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We might only be eight games into the season, but Liverpool have already developed a healthy lead over their rivals Manchester United, who currently sit in lowly 12th while the league leaders chase their 18th consecutive victory.

The two clubs may be fighting very different battles at this stage in their existence, but the rivalry, which arguably runs deeper than just football, remains as fiery and intense as ever.

“It is and it still is [the biggest game of the season] even if United is not doing as well now,” former Liverpool defender Jose Enrique recently announced.

“For the players, for the fans, it is still the biggest game. Even Liverpool’s rivalry with City, even with the way they are doing [pales in comparison]. The rivalry between United and Liverpool is different,” he added.

Liverpool last won at Old Trafford in 2014, long before United’s wheels started to fall off quite as fantastically as they have this term, but with the news breaking that David de Gea could miss Sunday’s game through injury, on top of the general lack of quality in just about every department of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s squad, there’s no better time to end their five-year barren spell.

Legends of their respective clubs, Gary Neville and Jamie Carragher, reminded us just how special the clash is with a hair-raising preview…

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Following the return of Champions League and Europa League football in midweek, domestic football returned to our screens over the course of the weekend.

With the Spygate saga still lingering fresh in mind as Derby County travelled to Leeds United, Manchester City playing their first league match since suffering a stunning defeat away at newly-promoted Norwich and Liverpool travelling to Stamford Bridge to face Chelsea, there was plenty for the Football FanCast team to sink their teeth into.

Our team of regional correspondents kept a close eye on things and have since offered their views on some of the major talking points to emerge.

Here’s what the FFC team have had to say…

[snack_break title=”Underdogs challenge La Liga’s status quo”]

The La Liga weekend was defined by the underdogs.

Currently, Athletic Bilbao are sitting pretty at the top of the table and are level with Real Madrid, who quickly brushed away the claims of any sort of crisis with a narrow yet assertive 1-0 victory away at Sevilla, something they hadn’t achieved since recording a 3-2 win in May 2015.

Newly promoted Granada are just one point off the top after their sensational 2-0 victory over Barcelona.

At this point, Ernesto Valverde is definitely feeling the fire underneath his feet and will have to act quickly if he wants to save his job. His team currently sit ninth in the table with just seven points from five games played. With all the claims the Spanish domestic league is a two-horse race, the new season is definitely shaping up to present an enthralling counter-argument.

How long can the underdogs offer stark resistance to its impervious titans?

Domagoj Kostanjsak – La Liga correspondent 

[snack_break title=”City blitz doubters”]

Just a week after being on the wrong end of a monumental upset in the Premier League, Manchester City rediscovered their groove big-time with a mammoth victory over Watford. The naysayers were out after Pep Guardiola’s side suffered a shock 3-2 defeat at Carrow Road to Norwich, and there would undoubtedly have been some nerves in the home camp heading into Saturday’s fixture.

So what did the Citizens need? A rapid start to blow away all the doubts. In the grand scheme of things, David Silva’s goal in the opening minute of a contest that ended 8-0 seems fairly insignificant. But it proved to be a catalyst for how City demolished Watford. Quique Sanchez Flores’ men had overwhelmed Arsenal to earn an impressive 2-2 draw last time out, and may have fancied adding to the champions’ woes.

Instead, Silva settled any nerves, and set City on their way to a triumph that proves the title race is far from over even at this early stage.

Vijievan Jeevathayalan – Manchester correspondent 

[snack_break title=”United construct their own crisis”]

It was just bound to happen wasn’t it? After all the talk and debate surrounding Manchester United’s lack of options up front, the club now currently have all three of their strikers out with various injuries.

Anthony Martial and Mason Greenwood were both ruled out for the clash at West Ham, and so Marcus Rashford had yet another opportunity to stake a claim for being the side’s undisputed number nine.

Instead, he looked toothless like the rest of his United teammates, and was forced off mid-way through the second-half with a suspected groin injury. The defeat against Manuel Pellegrini’s side is bad enough, but the lay-off to Rashford could have major ramifications for the Red Devils over the coming weeks. The fact Jesse Lingard had to come on and play up front said it all really.

A mess of United’s own creation, and with potentially dire consequences yet to come.

Vijievan Jeevathayalan – Manchester correspondent 

[snack_break title=”Role reversal for Villa’s defenders”]

On a week where it was reported that Dean Smith would have a £20m+ January transfer kitty to improve his faltering frontline – one that had made them the joint-second lowest scorers in the Premier League, for once it wasn’t they weren’t liable for throwing away all three points against a ten-man Arsenal.

Villa’s defence had been the one shining light in their disappointing top-flight homecoming having recorded two clean sheets in five matches, putting them then-tied for the best in the league.

Bjorn Engels felled Matteo Guendouzi for their first error to give the Gunners a way back into the game before his partner Tyrone Mings made a mistake to let Calum Chambers and then Tom Heaton should have done better for Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s winner.

As soon as one problem looks seemingly out of sight, another crops up as the Villa boss still waits for his playoff-winning side to click in the big time.

Lewis Blain – Midlands correspondent 

[snack_break title=”There’s no place like home, unless you’re Leeds”]

Leeds’ home form has all of a sudden become a sticking point for the Whites. Marcelo Bielsa continues to keep his selection the same and in a game with Derby where they should have been out of sight, this was one of the factors to blame.

Eddie Nketiah and Helder Costa were forced to watch on from the bench as Jack Harrison was unsuccessful with five crosses while Bamford hit the post in a torrid afternoon in front of goal.

In their last two outings at Elland Road, they’ve had over 60% of the possession but only picked up a solitary point. If anything summed up their misfortune in front of their own fans, it was Mateusz Klich’s missed penalty in the second half on Saturday.

Something has to give, particularly when they are the hosts. Perhaps that’s finally handing Costa and Nketiah a start in the league. After all, Leeds have now only won one of their five home matches in all competitions this term.

Matt Dawson – Leeds correspondent

[snack_break title=”Barren Benteke”]

Impulse forces us in the direction of Christian Benteke after his latest Crystal Palace showing.

The Belgian could have wrapped things up when one on one with Rui Patricio, but his confidence is well and truly on the floor – the 28-year-old eventually got his shot away, but hit it straight at the Portugal international after what felt like an age to ponder his next move.

Palace’s club-record signing also had the ball at his feet when on a breakaway with Wilfried Zaha in the 95th-minute, but some sloppy decision making gifted possession back to Wolves before Diogo Jota stole a point for his side at the depth.

With four goals in his last 53 Premier League games, while earning £120,000-a-week, the former Liverpool man is definitely a problematic player for the Eagles right now, to say the very least.

Billy Meyers – South London and South Coast correspondent 

[snack_break title=”Baggies bouncing back”]Two familiar trends, if you can call it that, continued over at the Hawthorns on Sunday – they still remain the only unbeaten side in the Championship, but too their ability to gain a result from going behind.West Brom have picked up 16 points from their opening eight league matches with 15 of those – nearly 94% – gained from a losing position. That’s all but one game where some sort of comeback has been required in order to pick up some points. And yet they are unbeaten for doing so. Quite extraordinary.Whether that’s a good trait to have remains to be seen; you’d imagine sooner or later that’ll have a more damning effect, but for the time being, Bilic’s Baggies are showing why they can be considered promotion challengers – even more so after coming from behind twice against Huddersfield Town, sticking four past them on their way to three points.Lewis Blain – Midlands correspondent 

[snack_break title="Liverpool show mark of champions"]

Liverpool showed they can win without playing close to their best, and did it away to a top-six side, which many fans and pundits alike consider a big win to maintain the early lead over Manchester City.

The fact the Reds had just three shots on target and 45% possession highlights the fact they weren’t at their best, but positive contributions from Adrian and Joel Matip, who was named Man of the Match, shows that even players who aren’t as well regarded as others are performing to a high standard.

Jurgen Klopp’s side has only one clean sheet from six in the league, but the defence has been resolute when required, and proving they can win ugly should serve them well over the course of a title challenge.

Kealan Hughes – Merseyside correspondent 

[snack_break title="Are Spurs lacking commitment?"]

Tottenham Hotspur’s defeat against Leicester City on Saturday means they are still without an away win in the Premier League since they beat Fulham in January, and you have to wonder whether the mentality and commitment of certain players could be brought into question for the goals they are shipping on their travels.For example at the weekend, their back four consisted of Danny Rose, Toby Alderweireld, Jan Vertonghen and Serge Aurier.Rose was reportedly left behind for the pre-season tour to Asia during the summer in order to find a suitable move away. The Daily Mail said Vertonghen was left out at the start of the season by Pochettino due to fitness issues and, of course, his contract runs out next summer. Alderweireld is in a similar boat to his Belgian compatriot and Aurier was heavily linked with an exit during the previous transfer window, before questioning the lack of competition he has for the right-back spot.It is hardly an ideal situation for Mauricio Pochettino that the quartet appear to be the club’s first-choice backline right now, and then you have Victor Wanyama, another player Spurs were reportedly keen to offload during the summer, who came on for his first appearance of the season and put in a disastrous cameo at the King Power, too.Pochettino’s team selections in the next few weeks could be worth keeping an eye on.James Beavis – Editor [snack_break title=”Emery’s substitutions pay dividends “]Some Arsenal fans may not want to admit it, but Unai Emery got his substitutions spot on against Aston Villa.The former Sevilla boss was put in a difficult position against the Villans when Ainsley Maitland-Niles was sent off for two bookable offences. However, the introduction of Calum Chambers, Joe Willock and Lucas Torreira swung the match in the Gunners’ favour, with the former scoring the second equaliser as his team eventually won 3-2.Sections of the fanbase that will blame the 47-year-old for his starting line-up, but it is the mark of a good manager when he is able to recognise his mistakes and correct them during the game.Perhaps his rotation policy did him a favour this time around.Football games are not just decided by the 11 players on the pitch, but rather the 18 in the matchday group and the squad on the whole. Here, Emery deserves credit for using it to his advantage.Jon Radcliffe – London correspondent[/long_read]

After another successful clash in front of their crowd at the Camp Nou, Barcelona are travelling away to Getafe this weekend and will definitely be on the hunt for another three points.

Ernesto Valverde decided to reshuffle his cards once again as we saw Frenkie de Jong drop to the bench and Lionel Messi got his first start of the new 2019/20 La Liga season.

Still, even though Blaugrana were victorious, they were not as convincing and as dominant as they would have liked to be. Of course, the most important thing is to put that win in the books and they’ve still managed to do exactly that.

Watch Spanish Football Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

But going forward, and especially seeing how it’s a pretty tricky away game, Valverde will have to get his lineup absolutely right and the players that were performing rather well should definitely get a nod in front of the ones that didn’t.

With all of that in mind, here’s what we think Barcelona’s starting XI might look like against Getafe:

Marc-Andre ter Stegen’s position is definitely under no threat at the moment. Even though Blaugrana have already conceded a total of ten goals in just six games played in La Liga, the German goalkeeper has his place very much set in stone.

The backline should also see no changes from the last clash. With Jordi Alba still out injured, Junior Firpo is bound to start and so are both Clement Lenglet and Gerard Pique at the centre-back positions. Over at right-back, Nelson Semedo should also retain his spot.

Moving forward to the midfield, however, Valverde would be wise to slot De Jong back where he belongs – alongside Arthur Melo and Sergio Busquets as Blaugrana’s starters in the middle of the park.

The attack is very much where the fun begins. Messi and his likeliest replacement, Ansu Fati, have both been ruled out of this one.

Despite being rather underwhelming in his last couple of outings for the Catalan giants, that may well oblige Valverde to start Luis Suarez at centre-forward, with Antoine Griezmann taking up a somewhat less flattering role on the left-hand side.

We predict the right flank, meanwhile, will be taken up by Ousmane Dembele.

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Some Arsenal fans have taken to Twitter to react after they found out that Henrikh Mkhitaryan had scored twice for Armenia in their European Championship qualifier against Bosnia.

The former Borussia Dortmund and Manchester United attacker was playing his second game of football since leaving the Gunners to join Serie A side Roma on loan, and shone with a Man of the Match display.

The Emirates faithful didn’t really see the best of the 30-year-old during his year-and-a-half long stay in north London, hence the decision to ship him out on loan.

One fan below said it was a shame that the supporters never got to see this type of Mkhitaryan, whilst another said that he hopes the attacker can carry this form on in Italy, presumably so the Gunners can offload him permanently come the end of the season.

Let’s take a look at some more of the Twitter reaction from some Arsenal fans…

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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… 

Leeds returned to the top of the table on Sunday as they secured all three points against Barnsley.

The Whites were made to work hard for their win as Kiko Casilla was drawn into making six saves.

However, as now seems to be customary, Eddie Nketiah popped up when it mattered.

His goal in the final ten minutes put Marcelo Bielsa’s men in front as he netted for the fourth time with what his second late strike in the Championship.

The 20-year-old’s goal against Brentford proved to be the winner but this was equally as important.

Leeds eventually prevailed 2-0 and it was Mateusz Klich who got on the scoresheet for the first time in the league this term.

His goal topped off a sparkling performance from the Pole who performed well both going forward and in defensive situations.

Klich was dominant in the middle of the pitch alongside Jamie Shackleton but it wasn’t just his goal that made his display exceptional.

According to WhoScored, he had as many as four shots and also played four key passes. But he also showed a willingness to get stuck in with two tackles and two interceptions.

This was undoubtedly his best performance of the season, managing a rating of 7.96.

This all came in a weekend where he was yet again linked with a move away from the club.

During the summer the Poland international attracted the interest of Burnley and that has again been mooted, despite talk of a new contract potentially being on the cards.

Watch Leeds United Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

Football Insider believe he could be holding out for a move with the player not yet agreeing on a new deal yet but this performance here only emphasised why Leeds simply have to keep hold of him.

Klich was at his creative best, following up a season where he contributed to 19 strikes in 2018/19. That was behind Pablo Hernandez who managed 24 involvements, but arguably this term, the former has become Bielsa’s main man.

That’s proven by the three key passes the 6-foot midfielder is making per game in comparison to the Spaniard’s 2.7.

With exit talk swirling around, this demonstrated how pivotal he is to the west Yorkshire side.

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Tottenham seem to be at a crossroads at the moment. They don’t have their new stadium yet, they crashed out of two competitions in a week, and some of their players are being linked away from the club. 

What’s worse is that manager Mauricio Pochettino could well be leaving the club soon, not only due to the interest from rival clubs, but because he may be growing bored of the lack of trophies and progress Tottenham seem to be making.

One man that could bring a completely radical new approach to Tottenham is former Man United boss José Mourinho. Now we are not saying that the Portuguese is going to join Tottenham, or even linked with a move to north London, but it is a possibility that Daniel Levy may need to think about should his current manager leave.

This would be a controversial call, as Mourinho is a very divisive figure, but here are the pros and cons of Mourinho joining Tottenham:

Pros Status

Whether he is popular or not, there is no denying that Mourinho is one of, if not the most well-known manager in the world.

If Tottenham were able to attract the Portuguese to their club, it would send a huge message to the rest of the world. Some fans would even argue that they would suddenly be put in the same conversation as Chelsea, Man United, Real Madrid and Inter Milan- all European Giants that Mourinho has managed.

This would be a very good move for Tottenham’s global appeal.

Track record

Pochettino has made Tottenham into one of the most attractive teams to watch in England, and indeed Europe. He has overseen some very successful performances and seasons as a whole but there is one glaring blemish on his career so far and that is his lack of a trophy. He has made it to semi finals and indeed a League Cup final, but still has nothing.

Mourinho is almost stylistically the opposite of the Argentinian, creating boring and defensive teams to some, but he has undeniably had a lot of success. He could bring a winning mentality that Spurs have perhaps lacked in recent years. 

At every club he has been with, he has got silverware which to many Tottenham fans is all they may want. He could be the missing piece in their puzzle and toughen up a traditionally fragile team.

Cons Man management

For a long time there was no questioning the methods and style of Mourinho as it was hard to criticise a manager that had been successful in every club and country he had managed in.

But he started to turn a few heads with Man United, particularly regarding his man management.

He fell out with a number of players and oversaw a drastic drop in form by many of them. This was surely one of the leading factors in his sacking and he now has a job to prove that he is not a negative effect on others.

On the other hand, Pochettino has a great rapport with all his players and any senior figure at Tottenham will be wary of the Portuguese’s arrival.

Outdated

There were also questions during Mourinho’s spell at Man United whether he was becoming outdated as a manager. As teams like Man City, Liverpool and Tottenham play progressive football, Mourinho’s Man United look like they were from a different era.

Perhaps he is past his sell by date and Tottenham would not want to risk devastating a team that play so positively under Pochettino.

Verdict

Given the way that Mourinho tarnished his reputation at Man United, this is a risk that Levy should avoid. Whether fans agree with Mourinho or Paul Pogba after their ongoing feud, it is an environment that Tottenham just cannot afford to create.

That being said, Tottenham do need to look to a manager like the Portuguese in terms of their winning mentality if the situation does arise when they need a new manager. But this is a potential disaster they should avoid.

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Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain has only just returned to playing competitive football with Liverpool, but he has already earned a call-up to the England squad for their European qualifiers against Bulgaria and Kosovo in September.

Teammates Jordan Henderson, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Joe Gomez have also been included, but fans are most apprehensive about the inclusion of the 26-year-old, as some fear it could lead to further injury problems.

Chamberlain suffered a rupture to his anterior cruciate ligament in Liverpool’s Champions League match against Roma in April 2018, and has since played only 131 minutes of competitive football for the Reds, although he did start a match against Southampton in August.

Involvement with England could, therefore, allow him to get some minutes under his belt, and the former Arsenal man will likely be excited by the prospect of adding to his 32 England caps.

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However, many Liverpool fans feel the opposite. They fear the midfielder’s break away from Liverpool could disrupt his recovery and lead to more injury problems, as the responses below show…

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Leeds United are making good progress in what would be their first major piece of business this month – contract discussions with star man Raphinha, Phil Hay reports.

The Lowdown: Bayern rumours

Raphinha, described by Paul Merson as a player ‘full of energy’, has been a revelation at Elland Road following his move in 2020.

The 25-year-old has contributed to 25 goals in 50 appearances, scoring eight times so far this season, with Hay describing the display at West Ham last weekend as a ‘masterclass’.

His impressive displays have led to rumours of a move to German giants Bayern Munich over the festive period. However, the Whites are looking to reward the Brazilian with an improved deal.

The Latest: Hay’s claim

Hay took to Twitter on Wednesday morning, revealing Leeds are ‘are increasingly confident of finalising a new contract with Raphinha.’

He shared a link to an analysis piece of Raphinha’s display against the Hammers on The Athletic, where he added that the Whites are making good progress regarding a new deal.

The Verdict: Brilliant news

Hay previously claimed that the winger’s wage is a ‘fairly modest’ one by Premier League standards, with Salary Sport having him down as the club’s third-highest earner on £63,000-a-week.

Therefore, handing him improved terms is a shrewd and easy call and one that should keep all parties happy.

Raphinha has comfortably been the club’s best-performing player this season, as per WhoScored, so this update is just as important as a new signing, especially with the forward proving key under Marcelo Bielsa over the last 18 months.

Even if he does eventually leave, a new deal ensures Victor Orta and Andrea Radrizzani can get the best deal possible when that time comes.

In other news: ‘Leeds have also tabled a bid…’ – More transfer news emerges after Aaronson move.

An exciting Newcastle United transfer claim has been made regarding their attempts to sign Jesse Lingard…

What’s the talk?

CBS journalist Ben Jacobs has claimed that the Magpies are closing in on a deal to bring the midfielder to the Tyneside club this week.

He tweeted: “Newcastle are confident of signing Jesse Lingard in the next 48 hours. Looks like a loan deal. Told Lingard isn’t against a permanent move to SJP but wants game time first and then to assess options.”

Pete Graves has since revealed that Newcastle are pushing hard to get this one over the line and are waiting for Manchester United to give the green light.

The Sky Sports reporter added: “#nufc pushing hard to sign Jesse Lingard on loan from #mufc BUT awaiting final decision from Old Trafford. Club will pay loan fee plus full wages. Lingard desperate to play and speak to Newcastle as he weighs up his options. This one could yet happen.”

Delight

Newcastle fans will surely be delighted by this news, as it suggests that this particular transfer saga is coming to a successful end for the club. With less than a week to go before the window slams shut, the Magpies need to start getting deals done quickly, and securing Lingard on loan in the next two days could be a major boost for Eddie Howe.

He could be a fantastic addition to the team and give the fans a much-needed lift, with their side still sat in the relegation zone despite the win over Leeds at the weekend. Lingard is a proven Premier League performer who has the potential to come in and be a key player for the Toon in the coming months.

The England international proved his quality during a loan spell with West Ham last season as he was directly involved in 13 goals in 16 matches for the Hammers. He produced nine goals and four assists to help David Moyes’ side to a Europa League finish, and he could hopefully provide a similar level of end product for the Magpies to help them stave off relegation to the Championship.

Lingard has also shown off his talent at international level, with two goals and two assists in six World Cup 2022 qualifiers. This shows that he can do it for club and country, emphasising the point that he could be an excellent prospective signing for Newcastle.

Therefore, their supporters will be buzzing with the prospect of him arriving at St James’ Park on loan in the next 48 hours.

AND in other news, “I’ve heard” – Keith Downie drops key Newcastle transfer update, Howe surely buzzing….

According to De Telegraaf journalist Mike Verweij (via Sport Witness), Ajax are seriously interested in signing Tottenham winger Steven Bergwijn and any potential deal for the Dutchman depends on Erik ten Hag’s side rather than Antonio Conte’s.

The Lowdown: Previous interest in Bergwijn

De Telegraaf and Voetbal International have previously reported that Ajax have made contact with Tottenham over the potential signing of the winger in the January transfer window. Verweij then reported that the 24-year-old is quite keen to join the Eredivisie champions.

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/spurs-latest-updates-5/” title=”Spurs latest updates!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

Conte has recently insisted that Bergwijn is ‘totally committed to what I ask of a player’, but the Netherlands international has started just three games in the Premier League this season. As a result, he has attracted a lot of interest from various clubs across Europe, including Sevilla.

The Latest: Ajax ‘really serious’ about Bergwijn

According to reports by Verweij (via Sport Witness), Conte’s comments will have no bearing on the forward leaving the north London club. He claims that any potential deal is solely reliant on Ten Hag and Ajax rather than Conte and Spurs.

Speaking on De Telegraaf’s podcast, he said: “We do not have to attach too much value to Conte’s words. In the coming games we will see if he gets more playing time and then you can see if they really want to continue with him.

“Ajax are really serious about him. The interest has been officially announced to Spurs.

“Bergwijn has been polled by Ajax twice before. The first time when he still played for PSV, and then last summer. Twice, however, Ajax did not go through. The chance that Bergwijn will come to Ajax depends very much on Ajax. He is no longer waiting for Ajax.”

The Verdict: Potential departure for the right price

With a lack of game-time this season, it would not be a surprise if Tottenham were to let Bergwijn go if he pushes for a move in the January transfer window.

Conte has previously praised the winger, saying that ‘he has a lot of quality’ and that, as a part of the Italian’s squad, he is counting on the player.

However, with serious interest coming from Ajax and Sevilla, it does not seem unlikely that Bergwijn will leave Spurs in January, if a suitable offer is made for him.

In other news: 52-cap star already has proposal from Tottenham with Paratici in pole to sign him