Jose Mourinho has reportedly been contacted by Tottenham over the possibility of him replacing Mauricio Pochettino if the Argentine leaves, and it has generated quite a mixed reaction from Spurs fans on Twitter.

Many don’t believe the report from Soccerlink, but it has sparked discussion nonetheless, with some members of the fanbase having polar opposite viewpoints.

Some of those who are opposed to the idea of him taking over from the Argentine point to his failure at Manchester United, where he not only underachieved but played largely negative football and created a negative atmosphere.

With Spurs in a similar position of unrest, with several players allegedly unhappy with the situation they find themselves in, appointing Mourinho may not be the best option.

The 56-year-old famously fell out with those above him at Real Madrid and twice at Chelsea, but some Tottenham supporters are choosing to look past that because of the success he brings, and the trophies he wins.

Despite the joy Pochettino has had in north London he has still failed to pick up a piece of silverware, and some fans are keen to see that change, believing the arrival of Mourinho would help.

Here are some of the varying responses to the prospect of the Portuguese boss becoming manager at the Tottenham Stadium.

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…

Outside of east London Mark Noble is often a much-overlooked figure, but his presence on the pitch has undoubted importance for West Ham, and not just because of his leadership qualities.

He has been a central figure to the Hammers since breaking into the first team and despite the comings and goings of various players and managers, he is always a key cog in the team.

For onlookers, they may judge him by his low return of goals and assists, but he doesn’t base his game on that, and instead acts as a valuable asset to Pellegrini in another capacity.

In his two seasons under the Chilean he has achieved a pass accuracy of 85% in 2018/19 and 86% this term, and that makes him a dependable figure to his manager and the passing philosophy he has implemented – evidenced by their average of 8.6 key passes per game in their last three league matches against Crystal Palace, Bournemouth and Manchester United.

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Central to creating chances in the final third is the role Noble fulfils, as without him many of West Ham’s attacks wouldn’t get going.

He is the lynchpin and though at times he seems to just be keeping things ticking over, he often provides a decisive pass to set the attack on its way, launching the more creative players upfield to work their magic.

In fact, such is his effectiveness, he ranks fifth in a list of Premier League players’ build-up contributions.

Build-up contributions are an ideal scope at looking at the players who start moves from deep, and highlights how efficient the 32-year-old is in picking the ball up from his defenders and finding a teammate further forward.

The 24 he has made this term places him ahead of several top-six players, many of whom often receive plaudits such as Fabinho and Georginio Wijnaldum, whilst Winks is seen as a very effective midfielder but has made only one more contribution than the Irons man.

Also important to note is that no other West Ham player comes near to him, and it is likely that his absence could lead to a downturn in results, or at least the number of chances they produce.

As a result, Noble is a significant contributor to the team and one of the first names on the teamsheet not just because of his leadership attributes, and without him the team would be considerably worse off.

تقدم النجم البرتغالي كريستيانو رونالدو بهدف أول لفريقه يوفنتوس، أمام نابولي في المباراة التي تقام بينهما حاليًا بالدوري الإيطالي.

وجاء هدف رونالدو في الدقيقة 14 من الشوط الأول، بعد تمريرة من فيديريكو كييزا الذي راوغ الدفاع ومرر للبرتغالي ليسدد كريستيانو في الشباك.

ويواجه يوفنتوس نظيره نابولي في مباراة مؤجلة من الجولة الثالثة للدوري الإيطالي، على ملعب “آليانز ستاديوم”. هدف رونالدو في مباراة يوفنتوس ونابولي

This article is part of Football FanCast’s Transfer Focus series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent transfer news…

According to The Daily Mail, Manchester United have “earmarked” RB Leipzig boss Julian Nagelsmann as a future manager at Old Trafford.

What’s the word?

The Red Devils’ miserable start to the current campaign – they lie in twelfth in the Premier League after eight games – has seen growing speculation over whether Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is still the right man for the job.

Watch the video below to see the most insane overhead kick you will see this week…

Now, The Daily Mail claim the Red Devils have been doing the “groundwork” on potentially bringing Nagelsmann in, and that the process of building up information on him is well underway.

The report adds that whilst the pressure has been increasing on Solskjaer, United view Nagelsmann as “one to watch for further down the line”.

Long-term planning

At just 32-years-old, the RB Leipzig manager has already carved out a massive reputation in his time in the Bundesliga. His sterling work at Hoffenheim, where he guided the team from the brink of relegation to being a Champions League side, gained him a lot of recognition. Now in only his second managerial stint, the German has led his new side to fifth in the top-flight after seven games.

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For United, the style of play is just as important as the results on the pitch. And Nagelsmann’s own words on the coach that inspired him will certainly make for interesting reading for the Red Devils faithful.

“My role model is Pep Guardiola’s Barcelona. I always observed his work, especially the way his team would burst forwards within seconds of winning the ball. He made a name for himself that is worthy of Johan Cruyff. Only very few teams have managed to dominate possession by playing so high up the pitch. Guardiola inspired me a lot.”

After years of stale football and a complete drying up of the goals, Nagelsmann would bring the Manchester side some excitement in the way the team plays. Add to that his success in getting wins too, and United have the perfect concoction of a manager.

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… 

Gareth Southgate announced the England squad for the upcoming Euro 2020 qualifiers against the Czech Republic and Bulgaria, and it included both Michael Keane and Jordan Pickford.

However, power rankings provided by Sky Sports seem to suggest that they were fortunate to sneak in.

The Sky Sports power rankings are based around 35 different statistics, with each position varying in points for certain achievements – for example, a striker receives less for a goal than a defender. The rankings are then presented in a leaderboard based on the number of points a player has earned.

This time around, centre-back Michael Keane has missed out to uncapped players such as Fikayo Tomori, Matthew Lowton and Dan Burn, whilst Southgate’s regular no.1 Jordan Pickford has not made the cut over uncapped keepers Dean Henderson, Aaron Ramsdale, and Three Lions regular Nick Pope.

So far this season, Keane and Pickford have played every minute of Premier League action, which has seen them concede 12 goals in six games – only Newcastle, Watford, Norwich City, and Chelsea have let in more. In the rankings, each goal conceded is worth -600 points, so it is easy to see where England’s no.1 and the defender have gone wrong this season.

Goalkeepers are awarded 350 power ranking points per save they make. Pickford has averaged just 2.4 saves per game compared to Pope’s 3.3, Ramsdale’s 3.7, and Henderson’s 3, which has subsequently helped push the Everton keeper out of the 23-man ranking.

Furthermore, keepers are awarded 100 points per catch they make and 30 per aerial battle they win. Both Pope and Henderson boast 0.7 aerial battles claimed per game, whilst Pickford averages just 0.1 per match. The Everton man is also at the bottom of the list for clearances made with averaging 0.3 each fixture – a successful clearance is worth 50 points.

As for Keane, he already sits below the majority of defenders in the power ranking based on the fact he has conceded 12 goals, which total a score of -7200 for that alone. Elsewhere, Keane has averaged just one tackle per game compared to Tomori’s three per match and James Tarkowski’s 2.1 each fixture – every tackle is worth 75 points.

Also, the likes of Tomori, Aaron Cresswell and Trent Alexander-Arnold have all scored in recent weeks, which awards them each 1900 points plus another 1300 for their strikes coming outside of the penalty box.

The Everton centre-back has also fallen behind on interceptions as of late, with Tomori averaging three per game, compared to Keane’s 1.4, whilst the former Burnley defender has lost all three league games since the last international break, which adds on another -900.

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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…

As quoted by The Manchester Evening News, Dimitar Berbatov has urged Manchester United to be more ruthless with the opposition whenever they play at Old Trafford.

What did he say?

The Red Devils have not had the greatest of starts to the Premier League season, and were soundly beaten 2-0 by West Ham last weekend.

After only squeezing past Rochdale on penalties in the Carabao Cup in mid-week, United return to league football when they take on top-four rivals Arsenal on Monday night.

Ahead of the clash, Berbatov has demanded Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side toughen up, and show opposition teams “who’s in charge”.

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He said: “The Arsenal defence isn’t in the best shape of their lives so the Man United strikers have a good chance to hurt them as well. Both teams have big strengths and weaknesses, they will both be looking to exploit each other. United will have some advantage of playing at Old Trafford, but when the results haven’t been going for you, you know the fans will be a little impatient, you can think too much about it, make mistakes and it becomes a difficult situation.

“Sometimes when I have watched them I have noticed that United have been too soft against the opposition, they need to be tough in their challenges, show them who’s in charge and let them know that this is ******* Old Trafford.”

Easier said than done

Berbatov’s viewpoint is more than understandable. Having played in some of the most dominant United teams of the Premier League era under Sir Alex Ferguson, watching this current crop of Red Devils flail about must be difficult to see. But ultimately, that’s the key issue here.

Solskjaer’s side look devoid of any attacking momentum and simply don’t overwhelm teams anymore. In an alarming stat, since their 3-1 win over PSG back in March of this year, United have scored just 18 goals in their following 20 competitive games.

How can they ever be confident of getting a victory in a game when they don’t appear to be confident in themselves? The Red Devils desperately need something to fall their way to galvanise them. And a much-needed three points against historic rivals Arsenal would certainly represent that.

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…

Sheffield Wednesday have been enjoying life under new manager Garry Monk as the 40-year-old has guided them to two wins and one draw from three league matches, before Tuesday night’s game against Hull City.

Monk has been true to his word so far, in the sense that he has been ‘adaptable.’ He’s used two different formations, and he’s not even been here a month yet.

He also hasn’t had the luxury of a transfer window, so he’s been playing with the cards he’s been dealt with, another task in itself in this day and age.

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For instance, his skipper Tom Lees has faced time on the sideline through injury and his move to play Dominic Iorfa there has paid off.

So much so that the right-back will be giving Monk a selection headache because of his performances.

But there’s also another intriguing by-product from this move, whether it is Iorfa or Lees playing at centre-back alongside August’s Player of the Month Julian Borner.

Just where does David Bates fit into all this?

The 6 foot 4 centre-back joined the club on a season-long loan from Hamburger SV and is yet to feature.

That has in part been down to injury, but it’s unlikely he will be able to get his name onto the teamsheet anytime soon.

It was caretaker boss Lee Bullen who made the move to sign him at the start of August, so there’s no way of telling if Monk sees him as one of his own options.

And after Iorfa’s performances in Lees’ absence, there’s no reason why Bates will even be in the thoughts of the Owls boss because he has far too many options to now consider.

It must also be said that it’s through no fault of his own, this set of circumstances is rather unfortunate and absolutely untimely.

Had the Scotland international not picked up an injury, then he might have started the season alongside Lees instead of Borner, and we could possibly be talking about him picking up such accolades.

As it happens, he’s been left to sit and watch his teammates instead of playing alongside them.

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…

Jordan Pickford and Everton travel to Turf Moor on Saturday where the current first-choice England keeper will meet his foe Nick Pope, as the Burnley man continues to push him for the number one spot.

Pickford has been involved with England ever since Gareth Southgate sought to replace Joe Hart in 2017, with the 25-year-old taking the number one shirt as the Three Lions approached the World Cup in 2018. In the process, the former Sunderland keeper edged past Pope, Tom Heaton and Jack Butland for the main jersey, but things are looking much different nowadays.

The tide is seemingly changing with the Burnley keeper having a significantly better start to the season than the Toffees man. Pickford was arguably lucky to sneak into the England side based on form as the Sky Sports’ power rankings omitted him from the 23-man squad, based on his statistical numbers.

He also fluffed his lines against Manchester City last weekend, drawing stern criticism from Everton fans for firstly failing to save Riyad Mahrez’s free kick and then almost gifting a goal with an irresponsible failed Cruyff turn in his own third, so it certainly feels as though the pressure is on Pickford to prove he can still be trusted.

Pope, on the other hand, comes with a reputation of steadiness between the sticks, even if he’s a more understated presence than Pickford. The Burnley man has the one cap to his name and was on the bench during each match at the World Cup. However, a shoulder injury kept him out of the squad for many months, which subsequently lost him his place in the Burnley goal, as Heaton returned by the time he was injury-free.

However, having secured the number one spot after Heaton’s move to Aston Villa, now is the time for the 27-year-old to make his mark on the Three Lions setup, and recent form suggests he’s ready to become Pickford’s England nemesis by capitalising on the Everton man’s sloppy start to the season with more assured performances.

Pope currently boasts 3.3 saves per Premier League fixture, whilst winning 0.7 aerial battles each game, and at the same time has conceded three goals less than the 25-year-old’s 12 at Everton so far. On the other hand, Pickford has averaged just 2.4 saves per game in the league, whilst averaging just o.1 aerial battles won per match.

The Burnley shot-stopper has made 24 saves this season, whilst making five high claims and seven sweeper clearances. In contrast, England’s current number one has stopped just 17 shots, made two high claims and two sweeper clearances.

Not only are the statistics significantly in favour of Pope reclaiming the jersey, but his overall performance on a consistent basis proves his worth as well – averaging a 6.86 rating on Whoscored compared to Pickford’s 6.32.

There is no doubt Southgate will be watching closely as Burnley host Everton to determine who takes the spot between the sticks against the Czech Republic and Bulgaria. Right now, it may just come down to whoever makes an error or pulls off a more important save, as the England boss certainly has a tough call to make.

But while it seems Pope can only really go up in Southgate’s estimations as the current second or third choice, Pickford needs to impress to ensure he doesn’t slide down the pecking order. After such ropey beginnings to the new campaign, another disappointing performance could prove incredibly costly. Nothing shows a player up more than failing to deliver in front of a direct rival, or in this case, a potential nemesis.

أعلن مدرب فريق ليفربول يورجن كلوب، التشكيل الأساسي لمواجهة فريق ريال مدريد، مساء اليوم في بطولة دوري أبطال أوروبا.

اقرأ أيضًا.. موعد والقنوات الناقلة لمباراة ليفربول وريال مدريد اليوم في دوري أبطال أوروبا

ويلتقي الفريقان في إطار منافسات ذهاب ربع نهائي البطولة في ملعب ألفريدو دي ستيفانو. تشكيل ليفربول أمام ريال مدريد

حراسة المرمى: أليسون.

خط الدفاع: أرنولد، فيليبس، كاباك، روبرتسون.

خط الوسط: فابينيو، فينالدوم، كيتا.

خط الهجوم: محمد صلاح، ماني، جوتا. بدلاء ليفربول أمام ريال مدريد

أدريان، ديفيس، تياجو، ميلنر، فيرمينو، تشامبرلين، جونز، تسيميكاس، شاكيري، بن ديفيز، ريس ويليامز، كاين.

This article is part of Football FanCast’s Transfer Focus series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent transfer news…

According to Sky Sports, Tottenham Hotspur chief scout Steve Hitchen may have had his eye caught by Flamengo striker Gabriel Barbosa when he was watching Gremio’s Everton Soares in the same game earlier this month, but the club are unlikely to land the attacker who could be his next Luis Suarez.

What’s the word, then?

Well, Sky Sports report that the north London outfit are tracking Soares, and that Hitchen cast an eye over his performance in the Copa Libertadores clash against Flamengo, in which he got the assist in a 1-1 draw.

However, Sky Sports also say that the 42-year-old may have been impressed with Barbosa, who has been in outstanding goalscoring form during his loan spell in his home country from Inter Milan.

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The 23-year-old, who was recently recalled to the Brazil squad for the first time in three years, has scored 26 goals in 31 appearances in all competitions for Flamengo in 2019, including two in the 5-0 second leg win against Gremio on Thursday.

Those sorts of stats are reminiscent of what another South American in Suarez used to produce for Ajax prior to his move to England, and Hitchen was the mastermind behind bringing him to Anfield when he worked for Liverpool, according to The Independent.

Unlikely to sign Barbosa?

The Inter Milan man could well have been another Suarez success story – the Uruguayan went on to score 82 times in 133 outings for the Reds – for Hitchen if he was impressed with him and was able to bring him to Spurs, but that appears unlikely to happen.

Earlier this week, Fox Sports in Brazil reported that the 23-year-old is set to snub any other potential offers from European clubs to join Flamengo in a permanent deal from Inter, worth €22m (£19m).

Given his form for his current loan club and the fact he scored 19 in 42 during a separate loan spell in 2018 with Santos, that could prove to be a real shame for Tottenham if they were keen, with Harry Kane still not having any senior/quality competition for his spot in north London.