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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…

QPR midfielder Dominic Ball has spoken to the media following the 2-0 loss to West Brom on Saturday, and his words are full of sense, maturity and realism.

The 24-year-old – signed on a free transfer back in the summer after leaving Rotherham – has emerged as a key cog in Mark Warburton’s side in a defensive midfield role, and has specifically helped the duo of Eberechi Eze and Ilias Chair thrive ahead of him.

Ball has made five Championship starts so far this term, and is a player who Mark Warburton knows well having worked with the 57-year-old at Watford and Rangers.

What did he say?

Ball told The Kilburn Times: “Going up against West Brom, I think we can critically analyse ourselves and say ‘you know what, we’re not there yet, we’ve got to improve in a lot of areas’ and that’s what we’ll be doing in training this week.

“I think we’ve had a very good season so far. As a team we still know we’ve not had a 100% performance.

“We’re still a new team, we’re still developing and finding out about each other.”

Sensible comments full of perspective 

It’s very easy in modern day football to go overboard after a loss and feel like everything is all doom and gloom.

Contrastingly, Ball’s comments have seen him take a metaphorical step back, analyse the context of the situation and give a sensible assessment on where QPR are at right now – there really is no need to panic, at all.

Put it this way. The R’s are still pretty much in the infancy of Warburton’s reign, and signed a number of new players in the summer – the drawing board was well and truly ripped up in the summer and replaced with a new one.

Because of that, things will need time to gel – it hasn’t even been all that bad, with the Londoners winning four Championship games on the trot before losing against Slaven Bilic’s side.

It’s easy to get carried away after going on such an impressive run so early into a new manager’s tenure, but with a player as level-headed as Ball in the side, one would assume that no-one in that QPR squad is going to get lost amongst the clouds this season.

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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… 

Lucas Digne has been one of Everton’s best performers so far this campaign but his failure to produce against Bournemouth was a key reason why they succumbed to defeat.

Everton were lacklustre in attack on Sunday and, for all their possession, they had just five shots on target.

As usual, Digne provided an outlet down the left-flank throughout, but he was wasteful too often, and the Toffees cannot expect to pick up points away from home if they lack a clinical edge in the final third.

Prior to Sunday, the Frenchman had contributed three assists in five games, and although he cannot be relied upon to be the sole creative outlet, he can be expected to provide dangerous crosses.

It wasn’t like he didn’t get in the positions either. According to Whoscored, the left-back had 12 crossing attempts, yet just two found a teammate. One did reach Richarlison and the Brazilian perhaps should have turned the ball in, but it is still a very poor return from Digne and one which ultimately counted against them.

That wasn’t the only area in which the former Barcelona player was wasteful. He achieved a pass accuracy rate of just 68%, and from six attempts only succeded with one pass into the final third, which goes some way in explaining Everton’s lack of threat going forward.

The 2018/19 Everton Player of the Year possesses technical skill, so such errors are quite unforgivable in a side still looking for their first Premier League away win of the season.

He did show some positives, however, and for the Richarlison chance did very well to take the ball past Jack Stacey in what was one of his two successful dribbles, showing good intelligence and a crossing range to play the ball in from the byline.

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Defensively he was not at fault for any of the goals, either, so deserves recognition for that. In fact, things could have been worse if not for his four interceptions, and on the whole he managed to keep Harry Wilson quiet – causing him to be substituted early in the second half.

By contrast, he failed to make a single tackle throughout the match, but having achieved an average of two tackles per match prior to Sunday it is not an area of concern.

If he can return to his best at the opposite end of the pitch, he should continue to create chances for his teammates.

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Dani Ceballos and Mesut Ozil are two graceful players. Individuals with the capabilities of unlocking stern defences.

Ozil, of course, is a World Cup winner and has won multiple honours with Real Madrid.

His new teammate, however, is at the opposite end of his career. Fresh off the back of European U21 success with Spain, Ceballos has also played for Real.

Technically, he still does.

The 23-year-old signed for the Gunners on loan for the season, becoming one of the first major moves in Arsenal’s summer activity.

They completed their work in rather stunning fashion by landing Nicolas Pepe for a club-record fee whilst also finally getting their man in Kieran Tierney.

Yet it’s the loan star who has so far made the biggest impact in N5.

Ceballos was rather mistreated at Real Madrid, a situation that had Zinedine Zidane having to publicly apologise.

That is now in the past and instead, the midfielder has a chance of a fresh start.

The Spaniard got off the mark brilliantly against Burnley at home, putting in a shift that was way above any of his teammates.

Against Sean Dyche’s men he was magnificent, claiming two assists, having three shots and also winning two tackles, per WhoScored. It was the complete performance from a man seemingly left in the wilderness at Real.

But there is a bigger picture here and one that involves Ozil.

For different reasons, Ceballos can lift a burden from the German’s shoulders in 2019/20, that’s if Unai Emery can find a role for him following a security incident involving Sead Kolasinac too.

Understandably, Ozil is yet to feature this season but it surely won’t be too long before he’s back in the fold.

His rather strained relationship with the manager was well documented last season as Emery left him out of a trip to West Ham despite being fit whilst the former Madrid midfielder also started on the bench away at Bournemouth.

Whether he has the mentality to play on the road is questionable whilst this mystery illness he seems to have continues to be a problem.

He’s already missed a match this term because of it and it remains to be seen what the actual issue is. However, Ceballos is someone who can allow Ozil his off days.

Why? Because he can create goal-scoring opportunities. He laid on three against Burnley in his first home start.

Ozil’s history when it comes to assists is renowned. Throughout his career he has 213, 19 of which came in a single Premier League season during 2015/16 according to Transfermarkt.

He hasn’t come close since, and neither have any Arsenal players. Last season the highest number was eight and Ozil made the most key passes, 1.9, despite only playing 24 matches.

This shows Arsenal have concerns with creativity, particularly when the 30-year-old is missing.

Therefore, Ceballos can make all the difference. For Spain at the U21 Euros, he average 2.8 key passes per outing.

It’s a different level but it demonstrates the capabilities he has.

As a result, Arsenal can make do without their sometimes sluggish German this season if they have their new loanee ready and available.

This can particularly be the case on the road.

His performance against Liverpool was disappointing as he failed to make a single key pass on that occasion, but some of the qualities he’s displayed in his time with the Gunners show he can be the man Arsenal need away from home.

He can pass and he can also get stuck into a game defensively too, two dynamic qualities that are rarely on offer.

Ozil was left out last season because he wasn’t the type of energetic player to help them in ties away from the Emirates.

Ceballos is the opposite of this.

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He won two tackles against Liverpool and completed the same amount versus Burnley. His role in Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s goal against the latter was a fine example, hurrying his man before winning the ball back.

But this isn’t new to his game. Against Germany U21s in the European final this summer, he won four tackles and also made two interceptions, per WhoScored.

This is the major advantage the former Betis man has over Ozil but it proves why he can lift some unwanted burdens from him and make the ex-Germany international’s life easier.

In pre-season, Emery praised Ceballos’ hunger.

Certainly on the evidence we’ve seen so far, that isn’t an attribute that’s lacking.

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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…

People shouldn’t kid themselves over Manchester United new boy Harry Maguire after just one game, says former Red Devils defender Paul Parker.

Parker played for United from 1991 to 1996 and made 105 appearances for the club, and he has spoken to The Mirror about why people shouldn’t be so quick to judge the England international after just one game since his £80m move from Leicester.

What did he say?

The 55-year-old said: “There’s no doubt Maguire started off well with a decent enough performance and a clean sheet, but let’s not kid ourselves.

“The win flattered United and allowed nice things to be written and said, but I’m not getting carried away.

“United scored those two quick goals, so for me, it was a false scoreline. People are saying Maguire is the best ever on the evidence of just one game. So you can’t judge him and say he’s going to be a Man United great after one game up against a weak Chelsea team.”

Can’t disagree

Frank Lampard’s Chelsea came to Old Trafford last weekend with the intent to attack, and a lot of space in behind was created as a result which suited Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s pacey forward line of Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial.

Maguire dealt with his individual battles well and came out of the match smelling of roses, hence the narrative of him being United’s saviour as Parker alludes to.

However, the whole team had a nice, easy day on the afternoon and there will be plenty of harder challenges to come for the former Hull man – the media shouldn’t be making such iron-cast narratives on just a single fixture.

Doing this will only set Maguire up to fail if he endures a tough time in his next outing, and will also lead to the 26-year-old having enormous amounts of pressure placed on him after just one game – the bottom line is that the Englishman has achieved nothing at Old Trafford other than a mere three points.

He should be allowed to settle in at his own pace and not have any wild claims made about his form so soon into his career, even if the comments are all positive.

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

As reported by BBC Sport, Southampton have allowed Fraser Forster to rejoin Celtic on loan, with the goalkeeper set to undergo a medical with his former club.

What’s the word, then?

Well, the six-cap England international has played just once for the Saints since December 2017 after falling behind Angus Gunn and Alex McCarthy in the pecking order.

The 31-year-old made 197 appearances for the Bhoys during his first spell at the club, earning the first of his England caps at Celtic Park and also playing a key role in winning three league titles and two Scottish Cups during his four-year stint at the club.

He moved to St Mary’s for £10m and initially started well, earning more England caps whilst at the club, although the last two years have not been too good for the former Newcastle glovesman.

Exit suggests Ralph Hasenhuttl wants more goalkeeping competition 

The decision to allow Forster to rejoin Celtic speaks volumes, even more so after a report from the summer suggested that the club were willing to listen to offers for both McCarthy and Forster – two-thirds of the Saints’ goalkeeping options.

Another report from the start of the year details Hasenhuttl saying: “I have decided but I won’t tell you today,” when asked who his number one goalkeeper was before a game against Leicester – he eventually opted for McCarthy.

However, it was Gunn who had the shirt for 11 of the last 12 league games last term, so who knows which man Hasenhuttl sees as his number one – there is definitely not a clear-cut option.

The Austrian boss has also said previously that he is happy to rotate his options in goal, providing more evidence that he isn’t 100% happy with Gunn or McCarthy being his iron-cast number one.

With this information, coupled with Forster’s imminent exit, it does seem as if the former RB Leipzig manager would like some more serious goalkeeping competition for Gunn and McCarthy.

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

Mauricio Pochettino wants Christian Eriksen to remain at Tottenham Hotspur this summer, he said at the British Grand Prix via Football.London.

What’s the word?

The Denmark international confirmed after the Champions League final defeat to Liverpool that he could leave the club in this transfer window.

However, long-mooted links with Real Madrid have not come to anything as yet, while Manchester United, per The Guardian, were ruled out as a destination when they failed to qualify for the Champions League in 2018/19.

And Pochettino is hopeful that Eriksen will end up staying in north London, saying: “I hope he is (going to stay). I think he’s a great player, he’s one of the biggest talents in football.

“After five years working with him, always, I enjoy the way that he plays and I hope, yes. But there’s a lot of interest for different players; I hope yes, but I don’t know what is going to happen with this.”

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Contradictory reports

Pochettino perhaps had to say this but it directly contradicts reports suggesting that chairman Daniel Levy is actively trying to sell the Dane.

Reports in Spain have claimed that he has actually offered Eriksen to Real as he looks to raise funds for Pochettino’s summer spending.

He has, of course, already signed Tanguy Ndombele from Lyon and Jack Clarke from Leeds United but links with the likes of Giovani Lo Celso and Ryan Sessegnon persist.

Spurs might actually need to sell Eriksen to get those deals over the line, particularly Lo Celso, as his contract has an £88m release clause, and one imagines that Levy would not sanction that sale without consulting Pochettino first.

This might well be a bluff from the Argentine, then, as he simply looks to drum up extra interest in the playmaker.

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After enduring an inconsistent campaign last season, it is fair to say Jesse Lingard was one of a number of Manchester United players who came in for criticism for their performances.

The England international seemed to undergo a revival in the early weeks and months of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s reign in charge, but appeared to fade away towards the closing stages of the season, failing to score a single goal for club or country since January.

Now, according to a report from ESPN, after Marcus Rashford was awarded a bumper new contract at Old Trafford, Lingard will be next in line for the next round of renewal talks.

Watch Manchester United Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

The news saw United fans take to Twitter to air their thoughts on the matter and many were unimpressed by the idea that the 26-year-old could be rewarded for a rather under-par campaign.

Indeed, supporters of the Manchester side insisted that the club could not progress on a consistent basis if it kept on handing out new deals for “undeserving players”.

A few resigned fans simply accepted that this was the current plight of the situation at the club and that it was hardly surprising that players like Lingard were potentially being given massive wages for mediocrity.

Check out some of the reaction of United fans below:

اعترف جوردي ألبا لاعب فريق برشلونة بأنه يدرك أنه مكروه من قبِل العديد من الأشخاص في عالم كرة القدم.

وأثار ألبا الكثير من الجدل في بعض الأحيان حيث اُتهم بتعمد التمثيل والدخول في جدال مع الحكام وارتكاب سلوكيات غير جيدة في المباريات.

وقال ألبا في تصريحات نشرتها صحيفة “سبورت” الإسبانية: “أعلم أنني أحد أكثر اللاعبين المكروهين في كرة القدم، لكنها طريقتي في اللعب، لقد أخذني هذا إلى المكان الذي أنا عليه اليوم”.

اقرأ أيضًا.. ألبا: ميسي شخص متواضع.. وأتمنى استمراره لسنوات في برشلونة

وأضاف: “خارج كرة القدم أنا شخص متواضع وأقدر كل شيء، جوردي اللاعب لا علاقة له بـ جوردي الإنسان، على الرغم من إنني أعرف في بعض الأحيان أنني مُزعج للغاية وأتفهم سبب كوني مكروهًا”.

وواصل: “يقول البعض إنني لا أعرف كيف أدافع، أعرف أن هذه ليست صفتي الرئيسية، ولكنني تحسنت كثيرًا، لا يزال لدي الكثير لأتعلمه”.

واستكمل: “لا يزال بإمكاني منح الكثير لـ برشلونة، لهذا السبب أعمل بنفس الحماس كما كنت في العشرين من عمري، أتمنى أن أظل على ذلك لسنوات عديدة، أنا شخص متواضع وأعرف كيف أقدر كل شيء في حياتي”.

وأكد ألبا رغبتهم في العودة إلى منصات التتويج حيث قال: “ما عشناه في السنوات السابقة لم يكن طبيعيًا، برشلونة تعاقد مع لاعبين شباب وشيئًا فشيئًا نلعب بشكل أفضل ومشاعر الفريق تتحسن”.

واختتم: “في السنوات الأخيرة رحل لاعبون مهمون للغاية، نعرف صعوبة استعادة المستوى لكننا نريد مواصلة العمل والفوز بالألقاب”.

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Loads of Leeds fans on Twitter are in agreement as to what the club should do with Adam Forshaw.

The midfielder has reportedly been the subject of interest from Fulham, and United fans don’t think that they should be hesitant to let the 27-year-old leave.

The former Middlesbrough man only arrived at Elland Road 18 months ago, but fans aren’t too fussed about him staying for any longer after reported interest from the London club.

He made 31 appearances for Marcelo Bielsa’s side in the Championship last season as the Yorkshire outfit finished third in the Championship.

With the emergence of Jamie Shackleton towards the back end of the previous campaign, Forshaw may see his minutes on the pitch even more limited at Leeds, and it may be time for him to go.

It remains to be seen whether or not he will actually leave Elland Road, but if he does the fanbase won’t miss him too much.

Here’s what Leeds supporters have been saying on Twitter…

After experiencing a shocking drop in form, David de Gea’s quickly gone from hero to zero at Manchester United. Well, not quite, but if there was at least one other world class player at Old Trafford who wouldn’t create such a void if he did depart, you’d imagine the reaction to some of his performances would be a lot worse.

So, despite seemingly having the club’s support for his form over the course of most of their troublesome years, he’s now plagued problems and is apparently making unreasonable demands.

The Spaniard only has just a year remaining on his contract and is unwilling to sign another one (reported way back in February by the Independent) unless he’s paid as much as Alexis Sanchez. Clearly, repeating the mistake with the Chilean isn’t an option for Ed Woodward, regardless of whoever the star is. As a result, United will have to draw up some sort of contingency in terms of De Gea’s potential replacement and according to reports from Duncan Castles on his Transfer Window podcast (via Daily Star), they have singled out Lille’s Mike Maignan as potentially their new #1.

The 23-year-old French goalkeeper’s the newest rising star in Ligue 1, having put in some impressive performances for Lille last season. Indeed, he kept 15 clean-sheets, putting in some stunning shifts in between the posts. Impressively, Maignan’s an excellent shot-stopper and is surely going to start to rival Hugo Lloris for the world champions’ custodian spot going forward but his inexperience’s the worrying factor.

Granted, when he arrived from Spain a skinny goalkeeper, the Spaniard also came under heavy criticism. However, his bad performances were covered up by Sir Alex Ferguson’s winning system and some impeccable senior defenders. Obviously, nobody needs telling that the Red Devils don’t have that anymore so taking a risk on an inexperienced figure could cause gigantic issues.

They should only replace De Gea with an experienced goalkeeper capable of withstanding pressure. The talented Maignan might be the next big thing, but the pressure of filling De Gea’s boots will probably end up ruining his potentially bright future.

United fans, do you think Maignan would be the ideal successor to De Gea? Join the discussion by commenting below…