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Despite signing for Celtic in September 2015 on a four-year deal, Ryan Christie really made his mark on Scottish football with his performances on loan at Aberdeen.

The 24-year-old spent the best part of two campaigns at the club, and notched up an impressive 15 goals and 18 assists in 57 appearances.

After returning to Celtic Park at the start of last season, the versatile midfielder hit the ground running, scoring 11 goals and producing nine assists for Neil Lennon’s side.

Despite his impressive form, Christie has just six international caps to his name, but in a fine cameo performance against Russia on Friday night, he really laid down a marker for featuring more for Scotland.

The 24-year-old came on for the final 28 minutes of the clash, and had one shot on target, one successful dribble and 23 touches of the ball. They may not seem like big numbers, but put into context, his Celtic teammate James Forrest managed no shots or dribbles, and had the same amount of touches – in 62 minutes of football.

After seeing Christie’s impact off the bench, Scotland fans took to Twitter to urge Steve Clarke to use him more in future games.

They hailed his ability to make a difference and insisted he should be handed a start against Belgium.

Check out some of the reaction of Celtic fans below:

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Everton lost for the second time in the Premier League this season as they went down 3-1 at Bournemouth on Sunday afternoon.

Victory for the Toffees would have seen them join second-placed Manchester City on 10 points after five matches of the 2019/20 campaign.

However, it proved to be a tough afternoon for Marco Silva’s side.

And a number of Everton fans have taken to social media to criticise the performance of Fabian Delph in the middle of the park.

The 29-year-old joined the Merseyside giants in a £9m deal from Manchester City during the summer transfer window.

Delph helped his team overcome Wolverhampton Wanderers before the international break but found it difficult to build on that performance on Sunday.

Watch one of the best freestylers in the world attempt some of football’s hardest skills with fruit in the video below…

Indeed, according to WhoScored, Delph’s passing statistics were relatively low at 81%, whilst he struggled to offer much in the final third of the field.

There was also that terrible moment for Bournemouth’s second when he deflected Ryan Fraser’s attempt into the bottom corner.

A selection of the Twitter reaction from the Everton fans can be seen below:

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This article is part of Football FanCast’s Loan Watch series, which takes a closer look at those players who are aiming to galvanise their careers away from the spotlight of their parent club.

Barcelona made a number of signings and sales in the summer, as you would expect from a club of their stature.

The team in Catalonia is constantly shifting, the cards in the deck get reshuffled and the squad changes with each passing year. And this summer, very much to the bemusement of many of Barcelona fans, one of the players who was sent out the exit door, albeit on a loan, was Rafinha Alcantara.

The Brazilian was one of Barcelona’s best performers in pre-season and in the first few La Liga fixtures of the season.

But despite his good performances, it seems that the Blaugrana actually knew what they were doing despite their fans very much thinking the exact opposite: Rafinha is too unreliable, too injury-prone and it would be too big of a risk to keep him.

And it turns out they were right.

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Just last week, Celta Vigo officially confirmed the Brazilian has suffered a new injury and will be about two weeks off due to a “grade I fibrillary rupture in the soleus of his left leg”.

Although it doesn’t seem like a serious setback, it’s still a recurring theme that should definitely be on Celta’s mind going forward.

Just to put this more into perspective, Rafinha suffered a serious setback in 2018/19 with a cruciate ligament rupture that ensured he would miss out on almost the entirety of the season; he was absent for a total of 41 games.

A similar thing happened a couple of seasons back as well, only then it was a meniscal injury that sidelined the Brazilian for 38 games. It was equally devastating. But this time, we know it’s a theme rather than an anomaly. As skilled and as talented as he might be, this poses a serious question for his future, and for both clubs.

As things currently stand, Barcelona really dodged a bullet and made the right call by loaning out the Brazilian despite another promising start to the campaign.

Fool me once, shame on me, fool me twice…

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Tottenham Hotspur will be looking to bounce back from Champions League disappointment when they face Leicester City at the King Power Stadium on Saturday lunchtime.

Spurs looked to be on course for three points against Olympiacos on Wednesday when they took an early 2-0 lead, but they were pegged back with the game eventually ending in a 2-2 draw.

That result came on the back of a performance where the north London outfit looked back to their best against Crystal Palace, running out 4-0 victors.

Here is the XI we expect Mauricio Pochettino to select in the east Midlands…

In goal, Hugo Lloris once again keeps his place while the same duo that started at the heart of the defence in Athens – Toby Alderweireld and Jan Vertonghen – also remain despite the latter being guilty of giving away a penalty.

Serge Aurier and Danny Rose were both left at home for the European clash, and we expect the duo to come straight back into the starting XI against Brendan Rodgers’ men – especially with Ben Davies and Davinson Sanchez hardly looking convincing against the Greek side.

Midfield is where things start to get interesting, and we think Pochettino will line up with a 4-2-2-2 formation rather than the 4-2-3-1 system he selected against Olympiacos, with Dele Alli, Lucas Moura and club-record buy Tanguy Ndombele dropping out of the starting XI.

The latter looked a little short of match-fitness on Wednesday, so shouldn’t be risked from the start against Leicester.

With Spurs looking vulnerable defensively, it’s time for Pochettino to give his backline that protection that the likes of Winks and Moussa Sissoko don’t effectively provide, and that means Eric Dier makes a rare start alongside the former at the King Power – he hasn’t played a single minute so far this term.

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The England international’s ability to slot into central defence also allows the full-backs to get forward, which could be a useful tactic against the Foxes.

In attack, Christian Eriksen keeps his spot and Erik Lamela returns on the opposite flank, while Son Heung-min also comes back into the XI alongside Harry Kane having been named on the substitutes’ bench in midweek.

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It was a little too close for comfort, but Tottenham got the three points they needed against Southampton on Saturday.

After a disappointing night against Colchester United in the League Cup third round in midweek, Spurs were back in action against the Saints in the Premier League at the weekend. And it all started so well when Tanguy Ndombele put his side 1-0 up.

However, they were soon down to 10 men following Serge Aurier’s dismissal for two bookable offences, and Danny Ings was then able to level things up just eight minutes later.

Fortunately, Harry Kane was on hand to restore the lead just before half-time, and that proved to be the last goal of the game.

Mauricio Pochettino spoke after the match and, after the poor week they had, his comments summed up the general feeling at the north London outfit currently. He explained:

“We have worked very hard for five years to put the club in the level that no-one expected. That is why now for some results that were not in the way people expected, we don’t give up, so we need to be strong to be stronger.”

Indeed, the former Espanyol boss can be proud of the job he has done at Tottenham. When he arrived in 2014, the club had finished sixth in the table and the best part of £109.69m had been wasted in the summer of 2013.

Since then, though, Spurs have not finished lower than fifth and have qualified for the Champions League in each of the past four seasons. They even made it to the final of that European competition last season, whilst they also made the final of the League Cup in 2015. All this has been achieved as Pochettino helped ease the side into their new 62,062 capacity stadium.

It has not been the best start to this campaign, and the result against Colchester was particularly embarrassing. However, there is plenty of quality in this Tottenham side, and they bounced back fantastically by showing grit to beat the south coast side. There has been talk recently that Pochettino could leave the club in the near future. It would be a dark day for Spurs if that were to happen.

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

Garry Monk suffered his first defeat as Sheffield Wednesday boss on Tuesday night as Hull City managed to claim a 1-0 victory at the KCOM Stadium.

Previous to that, the 40-year-old had steered his side to seven points from a possible nine, so his start to life at Hillsborough has been rather solid.

One thing against Monk is that he’s having to operate with a squad of players that were signed by his predecessors. Therefore he can’t put his own stamp on the side until at least January and even then maybe not until the summer.

In midweek, Sam Hutchinson picked up his fifth yellow card of the season, meaning he will be a guaranteed absence this weekend when they host Wigan Athletic – the 30-year-old was particularly weak in midfield, which undoubtedly contributed to their downfall.

Therefore, it could be a blessing in disguise for Wednesday as one player is set to gain from his suspension.

On the Chalkboard

Against Hull, Hutchinson recorded a poor passing success rate of 71%, which is his worst effort of the season alongside picking up a dire rating of 6.05, per WhoScored.

The defensive midfielder has just been too inconsistent in the passing game meaning several turnovers of possession surely lie in his hands as he has struggled to find a man in the blue and white stripes regularly.

Watch Sheffield Wednesday Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

Massimo Luongo replaced Hutchinson at Middlesbrough when he had to come off through injury and did a decent enough job as they won, but he’s only managed to make five substitute appearances thus far, so he could do with a run in the team.

The other midfielder in line to feature would be Kieran Lee, who has started just one game under Monk since his appointment last month.

Monk should probably side with the Australian for this fixture as in his sparse 118 minutes, he’s managed to register a passing success rate of 87.7%, which is above that of Hutchinson’s recent showing.

The 27-year-old showed his quality for Queens Park Rangers before clinching a move to south Yorkshire this summer – he has managed at least three assists per season from defensive midfield since 2015.

Their suspension, therefore, could be a blessing in disguise.

Lots of Charlton fans have taken to Twitter to wax lyrical over midfield general Darren Pratley.

The 34-year-old played a key role in the Addicks’ promotion campaign last season, scoring two goals and grabbing an assist in 27 League One appearances for the south Londoners in 2018/19.

Pratley also scored a goal of great significance in the playoffs, netting in the second leg of the semi-final tie against Doncaster as Lee Bowyer’s men progressed to Wembley via a penalty shootout – they later beat Sunderland 2-1 in the final.

The 6 foot 1 midfield general has continued to star for the club, making seven Championship starts so far this season as the Addicks sit 10th, just four points off the summit.

Pratley has averaged three clearances, 1.9 interceptions and 1.6 tackles per game this term, and is proving to be a key cog in Bowyer’s midfield.

Quite rightly, lots of Charlton fans on Twitter have been waxing lyrical over the veteran…

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

Goals. Goals. Goals. Or in Manchester United’s case, a lack of them. The Red Devils have built their entire history around swashbuckling football, and throwing the kitchen sink at the opposition. These days, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side’s attack closely resembles a domestic cat lazily pawing at a passing fly. No intent, no ambition and no creativity whatsoever.

The fact that they haven’t scored more than one goal in a game since the 4-0 thrashing of Chelsea in the opening Premier League match of the season makes for worrying reading. Marcus Rashford has been the subject of much criticism for his perceived role in their attacking demise, but that only tells half the story. Against Newcastle last weekend, the England international looked starved of service and completely isolated up top on his own, registering no shots on goal.

How much money could you make busking for a week as a freestyle footballer? Find out in the video below…

As one of the few genuine creators in the side, much would have been expected of Juan Mata. But games just appear to pass him by at the moment. What United desperately need to do however, is consider using the Spaniard in a more deeper position. Does Solskjaer really think they need both Fred and Scott McTominay in a midfield two? Talk about being defensive.

Getting Mata alongside the latter could well be the answer to getting more out of their attacking play. As per Understat, the 31-year-old has played in a central midfield 14 times over the course of his United career, and it is the position where he has the highest expected assists per 90 minutes (0.24). Allowing him to pick the ball up from the centre-backs, and immediately face forwards, rather than with his back to goal as he does in the number ten role, could make the most out of the side’s pacey attack.

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The likes of Daniel James and Marcus Rashford have the speed to get in behind opposition defences over and over again, but they simply don’t get provided with enough opportunities to do so. Currently, Mata averages just 22.6 passes per game in the Premier League – a total that is the lowest amount of any league season in his entire career as per Whoscored. It goes without saying that the 5 foot 7 man hasn’t contributed a single goal or assist this year either.

The Red Devils simply need to get more out of the play-maker, and changing up his position so he can see more of the ball may be the cure they desperately need.

Being a public figure these days means that you’re bound to be the subject of ridicule on social media from time to time.

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Most footballers have the ability to develop a thick skin to these types of things and not let it affect them, but when your own teammates are encouraging this sort of online behaviour it must be quite tough.

One Forest fan has made a parody account of Matty Cash, and one of his teammates at The City Ground has clearly found one tweet very funny.

Joe Lolley has completely rinsed Cash by retweeting a post from @ClassicCash4 that funnily mocks the 22-year-old by sharing a picture of his old bus pass.

We’re not sure where the person who runs this account got this image from, but it’s a hilarious throwback for poor old Cash.

Whether or not he sees the funny side of it is unknown, but we’re sure that he’ll get a bit of stick from Lolley in training this week.

Leeds United’s 100th birthday was filled with celebrations and tributes from former players.We saw great messages from the likes of Lee Bowyer and Noel Whelan.Watch Leeds United Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

However, not every tribute will have triggered positive emotions. Pontus Jansson’s tweet to the club will likely have given some supporters mixed feelings, and these two messages from former starlets will certainly sting…

Lewis Cook and Ronaldo Vieira were touted as the next big things during their time at Elland Road, but both players left the club prematurely.

Since then, they’ve gone on to achieve great things, as Cook has earned an England cap, and Vieira’s good form in Italy saw him linked with a move to AC Milan this summer.

Seeing these two former starlets paying tribute to the Yorkshire club will certainly have a number of United supporters thinking: “What if?”

Nevertheless, it’s good to see these players still have a strong affinity for their former club.