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Liverpool fans are drooling over a clip of the goal they scored in the 2-1 defeat at Manchester City last season.

11 millimetres. That’s all that stood between Liverpool and a flawless Premier League winning season.

Despite the defeat at the Etihad that effectively lost them the title though, fans are still in awe of the goal they scored that evening.

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Indeed, it was a game full of quality and intensity, and the Reds’ equalising strike from Roberto Firmino was certainly one of the finer moments of their 2018/19 season.

Trailing 1-0, Jurgen Klopp’s side sprayed the ball about with the freedom of Manchester, with Pep Guardiola’s side barely even getting close to the ball.

The swift passing move eventually found its way out to Trent Alexander-Arnold, who drilled a perfect left-footed ball to Andy Robertson at the back post, who then lobbed it over the remaining City defenders for Firmino to stoop and head home.

Considering Guardiola’s sides are known for scoring this exact kind of goal against their opponents, Reds fans are gushing over the stunning team move, as you can see in the Twitter reactions down below…

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

Sheffield Wednesday appear to have made the right appointment in Garry Monk – the 40-year-old has guided his side to ten points from a possible 15 which sees them sit just one point outside of the playoff picture.

After being appointed in early September, the former Swansea City man has had to work with a squad assembled by his predecessors, namely Steve Bruce and then caretaker boss Lee Bullen – the latter’s familiarity would have helped to an extent as he still remains as part of the backroom staff.

Some of their signings like Julian Borner and Kadeem Harris have been spot on, they are averaging over a 7.00 rating by WhoScored this season as both have made an impact at either end of the pitch.

But not all of the arrivals have gone swimmingly – Moses Odubajo has been particularly poor on the right-hand side of defence.

Against Everton in the Carabao Cup, he struggled with the likes of Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Richarlison, and then fans slammed his performance in the Hull City defeat last week.

On the Chalkboard

Dealing with Odubajo’s inconsistencies over the course of the season isn’t something Monk can afford to do if they are truly a playoff contender.

The Wednesday chief has options in that role too, so it can’t hurt to shake things up.

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Maybe he opts for Dominic Iorfa with Tom Lees lingering closer towards a return from injury. However, that’s not a move that seems likely given how well the 24-year-old has performed at centre-back alongside Borner.

How about playing Liam Palmer in his actual position?

The Scotland international has been at the Owls his entire career and is primarily a right-back.

But since the start of the season, he’s been playing on the left-hand side to allow Odubajo to feature in the starting line up.

When comparing his eight games at left-back this term to those played on the opposite side last season, you’ll soon see where he’s more comfortable.

And it’s no surprise that it’s in his more natural position – recording better figures for tackles, clearances, and dribbles per game on top of his crossing ability – all via WhoScored.

Monk should shift Palmer back across to the right, especially as he can call on Morgan Fox to instantly come in and fill the resulting void left behind at left-back.

That way, Wednesday can shore up the one weak spot in their defence.

The Austrian posed with a miniature Premier League trophy and used the hashtag #5000to1 in his caption, as those were the odds you could get at the start of that campaign for Leicester to win the league.

Of course, this image will invoke a lot of good memories for Leicester fans as they witnessed a once in a lifetime moment, a moment that would not have been possible without the 33 year-old dominating the left flank.

Having looked likely to claim a vital three points away at Cardiff, Sheffield Wednesday were pegged back in the dying embers of the game thanks to a free-kick from Lee Tomlin.

However, both the decision to hand the set-piece to the home side, and then the awarding of the goal were certainly dubious.

Massimo Luongo was perhaps harshly ruled to have brought down Tomlin, before Bluebirds centre-back Aden Flint did his best workout video impression with a set of jumping jacks from an offside position in front of Cameron Dawson.

Despite the goal being rather controversially awarded, some Wednesday fans took to Twitter to criticise their goalkeeper for his poor positioning rather than taking aim at the combination of refereeing decisions.

One fan suggested Dawson is amongst the worst goalkeepers the club have had in their entire history, whilst another supporter in particular described the 6 foot 4 man as being a “chicken in the headlights”.

Check out some of the reaction of Wednesday fans below:

France Football have released the top 30 players who are in contention to win the coveted Ballon d’Or award this year.

And Vinicius Junior, Real Madrid’s 19-year-old wonderkid, has been nominated for the Kopa award, which is given to the best young player in the world.

The young Brazilian will fight with some of the biggest young talents in world football for a chance to be crowned the best.

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But if their recent social media activity is anything to go by, many Real Madrid fans actually don’t think Vinicius deserves to win the award.

Shortly after Los Blancos shared his nomination, some of the Madridistas actually slammed the young talent, criticising him and even stating that his nomination doesn’t make much sense.

Prior to the clash with Galatasaray, he had made eight appearances in all competitions, scoring once.

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

Check them out…

Everton fans have been reacting to comments made by the former Everton manager Roberto Martinez after he said he had “unfinished business” during his tenure.

The Catalan, who is now the head coach of the Belgian national team, was sacked in May 2016 after just over three years at Goodison Park. He coached the Toffees through 143 games and accumulated an average points-per-match total of 1.56 since he moved to Everton from Wigan in 2013.

Martinez led the Blues to the semi-finals of the FA Cup and League Cup in his final season, as well as guiding the club to their highest ever points tally in the Premier League of 72, which saw them finish 5th in the standings.

Speaking to Goals on Sunday (via the Liverpool Echo), Martinez believed he should have been given more time at the club.

“I loved my time at Everton. I only have great memories, we finished with 72 points.

“We were in Europe, we were in two semi-finals of the domestic cups, we invested heavily with the young players and you see how John Stones, Ross Barkley and Gerard Deulofeu, Romelu Lukaku. You only have treasured memories of Goodison Park…the fans and we had great times.

“For me, it has always been unfinished business. I always felt the plan that we had in place…maybe needed another three or four years.

“Maybe our plan was a little bit different. It was trying to get silverware and then build on that success rather than to compete in an impossible way to finish in the top four with the different demands”.

Supporters have not forgiven him after some of the decisions that he made over the years.

Here you will find some of the best comments from Everton fans:

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 was back in March 2014 that the writing was on the wall for David Moyes’ career at Manchester United. The Scot had only taken charge of the Red Devils the previous summer, but a series of poor results had brought his future into sharp focus.

Having been beaten 3-0 by Liverpool, United suffered another chastening defeat by the same score-line – this time to ‘noisy neighbours’ Manchester City, who walked away with the bragging rights and all three points against the then reigning Premier League champions. Moyes’ response?

“I think we’ve played a very good side and it’s the sort of standard and level we need to try and aspire to get ourselves to at this moment in time. I think we need to play better. We’re needing to come up a couple of levels at the moment and we’re not quite there.”

As it would pan out, the former Everton boss would be sacked by the Red Devils hierarchy less than a month after that 3-0 reverse to City. Fast forward five years, and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer may just have put the nail into his own coffin with a similarly questionable verdict on matters.

How much money could you make busking for a week as a freestyle footballer? Find out in the video below…

Speaking ahead of the Premier League clash against Norwich on Sunday, the Norwegian appeared to lose all memory that he is in charge of one of the biggest sides in the world.

He said: “I hope we are going to stop them because it’s always going to be difficult down at Carrow Road. We’ll need to be at our best to have a chance.”

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Against the Canaries? The newly-promoted team that have conceded the joint-highest number of goals with 21, and are lying in the relegation zone? Solskjaer’s pre-match verdict has undeniable echoes of the time Moyes completely misjudged what it is to be a manager of United.

Whatever the problem, the Red Devils’ status and reputation is that they continue to act as one of the top dogs in English football. At its core, it is fundamentally about saving face, and presenting a club that is impervious to however fall they may have fallen on the pitch. The name and tradition is what counts, and Solskjaer, like his predecessor Moyes, has shown no grasp of that.

And as speculation continues to mount over Solskjaer’s long-term future at the club, his comments ahead of the game against Norwich have simply dredged up old memories of the final days of Moyes’ tenure at Old Trafford. For the latter, he was sacked within a month. It could well be the same for the current United boss too.

Aston Villa secured their place in the Carabao Cup quarter-final with a 2-1 victory over local rivals Wolverhampton Wanderers at Villa Park on Wednesday evening.

It is the first time since 2012 that the five-time winners of the competition have reached this stage, and they can thank Anwar El Ghazi and Ahmed Elmohamady for their goals in the match.

The visitors made wholesale changes with Nuno Santo naming an entirely new starting XI while Dean Smith handed opportunity to the likes of Ezri Konsa and Keinan Davis.

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There was also a return for Neil Taylor at left-back, but his performance left a lot to be desired if social media reaction is anything to go by as the 30-year-old has come in for intense criticism.

‘So bad,’ ‘useless’ and ‘dreadful’ were just three phrases used to describe his showing while one supporter went as far as saying that the Welshman should never ever get back into the starting XI.

A further member of the Villa faithful claimed he was an ‘absolute liability’ with another wanting the club to get rid of Taylor because of the mistakes he makes.

Here’s the best of the reaction:

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

According to The Sun, Manchester United are “keeping tabs” on Burnley winger Dwight McNeil.

What’s the word?

The England U21 international was on the Old Trafford side’s books when he was 14, but was let go from the club because his set-pieces weren’t the best.

“I was released by Man United when I was 14. Funnily enough, one of the reasons I got released was because my set-pieces weren’t the best. It was quite an upsetting time for me. I was still at school as well, I was still learning.”

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Now, The Sun claim Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has sent scouts to keep an eye on the 19-year-old on numerous occasions, and that Burnley would be looking to receive a fee in the region of £35m for their prospect. Despite the arrival of Daniel James in the summer, it is further suggested that the United boss sees McNeil as someone who could play with the Wales international, rather than just compete for the one place.

Promising

Whilst McNeil’s name is unlikely to generate the same sort of reaction as Borussia Dortmund starlet Jadon Sancho would, there is no doubting the Burnley man is showing signs he could be a very good Premier League player indeed. The teenager really burst onto the scene last season, registering three goals and five assists, and he has enjoyed an impressive start to the campaign this year too.

The 19-year-old has scored once and racked up three assists already, whilst his underlying numbers also make for promising reading from a United perspective. He has averaged 1.3 shots, one key pass and 1.9 dribbles per game in the top-flight, and that ability to be direct and produce some end product is something the Red Devils could absolutely do with – that’s not to mention he’s doing it in the Premier League, whereas someone like Sancho hasn’t.

Speaking to the club’s official website back in October, Burnley manager Sean Dyche paid a glowing tribute to the huge strides the winger has made.

“I keep hearing all these stories about the other young men rolling around the Premier League – and rightly so. Dwight doesn’t get many mentions and I quite like that in a way because he keeps learning and keeps improving, but I will tell you, he is right up there, for me. He continues to grow and mature as a player and I think he is an absolutely top talent and a real positive for us.”

So whilst Sancho may be the star attraction, a swoop for McNeil could be the exciting under-rated signing that turns out to be top dollar for United.

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

Karim Benzema has been a huge part of Real Madrid’s legacy and he is definitely a big figure in the club. But his potential departure in the not so distant future could be more than just a hypothetical situation, especially considering Juninho Pernambucano’s latest words on the Frenchman. And if that were to happen, a door would suddenly open for Luka Jovic.

What’s the word, then?

Juninho is currently the sporting director at Olympique Lyon, the club of Benzema’s youth, which was his only home before he joined Real Madrid back in 2009.

The now 31-year-old Frenchman ended up playing a total of 148 games for them, scoring 66 goals and assisting a further 26 in the process.

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And Juninho proclaimed that he would love having Benzema back, suggesting Lyon would be a great destination for him to end his career, play for two years and then coach the youth after that, as quoted by Mundo Deportivo.

But he also mentioned that the two had already exchanged some messages before so there might actually be something behind his words.

In a situation in which Benzema is indeed allowed to leave, one man would definitely blossom and finally get his chance.

A chance to shine

Jovic arrived at Real Madrid as a high-potential striker for the future.

After all, he is just 21- years of age and already cost them a reported sum of about £53.2m, which could potentially become even higher if certain add-ons are met.

But even though he arrived with certain pedigree and reputation, having previously scored 36 goals and assisted nine in 75 games for his former side, and netting 27 goals and seven assists in 48 games for Eintracht Frankfurt in 2018/19 alone, the young Serbian hasn’t really seen much of the pitch so far.

In fact, he can only boast with 319 minutes across all competitions for Los Blancos, making an appearance in a total of 11 games, scoring once in the process.

By all standards, not really an impressive tally.

That would, however, change if Benzema was suddenly out of his way. With nine goals and three assists in La Liga this season, the Frenchman has been a standard figure in the starting lineup and rightfully so.

But it also came on Jovic’s expense as he was the sole reason for the Serbian’s unfortunate tally.

With Benzema potentially leaving the club in the not so distant future, the 21-year-old could finally get his chance to shine.

Whether Real Madrid should actually part with the Frenchman or not is a story for another time.