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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 on ESPN FC, Steve Nicol has claimed Jadon Sancho would be “crazy” to join Manchester United.

What did he say?

The Borussia Dortmund is one of the hottest properties in European football at the moment, following a meteoric rise whilst playing in the Bundesliga. The 19-year-old has scored 18 goals and provided 31 assists in 71 games across all competitions, and that form has understandably led to transfer interest from other clubs, including Manchester United.

Reports in recent weeks have claimed the England international is set to be a leading target for the Red Devils next summer, but Nicol believes that would be a major mistake on the part of Sancho.

He said: “I think he’s crazy if he goes to Man United. We’re talking about he’s struggling in a team that’s struggling (Dortmund) – Man United are going to be struggling for a couple of seasons, so I would stay away from there. Well if I was advising him, let me put it that way, I would like to see him at Liverpool.”

Champions League

Make no mistake about it, United desperately need to secure Champions League football for next season. The very best players – whether they’re in the peak years of their careers or up-and-coming stars like Sancho – want to be plying their trade in European football’s elite competition.

The Red Devils currently find themselves in seventh place in the Premier League, nine points off fourth-placed Manchester City. The gap is still something Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side can claw back, and if they manage to do it, their chances of landing Sancho would be boosted tremendously. So whilst it may seem “crazy” now to envisage the £90m-rated star at Old Trafford, it may not look the case at the end of the season.

November 6th 2019 marked the 17th anniversary of Phil Jagielka’s stunning strike for Sheffield United against Leeds United in the 2002/03 League Cup (via @SheffieldUnited).

The Whites had taken the lead in the game after Steve Yates scored an own goal in the 24th minute, however there was a dramatic finish at Bramall Lane as two stoppage-time goals saw the Blades win the tie and progress to the next round (BBC Sport).

One of those goals for the South Yorkshire side came from the boot of Jagielka, who chested the ball down well outside the penalty area and struck an incredible half-volley past Paul Robinson.

It was one of the most memorable goals in recent history for Sheffield United, who at the time were in the second tier of English football whilst Leeds were in the Premiership.

After the club posted footage on Twitter of the goal to celebrate the 17th anniversary of it happening, several Blades fans have been fondly remembering the superb strike.

Here is what some had to say…

Sheffield United fans, were you at Bramall Lane when Phil Jagielka scored his screamer against Leeds? If so, where does it rank amongst the best goals you have seen live? Let us know in the comments below…

This article is part ofÂFootball FanCast’sÂPundit ViewÂseries, which provides opinion and analysis on recent quotes from journalists, pundits, players and managers…

Former England international Paul Robinson says Marco Silva’s reveal on defender Yerry Mina’s injury was “strange” after he left the pitch against Watford.

What did he say?

Mina has been a mainstay in Silva’s Premier League side for the entire season, starting 9 out of 10 games. His injury against West Ham United forced him to miss the Brighton & Hove Albion fixture, but this was the first game he was absent in the top-flight so far.

The defender came back into the side in midweek but was once again replaced during the game through injury.

Robinson believes it was odd for Silva to suggest Mina was “fine” after the game, as he would not have known the extent of his injury.

He told Football Insider: “It was a strange one for the manager to say that he was fine at the full-time whistle. You don’t know the ins and outs, different players have different pain thresholds.

“I played with players who had to be 100 per cent – if you imagine a car or a machine, it has to be 100 per cent to go out, like an F1 car, to function. Me and other old-school players, 60, 70 per cent fit, have an injection in your foot if it’s sore and get out there and get on with it.

“A lot of players will not play unless they are spot on to play.”

Sign of naivety

It was a surprise to see Mina play against Watford. It was an EFL Cup fixture, meaning it was surely the perfect chance to rest him to ensure he was fit for the weekend.

Silva could have fielded Michael Keane alongside Mason Holgate, and it would not have been much of an issue. Now, Mina could be out for a prolonged period, when a rest midweek could have easily prevented this.

The Portuguese manager has since confirmed that there is a chance he will feature this weekend, but the fact his fitness is even in doubt underlines the naivety behind the decision to start him in midweek.

Another sign of naive management from an under-pressure leader.

Some Tottenham fans have taken to Twitter to critique Dele Alli’s performance against Liverpool on Sunday, as Spurs threw away a 1-0 lead to lose 2-1 against the European champions.

Mauricio Pochettino’s men went ahead straight away through Harry Kane, but allowed Jordan Henderson to equalise in the second half before Mohamed Salah won the game from the penalty spot.

A numbers of Spurs players were ineffective, but Alli was almost non-existent as his poor form continues.

The former MK Dons star didn’t have a single shot on Alisson’s goal, let alone a shot on target, while he also failed to register a key pass against the Merseysiders.

The 23-year-old also didn’t embark on a single dribble, nor did he draw a foul for his side – Alli was also dispossessed on three occasions.

Disappointingly, the 37-cap England international still has just one Premier League goal to his name this term, having hit a mediocre five goals last season.

Let’s see how the Tottenham fans on Twitter reacted to his showing at Anfield…

Towards the end of last week, The Daily Record carried a story surrounding Manchester United’s reported interest in Lyon’s Moussa Dembele.

The publication claimed that United had actually been in contact with the French outfit over a potential swoop in the January transfer window.

However, it is alleged that Lyon value the 23-year-old in the region of £69.8m, which could well prevent the deal from going through.

Dembele has scored six times in 10 appearances for his Ligue 1 outfit this season, whilst he has managed 26 goals in 56 outings for the club in all competitions.

Despite the decent goal return, a number of United fans have laughed off suggestions that their club could spend close to £70m on the former Celtic forward.

Indeed, even with the team struggling in the final third – netting just nine times in the league – the club’s supporters are not interested in Dembele for that price.

A selection of the Twitter reaction is available to view below:

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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… 

Garry Monk’s second game in charge of Sheffield Wednesday is a much tougher test this weekend, and that’s giving no disrespect to Huddersfield Town, who are tied-bottom having picked up just one point this season.

Fulham came out of the blocks early doors looking like they would be serious promotion contenders under former player Scott Parker winning three of their opening four games, but have since faltered to 11th in the table.

Wednesday host them at Hillsborough on Saturday, looking to continue Monk’s excellent start as Owls boss.

Just one point separates the two teams in the league, so how will the home side get the advantage in what should be a tightly contested affair?

On the Chalkboard

The one major weakness of the Cottagers is their ability in the air – they rank inside the bottom four in the Championship for aerial duels won per game at 17.1.

There is an argument that their style of football just simply isn’t about that considering they rank first for possession percentage in the league at 63.7%, so it’s clear Parker likes to play it on the deck – but when they face a physical side, they’ll still have to win their headers.

Wednesday, by comparison, are about mid-table in terms of winning these duels themselves though they have one man that can make it very difficult for the south-west London side.

Steven Fletcher has won 46 aerial duels this season at an average of 6.6 per game – that’s more than Fulham’s centre-back pairing combined as Alfie Mawson averages 4.4 and Tim Ream at 1.7 per match.

Watch Sheffield Wednesday Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

There’s quite clearly a mismatch there.

Monk will also need someone to supply the 32-year-old, and that is likely to be fellow Scotsman Barry Bannan.

The playmaking midfielder has made 16 key passes this season at an average of 2.7 per game and he comes into this weekend having recorded his second assist in five matches.

Bannan is also averaging 4.2 long balls per game and has recorded at least one cross in five of his six appearances.

Therefore, if Bannan can use his vision to pick out the aerial presence of Fletcher, they could well come out with the victory.

Life’s currently very good if you’re a Barcelona fan.

The Catalan giants thumped Valencia 5-2 over the weekend, with youngster Ansu Fati on the scoresheet. He’s just 16. And the fun didn’t stop there, either.

The club have officially confirmed that Lionel Messi is back in training with the team and that has only added to the party atmosphere in Catalunya.

Watch Spanish Football Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

We still don’t know, however, whether he’ll be ready for the opening game of their Champions League campaign against Borussia Dortmund this week.

Some reports indicate he will indeed travel but could only feature for about half an hour at Signal Iduna Park.

But that didn’t stop loads of fans from celebrating on social media and Twitter after the club posted an image of Messi in training.

Many of them were simply over the moon to see the “GOAT” back with the squad and with a ball at his feet.

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

Check them out…

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Sunday’s match against Aston Villa was far more nerve-wracking for Arsenal fans than they would have expected.

A game against a newly-promoted side is often looked at on the fixture list as a good opportunity to pick up three points and Unai Emery’s men will have hoped for a comfortable victory.

In the end, though, in true Gunners fashion, it was anything but.

The Emirates outfit twice came back from a one-goal deficit and were also reduced to ten men when Ainsley Maitland-Niles was sent off for two bookable offences, before coming out with a 3-2 victory.

Watch Arsenal Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

Unai Emery probably deserves some credit for that, certainly in regards to his substitutions.

Calum Chambers, Lucas Torreira and Joe Willock all come on, with the former scoring the equaliser the second time around.

And the north London team’s supporters were quick to praise the former Sevilla boss’ changes.

They took to Twitter to share their thoughts, and you can see some of the best comments from the social media platform below.

Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola has lauded Dominic Calvert-Lewin as ‘one of the best’ in the air, after being left impressed by the Everton regular’s performance against his title-chasing side on Saturday.

Marco Silva once again trusted Calvert-Lewin to lead his attack at Goodison Park over the weekend, in what was the former England under-21 international’s 15th start in the Premier League from a possible 18 dating back to his outing at Cardiff City on February 26 (TransferMarkt).

Despite being the striker favoured by Silva throughout the closing stages of the Portuguese’s maiden term at Goodison Park, Calvert-Lewin repaid his manager’s faith with just six goals in 35 games in the league.

The Sheffield-born forward has already scored two goals in six league fixtures this season, with the 22-year-old nodding home from the line on Saturday after Seamus Coleman chipped Man City ‘keeper Ederson for what would have been the Republic of Ireland captain’s 27th in blue.

Calvert-Lewin’s prior strike at Bournemouth also came from the air, when he rose highest in the Cherries’ box to strike from close range after Richarlison whipped the ball into the area.

The Sheffield United product has caught the attention of City boss Guardiola, who claimed sides would need the talents of the 22-year-old if they were to cause his squad as many problems in the absence of John Stones and Aymeric Laporte.

“They can do it if they have Calvert-Lewin’s skills,” Guardiola said, as quoted by the Liverpool Echo, when asked if long balls and diagonal passes could be a tactic teams could use to get the better of his Etihad Stadium natives.

“If they have Richarlison skills, they can do it. There are a few teams that are using it and we adapt to it. I think, when you win two Premier Leagues, you face different styles, not just all the same.

“We knew it was tight, this stadium, and the spectators push a lot to [the players]. We knew it. Calvert-Lewin is one of the best headers I have ever seen in jumping and flicking the ball [on]. Richarlison is strong, so we know it [was going to be tough].”

Despite Guardiola’s lavish praise, Calvert-Lewin is not entirely showing himself to be ‘one of the best’ players in the air, as the 22-year-old has actually lost more duels than he has won since the start of the 2017/18 Premier League campaign.

Across his 32 appearances in the 17/18 season, he won 135 of his 305 duels in the air, which was a tally which decreased to 111 from 160 last term, and is so far continuing on the same path with Calvert-Lewin only getting the better of an opponent 31 times in 66 battles, per WhoScored data.

The 1.87m centre-forward may be set for a career-high average 6.9 successful duels per 90 minutes, but is also set to come home close behind his career-high duels lost (7.8 to the 8.2 recorded in 17/18), which he must improve to warrant the praise Guardiola has issued.

Everton fans, what do you see as Calvert-Lewin’s biggest strength? Let us know in the comments below…

[ad_pod ]Sky Sports is never off-air and because it’s never off-air that gives it an omnipresence that – like it or not – means it is a constant fixture in our lives. It is also – admit it or not – largely very good at what it does and because what it does is focus on the 21st century religions of sport it means in its 28 years of existence the channel has accrued a cultural significance.All of which adds up to another two undeniable truths. Firstly, with so much content to create mistakes will inevitably be made from time to time. And secondly, because of its popularity – in terms of numbers at least – those mistakes are highlighted above and beyond errors made by lesser digested rivals in their field.So when Stephen Warnock insisted this week that Red Star Belgrade are a semi-professional side it’s easy to let that one go. It’s mildly troubling that a pundit could be so remiss but such gaffes will occur during 24 hour rolling coverage, especially when it involves a large and varied volume of personnel.

But that wasn’t the only mistake Sky Sports made this week. And the other was utterly unforgivable.

Last Tuesday was high noon for Bolton Wanderers and Bury with each club having until 5pm to satisfy the EFL that ‘credible plans’ were in place to rescue the debt-strewn institutions. Failing this, expulsions were to follow.

The footballing world crossed its fingers. Regardless of affiliation genuine and heartfelt concern was ubiquitous. The last club to drop out of the league pyramid was Maidstone United in 1992 having endured liquidation. Now two others faced a similar, awful fate.

Yet staggeringly from all of the above what most seemed to pique Sky Sports interest in determining how they were going to report on this was not the imminent demise of two clubs who together share 279 years of history within English football – not to mention the winning of six FA Cups. It was the dramatic nature of the deadline.

So it was that some bright spark within Sky’s editorial set-up decided it would be a good idea to place Jim White standing in front of a running clock, thus mimicking their famed coverage of each transfer deadline day. See below.

It was crass in the extreme. It was an unedifying example of the increasingly Americanised, soulless media we are subjected to that pertains to care but is really only interested in keeping us hooked past the next commercial break. It rightfully – and entirely unsurprisingly – drew heavy flak from disgusted viewers.

What was on the line that day wasn’t the potential move of Ryan Sessegnon to Spurs: it was the future existence of two football clubs, each with a community who have grown up with them as a bedrock; each with hundreds of employees tended for.

Mistakes by the vast juggernaut that is Sky Sports can be excused. Editorial decisions such as this cannot.

RIP Bury. You will be greatly missed.