-catching.

Speaking about him last season, YEP journalist Graham Smyth was effusive in his praise: “When Leif Davis came on, he just really showcased his pace. Legs were tiring and QPR were maybe a little bit more open because they were 2-0 down away from home and thinking they had to go for it a little bit and Davis just exploited that space on the left flank,” he began.

Smith continued: “For a defender that is terrifying, somebody coming on with that kind of pace. It was reminiscent of Gareth Bale against Inter Milan, pushing the ball ahead and backing himself to beat anyone else to it.”

To be compared to someone like Bale is quite the statement and with more game time, Davis will only improve.

It’s up to Bielsa to find a way of utilising him on a more regular basis.

AND in other news, Leeds could have their NEW Ben White if Orta sanctions swoop for “huge talent”…

According to The Daily Mail, Manchester United are amongst the club’s in the race to sign Schalke defender Ozan Kabak.

What’s the word?

It’s claimed the Red Devils could face a bidding war for Kabak as Crystal Palace, Leicester City, Liverpool and RB Leipzig are also keen to secure the services of the 6 ft 1-inch colossus.

Schalke are willing to accept a transfer fee in the region of £25m for the Turkish international, 20, who has won six caps for his country so far.

There has been plenty of interest in the young defender, with Ed Woodward trying to bring him to Old Trafford, but he faces stiff competition with Premier League rivals Liverpool and former European opponents Leipzig looking to prise him away from the VELTINS-Arena.

Nemanja Vidic 2.0?

Kabak has been one of the few bright sparks in an otherwise dismal season for Schalke, as they remain rooted to the bottom of the Bundesliga.

The Turk has made nine top-flight appearances this season, while he is averaging one tackle and 3.6 clearances per game, via WhoScored.

While Harry Maguire is United’s first-choice defender, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has struggled to find the right partner for the club captain.

Eric Bailly and Victor Lindelof are jostling for position in the starting line-up, but both arguably have their flaws, while Timothy Fosu-Mensah is seemingly reaching the end of his time at Old Trafford.

Kabak would be a significant upgrade on most, if not all, of the options currently available to Solskjaer. Standing at 1.86m tall, he is cut from a similar cloth to club legend Nemanja Vidic in terms of both his physicality and style of play.

Just like Vidic, Kabak has demonstrated an ability to lead by example, as he is a powerful threat in the air.

He’s also drawn comparisons with Real Madrid great Sergio Ramos, which is high praise indeed for someone who is still in the early stages of his career.

You only have to watch Kabak to see how good he is, but the numbers speak for themselves too. Last season, he produced three goals and an assist in 26 Bundesliga games, whilst he averaged 1.4 tackles, 1.4 interceptions and 3.6 clearances per game, as per WhoScored.

Stuggart sporting director Thomas Hitzlsperger was effusive in his praise for his former charge, saying: “It’s incredible how worldly-wise he is for his age. It’s astonishing. I see him every day and am amazed at how mature he is. He wants to know everything; he wants to learn German right away and understand everything. That’s the kind of attitude we need. He’s already a role model, despite his age.”

This sort of maturity would be most welcome in Manchester and to be able to get a centre-half of his calibre who is capable of covering and competing with Maguire and the others for a place in the starting XI would be a smart bit of business by Woodward.

AND in other news, Manchester United may forever regret not signing Aston Villa star man Jack Grealish…

Speaking exclusively to Football FanCast, Dean Windass has delivered his assessment on Diego Costa’s future and whether he could join Leeds United.

The former Chelsea striker became a free agent late last year after he and Atletico Madrid came to an agreement to mutually terminate his £265k-per-week contract.

Since leaving Spain behind, the 32-year-old has been touted with a number of Premier League clubs from Wolves to Tottenham.

Leeds were tipped to sign him by one claim in the media but any chance of a move looks farfetched. That’s according to Windass who told FFC that there would only be one circumstance in which a move could go through.

The former footballer said: “I think the only way that that would happen if he went to Leeds, is obviously if he had a connection. I think if he knew Marcelo Bielsa and then there was that connection. I think if he’s going to move anywhere it’ll be down south to a team in the London area and that sort of area.”

Costa has a fabulous reputation so if he did sign for Leeds, it would be an eye-catching transfer.

The Spain international has a brilliant record in the Premier League and has found the back of the net on 52 occasions in just 89 outings.

It’s hardly a surprise that during his previous stint in England he was described as an “animal” by Jose Mourinho. The Portuguese clearly got on well with the rugged forward who is now available on a free transfer.

The experienced 24-cap striker has only played seven times this term, scoring two goals in the process. Clearly, he would need to work on his fitness before sealing a move anywhere else.

Thus, that could throw yet another spanner in the works for Leeds’ pursuit.

AND in other news, “He’d fit into Bielsa’s team” – Exclusive: Pundit claims £30m gem would be a perfect Leeds signing…

Leeds continue to stumble in the Premier League after being narrowly beaten by Brighton this afternoon. This marks their third defeat in a row and sixth in their last ten games played.

They are in no real danger in terms of points, but things can rapidly go sour, as shown in England’s top flight countless times before.

It was an overall lifeless performance from the Whites, struggling to create much in the final third and disappointing with their end product. One player who will have pleased Marcelo Bielsa despite the result though is skipper Liam Cooper.

Cooper providing hope for Leeds

Leeds have struggled with their defensive options this season, with Diego Llorente making just one appearance so far and Robin Koch currently out with an injury. The manager has been forced to play Luke Ayling in a more central role after seemingly losing faith in Pascal Struijk.

Defence is arguably their biggest worry right now, but Bielsa will be looking ahead to pairing Cooper and Koch up again in what will hopefully be an effective centre-back partnership.

According to Sofascore, the captain made an impressive six clearances and four interceptions. He also won 83% of his attempted duels, which is more than any other Leeds defender on the pitch today.

He is notoriously known for his defensive input and was recently lauded as a “crucial” part of Bielsa’s team by Jack Collins, via the Ranks FC podcast. Cooper will undoubtedly also be feeling the effects of not having his usual centre-back partner alongside him recently.

Not a lot of positives can be taken from the Brighton loss, but Cooper’s strong performance across the backline brings hope that the Whites will soon bounce back to the side that were able to keep clean sheets against Everton, Arsenal and Wolves.

In other news, Bielsa must make ruthless call on Helder Costa…

David Moyes must urge West Ham United to strike a deal with ACF Fiorentina for Felipe Anderson to spend the remainder of the season in the Serie A.

What’s the word?

According to Gazzetta dello Sport (20/1, 09:55), Fiorentina have marked Anderson as a potential alternative target to Papu Gomez.

The Artemio Franchi Stadium side are thought to be struggling to get a deal for Atalanta BC veteran Gomez over the line, with interest firm in the €10m (£9m) forward who dreams of a move to Inter Milan.

Anderson is currently on loan with FC Porto but has struggled to establish himself at the Liga NOS giants, making only six appearances across all competitions and featuring in just two of Sergio Conceicao’s top-flight matchday squads since October.

The Brazilian had been linked with a potential early return to the London Stadium to secure a new loan move, as West Ham bid to protect his market value ahead of a likely permanent exit in the summer.

But recent claims from Portugal suggest the Dragoes are no longer interested in being separated from the 27-year-old this month, having been struck by a string of coronavirus cases and seeing potential deals for a replacement fall through.

Spartak Moscow attacker Aleksandr Kokorin is another alternative track for Fiorentina to explore, should Anderson not join, with Gomez considered an impossible reach for Cesare Prandelli’s Tuscan outfit.

A dream destination?

Moyes should be banging on the door to David Sullivan’s office demanding that the West Ham co-owner and chairman secures Anderson a move to Fiorentina this month, as the Serie A side could prove to be a dream destination for all involved.

Anderson is not getting the chances to feature he or West Ham need at Porto, and it will likely take a vast outbreak of Covid-19 cases for the Brazilian to gain a prominent role in Conceicao’s plans anytime soon.

But Fiorentina represent a fresh start for the £85,000-per-week winger, now valued by TransferMarkt at £22.5m just two years on from being rated at £40.5m, with Prandelli’s side 14th in the Serie A and in desperate need of attacking reinforcements.

Only Parma Calcio 1913 have scored fewer goals (14) than Fiorentina (18) after the opening 18 games of the season, while the Artemio Franchi Stadium natives have also failed to find the back of the net in seven matches to date.

Anderson knows the Serie A well from his five years with SS Lazio, where the two-time Brazil international’s form sparked West Ham to pay £36m to bring him to the Premier League in a then-club record deal that could rise to £41.5m.

The attacker struck home eight times and created nine goals in 32 outings during his final year at the Stadio Olimpico, to take his Biancocelesti record to 34 goals, 39 assists in 177 games across all competitions.

If West Ham are considering Anderson’s situation with a view to selling him in the summer, Moyes must convince Sullivan that Fiorentina – and not Porto – is the best home for the forward to rediscover his lost form.

AND in other news, West Ham are considering a £15.5m-rated striker without a goal since October to replace Seb Haller…

David Moyes should unleash Jarrod Bowen to torment Fulham defender Tosin Adarabioyo when West Ham United visit Craven Cottage on Saturday evening.

Bowen fell to the bench as the Irons beat Aston Villa 3-1 on Wednesday night, with Moyes drafting Ryan Fredericks into the side to double up on Jack Grealish with Vladimir Coufal.

The decision proved a masterstroke as Dean Smith’s talisman was frequently forced in off the wing and saw his influence restricted, yet Moyes will not need to attack on the same path during this weekend’s London derby.

Unlike Villa, who share West Ham’s aspirations of securing a European berth come the end of the season, Fulham’s main objective is simply to stay in the Premier League with Sheffield United (11) and West Bromwich Albion (12) the only sides to have claimed fewer points than Scott Parker’s men (14) thus far.

Fulham are also without a win in their last 11 top-flight fixtures, having been forced and forcing opposing sides to settle for a point each on seven occasions – only Brighton and Hove Albion (9) have drawn more often than the Cottagers (8) this term.

Leicester City were able to avoid a stalemate in their travels to south west London on Wednesday night with Brendan Rodgers’ side claiming a 2-0 win, with James Maddison’s vision and drive more than enough to make up for Jamie Vardy’s absence.

Pressure from Adarabioyo proved insufficient to thwart Maddison’s efforts or those of his teammate James Justin, whose lung-busting run from full-back ended by tapping in the Foxes’ second goal inches away from the Cottagers defender.

The only aspect in which Adarabioyo thrived against the King Power Stadium natives was in keeping things simple in hopes of protecting Alphonse Areola’s goal, with the 23-year-old recording a match-high 10 clearances. Harrison Reed registered Fulham’s second-most with three, while fellow centre-halves Joachim Andersen and Ola Aina achieved one between them, per WhoScored.

Adarabioyo’s no-nonsense approach resulted in his highest tally of clearances since recording 11 at home to Liverpool in December, while also penning his first successful tackle in four Premier League games, per WhoScored.

But Moyes can look to torment Adarabioyo on Saturday by unleashing Bowen, who former Rangers and Scotland manager Alex McLeish believes has is “different class”.

While benched against Aston Villa, Bowen has been performing well this season to create 0.9 goalscoring opportunities a game in the Premier League along with taking 1.0 shots and recording 1.1 successful dribbles a game, per SofaScore.

Adarabioyo, who Fulham signed for just £2m from Manchester City last summer, may only be dribbled past 0.5 times a game, yet Parker has felt the need to urge him to improve the basics of his trade.

“You can tell that he’s been schooled in a certain way, it’s probably the other side that we need to keep working on, defending, the bread and butter of what he is and Adarabioyo knows that, as well,” Parker said, via quotes by South West Londoner.

It was also under pressure from Brighton last month that Adarabioyo struggled, resulting in the 23-year-old turning over possession 16 times – double his usual standards of 8.6 – while completing just 74% of his passes compared to a season average of 85%, per SofaScore.

If Moyes is to force a similar display from the Fulham centre-back, he should be looking at the £80k-a-week earning Bowen and his drive to push West Ham on in the final third and bench Fredericks, no matter how well he played at Aston Villa in midweek. He could well be the Hammers boss’ game-changer today.

AND in other news, David Moyes can give a £3.5m-rated outcast a new lease of life at West Ham with one decision…

Gylfi Sigurdsson lived up to the task of replacing James Rodriguez against Tottenham Hotspur to emerge as Everton and Carlo Ancelotti’s FA Cup hero on Wednesday night.

The Toffees were without Rodriguez for the midweek affair as Ancelotti opted to rest the former Real Madrid maestro due to a tight calf, which he sustained in last Saturday’s 3-3 draw with Manchester United.

Rodriguez had scored his fifth goal of the season at Old Trafford to strike Everton’s initial equaliser, while previously registering three assists in the prior two rounds of the FA Cup.

Sigurdsson had big shoes to fill with Rodriguez watching the action from home but more than stood up to the challenge, with the Iceland international playing the pass that created three of Everton’s five goals as they beat Tottenham to progress through to the Quarter Final.

The £16m-rated creator additionally fired home from the spot two minutes before half-time to register his fifth goal of the season across all competitions, to now boast an identical total goal contribution for the 2020/21 campaign as Rodriguez with seven each.

Sigurdsson had never previously offered three assists in a single game for Everton since moving to Merseyside for £45m in 2017, having at best only ever created a sole strike within the same fixture.

Wednesday night’s FA Cup tie heading into extra-time somewhat helped the 31-year-old to achieve his rare feat, yet Sigurdsson already boasted two assists before normal time expired.

He was not alone in creating chances, either, with the midfielder and Lucas Digne enjoying a joint team-high four key passes – only Tottenham dynamo Heung-Min Son (5) offered more, per WhoScored.

Yet Digne saw much more of the ball with 83 touches to Sigurdsson’s 56, only goalkeeper Robin Olsen (48) registered fewer among those who played more than 70 minutes for Ancelotti’s side.

Sigurdsson’s influential presence at the top of the pitch allowed the 78-cap international to make amends for his role in two of Tottenham’s four goals, as well, having twice failed to sufficiently guard Davinson Sanchez at set-pieces.

Sigurdsson only blinked for a second, yet it was enough to gift Sanchez a crucial yard of space in the six-yard box to head home Son’s corner and open the scoring in just the third minute.

He kept man-marking Sanchez but was punished for doing so when the 24-year-old again struck home early in the second period, with the former Swansea creator turning his back on the ball to shield the defender eventually allowing the Tottenham titan a simple tap in.

AND in other news, Everton face heightened competition for a 17-y/o talent seen as the heir to a £101k-p/w colossus…

Tottenham Hotspur’s forgotten man, Dele Alli, is in line to feature this evening as the north Londoners head to Everton for an FA Cup fifth-round encounter.

That’s according to The Sun, who claim that Jose Mourinho could recall Alli as well as the recently dropped Eric Dier tonight.

The 24-year-old hasn’t featured for Spurs since starring against non-league outfit Marine in the third round and has since held ‘clear the air’ talks with the manager after a late switch to Paris Saint-Germain fell through in the winter window.

Speaking about the situation, Mourinho said: “What’s changed? He is available and not injured. He is happy to be training and we’re happy to have him back.”

So, here’s why he should start – if fit…

On the Chalkboard

Spurs ended a run of three straight defeats with a win over relegation-threatened West Brom at the weekend but they shouldn’t be fooled into a false sense of security as they only managed to stick two past the division’s worst defence.

Harry Kane’s return helped as he and Heung-min Son combined for both goals once again but there was still a creative influence lacking from midfield.

Mourinho opted to deploy Tanguy Ndombele in a deeper role alongside Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, giving the nod to Lucas Moura to play in behind the striker despite being a winger by trade.

His passing accuracy of 70% that afternoon, just 2.4% below his average for the campaign, suggests that it’s not the best long-term role for him and as such, we ought to see Alli feature there instead.

The 37-time England international has consistently been a creative influence throughout his Spurs career, averaging 0.2 expected assists per 90 with a career-best of 0.27 coming in 2016/17, the season in which he provided ten assists in 36 league appearances, via Understat.

By comparison, that figure would see him rank fourth for those that have started 12 or more league matches this term – behind Kane, Son and Serge Aurier.

He’d even be ahead of Sergio Reguilon, who has provided the third-highest number of assists this term.

It’s no wonder that Alli once drew comparisons to Paul Scholes and Steven Gerrard by Spurs legend Darren Anderton, he said (via Goal):

“I’ve got to say that I loved Stevie G as a player and Scholesy but Dele Alli for his age is just a freak of a talent. I love his arrogance on the pitch, how clever he is in finding the positions that he does and his willingness to try everything. He is a real joy to watch.”

Now valued at just €30m (£26m) by CIES Football Observatory, Alli finds himself at a crossroad and it is opportunities like this he must grasp in order to convince Mourinho into trusting him in the long run.

After all, the Portuguese boss is still a massive fan at heart, dubbing him a “team player” and “one of the best players in the world” since taking the helm in November 2019.

Alli’s creative spark could be the gamechanger for Spurs this evening. He must start at Goodison Park.

AND in other news, Mourinho must ruthlessly axe £85k-p/w Spurs dud tonight, Dier dubbed him a “nightmare”…

After securing an impressive 1-0 victory away from home against Leeds United at the weekend, Aston Villa will now face the Premier League’s bottom club, Sheffield United, on Wednesday night.

Dean Smith’s side took home all three points against Leeds thanks to a first-half strike from Anwar El Ghazi, and while the Villa boss will be reluctant to make too many changes from his starting line-up, one decision that he must consider making is starting Trezeguet.

The £9m-rated Egypt international has failed to take back his spot in the first eleven since coming back from injury back in late January, with summer signing Bertrand Traore firmly established as Smith’s man on the right-hand side.

But, with Sheffield United operating with that wing-back system, tonight’s game may be the perfect time for Trezeguet to make his return to the starting line-up.

The winger has always been someone who gives it his absolute all, working tirelessly to ensure his full-back is well protected and doing the defensive side of things diligently.

It’s something The Athletic’s Gregg Evans has picked up on, saying: “The amount of energy that Trezeguet puts in, it’s natural that he’s going to be tiring when it gets to like 65, 70, 75 minutes. (It’s) an incredible turnaround from that player as well, somebody who, admittedly I thought wasn’t cut out to be a Villa player, wasn’t cut out for the Premier League.

“He was probably the scapegoat in the winter months of last season where things weren’t going well. I mean, fair play to him for knuckling down and working so hard and actually realising that sometimes hard work beats talent.”

With the Blades using wing-backs to create their width, and of course having their patented overlapping centre-backs, Trezeguet’s extra responsibility at tracking back and following runners could be massive for Smith. As per Sofascore, he makes double the amount of tackles and interceptions that Bertrand Traore makes per game in the Premier League, while he also wins back possession more often too.

While Traore might offer a more unpredictable and exciting element going forward, Trezeguet’s application defensively may be exactly what the Villa boss needs to counter Sheffield United’s attacks out from wide.

Dubbed as “perfect” by Smith, Trezeguet must simply start against Sheffield United on Wednesday night.