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Although Queens Park Rangers are currently flying high in the Championship, sitting fourth after 12 games, the club’s most recent result against Reading brought with it a controversial refereeing decision that will see one of the club’s star performers suspended for their next league fixture.

West Ham loanee Jordan Hugill, 27, has formed a deadly partnership with fellow striker Nahki Wells, with the duo having scored 14 goals so far in the 2019/20 campaign.

Both strikers were on the scoresheet on Tuesday night against Mark Bowen’s side, but a yellow card for Hugill, the forward’s fifth of the season, will see him miss the club’s London derby with fellow Championship side Brentford.

The booking has drawn criticism from some QPR fans, with many speaking out over the poor refereeing decision that will see their in-form striker miss the clash against Thomas Frank’s side. Here are some of the best reactions following a tweet from the club confirming Hugill’s suspension.

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… 

Gareth Southgate announced the England squad for the upcoming Euro 2020 qualifiers against the Czech Republic and Bulgaria, and it included both Michael Keane and Jordan Pickford.

However, power rankings provided by Sky Sports seem to suggest that they were fortunate to sneak in.

The Sky Sports power rankings are based around 35 different statistics, with each position varying in points for certain achievements – for example, a striker receives less for a goal than a defender. The rankings are then presented in a leaderboard based on the number of points a player has earned.

This time around, centre-back Michael Keane has missed out to uncapped players such as Fikayo Tomori, Matthew Lowton and Dan Burn, whilst Southgate’s regular no.1 Jordan Pickford has not made the cut over uncapped keepers Dean Henderson, Aaron Ramsdale, and Three Lions regular Nick Pope.

So far this season, Keane and Pickford have played every minute of Premier League action, which has seen them concede 12 goals in six games – only Newcastle, Watford, Norwich City, and Chelsea have let in more. In the rankings, each goal conceded is worth -600 points, so it is easy to see where England’s no.1 and the defender have gone wrong this season.

Goalkeepers are awarded 350 power ranking points per save they make. Pickford has averaged just 2.4 saves per game compared to Pope’s 3.3, Ramsdale’s 3.7, and Henderson’s 3, which has subsequently helped push the Everton keeper out of the 23-man ranking.

Furthermore, keepers are awarded 100 points per catch they make and 30 per aerial battle they win. Both Pope and Henderson boast 0.7 aerial battles claimed per game, whilst Pickford averages just 0.1 per match. The Everton man is also at the bottom of the list for clearances made with averaging 0.3 each fixture – a successful clearance is worth 50 points.

As for Keane, he already sits below the majority of defenders in the power ranking based on the fact he has conceded 12 goals, which total a score of -7200 for that alone. Elsewhere, Keane has averaged just one tackle per game compared to Tomori’s three per match and James Tarkowski’s 2.1 each fixture – every tackle is worth 75 points.

Also, the likes of Tomori, Aaron Cresswell and Trent Alexander-Arnold have all scored in recent weeks, which awards them each 1900 points plus another 1300 for their strikes coming outside of the penalty box.

The Everton centre-back has also fallen behind on interceptions as of late, with Tomori averaging three per game, compared to Keane’s 1.4, whilst the former Burnley defender has lost all three league games since the last international break, which adds on another -900.

This article is part ofÂFootball FanCast’sÂOpinionÂseries, which provides analysis, insight and opinion on any issue within the beautiful game, from Paul Pogba’s haircuts to League Two relegation battles…

After watching England suffer a shock 2-1 defeat to the Czech Republic on Friday night, a lot of the Gareth Southgate naysayers have come out of the woodwork to criticise him for his team selection.

One decision that certainly raised the anger was playing Kieran Trippier over Trent Alexander-Arnold. The Atletico Madrid man struggled immensely against the home side’s relentless attacks, losing possession 11 times and receiving a 6.4 match rating as per SofaScore – the joint-second lowest of any England player.

Watch the video below to see the most insane overhead kick you will see this week…

Naturally, Liverpool fans after the game were up in arms over Southgate’s questionable decision to leave out Alexander-Arnold.

But in truth, the Reds faithful shouldn’t be getting themselves so worked up. The international break is a dangerous period for club managers, not least for those teams competing for the biggest honours. Injuries that happen whilst players are off on their travels with their respective countries are a sickening blow. That lack of control can be a source of frustration, and Jurgen Klopp, like many others, will be sitting at home praying his squad come back unscathed.

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And in Alexander-Arnold’s case, Southgate’s decision to keep the 21-year-old on the bench would have been music to the Liverpool manager’s ears. The full-back played 40 times across all competitions last season, and has featured in every single game this campaign barring the League Cup victory over MK Dons.

The threat of physical burnout and mental exhaustion is real, and so being able to get a breather here and there is invaluable. Klopp’s men are chasing trophies on multiple fronts, and the chance to rest players is going to be few and far in-between. Southgate essentially doing that for him with Alexander-Arnold helps the Merseyside club enormously with their objectives this year.

So whilst the sentiment behind wanting to see your players represent their countries is understandable, Liverpool fans shouldn’t be too concerned with their 21-year-old missing out on Friday night.

Arsenal fans have given mixed reactions on Ainsley Maitland-Niles following an admission from the player on his preferred position.

In an interview with Sky Sports, the Arsenal youth product said that he isn’t a defender and that his preferred position is in midfield or on the wing.

Maitland-Niles has been filling in at right-back since Hector Bellerin suffered a serious knee injury in January at home to Chelsea (via BBC).

Out of the 73 appearances the England youth international has made for the Arsenal first team, 32 of them have been in either the left-back or right-back position (via Transfermarkt).

With Bellerin not yet back to full fitness, Maitland-Niles proves to be the only senior option at right-back after the sale of Carl Jenkinson to Championship side Nottingham Forest (via The Sun).

Fans were mixed in their reaction to the full-back’s comments on his preferred position, with some backing him, and others blasting him.

Here is a selection of tweets from Gooners:

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 has been a frustrating 2019/20 season to date for Tottenham Hotspur duo Dele Alli and Eric Dier, who were Spurs’ golden boys once upon a time.

On the chalkboard

The former made 28 Premier League starts when the north London outfit finished third in 2016, while he scored 22 goals and provided a further 13 assists in 50 appearances in all competitions the following campaign.

In the subsequent season, the England international netted 14 goals and added 17 assists in the same number of games, as links with Real Madrid began to surface.

Dier was similarly influential under the leadership of Mauricio Pochettino, making 51, 48 and 47 outings respectively in the campaigns detailed above.

However, the pair found themselves more out of favour under the Argentine last term, with Dier making 28 appearances and Alli 38, with both suffering from injury issues.

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The latter contributed seven goals and eight assists in those matches, showing the deteriorating impact he is making for Tottenham.

Despite being fully fit and available, Dier has been restricted to just 102 minutes of football since August with 90 minutes of that total coming in the Carabao Cup humiliation against Colchester United.

Alli is only 91 minutes better off than his teammate, and while he was suffering from injury at the beginning of the campaign, he has been an unused substitute in two of their previous three Premier League fixtures, being left out of the squad against Leicester City altogether in September.

That is an unthinkable decline for the 23-year-old, and Pochettino needs to find a way to get him and Dier back to where they were a few seasons ago.

So how does he do it?

Well, firstly the former Southampton boss needs to give Dier a formation he can be effective in, and the 4-4-2 diamond system could be the perfect one for both him and Alli to thrive in again.

Wide men Erik Lamela and Lucas Moura aren’t in brilliant goalscoring form this season, so Pochettino should play with a more narrow system that allows full-backs Danny Rose and Serge Aurier to thrive instead.

That would allow Dier to sit in front of the back four and cover the gaps they leave, with Harry Winks and Tanguy Ndombele given a little more attacking freedom ahead of the 25-year-old – the latter has already shown his goalscoring abilities with goals against Aston Villa and Southampton this season.

Alli can then sit in behind Harry Kane and Son Heung-min, as Tottenham look to the future without Christian Eriksen, who is continuing to reject every contract offer he is given by Daniel Levy, according to Marca.

Get the latest videos and streams for Tottenham Hotspur from our dedicated Tottenham Hotspur live streams page.

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West Ham United manager Manuel Pellegrini has been giving his verdict on midfielder Declan Rice, via whufc.com, and has suggested that he has been surprised about just how mature the 20-year-old is.

What’s the word, then?

Well, after a tough start to the season where he failed to make the squad against Bournemouth and was an unused substitute against Arsenal and Wolverhampton Wanderers in the opening four Premier League matches, the youngster has since played the full 90 minutes in 19 consecutive top flight fixtures prior to the visit of Fulham on Friday night.

The player who has now pledged his international allegiance to England has been one of the standout performers for the east London outfit this term, and he continues to go from strength to strength despite his tender years.

When asked if he was the best youngster Pellegrini has worked with, the Chilean told whufc.com: “I worked with so many young players, it is difficult to compare 20 years of management and different players, but he is a very good player.

“I started with Javier Mascherano when he was 17 years old and he was similar to Declan Rice in his mentality – the mentality that when they are 17 or 19 years old it seemed that they have the mentality of 35 years old.”

How should his comments be interpreted?

By comparing him to Mascherano it is clear that Pellegrini feels that he has a special player on his hands, and one that he has surprised him with the mentality that he has despite only recently coming out of his teenage years.

To say that the London-born midfielder has the maturity of a 35-year-old is certainly a big compliment, and the Irons boss will want him to carry on listening and improving so his performance levels don’t drop anytime soon.

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On Tuesday, Aston Villa boss Dean Smith provided an injury update ahead of Monday night’s Premier League clash with West Ham United.

And Smith revealed that Jonathan Kodjia is unlikely to be available to face the Hammers due to a head injury.

The striker – a 2016 arrival from Bristol City – has not been seen in a Villa shirt since picking up an ankle injury against Tottenham Hotspur on the opening weekend of the 2019/20 campaign.

Smith has claimed that Kodjia could have been involved against Crystal Palace before the international break but the club decided not to take a risk.

The Ivory Coast international has now picked up a separate problem, though, which is likely to rule him out of the Premier League clash with Manuel Pellegrini’s side.

Watch Aston Villa Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

And the Villa fans have been on social media reacting to the injury news. Not too many have been kind to Kodjia either as shown by the tweets below:

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As per journalist Chris Wheeler of The Daily Mail (Twitter), there has been a significant update on the future of Man United playmaker Jesse Lingard as Tottenham Hotspur eye a move.

The Lowdown: Spurs make early January contact…

Reliable reporter Alasdair Gold of football.london backs that Lingard has been a target for Tottenham this month, lifting the lid on how they sounded out his representatives over a potential move.

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However, BBC reporter Simon Stone then claimed that the Lilywhites had a loan offer rebuffed – citing the fact that Man United don’t want to sell to a top four rival.

Reports of Tottenham’s interest have dwindled since then, but on deadline day, it appears they’ve re-emerged.

The Latest: Tottenham in the picture…

Wheeler, taking to Twitter, claims that Red Devils boss Ralf Rangnick has now approved a loan exit for Lingard by 11pm – green-lighting a potential transfer.

He adds that Tottenham are in the picture as one of a few clubs to show interest, alongside the likes of West Ham, Newcastle, Leicester, Everton and Burnley.

However, he adds that it remains to be seen whether United drop their demands or deal with a top four rival.

The Verdict: Get it done…

Depending on United’s deadline day stance over dealing with Spurs, we believe Lingard would be a fantastic capture before 11pm.

The England international, called ‘sensational’ by former Arsenal man Nigel Winterburn, bagged nine goals and four assists over 16 top flight appearances for West Ham last year (WhoScored).

It isn’t impossible to believe he could rack up similar numbers on a temporary spell under Antonio Conte.

In other news: ‘One to watch’ – talkSPORT reporter says Spurs could sign £29m ‘star’ today, find out more here.

Celtic pundit Frank McAvennie has been reacting to injury updates on Kyogo Furuhashi and David Turnbull, Football Insider report.

The Lowdown: Sky Sports post

Both Furuhashi and Turnbull haven’t featured since the Hoops returned to action from the winter break due to hamstring issues.

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Turnbull has been missing since the Scottish League Cup Final, whereas Furuhashi suffered a reoccurrence of his issue against St Johnstone at the end of December.

However, returns could be around the corner, after Sky Sports shared comments from Ange Postecoglou on Twitter.

Postecoglou decided to include the pair in the club’s Europa Conference League squad but refused to give timescales on their reruns, although he did admit Turnbull was two to three weeks closer than Furuhashi.

The Latest: McAvennie’s comments

Celtic pundit McAvennie was talking to Football Insider regarding the updates on Furuhashi and Turnbull.

He labelled their Europa Conference League squad inclusions as ‘brilliant news’ and believes they aren’t a million miles away.

“The fact they have both been included, this is brilliant news for Celtic.

“They would not have been included if there was no chance of them playing.

“We know what Postecoglou is like as well, it’s all mind games. He said there was no way McGregor would play in the Old Firm and he started.

“I’m not saying we will see these players next week or anything, I just think they might not be a million miles away.

“I would love a good run in Europe, we have the squad to do it now.

“Once our injured players return we will be even stronger as well. I can’t wait to see David and Kyogo back.

“They have both had brilliant seasons so far.”

The Verdict: Fingers crossed

Celtic take on Bodo/Glimt in a two-legged tie on February 17 and 24, and with Turnbull ahead of Furuhashi in regards to a return, perhaps we may see the Scot in the second leg over in Norway.

Reports at the end of December suggested the attacking midfielder could be sidelined for at least two months, so returning before the end of February would be good news and in line with the timescale.

Postecoglou may well think there’s a chance after including both in the squad 25-man squad, so it will be interesting to see what he says on the pair with the first leg just seven days away.

In other news: BBC Radio 5 Live man ‘pretty sure’ Celtic have had ‘conversations’ with one player over new deal. 

Leeds United are still hoping to bring in a new central midfielder in the January transfer window, according to Sky Sports reporter Dharmesh Sheth.

The Lowdown: Phillips a big miss

The Whites have suffered an injury-plagued season to say the least, with Marcelo Bielsa having to make do without a number of key figures at different times.

Kalvin Phillips is Leeds’ most noticeable current absentee and the 26-year-old is expected to be sidelined for the foreseeable future with a hamstring issue.

There is a clear need for the Whites to bring in a new midfielder this month and they appear to be working hard on it, after reports in December revealed Victor Orta wants to sign two – a number eight and a number six.

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The Latest: Reporters makes fresh claim

Speaking on Sky Sports News on Thursday evening [via MOT Leeds News], Sheth confirmed that Leeds still see midfield as the key area to strengthen before January comes to an end:

“Leeds still looking to strengthen their midfield.”

The Sky reporter continued to say that the club are happy to wait until late in the month to land their ‘main target’, although they did not specify who that is.

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The Verdict: Simply has to happen

Leeds look horribly light in midfield without Phillips around and the idea of nobody coming in this month would feel negligent, given their potential Premier League relegation battle.

Granted, Adam Forshaw is currently performing impressively in the middle of the park, but considering he missed nearly two years of action with a hip problem himself, there is no guarantee that he will remain fit for long periods.

Cagliari’s Nahitan Nandez continues to look like an ideal option to sign, with the Uruguayan reportedly allowed to leave the Serie A club this month, so Leeds should do all they can to snap him up, although only time will tell if he is the man identified as Orta’s ‘main target’.

In other news, Leeds are reportedly monitoring the situation of one player. Find out who it is here.