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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… 

At times this season Ivan Sunjic has been a pillar of solidity in Birmingham’s midfield.

He’s been a combative force that’s rather helped Pep Clotet settle into life at St Andrew’s.

The Spaniard has had a topsy-turvy campaign in charge of Blues so far, but whichever way you look at it, it might become even tougher on Tuesday night.

They came away from their encounter against Leeds with one major negative – the fact that Sunjic won’t be able to play in midweek.

On the chalkboard

Sunjic picked up a yellow card for a rather rough challenge on Gjanni Alioski on Saturday and consequently picked up a suspension for an accumulation of five cautions.

The Croatian has never been one to shy away from the challenge and that was evident in the 2.3 tackles per game he’d made before their trip to Elland Road, via WhoScored.

But they’ll have to make do without him for their next clash, something that will present a major dilemma to Clotet.

Birmingham have a vast array of options in the middle of the pitch so whether they do actually miss him remains to be seen.

Jude Bellingham has burst onto the scene in midfield this term with two goals while another teenager in Odin Bailey is also an option at the manager’s disposal.

Who he chooses to go with is sure to spark debate and he could well be scratching his head in the lead up to kick-off.

Josh McEachran has yet to play since being signed following a trial period, but other choices lie in Gary Gardner and David Davis.

The latter would likely be the more natural replacement considering the number of tackles he makes.

A substitute at Elland Road this weekend, he made eight successful challenges across matches against Bristol City and Nottingham Forest earlier in the season.

However, Clotet may prefer more creativity, especially playing against a side not as highly placed in the table as Leeds.

Bellingham is likely to play but fielding the more attack-minded Bailey beside him could be a gamble given their age. McEachran is also short on match fitness so that’s another risk facing Clotet.

Only one man can replace Sunjic in the side but it’s a decision that Birmingham’s Spanish head coach might have to mull over for a while.

Leeds United fans on Twitter have been slating Luke Ayling after his performance against Preston North End on Tuesday night.

It’s fair to say that the full-back didn’t have his best game against the Lancashire outfit and supporters on social media certainly didn’t hold back their feelings.

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Unfortunately, it’s hard to not see where the fanbase’s frustrations are coming from.

One supporter claimed that he can’t cross a ball and Tuesday’s showing certainly backed up that theory as he completed just one of the five deliveries he attempted.

Other members of the Elland Road faithful stated that they’d prefer to see Stuart Dallas in his position from now on.

It remains to be seen whether or not Ayling will be trusted to keep his spot at right-back, but a number of individuals certainly weren’t impressed with how he got on against Preston.

Here’s what the reaction was like on social media…

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…

Barcelona have a major conundrum on their hands.

Their squad is full of midfielders and the abundance of them is halting the progression of some of their most talented youngsters.

The case of Carles Alena is the most glaring one when it comes to first-team players as the young La Masia gem has been frozen out of the team since matchday one of the ongoing 2019/20 La Liga season.

Watch Spanish Football Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

But worryingly enough, the Blaugrana actually have a problem even bigger than that one that will require their attention sooner rather than later.

We’ve already discussed how Riqui Puig, their 20-year-old midfielder prodigy, simply has to be given a chance by Ernesto Valverde but the situation is becoming much worse with each passing day.

Just recently, Puig suffered a horror tackle while playing for Barcelona B and while he escaped without any serious consequences, it should make one thing abundantly clear for the Blaugrana – he has outgrown the Segunda B Division and needs to move up as soon as possible.

These tackles have now become a regularity because the opposition simply don’t have any other tools to stop the youngster from wreaking havoc through their teams.

According to Sport, Barcelona currently have an internal debate about how to exactly approach this situation and it seems they have taken notice of the harsh treatment their young star has been getting with Barca B.

Watch Lionel Messi and Gareth Bale answer the internet’s weirdest questions in the video below…

The three options they have for him on the table are staying with Barcelona B until he’s ready to step up, go out on loan or get promoted to the first-team instead.

Recently, many of the fans have even requested that he is promoted as they believe he already has the quality to play with the seniors.

But at this point, if promotion doesn’t guarantee him game time, a possible loan deal should definitely be considered by the youngster.

Even that is better than staying put, risking injuries, not improving and playing against opponents that are not really on his level.

The clock is certainly ticking for Blaugrana and they will have to make their decision before it’s too late.

Either make some space for him within Valverde’s squad or send him somewhere that gives him the chance to play at the highest level and keep developing in a much safer environment.

One thing is for sure – something has to give and something absolutely has to change.

Many Newcastle United fans have been left irate by Steve Bruce’s comments reflecting on the Toon’s draw with Wolverhampton Wanderers.

The Toon welcomed Wolves to St. James’ Park on Sunday with the chance to put some distance between themselves and the bottom three, after Southampton were thumped by Leicester City 9-0.

Everton in 16th place were also potentially in reach after falling to a 3-2 loss away to Brighton & Hove Albion on Saturday, but Bruce’s side were unable to take advantage after Jonny ensured Nuno Espirito Santo’s squad would not leave the North East empty-handed.

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Newcastle had opened the scoring in the 37th-minute through Jamaal Lascelles, when the Magpies captain met Federico Fernandez’s cross to fire home past Rui Patricio. His effort ensured the Toon held the lead into the break, and Bruce has noted that the opening half of the game was ‘arguably’ up there with the best his team have played under his tenure.

“We’ll take the positives out of it,” Bruce told NUFC TV. “In the first half, it’s arguably as good as we’ve played since I’ve been here in the five games at home. We’ve got to take that into the full 90 minutes.”

Fans have not taken well to Bruce suggesting that the first-half was a positive, though, as many feel the performance shown was ‘absolute garbage’ bar the ten minutes following Lascelles’ goal.

Up until the strike, Newcastle had held possession for 51.4% of the game and used their time in control to fashion six shots, although none of the efforts were on target and the Toon were dispossessed seven times, according to data collected by WhoScored.

The second-half was an even worse showing for Newcastle, as they only attempted four shots to Wolves’ ten and held just 34.3% of possession.

Here are some of the messages shared in response to Bruce’s comments…

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…

Leeds have been hesitant to offer Gaetano Berardi a new contract, and the fans have made their stance on the matter very clear.

A number of United supporters don’t want to see the Swiss defender stay, but their hand may be forced if one transfer rumour comes to fruition.

Their concerns are hardly a surprise given the seven red cards he’s picked up in his time in the north of England but whether he stays beyond 2019/20 might be determined by another defender at the club.

Watch Leeds United Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

Indeed, reports have been circulating that Ben White could be recalled by Brighton in January after his good start to life at Elland Road.

White’s departure would leave Marcelo Bielsa with just two senior centre-backs in his squad, one of which would be out of contract within six months.

Bearing this in mind, the Yorkshire club’s hand would potentially be left with no other option than to offer Berardi a new deal, purely because of their lack of options.

Why being the away goalkeeper at Leeds is the toughest job in football in the video below…

Failing to do so would leave them with the real possibility of only occupying one centre-back heading into the 2020/21 season. Meanwhile, a lack of job security could also affect his performances for the rest of 2019/20.

Knowing that he could be out of the door in the summer won’t exactly encourage Berardi to put everything into getting the Whites promoted to the Premier League. However, if the Brighton loanee is recalled the 31-year-old would suddenly become imperative in what could prove to be one of their most important periods in recent history.

In this instance, keeping Berardi wouldn’t be the worst thing, but if White returns to the south coast the club could be left with no other option.

Son Heung-Min endured an anguished weekend.

The South Korea international had registered an assist against Everton, putting the ball on a plate for Dele Alli to open the scoring at Goodison Park.

But then it all came crashing down.

Andre Gomes looked to break away on the left flank and Son brought him down.

It’s the kind of tackle that is ten-a-penny in the Premier League and referee Martin Atkinson initially looked poised to show the South Korea international a yellow card.

But as Gomes went down, his ankle twisted ghoulishly, leaving him with a fracture-dislocation and in need of a stretcher.

Son was distraught, crying upon seeing the impact of the injury on his Portuguese counterpart. Atkinson showed him a red card. He probably wouldn’t have been able to carry on, anyway, so heartbroken did he seem.

However, he returned to action on Wednesday evening, scoring twice as Spurs thumped Red Star Belgrade 4-0, leading to the image below…

Son and his manager, Mauricio Pochettino, arm in arm, with smiles etched across their faces.

The image comes with an added poignancy after Son’s distressed reaction to Gomes’ injury; he even refused to celebrate his goals in a gesture that he revealed was aimed towards the Toffees ace.

It has been a while since Spurs have hit any kind of form and their win on Wednesday was their first in three outings in all competitions.

Son, of course, is a remarkably popular member of the squad – both Dele Alli and Harry Kane revealed they attempted to comfort him on Sunday – and fans will surely have loved seeing him back to his smiley self.

They will hope that can continue this weekend, when Sheffield United visit north London.

Jose Mourinho and Graeme Souness are in agreement that injuries could be the only thing that prevents Liverpool from winning the Premier League title this season.

Jurgen Klopp’s side opened up an eight-point lead at the top of the table on Sunday after beating Manchester City 3-1, leaving the reigning champions fourth in the table behind Leicester and Chelsea and nine points down on the Reds.

Goals from Fabinho, Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane dealt the damage to Pep Guardiola’s visiting team, and former Manchester United and Chelsea boss Mourinho feels the deficit they now face could be the end of the title race.

But he and Souness agreed while speaking on Sky Sports that injuries could still bring the Sky Blues back into play, if Liverpool go on to lose several of their key players.

Klopp is already without Joel Matip, Xherdan Shaqiri and Nathaniel Clyne after the trio suffered knee, calf and cruciate ligament issues respectively.

Matip suffered his knee injury against Sheffield United last month, and has been forced to watch the Reds’ last three Premier League games from the sidelines having played the full ninety-minutes in eight of their opening nine.

Check out what Mourinho and Souness had to say on Sky Sports below…

Many Liverpool fans have been reacting on social media to comments made by Pep Guardiola after Manchester City lost 3-1 at Anfield, in which the Sky Blues chief explained why his side were beaten.

The result opened a nine-point margin between the reigning Premier League champions and the title-hopeful Reds, with Manchester City also slipping to fourth in the standings after Leicester City and Chelsea entered the international break with victories.

Goals from Fabinho, Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane ensured Liverpool maintained their unbeaten start to the season, but Guardiola noted after the game that it was the Reds’ strength at set-pieces and ability to deliver incisive crosses that caused his Citizens side the most problems on Sunday.

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“They are incredibly strong in set-pieces,” the Spaniard told reporters, via quotes by ESPN’s Melissa Reddy. “When you sit back and defend in the box, they open you up with [Trent] Alexander-Arnold and [Andrew] Robertson and start to make crosses.

“When they arrive with not just Mane, Salah, [Roberto] Firmino, but [Jordan] Henderson coming with the right tempo, [Georginio] Wijnaldum and the second balls, it’s almost impossible to live with that situation.

“When you are able to get back from that position, they have an incredible back four. And when you are attacking, like we tried, every mistake you can do – the transitions are the biggest quality of Jurgen [Klopp] from all of his career – like the situation with the second goal.

“You can’t always win in life; it’s important the way you live with the problems that we have, under pressure in a position against the best team, right now, in the world – it’s about how we react.”

No player delivered more crosses on Sunday for Liverpool than Alexander-Arnold, who made nine, but only two of those managed to find a teammate – the same amount as Robertson registered from his two attempted balls – per data collected by Sofa Score.

Kevin de Bruyne and Angelino were able to make 13 and nine deliveries respectively for City, on the other hand, and connected with teammates four times and once each as they also played a joint-game-high three key passes.

Here are some of the messages shared from fans reacting to Guardiola’s comments on why his side lost at Anfield…

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

Bernardo Silva put in another impressive display for Portgual against Luxembourg and showed exactly what his club side will miss against Chelsea next weekend.

On the chalkboard

The midfielder is suspended for the visit of Chelsea next Saturday and despite possessing quality throughout the side, Pep Guardiola could certainly do with his presence.

Not only does he work tirelessly for his team and have an eye for goal – with five this season – but he possesses the quality that could provide the difference against Frank Lampard’s in-form side.

The Blues will be well aware of the threat posed by Man City, and could sit deep in an attempt to counter the threat of Sergio Aguero and Raheem Sterling.

The through ball from Silva which allowed Bruno Fernandes to score on Sunday was exquisite, and it underlines what he brings to the side from a creative perspective, and in a game which could be closely-fought the Citizens could really do with that added edge.

Watch Manchester City Videos With StreamFootball.tv Below

Big loss

The City man was playing in a different position for his country operating in the middle of the park, but he was still able to influence proceedings and provided a different type of threat than usual.

He is often brilliant on the ball and uses his trickery to twist and turn away from opponents, with 2.4 successful dribbles per league game this term, but against Luxembourg it was his passing which shone.

Kevin De Bruyne acts as the primary playmaker for City but Bernardo made three key passes on Sunday and kept possession ticking over nicely with 87% pass accuracy, and that means there will be greater pressure on the Belgian to perform against Chelsea.

The Portuguese has scored important goals in big games for Guardiola previously, such as in the Champions League against Tottenham in the last campaign, whilst a brilliant display against Liverpool at the turn of the year was pivotal in City’s comeback to win the league.

With Chelsea riding high and conceding just four goals in their last five league games the home side may need a big performance or moment of magic from one of their players to win the match, and without Silva the chances of that happening take a big hit.

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

The Sun have linked Arsenal’s Lucas Torreira with AC Milan, stating the Rossoneri would be interested in acquiring his services early next year, taking the Uruguayan on a loan with an obligation to buy.

What’s the word, then?

The Rossoneri’s interest in the 23-year-old Gunner is nothing particularly new.

Milan were also looking to snatch the young midfielder away from the Emirates in the summer, but nothing ended up happening.

This time, however, seeing how the player is currently unsettled under Unai Emery’s leadership, as per The Sun’s own report, the Italians could actually swoop in and get their man.

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The same source also emphasises that any potential loan deal that would go through would also have an obligation to buy clause inserted, which could be activated if a number of appearances and objectives were met during his stay in Serie A.

And looking at that deal as a whole, Milan shouldn’t hesitate to pull the trigger this time around.

A big improvement

Torreira’s situation at Arsenal is not really all sunshine and rainbows, shown by the fact Emery has only started him in four of their 12 Premier League matches this term.

The Sun have stated that the Spaniard is utilising the 23-year-old Uruguayan the wrong way. Torreira is primarily a defensive midfielder and the current Gunners boss is insisting on deploying him higher up the pitch in a more attacking role.

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This has made the player quite unsettled as he doesn’t feel as comfortable in his new position.

So far, he’s played nine games for Arsenal in the 2019/20 Premier League campaign and out of those nine, a total of eight were spent in a more advanced role, according to Transfermarkt.

Just recently, his representative also talked at length about this issue and even then, he left the door open for a possible exit in the near future.

Looking at Milan, however, with only Ismael Bennacer and Lucas Biglia as their natural defensive midfielders, Torreira’s arrival would be a welcoming addition that could even improve the team from the get-go.

After all, Bennacer is still young and green with only 21 years on his back and Biglia, for all his experience, is already 33 and can’t go on for much longer.

The 23-year-old Uruguayan is, therefore, the ideal inbetween man and with both Premier League and Europa League know-how in his resume, and with plenty of time and room to improve as well, he could be the perfect scoop for the Rossoneri.

It’s time to pull the trigger.