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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…

Paul Merson reckons Arsenal will thrash Tottenham Hotspur when the two sides meet in the north London derby this weekend, per Sky Sports’ The Debate.

What’s he said?

Arsenal have won two of their first three games of the season, beating Newcastle United 1-0 and Norwich City 2-1, though Liverpool beat Unai Emery’s men 3-1 at Anfield on Saturday.

Spurs, by comparison, beat Aston Villa 3-1 on the opening weekend and then drew 2-2 with Manchester City, though they were beaten 1-0 by a resolute Newcastle on Sunday.

With the two sides set to meet at The Emirates this weekend, Merson believes that the Gunners have everything needed to put Mauricio Pochettino’s men to the sword.

He said: “I don’t see Tottenham beating Arsenal on Sunday, I really don’t. I’ve watched Tottenham in all three games, they were fortunate to break down Villa in the end. In the end, they won 3-1 because of three good finishes.

“They got well, well, turned over at Man City. Even though they got a draw, they got well turned over. There are ways of getting draws, they got ripped. (City had) 30 shots.

“Then they played Newcastle and never really looked like scoring a goal.”

He added, when asked for a prediction: “I think Arsenal will win quite comfortably. 4-1. I think they’ll rip them to shreds.

“I think Tottenham are struggling at the moment. I think, if Arsenal get going, I do (think they’ll win).

“It covered over the cracks, the Man City game, they had 30 shots. Give Arsenal 30 shots at the weekend.”

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Bias

This is a take borne of bias instead of a reasoned analysis.

Tottenham haven’t been particularly impressive all season but, really, nor have the Gunners.

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They only just found their way past both the Magpies and the Canaries, and were, by all accounts, “turned over” by Liverpool.

Per BBC Sport, the Reds had 25 shots against the Gunners, just five fewer than the tally Merson claims City racked up at The Etihad.

Now, of course, Merson is allowed to air his opinion as, after all, that’s what he’s paid to do.

But he should perhaps put a little more thought into his analysis, instead of spouting nonsense that is more in keeping with what is said on Arsenal Fan TV.

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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…

Giovani Lo Celso could be in action for Argentina when they take on Chile in an international friendly on Friday morning.

Tottenham’s Hotspur’s summer signing has yet to make his full Premier League debut for the club but he enjoyed an excellent cameo in the north London derby against Arsenal at the weekend.

Replacing Son Heung-min for the latter stages of the game, the attacking midfielder was a picture of calm in the derby chaos, even flummoxing Gunners star Dani Ceballos with an excellent piece of skill.

He could be included in Lionel Scaloni’s team for the upcoming friendly, having been named in the squad alongside the likes of Manuel Lanzini and Paulo Dybala.

Lo Celso has already won a total of 18 caps for his country, scoring two goals, and was included in the 2018 World Cup squad; he didn’t play a single minute in the tournament, however.

He was ever-present in the Copa America, though, playing six games, in a variety of positions; he was deployed on both flanks and in central midfield. Lo Celso scored in the 2-0 win over Venezuela in the quarter-finals and laid on an assist in the 2-1 win over Chile in the third-place play-off; Argentina lost their semi-final clash with Brazil 2-0.

It remains to be seen where he will be played by Scaloni, but he is most regularly played as an attacking midfielder and Spurs fans can hope to catch a glimpse of what he will bring to the club when he is fully fit.

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Indeed, he has thus far played a total of 44 minutes for Spurs, with his most notable display coming in the 1-0 defeat to Newcastle United, in which he played 28 minutes.

While the signs have been promising, he has yet to really make an impact, purely because he hasn’t had the chance to.

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At international level, though, he has already shown what he can do and will be out to do the same again when Argentina take on first Chile and then Mexico.

Spurs fans will want to keep their eyes peeled.

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[ad_pod ]Lots of Crystal Palace fans have taken to Twitter in delight after it was confirmed by the club that Shaun Derry had returned to SE25 as Professional Development coach.The 41-year-old had two spells with the Eagles as a player, from 2002-2005 before re-joining in 2008 and leaving for QPR in 2010.

Derry is fondly remembered by the Selhurst Park faithful for his efforts in the second half of the 2009/10 campaign, in which Palace embarked on ‘Survival Sunday’ on the last day at Sheffield Wednesday where the loser would face relegation – with the Eagles in administration, losing that game perhaps would have had more serious consequences.

It was Derry who was in tears on the pitch after Palace managed to survive with a 2-2 draw.

He has since managed Notts County and Cambridge, but had opted to step out of senior management in order to undertake an academy role with the south Londoners.

Let’s take a look at what the delighted Palace fans on Twitter have been saying…

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This article is part of Football FanCast’s Loan Watch series, which takes a closer look at those players who are aiming to galvanise their careers away from the spotlight of their parent club.

Leeds have a plethora of full-backs to choose from within their squad.

An injury to Luke Ayling has seen Stuart Dallas thrive as he earned praise from supporters despite the Whites’ defeat against Stoke.

They meanwhile have Robbie Gotts and Bryce Hosannah within their ranks.

Therefore, the fact Lewie Coyle was sent out on loan was perhaps rather damning of the direction his Leeds career was heading in.

His displays for Fleetwood so far have been rather inconsistent, averaging a rating of 6.77, per WhoScored.

However, in two of his last three league games he’s been particularly impressive, claiming two assists.

It’s that threat going forward that makes him a player to admire, especially for a modern full back where there seems to be more reliance on attacking attributes compared to defensive ones.

Those are particular traits that Leeds boss Marcelo Bielsa appears to love too.

Already this season we’ve see Ezgjan Alioski and Stuart Dallas score from a wing back role. The former has been especially creative too.

The North-Macedonia international created three chances against Brentford a few weeks ago, the highest number of anyone in the Leeds side.

It’s similar traits that Coyle has demonstrated for Fleetwood.

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In his performance against Oxford last weekend, he helped keep a clean sheet but was particularly assured with his passing.

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The 23-year-old managed four key passes, of which one was fired home. He also managed one cross and five long balls according to WhoScored.

Bielsa clearly loves players that demonstrate those types of qualities considering he’s fielded Dallas and Alioski at wing-back this season so it should certainly stand him in good stead if he continues at the same sort of level.

The challenge, however, will be whether he can dislodge those ahead of him in the pecking order at Elland Road if and when he returns.

Any chance of that happening is unlikely though considering his current spell at Fleetwood is his third.

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Celtic fans were recently excited to learn that Spurs midfielder Victor Wanyama, who had been at the Parkhead club earlier in his career, was a target for them in the last window, with the manager Neil Lennon hinting that they might make another move for him in January.

Wanyama was a fantastic player at Celtic Park, turning in some splendid performances and delivering on some big occasions, including getting a famous goal against Barcelona.

He left Celtic for Southampton in a £12.5m move after talks about a new contract broke down, with his agent saying that a club in the SPL could never meet his financial demands.

Nevertheless, Celtic fans had appreciated the player’s efforts in the shirt and he departed on good terms with both the club and the supporters.

The club spent around £14m during the summer, and aside from securing the services of the likes of Greg Taylor, Christopher Jullien and Abd Elhamed on permanent deals they were also active in the loan market, bringing in Mortiz Bauer from Stoke and another former player in Fraser Forster, the big goalkeeper who was such a hit at Parkhead that they nicknamed him The Great Wall.

They also signed exciting Southampton winger Mohamed Elyounoussi for a year.

Wanyama would have been a different order of signing altogether, and would have brought a real presence to the midfield.

Fans would have been excited about that, and this is why so many were pleased when Lennon said that the idea has not been abandoned.

So could it happen in January?

It is possible, but there seems to be a view down south that Tottenham would prefer to see him go on a permanent deal, securing them at least some of what they paid Southampton back in 2016.

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A move to Brugge, worth an estimated £13m, broke down in the summer because Wanyama didn’t fancy it and he seemed to hint in a social media post that he was keen on a return to Celtic Park.

But again, wages seemed to be the stumbling block, and they might well prove to be again.

That Lennon has not given up hope means that Celtic fans shouldn’t either, but perhaps they should not be too hopeful at the same time.

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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.

Sheffield Wednesday needed a stoppage-time equaliser to salvage a point at home against Fulham on Saturday as Garry Monk remains unbeaten at the helm.

Snapshot

The visitors had opened the scoring just before half time as Owls shot-stopper Keiren Westwood parried a Joe Bryan cross straight into the path of Tom Cairney, who simply couldn’t miss.

Monk looked to spark a reaction in the second half, first introducing winger Jacob Murphy on the hour mark before replacing midfielder Kieran Lee with striker Sam Winnall ten minutes later.

The last throw of the dice came with 14 minutes remaining in the match as Steven Fletcher was withdrawn for the long-serving Atdhe Nuhiu and the 40-year-old was rewarded in injury-time.

Off the Bench

A mark of desperation, possibly. A mark of an additional game plan, indeed.

In the 93rd minute of the match, Nuhiu scrambled in a deflected Kadeem Harris cross with his head to finally beat visiting shot-stopper Marcus Bettinelli, rescuing a draw at Hillsborough.

The Kosovo international had quite an impact in such a short space of time.

He won four aerial duels, had two shots on target and netted that all-important equaliser having had just nine touches of the ball, per WhoScored.

That was his 45th goal in his 241st appearance in the blue and white stripes, but game time has been limited this season – the 6 foot 6 colossus has been restricted to just 52 minutes in the Championship and one Carabao Cup start.

The 30-year-old may not be the most prolific goalscorer, but he offers the team something different – a sheer towering physical presence.

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Fletcher may win 6.5 aerial duels per game on average, but he’s five inches smaller than Nuhiu.

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His team-mate, Harris, who provided the assist has only added weight to the striker’s claims by saying:

“He is massive to have in the team, his feet are really good for a man his size. He causes defences all sorts of problems. He is something that we haven’t got in the team. He is a little bit different, more physical.”

Nuhiu could prove to be a valuable option for Monk, especially if chasing the game when a ‘plan B’ is required as shown against Fulham.

Saturday proved how good he can be when utilised correctly.

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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.

Moise Kean has had a slow but steady start to life in England with Everton since his summer move.

The Toffees parted with an initial £29m to bring the Italy international to Goodison Park from Juventus, but he has been handed just two Premier League starts by Marco Silva as he slowly adapts to his new surroundings.

However, his life could have been made a little bit easier if Silva had subbed him on in an appropriate position against Manchester City…

Snapshot

The Merseysiders had just gone 2-1 down after Riyad Mahrez struck a brilliant free-kick before Kean’s introduction in the 74th-minute.

Goals from Gabriel Jesus and Dominic Calvert-Lewin had the scoreline level at one apiece before the Algerian’s strike, but the youngster was not given the greatest opportunity to find an equaliser for his side due to Silva’s baffling use of the teenager.

A goal from Raheem Sterling 10 minutes after Kean’s introduction sealed the points for City, but the Italian can only be left thinking ‘what if’ had Silva subbed him on in a different position.

Baffling to put him on the right

Why did Silva sub Kean on to play as a right forward?

According to his appearances recorded by Transfermarkt during his career, the 19-year-old didn’t make a single appearance in that position for Juventus last season, nor did he play there in the campaign before that one – the right is not an area that Kean has become too familiar with in his short career so far.

By that logic, it would be a strange decision to sub him on even against a club like Watford, let alone against the back-to-back Premier League champions who won a domestic treble last term.

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Silva gave Kean little chance to influence the game by playing him on the right, and his ineffectiveness was evident in the youngster’s statistics.

He failed to have a single shot on goal in his 16 minutes on the pitch, nor did he manage to make a key pass or embark on a dribble – in fact, the forward only mustered up one pass in total during his time on the field, and even that wasn’t a successful one.

Silva got it all wrong with his baffling use of Kean.

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

After his low-key arrival on a free transfer this summer – having been let go by League One side Rotherham – one certainly would not blame you for wondering why QPR signed Dominic Ball.

However, Mark Warburton’s use of the player has been simply fantastic.

How has he used Ball?

As per the R’s official announcement of the signing of the 24-year-old, Ball can play in a variety of positions.

The article states that he can play at right-back, centre-back and at defensive-midfield, while Ball has also worked alongside Warburton at Watford and Rangers.

The former Brentford boss has been using the 6 foot man in front of his back five in a defensive midfield position, adopting a 5-3-2 formation and to some effect – the Londoners have won their last four league games on the bounce.

Ball’s form has helped Eberechi Eze and Ilias Chair to flourish 

With Ball lining up in front of the backline, he practically patrols the midfield on his own and allows those ahead of him to flourish – some QPR fans were impressed with the player’s performance against Millwall, with one labelling him a “destroyer”.

Ball averages 2.3 tackles and 2.3 successful aerial duels per game, and his effective defensive work behind Chair and Eze is proving beneficial to the duo.

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In Eze’s case, the 21-year-old earned his first call-up to the England Under-21 squad this season, and has three goals and two assists in eight Championship starts – the former Millwall man has also won three WhoScored Man-of-the-Match awards in that time.

With Chair, the Morocco Under-23 international recently signed a new contract with the R’s and has been showing some fine form in midfield alongside Eze – he records 1.9 key passes and two shots per game and is seemingly benefiting from having less defensive work to do with Ball behind him.

Warburton could have played Ball in any of his three positions, but the R’s manager’s use of him ahead of the backline is proving beneficial to Chair and Eze above all.

Talk about a fall from grace. After making club history with nine successive away wins at the start of his Manchester United reign, who could ever have imagined Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side would be lying in tenth in the Premier League after seven games this season?

The Red Devils have stuttered completely since the 4-0 drubbing of Chelsea in their opening league match, and face Newcastle on Sunday on the back of an underwhelming 0-0 draw against AZ Alkmaar in the Europa League.

Despite their poor start, Solskjaer has remained optimistic and delivered a very questionable rallying cry to the fans.

Speaking ahead of the game, the Norwegian said: “As managers, we don’t want to give anyone any favours when we play each other. Brucey’s going to set up a team to win. I’m going to set up a team to try to win.”

On the face of it, it seems like a pretty harmless message. But United fans on Twitter however, took issue with Solskjaer’s use of the phrase “try to win”.

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Many supporters of the Manchester side slammed the Red Devils boss for his choice of words, and insisted they should simply be winning, not trying.

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Check out some of the reaction of United fans 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… 

It never hurts to have a backup plan, now it’s time to see if Forest will try to implement it.

Whilst Michael Dawson is reportedly set to be fit once the international break is over, it is at least worth looking at who could replace him should the injury start to flare up once more.

Even if the injury doesn’t come around again, given that Dawson is into the final year of his contract and with Joe Worrall unlikely to move despite the reports of Newcastle United being interested in him, this would give Sabri Lamouchi the opportunity to see exactly what other options he has at his disposal to look at building a new partnership next season.

On the chalkboard

The most suitable candidate just happens to be someone that they brought in during the summer window, Chema.

If you look at his body of work for his previous club Levante, it shows that he is a good ‘modern’ defender who is both capable of defending the goal and getting involved in the attack.

His statistics prove that he is more than capable of slotting into the side at the City Ground and prospering in the absence of Dawson. In Spain, he averaged 1.1 tackle and 1.1 interceptions per game, whilst also committing less than one foul each outing.

He’s clearly incredibly disciplined and shouldn’t really have Forest fans worrying about giving away too many free-kicks in dangerous positions.

His ability to play with the ball and start attacks as well is rather impressive.

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He completes nearly 24 passes a game, with a success rate of just under 75%. Combine him with other members of the team who also like to pass the ball around, such as Joao Carvalho and Tiago Silva and you’ve got a centre-back who can help dictate play.

Whilst he hasn’t had much of an opportunity to impress in front of Lamouchi, with Dawson’s days looking darker, he just has to hope that the manager makes him first in line, or he may never get his chance at all.

This could also be chance for him to stake a claim in case Worrall does actually depart.