In an incredibly disappointing night for Liverpool, the Reds crashed out of the Champions League as FC Basel held them to a 1-1 draw at Anfield. The Swiss side will now take their place in the knock-out rounds.

Understandably, there’s now going to be immense pressure on Brendan Rodgers and even more focus on how Liverpool perform against Manchester United in the Premier League this weekend.

Some will argue it’s unjustified, considering Rodgers masterminded the miracles of last season, when the Merseysiders claimed a runner-up finish in the English top flight. But he did make several crucial, basic mistakes against Basel and just to prove it, here’s three of them.

Setting up too defensively

It was FC Basel who only needed a point at Anfield but you wouldn’t have guessed it from Brendan Rodgers’ starting line-up. Of course, keeping it solid at the back has been a real problems for the Reds this season, yet the Anfield gaffer selected four industrious, like-minded centre-mids in Liverpool’s Xi:

Resultantly, the Reds didn’t create nearly enough chances in the first half, as shown below:

Basel were always going to be on the defensive, but the lack of natural creativity, mobility and pace going forward allowed the Swiss side to take the initiative, with Fabian Frei netting the opener after just 21 minutes:

Poor choice of substitutions

Liverpool needed to change things up at half-time and I suppose Brendan Rodgers gets credit for taking the initiative. But neither Alberto Moreno nor Lazar Markovic, who came on for Jose Enrique and Rickie Lambert respectively, had a particularly positive influence on the match.

Swapping a left-back for a left-back had virtually no effect. Moreno created one chance compared to his compatriot’s none, but apart from that both Spaniard’s were equally average. The elder defender actually put in a better defensive performance and made more passes, as shown below, leading Whoscored.com to give Moreno a worse rating from his 45 minutes:

Then, the curious case of Lazar Markovic – a winger swapped for the only striker in the entire Liverpool squad.

Admittedly, he looked lively for a short while and injected some pace going forward. Unfortunately however, the Serbian international lasted just fifteen minutes before seeing red under very controversial circumstances:

You can’t blame Brendan Rodgers for that, but bringing off Lambert only further reduced Liverpool’s goal threat.

One striker in the entire squad

This was a match Liverpool needed to win to progress to the next round of the Champions League, meaning at least one goal would be required, so why did Brendan Rodgers include just one striker in his entire matchday squad?

Of course, Daniel Sturridge and Mario Balotelli are both out with injury problems, the former on a long-term basis and the latter expected to return at the weekend.

FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. Subscribe FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.

---

Subscribe

By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.

What about young Fabio Borini however? He put in a decent shift against Real Madrid at the Bernabeu, and although the 23 year-old has only ever netted twice for the Reds, the quality of his finishing is undoubted – take this strike against Newcastle last season, for example:

He’s clearly out of favour at Anfield but at least the Italian would have offered something a little different and more direct in front of goal. One moment of magic from Borini could have secured Liverpool’s Champions League place this evening.

Instead, Liverpool somehow finished the match with no strikers on the pitch and Raheem Sterling playing as a centre-forward. It’s incredibly telling that their late equaliser came from a Steven Gerrard free kick:

Cardiff City fans rejoiced on Friday after controversial owner Vincent Tan made an astonishing U-turn and announced the ‘Bluebirds’ would be back in a blue home kit with immediate effect.

Tan’s decision came as a surprise to most, considering it was just Christmas Day when he announced the Welsh club will be staying red. The Malaysian tycoon’s well documented talks with his mother over the festive period, as well as poor results and serious fan backlash , was a compilation of factors behind his shock decision.

The Bluebirds’ fans have seen it all over the last few years – an FA Cup and League Cup final, a Play-Off final, promotion, relegation and a season in the Premier League. But there’s one thing that has eclipsed all of those achievements, and that’s the long-awaited return to their 100-year historic colours. Many teams would be envious of Cardiff’s recent success, but they also wouldn’t have accepted all of those recent accomplishments for a loss of identity. Finally all the protests and the dwindling Cardiff City Stadium crowds have had the fans’ desired effect on the owner, and the feel-good factor is well and truly back n South Wales.

Now the Cardiff supporters have got their wish it’s up to them to turn out in force and give the side the 12th man the team have been in desperate need of for quite some time. Slade’s side celebrated the news with a hard-fought and extremely important home win over fellow underachievers Fulham on Saturday. The former Leyton Orient boss praised the City fans in his post-match press conference, telling BBC Sport; “It was a totally different atmosphere to any I’ve witnessed so far this season. I was very proud.

“Although the game was very tight throughout, as it’s always going to be at 1-0, the fans were fantastic, awesome, right behind us from the first minute until the last. I was told about the passion of the fans when I came to Cardiff City and what a good group they were, and they were overwhelming today.”

Cardiff City have no excuses now, and must kick on to try and regain their Premier League status as soon as possible. In Vincent Tan’s recent statement, he showed no signs of leaving the Welsh capital anytime soon, and it seems a very apparent case of ‘let’s finish what we started’ for Tan at Cardiff. The charismatic owner, who’s been in the spotlight ever since taking ownership of the Bluebirds, has pumped an awful lot of money into the club, with transfers, facilities and a stadium expansion – it’s up to Slade now to get the club back to the promised land.

The last time Cardiff were in the Championship, Malky Mackay guided them to the Premier League as Champions in 2013 – that looks very unlikely this term, but the play-off’s are a real possibility with Cardiff currently seven points off in 11th.

Russell Slade undoubtedly knew the enormity of the challenge that was ahead of him  when he took over at the Cardiff City Stadium from Ole Gunnar Solskjaer in October. January is set to be a very busy month for Slade as he attempts to bring in the players that he feels are the right acquisitions for the club. Cardiff have recently signed Scott Malone from Millwall, and Alex Revell from Rotherham – they may not be the calibre of players the Bluebirds’ fans are used to seeing in recent years, but they could potentially be exactly what the team needs.

FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. Subscribe FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.

---

Subscribe

By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.

Now all of the off-field shenanigans have left the club, Cardiff City and Russell Slade can focus on getting things right on the pitch. After two-and-a-half years of painful ups and downs – the Bluebirds faithful are finally all pulling together, and Cardiff could now be set for a bright, blue future.

[ad_pod id=’ricco’ align=’center’]

At West Ham, manager Sam Allardyce is more loathed than loved. From bobbing around the top four at the start of the season to now sitting in their typical mid-table position Big Sam might once again find himself out of a job come the summer.

Early wins against Liverpool and Manchester City, combined with their composure to steadily pick up draws along the way, had helped West Ham build an enviable points haul before the Christmas period. But it wasn’t to last through to the New Year as Allardyce’s men buckled under the pressure. Now 28 games in, West Ham are sitting in tenth. Last season they finished 13th and, with ten games to go, the Hammers might find themselves with no progress to boast come May.

After a summer of plenty of new arrivals – namely Alex Song from Barcelona, who intelligently controls their midfield –  and forwards Diafra Sakho and Enner Valencia tasked with racking up the goals, West Ham looked set for a good season. Senegal international Sakho, who joined from French Ligue 2 side Metz, has so far scored nine Premier League goals, making him the Hammers’ top scorer. Not bad for his first season. So why have they not kept up with the likes of Southampton when they have these quality new additions?

I guess the painfully short return of striker Andy Carroll may have played a part in why West Ham have not pushed on from last season. Carroll is considered to be their number one strike option but injuries have plagued his time at Upton Park. Since joining from Liverpool back in 2012 Carroll has been unable to make the big impact expected, scoring only two league goals last season and five this one.

[ad_pod id=’ffc-video-small’ align=’left’]

The poor guy has been blighted by injury and suspensions, including missing the first 11 games of this season, only to briefly return before picking up another injury, which has completely ruled him out for the rest of the season. Again.

Perhaps Allardyce should take blame for placing so much faith in a striker who has yet to prove he is worthy of that faith. It has seen West Ham struggle with consistency, especially considering both Sakho and Valencia are still adapting to both their new team mates and the Premier League in general.

Long gone is the gratitude towards Allardyce for pulling West Ham up from the Championship only three years ago and they’ve now been replaced with calls for him to lose his job. With Allardyce’s contract up for renewal at the end of the season it may not be long before some fans get their wish. Word is that West Ham’s board are ready to make that change and have drawn up a list of names that include Dutch duo Michael Laudrup and Frank Rijkaard.

The fashion these days appears to be that clubs look to the continent in order to find a decent manager.

FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. Subscribe FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.

---

Subscribe

By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.

I get the impression that West Ham supporters are just a bit fed up. No longer do they want to see their team put in so-so performances. They want more attractive, competitive football instead of the dull, long ball style their beloved club has become associated with under Allardyce. As they prepare to move to the Olympic Stadium in August 2016, West Ham could swiftly grow to become one of English football’s emerging forces. A team ambitious enough to emulate what their fellow London rivals Tottenham, Arsenal and Tottenham have achieved in recent years.

So with only three points taken from a possible 18 in their last six games, Allardyce really isn’t proving that he is the right man to take West Ham forward and now, after four seasons at the helm, I guess it is the right time to give the fans what they want – a fresh start.

[ad_pod id=’ricco’ align=’center’]

With just a few weeks of the season remaining, the Premier League campaign is nearing its conclusion and attention is already turning to the summer and the next transfer window.

The gossip columns are full of rumours linking some of the biggest names with potential moves, and it promises to be another exciting pre-season for every club as they look to improve their squad.

And while we have reached that time of year where individuals are recognised for their contributions to the team, it’s also a good time to reflect on those players that have not been so fortunate this season.

While the likes of Alexis Sanchez and Diego Costa have proved to be big hits since arriving in the Premier League last summer, others have struggled and failed to live up to expectation since joining their new club.

Here are five of the worst summer transfers that so far haven’t gone to plan…

[interaction id=“none”]

Angel Di Maria

Having splashed out a club-record £60m for one of the world’s best players, Real Madrid star Angel Di Maria was expected to be a huge hit at Manchester United.

But unfortunately for the Red Devils his performances haven’t justified his price tag and having struggled to adapt to the Premier League he’s starting to look hugely overpriced.

He showed glimpses of his ability early on in the season, but these have been few and far between and he hasn’t proved to be the match winner that United would have hoped for.

Louis van Gaal is likely to stick with him for next season in the hope he can regain the sort of form that saw him named man-of-the-match in last year’s Champions League final, but the Argentine has a lot of work to do in order to silence his critics.

Mario Balotelli

Mario Balotelli was given the impossible task of replacing 31-goal star Luis Suarez in the summer but his career at Anfield really hasn’t worked out.

At £16m, the Italian was considered and astute signing by Liverpool despite the obvious baggage he brings, but he’s failed to live up to expectations and has found it difficult to hold down a regular place in the side.

The striker has been unable to produce the form that saw him become so vital to AC Milan last year, and with just one Premier League goal to his name has to go down as one of the worst signings of the season.

Rickie Lambert

Another of Liverpool’s summer recruits that unsurprisingly has also failed to make any significant impact since his arrival is Rickie Lambert.

Despite impressing at Southampton, it came as a bit of a shock when the Reds splashed out £4m for the striker given the fact he had spent most of his career in the lower divisions and had already past his thirties.

Like Balotelli, Lambert hasn’t been given much of a run in the side and has primarily been used as a substitute particularly when his side are chasing the game.

With just three goals to his name the England striker will surely be eyeing a move away from Anfield this summer.

Filipe Luis

Part of Atletico Madrid’s famous title-winning side that came within minutes of securing the Champions League, Filipe Luis was one of the stars that won a move to the Premier League off the back of the successful campaign.

But despite a hefty price tag of just under £16m, he has been used sparingly at Chelsea since his move to Stamford Bridge and has failed to earn a significant run of games in Jose Mourinho’s team, starting just seven league games.

FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. Subscribe FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.

---

Subscribe

By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.

The Brazilian has found himself behind Cesar Azpilicueta in the pecking order and has mostly been limited to appearances in the cup competitions which won’t have pleased him.

Reports are already linking him with a return to Madrid in the summer, something he may well consider given his lack of football this season.

Eliaquim Mangala

When you fork out £32m for a central defender, it would be fair to expect a far better level of performance than those displayed by Manchester City defender Eliaquim Mangala this season.

The former Porto man was highly regarded during his time in Portugal and had a number of clubs chasing his signature. With the Blues keen on finding a worthy partner for captain Vincent Kompany, it finally looked like they had their man, but it’s safe to say from a defensive point of view, this season has been a disaster for the Citizens.

The Frenchman has looked like a constant weakness in the back-four as the sky blues have slipped to fourth place in the league, albeit he has hardly been helped by Kompany’s dip in form.

It could just be a case of the famous first-season syndrome that many foreigners find when they arrive in the Premier League, and City will certainly be hoping he offers a better return for their money next season.

Despite admittedly never managing one of the Premier League’s top-four teams throughout his managerial career, Alan Pardew’s name still commands a certain reputation within the English footballing community.

He either comes across as a purposeful kind of coach with a clear emphasis on winning games in style – or perhaps more cynically – as just another average English manager who seemingly acts as if he’s above his own station with his various touch-line spats.

Either way, no one can really discredit the job the former West Ham, Southampton and Newcastle manager has achieved so far with Crystal Palace. The Eagles simply look like a completely transformed outfit under the refreshed guidance of the 53-year-old.

Although it’s definitely still early days for the passionate boss and his new role at Selhurst Park, with the distinct lack of other successful English managers plying their trade in the Premier League at the moment, would it be right to suggest that Alan Pardew is already in contention to be named the next England manager after Roy Hodgson departs?

The response to such a claim may shine Pards in a more deserving light than most would expect…

Under the somewhat stagnant management of Neil Warnock, and to some extent Tony Pulis before him for that matter, Crystal Palace weren’t exactly a team who were easy on the eye. Rightly or wrongly, the South London based outfit went about their business in a largely physical manner, with not a great deal of priority placed on technical flair or free-flowing moves across the pitch.

[ad_pod id=’ffc-video-small’ align=’left’]

However, now under the much more revitalized supervision of Alan Pardew, the spirit in and around Selhust Park couldn’t be much higher. The team have become a far better side to watch in general, their ability to break down the opposition’s moves and convert them into fast moving counter-attacks has certainly been impressive – and with the side recording four wins in their last four matches – the Premier League seems to have found itself a new threat for the top sides to contend with.

Even if this amounts to no more than an enjoyable honeymoon period for the new man in the dug-out, this is just the kind of management the English national team is in desperate need of at the moment. Nevertheless, there are still those who really won’t be signing themselves up in the pro-Pardew camp anytime soon – just ask the majority of Newcastle United fans who paid witness to the man in question throughout the beginning of the season.

Despite his recent turnaround in fortunes with the Eagles, St. James’ Park simply wasn’t a happy home for Alan Pardew. The supporters didn’t initially take to him after the shock sacking of Chris Hughton, he has faced constant criticism for being far too negative in his approach with the Magpies – and although he managed to take Newcastle to the brink of Champions League football at the end of the 2011/12 campaign – a great deal of the St. James’ faithful are more than happy that they don’t have to deal with their former boss anymore.

Having said that tough, working under the testing conditions set by Newcastle chairman, Mike Ashley, would be a tough task for anyone. The controversial club owner not only sold off the best talent Pardew had available whenever he had the chance, but he also completely failed to reinvest that money back in the team and often left his manager to hang out to dry when it came to explaining away such a situation.

FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. Subscribe FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.

---

Subscribe

By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.

Alan Pardew’s ill-fated reign in the North East therefore deserves some consideration before any truly damning statements are made – but as this is the man who famously went head-to-head with Hull City’s David Meyler, gave a fourth official a clear push when things didn’t go his way, and also reportedly called Manuel Pellegrini a ‘f****** old c*** for his troubles – it remains hard to see the FA being brave enough to ever select such a character for national duties.

No, Roy Hodgson certainly remains their man for now. He is the calm, safe bet after all, regardless of the potential on offer from someone such as Pards. If things continue to go well down at Selhusrt Park next season however, then you never know what could soon be on the cards for the somewhat opinion splitting manager in the not too distant future…

[ad_pod id=’ricco’ align=’center’]

Transfer rumour mill time… and the latest names to be thrown together are Mohamed Salah of Chelsea fame (well, sort of) and Tottenham. Two local rivals doing business is rare, due to the potential ‘egg on face’ scenario the selling side are always wary of, so this report has to be taken with a small pinch of salt. However, should it?

Well, we at FFC Towers think that Salah to Spurs would be a match made in heaven for the player, and the two sides involved. ‘Why?’ we hear you cry… well, here are FIVE reasons.

[interaction id=“none”]

Game time…

https://vine.co/v/emdjhjTtaqU/embed/simple

Now this is the big one, Salah needs game time. It’s hardly a shock that he shone at Basel, struggled at Chelsea and then was impressive again at Fiorentina – guess the two clubs he played regularly for! With competition for game time fierce and Stamford Bridge and Jose Mourinho a manager opposed to rotation, The Egyptian’s chances of becoming a first-team star at the age of 21-22 (he’s now 23) were always likely to be slim.

However, over at White Hart Lane, Mauricio Pochettino is a coach more akin to giving other options a go, while the Lilywhites hardly possess a wealth of wide attackers lighting up the Premier League.

More suited to a side of Spurs’ ambition…

Perhaps, as it stands, Salah is not quite at the level to compete for titles and European honours at one of the biggest clubs around. After all, his move came on the back of some impressive showings with Basel, who, no disrespect, are the big fish in a pretty tiny Swiss pond.

Featuring in the Europa League and challenging for a top four berth may be Salah’s level for now, and there’s nothing wrong with that at all at the age of 23. Spurs are very much in that niche, so it could be a match made in heaven…

Still very talented

https://vine.co/v/O0YmYH0atK2/embed/simple

Despite his struggles at Chelsea, Salah is indeed a talented player. Dubbed the ‘Egyptian Lionel Messi’ in his Basel days, capped 37 times at international level (with 21 goals to his name) and a league champion in Switzerland, the youngster clearly has talent.

Tottenham could use that ability, with supplying Harry Kane with ammunition certainly a priority heading into the 2015/16 campaign, in which the Lilywhites hero may have a tougher time from defenders.

Are Spurs and Chelsea genuine rivals?

The elephant in the room with this one seems to be the whole domestic and local rivalry between Chelsea and Spurs. Although the postcodes mean that the two clubs will always been London-based foes, are they actually teams competing directly against one another? The White Hart Lane outfit haven’t finished ahead of Chelsea since the 2011/12 campaign, and even that result (fourth and sixth respectively) was somewhat skewed by the Blues’ late season Champions League push.

FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. Subscribe FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.

---

Subscribe

By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.

In between times the West Londoners have kicked on to re-establish themselves as kings of the English game, while in the north of the capital, Tottenham have routinely sold their best players and failed to enter the Champions League since 2010.

Pace and guild from wide

https://vine.co/v/OQ63vKpOXjx/embed/simple

Salah’s main strength is his ability to take on opposing full-backs with a mix of pace and trickery. Such a desire is always good in a wide attacker, with, ultimately, the aim of a traditional winger being to get past his man and deliver the ball to the strikers. Although the lines are somewhat blurred in Pochettino’s 4-2-3-1, with the attacking midfield three tasked with drifting to fill space, Salah appears to offer a different option. He’s more agile than Nacer Chadli, less infuriating than Andros Townsend, not as burdened by price-tag as Erik Lamela and pacier than Christian Eriksen.

Liverpool’s first seven away games are horrendous, probably the worst run of fixtures anyone could ever face. With pressure mounting on Brendan Rodgers towards the end of last season, a poor run at the start of this season could be the end of his tenure at Anfield.

That’s not sensationalism, that’s the state of modern football. Rodgers still deserves a chance, sure, but can the owners afford to give it to him if Liverpool are midtable after ten games?

It would be a repeat of last season in many ways. If Liverpool start slowly, they can blame the fixtures – last season they could point to the Suarez sale – and then put a run together from Christmas onwards. But that might not be enough to get them Champions League football. With United and Arsenal spending money, City will surely strengthen too and Chelsea will also feel they have enough firepower by the end of the summer to fend off the chasing pack. Liverpool will have to move forward quickly, not stand still.

And to his credit, Rodgers has recognised this. He’s made some very good signings indeed and all before the window has really even opened in earnest. There’s only a month left before the season opener – a second consecutive game away to Stoke, the scene of the crime as far as Liverpool are concerned – and Liverpool have a better squad than they did going into the last game of last season.

But the problem for Rodgers this summer was always going to be the lack of Champions League football, and whether the club could attract the calibre of players needed in order to bring his team on. The Europa League just isn’t catnip enough to Europe’s biggest stars.

So given that Rodgers has done alright so far, he’ll have some goodwill before the start of the season. But that could disappear suddenly if they start to lose games. It doesn’t matter how excusable those defeats might be, football is fickle. Logically, defeats away to Stoke, Arsenal, Man United, Everton, Tottenham, Chelsea and Man City shouldn’t really have a bearing on a manager’s position. But with Rodgers already under pressure Liverpool need to win some of those games.

He knows that Jurgen Klopp is just a phone call away from taking his job and that a poor run could really seal his fate.

And in fact, Klopp is in a wonderful position if indeed he does want to manage Liverpool. The German can take a few months off and watch from afar as Rodgers toils under the pressure of such a tough start. Then if Rodgers does get the sack, Klopp can come in mid-season, the tough fixtures already out of the way, and bring the team to a decent finish. Rodgers could do all the dirty work and Klopp can come in and finish the job, looking like the saviour all the while.

But that will only happen if Liverpool stutter in their tough few games and are unable to rectify the situation. If Rodgers is under pressure then the players will need to step up and do it when the chips are down. That’s what’s going to save Rodgers through this tough period, the players. If his young team can handle the pressure, after a poor end to last season and a tough start to the next one, then there’ll be no need for Klopp or another saviour come November time.

FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. Subscribe FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.

---

Subscribe

By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.

The players Rodgers has brought into the club so far this summer must be players that he can rely on. That’s why Milner is perfect, he and Firmino are players who will help out the team defensively too. Milner epitomises the ‘honest, hardworking’ stereotype, which is exactly what you need when the pressure is on.

With Klopp waiting in the wings, the pressure really is on Rodgers and he needs the players to help him out during the opening weeks. But he’s bought well so far and maybe Klopp will have to wait a little longer to take over at Anfield.

After starting with both Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Romelu Lukaku against Burnley on Boxing Day, Manchester United really shouldn’t have had to rely on half-time sub Jesse Lingard to bail them out, coming back from 2-0 down.

But that was the position they found themselves in as the Belgian striker – still United’s top scorer – has started yet another goal drought, whilst Zlatan Ibrahimovic – who, in fairness, only has one start to his name all season – is yet to score in the Premier League, his only goal coming against Bristol City.

This weekend, after three without a win in all competitions, the Red Devils need to find a victory from somewhere in order to stop the rot, but it won’t be easy: not because Southampton are the most difficult opponents they’ll face in the coming weeks, but because there’s another game just 48 hours later, up against Sam Allardyce’s Everton.

That won’t be easy either, not least because the Toffees have only conceded twice under their new manager, and it’s those sorts of defences which have given United difficulties in recent weeks. That means United can’t just think about beating Southampton first and then moving onto Everton: with two games in three days, they have to juggle both by resting players with a view to winning both games.

In order to do that, you get the feeling that Lukaku will have to play one game and Ibrahimovic the other. With the Saints game first up this weekend, should Mourinho play Ibrahimovic or Lukaku up front on Saturday, resting the other for New Year’s Day? Have your say below?

FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. Subscribe FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.

---

Subscribe

By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.

[ad_pod ]

According to reports in The Telegraph, Manchester United left-back Luke Shaw could be a target for former club Southampton during the January transfer window, but only if they were able to afford his wages.

What’s the word, then?

Well, The Telegraph suggests that Saints are ready to act in the market next month following the £75m sale of Virgil van Dijk to Liverpool, and the fact that they are just two points above the Premier League relegation zone as things stand.

The Telegraph reports that the south coast outfit would be keen on bringing former player Shaw, who has also been linked with Tottenham Hotspur and Newcastle, back to St Mary’s and would be interested if they could meet his wage demands.

The 22-year-old has found life generally difficult since Jose Mourinho took charge of the Red Devils in 2016, but he did make a rare start in their 2-2 draw against Burnley at Old Trafford on Saturday.

How has Shaw done this season?

It has been a largely frustrating campaign for the England international, who has found first-team opportunities hard to come by despite United not having an out-and-out left-back or left wing-back.

The likes of Ashley Young, Daley Blind and Matteo Darmian have often been ahead of him in the pecking order this term, and Shaw has only made six appearances in all competitions.

Being involved in the side that lost to Bristol City in the EFL Cup quarter-finals and the one that drew with Burnley certainly won’t have helped his cause to play regularly, although he was named as the man of the match in the 1-0 win against Bournemouth earlier this month.

Would Mourinho sell him in January?

It depends on whether he brings in a replacement or not.

United have been linked with the likes of Juventus’ Alex Sandro, Tottenham’s Danny Rose and Fulham’s Ryan Sessegnon in recent weeks, and if one of those arrives at Old Trafford it could pave the way for Shaw to go.

FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. Subscribe FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.

---

Subscribe

By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.

While he has been slightly more involved in recent weeks, the 22-year-old is still out of contract at the end of the season and with no signs that he will be offered a new deal, Mourinho may choose to cash in on him in the New Year rather than risk losing him for nothing in the summer.

[ad_pod ]

Leeds United suffered a last-gasp 4-3 defeat in a thrilling Championship encounter against Millwall at Elland Road on Saturday, slipping down to 10th in the standings as a result.

The Whites fell behind to an Aiden O’Brien goal before captain Liam Cooper saw red eight minutes before the break for a high challenge on Lions midfielder George Saville.

The hosts found themselves 2-0 down at the break after Lee Gregory’s goal, but the 10 men then produced an unlikely comeback with three goals in 17 minutes seeing them lead.

Pierre-Michel Lasogga scored the first and the third, but he was taken off in the 83rd minute with Thomas Christiansen’s men still in the lead.

However, late goals from Tom Elliott and Jed Wallace snatched the points for the visitors, and Christiansen was questioned on the decision to take the Hamburg loanee off following the final whistle.

According to Leeds Live, the 44-year-old summed it up in three words when he said: “He was finished”.

FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. Subscribe FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.

---

Subscribe

By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.

[ad_pod ]