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Some Charlton fans on Twitter are torn over Josh Cullen’s performance against Swansea on Wednesday night.

The Republic of Ireland international was making his ninth Championship start of the campaign against the Swans, on a night where the Addicks lost 2-1 at The Valley.

Lee Bowyer’s men took an early lead through Jonathan Leko, but were pegged back after goals from Yan Dhanda and Andre Ayew.

Cullen in particular seemed to impress judging by the statistics, making the joint-most amount of key passes out of any player on the field, with three to his name.

The 23-year-old also completed three tackles, drew two fouls and embarked on one dribble – it certainly seems as if the 5 foot 9 midfielder held his own against one of the best sides in the league.

For some reason, however, not every Charlton fan on Twitter thought he played well.

One fan said he was the south Londoners’ best player by a country mile, whereas another thought the on-loan West Ham man wasn’t his usual self.

Let’s take a look at more of the Twitter reaction from some divided Charlton fans…

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…

Speaking to Sky Sports about his weekly Premier League predictions, former Arsenal man Charlie Nicholas has hinted that Marco Silva could be sacked after the fixture against Burnley on Saturday.

What did he say?

Nicholas has alluded to the fact the Toffees could be in the bottom three come the international break. This two-week hiatus from the Premier League could perhaps give the Everton owners a lot of time to ponder Silva’s future and the pundit certainly believes he will be gone should they lose at Turf Moor.

He told Sky Sports: “I never know what Marco Silva wants to achieve. When you have as many attacking options as he does, and it isn’t working, you have to try something different.

“There is no rhythm to Everton, no understanding and if things pan out how I see them at Burnley, Silva could be very fortunate to still be in his seat by the international break, with Everton potentially in the bottom three.”

Nicholas also stated he believes Silva will indeed lose to Burnley this weekend, which will all but close the door on his reign as Everton boss. The Scot said: “I do not go against Burnley often, and this is still the same scenario.

“Burnley are mid-table and only won two of their opening seven matches, but they are on the verge of going into the top half and have posed a threat in every game, with Ashley Barnes and Chris Wood are getting the goals again. It is an old fashioned partnership but when one scores, the other has a day off!

“They are back to being solid defensively, so I do not see trouble for them this year, and I expect them to win this game.”

The inevitable doomsday

If Silva fails to win and those below them succeed in victory, it will indeed place the Toffees in the drop zone, eight games into the season. This defeat would prove to be a worse start to the campaign than the 2017-18 season, where Sam Allardyce came to the rescue after Ronald Koeman left the club in the relegation zone following the 5-2 home defeat to Arsenal.

Regardless of the outcome, the former Watford man is under extreme pressure. Farhad Moshiri made it clear once he bought into the club in 2016 that his intentions were to take the Toffees to the Champions League. However, five managers in and it seems like once again the owner is back to square one.

Not only is Silva yet to guarantee European football, the club are in a worse place than when they sacked Roberto Martinez for finishing 12th and reaching two domestic cup semi-finals in that season.

Silva cannot afford to lose this one, and even if he leaves Turf Moor with all three points, there is still the lingering feeling the axe is coming.

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

Leeds United could be left with very few numbers in defence with some top-name players looking likely to depart at the end of the season, regardless of whether or not Premier League status is achieved.

On the chalkboard

The Whites are currently the best defensive team in the Championship, letting in just seven goals so far this term. As a result, the likes of Ben White and Liam Cooper have established themselves as some of the league’s best, with White winning the PFA Fans’ Player of the Month award back in August.

However, White will be returning to Brighton & Hove Albion at the end of the campaign, whilst experienced and versatile defender Gaetano Berardi will be out of contact at the same time. This will leave just Cooper as the only senior out-and-out central defender, with Kalvin Phillips preferred in midfield and Luke Ayling needed at right-back.

With White having such a phenomenal season by averaging a rating of 7.33, it is tough to see Leeds luring him from Brighton permanently, especially considering the club failed to put in an option to buy on the loan deal.

Leeds’ decision not to recruit any more central defenders is already looking questionable with Cooper out injured, which leaves Marcelo Bielsa one defensive injury or suspension away from disaster. Luckily, Berardi’s red card was rescinded last week and the club now still has two fit and ready centre-backs available.

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Bielsa playing a dangerous game

If there is any league in European football in which you need to have strength in depth, it’s the Championship. The fiercely and unpredictable competition spans 46 games and still requires teams to battle on the FA Cup and EFL Cup fronts as well.

To survive in the second tier and to even consider yourself a contender for promotion, club’s must have strong numbers across the entire field. Last season, Championship winners Norwich City had up to five centre-backs compared to Leeds’ three right now, and the Canaries purchased the likes of Rocky Bushiri upon promotion to the top-flight to further add to their defensive stability.

Should the Whites get promoted, although they will play eight fewer games in the Premier League, they will require experience and quality more than ever to avoid the immediate return to the division below. Time will tell if Berardi signs on, but with White all but guaranteed to return to Brighton, Bielsa needs to seriously consider delving into the market not just in the summer, but perhaps in January as well.

The Argentine is going to need potentially another three additions to his backline, should Berardi and White leave. If not, the Leeds boss will be playing a very dangerous game.

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

According to German media outlet Bild, Tottenham Hotspur are reportedly interested in €50m-rated (£43m) Borussia Monchengladbach midfielder Denis Zakaria, and he is the defensive midfielder they need to allow Harry Winks and Tanguy Ndombele to flourish.

What’s the word, then?

Well, Bild report that the current Bundesliga leaders feel that the Switzerland international is one of the players they could receive a club-record transfer fee for, with their current leader the €45m they got from Arsenal for Granit Xhaka.

Bild say that Monchengladbach feel they could get at least £43m for the 22-year-old, who is interesting a number of top European clubs.

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Spurs are among those according to the story, along with Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund, Inter Milan and Premier League rivals Manchester United.

As good as Wanyama pre-injury

The north London outfit have suffered without an out-and-out defensive midfielder in their team this season to protect the defence, with the likes of Winks, Ndombele and Moussa Sissoko playing in the deepest midfield roles –  the 10 goals they have conceded in their previous two fixtures is proof of that.

Mauricio Pochettino does have Victor Wanyama and Eric Dier available, but he clearly doesn’t trust them given their lack of minutes this season.

To be fair to the Argentine, the former was awful when he came on in the 2-1 defeat to Leicester City last month as his recent injury issues appear to have caught up with him, while the latter doesn’t look the same player that was such a mainstay in the starting XI during the early stages of the 47-year-old’s reign at Tottenham – his first Premier League start of the campaign was last time out against Brighton.

Buying Zakaria would allow the likes of Winks and Ndombele to flourish going forward though, as it is a role he is playing with his club right now.

The 22-year-old is the deepest of Monchengladbach’s central midfield trio – in a team that has only conceded six times in seven matches – and according to Bundesliga.com, he has a pass completion rate of 88% in the German flight this term.

A look back at his stats from this season and previous ones show he is more than on a par with Wanyama before he suffered his multiple injury issues with Spurs, as he averaged 2.5 tackles and 1.5 interceptions in the 2017/18 season, and 2.3 tackles and 1.4 interceptions this term, as per WhoScored.

Meanwhile, the Kenya international’s most consistent run in the starting XI came when Tottenham finished second in 2016-17, with his defensive stats standing at 2.5 tackles and 1.1 interceptions in 36 Premier League outings when Pochettino’s men only let in 26 goals.

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

Charlton travel to Ashton Gate on Wednesday evening, where they’ll be hoping to keep their fine run of form going.

Lee Bowyer has overseen six wins from 12 Championship games so far since guiding the Addicks back into the Championship via the League One playoffs, a stunning run of results that has the south Londoners sitting pretty in 7th place.

In addition to that, they are only outside of the playoffs on goal difference and sit four points off the top of the table.

So, with that information in the Charlton players’ minds, one would assume that they would want to keep racking up the points.

If that is to be the case, then there are two Bristol City players who the Addicks need to keep tabs on…

Andreas Weimann 

The 28-year-old is the Robins’ top scorer so far this season with four goals to his name in the Championship.

Furthermore, the former Aston Villa forward takes 2.2 shots per game, while he has also showcased his creative side having registered two assists in his 12 league appearances so far.

In addition to that, the Austrian records 1.4 key passes per game – on the basis of these numbers, he is a player who should definitely be part of Bowyer’s pre-match plans.

Jack Hunt

The former Crystal Palace man has been in fine form at right-back so far this term, getting up and down the flank to make an impact at both ends.

Hunt has registered three assists in nine Championship starts, proving that he has a fair bit of end product about him in the attacking third of the field.

At the opposite end, he has been solid from a defensive aspect. The 28-year-old records 2.3 clearances per game, while also making 1.8 tackles and 1.3 interceptions on average.

Stifling these two players in particular should be Charlton’s main focus on Wednesday evening.

Ian Wright believes Eddie Nketiah needs to be started after the promising striker scored a late equaliser for Leeds United at Preston North End.Life’s great mysteries: What lies at the bottom of the ocean? Are we alone in the universe? Who created the earth? Did the chicken or the egg come first? Why does Marcelo Bielsa insist on keeping Nketiah on the bench?Watch Leeds United Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

After firing blanks at Deepdale on Tuesday night, Patrick Bamford has now gone eight games without scoring a goal. In the same time, Nketiah has netted twice and contributed one assist for the Whites, as well as bagging a hat-trick for England U21s. Something doesn’t quite add up.

And while Bamford’s purpose is clear in Bielsa’s system, to run around and make a nuisance of himself in the forward positions, as he so perfectly demonstrated during the early stages of the Birmingham clash, the failure to fulfil his primary function of scoring goals will soon prove to be a detriment to the promotion-chasing side. It’s time for a change.

With Leeds scoring an average 0.87 goals per game since they trounced Stoke City 3-0, which is coincidentally the last time Bamford scored, Ian Wright has delivered a simple two-word solution to Bielsa’s selection headache…

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

Christian Eriksen turned in a genuinely appalling performance on Sunday as Tottenham Hotspur lost to Liverpool at Anfield.

On the chalkboard

The Denmark international was restored to the starting XI after missing the Premier League draw with Watford and also the 5-0 Champions League win over Red Star Belgrade.

However, he failed to make any sort of impact on Merseyside.

He had one shot on goal, per WhoScored, and touched the ball a total of 36 times; only Harry Kane and Harry Winks had fewer touches of the Spurs players who started the game.

Eriksen also failed to complete a key pass and had a pass completion rate of 62% from 26 total passes. That means just 16 passes were accurate.

Playing on the right side of an attacking trio that also comprised Kane and Son Heung-Min, Eriksen did not complete a dribble, nor did he make a tackle or win an aerial duel. He was dribbled past once, took two corners, neither of which were accurate, and was dispossessed twice.

How did he stay on?

One has to ask what Mauricio Pochettino was watching.

Eriksen was tasked with tracking Andrew Robertson throughout the game but struggled to do that, as the Scot completed two dribbles and registered two key passes.

The Spurs ace also failed to impact the game in the final third, as evidenced by his lack of a single key pass.

The situation becomes all the more strange when one considers that both Lucas Moura and Giovani Lo Celso were sat on the bench.

Either could have offered a more effective attacking option than a player who was being frozen out of the game.

Pochettino, though, brought them on after the 80-minute mark, replacing Eriksen with Lo Celso with two minutes left, when Spurs had surrendered their lead earned through Kane’s first-minute header and with the game slipping away.

That he left Eriksen on until the 88th minute, really, is nothing short of a disgrace and sends out one message to the rest of the team: mediocrity is tolerated.

Queens Park Rangers suffered a second successive league defeat on Saturday afternoon as they were conquered by Leeds United at Elland Road.

Mark Warburton’s side struggled to combat the tireless home outfit as Tyler Roberts and Jack Harrison netted both goals in the 2-0 win.

The latter capitalised on a defensive mistake in the Rs’ backline to slot home the winner eight minutes from time, and several of the Loftus Road faithful have taken to social media to discuss the performance.

Watch Queens Park Rangers Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

Substitute Marc Pugh has been one player that fans aren’t best pleased by, which as led to him coming in for some of the flak post-game.

One supporter labelled him ‘absolutely rubbish’ while another called the 32-year-old was the worst player the club have had in a long time.

The attacking midfielder joined QPR in the summer on a free transfer from AFC Bournemouth after several years of experience in the top-flight.

A further member of the Rangers faithful described his showing as a ‘disaster.’

Here’s the best of the reaction:

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

Andre Gomes suffered a horrific injury in the 1-1 draw to Tottenham Hotspur on the weekend, and the Portugal international will now be set for an awfully long period on the sidelines.

On the chalkboard

It has been a nightmare start for Everton this season, with the club sat in 17th and just one point clear of the relegation spots. However, in the midst of such dreadful displays, Gomes has been one of Everton’s better players and certainly helped the team stay out of the drop zone.

During the 26-year-old’s three game absence Everton lost every league game. In fact, all three of the Toffees’ league victories this season arrived when Gomes started and played the full 90 minutes, which underlines his importance to the side.

Now, with his brutal injury, one man is going to need to step up for many months, and that man must be Tom Davies.

Door opens for Davies

Davies – valued at £13.5m by Transfermarkt – has struggled to nail down a starting spot this season, starting just three times in the league. However, he has proven he can be a creative output for Marco Silva. In the win over West Ham United a few weeks back, the Englishman made 34 passes – only Gomes had more with 37.

In the game against Spurs, despite the 1-1 result, Davies was a shining light at times for the Toffees. He made four tackles in the game and his defence-splitting pass into the path of Theo Walcott in the second half showcased his creative talent. The 22-year-old also played four long balls against the Lilywhites and won seven out of nine ground duels.

The lack of natural creativity from other central midfielders, such as Fabian Delph and Morgan Schneiderlin, is only going to up the importance of Davies.

The academy graduate is going to need to play plenty more passes akin to the one he played into Walcott against Spurs because in Gomes’ absence there are not many others who can.

The Portuguese man’s tough break could lead into a truly defining period in Davies’ career.

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…

Aston Villa have made a mixed start to life back in the Premier League after ending their three-year absence, winning three of their first 12 fixtures, but Dean Smith would be wise to alter his attacking midfield selections if he is to get the best out of club-record signing Wesley.

The Brazilian forward arrived from Club Brugges in a £22m deal during the summer transfer window, and despite scoring four league goals, the striker has struggled at times – appearing isolated at the spearhead of Villa’s attacking frontline.

Utilising the 22-year-old and his proven goalscoring prowess – having scored 32 league goals in the Belgian Pro League – will be crucial if Smith is to ensure his side can stave off relegation, and a player who could unlock Wesley’s potential is another of the club’s summer signings – Jota.

Having made the switch from rivals Birmingham City to Villa Park, the Spaniard has struggled with a hernia injury alongside falling in the preference list of his manager.

The 28-year-old has started just three leagues games for the newly-promoted side, but created a crucial assist for Wesley in the club’s 2-0 victory over Everton; a delicate through ball timed to perfection for the striker to bury in front of a rapturous home crowd. That type of service would be ideal for Wesley.

Not only is the summer signing creating space, but he is aiming to take on opposition defenders and break through at an impressive rate.

Despite his lack of starts, Jota’s take-on success rate at 83.3% – the 11th highest rate in the league of any player to have attempted more than five.

The £4.5m-rated playmaker’s ability to find space between the lines is the type of service that Villa’s Brazilian forward thrives off.

Having gone four league games without a goal since scoring a brace against Norwich City at Carrow Road, the re-introduction of the former Birmingham man could be a shrewd move from Smith if he is to galvanise Wesley and ensure he can reach double digits in his debut Premier League campaign.