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This article is part of Football FanCast’s Off the Bench series, which places in-game managerial decisions and squad selections under FFC’s microscope.

In what used to be a titanic tussle for the title, Manchester United and Arsenal played out a drab 1-1 draw at Old Trafford that firmly reminded everyone of just how far both clubs have fallen.

Snapshot

Having slipped to a limp defeat to West Ham in the Premier League the previous weekend, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side headed into the contest against the Gunners with a point to prove. A Monday night fixture, under the floodlights, the rain pouring down, and against one of your fiercest rivals. The stage was perfectly set for the Red Devils to get back on track.

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Instead, Scott McTominay’s one moment of brilliance was cancelled out by Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, and the spoils were shared. Arsenal looked there for the taking, and United could have, and probably should have, sensed blood.

Instead, the home side showed no real courage in wanting to claim all three points – an attitude perhaps best encapsulated by Solskjaer’s baffling decision to only throw on Mason Greenwood when there were just 15 minutes left.

Off the bench

Arsenal’s game-plan of sitting deep (they averaged just 45% possession), should have prompted Solskjaer to bring on Greenwood much earlier. The teenager had scored two goals in his previous two starts for the club, and was the in-form forward for United.

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Marcus Rashford looked toothless up top for the Red Devils, managing just one shot on target in the entire game. If you needed a quick snapshot of his struggles both in the match and the past few weeks as a whole, then look no further than when he got caught up to by a 31-year-old Sokratis, and subsequently got his legs in a tangle when clean through on goal.

In his last game against Rochdale, Greenwood scored, had four shots on target and provided five key passes. He always looked likely to create something, and for Solskjaer to not utilise him much earlier on against Arsenal truly baffles.

His unwavering faith in Rashford in certain respects is admirable. But to not display the same amount of courage in Greenwood is utterly criminal considering the circumstances.

The stopper shared an image on social media of him posing with Ross Barkley and Mason Mount in training.

Based on the smiles on the players’ faces it seems that Henderson has almost immediately settled into life as an international footballer.

If the 22-year-old continues to improve at the rate he has over recent years, he may well be an England regular one day, so it’s good to see him embracing this experience in the camp.

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…

Juan Miranda left Barcelona in the last summer transfer window and he will be playing at Schalke on loan for two seasons. And recently, in an interview with Mundo Deportivo, the 19-year-old La Masia outcast talked about his possible stay at the Blaugrana in the near future.

What did he say?

Miranda is one of those La Masia talents who, despite their obvious qualities, couldn’t make it into the first-team.

Of course, the young Spaniard has already had a taste of the senior squad as he has played a total of four games for them so far.

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Apart from that, however, he has only been an active member of the Barcelona B squad, tallying 30 appearances for the young crop of Blaugrana players, scoring three times and assisting a further two in the process.

With the arrival of Junior Firpo last summer, Miranda decided to go on loan in order to get some game time under his belt. But that also posed the question whether there even is a place for him back in Catalonia.

Speaking to Mundo Deportivo, the plan is pretty clear.

“Yeah right. If Barça love me, returning is the best decision. It is the best club in the world and this is our idea.”

One for the future

Even though his place under the Catalan sun was under question, Miranda’s mind seems to be set – if Barcelona want him, he will definitely return.

And looking at their choices in the left-back department, that might actually be a smart move for both sides.

Watch Lionel Messi and Gareth Bale answer the internet’s weirdest questions in the video below…

The 19-year-old can get all the experience he needs to develop in Germany and then, once Jordi Alba comes to the latter stages of his career, the young Spaniard can take over.

With Firpo on the sidelines as well, the Blaugrana seem to be set for the future.

Not to mention that Alba is already 30 years of age and is slowly but surely leaving his best years behind him.

And then when that happens – enter Miranda.

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…

It has been a long while since we’ve last seen Samuel Umtiti continuously play for Barcelona.

Just a couple of years ago, however, the 25-year-old centre-back was on top of the world and looking like he could become Blaugrana’s best defender in some time.

After all, he was receiving all sorts of praise by club legends like Eric Abidal.

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Abidal even likened Umtiti to Franz Beckenbauer and stated that his compatriot had already surpassed him back then when talking to RAC1 (via Goal).

“Umtiti is much better than Abidal. He will be the black Beckenbauer at Barca.” – Eric Abidal, 2017

But things have gone sour very quickly for the now 25-year-old centre-back.

In 2016/17, Umtiti played a total of 43 games for the Blaugrana across all competitions, starting all games in the Champions League and 24 in La Liga. This trend continued into the next season as well as the Frenchman mustered 40 appearances across all competitions, once again starting the vast majority of them.

But trouble started brewing the season after that when his knee started to give.

In 2018/19, he had to miss 28 games due to some serious injuries and now, in 2019/20, he’s already missed a total of nine matches due to an issue with his foot.

Watch Lionel Messi and Gareth Bale answer the internet’s weirdest questions in the video below…

That means that he has only played a total of 15 games since the start of the 2018/19 season.

That is a seriously worrying statistic and it wouldn’t be a stretch to say that he will have to resolve his issues rather quickly or Barcelona might start looking at other options.

He might have been one of their best defenders two years ago but now, these injuries have become a serious problem both for him and for the club.

Not to mention that the Catalans are pretty stacked at that centre-back position with Gerard Pique, Clement Lenglet and Jean-Clair Todibo already available in the first team and the likes of Ronald Araujo, who made his senior debut just recently against Sevilla, banging on the door and aching for that big chance.

For those reasons, this feels like a do or die situation for Umtiti.

The competition at big clubs like Barca is always tough but it seems that there are quite a lot of contenders waiting for a chance to dethrone the Frenchman sooner rather than later.

We’ve seen the quality he possesses when he’s fit, and many of the fans obviously still believe in him, but he’s definitely walking on thin ice already, especially considering that there were some rumours of his potential exit last summer.

Who’s to say that Barcelona won’t pull the trigger the next time Umtiti fluffs his lines or suffers a long-term absence? And would it even be unfair of them to do so considering everything that’s been going on with the player?

Only time will tell but if anything, time is exactly what the 25-year-old seems to be running out of.

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…

Former Arsenal midfielder Ray Parlour has told talkSPORT that he would prefer to have Manchester City’s Raheem Sterling over Liverpool winger Sadio Mane.

What’s the word?

The Senegalese forward has started the season well and has picked up where he left off during the last campaign after gaining an equal share of the Premier League Golden Boot award, alongside teammate Mohamed Salah and Arsenal striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. The African trio tallied 22 goals apiece last season.

The Citizens winger has also been in scintillating form this season with six goals in eight Premier League games and a further four goals in the Champions League.

Speaking on the Alan Brazil Sports Breakfast, he said: “I can’t believe Sterling is only 24, he’s still a young lad!

Find out why Manchester United vs. Liverpool is “no longer an elite fixture” in the video below…

“I thought he was 27 or 28. His career has been so good, you’d think he’d been playing for years and years, but he’s only 24!

“Would you put him as the third-best player in the world at the moment, behind Ronaldo and Messi?

“What about this one – Mane has been brilliant for Liverpool this year, but who would you have, Mane or Sterling?

“It would be close, Mane has been excellent, but I would definitely have Sterling.”

Mane edges it

Admittedly, the stats back up what Parlour is saying if their performances over the calendar year are taken into consideration.

The former Liverpool youngster has scored 23 goals and 11 assists in 2019 for City, while Mane has 17 goals and four assists. Both players have fantastic records and deserve to be spoken about as two of the best players in the Premier League.

However, the Arsenal legend is wrong about picking Sterling over Mane, and here’s why.

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Over the past few seasons, the 27-year-old has produced moments of magic to get his side through difficult spells in games, particularly his sumptuous turn against Bayern Munich to score past Manuel Neuer during the Reds’ 3-1 win at the Allianz Arena last season.

His aggression, willingness to defend and eagerness to score goals encapsulates him as one of the very best on our islands.

Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher gave him some of the biggest praise imaginable and compared him to John Barnes, saying that the Reds now have that sort of player that they have been lacking for years.

Another former Arsenal man Cesc Fabregas also commented on Mane’s player development and believes that he should be named as one of the top three players in the world, toppling Sterling in the process.

It is a very close call between the two players. Sterling is a role model of the new generation and an excellent footballer.

However, looking at when Mane came into the fold at Anfield and the contributions he has made to help turn this Liverpool squad around in such a short time, he just edges it.

This article is part of Football FanCast’s The Chalkboard series, which provides a tactical insight into teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

Bukayo Saka endured a difficult night as Arsenal lost 1-0 to Sheffield United at Bramall Lane on Monday.

On the chalkboard

The young winger played from the start as Unai Emery’s men blew the chance to move into third in the Premier League.

His most noticeable contribution perhaps came in the first half, as he burst into the box and appeared to be fouled by centre-back John Egan. Referee Mike Dean, however, saw differently and booked the 18-year-old for simulation.

Replays showed that there was no contact and Ian Wright claimed after the game that he was “waiting” to be touched by Egan so he could hit the deck.

Per WhoScored, the teenager had 42 touches of the ball and completed five dribbles but his final product was lacking.

Saka did not have a shot on goal, while his pass completion rate was just 70%.

He was also dispossessed once and failed to make a single tackle or win an aerial duel.

Needs help

Saka was ploughing something of a lone furrow on the left flank.

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang was the only man ahead of him and even he had just one shot on goal throughout the 90 minutes.

What Saka needs is a playmaker through which everything can be built; the winger could then get in behind, or choose to come short and collect the ball at the beginning of an attack.

As it is, he struggled against the Blades because he simply didn’t have the support he needed.

It is all very well completing dribbles but if you haven’t got anyone to pass to at the end, there is precious little point in even making the run.

Perhaps Alexandre Lacazette’s return to fitness will help; he could always be restored to the starting XI alongside Aubameyang, and having both on the field would give Saka two targets to hit instead of one.

One thing is for sure, though; he can ill-afford another performance like the one he put in on Monday.

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… 

West Brom somehow remain top of the Championship after a week where things could have easily gone against them.

Perhaps, them grinding out results even despite facing multiple factors is a true sign of the grit and determination required by a title-winning side, but that’s not enough to rely on as Albion boss Slaven Bilic must find a solution quickly or he’s playing with fire.

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In midweek, the Baggies had to come from behind to earn a draw against basement boys Barnsley, and on Saturday, they were up against it all, culminating in a 94th-minute penalty which clinched the visiting Charlton Athletic a point at the Hawthorns.

The result continued a recurring theme in that West Brom can barely keep a clean sheet to save their lives – it’s just the one from all 14 Championship matches this season.

Now, the problem could lie with the personnel at the back, but this latest result suggests the trouble is coming from another source…

£4m summer arrival Charlie Austin continues to struggle at the other end of the pitch – he’s scored just the one league goal in ten appearances.

It could be debated until the cows come home on whether or not he fits Bilic’s system, but the fact of the matter is, it’s just not working out, and when you deploy one man up top, you are risking pressure on the rest of the side.

This was displayed by the 30-year-old as he lost possession 12 times and won just one of his three aerial duels, per SofaScore.

By not keeping hold of the ball or even winning it, Charlton were able to capitalise and put pressure on the Albion backline – surprisingly the visitors recorded more possession at 54%, which is rare considering the west Midlands club rank third in the league for possession percentage at a similar number.

Bilic can lessen the burden on his defence by playing someone like Hal Robson-Kanu, who will be much more of a handful than Austin, clearly shown by his two-goal return from his last three appearances.

At least until January, when he can take further measures in finding the right man – just imagine how many Dwight Gayle would have in this side if he stayed around after last season’s loan spell.

Not bad for someone who’s playing out of position.

Nottingham Forest have had a bit of bad luck when it comes to the right-back position this season.

Tendayi Darikwa suffered a ruptured ACL during pre-season, and Carl Jenkinson has been suffering with an ankle injury for a number of weeks.

Thankfully though they have managed to get by thanks to the displays of 22-year-old Matty Cash.

A right-winger by nature, he has had to play at full-back for the majority of the games this season but has really made the position his own as demonstrated during the victory over Luton Town on the weekend.

So when the Nottingham Forest Twitter account pointed out that he made 11 tackles over the course of the game (stats provided by WhoScored), Forest fans were quick to jump to praise him not just for his display last Saturday, but for his overall performances in 2019/20.

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Although there were a couple of people who decided it was more down to the boss that he’s managed to make this work rather than Cash himself.

This article is part of Football FanCast’s The Chalkboard series, which provides a tactical insight into teams, players, managers, potential signings and more… 

QPR host a struggling Middlesbrough side on Saturday but one area that should be of concern to Mark Warburton is his team’s right-hand side.

On the chalkboard

The R’s are still yet to record a clean sheet this season and that has partly been due to ineffective defending in the right-back position, with Todd Kane and Angel Rangel often being rotated as a result.

That has made it difficult for the former to find his rhythm, and he has struggled somewhat in the games he has played.

Saturday’s game presents a different challenge for Kane. Jonathan Woodgate has operated with a 3-5-2 formation in recent matches, and that has brought the best out of George Friend in an attacking sense, making the left wing-back one of Boro’s standout players this campaign.

His WhoScored average rating of 7.3 is higher than any of his teammates, and in the key stats he has outperformed Kane in every area. So if the 26-year-old fails to up his game, QPR could be found out once again.

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Defensive vulnerability

Kane has been mostly ineffective in both attack and defence this season, and whilst the former isn’t too big a problem due to the work of his teammates, his lack of tenacity at the back is causing an issue.

Warburton’s side have conceded 28 league goals this campaign, the second-most in the division, and Kane’s return of just 0.5 interceptions per game, as per WhoScored, hints at a lack of awareness in his own half of the pitch, and goals come as a consequence.

He has only averaged one tackle per game, too, which shows he needs to be more aggressive in his play and more determined to win the ball back for his team.

Currently, the opposition is clearly finding it too easy to play in his area of the pitch, and the fact he offers little threat going forward means he is less of a worry for defenders, who then probably feel more confident in venturing into attack.

Achieving a clean sheet against Boro is very achievable given they are the lowest scorers in the Championship with 11 goals in 15 games, but an improved Kane performance is necessary for accomplishing that aim.

Real Madrid are simply on fire as of late.

Earlier tonight, they travelled away to a highly aggressive Eibar and treated them to four goals in their net by the end of the evening.

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Zinedine Zidane’s men truly did outclass their opposition and even though he wasn’t on the scoresheet, Eden Hazard was one of the standout performers on the pitch.

Many of the fans simply couldn’t get enough of his smooth tricks and displays of skill and they were quick to jump to social media and Twitter to shower the Belgian with a lot of praise.

One fan seems to believe that this game marked the true emergence of their star and they couldn’t be happier about it. Others were simply gushing over his performance and were even sad to see Hazard substituted off in the final stretches of the match.

You can see some of their reactions down in the collection of tweets below.

Check them out…