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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… 

Sheffield Wednesday face a second away trip in the space of just three days as the Championship is in action again this week.

The Owls will be looking to continue their fine form under Garry Monk having picked up seven points from a possible nine with their latest result coming up at the Riverside against one of his former teams on Saturday afternoon.

The south Yorkshire club were just too much for Middlesbrough as they ran out 4-1 winners thanks to goals from Adam Clayton (own goal), Dominic Iorfa, Adam Reach and Steven Fletcher.

Boro could only muster two shots on target in the entire match, one of which was the goal, but Monk must be careful as they’ll face a more potent strikeforce on Tuesday night.

On the Chalkboard

Hull City might be languishing down in 16th position having won just two of their nine matches this season, but that doesn’t avoid the fact that two of their players have accounted for over 60% of their goals this season.

Jarrod Bowen and Kamil Grosicki have started all nine matches, scoring four goals each.

They seem to be the most likely threat to the Owls, who have kept just three clean sheets all season.

Between the two wingers, they’ve also racked up three assists as both average over one cross per match.

Their threat in front of goal is only emphasised when reading that they both have 3.4 shots per game meaning Wednesday goalkeeper Keiren Westwood could face nearly seven shots from this duo.

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Grosicki likes to cut in more and be a creative outlet as he achieves 2.2 key passes per game while Bowen tops the dribble charts with a similar number. The latter is someone who very much likes to drift inside and get a shot away too.

Both Liam Palmer and Moses Odubajo will need to be at the top of their game out wide to combat the threat on offer from these two Tigers. Perhaps showing them down the line instead of into a central area would be their best way of negating them.

If they fail to do so, Monk’s side could face a difficult evening.

Having come in for Danny Rose, Ben Davies had a rare chance to impress in the Premier League against Brighton on Saturday afternoon.

The Wales international was thrust into the spotlight against the Seagulls by Mauricio Pochettino, as the Tottenham boss looked to shake things up after the Champions League humiliation to Bayern Munich in mid-week.

Unfortunately for both Davies and Spurs however, his performance didn’t vindicate his manager’s trust. As per Sofascore, the 26-year-old lost possession 17 times (the second-most of any Tottenham player on the pitch) and was given a torrid afternoon by the Brighton front-line.

After seeing the Welshman’s display, Spurs fans flooded to Twitter to voice their thoughts about the full-back.

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Many supporters of the north London side slammed his defensive reading of the game, with one fan in particular suggesting he was “asleep as usual”.

Some Lilywhites fans insisted Davies got “absolutely owned” by the home side’s attack, whilst another supporter revealed the 26-year-old is “one of the worst players to wear the Spurs shirt”.

Check out some of the reaction of Tottenham fans below:

Ben Chilwell got the nod to start against Danny Rose against Bulgaria on Monday and it has led some Tottenham fans to say they want their club to sign him.

Many were impressed with the Leicester man’s display in Sofia, and therefore believe that bringing him to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium would be an upgrade on what they currently have.

The Telegraph reported that Spurs were “keeping tabs” on the England international, but it is believed that Leicester would hold out for a large fee – potentially around £75m – in order to let him go.

Watch Tottenham Hotspur Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

Chilwell has more than four years remaining on his current contract and with the Foxes harbouring hopes of a top-six finish, it is not difficult to envisage a hefty price being demanded for his services, particularly as Harry Maguire moved for £80m over the summer.

However, that hasn’t prevented Spurs supporters from making their feelings known, with one suggesting he’d be a “huge upgrade” on Rose, and therefore perhaps believing he’d be worth the potential fee given he is 22 years of age and with a ceiling to improve.

Here are some of the calls for the club to try and sign Chilwell.

One supporter made his feelings known on the Foxes man…

Before saying why he thinks he would be a good addition…

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…

It was a memorable night for England’s U21 side against Austria in Milton Keynes.

The Young Lions maintained their 100% record in Euro 2021 qualifying with a scintillating 5-1 victory at Stadium MK. Arsenal loanee Eddie Nketiah and Chelsea’s Callum Hudson-Odoi rightfully stole the headlines but the work of Gunners’ youngster Joe Willock may have gone unnoticed during the 90 minutes.

The 20-year-old found himself battling and scrapping for the majority of the time that he was on the field, cutting out Austria’s attacking phases and staying calm and composed when in possession.

In the video below, we look at where it all went wrong for Arsenal’s former ‘saviour’, Mesut Ozil…

Overall, his display was resolute and solid for a player that is looking to cement himself in Unai Emery’s midfield trio. His excellent passing was evident, as he accumulated a passing accuracy of 87%, with only Marc Guehi and Callum Hudson-Odoi gaining a higher percentage.

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Out of six ground duels that he participated in, he won four. On top of this, he made one successful dribble and also had two shots on target during the 75 minutes he was on the field.

This performance from Willock and the final score at the end of the game will likely instil a new lease of life into the 20-year-old.

Willock will surely look to continue to work hard and keep his head down until another opportunity comes his way for club and country.

On this evidence, the Englishman will be ready to grasp it when it arrives.

Oscar-winning actor Russell Crowe is apparently a huge Leeds United fan.Crowe is the narrator of ‘Take Us Home,’ Amazon’s latest sporting documentary retelling the Premier League promotion quest during Marcelo Bielsa’s first season in charge of Leeds. Speaking to Radio 5 Live in 2015, the New Zealand-born actor explained the origins of his love for a club based in West Yorkshire on the other side of the world.”I used to come home from sport in the afternoon, me and my brother, and watch Match of the Day. We’re talking about a period of time in Australia when we had very few TV channels.”Watch Leeds United Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

Back in 2015, in the midst of the Massimo Cellino years, which we won’t ponder on for any longer than necessary, Crowe even teased a possible takeover to help ease his side’s pain.

Unfortunately, it never materialised. Crowe has, however, kept close tabs on the club’s quest to get back into the Premier League, and has been quoted saying:

“I know when it comes to sport that it’s not necessarily about money. It’s about culture, and I have learned a lot in nine years [in charge of the Rabbitohs]. And it would give me nothing but pleasure to see that white army marching on together, getting back into the Premiership and being back where they should be.”

Former stars like Jermaine Beckford, Luciano Becchio, Tony Yeboah, Brian Deane, Danny Mills, Rod Wallace, Paul Robinson, Peter Haddock, Chris Whyte and Neil Sullivan all swarmed upon West Yorkshire on Thursday night to celebrate 100 years of the Championship side.

From Robert Snodgrass to Chris Kamara, Michael Bridges, Dominic Matteo and Lee Bowyer, others each paid homage online with their favourite memories from being at the club, too.

Sheffield Wednesday moved to third in the Championship despite not being at their best against Stoke City on Tuesday night.

The game wasn’t one for the purists with just five shots on target all match, but it certainly wasn’t aided by the stop-start nature of the first half as the visitors were forced into two early substitutions because of injuries.

Massimo Luongo scored his second goal in three matches right before half-time in what turned out to be the only goal of the game.

The 27-year-old was found by Morgan Fox with a nicely-timed long ball, and he pounced on Liam Lindsay’s error to slot past the Potters’ goalkeeper.

Garry Monk has now steered his side to 14 points from a possible 21 since taking charge at the start of September as they currently sit just three points behind league leaders West Brom.

Watch Sheffield Wednesday Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

It’s also a third clean sheet for the side with them seemingly being able to cope in the absence of skipper Tom Lees.

Fox was handed a rare start by Monk, having only featured in six Championship matches this season, and his role in the victory has drawn considerable plaudits from sections of the Hillsborough faithful.

One supporter claimed the 26-year-old shut the moaners up by playing out of his skin while another added that he was ‘as solid as a rock’ in defence.

‘Outstanding,’ ‘faultless,’ and ‘brilliant’ were just three other superlatives used to describe his performance with one even believing it was the best game he has ever had in the blue and white stripes after joining the club in January 2017.

Here’s the best of the reaction:

Loads of Arsenal fans have been reacting on social media after Gunners club photographer Stuart McFarlane shared images of Lucas Torreira crying as Granit Xhaka was booed off the pitch against Crystal Palace on Sunday.

Unai Emery decided to replace Xhaka with young forward Bukayo Saka in the 61st-minute of Arsenal’s 2-2 draw with the Eagles, as the Spaniard looked for someone who could put his side back ahead after managing to spurn a two-goal lead.

Arsenal fans reacted with joy to their captain being hooked midway through the second-half, with the jeers soon turning to boos as the Swiss midfielder strolled off the field before throwing the armband to the ground and storming off down the tunnel.

Xhaka could also be seen swearing at supporters after initially cupping his ears to their jeers, creating an uncomfortable scenario for Torreira.

The 23-year-old has rarely been seen this season, with the 21-cap Uruguay midfielder playing 202 of a possible 900 minutes of Premier League action and last starting a top-flight game against Manchester United.

Some Arsenal fans have suggested this is the reason why Torreira could be seen holding back tears as Xhaka was booed off the field on Sunday, as his teammate’s antics could signal the light at the end of the tunnel.

Other supporters have suggested Torreira should have been more concerned with how the Gunners were playing and what Sunday’s dropped points mean for their season.

A few fans have noted their displeasure with their fellow supporters, though, as no matter what Xhaka may have done, they ‘need to take a long hard look at themselves’ as the Emirates faithful were ‘toxic’.

Arsenal fans have started to turn on Unai Emery, find out who they’d rather have in charge in the video below…

Here are some of the messages shared…

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…

Being appointed captain is one of the biggest honours that can be bestowed upon a player.

Taking the armband means that you have been selected to lead your side into battle, and the skipper is often the player his teammates look up to the most. It should be the pinnacle of a career.

Watch the moment Granit Xhaka’s Arsenal career may have come to an ugly end in the video below…

For Granit Xhaka at Arsenal, though, it looks to be anything but.

The Switzerland international was only appointed as the leader of the dressing room a few weeks ago, but he’s thrown that responsibility up in the air after shouting expletives at the crowd at the Emirates Stadium when he was subbed off against Crystal Palace.

His troubles under the spotlight do not make him the only Gunners captain to have struggled, though.

In fact, history tells us that being the manager’s right-hand man in north London may be a curse.

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Ever since William Gallas was stripped of the captaincy in 2008 for saying his teammates weren’t brave enough, no skipper has had an easy ride.

There have been several reasons for the problems: Thomas Vermaelen, Mikel Arteta and Per Mertesacker all suffered damaging injuries, whilst stars such as Cesc Fabregas and Robin Van Persie left the club, to join Barcelona and Manchester United respectively.

Fabregas even revealed he’d pay to leave the Gunners when his time was running out at the club. That simply tells you all you need to know.

Meanwhile, the previous captain, Laurent Koscielny, refused to go on Arsenal’s pre-season tour before the start of this current campaign. He left his legacy in tatters following an ill-advised transfer reveal video for new side Bordeaux in France.

Long gone are the days of iconic leaders such as Patrick Vieira and Tony Adams. Now, it seems that the various men in the dug-out cannot choose the right man to lead their side.

Unai Emery has a group of captains theory, and looking at this lot, there is perhaps a method to his madness after all.

But perhaps he should take the idea even further. Instead of having one main captain and four back-ups, perhaps he should spread the responsibility across the five anyway. That way, no one man has to deal with apparent pressure of the curse. As such, they may be able to rid themselves of it once and for all.

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…

You don’t need to be a genius to realise that Southampton’s season so far has been abysmal.

Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side have won just two of their 11 Premier League games, drawing two and losing seven – the second-most amount of defeats out of any team in the top-flight this term.

They have also conceded the most amount of goals with 27 concessions in 11 games, while they have also scored just ten goals themselves – the third-least in the division.

Despite all of that, perhaps the bleakest realisation of the campaign could arrive on Saturday.

If Southampton lose to the Toffees at St Mary’s this weekend, they will be sat on the exact same number of points as they were at this stage of last season under Mark Hughes’ guidance.

After the 12th Premier League game of the 2018/19 season, the Saints sat 17th following a 1-1 draw with Watford, a game that prompted furious post-match interviews from both Hughes and Charlie Austin following a mistake from referee Simon Hooper.

This is extremely worrying for Southampton.

It just goes to prove that, even after a new managerial appointment and two marquee big-money arrivals in the form of Che Adams and Moussa Djenepo, there may be next to no actual progress from the Saints.

In last season’s instance, Hughes was sacked just two games later after a draw with Manchester United, which highlights the situation that Hasenhuttl finds himself in at St Mary’s.

To see almost no progress be made in 12 months must be pretty demoralising for the former RB Leipzig boss, his playing staff, the coaches, the owners and, most importantly, the supporters, who may feel groundhog day emotions at St Mary’s if Marco Silva’s side run out victorious this weekend.

Even if the Saints do come away with the three points, it is a sad state of affairs to see such little progress be made and sums up where the south coast outfit are right now.

Everton fans are far from happy after London Evening Standard journalist Dan Kilpatrick revealed that Son Heung-min led out the warm-up for Tottenham Hotspur instead of Harry Kane in midweek.

This gesture was a show of support for the Spurs forward after his involvement in the horror injury to Andre Gomes.

Gomes will face many months out and almost certainly will not play until next season at the very least.

Son was visibly distraught after the injury to the Everton man and the situation has clearly taken a toll on him mentally. After his goal in midweek against Red Star Belgrade, the 27-year-old was seen to bow his head and clasp his hands rather than celebrate.

However, despite his touch of sincerity, Everton fans are not happy with the Spurs man at all. One fan said, “this is getting a joke”, as another supporter sarcastically praised him for his “full recovery” from the event.

Clearly this has had an effect on Son and the last thing he will want is to upset the Everton fanbase even more.

However, it seems he is doing just that, with many of them unhappy with the amount of sympathy he is receiving.

Here’s what some of them have had to say…