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

The cries a few weeks ago from Leeds supporters were for Helder Costa and Eddie Nketiah to start.

They’ve had one of those wishes granted with the Portuguese playing from the off in the last two league outings. However, the striker is still yet to be granted the same privilege in the league.

An injury to Pablo Hernandez finally granted Costa his first Championship start for the Whites against Charlton but he duly disappointed by losing possession 17 times. At times he’s felt rather cryptic and underwhelming, but in other moments, he’s looked a class above.

Supporters seemed pleased with him after a display against West Brom but you feel as though Leeds are still missing a trick with the 25-year-old this term, particularly in recent times.

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On the chalkboard

£15m is the fee Leeds will spend on Costa next summer to make him a permanent part of the furniture. At one stage it looked rather seismic given he hadn’t started for a few months.

This is a player who has 29 goal involvements in two Championship campaigns with Wolves so the potential is clearly there.

After all, he’s already been involved in four goals in 2019/20, despite only starting the same number of matches.

He was electric in the early rounds of the Carabao Cup, providing two assists and a goal but he’s yet to discover that in the league.

Why are Leeds fans the best in the country? Find out in the video below…

One player he’s gained a real understanding with is Eddie Nketiah. The pair combined for a strike against Salford in the cup before finding themselves at the centre of all things good late on versus Brentford.

The pair linked up in near-identical fashion as Costa got to the byline and then pulled the ball back for the Arsenal loanee to bury an opportunity.

Costa has rarely been afforded a chance alongside Nketiah despite this and as a pair, they’ve started just two matches and played a combined 240 minutes, according to Transfermarkt.

Bamford is the type of forward that is more likely to hold things up and expect players to play into him but Nketiah runs off the shoulder and his darting runs could prove particularly effective for someone like Costa.

He registered 14 assists for Wolves at this level with canny operators such as Ivan Cavaleiro and Rui Fonte beside him.

They were energetic forwards and that enabled Costa to contribute to 18 goals with both of them combined in all competitions.

Bamford has gone goalless for five games and despite his work rate earning praise from supporters, you can’t help but feel Leeds are missing a trick by not playing Costa alongside Nketiah.

They’ve shown they can be dangerous twice already this season and the added movement from the 20-year-old might allow his teammate to live up to expectation.

Things take time but this change could be one that ensures Costa thrives.

Former Liverpool under-23 manager Michael Beale has spoken out about Jurgen Klopp’s dealings with the club’s Academy when he first came to Anfield.

Speaking exclusively to the Liverpool Echo, current Rangers assistant manager Beale said that Klopp immediately met with him and Academy director Alex Inglethorpe after being shocked to learn that the club had 17 players out on loan at the time of his arrival in October 2015.

Beale told the Liverpool Echo: “To be fair, all our dealings with Jurgen, from the moment he come were fantastic.

“I think he got announced as manager and then the very next day he was straight to the Academy, because we had an U18 game that day and we had one or two players playing in that he wanted to get a look at.”

Beale added that Klopp has always been “very, very open and friendly with all of the Academy staff” during his time at Anfield. [via Liverpool Echo]

Klopp would hand first team opportunities to several players who were loaned out by Liverpool four years ago. Marko Grujic, Tiago Ilori, Kevin Stewart, Sheyi Ojo and Danny Ward were all on loan from the Reds during the 2015/16 season but all subsequently played for the German.

Klopp has also utilised the loan market to afford first team experience to players such as Taiwo Awoniyi, Jon Flanagan, Adam Bogdan, Ovie Ejaria, Ryan Kent, Ben Woodburn and Harry Wilson. [via TransferMarkt]

However, none of those have since currently out on loan from Liverpool, with the latter yet to make a first team appearance despite being loaned out at the time of Klopp’s arrival. The others have all left the club permanently having failed to become regulars at Liverpool under the current manager.

The only player from the Reds’ Academy to have become an closing in on a century of appearances for the club despite having just turned 21 this week.

Even though Beale has praised Klopp’s interest in the Academy and the first team manager was reportedly alarmed at how many players were loaned out by the club in 2015, he is still utilising the loan market despite allowing many previously on-loan players to leave permanently.

To his credit, Klopp has given chances to a lot of Academy and on-loan players during his time at Liverpool, while he has been honest enough to let those who aren’t in his plans to leave Anfield altogether.

However, history suggests that the current Academy crop, as well as those on loan from the club, would prove to be the exception rather than the rule if they can go on to become Liverpool first team regulars under Klopp.

Liverpool fans, do you think Klopp has used the loan market effectively? Has he been fair to fringe players at the club in terms of first team opportunities? Have your say by commenting below!

This article is part of Football FanCast’s Transfer Focus series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent transfer news…

According to German media outlet Bild, Tottenham Hotspur are reportedly interested in €50m-rated (£43m) Borussia Monchengladbach midfielder Denis Zakaria, and he is the defensive midfielder they need to allow Harry Winks and Tanguy Ndombele to flourish.

What’s the word, then?

Well, Bild report that the current Bundesliga leaders feel that the Switzerland international is one of the players they could receive a club-record transfer fee for, with their current leader the €45m they got from Arsenal for Granit Xhaka.

Bild say that Monchengladbach feel they could get at least £43m for the 22-year-old, who is interesting a number of top European clubs.

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Spurs are among those according to the story, along with Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund, Inter Milan and Premier League rivals Manchester United.

As good as Wanyama pre-injury

The north London outfit have suffered without an out-and-out defensive midfielder in their team this season to protect the defence, with the likes of Winks, Ndombele and Moussa Sissoko playing in the deepest midfield roles –  the 10 goals they have conceded in their previous two fixtures is proof of that.

Mauricio Pochettino does have Victor Wanyama and Eric Dier available, but he clearly doesn’t trust them given their lack of minutes this season.

To be fair to the Argentine, the former was awful when he came on in the 2-1 defeat to Leicester City last month as his recent injury issues appear to have caught up with him, while the latter doesn’t look the same player that was such a mainstay in the starting XI during the early stages of the 47-year-old’s reign at Tottenham – his first Premier League start of the campaign was last time out against Brighton.

Buying Zakaria would allow the likes of Winks and Ndombele to flourish going forward though, as it is a role he is playing with his club right now.

The 22-year-old is the deepest of Monchengladbach’s central midfield trio – in a team that has only conceded six times in seven matches – and according to Bundesliga.com, he has a pass completion rate of 88% in the German flight this term.

A look back at his stats from this season and previous ones show he is more than on a par with Wanyama before he suffered his multiple injury issues with Spurs, as he averaged 2.5 tackles and 1.5 interceptions in the 2017/18 season, and 2.3 tackles and 1.4 interceptions this term, as per WhoScored.

Meanwhile, the Kenya international’s most consistent run in the starting XI came when Tottenham finished second in 2016-17, with his defensive stats standing at 2.5 tackles and 1.1 interceptions in 36 Premier League outings when Pochettino’s men only let in 26 goals.

This article is part of Football FanCast’s Off the Bench series, which places in-game managerial decisions and squad selections under FFC’s microscope.

Leeds United left Deepdale on Tuesday evening with a point, but if it wasn’t for Marcelo Bielsa’s substitutions the Whites may have walked away with nothing against the playoff contenders.

Of course, the big talking point was Eddie Nketiah’s impact off the bench, but there was another player that was brought into proceedings late on that immediately impressed.

Snapshot

Leeds were incredibly flat on Tuesday evening, and that was partly down to the lack of attacking threat coming from the midfield.

Why being the away goalkeeper at Leeds is the toughest job in football in the video below…

It was an uncharacteristically quiet night for Mateusz Klich as he only got two shots away, neither of which were on target.

With the Whites 1-0 down in the 76th minute, something had to change, so Bielsa looked towards his subs bench.

Off the bench

The manager may have left it late to make his changes, but they made exactly the type of impact he will have wanted.

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Obviously, Nketiah scored, but it was Tyler Roberts’ performance after coming on that should have made an equally big statement to Bielsa.

The Welshman was a constant thorn in the Preston defence’s side as he continuously got into good positions, getting two shots off in his 15-minute cameo – the third most of any Leeds player that evening.

On another day the 21-year-old could have won the game for Leeds as a huge penalty appeal went up in the last minute as he once again found himself inside the box, but it wasn’t to be.

Roberts immediately sparked a new life into the game, and the £3.6m-rated man’s positivity in his 15-minute cameo makes a great case for him starting for the Whites in the near future.

Ian Wright was furious with Unai Emery after the Spaniard claimed Arsenal didn’t deserve to lose against Sheffield United on Monday night.

The Gunners scuppered their chance to climb into fourth on Monday and the defeat means they’ve gone four Premier League away games without securing a win since their opening day victory at Newcastle United.

Rather ironically, former boss Arsene Wenger, who was unceremoniously forced out of his position with the help of a global hashtag ‘Wenger Out,’ was trending on Twitter after the match – albeit aided by the fact Tuesday is his birthday – with some apparently now realising just how good they had it with the Frenchman for 22 special years.

The increasingly unpopular Emery didn’t help his case last night either, by claiming that his side deserved more against the Blades…

It’s one thing losing after a dismal display – that can be forgiven. Failing to acknowledge a poor performance, and even going as far to defend it, however, is asking for trouble.

Arsenal legend Ian Wright certainly wasn’t pleased with Emery’s choice of words…

Some Crystal Palace fans took to Twitter to express their displeasure after seeing Wayne Hennessey’s name on the teamsheet ahead of the game against Arsenal on Sunday afternoon.

The Wales international made his first Premier League start of the season the week before against Manchester City, stepping in for Vicente Guaita with the Spaniard out injured – his absence against the Gunners was also enforced, so Hennessey made his second league start of the campaign.

The former Wolves glovesman never seems to ooze much confidence, having previously lacked a command of his penalty area while also being guilty of making some glaring errors for the Eagles – an example of this would be his blunder away to Aston Villa in 2016, as well as a string of unconvincing displays.

Another example would be the two early goals conceded against the Gunners, as the Welshman looked to have zero control over his penalty area as Sokratis and David Luiz scored from corner kicks – those two moments somewhat back up the Palace fans’ frustrations.

Guaita arrived on a free transfer from Getafe in the summer of 2018 and looks to have wrestled the No.1 shirt from Hennessey, after starting the first eight league games of the current campaign.

After seeing Hennessey’s name in the XI once again however, some Palace fans on Twitter weren’t too happy…

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

Sheffield Wednesday go into today’s game occupying a playoff spot in fifth position as they look to continue their hot streak under Garry Monk.

The Owls have lost just one game since the 40-year-old took charge at the start of September, going on to pick up 14 points from a possible 24.

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That’s pretty good going considering the position they find themselves in and the fact that Monk inherited this squad from his previous incumbents Steve Bruce and caretaker boss Lee Bullen.

But now he faces a dreaded dilemma over team selection.

On the Chalkboard

Club captain Tom Lees returned from injury this week and took a full part in training, meaning he should be available for the trip across the Lancashire border to Blackburn Rovers.

In his absence, Wednesday have kept four clean sheets in eight matches, so will the 28-year-old even earn an instant recall to the starting line up?

It remains to be seen whether or not Julian Borner earns his place back having withdrawn late in the warm-up against Leeds United last time out, so there is an argument to be made on why Lees should return in that sense.

But Sam Hutchinson stepped up to the plate superbly, as shown by this article here, so he has every chance of keeping his place at centre-back.

There’s also Dominic Iorfa, who has become a solid option in the heart of the defence, which fans seem to agree with having praised his performances on more than one occasion this season.

Monk doesn’t exactly need to change things up in his backline as they have kept two clean sheets in their last three matches.

But the return of his influential skipper gives him plenty of food for thought going into this game.

Hutchinson (2.1) and Iorfa (1.8) both have averaged more tackles per game than the former England U21 international (0.8) while Borner outscores him for both clearances (4.5) and interceptions (1.5) per game, via WhoScored.

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

Leeds moved back into the top two with an impressive win over QPR on Saturday.

The Whites were rather impressive, and many would have been very happy with the performance, but there’s one man who may have mixed emotions about the club’s win at Elland Road.

Indeed, Ezgjan Alioksi may be in for a spell on the sidelines in the near future as the Whites successfully trialled a new formation that doesn’t have a spot for him.

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New tactic

Marcelo Bielsa utilised a new system against QPR this weekend.

As expected, the gaffer used a three at the back formation, but this time he opted not to use wing-backs.

Indeed, the Argentine opted to ditch his wing-backs in favour of an extra midfielder and a number ten as he used more of a 3-1-2-3-1 rather than his famed 3-3-1-3.

That may sound a little complicated, but this is Bielsa we’re talking about.

Why being the away goalkeeper at Leeds is the toughest job in football in the video below…

Alioski out of favour

After the Whites’ success on Saturday, this system may be used more often by the 64-year-old, and that may mean that the £4m-rated Alioski finds himself on the bench over the next few weeks.

Jack Harrison did a soild job of marshalling the left side of the pitch all by himself against the London club as he made as many tackles as Ben White and Liam Cooper, while also being the only player for Leeds to block a shot.

That was as well as scoring and assisting a goal too.

The winger showed that Bielsa can comfortably use a system that doesn’t utilise wing-backs while not actually losing any defensive capabilities.

That means that Alioski’s spot in the squad is under fire as the need for a wing-back is no longer there in games that the manager wants to utilise a three at the back formation.

This article is part of Football FanCast’s Opinion series, which provides analysis, insight and opinion on any issue within the beautiful game, from Paul Pogba’s haircuts to League Two relegation battles…

When Daniel James made his rather low-key arrival at Old Trafford earlier in the summer, perhaps nobody could have expected just how important he would end up being in the first few months of his Manchester United career.

Even the 21-year-old himself has admitted to being surprised by the sheer number of games he has already played for the club.

“I came to United maybe thinking I could be a fringe player. I wanted to try and get in the team as quick as I could but I thought it may take a bit more time. I got chucked in a lot earlier than I thought. But I was ready for it. I worked hard during the summer. It was about proving people wrong and showing what I can do.”

The Wales international has featured 15 times across all competitions this season, scoring three times and providing a further three assists. In what has been a hugely disappointing campaign for the Red Devils – they currently lie in tenth in the Premier League – James has been one of the bright sparks.

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And that is exactly why reports of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer planning on handing him a rest to avoid the risk of burnout simply cannot be facilitated. James has provided genuine pace, width and sheer energy to the United team whenever he has played, and according to Whoscored, has averaged 1.5 shots, 0.8 dribbles and 0.7 crosses per game in the top-flight.

Speaking on talkSPORT, Red Devils legend Rio Ferdinand paid a glowing tribute to the immediate impact James has had on the team.

“I don’t think they (United) expected what they have got from Daniel James so early on in his Manchester United career. You’re buying someone from Swansea who was probably brought in as someone who is going to flourish at a later date. However, he’s been forced to the forefront as their main man in the team at the moment.”

Resting the winger anytime soon when the side are in such a precarious position in the league would be waving the white flag. The Red Devils have a serious issue with scoring goals this season, netting just 13 times in their opening 11 league games, and taking away one of their main threats could do untold harm to their chances of going on a winning run.

So whilst the sentiment behind wanting to mollycoddle the Welshman is understandable, United quite frankly, are not in a position to rest a man who could hold the key to success this season.

England will contest their landmark 1,000th international match on Thursday 14 November when Montenegro are the visitors to Wembley in qualifying for the 2020 UEFA European Championship – it could be a memorable night as the hosts look to secure their place at next summer’s groundbreaking tournament.

And if they do, Three Lions supporters will be looking forward to the possibility of lifting the Henri Delaunay Trophy on home Wembley soil on Sunday 12 July 2020, after coming so close at Russia 2018.

Ahead of what promises to be a special night of celebrations at the home of Gareth Southgate’s men, we’ve taken a look back at 20 of the most memorable contests in England’s history so far.

They’re all here, from glory in ’66 to heartache in Turin in ’90.

Cameroon 2-3 England (AET), 1 July 1990

Copyright: MirrorPix

Bobby Robson’s England came so close to a shot at adding a second FIFA World Cup to their collection at the iconic Italia ’90 tournament and quarter-final victory over Cameroon that year has lived long in the memory – a match that included five goals, three penalties and a period of extra-time, it’s no surprise.

The Three Lions were in trouble when the African minnows went 2-1 up in the 65th minute but Gary Lineker saved the day with a pair of spot-kicks in the 83rd and 105th minutes.

England 2-1 Portugal, 26 July 1966

Copyright: MirrorPix

England’s thrilling 1966 World Cup final victory over West Germany will forever be remembered in the game, however, Alf Ramsey’s men’s semi-final triumph in that tournament was enthralling in its own right.

Close to 95,000 fans crammed into the Old Wembley to see whether the Three Lions could reach their first-ever major final and it looked as if they were going to after Bobby Charlton’s strikes either side of the break, but Eusebio would make it 2-1 eight minutes from time to set up one of the all-time England nail-biting finishes.

Denmark 0-3 England, 15 June 2002

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There would be no such nervy final few minutes 36 years later at the 2002 World Cup in Asia when England met fellow Europeans Denmark in the round-of-16.

Sven-Goran Eriksson’s side produced one of the best Three Lions World Cup performances to down the Danes by three goals, all of which came before half-time through Rio Ferdinand, Michael Owen and Emile Heskey.

England 2-2 Greece, 6 October 2001

Copyright: MirrorPix

Who could forget the match that gave David Beckham arguably his finest moment with the Three Lions on his chest? Certainly not us.

With England needing only a point to secure a place at the 2002 World Cup but trailing Greece 2-1 deep into stoppage time in the final game of qualifying, Beckham stepped up to a 93rd-minute free-kick at his home ground and whipped it into the top left-hand corner to send his nation to South Korea & Japan.

England 3-1 France, 16 June 1982

Copyright: MirrorPix

The 80’s was not the best time in Three Lions history with only one appearance in the knockout rounds of a major tournament recorded.

However, it did yield one of the more impressive results for the nation when Ron Greenwood’s team met the strong French in the opening match of Spain ’82. Bryan’s Robson’s fastest goal in World Cup history was followed by a second for the midfielder and a Paul Marriner effort, France no match for England.

England 0-0 Portugal (1-3), 1 July 2006

Copyright: MirrorPix

One of the more infamous World Cup moments occurred during England’s penalty shootout defeat to Portugal at the 2006 World Cup – and as much as Three Lions fans will want to leave it in the past, it’s hardly forgettable.

A theatrical reaction from Ronaldo to a stamp from Wayne Rooney on his teammate Ricardo Carvalho led referee Horacio Elizondo to show the Manchester United legend a red card with Ronaldo winking in the direction of his team’s coaching staff as Rooney was forced to trudge off the field.

Spain 0-0 England (2-4), 22 June 1996

Copyright: MirrorPix

Penalty shootouts and England on the major international stage are two things that haven’t tended to mix well for the English throughout the past.

Although there was one occasion where things panned out a little differently and it’s remembered with pride. The 4-2 penalty glory over Spain in the first knockout round of EURO 96 held in England, although penalties would come back to bite the Three Lions in the semi-finals that year.

England 1-2 Iceland, 27 June 2016

Copyright: MirrorPix

We hope Roy Hodgson isn’t reading this, if he is he may want to look away now as this one probably still keeps him awake at night. Yes, the final match of his England tenure will be remembered for all the wrong reasons.

His players were expected to dance past Iceland and into the quarter-finals of the 2016 European Championship in France, instead and despite Rooney’s early penalty, the Icelandics pulled off the shock of all shocks – the upset of the tournament.

England 1-2 Brazil, 21 June 2002

Copyright: MirrorPix

Our next memorable England matchup recalls another exit from a major tournament but in much more respectable fashion this time around.

This match will be remembered for Eriksson’s budding team pushing the best side in the world all the way before just falling short. Oh, and of course, David Seaman bowing out in an England shirt at major tournaments by being audaciously lobbed from 30 yards by the great Ronaldinho.

Scotland 0-0 England, 30 November 1872

Copyright: MirrorPix

How could we not include England international number one on this list, even though it’s far from the most entertaining of the Three Lions’ 999 internationals thus far.

It featured an England side against bitter rivals Scotland on a field in Partick that’s now a cricket ground.

The final score: 0-0.