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Leeds United will be looking to bounce back from Monday night’s embarrassment this weekend as they head to south-west London to face Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park.

Marcelo Bielsa’s side sit in a very respectable 12th place in what is their first top-flight campaign in over 16 years.

Some of their performances have been wholly impressive, shocking Liverpool on the opening day – even despite losing – and drawing to Manchester City too.

Although, their 4-1 thrashing by Leicester City shows they are far from the complete article under the obsessed Argentinian tactician.

He has plenty to consider going into Saturday’s game – will anyone be dropped as a consequence of the shocking defeat? can anyone return to the starting XI?

Perhaps the biggest call will be surrounding his veteran playmaker Pablo Hernandez, who was visibly furious with his early withdrawal at Elland Road earlier this week.

The TV cameras spotted him throwing his armband into the empty stands, muttering something to himself before kicking a loose water bottle, all behind Bielsa’s back with his manager intensely focused on the match.

It’s not the first time it has happened either, think back to the Barnsley win.

According to The Athletic’s Phil Hay, United will still be without Rodrigo, which means the long-serving Spaniard is in line to start once again.

But he shouldn’t.

Hernandez has struggled in the Premier League thus far and at 35, he’s no spring chicken. In fact, he has completed the full 90 just once since the first UK lockdown but that didn’t stop him from playing like a “demon” in the eyes of Hay.

The man, who has registered at least eight assists for the Yorkshire giants in each of his last four campaigns, is yet to manage a single ‘big chance created’ in the top-flight.

On his day, the £23.5k-per-week star is the beating metronome of this Leeds side – an unplayable and supremely intelligent creator, or as Darren Bent told Sky Sports (via HITC), he offers the “X factor” and “something special.”

But those have been far and few between at this level.

It is Rodrigo who has proven to be the more creative outlet, managing one key pass and 2.2 shots per game, numbers vastly above that of Hernandez, as per WhoScored.

Whether it’s Tyler Roberts, Ian Poveda or one of the other wingers playing centrally, Bielsa ought to axe Hernandez for the Palace game.

AND in other news, Leeds academy reject has thrived since Ken Bates rejection…

Leeds struggled down in London on Saturday, with their loss meaning they have now registered back-to-back 4-1 defeats. Crystal Palace were the latest side to hit them for four goals, following an identical scenario at Elland Road last Monday.

With an international break coming up, Marcelo Bielsa will be using his time wisely to see where he can change his team to get back into winning form. The Whites look a shadow of the side who put Liverpool to the sword in their season opener and held Manchester City to a 1-1 draw.

Whilst in-form Patrick Bamford was able to find a consolation goal, it wasn’t enough on the day. Another man who put in a solid shift was the midfielder who supplied the assist for Leeds’ only goal of the game.

Mateusz Klich impressed against Palace

In a match of very few positives, Bielsa will be pleased with the performance put in by Klich. The Poland international played in a more advanced midfield role and it paid off with an assist.

According to Sofascore, the 30-year-old also made an impressive four key passes and contributed three tackles and completed seven of his eight (87%) attempted long balls. Klich boasts the ability to play in many midfield positions

His performance now puts him on two goals and three assists for the season so far (via Transfermarkt). The £7,700 per-week ace continues to show his impressive balance between attacking and defensive contributions. This hasn’t gone unnoticed by Bielsa either, who recently applauded him and said he “cannot do better” in his performances.

Arsenal await the Whites after international break, which will be a tough match to face at Elland Road. The manager may be ready to make some sacrifices and try a few wild cards, but Klich’s position in the team is all but nailed-on.

In other news, Stuart Dallas dropped clanger against Crystal Palace in another hefty Leeds loss…

Plenty of Liverpool fans were outraged after reports suggested that FIFA are set to pay the Reds £2m in compensation due to Joe Gomez’s injury.

The 23-year-old was ruled out for a significant part of the campaign after picking up a knee injury with England while preparing for their friendly match against Ireland.

Gomez joined his colossal teammate Virgil van Dijk, who recently had surgery on a similar setback and is unlikely to feature again this season, on the Reds’ injury list.

FIFA will now pay Liverpool to cover the Englishman’s wages, which are understood to be £80k-a-week for 25 weeks, which indicates that Gomez could be out for as long as six months, according to the Daily Mail.

With this in mind, some supporters took it upon themselves to blast the ruling, making the point that such a price is nothing in the world of football and does not really assist the Reds in.

Fans not impressed with Gomez decision

In other news, Liverpool fans gush as highly-rated defender tops Anfield wanted list.

After securing a place in the Champions League knockout stages in midweek with a win against Olympiakos, Manchester City return to Premier League action on Saturday afternoon, as they face Burnley at the Etihad.

A goal from Phil Foden proved to be the difference in Greece but with Kevin De Bruyne set to return to the starting eleven after not travelling in midweek, the English midfielder may miss out against Sean Dyche’s side.

The Clarets secured their first win of the Premier League season last time out with a 1-0 triumph against Crystal Palace so will be buoyed ahead of their trip to Manchester, and they certainly won’t make it easy for the Citizens.

Here’s how Football FanCast expects Guardiola to line up his side against Burnley, with the Spaniard making four changes…

Ederson unsurprisingly keeps his place in goal, whilst Kyle Walker will also more than likely return to the starting 11 after he also didn’t travel in midweek.

Despite an impressive display from John Stones, Aymeric Laporte will probably return at centre-back to continue his recent strong partnership with Ruben Dias.

Although it was a decent returning game from Benjamin Mendy after his latest injury, Joao Cancelo will probably switch back to left-back for the game against Burnley.

There’s one change in midfield as De Bruyne replaces Foden, as although the 20-year-old was extremely impressive against Olympiakos, the game against Burnley will be much more of a physical battle in midfield, so he may be the one axed in place of De Bruyne.

However, he could still make an impact from the bench, as he did earlier in the season against West Ham, which led to Joe Cole praising him following the game, with the pundit saying:

“You can see he’s got a hunger to score and it was an outstanding goal.

“He looked like the best player when he came on the pitch. You look at the amount of money spent on some of the players out there and that’s a young Englishman.

“He’s an outstanding talent and after today Pep (Guardiola) will look at him with a different light because he changed the game.” (per Daily Mail)

Meanwhile, Ferran Torres should return to the starting line-up on the right-hand side, in place of the out-of-form Bernardo Silva, whilst Raheem Sterling and Gabriel Jesus will more than likely complete the attack, although they will want to put their missed chances in midweek behind them.

Guardiola’s side are in desperate need of three points, as they currently sit 14th in the Premier League table, so nothing but maximum points from this game will be acceptable if they have title aspirations for this season.

And, in other news… Manchester City must complete signing of £63m-rated “complete” striker loved by Messi

Leeds United were pipped to the post last night in their latest Premier League clash against West Ham. Following a foul on Patrick Bamford in the box, Mateusz Klich coolly converted from the spot to give the Whites an early lead.

However, the Irons managed to overthrow their opener with a goal in each half to snatch the win. David Moyes and his men will be thrilled with the three points, but for the Whites, they face a big challenge going into their clash with Newcastle next.

Despite the loss, Marcelo Bielsa can take away some positives from the game, with one being the fact Luke Ayling seriously stepped up to the plate amid the team’s recent flurry of injuries.

Luke Ayling’s stats vs West Ham

The Argentinian manager is currently without Robin Koch and Diego Llorente, who have both suffered injuries respectively. In their absence, Ayling was deployed in the heart of defence and he was arguably his side’s best player against West Ham.

According to Sofascore, the natural right-back contributed three blocks, four interceptions and two tackles, along with completing 100% of his attempted ground duels. Ayling was also successful in all of his dribbles and had one shot on target.

He has now featured at centre-back on four occasions this season, showing Bielsa that he can adapt easily when called upon. Koch will be out of action for up to three months following knee surgery, which means Ayling could be required to feature alongside Liam Cooper for more fixtures to come.

Bielsa will take extreme comfort knowing that his defence hasn’t been completely torn apart and they will hope for a more positive result against Newcastle next time out.

In other news, Exclusive: Leeds tipped to make January move amid Patrick Bamford worry…

Leeds have had a topsy-turvy season but they have the opportunity to get it back on track next month.

Why’s that? Well, the January transfer window is opening in just a matter of days.

What’s the word?

The vibe from Leeds is that they are unlikely to do any business in January. After the debacle surrounding Jean-Kevin Augustin this year it’s hardly surprising.

As such, Victor Orta is busy preparing his targets for next summer. The Sun revealed who one of them could be over the weekend as they suggested Leeds were keeping tabs on a goalkeeper in the Premier League.

That happens to be West Brom stopper Sam Johnstone, someone who is also attracting the eyes of Brighton.

The Baggies ‘keeper is valued at £5.8m according to Transfermarkt and earns a wage of £28k-per-week.

Avoid this deal

It’s hard to deny just how good Johnstone has been for West Brom this term. He’s made the most saves in the entire Premier League and was near impeccable against both Manchester City and Liverpool.

The Englishman recorded seven stops in their draw with the Citizens and is very quickly proving himself to be one of the stand out players in his position in the division.

Speaking this week, his manager Sam Allardyce stated: “He’s one of the best. I think that’s pleasing to see as he’s one of the two most important people in your team.”

The hard-working goalkeeper is highly-rated in various circles, including Steve Bruce when he was at Aston Villa. “He’s a diamond – first in, last out. He’s a typical goalkeeper who wants to learn,” he commented.

Despite that, Johnstone wouldn’t be a very good fit for Leeds. The fact of the matter is that the Whites don’t need to spend any money on a first-team goalkeeper.

Although Kiko Casilla is likely to leave when his contract expires, Illan Meslier has proven himself to be a valuable component of Bielsa’s team. He made eight saves against Manchester United and was also impressive against Burnley, coming up big for his team with a succession of high claims and punches late on.

In this situation, Leeds would merely be throwing money away. Johnstone is good, but Meslier has immense potential. He needs to be depended on, not given further competition.

AND in other news, Forget Traore: Leeds must swoop for “explosive” outcast who BULLIED Alioski this year…

In recent comments made on Twitter, Italian journalist Nicolo Schira has claimed that Tottenham Hotspur have offered RB Leipzig midfielder Marcel Sabitzer a five-year contract.

According to Schira, Sabitzer is the ‘first-choice’ midfielder for Tottenham in the January transfer window and the 26-year-old ‘wants to make the move to London’.

Schira continues by stating that Tottenham ‘have offered’ the £31.5 million-rated man a ‘contract until 2025’ and that the Spurs chairman, Daniel Levy, will ‘open talks’ with Leipzig regarding a transfer fee for the Austria international.

Tottenham have been heavily linked with a January move for Sabitzer, who has scored 46 goals and provided 38 assists over his 204 appearances for Julian Nagelsmann’s side, and now, if Schira is to be believed, it would appear that the club have moved one step closer to landing the 26-year-old in the winter window.

Transfer Tavern Take

Considering Sabitzer’s importance to the Leipzig side – the midfielder is the Bundesliga side’s club captain – as well as his current market valuation, it is not difficult to imagine that any deal for the 26-year-old would be an expensive one to complete in the January transfer window.

However, with Spurs struggling for goals from anyone other than Harry Kane or Heung-min Son in the Premier League this season, perhaps the injection of a midfielder with the goal record of Sabitzer could be worth the price for Jose Mourinho’s side.

In other Spurs news, Tottenham have received a boost in their pursuit of this ‘dream’ signing, find out more here!

Arsenal could land a perfect midfield partner for Thomas Partey by signing Brighton star Yves Bissouma.

What’s the story?

Mikel Arteta’s side have just begun to hit a bit of form in the Premier League as of late, racking up three consecutive wins and climbing up the table.

However, that hasn’t stopped them from being linked with bringing in reinforcements in this January transfer window, with Football.London claiming that Bissouma is someone who Arsenal are “bearing in mind”.

The report adds that the £11.7m-rated ace is “open” to the idea of moving to north London if the opportunity arose.

Imagine him and Partey

Described as “very skilful”, Bissouma could create a formidable midfield partnership alongside Arsenal’s summer signing Thomas Partey.

The latter has struggled with injuries this season, but when he has taken to the field – like his man of the match display against Manchester United at Old Trafford for instance – he has invariably shown why the Gunners spent big money to sign him.

But rather than holding him back as just an anchor man to protect the defence, Arteta could really see him develop into a Premier League great by having someone like Bissouma alongside him.

His teammate at Brighton, Dale Stephens, said: “He’s got the ability of perhaps a winger playing in central midfield with the way he can go past players. His feet are incredible and I’m sure he’s going to get better and better. He’s got everything you need to be a top player.”

Bissouma can protect the back-four and use his quick feet to escape trouble, before finding Partey to drive Arsenal forward in the engine room.

Southampton striker Daniel N’Lundulu has been linked with a move to La Liga side Real Betis recently but the Southampton board should ensure that he is still with the club at the end of the month.

What’s the word?

French news outlet Foot Mercato have claimed that Real Betis are interested in signing the 21-year-old and that they could make an approach for him this month.

The Saints academy ace has been on the fringes of Ralph Hasenhuttl’s squad this season after impressing with David Horseman’s B team.

Semmens must stand firm:

So far this season, N’Lundulu has made six appearances in the Premier League, all of which have come from the bench. The youngster also has five goals and one assist in just seven appearances for the B team, which certainly suggests he is ready to play with the senior side.

The form of Danny Ings and Che Adams so far this season has perhaps limited the youngster’s appearances for Hasenhuttl’s side but it certainly looks as if he has a bright future with the South Coast club, so it would be foolish to let him go to Betis.

N’Lundulu earned the praise of Hasenhuttl along with the other under-23 players that are pushing for a spot in the first-team, saying:

“He’s a type of striker we don’t have in our side so far. He gives us physical options, can keep the ball very well.

“He’s also learned to work hard in front. This was something our youth have to learn and in the past month, we were working a lot with the under-23s and with these teams.

“They are more and more adapted to what we are doing here in the first team and it is nice to see when they are coming out, they are now on a different level.”

With Moussa Djenepo and Nathan Redmond both currently sidelined, we might see Theo Walcott on the wing more often in Southampton’s upcoming fixtures, which could, in turn, allow the likes of N’Lundulu to be given more of a chance up front.

Certainly, the 21-year-old’s record with the B team, where he has 12 goals and three assists in 29 appearances, suggests that he has an eye for goal and a future in Hasenhuttl’s side, so Martin Semmens and the rest of the Southampton board should not even consider negotiating with Real Betis in January, should they make an official approach.

And, in other news… Worse than Tella: Southampton must axe “exciting prospect” amid manager update

Liverpool face Manchester United for the second time in a week on Sunday, as they travel to Old Trafford to face the Red Devils in the fourth round of the FA Cup.

The third-round win against Aston Villa’s youngsters remains Liverpool’s only win of 2021 so far, with Jurgen Klopp’s side having been far from good enough in recent top-flight fixtures, which has seen them drop off the top of the Premier League table.

Thursday’s home defeat against Burnley, which brought an end to the Reds’ impressive undefeated record at Anfield, was perhaps the clearest example that Liverpool are not the force they were last season, and they will have to perform significantly better on Sunday if they want to beat Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side.

Here’s how Football FanCast expects Klopp’s side to line up against Manchester United, with four changes from the side that started against Burnley…

Alisson unsurprisingly keeps his place in goal, and he will be hoping for a similarly impressive performance against United this time out.

There is one change in defence, as Klopp rests Trent Alexander-Arnold after some woeful recent displays, with Neco Williams given the opportunity to impress.

With Jordan Henderson reportedly unlikely to feature, Thiago starts in the defensive-midfield role once again, with Curtis Jones coming in for Xherdan Shaqiri in midfield, despite the Swiss international being one of the better performers in recent games.

In attack, there are two changes, as both Divock Origi and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, who earns £120k per week at Anfield, drop to the bench after poor performances against Burnley.

Mohamed Salah and Roberto Firmino replace them to start at Old Trafford, and Klopp will be desperate for his front three to rediscover their goalscoring touch against Liverpool’s old rivals.

And, in other news… “Of course he would” – Exclusive: Pundit suggests PL beast would join LFC