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Even despite going 1-0 up thanks to a Luke Shaw own goal, it never really looked like Newcastle were going to come away with all three points against Manchester United on Saturday night.

Steve Bruce’s side got off to the perfect possible start as Shaw turned the ball inside his own net within two minutes, but even with that early shot in the arm, the Magpies didn’t seem interested in getting out of second gear.

Bearing in mind that this was the same United team that got demolished 6-1 at home to Tottenham, and it was incredibly disappointing to see Newcastle not being willing to throw any significant punches on a surely wounded Red Devils.

Instead, they were incredibly passive throughout, and the fact Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side took an incredible four times as many shots as them – 28 to 7 – just underlined how frustrating the Magpies were.

But whilst they surrendered a point thanks to a late flurry of goals from United in the final few minutes of the game, Bruce effectively lost complete control of the match with his reluctance to make game-changing substitutions earlier than he should have.

It took until the 73rd minute for Ryan Fraser to be introduced into the attack for a hapless Joelinton, even despite the Scotland international being his country’s match-winning hero in midweek against Czech Republic.

The club’s summer signing would have been on cloud nine following his goal-scoring display, and Bruce could really have tapped into the momentum that he would have built.

And if that wasn’t bad enough in itself, Bruce waited another 15 minutes to bring on Miguel Almiron, having seen Bruno Fernandes give United the lead.

The Paraguayan’s goal-scoring record for Newcastle leaves a lot to be desired – he’s managed just nine goals in 59 games – but his pace and energy would have offered the Magpies a much-needed counter attacking threat.

Instead, Bruce’s in-game management reflected the Tyneside club’s performance: passive, weak and ultimately far too little, and far too late.

Despite not coming away with any points from their Premier League clash against Arsenal on Saturday, West Ham can take an awful lot of positives from it.

David Moyes’ switch to a back-three almost brought home an improbable win at the Emirates, with Eddie Nketiah’s late strike ensuring the Hammers couldn’t manage a point, let alone all three.

On Tuesday night, West Ham return to Carabao Cup action, with a home clash against Hull City. And just like the second round versus Charlton, Moyes is likely to ring the changes for the contest, with a number of fringe players getting the opportunity to impress once more.

And with that in mind, below is a look at how the Hammers could line up.

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Whilst West Ham looked far more defensively solid against Arsenal with a back-three – they conceded just seven shots on goal in the entire game – Moyes may revert back to type against Hull.

So in front of number two goalkeeper Darren Randolph, the likes of Ben Johnson, Fabian Balbuena, Issa Diop and Arthur Masuaku may make up a traditional back-four.

And after some fans were frustrated at Moyes’ decision to leave out Josh Cullen against the Gunners on Saturday, the youngster will surely be straight back into the starting line-up. Alongside him, the £100k-a-week earning Jack Wilshere may finally get a run out after his recovery from injury, and a potential 45 to 60 minutes worth of action in the Carabao Cup a good way to ease him back.

Up front, Sebastien Haller will hope to continue his goal-scoring from the last round of the competition when he netted twice, with the likes of Andriy Yarmolenko, Manuel Lanzini and Felipe Anderson offering support.

Predicted XI: Randolph; Johnson, Balbuena, Diop, Masuaku; Cullen, Wilshere, Yarmolenko, Lanzini, Anderson; Haller.

Aston Villa striker Mbwana Samatta is set to be the subject of a loan offer from Turkish side Fenerbahce, according to a report from A Spor.

Villa boss Dean Smith saw the likes of Keinan Davis, Wesley and Samatta struggle for consistent form last season and the latter is now being linked with a move away from the club.

Despite arriving in January for £9.45m, Samatta’s future with the Claret and Blue side now looks bleak with the Midlands club opting to bring in Ollie Watkins from Brentford.

Watkins netted an impressiveÂ26 goals in the Championship last term for Brentford and the youngster will be expected to start ahead of the aforementioned trio.

To add to Watkins’ arrival, Villa are also now being linked with Lyon striker Bertrand Traore, with a latest report claiming that talks are underway over a £19m transfer.

Reacting to the potential exit for Samatta this summer, fans were pretty split. Some were happy to see the back of the £8.55m-valued man given he has only scored twice in 16 appearances for the club, whilst others were keen to give him another chance having only joined in January…

Do you think Samatta should leave Villa on loan? Let us know in the comments section below…

When Wolverhampton Wanderers played Arsenal in the Premier League at Molineux last term, the West Midlands team ran out rather comfortable 3-1 winners, thanks to three goals in the first half from Ruben Neves, Matt Doherty and Diogo Jota before Sokratis netted a consolation in the second period (as per Sky Sports).

The latter produced a man-of-the-match display and he will surely be a key man again if Nuno Espirito Santo’s side are to repeat the trick and beat the Gunners, who were managed by Unai Emery back then, with Mikel Arteta now in charge.

The Spanish boss is likely to stick with the 3-4-3 system that worked so well for him in their 4-0 home thrashing of Daniel Farke’s Norwich City at the Emirates Stadium, meaning that Nuno could match him with the same formation, with Jota playing on the left wing.

This could spell trouble on the right-hand side for the Gooners if Hector Bellerin resumes his place at right wing-back. The 25-year old has been dribbled past 1.4 times on average per game in the Premier League so far in the 2019/20 season and only wins 3.4 duels a match compared to Jota’s 5.8, according to Sofascore.

The Portuguese international also averages 2.1 successful dribbles per league game and so could use this ability to win the battle against Bellerin in the match.

Shkodran Mustafi also played on the right-hand side of the three central defenders against the Canaries but had to come off injured, meaning that a new centre-back may be thrown straight into the deep end, as Jota could be sent to pounce on that side of Arsenal’s defence.

The 23-year old seems like he could be a key man again for Wolves if they are to repeat their 2018/19 triumph over Arsenal tomorrow.

Wolves fans, will Jota be a key man against Arsenal? Comment below with your views!

Liverpool will be hoping to build on their 2-0 win against Aston Villa and completely bury their previous away loss to Manchester City.

The Reds, who have already been crowned Premier League champions, got back to winning ways after their victory against a struggling Villa side on Sunday. Jurgen Klopp and his men will now gear up to for their next fixture, a trip to the Amex Stadium to face Brighton and Hove Albion.

Since Liverpool clinched the title, a few players haven’t been performing at their usual standards, which could suggest that a switch-up is on the cards for the starting XI that Klopp picks to face the Seagulls.

Transfer Tavern have predicted how the champions might set up this evening…

The team may welcome back Roberto Firmino after he was benched in favour of Divock Origi against Villa. However, the Belgian struggled to make much of an impact, failing to record a single shot, so it could be a good time to reunite the usual front three and push for maximum points.

Sadio Mane bagged himself a goal so there’s no reason why he should be dropped and Mohamed Salah is chasing this season’s Golden Boot. After Jamie Vardy’s brace against Crystal Palace, the Egyptian find himself playing catch-up on the Leicester man in the scoring charts.

Liverpool’s midfield continues to be a conundrum but Jordan Henderson should start in order to assert some structure. Naby Keita had a great game last time out, providing an assist and making two key passes, and deserves to keep his spot, with Fabinho also featuring again in order to anchor the midfield.

The back four will likely see a change or two and, in this case, it could be the two full-backs, who between them lost possession 45 times against Aston Villa (via Sofascore). For Premier League champions, that is far too high of a statistic. Trent Alexander-Arnold could drop to the bench for some overdue rest whilst Neco Williams, a substitute in the last three games, earns a spot in the starting lineup.

Andy Robertson hasn’t looked himself in the past two games, earning a woeful rating of 5.9 against Manchester City. James Milner didn’t feature on the bench on Sunday as he continues his recovery from a thigh injury so it could be a big opportunity for young left-back Yasser Larouci to step up for what would be his Premier League debut.

How do you think the Reds will set up against Brighton? Join the discussion in the comments below!

The 2020/21 Premier League season is due to start just six weeks after the end of the previous campaign, thanks to the delay caused by the global coronavirus pandemic.

The Premier League has revealed that the new season will start on Saturday, September 12 – fixtures are yet to be released.

It will be the 29th Premier League season since its inception in 1992 and 2020/2021 was initially scheduled to begin on August 8.

However, with the Champions League and Europa League also delayed, the likes of Manchester United, Manchester City, Wolves and Chelsea might be handed an extended break before beginning their new league seasons, but only if they progress to the latter stages of their respective European competitions.

Liverpool, who won their first league title in 30 years in 2019/2020, will be bidding to defend their crown but the likes of Manchester City, Chelsea and Manchester United are all expected to strengthen in the transfer window, which might make the title race a bit more competitive in the coming years.

And all eyes will, of course, be on Leeds United as they appear in the top-flight for the first time since 2004.

Elsewhere, West Ham, Aston Villa, Southampton and Everton will no doubt be planning for a much more consistent and successful campaign after struggling for large parts of 2019/20.

When does the 2020/21 Premier League season finish?

The end of the 2020/2021 season might cause some issues to England’s preparations for the re-scheduled European Championships next summer, with the top-flight scheduled to finish on Sunday May 23, 2021. 

This is just 19 days before the beginning of the international tournament, which doesn’t give Gareth Southgate much time to get his England players fully prepared.

Who was promoted and who was relegated?

Leeds United won the Championship to secure their place in the Premier League for the first time in 16 years, while West Brom finished second to win automatic promotion.

Brentford have booked their place in the play-off final at Wembley and will battle it out with either Fulham or Cardiff for that final promotion place.

In the Premier League, Norwich City, Bournemouth and Watford were all relegated after disappointing seasons.

Manchester United are reportedly in the market for 23-year-old Donny van de Beek from Ajax this summer.

According to a report from Voetbal International (via Sport Witness), Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is interested in bringing the midfielder to Old Trafford and the club are ‘preparing an offer’ for him.

The report claims that, despite no official moves being made as of yet, negotiations with United are likely to ‘start soon’.

Real Madrid are also reportedly interested in snapping up the Netherlands international but the Red Devils are confident they can beat the La Liga side to his signature. However, Los Blancos have already offered €50m (£44.6m) for Van de Beek.

The attacking midfielder’s performances this season warrant such intense interest from big clubs. He has tallied eight goals and six assists in the Eredivisie this term and 10 goals and 11 assists overall (via Transfermarkt).

United have struggled this season but are on the rise and will be pushing for a spot in the Champions League once the campaign resumes this month. The addition of a clinical midfielder could be what the Reds need to continue their positive run of form into next season.

Man United’s issues with Paul Pogba are ongoing, with former Liverpool player Danny Murphy claiming the club cannot afford to play both the Frenchman and Bruno Fernandes (via Express). Reports linking Pogba away from Old Trafford have been circulating but the current financial climate has put a lot of big money moves on hold.

If the club decide to put an official bid in for Van de Beek, United could be looking at their solution to the inconsistent Pogba, who has barely featured this season. Whether the France international leaves this summer or not, he could end up being completely cast aside in favour of the Ajax man.

Van de Beek has notched up an impressive senior career total of 41 goals and 34 assists during his time in his home country and now could be the time to search for pastures new. Man United is certainly an eye-catching team and, as a player who is still young, he will have plenty of room to grow and showcase his ability in arguably the biggest league in the world.

What’s your take, United fans? Should the club sign Donny van de Beek this summer? Join the conversation in the comments below!

Leeds United’s promotion push has been put on hold for several months now with no real sign over whether or not the Championship will even resume to conclude the season, but left-back Barry Douglas has put a smile on the faces of some supporters this week after footage emerged on social media.

Marcelo Bielsa’s squad were one of the last teams to put an end to training when the pandemic first hit the country, and whilst they are no doubt being put under the Argentine’s strict fitness regimes, they are still clearly enjoying time with their families.

Can you get full marks on the Ultimate Leeds Quiz? Test your knowledge below…

Douglas is a player who fans have rarely seen this campaign – he’s featured in just 13 matches for a total of 615 minutes this campaign, via Transfermarkt.

Earlier this year, Football Insider reported that the 30-year-old could be let go this summer with the club looking to move on from him after slipping down the pecking order at left-back.

Here’s how fans have been reacting to the footage on Twitter…

AND in other news, Leeds fans torn over ex-star Samuel Saiz…

Everton fans have reacted to a surprising statistic that shows the club ranks fifth in the list of teams who have faced the least number of shots across Europe’s top five leagues.The statistic provided by David Hughes, who collects date for Opta, reveals that Bayer Leverkusen, Getafe, Real Madrid and Manchester City are the only clubs to have faced a lower number of shots this season.

Indeed, the Premier League champions are the only English team above Everton in the ranking, with Chelsea just behind Everton on 95.

The graphic shows that Marco Silva’s side have faced 94 shots this season, which is surprising considering their goals conceded and position in the table.

Silva’s men have let in 18 goals in 12 league games so far – only five Premier League teams have conceded more.

Everton also sit 15th, just six points above the drop zone, which makes this statistic all the more surprising.

Many of the Toffees supporters have now pointed fingers at Jordan Pickford for letting so many in, as other fans touched on their awful defence from set pieces.

Another follower also pointed to the fact they have had an easy run so far, hence the lack of threat on goal.

Here’s how some of the Everton faithful have reacted…

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…

Aston Villa will be looking to get their Premier League campaign back on track this Saturday after a disappointing performance last time out against Wolves, but despite the defeat against Nuno Espirito Santo’s side, the display from one of Dean Smith’s debutants could be giving the Villa boss a selection dilemma ahead of the clash against Newcastle.

Bjorn Engels was absent from the match-day squad for the encounter at Molineux, and making his first Premier League start, £12m summer signing Ezri Konsa stepped in at centre-back to put in an assured display against the club’s West Midlands rivals.

The 22-year-old’s passing success rate of 81.8% was only bettered by Tyrone Mings from Villa’s defensive quartet, whilst the former Brentford man also provided one key pass. 

This profile of defender – capable on the ball and able to contribute in linking up play – will be vital in Saturday’s game against Newcastle, particularly at home against a side from the bottom half of the table. Smith must look to play attacking, purposeful football in a bid to break down what will be a resilient team under the management Steve Bruce – Newcastle’s counter-attacking game-plan is evident from the fact they’ve averaged the least possession of any Premier League side this season.

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Although Engels’ has been a consistent member of the starting XI since arriving in the summer, making 11 league starts, Smith must consider whether Konsa’s performance against Wolves merits a second successive league start. While the old adage demands consistency at the back, experimenting with these defensive combinations could be crucial to the club retaining their top-flight status.

Konsa has shown his calm nature on the ball in both his league debut as well as in the Carabao Cup – where he scored in the 6-1 routing of Crewe – and giving the summer signing a chance to impress against Newcastle could be a shrewd move to break down a resilient, compact team who will be looking to hurt Villa on the break.