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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… 

Aston Villa’s run of three Premier League matches without defeat came to a probable end at the weekend as reigning champions Manchester City eased to victory at the Etihad Stadium.

Dean Smith’s men went into the break with honours even, but within 20 seconds of the second half, Raheem Sterling handed the home side the lead before David Silva and Ilkay Gundogan rounded off a 3-0 victory.

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Though, City did finish the match with ten men as Fernandinho received a second yellow card with less than three minutes remaining.

Villa slipped down to 15th, but do have a three-point cushion from the relegation zone – but their afternoon could have been much worse.

If anything, Pep Guardiola’s side deserved more from the game, considering they registered a total of 26 shots and 63% possession.

And if that doesn’t tell you the scoreline was in favour of Villa, then it could quite easily have been at least 5-0, had City’s attackers made the most of Bjorn Engels’ errors at the back.

Per SofaScore, the summer signing failed to register a single tackle, won just one of his aerial duels, and lost possession eight times. It was a rare bad day at the office for the Belgian – or was it?

Understat’s xG model suggests that Villa should be third-last for goals conceded if teams had converted more chances against them, and given that the 25-year-old has featured in every game, he’s been part of the problem.

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

Villa have leaked three goals against the three elite opposition they’ve faced this season, with Liverpool to come too – the opening day against Tottenham, against a ten-man Arsenal and last Saturday.

This suggests that Smith’s signings at the back, most namely Engels, have failed to struggle with the quality on offer in the Premier League, which is why he’s probably playing at Villa Park each week and not for his dream club (L’Equipe via the Daily Mirror), the Gunners, who could probably do with him themselves.

Manchester United played Bournemouth this weekend, and while that isn’t a historically great Premier League clash, there have been moments in the games between the Cherries and the Red Devils that will live long in the memory.

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Junior Stanislas scoring directly from a corner as the south coast club overcame the 20-time champions, the delayed final day of the season and Jose Mourinho’s first league game in charge of the club have all been memorable events for one reason or another, but there may be no moment as iconic as Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s first Manchester United goal.

Indeed, the Swede netted his first strike for the Red Devils against Eddie Howe’s men in trademark fashion as he drilled the ball into the back of the net from around 30 yards.

Three years on and Manchester United elected to choose the former PSG man’s strike as their Goal of the Day as they prepared to take on Bournemouth at the Vitality.

This tweet sparked a response from a number of United fans as they pleaded with the club to bring the 116-cap Ibrahimovic back for one more spell at Old Trafford.

Here’s what the fanbase have been saying on Twitter…

Leeds United will be looking to get one more win before the international break as they take on Blackburn Rovers in the Sky Bet Championship this weekend.

The Whites have started this season well and certainly look one of the sides to beat once again in the second tier with the way they have been playing their football.

Marcelo Bielsa and his side have bounced back from losing out in the play-offs to Derby County last season and, along with West Brom, seem the most capable of winning the title right now.

Excitement off of the pitch continues to grow, too, with continued chat about QSI potentially investing in the club – with them the current owners of French side PSG.

Indeed, Phil Hay has provided this update that should excite Whites fans further:

Nothing is concrete right now, but it is clear that the Whites are potentially in line for a cash windfall at some point.

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

Isaac Hayden is having a mixed season under Steve Bruce but from what he has shown on occasion he could be key to Newcastle picking up a win against Bournemouth on Saturday.

On the chalkboard

The former Arsenal man has featured in eight league games out of 11 but it was his own fault that he has missed out, as he picked up a red card against Leicester – a mistake which contributed to a 5-0 defeat.

Since then the Longstaff brothers’ partnership has come to fruition and threatened to keep Hayden out of the side, and with Jonjo Shelvey also performing well against West Ham – with a well-taken goal – Bruce certainly has a central midfield dilemma on his hands.

In the interest of keeping a balanced team, and reducing the influence of the Cherries’ midfield, Bruce has to play a ball-winner.

That means Hayden has to start. He may have got sent off a few weeks ago but that shows the tenacity in his game, and he has also made more tackles per game than any Newcastle player, with 3.1, which highlights what the midfield misses when he is not available.

In addition, he has been adept with the ball at his feet this season, too. No Magpies midfielder has achieved a better pass accuracy than his 78%, a stat which has contributed to him ranking third out of midfielders who have conceded possession the least amount for teams outside the top six.

Combative player

Hayden should be enjoying life under Bruce much more than his predecessor, having requested to leave in the summer following two years in which he didn’t play as much as he hoped for.

His involvement increased slightly last season, from 15 starts to 21 in the Premier League, but not enough to satisfy his demands, and therefore he will be hoping his recent strong performances are rewarded with an extended run in the team.

The 24-year-old suits the Magpies’ counter-attacking style too, and could prove important in disrupting Bournemouth’s rhythm.

Eddie Howe usually encourages his team to play passing, free-flowing football, but in making his side more difficult to beat – with one goal conceded in their last four games – they have lost a little in midfield.

They have averaged just 46% possession so far, with an overall pass accuracy of 75%, and that means if they are put under pressure by the harrying of Hayden, they could give the ball away easily.

Overturning possession, particularly in midfield, suits Bruce’s side very well, as it allows the pacy wingers to get on the front foot before the opposition has time to react, and that could result in the chances and goals to win Newcastle the game.

Tottenham Hotspur fans have trolled the club’s official Twitter account after their development side lost to Gillingham.

The two sides went head to head in the Leasing.com Trophy, with the senior Gills squad running out 2-0 winners at Priestfield.

The result means that Spurs’ development squad have subsequently been knocked out of the tournament and fans have reacted badly to the news, perhaps unsurprisingly.

Indeed, Spurs have struggled throughout this campaign, with the senior squad winning just three of their Premier League games thus far.

They are currently 14th in the table, 11 points off the top four, and reports have suggested that manager Mauricio Pochettino could be sacked if they lose to West Ham United following the international break.

Football FanCast understands that RB Leipzig boss Julian Nagelsmann is the first-choice to replace the ex-Southampton manager, should he leave.

And one fan suggested that the result could have been inflicted on the first XI by the League One club, while many more simply took to replying sarcastically.

Take a look at the best of the reaction on Twitter below!

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…

Ex-Everton star Michael Ball believes his former side must delve into the transfer market in the winter window.

What did he say?

Everton’s struggles are still clear in the Premier League, as the club sit in 15th just six points above the relegation zone. As a result, Marco Silva has been under pressure for most of this campaign and will surely be hoping for more firepower in January.

And according to Ball, both he and the supporters would like to see some new recruits following the turn of the year.

The former full-back wrote for the Liverpool Echo: “Thoughts are already turning to the New Year and I hope we do see some new recruits in the January transfer window.

“Even as a player, I’ve always liked new faces coming in.

“Unfortunately this time last year we were that far off, there was no point of delving into the January transfer window but I feel that if we do well in our run of games in December and we end up there or thereabouts for sixth place then, I think it’s got to be the only option for Everton.

“I don’t care if Marcel Brands is a fan of it or not, it’s what the fans would want to see.”

Clear need for reinforcements

Everton have not been shy in splashing the cash since Farhad Moshiri came in and the club now have the resources to bring in more players. Down the years, the likes of Gylfi Sigurdsson and Richarlison have been brought in for £48m and £50m respectively.

Now, Moshiri and Silva must discuss who they can bring in during the January window if they want to move into the higher reaches of the table.

Across the pitch, Everton fans have witnessed star names struggle to pull their weight. Players such as Michael Keane have been pushed out the side for relatively inexperienced players such as Mason Holgate, whilst Morgan Schneiderlin have averaged a dismal 6.16 rating.

There are also injury concerns to deal with that perhaps suggest reinforcements are required in certain areas. Sadly for Silva, Andre Gomes is set for a long spell on the sidelines and Jean-Philippe Gbamin still can’t seem to shake of his injuries.

Everton may be left with no choice but to recruit in January, especially if they put themselves in contention for the top six before it reopens.

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

Sheffield Wednesday will be looking to put the ongoing uncertainty off the pitch behind them this weekend as they still are just three points from playoff contention.

The Owls have been charged with financial misconduct by the EFL over their £60m sale of their Hillsborough stadium to owner Dejphon Chansiri.

A points deduction seems most likely, but no penalty has yet been confirmed, so it is business as usual this weekend.

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On the Chalkboard

Goalscoring has been a major weak point under the stewardship of Garry Monk since he took charge at the start of September.

Wednesday have netted just 14 goals in ten matches with four of those alone coming in a quickfire first-half against Middlesbrough.

Steven Fletcher has scored more than any other Owls player this campaign but he currently faces a barren run of six games without a goal.

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However, according to data from Infogol per Peter A. Lohmann, the striking department has actually been overachieving as they are being ruthless with the limited amount of chances handed to them.

It is actually the midfield that needs to be pulling their weight more – via the same source, they should have scored 1.6 more goals between them and they have also missed four of seven big chances.

This would suggest that their lack of scoring goals comes down to the creation of opportunities, which the midfield are just not doing.

Barry Bannan is by far the most creative outlet that the Owls possess as he ranks joint-top for assists and top for key passes with 2.2 per game.

The next best is Kadeem Harris with 1.3 key passes per match, which is quite the difference and would further prove that the majority of the midfield is some way behind the standard they should be at.

Maybe this is where Monk should apply his focus over the next couple of weeks so that he can ensure they can be fully competitive in the quest to achieve promotion.

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…

Earlier this week, Phil Hay provided a rather alarming update about Leeds United’s FFP situation as he revealed that the Whites were cutting it fine in terms of their spending limit.

However, there could be a way around it as Phil Hay believes that there is a solution that makes sense.

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What’s been said then?

The journalist was hosting a Q&A session on The Athletic, and one fan suggested a way in which United could get around FFP.

“On your point above about FFP, given that Phillips (and Bielsa) will almost certainly be off in summer anyway if we don’t go up, why doesn’t Radz go for it and get Bowen/Gayle, knowing we’ve got £25m+ coming in regardless.” One fan asked.

Hay believes that this is a good idea, and he suggested that it could be implemented.

“That could be done. It’s one way to operate. And in some ways, it makes sense.” Hay replied.

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Makes the world of sense

The more you think about this strategy, the more it actually does make sense.

We did a piece earlier in the week saying that this season is all or nothing for Leeds after Hay predicted a mass exodus if they don’t go up, so Leeds should give it their all to make sure they are in the top-flight next season.

Yes, signing a big name such as the suggested moves for Jarrod Bowen or Dwight Gayle would put Leeds over their FFP limit, but that wouldn’t matter as long as they recouped that before the end of the financial year. The potential sale of Kalvin Phillips would allow them to do just that as he’s reportedly valued by Leeds at £30m.

Granted, if Leeds do this and they don’t go up, it will leave them in a poor position at the start of next season, but if Bielsa goes because of their failure, the Whites are likely to regress no matter what.

Meanwhile, one hurdle may be denying Leeds the chance to sign Matej Vydra, but they shouldn’t let that stop them.

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

Liverpool are ready to rival Tottenham Hotspur in their pursuit of Memphis Depay, according to Italian outlet CalcioMercato.

What’s the word?

Spurs were reportedly preparing a move for the Netherlands international prior to the sacking of Mauricio Pochettino, and considering they don’t have a natural striker in the squad apart from Harry Kane it is possible that he is still on their radar.

However, the Reds look set to enter the fray for the striker, who could cost as much as £50m after impressing at Lyon since making his £16m switch from Manchester United.

The 25-year-old has a little more than 18 months on his contract, too, which makes him a realistic option from a financial perspective, as the French club are running out of time to cash in, with the risk that he could seek to move on a free.

Whether Spurs’ interest in Depay could hinder their approach is another question, though given Liverpool’s success under Klopp they would perhaps be the more attractive option for him.

Time up for Origi?

Breaking into Liverpool’s front-three would be a tough ask for Depay but after scoring 11 goals in 14 games for Lyon this season he will back his ability.

He is ever-present for an improving Netherlands side too and played a big role in their run to the UEFA Nations League final, a feat that some in the Reds’ squad have been unable to match.

One such player is Divock Origi, who has 28 Belgium caps to his name, and has started only six games under Klopp this term.

He is increasingly being used as a left-winger, too, which suggests the German doesn’t have confidence in his ability to lead the line. The addition of Depay would only make things worse for the former Lille man, with his importance likely to reduce as a result.

At £50m Depay would surely be the go-to man if one of the front-three were unavailable, and his ability to play across the attack, as he has evidenced throughout his career, would make him a valuable option.

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Josh Maja scored for Bordeaux against Reims at the weekend and that has sparked much discussion amongst the Sunderland fanbase, with a focus on what they missed out on with his sale.

The striker scored a lovely backheeled finish in France, displaying the quality which could have been pivotal to the Black Cats’ chances of success, but instead things have steadily declined since his departure.

Joining one of the top teams in France was a bold career move but the 20-year-old clearly has confidence in his own ability, and he is beginning to evidence his talent with two goals from two starts in Ligue 1 so far this campaign.

Some Sunderland supporters have used the occasion to praise his qualities, while adding that he is a player the team badly need right now, having scored just 13 goals in 11 games under Parkinson.

Sunderland looked on course for promotion with Maja in the side last term. He had scored 15 league goals by the time of his departure, losing just one of the 24 league games he featured in.

Fans rightly believe that his loss contributed to promotion failure, therefore, and the unhappiness they feel with the board is understandable, despite their outlay of an eye-watering £4m on Will Grigg.

Complaints should be directed at the recruitment, or perhaps Maja instead, as it wasn’t as if the board let him go due to a lack of ambition or a desire to make money.

That is the focus of some, with another suggesting such a decision should never have been made to seel the striker regardless of whether the deal made financial sense – as Maja had only six months remaining on his contract at the time of his move.

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