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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…

Steve Bruce has explained the confusion surrounding Jetro Willems’ introduction against Arsenal, but his latest excuse is littered with inaccuracies and completely contradicts his earlier comments.

What’s he said?

Willems made his debut in the 1-0 defeat to Arsenal last weekend, coming on for Jonjo Shelvey with the score at 0-0.

The Magpies’ shape was all over the place with the Dutchman in the middle, and he was quickly moved to his natural left-back role, where he made a costly mistake in the build-up to the Gunners’ lone goal.

Steve Bruce had originally said: “It was just a lack of communication with him. I wanted to put Matt Ritchie inside, and play him in his position. He only played there for two minutes, really, until we got the information down about where we wanted him to play.”

However, the manager has now said: “I put Jetro on in midfield where he played for Frankfurt. Then I thought it was unfair (on his debut), and I switched him quickly.

“We made a mistake.”

Are you sure about that Steve?

So, which one is it then? Was it simply a miscommunication that saw Willems replace Shelvey and throw the entire team out of sync, or was it a tactical mistake that was quickly rectified?

Either way, the confusion surrounding the 25 year-old’s first minutes on the hallowed St. James’ Park turf allowed the Gunners to take the lead, and the manager is to blame.

Even worse, his latest reasoning doesn’t even hold true, as he claims he simply wanted to put Willems where he played for Eintracht Frankfurt.

Last season, the Holland international started just three Bundesliga games in central or defensive midfield, according to Whoscored (position filter found under “detailed”), earning an average match rating of 6.5 in those games.

Former ESPN Newcastle correspondent Marc Duffy claims that number is even lower, tweeting that the Dutchman only started two league games at centre-mid, one of which he was subbed off after just 35 minutes with his side down 6-1.

Not only has Bruce completely contradicted his previous comments, the Magpies boss doesn’t appear to know a whole lot about his new signing, which is very worrying indeed.

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After Leeds’ late winner against Brentford in midweek, the debate appeared to be about whether Patrick Bamford and Eddie Nketiah could play together.

The latter popped up with the crucial goal as the Whites ran away with all three points as the match reached its 81st minute.

Helder Costa did the groundwork, getting to the byline and then pulling it back for the loan man to prod home from close-range.

Marcelo Bielsa admitted after the match that they could play together, so what XI should he pick this weekend to accommodate the two?

The first thing to note in this XI is a change of formation, one which comes close to the system that Leeds finished with against the Bees earlier in the week.

Gaetano Berardi was substituted on which allowed Leeds to switch to this formation whilst Helder Costa played in an unfamiliar wing-back role.

This didn’t appear to trouble him, however, as he completed two tackles and also gave plenty going forward, performing two dribbles.

This switch will allow Bielsa to try out Bamford and Nketiah as a pairing for the first time. In the week he said: “Both mix well. One is right-footed and the other left-footed player.

“Both know how to go to the sides. Both know how to play one in front or one in the back of the other one.”

Watch Leeds United Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

The biggest surprise in our predicted XI, though, is the lack of Pablo Hernandez. He was arguably Leeds’ biggest threat in 2018/19, scoring 12 goals and registering 12 assists too, cementing himself as one of their star men.

However, he created just one chance in midweek and rather looked his age. At 34, whether he can play two matches in a week seems questionable so if Bielsa looks to go with two in attack, the Spaniard could make way.

Ezgjan Alioski was one of Leeds’ shining lights in terms of creativity against Brentford, playing three key passes so could keep his place if Barry Douglas is still unfit.

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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… 

Leicester City have moved to fourth in the table following their first Premier League victory of the season.

Jamie Vardy had opened the scoring after James Maddison found him with an outrageous outside of the boot through ball, but Brendan Rodgers needed a long-range scorcher from substitute Harvey Barnes to secure all three points.

There were many players that stood out, on top of the three aforementioned stars. Caglar Soyuncu continued to impress in the heart of defence, this time winning nine aerial duels – more than anyone on the pitch – as well as assisting Barnes’ winner.

Yet, it was Hamza Choudhury at the base of the three-man midfield who could give Brendan Rodgers plenty of food for thought going into the next round of Premier League matches.

On the chalkboard

The 21-year-old can be the sort of industrious defensive midfielder in the pivot that would allow the likes of Maddison and Ayoze Perez to thrive more in the attack.

Alan Shearer selected Choudhury in his Team of the Week and simply described him as ‘great protection’, whilst the Foxes manager has since praised him for overcoming his red card for the England Under-21s this summer by performing ‘outstanding’ so far this campaign.

Watch Leicester City Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

The 5 foot 10 starlet recorded the most interceptions on the pitch against Sheffield United, with five, which was 45% of the Foxes’ total for the game, per WhoScored.

He also managed four clearances, more than any other midfielder in Leicester’s XI, and two blocks, which was also the highest in the match.

It’s this sort of tenacious aggressive style that suits Rodgers, so the youngster could well be the long-term answer in midfield with the Northern Irishman describing him as ‘one of the best in terms of getting up to the ball and winning it back’.

That sounds awfully N’Golo Kante-esque, a player every team would desire to have in their midfield, and with Choudhury filling in so superbly for Wilfred Ndidi, it would be silly not to see him continue in that role long-term.

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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…

Tim Sherwood has tipped Bournemouth’s Ryan Fraser for a future at a top six club, but believes Everton could be the next step in his career.

What did he say?

Fraser has started the season slowly in comparison to 2018/19, when he received many plaudits for his performances and his seven goals and 14 assists in the Premier League.

Despite adding Alex Iwobi over the summer and boasting a plethora of wing options, Sherwood told Sky Sports’ The Debate, via HITC, that the Scotland international would be a good fit at Goodison, and since he is available on a free next summer it is a move which could make a lot of sense from a financial perspective also.

As reported by HITC, Sherwood said: “It’s important for him to go somewhere and not have two years off.

“The next move for him, and no disrespect to Bournemouth, is one just underneath [the top six]. Like a Leicester or an Everton. And then he’s still young enough to make that next step.”

Arsenal’s reported interest in the winger this summer shows the pedigree he has, and if Everton were able to persuade him to sign him it would be a bit of a coup.

Likelihood of success

On the surface, the free agent signing of Fraser would be low risk for the potential of huge reward for Everton, but there are possible problems which could arise should he join.

Firstly, he is not guranteed game time given the presence of Iwobi, Richarlison and Bernard in the squad, and that would place greater pressure on him to perform when he does get his chance, and so far he is untested in that area.

At the Cherries he is a big fish in a small pond and that suits him well. He is one of Eddie Howe’s main attacking outlets and much of Bournemouth’s play goes through him.

He has also built up a brilliant understanding with his teammates, particularly Callum Wilson, with the two combining for 12 league goals last season, the highest amount of any other partnership in the division and the second-highest in Premier League history.

Watch Everton Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

At Everton he would have to adjust to new surroundings, different players and bigger expectations, and could struggle with tighter restrictions on his freedom to roam around the pitch.

Despite that, his assist record has improved recently and that shows he is not a winger who bases his game solely on his pace, so he would be a very good option for Marco Silva to have next season.

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Former Middlesbrough midfielder Ray Parlour has spoken out positively about his time at the club and in the city.

Speaking to talkSPORT, the 46-year-old reflected fondly on the time he spent on Teesside, having relocated completely from London after spending more than a dozen years in Arsenal’s first team.

When talking about his time with Middlesbrough, Parlour told talkSPORT: “I loved it, it was fantastic to live up there for a couple of years; great people, nice surroundings, it was great”, with those quotes shared on Twitter by @GazetteBoro.

The 10-cap England international, who has been nicknamed ‘the Romford Pele’, came to ‘Boro on a free transfer from Arsenal in 2004 and was a member of the squad that reached the UEFA Cup final in 2006, although he did not play in the 0-4 defeat to Sevilla in Eindhoven.

He made 58 appearances in two and a half seasons at the Riverside Stadium before being released from his contract in January 2007, going on to have a brief stint at Hull to finish out his professional career.

These Middlesbrough fans on Twitter were appreciative of Parlour’s reflections on his ‘Boro days:

Do you have any favourite memories of Parlour at Middlesbrough? Let us know your views in the comments section below!

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It’s finally over ladies and gentlemen. David De Gea has put pen to paper on a new deal at Manchester United.

The Spain international has been the subject of intense transfer speculation in recent years, with a move to La Liga giants Real Madrid touted on an annual basis.

However, the 28-year-old has seen a move to the Santiago Bernabeu fail to materialise on multiple occasions, and now his long-term future will be at Old Trafford, unless a buying club pays an extortionate amount of money that is.

The club confirmed via their official Twitter account the goalkeeper has signed a new deal until 2023, with reports further suggesting the Spaniard will be earning in the region of £350k-a-week as part of his fresh terms.

After hearing the contract update on De Gea, United fans flooded to social media to reveal their delight.

Many supporters of the Manchester side suggested they couldn’t believe their eyes at finally seeing De Gea end all the speculation once and for all.

Some Red Devils fans appeared to get emotional at seeing the shot-stopper sign a new contract, and insisted the announcement gave them “goosebumps”.

Check out some of the reaction of United fans below:

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Agbonlahor was celebrating the ten-year anniversary of Villa’s 1-0 win over Birmingham City, when he scored the only goal of the game.

With football fans always looking for any given opportunity to get one over on their fiercest rivals, this latest post by the former striker will give the Villa faithful all the ammunition they need to enjoy some bragging rights this weekend.

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[ad_pod ]It’s fair to say that Wolves have undergone a bit of a transformation over these past few years.The influence of Jorge Mendes has allowed the Midlands outfit to bring in some huge names over the past couple of years, and after their seventh-placed finish, it’s hard to remember where they were just a few years ago.The day before they embark on their Europa League journey, one of their former star players celebrated his birthday, and the club didn’t forget to wish him well.

Kevin Doyle was a bit of a cult hero at Wolves during his time at the club, and before Molineux was being treated to regular screamers from Ruben Neves, they had the honour of watching some tap-ins from Doyle.

Watch Wolverhampton Wanderers Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

This highlight reel shows just how far Wolves have come over the past few years. Not that Doyle wasn’t a solid player at that level, but Wolves now have a £30m striker up top rather than a man who scored just three goals in League One in his final season with the club.

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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…

Tottenham Hotspur simply have to stop relying on Serge Aurier.

The Ivory Coast international, so promising against Crystal Palace just a fortnight ago when he laid on an assist in a thumping 4-0 win, reverted to type on Saturday.

Yes, Spurs managed to win and that, by itself, is no mean feat; they had lost to Leicester City at the King Power Stadium last week and then conspired to embarrass themselves against Colchester United in the Carabao Cup.

But they were hamstrung for a large portion of the game by the sheer stupidity of their right-back.

First, he was shown a yellow card for a wild hack at Sofiane Boufal. As if that wasn’t enough, Aurier then found himself on the wrong side of Ryan Bertrand. Now, most full-backs, at this stage, would perhaps think against simply pulling the left-back down. Common sense, one would think, would kick in.

Aurier, naturally, tugged him, was given a second yellow, and Spurs went down to 10.

They were leading already, through Tanguy Ndombele, but were then further rocked by Danny Ings’ equaliser – Hugo Lloris’ fault, instead of Aurier’s.

It is to their immense credit that Spurs still found a way to win the game thanks to Harry Kane’s strike.

And yet there is a nagging feeling that this is a blind spot of Mauricio Pochettino.

Spurs sanctioned the sale of Kieran Trippier in the summer but did not replace him. Pochettino, per sources, felt that Juan Foyth could play there but he got injured.

Kyle Walker-Peters was deemed adequate back-up but he has looked out of his depth for the majority of the season; he played 90 minutes against Colchester and has three Premier League appearances to his name. He is dribbled past 1.3 times per game, makes 1.7 tackles but has also yet to register an assist; he has 0.7 key passes per game.

And yet both of them are better than Aurier, both of them are sensible defenders, unlikely to make the sort of genuinely astonishing error of judgement that Aurier is always prone to.

The former PSG star is 26 and, really, he should be peaking at this stage of his career. Instead, he averages two tackles per game as well as two fouls. He makes 2.7 interceptions but is dribbled past 1.3 times. Offensively, he averages 1.3 key passes per game but two unsuccessful touches.

He is a walking contradiction as much as he is a walking yellow card.

Once Foyth is fit and Walker-Peters can be installed as his back-up, Pochettino simply has to stop picking Aurier.

He isn’t good enough, nor is he sensible enough, to be playing for this Spurs team. If nothing else, Saturday’s events proved that.

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.

QPR fell to their second successive defeat on Wednesday evening, following up Saturday’s 2-0 loss to West Brom by succumbing to a 3-0 scoreline against Cardiff.

Goals from Sean Morrison, Marlon Pack and Callum Paterson put the R’s to the sword, but perhaps Mark Warburton could have changed the outcome of the game with a slight tweak to his starting XI.

Snapshot

As aforesaid, QPR fell to a 3-0 defeat after goals from Morrison, Pack and Paterson.

The former had opened the scoring in the 11th minute with a header, after his centre-back partner Aden Flint headed the ball onto him.

The R’s played well despite the result – which slightly flatters Cardiff – having hit the woodwork twice through Eberechi Eze and Ryan Manning, while also having 72% of the possession and four more shots than their opponents.

Clearly though, defending resolutely enough to stop Cardiff maximising the chances they did create was a problem for Warburton’s side.

Conor Masterson should’ve started 

Since signing in the summer after leaving Liverpool, Conor Masterson hasn’t played a single minute of football for QPR.

The 21-year-old – a natural centre-back – was left on the bench against Cardiff with 34-year-old Geoff Cameron starting ahead of him, as Yoann Barbet and Grant Hall were missing.

Cameron, formerly of Stoke, performed poorly last time out against West Brom and, what with his age and the fact that the R’s had two games in the space of five days, Warburton should have been bold and dropped the experienced 55-cap international for a younger option.

With Barbet out due to suspension and Hall still not quite fit – they both look set to be ready for the Blackburn clash – what better time for Warburton to throw Masterson into the action for his first taste of first-team football at the club?

Blooding young players into the first-team can often be a thankless task, but the benefits from handing Masterson some game time would surely have been fruitful for QPR later down the line, as opposed to seeing a 34-year-old get more action, perform poorly and also have no more room for development.

Admittedly, it would have been a risk due to his lack of game time so far this term, but after Cameron delivered the performance that he did against the Baggies, it seems harsh not to have at least given the Irishman a chance.