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Manchester United target Bryan Mbeumo's was the Premier League's most clinical goalscorer in the 2024-25 season according to xG.

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Brentford exceeded expectations by eight goalsWood & Cunha also lethal according to the dataCity's Savinho league's most wasteful finisherFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱Getty Images SportWHAT HAPPENED?

An analysis of the Premier League's xG data by Grosvenor Sport reveals Mbuemo's tally of 20 league goals came from chances that should have generated just 12.3 goals. Chris Wood and Matheus Cunha were the next best in front of goal, out-performing their expected tallies by 6.6 and 6.4 goals respectively.

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City's summer signing Savinho was the most profligate player in the league, as he bagged just once from an expected haul of 5.0 goals. Everton's Dominic-Calvert-Lewin was in the bottom three for the second season running. The injury-prone striker underperformed by -3.7 goals, compared to -5.9 in 2023/24. Cameron Archer rounded out the bottom three, as he returned just two goals on an expected tally of 5.7.

DID YOU KNOW?

Grosvenor Sport's analysis looked at the performance of all players with 800+ minutes in the Premier League this season. Other notable performances included Mohamed Salah, whose 29 goals came on a whopping 25.2 xG, proving the Liverpool forward was both efficient and relentless in getting on the end of chances, while Phil Foden had the largest drop off in performance compared to the previous year. The 2023/24 PFA Player of the Year still managed to outperform his expected haul this term, logging a +1.8 return compared to +8.7 the year before.

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Getty Images SportWHAT NEXT FOR BRYAN MBUEMO?

That level of efficnecy has made Mbuemo one of the most sought after players in this summer's transfer window. For the past few weeks, it seemed nailed on that the Brentford star would be making the switch to Manchester United, however, Thomas Frank's appointment at Tottenham has increased speculation that the winger would be swapping West for North London.

Chelsea spent a total of around £220m in the 2024/25 summer transfer window, bringing 11 permanent new signings to the club, not including the loan signing of Jadon Sancho from Manchester United, who will become a permanent transfer next summer.

The likes of Omari Kellyman, Mike Penders, Aaron Anselmino, Caleb Wiley and Marc Guiu were signings very much for the future, whilst the likes of Pedro Neto, João Félix, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, Filip Jorgensen, Renato Veiga and Tosin Adarabioyo were intended for the first-team set up.

Many of these summer purchases have failed to stamp their mark on the team, with the likes of João Félix and Renato Veiga already leaving on loan in the January transfer window, just six months after joining in the summer.

However, there is one signing that has been something of a key figure and is really starting to prove his worth in recent weeks in the absence of Nicolas Jackson and Noni Madueke.

Pedro Neto's new striker role

Chelsea signed Pedro Neto from Wolves in the summer, with the Portugal international joining the Blues for a fee of around £51.4m with £2.6m in add-ons.

The 25-year-old has made 32 appearances for Enzo Maresca’s side this season, scoring five goals, providing seven assists and totalling 1,865 minutes played.

In recent weeks, however, Maresca has been forced into making some significant changes to his side with some big injuries being suffered.

That has seen Neto move into a centre-forward position. The forward has taken to this role nicely, working hard from the front, making runs into the channels and popping up with goals and assists.

Against Leicester, Neto was all action yet again, having 54 touches, making 31/36 accurate passes, registering four key passes and winning four of his ten ground duels.

The 25-year-old is now in a run of promising run of form, but could be ousted for another signing Chelsea made in 2024.

Chelsea's "future Ballon d'Or winner" could replace Neto

Another dazzling winger who signed in the summer, but will join the Blues next summer is Estevao, who joined Chelsea from Palmeiras for an initial fee of around £29m.

The Brazilian has made 12 appearances in the Campeonato Paulista in the 2024/25 season, scoring five goals and totalling 909 minutes played. It’s safe to say, at the age of just 17, he’s one of the finest young talents on the globe.

The teenager’s value has already risen since Chelsea purchased the teenage sensation, now being valued between £42m and £53m by CIES Football Observatory, meaning they have already struck gold by sealing his signature.

Estevao has already been labelled as a “future Ballon d’Or winner” by Ben Mattinson, with many Chelsea fans anticipating his arrival and contribution to the first team next season.

So, how does he compare with Neto? Well, he’s streets ahead.

When comparing Estevao’s underlying numbers to Neto’s this season, you can see the Brazilian comes out on top in all the metrics analysed, providing a higher output, having a higher shot volume and having the creative tendencies to contribute via carries and passing.

Maresca’s system will perfectly suit the quality Estevao offers in wide areas, dominating his 1v1 battles against the full-back (seen by his take-on numbers) and providing the moments of quality needed to unlock opposition defensive schemes.

Next season is bound to be an interesting one with the Brazilian joining the club, who will provide competition for Madueke, Neto and even Cole Palmer in the number ten position, as Estevao has previously stated his ambitions to play as a number ten in the past.

Chelsea can replace Colwill with "elite" 19-year-old who's like David Luiz

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By
Angus Sinclair

Mar 10, 2025

England boss Sarina Wiegman admits to being “sad and disappointed” at the news that Mary Earps has retired from international football.

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• Euros winner unavailable for selection
• Countdown on to another major tournament
• Experience and character will be missed

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Euros champion and two-time FIFA Best Women’s Goalkeeper Earps has announced that she will no longer be available for selection with the Lionesses. The 32-year-old is walking away after earning 53 caps for her country.

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  Few saw that decision coming, despite Hannah Hampton providing fierce competition for the No.1 berth, and Wiegman concedes that she is still coming to terms with the fact that an elite performer is no longer part of her plans.

• WHAT SARINA WIEGMAN SAID

  Wiegman told reporters of Earps’ big decision: “I am really disappointed and sad that she is not part of the team because I want her in my team. That must have been a really hard decision for her and so it is for us. There have been a couple of conversations which I don't want to share here because they are between us. It's hard and it's hard for her at the same time.

  “I want her in my team. She has done such a great job for England. She has made a massive difference and we have had an incredible journey so far and I really cherish that. That is also where the disappointment comes from.”

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• Getty Images/GOAL
  

  DID YOU KNOW?

  Wiegman added when asked if disappointment blends into annoyance, with a European Championship title defence fast approaching: “Of course, it's hard. But I want to keep to disappointment. It's emotional because you also have relationships and we have had such a massive journey together with lots of highs and some lows too and that's what makes it really hard. We have to move on too. We have a game tomorrow. We are going into the Euros and after that we can think about those things.”

Tottenham Hotspur chairman Daniel Levy is ready to take a significant financial loss on a member of the Spurs squad this summer after claims he wants to leave the club, with one side planning to open early negotiations for his signature.

Players who could leave Tottenham this summer

Ange Postecoglou is currently preparing his side for an all-important Premier League clash at home to Bournemouth tomorrow, following a tepid 1-0 defeat away to AZ Alkmaar in the first leg of their Europa League last 16 tie.

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A win is absolutely crucial for the north Londoners, as they seek to raise spirits, climb their way out of the bottom ten and head into their second leg against AZ with a degree of momentum.

Tottenham’s next five Premier League fixtures

Date

Bournemouth (home)

March 9th

Fulham (away)

March 16th

Chelsea (away)

April 2nd

Southampton (home)

April 5th

Wolves (away)

April 12th

For some members of the Lilywhites squad, these next two games, soon followed by the final months of this season, will represent a final chance for them to make a significant contribution for the club before departing.

Timo Werner is expected to return to parent club RB Leipzig, with Spurs electing to trigger the £8.5 million buy-option in his loan deal, while uncertainty also surrounds the future of midfielder Yves Bissouma.

Sergio Reguilon, Fraser Forster and Alfie Whiteman are also out of contract at the end of this season, but the trio are unlikely to play a major role under Postecoglou during the final months of their Tottenham careers.

Ben Davies is also out of contract in the summer. However, Spurs are expected to trigger the 12-month extension clause Davies’ deal, which will keep him at the club for 2025/2026.

Mathys Tel’s long-term future at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium will be determined by whether he elects to remain at N17 or return to parent club Bayern Munich, with Postecoglou’s side possessing an option to buy for around £45 million.

According to some reports, injury-ridden striker Richarlison could also leave this year.

The Brazil international is currently sidelined with a calf problem, and has suffered real bad luck with long-term injuries throughout the campaign. It is believed by some media sources that Richarlison has already told friends he wants to leave Tottenham for a fresh start this summer, with GiveMeSport sharing an update on his future.

Daniel Levy ready to take £20m Tottenham loss on Richarlison

Spurs signed the forward in a £60 million deal from Everton in 2022, but GMS report that Levy is now ready to sell Richarlison for just £40 million.

This is said to have piqued interest from his ex-club, with David Moyes’ side apparently eager to open discussions over a deal for the South American early in the next transfer window.

Everton have earmarked Richarlison as a “shock” target for Moyes, as per this report, and the Toffees are lining up a “sensational” move for their former star as they prepare for life in a brand-new, state-of-the-art stadium on Bramley Moore Dock next season.

Richarlison has impressed in flashes during his time at Spurs, most notably over a purple patch midway through last season, with pundit Micah Richards also calling him an “underrated” player.

Wayne Rooney has joked that Cristiano Ronaldo will be “fuming” after being mistaken for ex-Manchester United team-mate Carlos Tevez.

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Pair spent five years together at Old TraffordWar of words exchanged since thenRooney able to laugh off case of mistaken identityFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Rooney, the Red Devils’ all-time leading goalscorer, spent five years working alongside CR7 at Old Trafford. They won the Premier League, Champions League and League Cup together, while famously clashing in a red card winking incident at the 2006 World Cup.

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They have not always seen eye to eye since heading in different directions, with Rooney critical of Ronaldo’s second spell with United that started in 2021. He said of the Portuguese superstar: “The things he has done from the start of season, it is not acceptable for Manchester United.”

Ronaldo bit back during an interview with Piers Morgan, saying: “I don’t know why he criticises me so badly… probably because he finished his career and I’m still playing at a high level. I’m not going to say that I’m looking better than him. Which is true…”

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WHAT WAYNE ROONEY SAID

Rooney has now risked incurring Ronaldo’s wrath again while shooting a video for in which he had to try and guess the identity of former colleagues from their hair cut alone. He was able to pick out Marouane Fellaini, David de Gea, Nani and David Beckham, while also getting Paul Pogba after initially going for Wilfried Zaha.

When it came to Ronaldo, Rooney plumped for Argentine striker Tevez with his first guess. The ex-England captain said after eventually settling on five-time Ballon d’Or winner CR7: “He’ll be fuming with that.”

Where on earth do Manchester City go from here?

On Tuesday night, despite leading twice, the Sky Blues were beaten 3-2 by Real Madrid in the first leg of their Champions League tie, with Jude Bellingham bundling home a stoppage-time winner at the Etihad.

As noted by OptaJoe on Twitter, this is the fifth time the Citizens have lost a game this season in which they were in front, more than across the previous four campaigns combined.

Thus, this leaves Pep Guardiola’s team with a mountain to climb at the Bernabéu next Wednesday, reaching, at least, the Champions League quarter-finals in each of the last seven seasons, a streak that appears set to come to an end.

Man City’s continued poor form means their transfer decisions are coming under ever more intense scrutiny, especially considering a former player was key to their downfall this week.

Brahim Díaz: Man City's forgotten former man

When Brahim Díaz equalised for Real Madrid and did not celebrate, this was the moment the majority of onlookers remembered he used to be a Man City player.

Former Manchester United, Wimbledon and Coventry forward Terry Gibson described Díaz’s decision not to celebrate as “bizarre”, suggesting most supporters inside the stadium would not have known who he was.

That’s because, despite being on Man City’s books for four years, the Morocco international made just 15 senior appearances, totalling a mere 415 minutes, all four of his starts for the club coming in the Carabao Cup, before joining Real Madrid for a reported £15.5m in 2019.

Still only 25-years-old, Díaz is yet to establish himself as a regular at Madrid either, 16 of his 30 appearances this season coming as a substitute, although Graham Ruthven of Total Soccer Show believes he is under-utilised by Carlo Ancelotti given that, when he is given an opportunity, he adds “cohesion” to Real Madrid’s often chaotic forward-line.

Minutes played

10

Goals

1

Touches

5

Accurate passes

3/4

Key passes

1

Shots

1

Duels contested

0

While Guardiola may have been regretting his decision to sanction Diaz’s exit last night, nevertheless, there is another former Man City winger shining right now and it’s likely the manager will rue this one just a little bit more…

Where Are They Now

Your star player or biggest flop has left the club but what are they doing in the present day? This article is part of Football FanCast's Where Are They Now series.

Man City made a mistake selling their superstar winger

Having been a key part of Leicester City’s title-winning team, Riyad Mahrez joined Manchester City for a reported £60m in 2018, a club-record fee at the time, and he would go on to make 236 appearances in Sky Blue, scoring 78 goals and winning 11 major honours.

His former teammate at Leicester Kasper Schmeichel described the Algerian winger as “incredible” but, after five seasons in Manchester, Mahrez was sold to Saudi Pro League side Al-Ahli for a reported £30.4m in July 2023.

Playing alongside Roberto Firmino, Ivan Toney and Galeno in Jeddah, Asian football expert John Duerden for the Guardian notes that Mahrez has not been at his best this season, having racked up more assists than anyone else in the Saudi Pro League during his first campaign in the Middle East, accumulating 13.

Nevertheless, his form has picked up in recent weeks, taking his tally to nine goals and 12 assists for the season by bagging one of each against Al-Sadd in the AFC Champions League during a 3-1 victory, meaning he ranks joint-first in that competition for assists, alongside Oscar.

So, let’s assess how his numbers compare to Man City’s current forward options.

Riyad Mahrez

27

9

12

Phil Foden

31

10

5

Jérémy Doku

22

6

7

Bernardo Silva

34

3

4

Kevin De Bruyne

26

3

6

Savinho

32

2

8

Jack Grealish

24

2

5

As the table outlines, Mahrez is outperforming all of Man City’s wingers and attacking midfielders in terms of pure goals and assists, with the obvious caveat that he is playing at a lower level; Global Football Rankings believe the Premier League to be the strongest in the world, with the Saudi Pro League ranked at 31st, just below France’s second-tier Ligue 2, for context.

Pete Hall of the i Paper labelled Savinho “the new Mahrez” following Man City’s 4-1 win over West Ham, although the Brazilian is not putting up Mahrez-esque stats just yet, so were the Sky Blues right to cash in when they did? Would they be in a better place if they still had him?

It’s hard to say but it was certainly a bigger blunder than Diaz, who he is outperforming even at the age of 33.

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Batter looking to press his case for a T20 World Cup starting spot in Australia T20Is

Tristan Lavalette07-Oct-2022Opening batter Phil Salt hopes his new home ground in Perth can help him apply further pressure for a T20 World Cup berth as England prepare for a warm-up clash with Australia at Optus Stadium on Sunday.Salt has fond memories of playing at the 60,000-seat ground in Burswood, which is hosting international cricket for the first time since late 2019, having smashed 59 off 31 balls for Adelaide Strikers against Perth Scorchers in January 2020.His destructive, hard-hitting batting appears perfectly suited for a traditionally quick Optus Stadium pitch and outfield, which often fuels high-scoring BBL games. Calculating defending champions Scorchers made a shrewd decision after selecting Salt with pick No. 19 in the inaugural BBL draft in August.Related

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“Expecting it to be fast and bouncy. It’s a good wicket to bat, suits my game,” he told reporters on Friday. “The boundaries are pretty big square and generally does suit the guys who are stronger square of the wicket.”Salt plans to meet with Scorchers officials ahead of Sunday’s match, but in the meantime his focus is building on his Player-of-the-Match 88 not out against Pakistan in the sixth T20I in Lahore, which revived his T20 World Cup hopes after a grim run of form netted just 59 runs in five innings.Having opened in Pakistan in place of injured skipper Jos Buttler, Salt appears slightly behind Alex Hales, who has long dominated the BBL, in the pecking order and looms as a likely spare batter in England’s T20 World Cup squad. “Not too sure right now,” Salt said when asked if he had been given clarity on his role in Australia. “It’s not a conversation we’ve had yet.”With a golden opportunity to further impress in the series opener against a weakened Australia attack, Salt said he would pick the brain of team-mate and former Scorchers star Liam Livingstone for added insight.”Obviously he’s done really well here and it would be silly not to lean on him on exactly how to play these conditions,” he said.After a thrilling 4-3 T20 series victory in their long-awaited return to Pakistan, a buoyant England are feeling upbeat ahead of the World Cup where they enter as one of the favourites.It’s been a low-key start to their campaign with players and staff staggering their arrivals to Perth this week and they hit the nets at Optus Stadium for a light session on Thursday morning to launch a hectic tour Down Under.While this three-match warm-up series against old foe Australia probably lacks the traditional punch, Salt believed there was still a lot at stake with game one set to be played in front of a 30,000 crowd on Sunday afternoon.”It’s a series to win and we’ve got an eye on the World Cup,” he said. “It’s very important to keep the momentum rolling after Pakistan. To beat them in their own conditions…that’s very tough to do.”We played with a lot of guys who hadn’t played much international cricket so we’re pretty happy with how that went. We want to keep the ball rolling and continue the momentum.”

Sheffield United just about managed to get over the line versus Derby County last time out as a gritty 1-0 win at Pride Park was secured.

Chris Wilder would have loved watching the goal that won his side the tight contest, as both of his new signings Tom Cannon and Ben Brereton Diaz linked up well before the Chilean loanee then fired home the winning strike.

Whilst the popular Blades boss will be more than content with what he’s got up top, he will know that the promotion chasers are still lacking a body or two defensively, as United’s hunt for a new centre-back drags onto deadline day.

Sheffield United looking at loan alternative to Jimmy Dunne

As per a new report by football journalist Alan Nixon, the Championship side could now turn their attention away from trying to sign Queens Park Rangers rock Jimmy Dunne this window, with QPR wanting United to cough up £3m to consider parting ways.

Transfer Focus

Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.

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With Dunne’s contract up this approaching June, this does feel like a steep amount of money to fork out, especially when there are now loan targets on the mind of the South Yorkshire outfit.

Indeed, according to Nixon, the Blades are now setting their sights on the loan signature of ex-Arsenal defender Rob Holding as a last-minute acquisition, with the signing giving them some temporary quality in the centre-back department.

Why Holding could be a better signing for Sheffield United

At the peak of his powers, the 29-year-old was a consistent starter at the Emirates Stadium, but United will face competition to land his short-term signature with Frank Lampard’s Coventry City also reportedly keen.

Yet, if needs must, the promotion hopefuls might have to show some fight to land Holding before the window slams shut, with the 6 foot 2 titan an arguable improvement on Dunne if United can get him up to speed quickly.

That will be a big if, unfortunately, with Holding very much a background figure at current employers Crystal Palace as only one first-team appearance has come his way since joining in 2023.

But, when he is launched into games, Holding has proven that he can fill in at a moment’s notice and do an admirable job, notably being given the Arsenal armband on occasion.

In total, the experienced head popped up with five goals across 165 appearances for the Gunners, with Wilder hopeful he can get the forgotten-about defender back to his best if he decides to uproot to Bramall Lane, having taken a shining to goalscoring defenders in the past in the form of John Egan and Jack O’Connell.

Dunne would be able to offer that too, with four goals next to his name this season in league action for Marti Cifuentes’ men, but it would be a risk throwing the £3m target right into the deep-end of a promotion battle with the Hoops often battling against relegation.

Holding’s career appearances by major competition

Competition

Games played

Premier League

98

Europa League

28

Championship

26

Champions League

1

Sourced by Transfermarkt

Comparatively, Holding’s pedigree in the game – which has even seen him line up for one Champions League tie across a varied career – could mean he’ll relish the high-stakes situation unfolding in South Yorkshire.

Wilder has already begun to work his magic with Brereton Diaz, who was struggling in the Premier League much like Holding before being given a lifeline loan switch.

Therefore, he could be just the manager figure that’s necessary for the “tremendous” – as he was once labelled by Palace chairman Steve Parish – defender to also turn around his dwindling career, with the move looking like a very shrewd one if all goes to plan rather than splashing out £3m.

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حسم التعادل الإيجابي نتيجة مبارة زد ومودرن سبورت بهدفين لمثليهما، ضمن منافسات بطولة الدوري المصري الممتاز.

والتقى زد مع مودرن سبورت، على أرضية استاد القاهرة الدولي، ضمن منافسات الجولة 23 من بطولة الدوري المصري الممتاز، والخامسة في إطار مرحلة الهبوط.

وتقدم مصطفى سعد بالهدف الأول لـ زد في الدقيقة 14، بعد تسديدة أرضية قوية من على حدود منطقة الجزاء سكنت الشباك.

طالع أيضاً.. مران الزمالك.. جلسة بين الرمادي واللاعبين وتأهيل ناصر ماهر استعدادًا لـ بيراميدز

وسجل مصطفى زيكو الهدف الثاني في الدقيقة 41، بعد كرة عرضية من مصطفى سعد قابلها زيكو برأسية سكنت المرمى.

وقلص محمد مسعد الفارق لفريق مودرن سبورت في الدقيقة 55، من تصويبة قوية تسديدة قوية سكنت الشباك مباشرةً.

وفي الدقيقة 90+2، أدرك فريق مودرن سبورت التعادل بعد كرة عرضية من علي فوزي قابلها محمود رزق برأسية تصدى لها علي لطفي، تابعها أرنولد إيبا بتسديدة أخرى سكنت الشباك.

بتلك النتيجة، يحتل فريق زد المركز العاشر في جدول ترتيب الدوري المصري (الأول في مجموعة الهبوط) برصيد 32 نقطة، بينما يتواجد مودرن في المركز الثامن عشر والأخير (التاسع في مجموعة الهبوط)، ولديه 18 نقطة. أهداف مباراة زد ومودرن سبورت في الدوري المصري

Manchester United’s poor run of form continued before Christmas with a disappointing 3-0 home defeat to Bournemouth.

Set-pieces proved to be a key issue for Ruben Amroim’s side, who conceded from a free kick and also gave away a penalty. The Cherries secured all three points at Old Trafford for the second consecutive season.

#1 Wolves

14

#2 Man United

9

#3 Southampton

8

#4 West Ham

7

#5 Leicester

5

Surprisingly, the statistics weighed fairly heavily in the Red Devils’ favour. According to Sofascore, United had more possession, 60%, and created a higher expected goals tally, 2.28 xG to the visitors’ 1.63xG. With that in mind, to lose 3-0 was incredibly frustrating.

There were certainly some disappointing performers across the board from Amroim’s side.

Man United’s worst performers vs. Bournemouth

As the final score might suggest, there were a few United figures who did not perform to a high enough standard to come away with the three points. One of those was Noussair Mazraoui, who has been exceptional this season.

After a fantastic start to life in that famous Red shirt of United, Morocco international Mazraoui did not quite hit the same levels against the Cherries. He was clumsy in giving away a penalty to double the visitors’ 1-0 lead and also won just four duels from the eight he attempted.

Another United star who struggled to influence the game was Diogo Dalot. The Portugal international has looked far from his best this season, and that continued against the South Coast outfit.

He received a rating of just 4/10 from the Manchester Evening News journalist Samuel Luckhurst. He explained that the Red Devils’ number 20 was ‘no more effective in attack’ after switching back to right wing-back following a spell on the opposite flank.

It was certainly a disappointing day at the office for Dalot and his teammates. Fellow wing-back Tyrel Malacia was another player who struggled last time out and could face being dropped from the starting 11 as a result.

Chalkboard

Football FanCast's Chalkboard series presents a tactical discussion from around the global game.

Malacia’s stats vs. Bournemouth

It has not been an easy 18 months for defender Malacia, who has faced a long road to recovery after an awful injury picked up at the end of the 2022/23 season. However, he has recently regained full fitness and has now played four times in the first team this campaign.

His most recent game came against Andoni Iraola’s side in the last game before Christmas, although he struggled to perform. The Dutchman was substituted at half-time, putting in a poor defensive display where he won just one duel and lost the ball seven times.

Minutes played

45

Touches

35

Pass accuracy

84%

Ground duels won

1/5

Tackles won

0/1

Errors leading to shot

1

Number of times possession lost

7

It was a frustrating day at the office for the 25-year-old, who received a rating of just 3/10 from the aforementioned Luckhurst. The journalist explained he was ‘not at it from the start’ and pointed out it was Malacia who ‘clumsily conceded’ the freekick that led to Bournemouth’s opener.

Indeed, United fans were seemingly disappointed with the Dutchman’s performance, too. Journalist and Red Devils supporter Alex Turk was one critic. After the game, he called him “one of many bad Erik ten Hag signings”. Of course, this is referring to the £600m spent by the former United boss, with many of them not really working out, Malacia included in Turk’s opinion.

Boxing Day sees United travel to Molineux to face Wolverhampton Wanderers. The Old Gold won their first game under new manager Vitor Pereira 3-0 against Leicester City, and with the confidence a side can get under a new manager, it could be a tough test.

This may well be a game Amroim chooses to drop Malacia for, after his poor performance last weekend, and there are a few options for a replacement. Bringing Leny Yoro into the side could be a route for United to take, with Mazraoui moving to wing-back. It is actually the very substitution the United boss made at halftime last weekend.

Alternatively, he could opt for more attacking firepower and bring Alejandro Garnacho in for the Dutchman. He has played as a wing-back already this term, away to Viktoria Plzen in the Europa League, and this is certainly an option.

Garnacho is a tireless player, and given his role would essentially be that of a winger, seems like he could be a good fit.

It certainly seems justified if Amorim does not start Malacia at Molineux in this Boxing Day clash. It was a poor performance against a well-drilled side, and with some other options available to the Portuguese boss, he may well decide to freshen his side up in a must-win game.

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ByMatt Dawson Dec 22, 2024