Wolves fans adored Willy Boly’s display in shock win over Man City

Wolverhampton Wanderers pulled off one of the results of the season on Sunday afternoon as they recorded a 2-0 victory over Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium.

Adama Traore will take the majority of the headlines due to his excellent brace.

However, the performance of Willy Boly at the heart of the defence made a huge impression on the Wolves supporters.

According to WhoScored, the 28-year-old won five aerial duels during a stunning display as part of a back three.

On Saturday night, The Sun reported that Arsenal had their eye on the central defender, who has spent the last three seasons at Molineux.

And the Gunners are bound to have been impressed with his latest performance as Nuno’s side picked up a stunning three points at the home of the Premier League champions.

It would be fair to say that the Wolves fans were running out of superlatives to describe his performance on Sunday.

But a selection of their comments on his display can be seen below:

Everton’s managerial crisis could see the appointment of Eddie Howe

While the whole world focuses on the decline of Manchester United and Tottenham, Everton’s very own poor run of form has gone relatively under the radar – unless you’re one of the unfortunate few that has the utter displeasure of watching Marco Silva’s side play on a weekly basis, of course.Since beating Wolves at the beginning of September, the Toffees have lost against Bournemouth, Sheffield United, Manchester City and Burnley and currently find themselves sat in the relegation zone. Bear in mind, this is a club that have spent over half a billion in the market in the past four years alone (according to Transfermarkt) but haven’t managed to finish above fifth place since 2004/05.Should Silva be doing better with the players he has at his disposal? Quite simply, yes – Everton don’t belong in 18th place.With the international break upon us, the Everton board have plenty of time to ponder on what they should do with their hapless coach, and we imagine if they don’t get a result against West Ham United, which isn’t exactly the easiest place to go, and lift themselves out of the relegation zone, then it could be curtains for the Portuguese.But who will replace him? Ray Parlour and Alan Brazil gave their thoughts on the matter…

Southampton: Saints summer arrivals ranked after 8 PL games

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…

After eight games of the 2019/20 campaign, we think it’s a good time to give our verdicts on a few summer signings.

In Southampton’s case, they made only three new additions back in the summer, while Danny Ings’ loan move was automatically turned into a permanent one due to the Saints’ obligation to Liverpool.

As a result of the No.9 not being a new face, we have left him out of this list.

Besides Ings though, let’s have a go at ranking Southampton’s newest additions to the squad in Moussa Djenepo, Che Adams and Kevin Danso.

Moussa Djenepo 

The Mali international arrived from Standard Liege as somewhat of an unknown quantity, and also turned up with a lot of expectation on his shoulders having cost £15m.

Djenepo has struggled to stay fit, but has shown signs of becoming a real talisman for the Saints in his three Premier League appearances so far.

The 21-year-old has scored two goals, both of which were match-winners, as he netted the opener against Brighton and the only goal against Sheffield United.

Without his goals, the Saints would have just one point, so it’s safe to say he’s been a hit – the only blot on his copybook has been his lack of availability.

8/10

Kevin Danso 

The Austrian centre-back has only featured once in his most natural position for the Saints, but there have been signs of life in the 21-year-old.

A red card against Manchester United highlighted his inexperience, but he did record the assist in that 1-1 draw with a brilliant cross onto Jannik Vestergaard’s head.

Danso – like Djenepo –  has made just three league appearances, and it’s hard to give him too much praise given his inconsistent start.

5/10

Che Adams

Arguably the Saints marquee signing back in the summer – he cost £15m after hitting 22 goals for Birmingham last term – Adams has disappointed.

The 23-year-old is yet to score a goal for the south coast side in seven appearances, and was dropped for the most recent outing against Chelsea.

He is still young and is also new to the Premier League, but Adams needs to do more.

4/10

Charlton man Macauley Bonne proves they can cope without Lyle Taylor

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…

With Lyle Taylor in the side this season, Charlton were a force to be reckoned with.

The Montserrat international had five goals and a solitary assist to rave about from his first six games in the Championship.

Lee Bowyer’s men sat happy in the playoffs but an injury to the striker over the international break just shy of two months ago nearly put a huge dent in their aspirations.

With Taylor absent from the team, the Addicks had only won one match from a possible five going into their encounter with Derby this weekend.

However, their most comfortable performance without him was seen as they ran out 3-0 victors on Saturday.

Macauley Boone was in particularly good form and of late, he’s proving that they may not have quite an overreliance on Taylor.

In fact, they’re showing they may be able to cope without him.

Bonne was rarely afforded much game time when Taylor was in such good form but in recent matches, he’s taken to the division like a duck to water.

It’s made it easy to forget that he was plying his trade in the National League last term.

The 23-year-old has now scored three in his last four outings and added to his collection against the Rams early in the first half.

It was a superb display from the former Leyton Orient striker as he also won three aerial duels in the process.

Not only that, but he made the same number of clearances, proving his worth in defensive scenarios as well as attacking ones.

Charlton fans have been quick to voice their frustrations this season, particularly with their forward line since Taylor was injured. Last month Tomer Hemed attracted harsh criticism but the Londoners’ woes seem to be behind them.

With Bonne in this type of form, a resurgence up the table could well be on the cards. If Bowyer can find a way to fit both him and Taylor into the side when he returns they could be a force to be reckoned with.

Either way, Charlton have now displayed they can cope without their talismanic forward when necessary.

Arsenal fans fume at Emery’s Fabinho revelation

Arsenal fans have been left fuming after Unai Emery revealed that the club could have signed Fabinho before he joined Liverpool.Per The Independent, the former PSG boss said that “his name was on the table†as the Gunners looked for new signings after his arrival.

Emery also says that he tracked the ex-AS Monaco star during his time in France.

Of course, he ended up completing a £43.7m move to Anfield in 2018 and played a key role in the club’s Champions League triumph last season, playing in all but two games; both of which came against Red Star Belgrade.

Supporters, have expressed their disappointment with the revelation, with a number of them believing that it could even have a demotivating effect on other members of the squad, most notably Lucas Torreira, the defensive midfielder.

Indeed, Torreira moved to the Gunners in the same summer that Fabinho moved to the Reds, suggesting that Emery may have preferred the Brazilian to the Uruguayan, who has made just two Premier League starts this campaign.

Take a look at the best of the reaction on Twitter below!

Arsenal fans laud ‘special’ Kieran Tierney after Premier League debut

Lots of Arsenal fans have taken to social media to laud Kieran Tierney, after the August arrival from Celtic made his first Premier League start against Crystal Palace.

Tierney had been waiting to make his full English top-flight debut, having arrived at the Emirates Stadium still recovering from the double hernia operation (Football.London) that prevented him from featuring in the Hoop’s Champions League qualifying ties this summer.

The 22-year-old had been an unused substitute for the Gunners’ last two league games, after making his debut against Nottingham Forest in the Carabao Cup and earning two starting calls in the Europa League earlier in the month.

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Sead Kolasinac made way for Tierney to start against Palace on Sunday, and fans have since flocked to social media to laud the £25million (BBC) signing.

One noted that Tierney did more in eleven minutes against the Eagles than Kolasinac had in his entire Gunners career, with the Scot delivering a range of killer crosses into the box.

The 5 ft 8 full-back delivered a total of four crosses on Sunday, as he played 18 of his 47 passes in the final third and was successful with two of his three attempted dribbles, according to data collected by WhoScored.

He also won his sole attempted tackle and made two clearances before being taken off in the 75th-minute, although Unai Emery later confirmed his departure was tactical rather than through an injury (Football.London).

Here are some of the messages shared from Arsenal fans praising Tierney as the bright spot against Palace in what was his Premier League debut…

Leeds’ transfer policy negates one of Bielsa’s best assets

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…

Leeds United’s transfer policy seemingly relies very heavily on loan deals.

Indeed, the Whites signed no less than six players on a temporary basis last summer, and while a number of those have impressed this season recent reports show just how dangerous that system really can be.

Reports are now circulating that Ben White could be recalled in January by Brighton.

This comes just days after there were worries that Eddie Nketiah could be recalled by Arsenal once the transfer window reopens.

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In using loan deals Leeds are leaving themselves incredibly vulnerable to this type of thing, and that’s not the only problem with their current policy of loaning young players.

Football Insider have reported that Liverpool are interested in a £20m move for Ben White, and that highlights yet another problem with this transfer policy.

The centre-back was worth nowhere near £20m when Leeds first acquired him. The highest standard that he had previously played at prior to joining Leeds was League One, so it’s not a stretch to say that he wouldn’t have been on Liverpool’s radar.

However, he’s developed into an incredible player under the tutelage of Marcelo Bielsa, winning the PFA Fans’ Player of the Month for August. Therein lies the problem of this loan system.

Bielsa is the master of getting the best out of players, evident by the fact Leeds were in mid-table before he arrived. Before he walked through the doors at Elland Road, he also had a say in progressing the likes of Aymeric Laporte, Benjamin Mendy and Ander Herrera too.

However, if some of the players now at his disposal are just going to return to their parent club to be sold on for big money or to continue their careers there, it won’t do a huge amount for the long-term development of Leeds’ squad.

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

They are completely negating one of Bielsa’s greatest assets as they’re allowing him to develop young players, but at the end of the day, these players aren’t his.

The Whites benefit from the Argentine’s coaching of these players for only a season, or two terms in Jack Harrison’s case, but the point still stands that the Yorkshire club aren’t getting any long-term benefits from loaning these players.

When you have a manager who is so excellent at developing young individuals you should be looking to benefit from that as much as possible. However, Leeds are misusing their manager’s capabilities by simply helping other teams’ stars of tomorrow become better footballers before sending them back.

Southampton: Nicholas’ claim supports fact that Hasenhuttl shouldn’t face pressure

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…

Sky Sports pundit Charlie Nicholas has been discussing Southampton in his Premier League predictions column, ahead of the Saints’ game against Manchester City this weekend.

The south coast side face a trip to the Etihad Stadium after their last league outing saw them suffer a 9-0 defeat to Leicester – the Foxes equalled the 24-year long record for the largest ever Premier League win set by Manchester United in 1995 with the victory.

Southampton did face the Citizens in the Carabao Cup on Tuesday, succumbing to a 3-1 defeat, and Nicholas has shared his views on this weekend’s league clash between the two.

What did he say?

Nicholas wrote: “What a wonder result for Southampton, only losing 3-1 through the week to – dare I say – ease the pain. Should Ralph Hasenhuttl be under pressure? No and I don’t think he is. It is one of the weekends where Southampton will wonder what to do. They will want to get over the line without being too embarrassed.”

Nicholas right to say Hasenhuttl shouldn’t be under pressure 

As bad as things are at St Mary’s right now, Hasenhuttl isn’t solely to blame.

The Saints have conceded the most goals in the Premier League with 25 concessions in ten games, and have also scored the third-least amount of goals in the top-flight with just nine.

Despite these unflattering statistics, it appears as if the players are the ones letting the side and Hasenhuttl down on the most part – not the other way around.

This is a sentiment that we have already outlined using the xG and xPTS tables, and it’s also being quickly forgotten that Southampton have endured an incredibly tough start to the season.

After facing Manchester City, they’ll have played seven of last season’s top nine – including a vastly improved Leicester team – in just eleven Premier League games. It’s probably the hardest run of fixtures a team will have all year, and continues into November with clashes against Everton and Arsenal.

There aren’t many managers who wouldn’t be feeling the heat given the circumstances, but Nicholas is right. Hasenhuttl is a well-established manager who pulled off last season’s great escape and helped RB Leipzig reach second in the Bundesliga – he deserves support from the club, not scrutiny.

Everton’s main issue is their lack of quality in the final third, says Michael Ball

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.

Former Everton man Michael Ball has identified the club’s main issue as their inability to produce quality in the final third.

What did he say?

Everton have struggled both defensively and in attack this season, forcing them into an early relegation scrap as a result. The club’s 11 goals from 11 games in the Premier League currently puts them in 17th and has heaped immense pressure on the players and Marco Silva.

Ball told the Liverpool Echo: “We just need more quality in the final third, that’s what’s been letting us down when sometimes it seems like we run out of ideas a little bit.

“We’re okay at passing around the back and in midfield but if we can get it right more often in that final third, it can help get us back up that league table.”

Lack of quality and consistency

Som Everton players have proven to be a handful in previous seasons. The likes of Richarlison and Gylfi Sigurdsson scored 13 league goals last season, whilst Alex Iwobi’s six assists with Arsenal last year prove he can be creative.

However, this season, Iwobi has not assisted at all and Richalison and Sigurdsson have just three league goals between them.

Part of this is also down to Marco Silva, who has constantly chopped and changed his side. The former Watford boss has often gone with Richarlison up top but then tried the Brazilian out on the wings as well.

Then there is Moise Kean, who Silva doesn’t seem to understand whatsoever. The Italian scored seven goals from a centre-forward position with Juventus last season, but Silva has resorted to playing him as a winger on a handful of occasions.

The 42-year-old needs to establish his strongest starting XI to transform Everton’s fortunes in the final third.

Barcelona fans react to Lionel Messi’s reported contract update

Lionel Messi is by far the most important piece of this Barcelona squad and arguably their most important player in the entire history of their club.

Let’s not forget that this is the five-time Ballon d’Or winner who can boast a tally of 612 goals in 698 games played for the Blaugrana team, one he’s been with since the beginning of his professional career.

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But at the age of 32, the final stage of his time under the sun seems to be near.

According to Marca, Messi will wait until next season to renegotiate a new contract with the Catalan giants, which could be his final one at the Camp Nou. The same source claims Josep Maria Bartomeu, the club’s president, is hoping they can give him a lifetime contract with the next extension.

But upon seeing this update, many Barcelona fans were actually scared that this is the beginning of the end for the little magician.

Some of them, however, actually believe Messi leaving could be beneficial in some way and others are clearly not really happy about it, to say the least.

You can see their reactions down in the tweets below:

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