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Gabriel Martinelli has been named as Arsenal’s player of the month for October, and although the club’s results have been extremely inconsistent as of late, these fans have been stating their appreciation for the forward’s goalscoring contribution so far in 2019/20.

Martinelli has scored seven goals since arriving from Ituano in the summer transfer window, whilst also particularly impressing in the Europa League, scoring three goals in three European appearances.

Yet despite this, the 18-year-old is yet to start a Premier League game in the current campaign. 

Although the last month has been a difficult period for Arsenal, with Unai Emery’s side now sitting in fifth, six points off Champions League qualification, the form of their Brazilian youngster is unquestionably a positive element of an underwhelming campaign so far.

Following the announcement that Martinelli had won the club’s player of the month award, these fans were quick to sing his praises.

Here are some of the best reactions following an official club tweet.

Tottenham Hotspur announced on Tuesday evening that Mauricio Pochettino had been sacked as head coach of the London club.

In a statement, Spurs chairman Daniel Levy said that he was “extremely reluctant” to make the change.

However, Pochettino has now been relieved of his duties and the search for his successor didn’t take long at all, with Jose Mourinho being appointed less than 12 hours later.

Tottenham reached the 2019 Champions League final but there is no getting away from the fact that results have been poor this season.

Indeed, the capital side have only won three of their 12 Premier League matches to sit down in 14th position in the table.

The change has occurred ahead of Saturday’s derby with West Ham United, which has just become an even bigger match than it already was.

And the overriding feeling from the Spurs fans on social media is that their club have got this particular decision badly wrong.

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

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 episode seven of the Training Ground Guru Podcast, Victor Orta gave an in-depth assessment of the club and Marcelo Bielsa, detailing specifically the advantage the young players have at the club.

What’s he said?

Leeds may be sitting in fifth place in the Championship after their defeat to Millwall but there are still reasons to be positive, particularly as they’re playing such good football.

One negative, however, is the current injuries. Liam Cooper is out for six weeks while Jamie Shackleton is also set to miss a month.

That being said, chances could be on the horizon for a few more younger players. Leif Davis, Robbie Gotts and Jack Clarke were on the bench last weekend while Pascal Struijk and Olly Casey were spoken about by Bielsa recently too.

It’s no secret that the Argentine likes to give opportunities to the young players but that’s only been magnified by Orta, who suggested they help him with his ideas. He said:

“He talks with facts. Jack Clarke, Leif Davis. He talks always in his career – I remember in Bilbao that changed lives. He talks with facts. He likes the young players because what he finds in them is amazing for his ideas.”

Promising future

As of last January, Bielsa had handed ten opportunities to players under the age of 21. That’s a glowing indication of his attention to youth but so is the fact he’s given first-team debuts to Alfie McCalmont and Mateusz Bogusz since then as well.

Bielsa has helped change the face of the football club and that’s ringing true at academy level too where he’s installed one of his assistant’s Carlos Corberan as the U23s manager.

The fact that the 64-year-old finds the young players amazing for instilling his own ideas is something that simply has to be relayed to those coming through at Thorp Arch.

If Jack Clarke is worried about his game time then he needs to bear in mind Bielsa was the one that gave him his chance in the first place. The same goes for someone like Davis who has also been handed chances sparingly in 2019/20.

But for those who haven’t earned debuts, this should be seen as an opportunity too, not least for the aforementioned Struijk and Casey who could well pounce on the uncertainty surrounding the defence.

Bielsa appears straight up with the young players and Orta’s words should serve as big motivation. They must be on red alert with opportunities there to be had.

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This article is part of Football FanCast’s Expert Roundup feature, which provides three quotes from those in the know in order to illuminate fundamental strengths, weaknesses, quirks, stylistic comparisons and general observations of players, transfer targets and confirmed signings.

Tottenham Hotspur goalkeeper Hugo Lloris must be mightily relieved that not only did his team managee to take all three points against Southampton on Saturday, but that Serge Aurier’s first half red card appears to have overshadowed his dreadful error.

The France international had so much time to clear the ball when it was passed back to him as the 10-man hosts looked to hold on to the 1-0 lead they had, but he failed miserably with a Cruyff Turn to allow Danny Ings to prod the ball over the line.

Luckily for the north London outfit it didn’t prove costly as Harry Kane’s goal proved to be the difference between the two, but plenty of pundits have expressed their concerns over the experienced 32-year-old, who cost £12m when he signed from Lyon in 2012.

Here’s what they had to say…

Don Hutchison

Speaking on ESPN FC’s YouTube channel, the former West Ham United midfielder said: “You can’t try a trick there. If you’re going to try a trick make sure it comes off, he had loads of options to the left-hand side. It was ludicrous, it was bad professionalism and it was shocking goalkeeping.”

Jamie Redknapp

The former Tottenham star wrote in his Daily Mail column: “They were badly let down by errors from Serge Aurier and Hugo Lloris on Saturday and Lloris in particular is a worry. In the last year the Frenchman has made a few mistakes you wouldn’t expect from him.

Sam Allardyce

Speaking on Goals on Sunday, in quotes reported by HITC, the former England manager said: “The perception is that this is good for the game. For me, that is a false perception. This is just making the wrong decisions in the wrong areas most of the time. We have seen so many goals given away like this now – that’s just blatant poor play.

“When you start asking goalkeepers, who can’t play out from the back, and I think Lloris is a fabulous goalkeeper, but he falls short on the ball when he is playing out from the back.”

Verdict

They’ve all got a point, to be fair.

A player of Lloris’ experience and quality shouldn’t be making a mistake like that, and perhaps it is time for Pochettino to stop making the Frenchman play out from the back, as it is something he appears increasingly uncomfortable doing.

Watch Tottenham Hotspur Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

That blunder could easily have cost Tottenham one or three points at the weekend had Southampton shown more quality in the final third, and that is the last thing they need following an already-tough start to the campaign.

It is certainly a worry the Argentine manager could do without considering the other issues he has to deal with, including the likes of Christian Eriksen, Jan Vertonghen and Toby Alderweireld all being out of contract next summer.

Everton fans have been sharing a laugh with Richarlison over the past 24 hours, with the Brazilian taking the time to chat with some fans on social media.

The former Watford man has been learning the English language since his move from his homeland, and Everton fans have been testing him on Twitter.

Fans have also asked him what his favourite food is, who the funniest member of the squad is and even what sort of dog he has.

The supporters have been loving it, with some declaring him a “hero”, whilst others are saying he has now become their favourite player.

It has seemingly been a nice break for the supporters, who despite a positive display against West Ham United, see their team sat 15th in the Premier League.

In such woeful times for a club with much loftier ambitions, it’s funny conversations like Richarlison’s that can get the fans up in high spirits again.

The 22-year-old has become a fan favourite over the last year with the Blues, scoring 13 Premier League goals last campaign. Lately, however, Richarlison has been in a slight rut, scoring just twice this season.

Here’s what went down on Twitter with the Everton man…

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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… 

Wolves’ season so far has had two very contrasting elements.

In the Europa League, they have mounted a historic run into the group stages, winning all six of their qualifying matches including an impressive two-legged victory over Serie A outfit Torino.

Whilst in the league, to say they have struggled would be an understatement.

The west Midlands club are yet to record a victory and last weekend’s 5-2 drubbing at the hands of Chelsea saw them slip closer to rock-bottom in the table.

If you don’t know the words to the Joao Moutinho chant in the video below, are you even a real Wolves fan?…

Nuno Santo managed to guide the club to a seventh-place finish last campaign, in what was their first season back in the top-flight in seven years after lifting the Championship in 2018.

The added strain of competing on the European continent has clearly had a significant impact already with the vigorous group stages only just starting later this week.

So where has it gone wrong?

On the Chalkboard

One area of the pitch that has drastically underperformed is in midfield.

The trio of Ruben Neves, Leander Dendoncker and Joao Moutinho are central to Santo’s three-at-the-back system working. They almost hold it all together.

Last season, they looked in another world – but so far this campaign, things just haven’t been up to scratch.

All three midfielders have been much worse with the ball at their feet, regressing on the number of passes made as well as on their passing accuracy.

Moutinho is the playmaker of the side. He recorded the most assists during 2018/19 with eight, and the number of passes he averages per game has lowered substantially from 49 to 37.4 – that’s a considerable drop in regards to his involvement.

The 33-year-old has also seen a decrease in the number of long-balls he plays, only adding to his creativity woes so far this campaign.

Dendoncker and Neves are mostly defensive-minded midfielders, yet they have seen a similar pattern in the focal points of their respective games.

Watch Wolverhampton Wanderers Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

The Belgium international’s average number of completed passes per game has dropped from 31.9 to 23.8, whilst he has been far less effective in the tackle – a decrease of 2 per game from last season, which you’d imagine has been a massive reason as to why opposition players have been able to get the better of Wolves so far this season.

Neves, who has been courted by reigning champions Manchester City in the past, has also underperformed greatly – his passing accuracy rate has dipped by nearly 10% with his presence on the pitch seemingly nullified through a lack of interceptions too.

Santo will need to find a way to get these three going or their Premier League hopes will dwindle away just as quick as these midfielder’s stats have.

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 new 2019/20 La Liga season has brought many changes to Barcelona as some new faces were introduced to the squad. As a result, some first-teamers lost their spot and among them, in some instances at least, was Sergio Busquets.

On the chalkboard

Last season, Busquets was among the players with the most games played at Barcelona with a total of 54. The Octopus of Badia was an integral part of the team throughout the campaign and rarely lost his spot. But if the start of the new 2019/20 La Liga season is any indication, the 31-year-old midfielder might also become one of the victims of a team reshuffle.

So far, in the three games Barcelona played, Busquets was on the pitch for 164 minutes, sitting out the curtain-raiser completely and was subbed off in the clash against Real Betis later on in the game.

Watch Spanish Football Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

This might be a really abrupt change and despite Frenkie de Jong having the predispositions to be Barcelona’s anchor in absence of Busquets, it doesn’t feel right to discard the Spaniard just yet.

Midfield general

Seeing how Sergi Roberto has been moved to midfield this summer and with the arrival of De Jong, it seemed reasonable for the old guard to take a backseat and let the younger crop of players take over. But Barcelona struggled immensely in two out of their three games played and as a result, they lost one and drew the other.

Saying they missed Busquets’ presence in that defeat would not really be such a stretch. In fact, in 2018/19, Barcelona won 70% of all of their games in which Busquets was present. On the flip side, they only won 54% of the ones in which he was absent. And in the two games he played in this season, he already tallied 1.5 key passes per game and offered 89.5% passing accuracy.

But he offers so much more than just control. His 3.5 tackles per game this season would put many defenders to shame and not to mention that he also tallied one assist in the process too. Granted, Barcelona did draw the game against Osasuna with him in the starting lineup but he made his presence well known with 94 touches, third-highest in the team, three tackles and one interception.

All of that suggests that the 31-year-old veteran is still heavily involved in all the proceedings within the squad and Valverde should leave him in the starting lineup and use his skills while he still can.

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Some Liverpool fans on Twitter have urged their club to re-sign former goalkeeper Pepe Reina amid the injury to Alisson which manager Jurgen Klopp has said will rule him out “for the next few weeks”, however they appear unlikely to get their wish.

The Brazilian suffered the injury issue against Norwich City on Friday, with recent signing Adrian stepping in to replace him during the match.

However, the Merseyside outfit currently have a lack of depth in that position with Caoimhin Kelleher currently recovering from a broken wrist, and it appears as though free-agent Andy Lonergan – who was with the Reds during pre-season – could be the man to fill the void if Klopp’s recent words are true.

Watch Liverpool Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

That hasn’t stopped Liverpool supporters calling for the return of one of their former heroes in Reina, although any deal would have to involve either an emergency loan or him leaving AC Milan given he has one year left on his contract at the San Siro and with the transfer window now being closed.

While one individual said it “makes perfect sense”, another said “announce Pepe Reina emergency loan”.

The 36-year-old made 395 appearances in all competitions for the Champions League holders according to Transfermarkt, keeping 177 clean sheets.

Here is just a selection of the Twitter reaction…

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West Ham United fans have lavished praise on Michail Antonio for his contribution off the bench in Saturday’s 3-1 win over Watford in the Premier League.

Antonio was introduced in the 55th minute – when the score was level at 1-1.

The Englishman brought pace and energy to the visitors, who scored twice in the second period to secure a hugely important three points.

Watch West Ham United Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

Antonio’s style of play, iconic celebrations and infectious personality have enabled him to establish himself as something of a hero on the London Stadium terraces, and his performance at the weekend certainly added an extra layer to his popularity.

A number of the club’s supporters on Twitter were keen to recognise his big contribution to the victory at Vicarage Road.

Watch the video below to find out how CR7 achieves some his best skills…

And it will be very interesting to see whether head coach Manuel Pellegrini finds a spot in the XI for the 29-year-old against Norwich City next weekend.

A selection of the Twitter reaction from the West Ham fans can be seen below:

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Prasidh was economical but the rest of GT’s bowlers travelled

ESPNcricinfo staff25-May-20254:42

‘The zip has been missing in Rashid’s bowling’

Chennai Super Kings’ mid-season replacements – Ayush Mhatre, Urvil Patel and Dewald Brevis – played bright knocks in their last game of IPL 2025, offering hope that the future could be just as bright.After 17-year-old Mhatre, CSK’s youngest player ever, and local boy Urvil set the platform with thirty-somethings, Dewald Brevis launched from there, cracking a 19-ball half-century on a hot afternoon in Ahmedabad. The upshot was CSK finishing with 230 for 5, their highest total in IPL 2025 and a “great score,” according to Brevis.If GT fail to chase this, they could end up playing the Eliminator and missing the chance to have two cracks at the final.The carnage started when Mhatre took left-arm seamer Arshad Khan for a sequence of 6,6,4,4,6 in the second over, which cost GT 28 runs. Prasidh Krishna cut Mhatre’s innings short on 34 off 17 in the fourth over, but CSK went onto score 68 for 1, their joint-highest powerplay score this season.Much like Mhatre, Urvil dashed out of the blocks, flicking Mohammed Siraj for six and then picking Gerald Coetzee, who had replaced Kagiso Rabada, for back-to-back fours. He also showed his attacking enterprise against the spin of R Sai Kishore and Rashid Khan. Sai Kishore, however, had the last laugh when he switched to over the wicket and had Urvil holing out to extra-cover for 37 off 19 balls.Devon Conway, becalmed in the early exchanges, attacked Rashid in the middle overs, smashing him for 21 off ten balls before the legspinner bowled him for 52 off 35 balls.Brevis then took charge at the death with a rare combination of explosive power and T20 innovation. He faced 23 balls and crashed nine of those to or over the boundary. It even helped CSK offset Ravindra Jadeja’s slow going. By the time Brevis was dismissed off the last ball of the innings for 57, CSK had already touched 230.Jadeja stayed unbeaten on 21 off 18 balls. Prasidh was the pick of the bowlers for GT, coming away with 2 for 22 in his four overs.