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After Everton fell into the relegation zone, it seems that fans’ patience with Marco Silva is hanging by a thread. The 1-0 defeat to Burnley means the club are in the same league position to when Ronald Koeman was sacked, with the Dutchman eventually replaced by Sam Allardyce.Finding the right man for the job in today’s climate isn’t always the easiest job, with the Toffees investing in five different managers since Farhad Moshiri took over in 2016. Some managers such as Roberto Martinez and Koeman started life at Goodison Park quite well but eventually found themselves far away from Moshiri’s aim of Champions League football.Lately, some fans have been on the lookout for who could take the helm on Merseyside should Silva depart, with club legend Mikel Arteta jumping into the fans’ equation. The Spaniard played 209 times for the Toffees, scoring 35 goals and providing 33 assists, before moving to Arsenal where he later retired to concentrate on coaching.Watch Everton Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

Since then, the 37-year-old has built up a spectacular resume after joining Manchester City in 2016. Alongside Pep Guardiola, the former Evertonian has helped form one of Europe’s best coaching partnerships, with the Spanish duo winning six major trophies in three years for City.

However, despite such an impressive CV, some fans are unsure whether the Toffees hero should take the helm at Goodison Park. It is true that Arteta has no experience leading a team, but considering the Spaniard has worked alongside the best in Guardiola, perhaps it wouldn’t be such a bad appointment.

Here’s what the fans have had to say…

Under the management of Lee Bowyer, Charlton have risen to 10th in the Championship table after the club’s promotion-winning season from League One, and a video released by the club has got some fans simply loving the quality of football being played by the Addicks in 2019/20.

Despite reports of an impasse having been reached with regards to Bowyer extending his contract at The Valley, the Charlton boss agreed new terms and has, so far, impressed in the current Championship campaign with his side having scored 15 goals.

Although the club’s most recent result this weekend saw them draw with Fulham, the quality of football on show from Bowyer’s side has got some fans appreciating the quality of their side’s play following a video released by the club of Conor Gallagher’s goal in the draw at Craven Cottage.Â

Check out some of the best reactions below.

Sunderland are edging closer to appointing their new manager after sacking Jack Ross last week. According to the Northern Echo, the Black Cats have spent the last week undergoing a thorough recruitment process to find their new boss, with Phil Parkinson and Gareth Ainsworth the two leading candidates.

The reports also claim that owner Stewart Donald is confident of recruiting the new manager in time for Saturday’s fixture against Wycombe Wanderers. However, it seems fans completely disagree with the potential appointment of Parkinson.

The former Reading player has had over 700 matches in the Football League as a boss and boasts three promotions with three separate clubs as well. Most recently, the former Bradford City boss led Bolton Wanderers back to the Championship in 2017. Parkinson dealt with financial turmoil at both the aforementioned clubs, which consequently forced his resignation at the latter earlier this year.

Sunderland set to become “the richest club in England”? Get the latest on the Black Cats’ takeover situation in the video below…

Although not the biggest name out there, the 51-year-old does have an impressive CV with proven experience in getting a club further up the divisions. However, his 256 losses against his 262 wins as a manager is slightly alarming going forward, with the Black Cats’ ultimate aim being a return to the top-flight.

Here’s what the fans have had to say…

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

Confidence should be sky-high in the Liverpool camp when they visit Old Trafford on Sunday but they will need a great deal more than that if they are to maintain their 100% record.

On the chalkboard

Despite the Reds’ success in recent years and a domination in the Premier League which has seen them lose just once in 46 matches since the beginning of last year, they always seem to struggle at Old Trafford.

To demonstrate that point, Christian Benteke is the last Liverpool player to score there from open play in the league, and the Anfield outfit have won just once at the Theatre of Dreams in the last ten years..

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There is a key reason for the lack of success, too, and that is the fact the front three often fail to meet their high standards against the Red Devils, scoring just twice in 21 games between them.

A quick glance at the stats makes for alarming reading for Liverpool fans, with Roberto Firmino, Sadio Mane and Mo Salah all struggling to perform.

It should act as a worry for Klopp, as it is rare for each one of his forwards not to be firing, and without their contribution the Reds instead will have to rely on goals from elsewhere, which they have found hard to come by.

Attacking intent

Under Klopp Liverpool have never scored more than once at United, with last year’s goalless draw critical to them losing their lead over Man City in the title race.

This time around, the German has to be more adventurous and clinical going forward, and with Paul Pogba missing for the hosts he should play a more creative, forward-thinking player in the middle, such as Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain.

That will allow Liverpool to dominate in United’s half and with another player seeking to get into the box it should open up space for the front three to work their magic.

There is worse news for Liverpool, too, as Ole Gunnar Solskjaer improved his defence over the summer with Harry Maguire and Aaron Wan-Bissaka arriving, the latter of whom could make his return from injury on Sunday.

Another concern is that they haven’t been their free-flowing best this season, with only two goals from open play against Sheffield United and Leicester.

As a result, despite the contrast in form between the two sides it is a difficult match to predict, and if Liverpool can’t get their front three to hit their best form then they will likely struggle.

The Gunners are due to face Vitoria Guimaraes at the Emirates in the next round of Europa League fixtures on Thursday, which is an ideal opportunity for the 24-year-old and his teammates to get back on track.

Arsenal decimated Standard Liege 4-0 at the beginning of the month in their last European clash.

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

Life seems to be going well at Anfield at the moment but Jurgen Klopp still needs to decide who is best placed to fulfil the role of third-choice centre-back.

On the chalkboard

The Reds have won nine matches from ten in the league and although clean sheets have been somewhat of a rarity this term, with only two in the league, the defence has still been a strong point with only eight goals conceded in the league.

However, with Joel Matip ruled out for up to six weeks the German boss suddenly has a big decision to make, and that is who should partner Virgil van Dijk in what could be a key period of Liverpool’s season.

During this spell the club will play an important Champions League match against Napoli which could decide if they storm to the top of the group or endure a nervy ending to the group stages, whilst also welcoming Manchester City to Anfield, and therefore Klopp has to be confident in his selection choice.

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Currently, there seems to be indecision. Matip was first sidelined after the Sheffield United match a few weeks ago, and after that both Dejan Lovren and Joe Gomez have been rotated, with both failing to thoroughly convince in the Cameroonian’s absence.

Trust in the long-term

Though Klopp seems in two minds, the simple solution would be to place his trust in Gomez.

Not only is he younger than Lovren, but he is also a better defender, and his physical attributes alone mean that he is the more useful option and better partner for van Dijk.

The Croatian was exposed in that department against Tottenham on Sunday. A simple long ball by Paulo Gazzaniga was misjudged by the defender and Heung-Min Son was able to round the keeper, with Lovren and the Reds only escaping because his shot hit the bar.

The 22-year-old, by contrast, has the pace to deal with most opposition players, and if he can rediscover the form he showed before the severe injury he suffered last year then he could even rival Matip in an audition for the role of van Dijk’s sidekick.

Gareth Southgate’s remark that he is an England star of the future attests to the enormity of his potential, and suggests that Lovren isn’t the answer for Klopp – not now and certainly not in the future.

As a result, the German should begin to bed-in Gomez once again and restore the confidence he may have lost, as that will likely get him playing to his highest level once again.

In an exclusive interview with Football FanCast on behalf of the London Football Awards, Tony Cottee has branded Claude Puel uninspiring and praised Brendan Rodgers for the impact he has had so far at Leicester City.

The Frenchman was in charge at the King Power Stadium from October 2017 to February 2019, finishing ninth in his first season and leaving the club 12th when he departed, as reported by BBC Sport at the time.

There was a feeling that he was unable to get the best out of the players he had at his disposal, with Jamie Vardy perhaps being an example of this as the England international went through various goal droughts under Puel, with some of them lasting four games at a time, as per Transfermarkt.

Puel’s time as manager of the Foxes had led Cottee to question him: “I don’t know Claude Puel, but he looked to me quite an uninspiring manager. So, whether that played a part in it where he just wasn’t saying the right things for Jamie or playing the team in the correct way.”

There are no such questions surrounding Rodgers though, as he currently has Leicester third in the league, while Vardy is the Premier League’s top scorer following his hat-trick in the record-breaking 9-0 win against Southampton.

Cottee has been full of praise for the current Leicester boss: “I’m a big fan of Brendan Rodgers and he’s a nice man. First and foremost he’s a really good coach, he’s getting the best out of these Leicester players, they’re working hard for each other, they’re playing some great football and when you’re playing full of confidence, you then create the chances and when you’re getting lots of chances that’s all you can ask for really.”

The former Leicester striker feels that both Vardy and Leicester are seeing the benefits of having him in charge: “Jamie’s been banging the goals in again this season and as I’ve said, Leicester have got a real good chance of getting in the top six this year.”

It is difficult to argue with Cottee’s standpoint on how Leicester will do under Rodgers, especially when their start to the season is considered. After smashing Southampton 9-0 on Friday night, they’re now up to third in the Premier League.

Tony Cottee was speaking as a judge on The London Football Awards, due to take place on 5th March 2020 at Camden’s Roundhouse. Tickets are available from https://

londonfootballawards.org.

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.

Sheffield Wednesday succumbed to just their second defeat of Garry Monk’s reign at the south Yorkshire club, but it was one that could have easily been prevented if the 40-year-old made a bolder choice in either starting Atdhe Nuhiu or bringing him on much sooner.

Snapshot

The Owls thought they had won the match seven minutes from time when substitute Jacob Murphy headed home a close-range attempt, but the home side fought back with two goals in the final three minutes.

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First, Tosin Adarabioyo looped a header over Keiren Westwood before John Buckley’s first senior goal clinched all three points for Tony Mowbray’s side.

Monk meanwhile opted for just one striker in attack and didn’t change it up until there were less than 15 minutes left on the clock.

Off the Bench

The decision to omit a presence like Nuhiu may have cost Wednesday the match, or at the very least, some form of points.

Prior to the game, the only loss on Monk’s record was a 1-0 defeat to Hull City, and that was in the absence of top goalscorer Steven Fletcher.

But in this match, he was given far too much to do on his own, the 32-year-old had five of their 17 shots at goal, when we have seen that a 4-4-2 or a formation utilising two up top has paid dividends on multiple occasions.

None more so than when the Owls stuck four past Middlesborough in the space of just half an hour – the Kosovan was a nuisance, assisting Adam Reach’s goal while winning a total of 13 aerial duels.

The 6 foot 5 colossus just simply offers Wednesday something that no other player can, and if he started the match alongside Fletcher or even if he was brought on ten or 20 minutes earlier, then the result could well have been a different story.

Instead, they were made to suffer with another underwhelming performance from Joey Pelupessy, who lost possession 12 times while managing a dire 58% passing accuracy rate, per SofaScore.

Well, it would be fair to say that the Aston Villa fans are pleased that their team’s EFL Cup quarter-final clash with Liverpool has been confirmed for December 17.

There was some confusion over when the match would take place as Liverpool will compete in the Club World Cup semi-final in Qatar on December 18.

However, the EFL have announced that the date will not be changed, meaning that Liverpool will be forced to field two different teams in two separate competitions within 24 hours.

Ever wondered how modern day skills would cope with the world’s oldest football? Find out in the video below…

It is far from an ideal situation fo Jurgen Klopp and his men.

However, it does present Villa with a wonderful chance to reach the last four as the Merseyside giants could be likely to take their stronger squad to the Club World Cup.

Villa posted the news on their official Twitter account on Tuesday afternoon, and the club’s supporters were over the moon with the situation.

A selection of the Twitter reaction can be seen below:

Sheffield Wednesday head into the international break sitting just one point outside of the Championship playoffs after picking up a draw to fourth-placed Swansea City.

Garry Monk’s men were pegged back in injury time when Ben Wilmot slotted home from a corner, despite the Owls taking the lead just minutes before.

The game had three goals in the final ten minutes as Wednesday looked to have come from behind to snatch all three points until the Swans defender salvaged a result at the death.

Fernando Forestieri managed to net his first goal of the season after coming on as a second-half substitute, which has led to many wondering why he doesn’t start more matches.

One supporter labelled him as ‘absolute quality’ alongside two of his teammates while another claimed his introduction changed the whole game in the Owls’ favour.

A further member of the Hillsborough faithful believed the side would have battered the Welsh outfit had the 29-year-old been on the pitch the whole game with one more fan naming Forestieri as the best player at the club.

Here’s the best of the reaction: