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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… 

West Brom somehow remain top of the Championship after a week where things could have easily gone against them.

Perhaps, them grinding out results even despite facing multiple factors is a true sign of the grit and determination required by a title-winning side, but that’s not enough to rely on as Albion boss Slaven Bilic must find a solution quickly or he’s playing with fire.

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In midweek, the Baggies had to come from behind to earn a draw against basement boys Barnsley, and on Saturday, they were up against it all, culminating in a 94th-minute penalty which clinched the visiting Charlton Athletic a point at the Hawthorns.

The result continued a recurring theme in that West Brom can barely keep a clean sheet to save their lives – it’s just the one from all 14 Championship matches this season.

Now, the problem could lie with the personnel at the back, but this latest result suggests the trouble is coming from another source…

£4m summer arrival Charlie Austin continues to struggle at the other end of the pitch – he’s scored just the one league goal in ten appearances.

It could be debated until the cows come home on whether or not he fits Bilic’s system, but the fact of the matter is, it’s just not working out, and when you deploy one man up top, you are risking pressure on the rest of the side.

This was displayed by the 30-year-old as he lost possession 12 times and won just one of his three aerial duels, per SofaScore.

By not keeping hold of the ball or even winning it, Charlton were able to capitalise and put pressure on the Albion backline – surprisingly the visitors recorded more possession at 54%, which is rare considering the west Midlands club rank third in the league for possession percentage at a similar number.

Bilic can lessen the burden on his defence by playing someone like Hal Robson-Kanu, who will be much more of a handful than Austin, clearly shown by his two-goal return from his last three appearances.

At least until January, when he can take further measures in finding the right man – just imagine how many Dwight Gayle would have in this side if he stayed around after last season’s loan spell.

A report from the Daily Mail has delved deeper into the role Kolo Toure is playing as first-team coach at Leicester City.

Adam Shergold’s story in the Daily Mail takes a closer look at the success Leicester are having this season, suggesting that they have a real chance of targeting a third-place spot.

When talking about Leicester’s defence, Shergold referenced Toure and the positive impact he is having on Caglar Soyuncu.

He said: “Soyuncu, 23, is one of the players who has benefited from the vast experience of Kolo Toure, the club’s de facto defensive coach who followed Rodgers from Celtic.

“Toure, the former Arsenal, Manchester City and Liverpool defender who has managerial aspirations of his own, conducts one-on-one analysis sessions with each defender after every match, passing on his knowledge.

“It goes a long way to explaining why Leicester have the joint-best defensive record in the Premier League, conceding just eight times in their 10 matches so far.”

Whatever Kolo Toure is doing with those defenders, it seems to be working. The attacking talent and flair were there for all to see last Friday when they annihilated Southampton in their own backyard, but let’s not forget about the fact they have only conceded eight goals in the league this season – the joint-lowest in the division along with Liverpool and Sheffield United.

And at the heart of that defence is, of course, Soyuncu and Jonny Evans. Any doubts over Soyuncu stepping up at the beginning of the season with Harry Maguire gone seemed to have evaporated after 10 performances of the highest calibre. Soyuncu has played every minute of the league season and has a really impressive 7.14/10 average – hugely impressive given it’s his breakout season in the Premier League.

There is clearly great work going on from Brendan Rodgers and his staff, as Leicester look a very assured outfit at the moment – miles away from when Claude Puel was sacked back in late February.

And a big part of that is Kolo Toure. If Shergold’s statement is true about the one-on-one sessions, they are clearly having a positive effect, as the squad looks to have great morale and spirit, as well as being very assured of what they are doing and how they need to do it.

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…

It’s all well and good saying what might be ‘the right thing’, but eventually those words are going to have to produce results.

That’s the problem that is facing Pep Clotet right now at St Andrew’s.

We have spoken before on FFC about the fact Clotet doesn’t seem to quite value results away from home as he does those in Birmingham, and how him viewing them as a ‘bonus’ rather than something that you can use as a foundation for the team through the rest of the season strikes a rather worrying tone.

Well, it looks as if he’s changed his mind, and not a moment too soon.

What’s he said?

Speaking after the latest game, Clotet spoke about how his side have ever so slightly improved away from home, and that it should hopefully lead to further points further down the road:

“Obviously we have won more at home – we have won two games away – and the performances we put in away from home now give me much more confidence than we had at the beginning (away from home).”

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Time to put it into action

As we’ve also pointed out on FFC before, there seems to be a bit of a contrast in how the players and the head coach seemed to view how to look at away games, with Lukas Jutkiewicz more or less demanding that the side start picking up results on the road, and those demands so far haven’t been kept.

However, it looks as if Clotet has finally learned his lesson, saying that the performances when playing as the visitors are improving. Yet, sooner or later those words are going to have to start turning into results.

We have seen that the board at Birmingham aren’t scared to pull the trigger when it comes to their managers, having gone through so many in the past few years, even when they are doing well. Gary Rowett is a prime example after he was sacked when they were seventh in the table.

It would be a really big shame if Clotet were to lose his job simply because of how limited their points were on the road. This is precisely why the team needs to pounce on his words.

Another day, another Samuel Umtiti injury.

The 25-year-old French defender simply can’t catch a break as of late and time might be running out for him due to his constant fitness issues.

Even though he made his first appearance of the season last weekend when Barcelona beat Eibar 3-0, Umtiti suffered a new injury shortly after that clash.

Watch Spanish Football Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

Barcelona left Umtiti out of their squad for the trip to Slavia Prague due to a knee injury and many of the fans immediately swarmed their social media account with worried messages and panicked replies.

Many of them seem to think this was Umtiti’s last chance and that he should now definitely be sold.

One fan even compared him to Thomas Vermaelen, a former Barcelona defender who had similar issues with constant injuries while he was at the club.

At this rate, it seems that some of them are already giving up on Umtiti and will not give him another chance.

You can see some of their replies down in the collection of tweets below.

Check them out…

Paradise indeed.

Former Newcastle United star Lee Clark has described Matty Longstaff’s career development as being “great to see” after the young midfielder scored the winning goal against Manchester United in his Premier League debut.

What’s he said?

Longstaff has seen his career hit an upward trajectory this season following the arrival of Steve Bruce, who handed the 19-year-old his first senior start during the Toon’s pre-season this summer.

A Newcastle fan calls for Sean and Matt Longstaff’s Mum to give birth to a starting eleven’s worth of Longstaffs in the video below…

His outing against Preston North End came days after appearing from the bench in Premier League Asia Trophy games against Wolverhampton Wanderers and West Ham, which saw the teenager play alongside his brother Sean for the first time in a senior game.

Bruce has since retained his faith in the younger of the Longstaff duo and awarded the Rotherham-born midfielder his competitive first-team debut against Leicester City in the Carabao Cup in August.

He then made his top-flight debut against the Red Devils, a week after a 5-0 thumping at the hands of the Foxes in the league.

Longstaff would repay that faith by scoring the winning goal in the 72nd-minute, and Clark feels the youngster’s career development and Newcastle’s response to being beaten by Leicester is “great to see”, as his outing against Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s men came as one of four local talents to be named in the squad.

Speaking with Tribal Football, the retired forward said:

“The win has just given the whole city a lift in terms of the result, the performance, the reaction to what’s happened at Leicester, and the fact it was involving four local lads, with the two Longstaff brothers, Andy Carroll and Paul Dummett.

“It’s great to see, and certainly the way the two Longstaffs performed and the story with young Matty on his debut getting the winner, it’s just given everyone a huge boost, without going overboard.

“The fact that we’ve beaten Man United, we’ve responded to the Leicester loss and the main characters in the story, even though the whole team deserves credit, are the two local lads.”

Longstaff brothers leading the new generation

Newcastle have benefited greatly from their local talent of late, as United’s academy products have regularly proven themselves as being worthwhile options for head coach Bruce to consider.

Paul Dummett has held down duties at centre-half on six occasions this season and once at left-back, while Sean Longstaff has shown himself to be a superior option to former England international Jonjo Shelvey in some of his four outings to date.

He leads Shelvey for interceptions at 1 to 0.5, while his brother, Matty, achieved 2 in his Premier League debut, along with more shots than all of his positional rivals have averaged so far.

The Longstaff brothers’ presence in the dressing room will be key in Newcastle’s next generation coming to the fore and dislodging the established names in the senior fold, and can signal a new beginning at St. James’ Park.

Ojo dedicated his goal to Ricksen and his family, and he stated that he hoped the team gave him a perfect send off.

It was rather fitting that Rangers were facing off against a Dutch side on Thursday evening, and the team’s battling performance was the perfect tribute to Ricksen.

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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…

Crystal Palace goalkeeping coach Dean Kiely has revealed exactly what it is that Roy Hodgson does in training in order for his Crystal Palace side to be so well organised.

Kiely played for Palace’s south London rivals Charlton on 222 occasions and also made 11 appearances for the Republic of Ireland national team, and his words give a great insight into how the former England manager works.

What did he say?

Kiely told Love Sport Radio: “If you’re ever lucky enough to come and watch Roy Hodgson train on the grass, the defensive shape and how he drills the team, it’s not just the back four and goalkeeper – it’s the 11, how they work.

“What Roy does really well is he keeps reminding the players that if they switch off or take it for granted, that’s when they’ll get hurt, so the demands are massive.”

Having the desired effect on the pitch

Whilst it has been well-documented that the Eagles don’t score too many goals – Connor Wickham, Jordan Ayew and Christian Benteke scored just two league goals combined last year – you cannot deny that Palace are a very well-drilled side from a defensive aspect.

They finished the 2018/19 season with the sixth-most clean sheets in the Premier League, and so far this term, they sit top of that same list with two clean sheets from four games – they have also conceded just two goals, the least of any team in the division.

Scoring goals is arguably the hardest part of the game, but Hodgson deserves a lot of credit for counterbalancing his side’s lack of quality in front of goal by organising his troops to an admirable standard, so much so that they have been at the right end of the table regarding defensive statistics for a while now.

The 72-year-old’s work on the training field is truly reaping the rewards out on the pitch.

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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…

Speaking to Football Insider, Noel Whelan has sung the praises of Leeds’ Liam Cooper after a difficult night for Scotland against Belgium earlier this week.

What’s he said?

Liam Cooper was named in the PFA Team of the Year last term and thus was rewarded with his first call-up for Scotland during the recent international break.

He earned his debut against Russia last week, suggesting that players at international level punish your mistakes more after the game.

However, his second cap was a harsher lesson as the number one ranked side in the world saw off Scotland 4-0.

After shipping four in that game, Whelan has defended Cooper. He sang his praises, telling Football Insider:

“Bielsa has educated him how to be a top centre-back in terms of his positioning, decision-making and how to prepare properly.

“You can see the difference over the last year. Liam Cooper used to have a good game and then following it with a bad one. Now, he is consistent and one of the best players in his position in the Championship.

“He can still get better, of course. They all can. And I expect that to happen while Bielsa remains the manager.”

Consistent Cooper

Cooper seems to have gone from strength to strength since Marcelo Bielsa walked through the door and his improvement under the Argentine was fully warranting of a call-up for Scotland.

Against Belgium the 28-year-old struggled to find his feet, failing to make a tackle and producing just one interception per SofaScore.

But his displays for Leeds have been far better over the last two years and the praise Whelan has thrown his way is well and truly deserved.

In the two seasons before Bielsa arrived the defender secured an average match rating of below 7 but that has since risen to 7.29 last term and then 7.16 this campaign via WhoScored.

It shows the improvement is there and that’s emphasised in the numbers he’s producing, as well as the new contract he was given this week.

In 2017/18 he managed just 1.4 tackles and interceptions per game. In 2018/19, however, he won 1.8 tackles and 2.5 interceptions.

It provides evidence that there is indeed more consistency to his play and with the player in his prime, there is certainly a reason to suggest he can become better.

After all, the challenges international football will throw at Cooper should prepare him sufficiently for sterner tests.

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Chelsea have now lodged a formal bid to sign a centre-back who Man United are targeting as an alternative to Everton starlet Jarrad Branthwaite.

Chelsea eyeing another centre-back after Tosin Adarabioyo

It didn't take long for the west Londoners to seal their first piece of business this summer, having put pen to paper on a deal for defender Tosin Adarabioyo on a free transfer from Fulham.

Boehly now prepared to sell £175,000-per-week Chelsea star after Maatsen

The Blues could orchestrate an overhaul this summer.

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By
Emilio Galantini

Jun 20, 2024

The former Man City starlet enjoyed a successful spell at Fulham, but opted to move just across west London to Stamford Bridge upon the expiry of his contract at Craven Cottage. Tosin's arrival will do wonders to fill the void left by fan favourite Thiago Silva, who has left Chelsea to re-join boyhood club Fluminese.

Despite the 26-year-old putting pen to paper on a four-year deal, it is believed that Chelsea could sign another centre-back after Tosin, as new manager Enzo Maresca seeks to reinforce his new backline further.

Co-sporting directors Laurence Stewat and Paul Winstanley are expected to undergo a busy summer of recruitment. In the past week, Chelsea have held talks over signing Jhon Duran from Aston Villa, as well as pushed to seal a deal for Crystal Palace winger Michael Olise (Fabrizio Romano).

Amidst all of this activity, as Maresca's side pursue a new forward, there remains a distinct possibility that Chelsea could bring another defender on top of this – with Romano tipping them to potentially bring in multiple central defensive options.

"It will continue to be a busy summer at Chelsea," said the journalist on his Dailybriefing. "It won’t be completely crazy but they will try to make smart things happen, including a new goalkeeper and I expect them to try for at least one new centre-back, but it could be two. I also expect Chelsea to be busy with the striker position."

Bayern Munich star Dayot Upamecano has been linked with a move to Chelsea as one option, but rather than negotiate with the Bavarians, it is believed they could instead look to pinch a transfer target of Man United's.

Indeed, Ten Hag's side are said to be monitoring Boca Juniors defender Aaron Anselmino as an alternative to Branthwaite – with the Red Devils looking priced out of a move for the Englishman after having a bid rejected, according to widespread reports.

Chelsea make formal bid to sign Aaron Anselmino

According to South American journalist Uriel Lugt, Chelsea have made a "formal" bid to sign Anselmino, and offered the 19-year-old a four-year contract.

The teenager appears very highly-rated in Argentina, despite not making many first team appearances for Boca, and clearly Chelsea's scouting network have been doing their homework on him.