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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 international break presents the perfect opportunity to reflect on how West Brom have performed so far under Slaven Bilic.

It would be safe to say that it’s gone pretty well considering the club are unbeaten in the league – and they are yet to even fully fly out of the traps.

The Baggies are sitting fourth in the table, just a few points off Swansea City in first place, yet they haven’t seen the best from summer arrival Charlie Austin as he looks to improve his fitness during the time off.

Whilst the club still wait on the return of the injured Ahmed Hegazi, who featured in 40 matches last term.

When he does indeed make a comeback, it could be likely that he will knock Kyle Bartley off his first-team spot.

Firstly because of the reasons highlighted in this article by Football FanCast earlier this week, and secondly, as the man next to him has proven to be quite the bargain this season.

On the Chalkboard

Even though the Baggies are yet to keep a clean sheet, Semi Ajayi has been quite the star at centre-back.

He’s winning an average of 4.2 aerial duels per game whilst also taking to the Croatian’s style of football superbly – improving from last year’s 63.8% passing success rate at Rotherham considerably as he’s now averaging 82.9% per match.

That has to be a mark on the player as well as how well Bilic has coached him.

That’s only emphasised by Matt Wilson, formerly of Express and Star, who gave a glowing review earlier this month following their win over Blackburn, he said:

“Solid at the back, and forced Sam Gallagher off at half-time, but as well as his battling tackles, he seems to have added previously unseen marauding runs into his repertoire.”

Watch West Bromwich Albion Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

West Brom signed him for just £1.3m. That’s it — a little over one million pounds.

Surely he is one of the steals of the season at that price, and it’s even more credible when you consider some of the mistakes the hierarchy at the Hawthorns have dealt out before – £15m for Scottish flop Oliver Burke, £10m on Brown Ideye and £6m on Victor Anichebe for example.

At just 25, Ajayi is far from reaching his peak as a central defender, so those involved in making the move from Rotherham happen fully deserve their plaudits.

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انفعلت جماهير فريق جالطة سراي على المدرب فاتح تريم بعدما قرر إخراج اللاعب مصطفى محمد من مباراة اليوم أمام ريزة سبور، في الدوري التركي رغم تأخرهم في النتيجة.

وتلاقى الفريقان في إطار منافسات الجولة الحادية والثلاثين من الدوري التركي، حيث خسر جالطة سراي بأربعة أهداف مقابل ثلاثة. أهداف مباراة جالطة سراي وريزة سبور

ورغم أن جالطة سراي كان متأخرًا في النتيجة بثلاثة أهداف لهدفين، إلا أن فاتح تريم قرر استبدال مصطفى محمد في الدقيقة 71 بزميله أردا توران.

وأبدت جماهير جالطة سراي عبر موقع تويتر تعجبها من قرار فاتح تريم.

وقال أحدهم: “بعد هذا التغيير وإخراجك مصطفى محمد، عليك أن تترك مهنة التدريب”.

Hocam falcao varken mohamedi çıkartıyorsun şu değişiklikten sonra bırak bu mesleği — yağız (@YagComert) March 19, 2021

وأضاف آخر: “كيف أخرج تريم الرجل الذي ظل راكضًا في الملعب (مصطفى محمد) بينما يظل فالكاو واقفًا في مكانه؟”.

Falsao dururken koşan adam çıkıyor. Fatih hoca yaşlanmış — Ahmt_smi (@smi_ahmt) March 19, 2021

وتعجب ثالث: “كيف تخرج مصطفى محمد من المباراة؟ لا تكن سخيفًا بعد الآن”.

Mohammedi oyundan almak nedir ya, hoca, saçmalama artık — N (@AligsBsu) March 19, 2021

وقال رابع: “لا يجب إلقاء اللوم على الحكم، فاتح تريم أهدر المباراة بنفسه عندما أخرج مصطفى محمد وتعامل مع توران وكأنه المنقذ”.

Kimse hakeme sallamasın maçı fatih terim Mustafa Muhammet çıkartıp , kurtarıcı olarak Arda’yı oyuna aldığı için kendi elleriyle vermiştir . #GSvCRS — numan abanoz (@numanabanoz) March 19, 2021

وتابع خامس: “لا أعلم كيف أخرج فاتح تريم مصطفى محمد، كان اللاعب الوحيد الذي يواجه ريزة سبور”.

İyi oynayan Gedson neden çıkar ?
Rakibin stoperleri uzun… onlarla kafa kafaya oynayacak tek adam Mustafa…
Herşeyden çok üzüldüğüm nokta ise her deplasman maçımızda Rize’nin pisliklerine bir cevap veremedik. Fatih Terim’e de futbolcularımıza fa yazıklar olsun. — Sir Balamir (@muspetivme1905) March 19, 2021

وسخرت إحدى المشجعات: “لقد أضعفنا قوة مصطفى محمد بأنفسنا، تهانينا لنا!”.

Mostafa mohamed’i kendimiz etkisiz hale getirdik tebrikler bize — mey🏹 (@Wolfvari) March 19, 2021

ورأى أحد المشجعين أن خطة فاتح تريم لـ جالطة سراي أثرت بشكل سلبي على مصطفى محمد، حيث قال: “بينما كان أداء مصطفى محمد جيدًا جدًا، فكرنا فيما يمكننا فعله وخفضنا طاقته بطريقة لعبنا، فقط فريقنا هو من يفعل ذلك”.

Mostafa Mohamed o kadar iyi giderken düşündük ne yapabiliriz diye ve adama aykırı sistemle performansını düşürdük. Bunu sadece bizim takım yapardı — Mustafa Dursun (@mstafadursun) March 19, 2021

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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…

Everton face a huge task to pick up their third win of the Premier League season when Manchester City visit Goodison Park on Saturday, so it is in many ways a free hit for Marco Silva.

As a result, the Portuguese manager should use the opportunity to test out a new signing who so far hasn’t had too many opportunities to impress in the first team.

That player is Djibril Sidibe, who has been confined to featuring only in the League Cup due to captain Seamus Coleman occupying the right-back slot. However, so far this season he has sometimes failed to impress, which could lead to him losing his place in the team.

Sidibe is still settling in and will need game time to improve his fitness and adjust to the English game, and Manchester City could be the perfect opponent, with anything other than a loss a massive bonus.

However, he has achieved success against Pep Guardiola’s team in the past, when at Monaco, and if he can put in the same type of performance as he did in those two Champions League matches in 2017 then he could come out as the victor once again.

A key reason for that is his ability to read the game and that should prevent Manchester City exploiting Everton out wide with their through balls that often prove so effective, utilising the likes of Kevin De Bruyne and David Silva to supply crosses into the box.

Watch Everton Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

His seven interceptions from his two Carabao Cup matches underlines that ability, but he will have to step up his game further against the champions, having so far only played against teams outside of the top-flight.

If Sidibe impresses he could earn himself a regular berth in the side, particularly as Coleman has failed to impress in attacking areas this season, with a crossing accuracy of just 47%, an underwhelming return for a player who has to provide most of the Toffees’ width on the right side, as Richarlison often looks to get into the box.

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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…

Wolves legend Steve Bull has backed Raul Jimenez to keep scoring goals and become a record-breaker while doing so, per The Express and Star.

What’s he said?

Steven Fletcher holds the record goal tally for any Wolves player in the Premier League after netting 22 goals in two years at the club, beginning in 2010.

But Bull, who holds the overall record for the club with 306 goals, believes that Jimenez can surpass that by Christmas this year.

The 6 foot 3 striker has netted six goals in six European games, though that hasn’t quite translated into league form after bagging just two in four matches, including one penalty, per Transfermarkt.

After initially joining the club on loan last summer, the Mexican star signed permanently a couple of months ago in a club-record £30m move.

Across the two seasons so far, Jimenez has 15 in the league, meaning he only needs another eight to surpass the current Sheffield Wednesday striker’s record at Molineux.

And Bull certainly believes he can do it.

He said: “Easy. He should do that with absolute ease.

“He’s a player who keeps plugging away. When you work hard, you get your rewards, and he knows that.

“He’s a proper striker, an out and out goalscorer, so I reckon he’ll get there by Christmas, definitely.

“With how he’s going, we could be talking about him breaking the record in a matter of weeks.”

Has every chance

It is easy to resonate with the Molineux legend’s words as the club look set to be in the Premier League for at least the immediate to short-term future.

Last time they were in the top-flight, their spell only lasted three years, so that is why Fletcher only managed to bag 22 goals.

Nuno Santo’s main man has played over 40 games this calendar year for both club and country, and that doesn’t look like slowing up anytime soon, so the timeframe Bull has put on it is realistic – just as long as he stays fit.

The 28-year-old looked sluggish against Everton despite bagging a goal, but that was the first time fatigue appeared to have any significant effect on the striker.

That record should certainly be broken come the end of this current campaign.

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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…

With star man Lyle Taylor set to miss two months of the campaign through injury, Charlton must adapt to life without their five-goal striker.

As of now, Lee Bowyer has overseen back-to-back defeats without the Montserrat international in his team, with Tomer Hemed struggling up top alongside Jonathan Leko – the pair have started both games against Birmingham and Wigan, and haven’t had a single shot on target combined.

How does Bowyer currently set up?

So far this term, the 42-year-old has been using a 4-3-1-2 formation with Taylor and Leko together up top, which has since changed to Hemed and Leko after the former was injured while on international duty.

That system merited four wins and two draws from their opening six Championship games, but seeing as the same formation has resulted in two consecutive defeats without Taylor, the 29-year-old’s presence can definitely be seen as a pivotal factor in the success of the tactical approach.

As a result, something probably needs to change.

What can Bowyer do?

The former Newcastle United midfielder recently came out and said that Chuks Aneke – a centre-forward who scored 17 League Two goals last term – was not impressing him as a striker, and he thought he would be better as a No.10 in behind the main forward.

“At the moment Chuks hasn’t really done anything to persuade me he can play up top.

“We tried to put him up there the other day [as a substitute against Birmingham] and he didn’t do so well.”

As a result, Bowyer should opt for Hemed as a lone striker with Aneke in behind him, alongside one of Jonny Williams or Erhun Oztumer, or even the latter pair together.

Some fans were recently unhappy with Leko – one supporter even called for him to be dropped – and he’s managed just one goal this season, so there is no point in sticking with two misfiring centre-forwards.

Indeed, a system with two attacking midfielders supporting one frontman could be a better option – especially if Bowyer commits to using Aneke as a No.10.

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…

Frenkie de Jong has well and truly arrived at Barcelona, and not a moment too soon.

Last weekend, the Blaugrana welcomed Valencia to the Camp Nou in a match that was bound to offer entertainment and, more importantly, goals. And it didn’t disappoint on either front.

The Catalans snatched all three points on the night, running out 5-2 victors, having simply run away with the game.

Watch Spanish Football Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

Many players were seemingly at their brilliant best but probably no one as much as the young Dutchman. Barcelona’s 22-year-old star lit up the stage.

De Jong was everywhere on the pitch, notching 62 touches but more importantly, influencing the game for Barcelona in the best possible way. The midfielder first assisted the young Ansu Fati early on in the clash and then followed it up with his first goal for the Blaugrana in La Liga, assisted by, interestingly enough, Fati himself.

But he did much more than just score and assist.

De Jong managed an impeccable 100% passing accuracy with a total of 53 passes recorded and also deployed three key passes throughout his stay on the pitch of the Camp Nou. Without proper words to describe him – he was utterly brilliant.

Add to that three dribbles and one interception and you’ll have one of the most complete performances a midfielder could wish for, and according to Whoscored, the young Dutchman was Barcelona’s Man of the Match with the game-highest rating of 8.63.

While it will have been a satisfying game for Barca fans to watch, this was probably De Jong’s finest performance in the club’s colours thus far.

This is especially true since his role at the club was widely discussed prior to the game, both among many of the fans who thought Valverde was misusing the 22-year-old, and among pundits and coaches, who, for the most part, thought the very same.

But if this game has proven anything to Barcelona and Valverde, then it’s the fact that De Jong only needed a bit of time to adjust.

If this performance is anything to go by, the sky could now be the limit.

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أعلن مدرب مانشستر سيتي بيب جوارديولا التشكيل الأساسي لمواجهة إيفرتون في بطولة كأس الاتحاد الإنجليزي.

اقرأ أيضًا.. جوارديولا: لا نشعر بالندم على رحيل سانشو عن مانشستر سيتي.. وسنسيطر عليه ضد دورتموند

ويلتقي الفريقان في إطار منافسات ربع نهائي البطولة، في ملعب جوديسون بارك. تشكيل مانشستر سيتي أمام إيفرتون

حراسة المرمى: ستيفن.

خط الدفاع: ووكر، لابورت، دياز، زينشينكو.

خط الوسط: برناردو سيلفا، فرناندينيو، جوندوجان.

خط الهجوم: ستيرلينج، جيسوس، فودين. بدلاء مانشستر سيتي أمام إيفرتون

ستونز، أجويرو، رودري، دي بروين، توريس، ميندي، محرز، كانسيلو، إيدرسون.

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It’s been a while since a Nottingham Forest player earned a call-up to the England squad, not since the late 1990s in fact when Stuart Pearce earned his last cap in a Reds shirt in 1997.

Other than being an English native, Forest fans would typically have no other reason to tune in for a fixture against Kosovo, but one of their players actually started the game for the visitors.

Manchester City loanee Aro Muric is Kosovo’s first-choice keeper even though he’s lost his spot between the sticks to Brice Samba, who has started their last two matches in the league.

The 20-year-old had quite the mare and much of the City Ground fanbase are letting him know about it on social media.

Watch Nottingham Forest Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

He let in five goals, including a couple that could have been saved, if the fan reaction is anything to go by.

A positive could be the fact he managed to get down to deny Harry Kane from the spot, though aside from that, it was far from impressive.

One supporter hoped the 6 foot 6 giant was sent back to his parent club, claiming that Costel Pantilimon was far better while one stated he made the Romanian look like goalkeeping great Peter Schmeichel.

Muric started Forest’s first four Championship matches, keeping one clean sheet whilst conceding four goals, per Transfermarkt.

Other fans labelled the performance ‘absolutely awful’ and ‘garbage’ with one member of the Forest faithful believing he isn’t good enough in the league let alone facing the likes of Raheem Sterling and Harry Kane.

Here’s the best of the reaction:

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Watford have had an abysmal beginning to the season and some of the fans are starting to lose faith in the team after no wins in seven.

The club posted a video of the new manager dishing out instructions during training, but it wasn’t enough to give supporters the lift they need, with some suggesting they will need more than the organisation the Spaniard was commanding.

Watch Watford Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

However, greater cohesion in their defensive play would go a long way to helping Watford’s current predicament, given they have conceded 20 goals in only seven league games – the most of any side.

Their downbeat nature is understandable, therefore, and one fan believes it is time for the former Atletico Madrid manager to prove his worth, starting with the visit of Sheffield United on Saturday.

Should the Hornets pick up a win it could give their fanbase a much-needed boost and rid them of the pessimism they currently feel, as evidenced by the reactions below.

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After a turbulent 77-day spell under Frank de Boer, which ended with the Dutchman overseeing four straight Premier League losses without his side scoring a goal, things looked bleak for Crystal Palace.

The out-of-work Roy Hodgson was available and swiftly appointed as De Boer’s successor on 12th September 2017, with the Eagles enjoying a rare period of stability since the former England manager’s arrival – Palace have had seven permanent managers since 2011.

The 72-year-old comfortably led the south Londoners to survival in his first season at the helm, despite Palace losing their first seven games without scoring, although there have been plenty more excellent moments under the experienced boss as we surpass his first two years in charge…

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What better way to start off than to recall Hodgson’s first win as manager of his boyhood club?

As aforesaid, the Eagles were on a goalless, seven-game losing spell before the champions Chelsea rocked up at Selhurst Park, but an own goal from Cesar Azpilicueta and a well-taken Wilfried Zaha effort earned Palace a shock 2-1 victory.

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The veteran manager guided the team he supported as a boy to their largest ever Premier League win towards the end of the 2017/18 season, with a resounding 5-0 thumping of Leicester.

Goals from Zaha, James McArthur, Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Patrick van Aanholt and Christian Benteke helped make club history – a real achievement from Hodgson and his players.

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Perhaps the most surprising result of last season in its entirety, let alone Hodgson’s spell as Palace boss.

The south Londoners arrived at the Etihad Stadium with nothing to lose. Pep Guardiola’s men were the reigning champions and were also the only side in the top six tiers of the English game to have a 100% home record when Palace turned up just before Christmas last year.

However, having gone behind early on, a goal from Jeffrey Schlupp, a Puskas Award nominee from Andros Townsend and a steely penalty from Luka Milivojevic earned Palace a truly unbelievable win.

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The 5-3 win over Bournemouth on the final day of last season saw Palace finish the campaign on 49 points, a club-record total for the Eagles in the Premier League era.

Two goals from Michy Batshuayi, an own goal from Jack Simpson, as well as strikes from van Aanholt and Townsend helped cement the impressive feat.

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The Eagles created club and Premier League history with their 2-1 win against Manchester United at Old Trafford this season.

Jordan Ayew’s opener and van Aanholt’s last-gasp strike saw Palace record their first win over the Red Devils in the Premier League era – the Dutchman’s strike was also the first time United had conceded a stoppage-time winner at home in the Premier League.

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