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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…

Crystal Palace match-winner Jeffrey Schlupp has revealed what Roy Hodgson told the players at half-time during Tuesday evening’s encounter against Bournemouth at Selhurst Park.

The Eagles went down to ten men after just 19 minutes following a reckless challenge from Mamadou Sakho, before Patrick van Aanholt also limped off the field – Cheikhou Kouyate moved to centre-back, while Schlupp came off the bench to cover at left-back.

Amazingly, the south Londoners managed to grab a 1-0 win thanks to Schlupp’s goal, and the Ghana international has now revealed what was said by the former England manager to inspire such a performance.

What did he say?

Schlupp told Palace TV: “I came on at left-back and we had 10 men which made it extra hard. We got in at half-time, spoke to the gaffer, he just kept us calm and said the game is definitely there to be won.

“He didn’t just want to go out there playing for a draw, he wanted us to attack when the right moments came and we did that. Luckily for the team and for me personally, it was a clinical attack.”

Admirable from Hodgson

Since replacing Frank de Boer back in 2017, the 72-year-old Hodgson has been a conservative figure in the dug-out, appearing to set his sides up in order not to lose rather than go out and get the win.

So, to hear Schlupp state that the former Liverpool manager still had the three points in mind despite facing an uphill battle against a Cherries side who had one more player than the Eagles for 71 minutes is admirable.

Hodgson’s rare show of adventure reaped the rewards, and Palace now sit fifth in the Premier League table while also registering more league wins in 2019 than Manchester United, Tottenham and Arsenal with 15.

The experienced manager is certainly doing a fantastic job at Selhurst Park without masses of cash to play around with in the transfer market, and being able to get the players to follow his messages – like they did to a tee against Bournemouth – appears to be a big part of that success.

In other news, this Crystal Palace star is picking a fantastic moment to find his best form, and it’s not Schlupp…

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…

Paris Saint-Germain are a club that are still trying to prove themselves to the world.

And despite having a total monopoly over Ligue 1 back in France, the Saints haven’t really been firing on all cylinders in Europe, specifically in the Champions League.

Even though they have eight French crowns under their belts already, their cabinet still doesn’t have a single European trophy apart from the one Cup Winners Cup from 1995/96.

But despite all of that and their club still being somewhat fresh in the conversation of the biggest teams on the planet, they still managed to attract superstars like Neymar and Kylian Mbappe to their squad.

However, N’Golo Kante recently spoke to French television channel Canal Plus (as quoted by Metro) and revealed that he turned Paris Saint-Germain down in the past due to “sporting reasons”.

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He went on to say that he likes the current project at Chelsea and that’s one of the reasons he decided to stay but it could also indicate that, despite all the money and the glamour, PSG are still lacking the type of pulling power you typically associate with an elite club.

With Neymar Junior, arguably their biggest star alongside the aforementioned Mbappe, pushing for a move away from the French capital in a soap opera that was active throughout the whole summer, there just might be something behind Kante’s words after all.

A similar thing happened with Marco Verratti, a midfielder who was also pretty close to leaving the club a couple of years back, when he received a more tempting offer from Barcelona, but he ended up staying in Paris.

Maybe the biggest statement the French giants can actually make is somehow making sure Mbappe stays put and doesn’t leave in the not so distant future, but even that looks unlikely with Real Madrid constantly on the prowl.

So despite having those superstars now and their links with great players such as Kante, it still feels like they still have trouble attracting or simply keeping them in their squad.

And that in itself could be a sign they are not yet at the level they would probably want to be.

Meanwhile, Graham Roberts has suggested a bold idea to Spurs that involves two big stars and the fans seem to be divided on the matter.

As quoted by the club’s official website, Manchester United striker Marcus Rashford has opened up on his experiences of playing for the club.

What did he say?

The England international has been a mainstay of the United side for a number of years since making his breakthrough into the first-team back in February 2016. The 22-year-old has since made 187 senior appearances, scoring 54 goals and providing a further 29 assists across all competitions.

The forward endured a bit of slump in form earlier this campaign, going through a drought of just one goal in seven Premier League games. However, he has picked up the pace in recent weeks, and netted against Brighton last weekend.

And now, the United academy product has provided an insight into the kind of pressure he has to deal with when playing for one of the biggest sides in world football.

He said: “For me, I’ve been at United for many years and the amount of friends I’ve seen come and go is huge, and it just makes you feel, as you say, privileged that you managed to get the opportunity. I just try to maintain a level head.

“You know, whether you win or you lose, if you try to keep the same sort of feeling and a level head, it tends to help you best. So I don’t like to get too down or too high. It’s a huge feeling (scoring a goal). It’s always slightly different but you always get a tremendous rush of blood. It’s always something special. It’s hard to forget those moments.”

Peaks and troughs

It’s incredibly easy to forget Rashford still only remains 22. The forward has been around for what feels like forever, and has endured some truly great moments (his momentous debut week against FC Midtjylland and Arsenal), to some less than stellar occasions (a particularly dire performance against Southampton that saw him slammed by his own fans).

His start to the current campaign has been a pretty accurate snapshot of his time at Old Trafford. The fine start to the season with a brace against Chelsea, then the aforementioned goal-drought, and now the mini-revival. But if the £72m-rated man continues to maintain a level head as he suggests himself, then he will give himself the best possible platform to make a truly legendary career at United.

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

Under the management of Mark Warburton, Queens Park Rangers have started their 2019/20 Championship campaign in strong form to emerge as contenders for the play-offs, and the performances of Nahki Wells will be giving the west London side faith that they really can return to the promised land of the Premier League.

The R’s have scored 18 goals so far in the current campaign, the joint-fourth highest of all teams in the division, and central to the club’s goalscoring record has been Wells – the Bermuda international who has scored six goals.

Wells’ goalscoring prowess, combined with Jordan Hugill’s six strikes, is propelling the club towards the realms of the play-offs, but it is Wells who is catching the eye with his clinical performances.

Whilst Wells and Hugill have both scored six league goals, Wells has done so having played just 519 minutes in the league, compared to Hugill’s 852 minutes.

The 29-year-old is also taking more shots in the box, averaging one every 34.6 minutes, while Hugill is taking a shot from inside the penalty area every 47.3 minutes in the league.

Wells is playing a hugely important role for Warburton’s side in 2019/20 – not only scoring goals but doing so at a ridiculously clinical rate, holding the best minutes-per-goal (87) of any striker in the Championship to have scored more than three goals.

If the striker is able to continue scoring at this remarkable efficiency, then the west London outfit could truly be in with a chance of returning to the English top-flight and ending a six-year absence in the process.

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 Football Insider, Noel Whelan has delivered his verdict on the injury to Liam Cooper, suggesting the defender is an irreplaceable figure in the Leeds side.

What’s he said?

Cooper limped off during the first half of Leeds’ win over West Brom last week, being replaced by Gaetano Berardi who ended up getting sent off against Millwall.

The Scot was ruled out for a period of six weeks following the encounter, putting an end to a run of matches where he’d missed just one all term.

He has effectively been an irremovable object in the side and as a result, it’s not a surprise to see his injury receive a damning verdict.

Whelan told Football Insider this week:

“Cooper is a massive loss, losing him is a huge blow to Leeds. He is not only the club captain and outstanding defender but he gives Leeds balance because he is the only left-footed centre-back at the club.

“He is irreplaceable. You are losing his height, aerial prowess and leadership, as well as the continuity of his partnership with Ben White.”

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Where does the solution lie?

It remains to be seen how Leeds go onto cope without their skipper. Initial signs didn’t bode well at The Den last time out as they succumbed to defeat.

Cooper had been part of a defence that had conceded just five times in the league prior to last weekend but they looked shaky without him.

The 28-year-old has been imperative in recent times and was even named in the PFA Team of the Year for 2018/19.

He recently earned a new deal too, placing weight on Whelan’s irreplaceable comments. Certainly, had they lost him and Pontus Jansson this summer Leeds would have been in trouble.

The issue for Marcelo Bielsa now, however, is finding someone to replace him. Berardi’s small cameo proved that he is still an unreliable figure, even if the red card was incredibly harsh, but there are other options.

The Argentine admitted last week that Olly Casey, Pascal Struijk, Kalvin Phillips and Leif Davis could all play there so it shall be intriguing to see who gets the nod after the international break.

Moving to a three-man defence could well be on the cards as well. It’s something Bielsa tried last term and has utilised on a couple of occasions in 2019/20 too.

The 64-year-old has a dilemma on his hands.

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…

As quoted by The Manchester Evening News, Ilkay Gundogan has delivered a huge warning to Liverpool over this season’s Premier League title race.

What did he say?

Manchester City edged out Jurgen Klopp’s side to the league on the final day of the season, thus retaining their status as champions from the year before. However, their start to the current campaign has been less than auspicious, and they already find themselves eight points behind the flawless Reds.

The indoor football skills in the video below have to be seen to be believed…

Despite their indifferent beginning, Gundogan has insisted Pep Guardiola’s men’s previous experience will count them in good stead over the coming weeks and months.

He said: “The situation is not a new one for us – we were seven points behind in January of last season, which is a house number, a big gap. But we play against Liverpool twice more, we have the direct duels and we can cut the gap to two points. Everything is still on.”

Battle cry

After seeing Liverpool rack up an incredible eight wins from their opening eight games, City may be forgiven for sitting back and thinking just how on earth they go about stopping this juggernaut. The answer? Just ask themselves really.

Watch Manchester City Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

As Gundogan points out, the Citizens were seven points behind the Reds heading into their clash with Klopp’s side on January 3 earlier this year. The Merseyside club had enjoyed a 20-game unbeaten start to the Premier League campaign, and Roberto Firmino’s second-half equaliser looked to clinch a huge point at the Etihad. However, Leroy Sane’s winner cut the gap to four points, and as they say, the rest is history.

Make no mistake about it, City will take inspiration from their comeback. And the Reds will be anxiously worrying about letting it slip. Gundogan’s message is a reminder that the title race is far from over.

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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…

Manchester City really do have an unfortunate knack of seeing players pick up long-term injuries don’t they? Pep Guardiola’s side have already seen Leroy Sane fall victim to an ACL injury, and now the club have confirmed Aymeric Laporte has undergone surgery on his knee after damaging his cartilage and lateral meniscus.

But perhaps Laporte’s setback may be the shot in the arm the club needs for this season. Injuries are never nice – particularly long ones – but they can often bring a team together. For all the talk about footballers these days being multi-million pound earning show-offs, they do form a family connection with their teammates. If one goes down, they all feel the pain.

Watch Manchester City Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

So, whilst City may be left ruing the Frenchman’s absence, it could have the consequence of re-energising the squad. Retaining the league has always been seen as a very difficult thing to achieve, far more so than winning it the first time. Guardiola’s men have done it back-to-back, which only increases the chances of them potentially losing their edge and desire on the third try.

Before the Citizens retained the title last season, no side had achieved that feat since Cristiano Ronaldo was tearing things up for Manchester United back in the 2008/2009 campaign. In the ultra-competitive nature of the Premier League, the proverbial target on the champions’ back has been difficult to shake off. The fact City are now looking for a three-peat means everybody and their mother will be looking to take them down.

Having lost Vincent Kompany over the summer, and now Laporte to a major injury, the chips are already down for Guardiola’s side. They have just two fully-fit centre-backs to choose from in Nicolas Otamendi and John Stones, and neither were first-team starters towards the back-end of the last campaign.

Watch how to cross the road like a boss with freestyler Ben Nuttall in the video below…

But whilst the injury could reinvigorate City’s squad as a whole, the likes of Otamendi and Stones in particular could step their own game up in a bid to silence the doubters. It’s the kind of added motivation that the Manchester side might need to sharpen their minds and re-focus on the task at hand.

So whilst it may be all doom and gloom in the immediate aftermath of the news surrounding Laporte, it could just turn out to have a very silver lining indeed. They did it last season after De Bruyne’s lengthy lay-offs, and now it could be City’s time to do it all over again for the Frenchman too.

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Milner’s teammates Andrew Robertson and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain couldn’t help but share the moment…

Classic Milner indeed.

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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…

Former Cardiff City striker Michael Chopra believes Leicester City’s Hamza Choudhury can make history by becoming the first-ever British-Asian to play for the England senior side.

What’s he said?

The young midfielder made his Foxes Premier League debut under Claude Puel in November 2017 and has only featured in short spells ever since – not playing more than nine times in any one season.

That looks as if it is changing as Brendan Rodgers clearly sees a spot for him amongst the first-team – the 21-year-old has started all three league matches as well as their Carabao Cup game against Newcastle in midweek, per Transfermarkt.

Choudhury has a mixed background of Bangladeshi and Caribbean heritage but has appeared seven times for England’s Under-21 squad in the past year, including at this summer’s European Under-21 Championships.

Chopra, who was a British-Asian Premier League player himself believes the 5 foot 10 midfielder has every chance of playing for the senior side, he said:

“If you look at the boy at Leicester, Choudhury, I think he is the only one at this moment in time who has got a chance.

“He’s playing in the Premier League as a young boy.

“Whether they are good enough to play for the England national team is another thing because there is so much competition and there are so many good young English players.

“Hopefully an Asian player will come through and play for England at some stage but we still could be talking about it taking some time.”

A realistic possibility

Choudhury has grown into Rodgers’ first-team plans by not only impressing during training and on the pitch for the Foxes, but also when he’s featured for the Young Lions.

It’s his aggression in the tackle that the Northern Irishman loves so much and when you look at who has that in the current national side only Jordan Henderson really comes to mind.

Long-term, he is unlikely to be the answer – the Liverpool midfielder has averaged 1.4 tackles per game in every Premier League season he’s played.

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It wouldn’t be a surprise to see the 21-year-old make the transition into the senior setup at some point in the future.

Not only would it earmark a cultural moment in history but it would be his just deserts for the performances he’s shown in the west Midlands and beyond.

After all, he’s already shown he can perform against the best, earning a match rating of 7.1, per WhoScored, against Chelsea last season.

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Some Tottenham fans have taken to Twitter to discuss the club’s plans to offer Japhet Tanganga a new contract.

The 20-year-old defender shone for Spurs during pre-season with some very impressive performances, which seem to have sparked the north London-based side into action in regards to tying him down for the future.

Tanganga allegedly signed a new deal back in December 2017, although Spurs have decided to move again to ensure that the impressive central defender isn’t going anywhere anytime soon.

The youngster impressed in the friendly games against Juventus, Manchester United and Real Madrid, clearly putting his name into the minds of the right people at Tottenham.

Seeing as he is a young Englishman, his value could well soar if he manages to break into the first-team and deliver some consistent performances under Mauricio Pochettino, a man who has expertly coached the likes of Luke Shaw, Dele Alli and Harry Kane during his managerial career to date – it really would be an exciting prospect if he signed the new deal.

Let’s see how the Spurs fans on Twitter reacted to the contract news…

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