Leeds United are in a very similar position to the one they were in this time last year.

Indeed, after 30 games we once again find Leeds sitting second in the Championship, and they’ve been every bit as good as last term.

They’re two points worse off than they were at this point last season, but their xG is higher and they’ve created more chances than they had this time 12 months ago.

However, even though Leeds have been as good as last year, one man whose performances have certainly dipped is Mateusz Klich.

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The midfielder contributed to 19 goals last term, but this season he’s struggled to reach those heights providing just three goals and one assist.

The 29-year-old is seemingly lacking one thing that made him such a dangerous player last term.

As the above infographic shows, Klich hasn’t been at the races in 2019/20 – his minutes per goal and minutes per assist ratios are nowhere near what they were.

However, somewhat inexplicably, his passing and shooting numbers have actually improved as he’s taking more shots and playing more key passes than he was last term.

The fact of the matter is that the quality of his final ball is lacking, whether that be a shot or a pass.

The midfielder is attempting to score goals and make assists, but the ability to find the right ball or put it into the net is lacking.

Klich’s final ball needs to improve if he’s going to help fire United to promotion – he has the ability to do it, as we saw it last campaign, but it’s just a matter of rediscovering that form.

It could be a case of trying too hard, or perhaps the fatigue of starting every single league game since the start of last term is affecting him, but one thing’s for sure, Leeds need him back at his best.

In other news, Graham Smyth has picked out a man to watch in the U23s.

West Brom striker Charlie Austin has never shirked from the fact that he’s a boyhood Liverpool supporter, no matter what club he’s been at, and earlier this week he reacted to a transfer report linking one of their key players with a move away.According to The Sun, Bundesliga giants Bayern Munich are preparing a £75m bid for Reds centre-forward Roberto Firmino this summer as he is one of their top targets.

This has left Austin in hysterics as he replied to a BBC Sport tweet about the gossip.

Here’s his verdict…

Clearly, the Albion man would be gutted to see the Brazillian leave Anfield in the summer and would not even consider a bid for him at all.

Former Reds midfielder Charlie Adam was in agreement in Austin’s replies, stating that the bid would have to start with three figures at least, presumably meaning £100m or more.

Although, the 30-year-old would probably have said the same thing no matter the figure going by his reaction.

Calling all EFL experts: Can you get full marks on this stadiums quiz?

And in other news, West Brom have no option to buy in one of their loan deals, claims Steve Madeley…

UEFA shook the entire footballing world on Friday as they banned Manchester City from being able to compete in the Champions League for two straight years and also handed them a €30m fine (£25m).The reason behind the ban is the alleged breach of the Financial Fair Play rules as the Adjudicatory Chamber of UEFA’s Club Financial Control Body (CFCB) found the Citizens guilty of “overstating its sponsorship revenue” between 2012 and 2016.

Who the heck is that?! Can you name all 25 of these obscure Man City signings…

And now, with no European football for them in the coming years – should the ban stand – there’s a question whether the club will be able to keep all their star players at the club, with a mass exodus naturally being feared among sections of the fanbase.

Pep Guardiola’s future is included within that, and Sky Sports asked one of the club’s former players, Shaun Goater, whether he thinks the Catalan gaffer will remain in Manchester if the two year ban is upheld.

Here’s what he said, as quoted by Sky Sports:

“I think he will stay. The project here at City is not complete. I also think outside of City, where does Pep Guardiola go?”

Of course, we still don’t know what will happen with the club and whether the sentence will be reduced with City aiming to appeal UEFA’s decision and fight against this ruling.

But one way or another, this is bound to have a major impact on the footballing world as a whole and not just on the current Premier League champions.

In other news, Gary Lineker ridiculed City on Twitter recently with a great throwback video from his Everton days…

West Brom moved seven points clear at the top of the Championship table with yet another victory over a promotion rival, meaning their chances of clinching a return to the top-flight is looking more and more like a mere formality.

The Baggies defeated Preston North End 2-0 at the Hawthorns to make it five wins from six.

Hal Robson-Kanu continued his rich vein of goalscoring form with a superb finish in the sixth minute, chesting down Callum Robinson’s cross before slamming it home past the visiting goalkeeper; skipper Jake Livermore nabbed the other on the stroke of half time with an exquisite half-volley any striker would be proud of.

It was also Albion’s fourth clean sheet in the same aforementioned run, which has led to fans waxing lyrical about one of their defenders, Conor Townsend.

Here’s what has been said…

The praise for the 26-year-old was neverending, so much so that first-choice left-back at the start of the season, Kieran Gibbs, has to be hugely worried about breaking back into the starting XI.

“Absolutely excellent,” “outstanding,” and “unreal” were just three phrases to highlight just how well Townsend played in the eyes of some supporters.

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Per SofaScore, the Englishman recorded one successful dribble, provided one accurate cross and managed two tackles.

Townsend has now started nine of the Baggies’ last ten league games and also both their victories in the FA Cup, and many fans are starting to change their opinions on him…

One mentioned how he once described the defender as a “scapegoat” while another suggested he should eat humble pie as the player he slated every game is starting to show his quality now.

This a recurring them throughout the high acclaim with plenty more hailing his turnaround in form in recent weeks.

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And in other news, Kamil Grosicki issues two-word verdict on West Brom man…

According to Turkish Football, a Fenerbahce source has informed them that Crystal Palace and Everton will be present at the club’s game against Galatasaray on Sunday to scout Ozan Tufan.

The 49-cap Turkey international – who has a €20m (£16.8m) release clause in his contract – is of interest to the Premier League duo as well as other sides from around Europe.

Interestingly, Tufan has a number of qualities, three of which trump every single player in Crystal Palace’s squad.

More shots and more key passes

In 22 Super Lig appearances this season, the 24-year-old has averaged more shots per game and more key passes per game than any Crystal Palace player has managed in the Premier League.

Tufan has two shots per 90 minutes in Turkey’s top-flight this season, whereas the next best performer in that department for Crystal Palace is Wilfried Zaha with 1.4 efforts per game.

In terms of key passes per game, the Fenerbahce star registers 1.4 key passes per game – the most effective player in that specific department for Roy Hodgson’s side is Luka Milivojevic with 1.2, ignoring Brandon Pierrick’s two key passes in only seven minutes of action as it is not relative to the other players who have made significantly more appearances.

Versatility could be a useful weapon

Aside from the fact that he averages more shots and key passes than any Crystal Palace player, Tufan could be a great asset to the Eagles and also useful to Hodgson for another reason – his versatility.

Across his 22 Super Lig outings this term, the Fenerbahce No.7 has made six appearances at centre-midfield, five at right-back, five at right attacking-midfield and six in a defensive-midfield position – his ability to play consistently in a number of positions is surely attractive to the former England manager.

He also has a respectable attacking output, netting two goals while grabbing four assists – the latter statistic would also place him at the top of Crystal Palace’s assist rankings, as Zaha is their most creative player with three assists.

From non-League to the Premier League: Where did these top-flight stars begin their careers?

That would mean that he trumps every Crystal Palace player in three areas – assists, shots per game and key passes per game.

In other news, The Athletic have revealed what is proving to be “problematic” in Crystal Palace’s Selhurst Park redevelopment plans…

West Brom have been dominating the Championship this season, sitting in first, but on Tuesday we got a look at how they’d get on against Premier League opposition when they faced Newcastle United.

The Midlands club made a good account of themselves, losing by just one goal against the Magpies, but there was reason to be concerned.

Albion lost 3-2 to Newcastle, the side with the worst attacking record in the Premier League.

No top-flight team has scored fewer goals than the Tyneside outfit this season, and their win over the Baggies represents only the second time this season they’ve scored three goals in a game against a side not playing in League One.

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Fortunately, Luke Dowling and Slaven Bilic have received this wake-up call in due time, and they have an opportunity to sort out their defence if they are promoted to the Premier League.

It’s clear that West Brom need new defenders if they’re going to make the step up to the top-flight, as they simply couldn’t deal with Newcastle’s attack despite it being the weakest in England’s top division.

Luckily their attack was solid, netting twice against Steve Bruce’s side, who have conceded just two more league goals than fourth-place Chelsea.

Promotion to the Premier League comes with a hefty windfall these days, and if West Brom are to replicate the likes of Fulham and Aston Villa by going on a spending spree it’s clear that they need to build from the back.

It wasn’t Albion’s first-choice back four, but it still contained the likes of Darnell Furlong and Kyle Bartley. They’re two players who have been key fixtures in Bilic’s side this term, appearing 58 times between them. Based on Tuesday’s showing they’ll need replacing upon promotion to the top-flight.

In other news, Charlie Austin should be concerned by one West Brom man’s performance.

It was another monumental weekend for Liverpool in their quest for a first league title in 30 years.

Firstly, they left themselves needing just three more victories to lift the Premier League trophy after beating Bournemouth 2-1 at Anfield on Saturday. The Reds had gone behind, but Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane were on hand to turn the game around.

That will likely have been enough to please Jurgen Klopp this weekend, but there was still more good news to come.

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On Sunday, Manchester United hosted Manchester City in their local derby – the Citizens are the Merseyside outfit’s closest rivals in the table, albeit over 20 points behind – and it was the home side who prevailed 2-0. Pep Guardiola’s men’s defeat now means that they trail by 25 points. Even though they have a game in hand, Klopp’s team need just six more points – two wins – to confirm their status as champions.

As it stands, the potential league-winning clash could come against Crystal Palace at Anfield on March 21st. On paper, it should be an easy enough victory – they are currently 43 points ahead of the Eagles, who are in 11th place – but a historic fixture between the two makes it a far more intriguing encounter.

Arguably the closest Liverpool have been to winning the title in the past 10 years was in 2013/14. Whilst they only missed out on the title last season by one point, they were three points ahead with three matches left six years ago. Then, they followed up a loss against Chelsea with a draw against Palace in the most dramatic of circumstances. 3-0 up with less than 20 minutes left, the Reds collapsed, allowing their opponents to score three times to secure a point.

Winning the title against a side who all but ended their title hopes previously would be a fitting end to the title race, and would allow Liverpool to banish the ghosts of their past. Given their displays this season, you cannot begrudge them of that.

Meanwhile, this Liverpool target trumps Roberto Firmino in one key area.

The Athletic’s Aston Villa correspondent Gregg Evans hopes that Keinan Davis is given a chance to play for the club as they attempt to avoid relegation to the Championship, per the 1874 podcast (March 12th, 36:45).

What’s the word?

Villa are 19th in the Premier League, two points behind Watford and safety.

Since the signing of Mbwana Samatta in the January transfer window, for £8.5m, the Tanzania international has made four appearances in the Premier League, scoring once, in the 2-1 defeat to AFC Bournemouth.

Davis, meanwhile, has played just 55 minutes in that time, having failed to complete 90 minutes in the top-flight. He has scored one goal this season, in the EFL Cup win over Crewe Alexandra.

And Evans believes that giving the 22-year-old a chance would be a good step for the Midlands club.

He said: “I think maybe it might be worth giving Keinan Davis a try upfront instead of Samatta. I’d like to see that personally.

“I’d like to see whether Davis holding the ball up and bringing others into play has any benefit. I just can’t see the two upfront.”

A punt

This might work but, equally, it might not.

Villa do have plenty of time on the training pitch given the suspension of the Premier League until April 3rd.

But Davis hasn’t really shown that he is the solution for a club battling relegation.

Did he really play for us?! No Villa fan has managed to name all of these obscure Villans….

The 22-year-old has made 57 first-team appearances as a professional and has scored four goals, with two of those coming in the Championship.

Samatta, at least, has some pedigree, having scored 76 goals in 191 games for KRC Genk before his move to Villa Park.

Evans is scrambling for solutions, much like Villa, but there is no guarantee Davis is the answer.

Meanwhile, Villa dare not sell this man!

It is perhaps quite easy to forget that Ryan Bennett was the first signing of the Nuno Espirito Santo revolution at Wolves.

After all, the rise of the Portuguese and Jorge Mendes influence has certainly caught the eye in the Premier League, but Bennett’s arrival kick-started Wolves’ staggeringly quick transition from competing in the Championship, to competing in Europa League football this year.

The defender signed for the club on a free transfer after being released by Norwich, with Kevin Thelwell speaking glowingly at the time of his arrival. He said: “He’s got a lot of experience. He’s played in the Championship which is important, but he’s also played in the Premier League. I think he’s been unfortunate to not play as games as he should have done at Norwich. With him being out of contract, he seems like a really solid take for us.”

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And having played 92 total games for the club since, he has proven himself to be a key part of Wolves’ success in recent seasons. But his game-time this year was far more limited – indeed, after starting the first four games of the Premier League campaign, Bennett completed the full 90 minutes just once after that before leaving the club in January to join fellow top-flight side Leicester on loan.

To put it bluntly, Nuno’s side have just developed to such an extent that they are better than Bennett’s abilities. The Molineux outfit currently find themselves sixth in the Premier League table, just five points behind fourth-placed Chelsea. It isn’t a personal slight on the centre-back himself, but rather an indication of how quickly Wolves have grown in such a short amount of time.

For true Wolves fans only: How much did each of these players cost?

The fact he hasn’t even made the match-day squad for Leicester speaks volumes of how he just isn’t quite good enough. It is exactly why Fosun and Nuno should make the tough decision to let go of a player who was there with them when they were still a team in the Championship – Bennett played a huge role in their promotion-winning campaign, playing 33 times across all competitions.

Wolves should be targeting bigger and better players now that they are dining among the top tables, and sadly for the £4.5m-rated Bennett, that means his time at the club should be up this summer. Having joined on a free transfer, helped the team get promoted, and played 92 total games, the centre-back has shown that he is very much a Thelwell masterstroke. But the time has now come for him to make his exit.

Meanwhile, here are three things we’ve learned about Adama Traore this season.

Loads of Tottenham Hotspur fans have been reacting on Twitter following Harry Kane’s latest comments on his future with the club.

Speaking to Jamie Redknapp in an Instagram Q&A on Sunday, via The Guardian, the 26-year-old said he wouldn’t stay with Spurs “for the sake of it”, if there are no signs that they will match his ambitions.

Part of that, of course, will be to win trophies, which is something he is yet to experience during his spell with the north London outfit.

Having scored 181 goals in 278 appearances in total for Tottenham, it is clear to see how important he has become even if injuries – like the hamstring one he is currently recovering from now – have sometimes hampered him at crucial periods.

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In terms of Kane’s comments, the next transfer window could prove to be a hugely important one for Jose Mourinho and chairman Daniel Levy, with it being clear this season that this is a Spurs squad that is in need of a revamp – especially from a defensive point of view.

Tottenham supporters were asked by fan account SpursWeb on Twitter how they were feeling personally about the situation following the Sunday update, and they were quick to respond.

The single toughest football logo quiz of all time…

World Class score: 95% | Expert score: 80% | Veteran score: 65% | Intermediate score: 45% | Amateur score: 30% | Try Again: 5%

One described the comments as “inevitable”, while another suggested “Levy will have blood on his hands if he leaves” – both are pretty spot on.

Here is a selection of the reaction…

In other Tottenham news, Spurs fans have identified the 6 ft 4 colossus they want if Harry Kane does leave the club…