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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… 

England at one stage looked to be cruising to another comprehensive victory in the Euro 2020 qualifiers on Tuesday evening.

Gareth Southgate’s men hit back at Kosovo with five goals after the visitors took a shock lead in the first minute of the game at Southampton’s St Mary’s Stadium.

A brace from Jadon Sancho as well as goals from Raheem Sterling and Harry Kane meant the home nation went into the break 5-1 up but the visitors had England nervous after two goals in the space of six second-half minutes.

Kane then missed a penalty, but the Spurs striker and his teammates managed to cling on to sit three points clear in Group A.

Nottingham Forest had an unlikely hand in helping the Three Lions to victory but not in the way you’d expect.

Their goalkeeper Aro Muric started in goal for Kosovo and put in a rather ponderous display which ultimately contributed to Southgate’s men picking up all three points.

The 20-year-old, who is on loan from Premier League champions Manchester City, was the man that saved Kane’s spot-kick but aside from that he still leaked five goals which ended their unbeaten run in the competition.

Muric made all six of his saves from inside the penalty area and at 6 foot 6 he understandably managed three high claims inside the box too.

However, his distribution wasn’t great as he managed only 26 accurate passes which was 74% of his total amount, per SofaScore – considering he’s a goalkeeper and is most likely passing out to his defence that should be a lot closer to the maximum percentage.

The Reds colossus was also off the mark with long balls, recording an accuracy rate of just 35%, meaning he likely invited the pressure back on his country as he wasn’t able to find a Kosovar player on a regular basis.

His performance certainly won’t be boosting his claims for the number one spot upon return to the east Midlands and after this showing, he is unlikely to weave his way back into the thoughts of Sabri Lamouchi.

This could have been a big chance for him to stake a claim against high-class opposition but besides the penalty save, he didn’t do too much right.

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For Wolves, their Premier League season has gone from bad to worse.

Failing to be beaten in the Europa League, they are seemingly feeling the effects of that competition starting so early.

From their opening matches domestically, they’re yet to win and have now lost two on the bounce.

They were defeated against Everton two weeks ago but were hammered by Chelsea 5-2 at home on Saturday, a loss that was completely uncharacteristic of a side that picked up 16 points versus the top six last term.

That shows how good Nuno Santo’s men were in the bigger matches in 2018/19 but facing off against the Blues this weekend, they were undone on a regular basis.

Wolves were without Ryan Bennett and the suspended Willy Boly which may have had a say in such a poor defensive display but the image below rather paints a thousand words of how the season has gone so far.

As you can see, three Wolves men stand dejected, rather understandably so after conceding the fourth goal.

Joao Moutinho, in particular, appears frustrated as rather than celebrating yet more points against one of the best sides in the division, they were left to look on as Chelsea ran riot at Molineux.

It was a match and picture that sums up the feeling around Wolves at the moment.

Like some Premier League teams of the past, namely Burnley last season, they’ve struggled with the demands of European football as well as domestic action but even someone as experienced as Moutinho couldn’t hide his disappointment.

Nuno will have to work out a remedy quickly otherwise we may start to see more images like the one above surfacing throughout the campaign.

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Liverpool may have continued their 100% Premier League start with victory over Chelsea and taken their winning streak to 15 consecutive league games, but the performance on Sunday has left some fans concerned.

In particular, the second half display was regarded as not good enough by some supporters, and given they almost surrounded a 2-0 advantage it is clear to see why that sentiment exists.

In fact, if Tammy Abraham had connected better with a backheel inside the box then Chelsea would have got the two goals needed to level things up, and a somewhat lacklustre display in which the Reds had only 45% possession is in need of improvement according to some.

Although slightly worried, some fans are just happy to pick up the three points and continue their perfect start, which leaves them with an early five-point lead over Manchester City in the title race.

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As Roy Keane suggested, those are the type of matches title-winning teams need to win, and therefore the reactions below may seem a little more negative than necessary.

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Speaking exclusively to Football FanCast, John Hartson has delivered his assessment amid reports that Jesse Lingard and Marcus Rashford are allowing off-field activities to get in the way of his football career.

Reports earlier this week claimed Red Devils boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer had pulled both him and Rashford aside to demand they concentrate on their football.

Last year, Rashford opened his own label called ‘Be Yourself’, whilst Lingard has long since held his own merchandise brand, ‘JLINGZ’.

The pair have come under fire in recent weeks and months for their poor form for United and, while there are plenty of reasons to explain their form, Hartson believes it’s important players – at United and elsewhere – stay professional and switched on.

He said: “Their sole focus should be on football, that’s their bread and butter; that’s what they get paid to do. I’m not saying don’t don’t get involved in outside activities.

“You look at David Beckham, all the outside businesses that he had, it didn’t affect Beckham’s football. If you want to have outside interests, that’s absolutely fine. That’s your prerogative. But you have to go into training and train properly and perform on the weekend because that’s what you do for a living.

“You have to respect the people that pay your wages and you have to respect the fans. You play for the shirt and if that stops it’s not acceptable.”

Talk about hitting the nail on the head. In a modern world dominated by social media and ‘influencers’, it is easy to get lost in all the drama surrounding it. Instagram followers and not trophies seems to be the deal-breaker these days for some professional footballers.

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If the likes of Rashford and Lingard are performing for United, then there would be no problem with what they are doing off-the-pitch. The issues arise when they deliver below-par performances, and then look like they’re far more interested in getting likes on their social media profiles.

As Hartson suggests, they need to ensure they’re treating their football careers with exemplary professionalism before worrying about outside interests.

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Speaking exclusively to Football FanCast, former West Ham United striker John Hartson believes the club’s players are delivering what the fans want in one aspect, although it was something sorely lacking in their humiliating 4-0 defeat against Oxford United on Wednesday night.

Following a disastrous 5-0 home defeat by Manchester City on the opening day of the Premier League season, the Irons bounced back well and are unbeaten in their five top flight matches since.

The run has included a win against Manchester United and three successive shut-outs defensively, and it hasn’t come through a lack of hard work.

That is something Hartson believes the London Stadium faithful are getting from their players at the current time, and if it continues it can only be good for their chances of enjoying a successful campaign.

“The one thing West Ham fans want to see is commitment every time you wear that shirt and they’re getting that at the minute, and if you put that in with the quality that they’ve got, they should have a really good season,” he said.

Hartson added: “The West Ham fans can accept you having a bad game, they can accept you missing a chance, but what they cannot accept is you not running around, not trying, not tracking back and not going into tackles.

“They just want to see the players absolutely giving everything for West Ham. They’re a traditional, fantastic club and the fans will adore you if you give absolutely everything. If you don’t they’ll spot it a mile off and you’ll soon be shipped out of there.”

Those comments are even more striking given what happened on Wednesday, when a number of Irons fringe players had their chance to stake a claim for a spot in Pellegrini’s preferred starting XI against League One opposition.

Jack Wilshere, Carlos Sanchez and Robert Snodgrass were among the senior players to disappoint at the Kassam Stadium, and you couldn’t say the players on the pitch gave everything to take their side through to the next round – perhaps that’s why some of them aren’t involved in the Premier League.

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They have made their manager’s choice simple for the trip to Bournemouth on Saturday given the players they replaced beat Manchester United 2-0 last weekend.

This article is part of Football FanCast’s The Chalkboard series, which provides a tactical insight into teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

Charlton make the trip across London this Saturday to take on Fulham at Craven Cottage, where they’ll be looking to bounce back from their 2-1 defeat to Swansea in midweek.

In stark contrast to the Addicks’ result, the Cottagers steamrolled Reading on their own turf with a 4-1 win, a match where Scott Parker’s side were 3-0 up at half-time.

Fulham – who were relegated from the Premier League last season – have a side littered with individual talent, and find themselves 5th in the table, just three points off 1st-place Swansea.

While there are a number of players in the Cottagers’ ranks who Charlton must keep an eye on, let’s take a look at two men who are arguably their biggest threats…

Tom Cairney 

The 28-year-old impressed hugely in Fulham’s last season in the Championship, scoring six goals and recording five assists as he helped them earn promotion via the play-offs with the winning goal at Wembley.

After a disappointing Premier League stint – he scored just once – the Fulham No.10, valued at £13.5m by Transfermarkt, is back to his best in the second tier and Charlton simply have to keep an eye out for him this Saturday.

Cairney has scored five goals and recorded three assists in just 10 league appearances so far this term, taking 1.3 shots and completing 2.4 key passes per game on average.

Aleksandar Mitrovic

Like Cairney, Mitrovic also thrived in Fulham’s promotion campaign with 12 goals in just 18 games, and he too has started the season in fine form.

The physically-dominant forward has scored seven goals in his 10 Championship starts so far this term, and looks likely to be a real handful for Bowyer’s men to contend with seeing as he takes an eye-catching 3.7 shots per game.

Charlton’s centre-backs will also have to bring their A-game in the air, as the 51-cap Serbian international wins 3.2 aerial duels per game on average.

Alan Hutton has called into question Mauricio Pochettino’s selection policy and in particular his tendency to overlook Lucas Moura.

The Brazilian has started just four games this season despite Spurs struggling of late, and some fans believe he is more deserving of an opportunity given the success he has had with the club previously.

Many think his presence would help to get the best out of Harry Kane, arguing that his pace allows him to be a key threat.

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The stats would support their thinking, as the 27-year-old has averaged 1.3 successful dribbles per game, despite averaging just 40 minutes played per match.

Added to that, he is being praised for his attitude and the continued hard work he shows, with Hutton suggesting he looks like he is trying his hardest, alluding to the fact that others may not be.

He also commented that his pace can be a valuable asset for Tottenham even when he is not at the top of his game, and therefore Pochettino is missing out by not picking him, something many fans agree with.

This article is part of Football FanCast’s Pundit View series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent quotes from journalists, pundits, players and managers…

Arsenal winger Nicolas Pepe joined the Gunners for a club-record £72m from Lille in the summer but his agent has revealed that he was “convinced” that he would move to Napoli instead.

What’s the word?

The north London side smashed their transfer fee record to bring the winger to London, after previously spending £56m to sign Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang from Borussia Dortmund in 2018.

Speaking with Radio Marste via Corriere dello Sport, Pepe’s agent Mario Giuffredi said: “I was in Dimaro, convinced Napoli had got him.

“Unfortunately, however, other factors come into play and when we talk of commissions, Napoli are limited in certain operations.”

Bad timing

With the Ivorian taking some time to bed into his new surroundings in north London, it’s poor timing from Giuffredi to make such remarks while his client is under pressure to get up to speed.

Pepe has admitted that his confidence has been low since his move from France because of the level of skill required in the Premier League and the language barrier, per RMC (via the Metro).

Indeed, he has scored just one goal in 10 appearances for the London side, and that came from the penalty spot against Aston Villa.

In the video below, we look at where it all went wrong for Arsenal’s former ‘saviour’, Mesut Ozil…

As quoted by the Telegraph, Arsenal boss Unai Emery told Pepe that he must embrace the pressure that the football club brings and that it is a privilege to play for the club.

Whether Pepe takes the feedback on board is another matter entirely, however.

The 24-year-old, though, will now be feeling the weight of his agent’s words on his shoulders and supporters are unlikely to be happy either.

As it is right now, they may wish he had joined Napoli.

Arsenal supporters have been looking back at the 49-game unbeaten run that the Gunners embarked on under Arsene Wenger.

The legendary team of the early 2000’s stands as the only side in Premier League history to go through an entire season unbeaten with 26 victories and 12 draws in the 2003/04 campaign.

Arsene Wenger led the side to three league titles and is regarded as one of the greatest managers in the club’s history after the unforgettable winning streak.

The run came to an end during the 2004/05 season when they were beaten 2-0 by Manchester United at Old Trafford.

During Wenger’s last game in charge of Arsenal in May 2018, the Frenchman was presented with a unique gold Premier League trophy to commemorate the achievement.

Fans were left feeling nostalgic after memories of the famous run came flooding back. The club’s official Twitter account posted highlights of Arsenal’s 3-1 win over Aston Villa to take their victory streak up to 49 to the delight of fans.

Here you will find some of the best responses from Arsenal fans:

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…

Tottenham Hotspur winger Lucas Moura was given a rare 2019/20 chance to impress when he was named in the starting XI against Watford on Saturday, but he ultimately failed to take his opportunity and only has himself to blame if he’s dropped for the visit of Red Star Belgrade on Tuesday night.

The 27-year-old hadn’t been named on the team-sheet for a Premier League fixture since the 1-0 defeat in north London against Newcastle United back in August, but he was alongside Dele Alli and Harry Kane in attack for the visit of the Hornets, with Son Heung-min and Erik Lamela on the substitutes’ bench.

It was a real chance for the Brazilian to show why he should be at the forefront of Mauricio Pochettino’s thoughts when he is picking his side, but he failed to deliver.

In fact, while the game ended 1-1 thanks to Dele Alli’s late equaliser, the scoreline was actually 1-0 to Quique Sanchez Flores’ men when the former Paris Saint-Germain man was replaced by Lamela in the 63rd minute.

He picked up a 5/10 rating from Football London for showing plenty of endeavour but producing little quality, and when you look at his statistics at home against a team bottom of the division, it is easy to see why he was rated unsatisfactory and was hooked by his manager just after the hour mark.

During his time on the field, he made just 20 passes and had two shots, neither of which were on target, as per WhoScored.

While he did manage to make one key pass – his replacement Lamela made two despite only playing 27 minutes – he was also dispossessed on two occasions as things just didn’t click from him.

It has been the story of Moura’s campaign to date so far – like many of his teammates to be fair to him given some recent results and performances – and he is surely going to pay the price against Red Star with Lamela and Son looking likely to come in, while summer addition Giovani Lo Celso could also be involved.

Should be find himself out of the XI again, he will only have himself to blame having failed to take his chance to show he should be a regular in a struggling side right now.

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