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Many Sunderland fans are far from overjoyed with the starting XI Lee Johnson has picked for the Black Cats’ big League One clash this afternoon.

The Wearside outfit face second-placed Peterborough in a game which could have a huge impact on whether they earn promotion to the Championship. A victory would see them move into the top two with a game in hand (BBC), but a defeat would make it far more difficult for them to go up automatically.

Johnson has picked an attacking line-up for the match, deploying his team in a 4-4-2 formation. While some fans appeared to be happy with the intent, many questioned his decision to play Grant Leadbitter, and others were a little worried with the lack of bodies in midfield.

The starting XI was shared by the club’s official Twitter account and it attracted plenty of attention from Sunderland fans. These supporters took to the social media platform to share their thoughts.

Let’s see what the Sunderland fans had to say below

“Grant in a Central Midfield 2. Ahhh no.”

Credit: @JakeStappard_

“Have to say I think this is dangerous. Only 2 in midfield and one of them a 90 year old Leadbitter….. I remain to be proven wrong.”

Credit: @LeBenjiboo

“Two up top and only two in the middle of the park. I’m expecting the game to be won or lost in the midfield battle so it’s a massive risk to have less bodies and less mobile players exposed to the risk of been over ran in the middle.”

Credit: @irobarmstrong

“Strong team but worry about that central midfield with Leadbitter in a 2”

Credit: @brettd1981

“Not sure how I feel about this. Think we need 3 in midfield today. May seem negative but with Jones and McGeady out wide we still would’ve had creativity and goals”

Credit: @_wisemensay

“Over run in midfield ?”

Credit: @justaparkrunner

In other news, many Sunderland fans love these comments from Kyril Louis-Dreyfus.

Issa Diop should not avoid David Moyes’ wrath after producing a shaky showing as West Ham United drew 3-3 with Arsenal on Sunday.

The Irons stormed to a three-goal lead after the first half an hour at the London Stadium, but wilted following the break and were punished for missing two big chances to seal a win.

Mikel Arteta’s visiting side were gifted a route back into the game approaching half-time when Alexandre Lacazette’s shot deflected in off Tomas Soucek and could smell a point when Craig Dawson blasted the ball into his own net in the 61st minute.

With the deficit slashed, the Gunners kept applying the pressure and eventually found a route to goal when Lacazette rose highest at the back post to meet Nicolas Pepe’s cross to equalise.

West Ham could have put the game to bed with the score at 3-2 only for Michail Antonio’s outstretched effort to smash against the base of the post, while Kieran Tierney denied Jarrod Bowen a second by blocking the winger’s effort.

Diop had thwarted Lacazette two minutes into the second period by hooking the ball away on the goal line after his compatriot lobbed goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski in an instance that set the tone for the rest of the half.

Yet, despite his goal-line clearance, Diop was far from at the top of his game on Sunday and deserved more criticism for his efforts, while Dawson was slammed for being just as outplayed.

[snack-amp-story url=”https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/the-latest-west-ham-news-and-views” title=” The latest West Ham news and views!”]

Diop was noted as being the ‘better of the two at the back’ by the Evening Standard, while football.london awarded Dawson a five out of 10 rating to Diop’s six as the Watford loanee produced a ‘dodgy second half’.

Dawson’s own goal will have counted against him, but the 30-year-old knew he had to try and lift the ball clear otherwise Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang would have been gifted an easy chance at the back-post having drifted in behind Vladimir Coufal with ease.

Dawson’s overall efforts in hopes of preventing Arsenal coming from three goals down to take a point were often at a higher rate than Diop, too, despite neither defender attempting a single tackle on Sunday, per FBref.

While Diop pressured opposing players five times – only substitutes Mark Noble (0) and Ryan Fredericks (2) registered fewer for West Ham – Dawson tried to force a turnover eight times, including on three occasions in the middle third and once in the attacking zone.

Diop only applied pressure outside of the Hammers’ defensive third on one occasion, as the £67,000-per-week enforcer relied on his teammates to keep Arsenal in their territory and away from Fabianski’s area.

Dawson additionally blocked the ball twice as often as Diop and made five-times as many clearances, with the £4.5m-rated titan striving to keep play at the other end of the field a team-high 10 times – only Pablo Mari (12) made more for the Gunners.

Their performances further meant Dawson eclipsed his average 1.5 blocks per 90 minutes this season while Diop failed to meet his 1.83. Dawson also bettered his average 6.36 pressures and 5.93 clearances, while Diop performed blow his averages of 6.13 pressures and 4.09 clearances.

While Dawson’s own goal will have counted against him, the Watford loanee still produced a number of defensive actions to help keep Arsenal from equalising until the closing stages that Diop often did not. More focus should be on Diop, he was equally as poor as the Watford loanee.

AND in other news, a West Ham winter target is set to be available for £17m this summer…

Rangers take on Slavia Prague at Ibrox on Thursday night in the Europa League, with Steven Gerrard’s side looking to continue their impressive run in the competition with a win against the Czech side.

The Gers came away with a 1-1 draw for the reverse fixture at the Sinobo Stadium last week after Filip Helander cancelled out an early goal for the hosts before Allan McGregor pulled off a world-class save to keep the scores level.

It seems as if Gerrard will still be without the influential duo of Ryan Jack and James Tavernier for the game on Thursday, but they were able to welcome back Kemar Roofe in last week’s game, so he could be in contention for a start at Ibrox.

Here’s how Football FanCast expects Gerrard to line his side up against Slavia Prague, with two changes from the team which started in the Czech Republic last week…

McGregor unsurprisingly keeps his place in goal and his save could prove to be the most important moment of the tie if Rangers are able to progress on Thursday evening.

There’s one change in defence, as Leon Balogun comes in at right-back to provide a bit more experience in the backline, as Nathan Patterson was targeted a lot by Slavia last time out.

The midfield three stays the same, with Glen Kamara superb last time out, whilst Joe Aribo and Steven Davis have been two of Gerrard’s best performers so far this season.

Ryan Kent continues on the left but there’s a change on the right, as Roofe is handed a start ahead of Ianis Hagi. Although the Romanian has “real quality”, in the words of his manager, he struggled to get involved in last week’s game, so Gerrard should give the former Leeds man the opportunity to shine in attack.

Alfredo Morelos completes the attack and he could be vital if Rangers are to progress on Thursday evening, as he has three goals and five assists in the Europa League already this season.

And, in other news… Gerrard should unleash teen wonderkid who’s “worth his weight in gold” next season

Southampton were handed another huge blow this week as it was revealed that first-team regular Oriol Romeu is set to miss the rest of the season with an ankle injury.

The Spanish midfielder was forced off in the 3-0 defeat against Leeds United and will now require surgery after fracturing his ankle at Elland Road.

While Alexandre Jankewitz could come into contention for a start against Everton on Monday, fortunately for Ralph Hasenhuttl, the South Coast club could have a ready-made replacement for the former Chelsea man in 18-year-old academy talent Kgaogelo Chauke.

With fellow defensive-midfielder Ibrahima Diallo only expected to return to training in the next few days after his own injury problems, Hasenhuttl may be forced to turn to some of his youngsters in upcoming fixtures due to a serious lack of options in midfield.

Chauke made his senior debut for the Saints in the 2-0 win against Shrewsbury Town earlier in the season and has been a regular in the Premier League 2 so far this campaign, despite only turning 18 in January.

The teenager has featured as both a central-midfielder and a defensive-midfielder with the Saints’ academy sides, which suggests that he would be a good fit in Hasenhuttl’s 4-4-2 set up, where he could partner the more attack-minded James Ward-Prowse.

When Chauke signed a new contract with Southampton in 2020, academy director Matt Hale was full of praise for him, saying:

“Kegs has shown tremendous progress since joining from his U15 season. He has learnt so much and showed a real curiosity to develop.”

With Southampton in woeful form of late, Hasenhuttl may be tempted to go with experience to try and steady the ship, but considering both Diallo and Romeu will be missing for the trip to Everton on Monday, perhaps the Austrian manager should put his faith in Chauke to step up as Romeu’s heir.

AND, in other news… Better than Jankewitz: Saints made grave error with £8m gem

Speaking exclusively to Football FanCast, former Leeds United player Carlton Palmer gave his verdict on the duel currently taking place between Helder Costa and Jack Harrison to get into Marcelo Bielsa’s starting XI.

In the recent 1-0 defeat to Aston Villa, it was Costa who started on the opposite flank to man of the moment Raphinha. Prior, however, Harrison was the player to be given the nod against Wolves in a match that also saw Leeds lose to a single goal.

It remains to be seen who out of Costa and Harrison will start in the Yorkshire club’s upcoming fixtures, and Palmer expects such a theme to continue in the long run as Bielsa adapts on a game-by-game basis.

In an exclusive interview with FFC, where Palmer discussed the two players, the retired England international said:

“That all depends [Costa v Harrison], doesn’t it? The way Bielsa plays, you know, sometimes you play certain players because you want to play a certain system, you’re playing a certain team, you think one player might be more effective than the other.

“So I think a lot of that will just depend on the opposition that they’re playing, simple as. Teams do that, Man City do that, they play certain players for certain oppositions, and some players have to sit out. That’s just the way it is.

“It’s tactical. The manager might look at that player and think he might be more effective against that team playing in that system.”

Whatever the case, each player will bring his own qualities, with Harrison, in particular, likely to be pleased with what he has brought to the table in his debut Premier League campaign.

In Leeds’ squad, his six goals are only bettered by the 13 top scorer Patrick Bamford has dispatched. The 24-year-old has also racked up four assists along the way, a tally only Bamford, Raphinha and Mateusz Klich have surpassed (all five, per WhoScored).

As West Brom’s struggles continue, they will surely live to regret one of their summer decisions…

What was the word?

Back in June, the Express & Star revealed that American left-back Antonee Robinson was one of the Baggies’ top transfer targets and it was claimed that they were willing to pay his £2m release clause.

Two months later, the 23-year-old opted to join Premier League and relegation rivals Fulham in a move that appears to be costing Albion by the week.

One that got away?

West Brom not only have the worst defensive record in the top-flight but also across Europe’s five elite leagues too. Sam Allardyce’s side have leaked a whopping 52 goals from their 22 outings, some 16 more than any other Premier League side.

He’s yet to settle on his first-choice backline, which has been evident in his constant chopping and changing of the full-backs.

Dara O’Shea and Darnell Furlong keep swapping in and out on the right, whilst Big Sam clearly doesn’t trust Gibbs as Conor Townsend has come straight back in on his return from a pretty lengthy layoff.

The story may have been so much different had they landed the bargain signature of Robinson.

Fulham have also struggled, but they haven’t conceded so many goals.

Indeed since December, they have only once conceded more than two goals in one game – by comparison, under Allardyce, the Baggies have leaked five twice, four and three in four of their last five home outings.

The USMNT international has played a key part as he ranks third for overall WhoScored rating (6.97) in Scott Parker’s squad. West Brom’s best full-back has been Townsend (6.81) and then O’Shea (6.42).

Robinson contributes positively at either end of the pitch, which is why he would have been a perfect addition at the Hawthorns as they struggle to score on top of being easily bypassed.

Per WhoScored, the young left-back manages 2.2 tackles per 90 at a success rate of 72.3% as well as 1.7 interceptions per 90, proving to be a hardworking beast off the ball.

Neither Townsend (1.7 tackles, 1.5 interceptions per 90) nor Gibbs (1.7 tackles per 90) can match such returns.

Similarly, Robinson’s 1.4 key passes per 90 is over double what the Baggies duo have achieved thus far in creativity up the pitch.

Indeed, his manager at Fulham, Parker, has already been left impressed by what his new signing has offered this season, saying: “He’s done incredibly well. (He’s) a boy with a big, big heart and a boy with a fearless attitude that embraces and takes things on a daily basis, same as in the games.

“He’s got quality and ability which I think we’re all seeing. (There’s) still loads to improve and loads to learn, but he has a real work ethic about him and a mentality about him that he’s willing to do that.”

The Baggies’ fortunes wouldn’t have been instantly changed had they secured the American in the summer, but certainly, the decision from sporting director Luke Dowling to not bring him in for just £2m is looking worse and worse as each game passes by.

They should have given him everything he was after.

AND in other news, 89% duels lost: West Brom ace drops disasterclass vs Sheff Utd…

According to reports, Leeds United have cooled their interest in signing Fiorentina midfielder Erick Pulgar.

What’s the story?

Reports in recent weeks have claimed that the Chile international has been on the radar of Marcelo Bielsa’s side in this January transfer window, as they look to bring in some mid-season reinforcements in their first campaign back in the Premier League.

But now, Italian publication TuttoMercatoWeb (via Sport Witness) claim that Leeds have lost interest in signing Pulgar, at least for this January window. The report claims that moves for the 6 foot 2 ace and Udinese midfielder could potentially be revisited in the summer.

Huge mistake from Orta

After weeks of speculation about Pulgar’s potential arrival at Elland Road, it appears any move seems dead on the water for now.

And that will no go down too well with Bielsa, who’s had the familiar trouble of not having someone to really step in for Kalvin Phillips whenever needed.

Pascal Struijk has endured a difficult time at Leeds this season, being asked to fill in central defence and then in the holding midfield role too, and Pulgar’s signing would have ensured the Whites had a quality replacement in Phillips’ absence.

Speaking earlier this month, Darrent Bent spoke of just how difficult it is for someone to cover for Phillips. He said: “It is a unique role, and you think who else can they get in that position who can do the job effectively. The answer to that is no one. He’s that good of a player that it’s hard to replace him. You don’t just get players like that, it’s not that easy.”

In Pulgar, Bielsa would have had the perfect man to do the job. As well as making more than a tackle and interception a piece, he’s supremely composed on the ball, boasting an 86% pass accuracy. All of those key stats compare favourably with Phillips, who whilst he makes more than an extra tackle than Pulgar, has the exact same pass accuracy per match.

Leeds and Victor Orta will just be hoping that Phillips can stay injury free until the end of the season. At the moment, the club’s stance on Pulgar seems to be a huge blunder, and Bielsa certainly won’t be happy about it.

Meanwhile, this Leeds United ace is facing an uncertain time at Elland Road…

If you thought things couldn’t worse for Sheffield United, their defeat to Everton just about summed things up.

The Blades held proceedings at 0-0 for the vast majority of the game but let a crucial point in their bid for survival slip away late on.

With ten minutes to go, Iceland international Gylfi Sigurdsson popped up for the Toffees to seal all three points for the visitors.

It was a gut-wrenching blow that piled even further pressure on Chris Wilder and his side. Sheffield United still only have a point to their name and are seemingly fading away without a trace.

It was another tough night for the South Yorkshire side which wasn’t helped by the withdrawal of David McGoldrick in the second half. He may not have been his usual bullish self but he received very little help from George Baldock on the right-hand side.

The wing-back was impressive during his first season in the Premier League but has unfortunately seen his performance levels drop in 2020/21. This was a display that typified it, losing possession a colossal 16 times as he struggled to ever really get his foot on the ball properly.

Baldock registered a meagre pass success rate of 62% and was bullied by a rampant Ben Godfrey, someone who surpassed the Sheffield United defender on multiple occasions. In total, the Blades wing-back was beaten for pace three times so it’s no surprise to see that he completed just a solitary tackle.

To emphasise how poor the 27-year-old’s night was, he lost a hefty 69% of his duels, winning only one of eight contested on the ground. Baldock was slightly better in the air – winning three of the five duels attempted but overall, it was a disappointing outing.

It was a performance that will have left Wilder frustrated, especially having conceded such a late goal. Perhaps it’s time for Jayden Bogle to come into the side permanently?

The former Derby defender found the back of the net against Brighton and looked assured going forward on his only league appearance of the season. It’s safe to say that Baldock lacked those qualities on Boxing Day.

Time will tell how patient Wilder is.

AND in other news, EXCLUSIVE: Dean Windass drops bombshell over Chris Wilder’s Sheffield United future…

According to Fabrizio Romano, Borussia Monchengladbach are ‘one step away’ from beating Manchester United and Leeds United to the signing of Kouadio Kone from Toulouse.

What’s the word?

The Red Devils have been reportedly eyeing up a move for Kone, whose contract with Toulouse is set to expire in 2022, and it seems the French Ligue 2 side are open to offloading him for the right price in the January transfer window.

The 19-year-old has provided two goals in 34 appearances across all competitions for Patrice Garande’s side, via Transfermarkt.

Romano has subsequently revealed that Gladbach have edged in front of United in the race to sign Kone, so it is the final chance for Ed Woodward to secure his services before he is bought by the Bundesliga outfit.

Paul Pogba 2.0?

Despite having two years left on his contract, the Frenchman could be the perfect replacement for Paul Pogba for the Red Devils with an eye on the future. Toulouse are holding out for at least €15m (£13m) for the uncapped France U19 international.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer will be looking for a player who can fill the void as Pogba, ever the maverick midfielder, could well be on his way out of Old Trafford as it appears his time in the Premier League could be coming to a premature end.

Having spent the entirety of his professional career with Les Violets, a move to England would be a dramatic change of scenery for the teenager. However, we see no reason why he wouldn’t be able to adapt to the rigours of playing in the Premier League, as he has even drawn comparisons with his countryman via TuttoMercatoWeb.

Last year his agent Johan Chrétien spoke of his client’s desire to play in the Champions League. He said, as quoted by Footmercato, “Manu is part of the French top 5 (born in) 2001, and number 1 in his post. Like all the talents of his generation, it is natural that Manu is followed by the best European clubs. Manu is destined to play in the best European leagues/ Today, he is in his training club and is giving everything to progress.”

Kone has been in fine form for Toulouse this season, scoring one goal in 17 starts in the French second division, while WhoScored lists his strong concentration and ability to intercept the ball as some of his key strengths, which suggests that he should be able to hit the ground running and still has plenty of time to improve at the age of 19.

After all, he has already proven he can play at a consistent level on a regular basis at a decent level of the game.

However, with Gladbach now leading the race, Woodward will need to get his act together and move swiftly in the transfer window as the German giants close in on a deal to sign Kone from Toulouse.

AND in other news, Manchester United could find their next Nemanja Vidic in Bundesliga centre-back target…

According to Fabrizio Romano, free agent Mario Mandzukic turned down a move to Aston Villa recently.

What’s the story?

Having seen his time at Qatari side Al-Duhail come to an end, the Croatian striker has been on the look-out for a new club, and it’s now been suggested that Villa had actually offered him a route back into football.

Speaking on his Here We Go podcast, Romano said: “Mandzukic, in my opinion, is an amazing player and look at players like Mandzukic, like (Alexandre) Pato, like (Mario) Balotelli – they are free agents – it was crazy some years ago to see these kinds of players as free agents. He was so close to joining Manchester United one year ago, Mario Mandzukic.

“He had a bid from (the) Premier League, it was like three or four weeks ago, it was from Aston Villa. They were trying to sign him as a free agent and Mario Mandzukic said no. He also turned down an opportunity to join Bologna here in Italy, so it’s up to him. He wants an important project. He will have a lot of bids, but at the moment, with Aston Villa, he said no.”

Huge Champions League experience

At 34, Mandzukic may be in the twilight years of his career, but there’s no doubting that he would’ve brought a kind of experience and winning mentality that the current Villa squad just don’t have.

The Croatian has featured in World Cup and Champions League finals, and won trophies wherever he’s been at club level, and certainly has the kind of play that would have offered Dean Smith’s side a completely different option.

The 6 foot 3 powerhouse is a battering ram in the air, but also equally adept with his feet. It was no wonder that his former manager at Juventus, Massimiliano Allegri, said: “Mario is a key player. His combination of technical and physical attributes make him an extraordinary player.”

Villa of course saw arguably the best version of Christian Benteke in his time at Villa Park; a big man with an incredible leap but capable of some silky touches and flicks too.

Mandzukic is in a similar mould, but would have added a touch of proven quality and match-winning experience. They won’t shed tears of seeing him turn them down, but boy would it have been a great signing on a free transfer.