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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…

As quoted by Manchester City’s official club website, Pep Guardiola has paid tribute to managerial counterpart Diego Simeone for helping to coach Rodri in the holding midfield position.

What did he say?

The Spain international arrived from the La Liga giants in a big-money deal earlier in the summer, and has already established himself as part of the first-team. He has featured in every Premier League game this season, and opened his goal-scoring account for the club with a strike in the 3-2 defeat to Norwich.

Watch how to cross the road like a boss with freestyler Ben Nuttall in the video below…

Now, Guardiola has admitted City are reaping the rewards of the 23-year-old honing his craft under Atletico manager Simeone.

He said: “Obviously me and Mikel (Arteta) know a bit more about our position than the winger position. I never made a dribble in my career as a player so it’s more difficult for me to know what to say.

“When Rodri came here he had been with other managers and we took over what he learned from other experiences. I am pretty sure it’s our benefit that he worked with Simeone in the past because he played in the position and knew exactly what to do.”

Grit and guile

If you were going to pick two elite managers who represented polar opposites of modern-day footballing philosophies, then Guardiola and Simeone would surely be at the top of the list. The duo have their own unique styles of playing and have forged their entire careers in the dugout by staying true to what they believe in.

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Guardiola has preached his Barcelona-based game wherever he’s been, whilst Simeone’s team have always embodied what the Argentinian represented as a player: dogged, resilient and hard to beat. So for City to have a player in Rodri who has been influenced by both, gives them the archetypal defensive midfielder.

His passing numbers this season are something his new boss would be proud of – he averages 66.4 passes at an accuracy of 92.5%. His defensive numbers would make his former manager equally happy too – he averages 2.7 tackles and 1.3 clearances per game.

The beauty of Guardiola, and the beast-like qualities of Simeone. City have the ultimate hybrid on their hands.

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 got back to winning ways this weekend after a 1-0 victory over Wigan Athletic moved them to within a point of playoff contention.

Massimo Luongo was handed his first start of the season, having joined the club in the summer, and he repaid his manager’s faith by scoring the only goal of the game in the 57th minute.

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The 27-year-old directed home Adam Reach’s cut-back pass from just inside the area in what was otherwise a rather dismal game with neither side managing more than three attempts on goal, per WhoScored.

Wigan could have scored themselves when Kieffer Moore’s header was directed onto the crossbar by Owls goalkeeper Keiren Westwood, and Wednesday also had a Steven Fletcher strike ruled out for offside.

It means Monk has started life in south Yorkshire with ten points from a possible 15, and with them on the cusp of entering a playoff spot, that should be more than suffice.

Snapshot

One factor that makes it just a little more impressive is the fact that he’s had to do it with a squad built by someone else.

Steve Bruce then caretaker boss Lee Bullen assembled this team and Monk’s adapted to what he’s been dealt with – which can have an adverse effect sometimes as seen against Wigan on Saturday.

The 40-year-old turned to his bench to spark something late on so that they could find a second goal to put the game out of the visitor’s reach.

Off the Bench

In terms of adding further attacking threat, Monk had the choice of two strikers or a winger – and he went for the latter in Jacob Murphy with ten minutes left in the game.

And not for the first time this season, the Newcastle United loanee failed to provide what was demanded of him.

Murphy has managed just one goal in nine appearances so far this Championship campaign with him being dispossessed an average of 1.1 times per game on top of 1.3 unsuccessful touches per match, via WhoScored.

This ten-minute cameo was no different – he managed just one successful dribble in three attempts and zero shots at all. That showed exactly why he isn’t starting.

The 24-year-old also lost possession six times. That’s a staggering rate at just over once every minute and a half – had he been on the pitch for the full 90 minutes, at that rate, he would have recorded a turnover in possession over 50 times.

If anything, he’s only proved exactly why he’s warming the bench each game, but then again, there’s not much Monk can do until January as he’s one of the only other wide options at the club.

He’s quickly becoming a huge flop, something that’s relatively unsurprising given he scored just twice on loan at West Brom last term.

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…

Robert Snodgrass has very much had mixed fortunes at West Ham since signing in 2017, but his exit from the club may not be far away if he doesn’t improve his performances soon.

The winger joined at the same time Dimitri Payet departed, and though any player would have found those difficult boots to fill, it is fair to say he hasn’t been the player West Ham hoped for.

He was signed off the back of scoring nine and assisting four goals for Hull in the first half of 2017/18 but after only six months in East London found himself out on loan to Aston Villa.

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The 6-foot man’s fortunes changed as his performances improved, and in the 44 appearances he has made since returning he has won over some fans due to his hard work and commitment.

However, that has only taken him so far and his lack of quality means he has fallen down the pecking order behind Andriy Yarmolenko and Michail Antonio.

Worse still, there is little sign that he can get back to his best, either, and his dismal display for Scotland against Russia highlighted the lack of form he is currently experiencing.

According to SofaScore he achieved a pass success rate of just 58%, completing only 14 throughout the 90 minutes. Going forward he posed little danger, too, failing to complete a cross or shot on target.

That is a worry for his West Ham aspirations.

Yarmolenko has been in fine form this season with three goals in seven league games and with Antonio to return from injury, it is difficult to envisage the Scotland international working his way back into the side.

He is now 32 with a little more than 18 months left on his contract, but if he continues to feature sporadically – with just one league start this term – then his Scotland, and his Premier League, career could soon come to an end.

The Hammers have big ambitions this season and that will likely lead to more big-money signings like we saw over the summer, meaning Snodgrass may have to make way.

This article forms part of our Total Duds feature series, which is where Football Transfer Tavern takes a look at a player who has disappointed since being signed, using statistical figures and statements from pundits to illustrate how ill-judged the transfer decision has been.

Manchester United did not hang around when it came to their summer 2018 transfer activity. The first week in June hadn’t even been completed when the club announced the signing of Brazilian midfielder Fred from Shakhtar Donetsk for £52m plus bonuses, as reported by Sky Sports.

The deal made him the Red Devils’ third-most expensive player at the time and came off the back of him being named in Brazil’s squad for the World Cup in Russia, although he did not get a game in the tournament.

Jose Mourinho, the manager who brought him to Old Trafford, said at the time of the signing: “Fred will complement our other midfielders’ qualities, which we need; his creative brain and passing vision will give us another dimension to our game.” [via Sky Sports]

Fred started United’s first three Premier League games of the 2018/19 season but would then endure several months of dipping in and out of the line-up, while his goal in a 1-1 draw against Wolves early in the campaign would be the only one he’d score all season.

Wolves also provided the opposition for his only assist of 2018/19 and, despite getting a sustained run of games in the final third of the campaign, his first year in England ended with just 13 Premier League starts – a rather subdued return for a player who cost £52m the previous summer.

There weren’t many signs of the “creative brain and passing vision” of which Mourinho spoke in June 2018. Fred averaged 45.2 passes and just 0.7 key passes per game last season, with a passing accuracy of 86.3%. Six United players had a better passing success rate, while nine played more key passes per game. [via WhoScored]

Some former Old Trafford stalwarts did not hold back in their assessment of the Brazil midfielder in his first season at the club.

Speaking after a 3-1 defeat to Manchester City last November, Gary Neville said on his Sky Sports podcast: “Does he change a game? Does it look like he’s going to defend your goal? Does it look like he’s going to connect back-to-front? At this moment in time, no.” [via Daily Mail]

After United again lost to their neighbours in April, Roy Keane fumed at Fred on Sky Sports [via The Independent] over letting Raheem Sterling run free of him for one of City’s goals, saying: “That’s cheating, what he’s done is cheating, letting the guy run off him.”

Things have not improved for the 26-year-old in the first few weeks of this season. He has started only one of United’s first eight Premier League games of the campaign, when he was booked inside three minutes in the recent defeat at Newcastle United. [via TransferMarkt]

Even allowing for his lack of minutes in the league, that he is 11th in the list of average passes per game in Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s squad with 35.3 is damning for a midfielder who cost £52m, and he has continued to be hammered by pundits for his ineffective performances.

Neville said on Sky Sports after the 1-1 draw against Arsenal two weeks ago that “I’ve not seen anything in the 12 months that he’s been here to justify the price tag.” [via Daily Mail]

After United drew with AZ Alkmaar in the Europa League, Michael Owen said on BT Sport [via Daily Mail]: “He’s just a moderate player, isn’t he? That’s the bottom line. What can you say? We were discussing what’s his best position? I probably think it’s a six, Owen [Hargreaves] thinks it’s an eight, but then once you start arguing about it, you think is he that good? He can’t do either role that well and he cost, what, £50m?”

For an outlay of £52m the summer before last, Fred has paid back Manchester United with one goal and two assists in 32 appearances, having been pilloried by several former players at the club. That level of output has simply not justified the vast sum of money paid to him and his frequent absence from the starting line-up is a sign that Solskjaer doesn’t have much faith in him to turn things around.

Manchester United fans, do you feel that Fred has been an expensive flop at Old Trafford? Comment below with your views!

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…

The last 18 months at Villa Park have been nothing short of a whirlwind with the club now looking firmly like they will be a part of the Premier League for the foreseeable future.

But that sort of statement would have been merely a dream – a long-shot – in the minds of some Aston Villa supporters as the club was staring down the brink of financial obscurity just over a year ago.

Villa were in an absolute mess – at first, there was a missed tax bill followed by takeover rumours, a worrying threat of administration, and then the loss of key players.

Aston Villa’s summer signings’ performances so far this season are rated in the video below…

It was so severe that the club were £30m short on their payments for players such as Ross McCormack and Scott Hogan, and that those high up in the chain of command refused to splash out on playoff final suits.

Funny how quickly things change.

The west Midlands club are now sitting pretty in 12th after nine Premier League matches having won promotion via the playoffs last season – the bulk of the current squad cost in excess of £140m after manager Dean Smith splashed the cash in the summer.

Appointing the 48-year-old back in October 2018 was clearly one of the most important decisions the club has made in recent times, but none are as history-defining as the takeover, which ultimately saved the club and has springboard them into stardom.

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At the time, star performer Jack Grealish was on the verge of joining Tottenham Hotspur as the club quite clearly needed to recuperate funds to aid their precarious financial situation.

But as the club were taken over by wealthy business duo Nassef Sawiris and Wes Edens, that deal fell through, as the Villa skipper describes below in an interview with the Telegraph:

Keeping hold of Grealish has potentially, actually no, has 100% been paramount to where they are today. The 24-year-old encapsulates everything about the club being the only academy graduate amongst the first-team; their leader.

His euphoric 2019 has only increased tenfold as he becomes a regular in the top-flight, shown by his performances so far this campaign, which includes matches against European finalists Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal.

Per WhoScored, the midfielder ranks third in the league for total key passes this term with 25 – only bettered by Kevin de Bruyne and Trent Alexander-Arnold.

That’s quite some company.

He’s also been able to thrive since moving further forward in an advanced free role, going on to score two goals and providing three assists.

Had that takeover in July 2018 not occurred, then Grealish would have been playing in the all-white Spurs strip for over a year now, Christian Purslow may have never been appointed as CEO, and as a result, the club would never have clinched boyhood fan Dean Smith, who ‘just gets the club,’ as their manager.

Everything from that one moment has led to where Villa are today, and Grealish has been the spearhead of it all.

Next on the list, an England call-up.

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 has launched into a passionate rant insisting that nobody was surprised by Arsenal’s defeat to Sheffield United, per Sky Sports.

What’s he said?

The Gunners fell to a disappointing loss at Bramall Lane, as Lys Mousset’s goal capped a fine result for Chris Wilder’s men.

Merson, though, was unsurprised and has passionately called for the club to change their ways, making a particular point that he cannot imagine any player “going ballistic” in a bid to change their fortunes.

He said: “It’s accepted. Nobody is going to work the next morning and saying: ‘Oh my God, did you see Arsenal getting beat by Sheffield United?’ Those days are gone. It’s accepted through the club, the fans, the manager, everyone.

“Sheffield United played as much football as Arsenal. They didn’t kick them off the pitch.

“What has improved? Really, what has improved? Not a lot, at all.”

He added: “Even at the end, with four minutes to go, I’m thinking: ‘Do they know how long is left?’ I’m sure there’s an electric clock at Sheffield United, there was when I played there! ‘Is there going to be a bit of urgency?’

“It was rolled along the back, back to the goalkeeper, and then back again. I thought there were 20 minutes to go!

“Overall, it was poor. This was a very difficult game, but there are ways to lose football matches, and this wasn’t it. I didn’t see the urgency, and I can’t imagine anyone in that dressing room going ballistic. It’s just accepted: ‘Who have we got next week?’ It drives me up the wall. It’s so frustrating.”

Spot on

Merson has nailed it.

He might be something of a figure of fun because of his performances on Soccer Saturday, where he all too regularly mispronounces names and comes out with the odd left-field opinion.

But here, when talking about his club, it becomes patently obvious that he cares deeply about Arsenal.

And he was forced to sit and watch as 90 minutes slipped by at Bramall Lane, along with three points.

Unai Emery is in his second season at the club and, yet, the same old failings are rearing their ugly heads: the lack of desire, the lack of energy, the lack of passion.

Of course, simply adding a few players who would shout and scream in the dressing room isn’t going to improve things overnight.

But one has to believe that there is a need to have more leaders in that squad than it currently has.

As Merson says, very few people will have been surprised by Monday’s result.

That is perhaps the Gunners’ major failing.

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.

Wolves stretched their unbeaten run to eight against Newcastle but Nuno Espirito Santo’s lack of adventure cost his team all three points.

Off the bench

Newcastle are on a poor run of form with two wins in ten league games, and despite the victory against Manchester United they have often struggled at home, yet Nuno didn’t take advantage of the lack of threat they offered going forward.

Instead, he set-up to contain the Magpies, and that resulted in a lacklustre first-half display which has left some fans frustrated. His alteration at half-time to put Matt Doherty in a more advanced position worked well, but his reluctance to change more backfired.

Doherty almost got the winner in the dying seconds, and perhaps should have, but Wolves lacked ambition even when the Magpies went down to ten men, and the decision to leave Patrick Cutrone on the bench was a mystifying one.

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Diogo Jota was given the chance to partner Raul Jiminez up-front and when he was withdrawn Nuno chose to replace him with Pedro Neto, and that had negative consequences for his side.

It meant Jiminez was heavily outnumbered by Newcastle’s three centre-backs, and too often he found himself having to run into the channels to get the ball, so wasn’t able to get on the end of opportunities in the box.

A lack of faith?

Cutrone was signed in the summer for £16m but has only started three league games, and the fact he has one goal in the Premier League may be the reason behind Nuno’s decision not to grant him more opportunities.

It was a game that was tailor-made for his introduction, too, with Wolves’ willingness to pepper the box with crosses – 25 in total – eventually leading to the chance for the goal and also Doherty’s last-minute header.

The 21-year-old was praised in Italy for his abilities in the area, with comparisons made to another poacher, Filippo Inzaghi, and his presence could have made the difference for Wolves.

Even when the home side went down to ten men his manager decided to keep him on the bench, and in fact he failed to make another substitute in the last ten minutes, which contributed to the failure to claim all three points.

It was a bewildering decision and one that could possibly dent Cutrone’s confidence, as it suggests his manager lacks belief in his ability – instead trusting an unproven 19-year-old in Neto ahead of him.

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…

The answer could be right under their noses.

Whilst there has been plenty of talk about Nottingham Forest shopping for a new forward in the transfer market and with help needed for Lewis Grabban, there is someone they could turn to possibly make the matter easier.

This is rather surprising because he’s someone that should be relatively familiar to the hierarchy at the City Ground, and that’s loanee Tyler Walker.

Walker has been having a relatively successful time at Lincoln City, with seven goals and two assists in 15 league appearances so far this season (via Transfermarkt), so clearly knows where the back of the net is.

Find out what happened when a world-record-holding freestyler attempting skills with the worst pair of boots available on eBay in the video below…

Anyone who comes in is going to be asked to play second fiddle to the main man Grabban, so there’s no point going out and signing a big name because it would just cause tension as they fight it out to see who can start each week.

Therefore, bring in someone that won’t want to cause a fuss and can chip in every now and then. Get someone who can develop underneath an experienced forward like Grabban and see how things are moving forward.

Playing at a higher level and being around Championship players will undoubtedly give Walker’s career development much more of a boost.

We’ve seen that he can produce at League One, now might be the perfect time to see if he can produce at a higher level.

It’s not just in terms of goals that Walker can help them out, but also in the bank. Bringing him into the side means they won’t have to shell out any extra money on either a transfer fee or to cover his wages, and they might even take the step of sending the underperforming Rafa Mir back to Wolves.

They can then use that money to spend on other areas of the pitch that might need improving. For instance a more reliable creative midfielder, rather than having to chop and change between the likes of Joao Carvalho and Tiago Silva.

Is he going to instantly come in and score the 10-15 goals that Nottingham Forest need to challenge for promotion? Probably not, but if he can chip in with the odd goal now and then when Grabban needs a little bit of rest then he will have served his purpose.

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… 

Shortly after Aaron Wan-Bissaka arrived at Manchester United earlier in the summer, his interview with the club’s official website gave an intriguing insight into his mind-set when he takes to the pitch. This is a man who prides himself on being an elite defender, snuffing out opposition wingers, and being an impenetrable obstacle.

“I love tackles, man. I want to come out with the most tackles from each game; that’s my aim. I’m not really happy when I come out of a game without many tackles. At the same time, when I look back at it, it doesn’t mean anything negative, necessarily – it might mean that the winger’s not confident to keep on coming at me, for me to have the chance to tackle him.”

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And true to his word, the 21-year-old has been a brick wall in terms of his defending in the Premier League this season. He has already completed 47 tackles – just six less than Wilfred Ndidi in first place, despite missing two games in the top-flight. But that desire to impose his will on his opponent back-fired spectacularly for the Red Devils when they took on Bournemouth at the weekend.

In the game’s defining moment on Saturday, a clipped ball into the box was chested down by former United man Josh King. The Norway international had his back to goal at this point, and there didn’t appear to be any immediate danger per se. But Wan-Bissaka’s determination to win every ball – a trait that is admirable in most instances – actually caused him to make a mistake.

The England U21 international looked to come on the blindside of the Cherries forward and pinch the ball off him. Instead, it made up King’s mind and forced him to make a decision to turn away from him, rather than simply lay the ball off to the edge of the area. The 27-year-old promptly swivelled, fired home, and handed Bournemouth all three points.

The indoor football skills in the video below have to be seen to be believed…

The rest of Wan-Bissaka’s game was similarly rash and disappointing, losing possession 19 times and completing just two of his eight attempted long balls. So whilst he has been so impressive so far this campaign, his performance on Saturday showed he still has a lot to learn.

Well, it would be fair to say that the West Ham United fans are not overly pleased with their Spanish goalkeeper Roberto.The 33-year-old joined the Hammers on a free transfer over the summer after leaving Espanyol, where he had spent three years.Lukasz Fabianski is currently on the sidelines with a hip injury, meaning that Roberto is the number one for the moment.The Spaniard was again between the sticks for Saturday’s Premier League clash with Burnley, and after failing to cover himself in glory for the home side’s second of the match, he dropped a real clanger for the third.Indeed, Roberto punched the ball into the back of his own net in the 54th minute, which pretty much decided the match as a contest.West Ham are on a rotten run of form at the moment having failed to pick up all three points in the Premier League since overcoming Manchester United on September 22.

And the recent form of Roberto is not helping their mood, with some claiming that they do not want the stopper to ever represent the club again.

A selection of the Twitter reaction can be seen below: