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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 Charlton manager Chris Powell has become the latest person to raise doubts over Joe Aribo’s move to Rangers.

What’s the word?

Aribo’s position as a free agent this summer meant he was always going to have plenty of clubs clamouring for his services.

A young midfielder with great feet and 15 goal involvements in his final season for the Addicks, all available on a free signing, Rangers beat out competition from the Championship to land the 23 year-old.

Powell though, believes Aribo should have joined Brentford, as he told The Daily Star: “I’m led to believe Brentford were quite keen and you look at their set-up, how they develop players and move them on. I’m quite surprised he’s gone to Scotland.”

While he did say he could see the reasons for moving to Ibrox, namely playing under Steven Gerrard and competing in Europe, he continued: “I’m surprised he’s done it and I wanted him to stay at Charlton if I’m honest.”

Enough is enough

Powell joins Charlton boss Lee Bowyer in being surprised by the move, as Aribo’s former mentor said Ibrox is “not the right place” for him to further his career.

Powell himself has also commented on the move previously, saying back in July that a move to Rangers is the “wrong option”.

This begs the question, just how good is Aribo?

To have two of his former club’s managers basically complaining that he didn’t stay in England, they must truly believe he is something special.

That said, the likes of potential Ballon D’Or contender Virgil van Dijk, legendary England international Paul Gascoigne and Euro 1992 champion Brian Laudrup have all plied their trade in Scotland over the years, as well as countless others, so to act like Aribo is suddenly going to amount to nothing because he’s moved north of the border is beyond ridiculous.

Aribo has quick feet and a good mind for the game, and under the legendary Gerrard he will only get better, so what exactly is the problem?

At 23 he has loads of time to develop and perhaps even return to what they clearly deem to be a superior league, but the constant digs and questions from those associated with his former club are becoming slightly bizarre, and hopefully the young man can do all his talking on the pitch.

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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…

Speaking on BBC Radio 5 Live’s Football Daily podcast, Manchester City star Bernardo Silva has tipped teammate Phil Foden to become one of the “best midfielders in the world”.

What did he say?

Foden enjoyed a breakthrough campaign under Pep Guardiola last season, registering a total of 26 appearances across all competitions and scoring seven goals.

Now, his City teammate Silva has revealed he thinks the 19-year-old is destined to get to the very top of the game, and backed him to do it soon.

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He said: “It’s good not to put too much pressure on Phil Foden. He was born in the 2000s, and he is six years younger than me, but he is a huge talent. If he keeps working as hard as he does and his mentality is good, he will be one of the best midfielders in the world in one or two years.

“To go from the second team to the first is a huge step. Sooner or later, he will be one of the best.”

Special talent

First it was Guardiola, now it’s Silva. Foden has received very high praise indeed from both his club manager and teammate, and it is an indicator of just how highly thought of he is.

The midfielder really took to the City first-team like a duck to water, and his goal-scoring performance in the Premier League against Tottenham last season showed he could handle the pressure too.

Watch the video below to see the most insane overhead kick you will see this week…

The biggest obstacle in front of him comes from some of his own teammates. The likes of Kevin De Bruyne, David Silva, Bernardo Silva, Ilkay Gundogan, Rodri and Fernandinho, amongst others, pose very stiff competition indeed.

All are international-quality players and have been bought by the club for big money. For an academy talent like Foden to muscle his way in, will certainly take some doing.

But if both Guardiola and Silva are to be believed, then there is no reason why Foden can’t be both the present and future of City.

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So despite enjoying an impressive start to the current campaign and ending the last one as a Premier League winner, Kyle Walker has not done enough to keep his place in the England squad.

The Manchester City right-back has been overlooked for the likes of Kieran Trippier and Aaron Wan-Bissaka, with Three Lions boss Gareth Southgate even admitting he has “started the season really well”.

After hearing the news the 29-year-old has been dropped for the upcoming EURO 2020 qualifiers, City fans took to Twitter to share their thoughts on the matter.

Watch Manchester City Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

Many Citizens fans vented their fury at seeing Walker being snubbed, and wondered how on earth United’s Wan-Bissaka could get in ahead of him.

Supporters of the Manchester side felt the full-back has displayed some of his best form this campaign, and took issue with Southgate picking Trippier – the former Spurs defender came under heavy criticism for his performances last season.

Check out some of the furious reaction of City fans below:

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Wolves suffered a European hangover on Sunday afternoon as they suffered a defeat to Everton, despite coming from behind twice.

Romain Saiss and Raul Jimenez scored for the visitors but it was ultimately two goals from Richarlison and an Alex Iwobi header that meant the Toffees came away with all three points.

Nuno Santo’s team selection was perhaps surprising as a number of regulars were left out. There was no room for Diogo Jota, Joao Moutinho or Jonny in the starting XI.

And stepping in for the latter was Ruben Vinagre, although his performance didn’t seem to convince many Wolves supporters, who were left rather angry with the youngster.

Vinagre, who is just 20, was berated mercilessly as one individual said he couldn’t defend.

The wing-back was labelled as poor, as well as being described as awful by a fellow member of the Molineux faithful.

One fan even went as far as suggesting he’d rather the side played with ten men than have Vinagre in it.

The Portuguese was a bit-part member of the team in 2018/19, starting just seven times in the league. On this evidence, it’s perhaps easy to see why he hasn’t been trusted more.

Here’s the best of the reaction.

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This article is part of Football Fancast’s Monthly Review series, which analyses what managers can learn from the previous month and what the coming month could have in store.

Real Madrid had far from a perfect start to the new 2019/20 La Liga season.

We are three games in so far, and Los Blancos have only recorded one victory from three.

With that in mind, there are two major things Zinedine Zidane will have to do in September: fix his leaky defence and establish his strongest lineup.

Defensive problems

By now, this is actually no secret: Real Madrid have been conceding far too many goals since the start of the season. In the three games they’ve played, Los Blancos have allowed four strikes to rattle their net and ultimately they dropped four points in total.

But this is not an issue that has only just manifested itself.

Watch Spanish Football Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

Even last season, they conceded a total of 46 goals throughout the 2018/19 La Liga campaign. On paper that doesn’t sound like such a poor record, but it’s pertinent to note that six teams, including 13th place Leganes, conceded fewer goals; for a club of such international prestige that is simply not good enough.

The growing trend continued into the pre-season as Zidane’s troops played five games and conceded a whopping 16 goals.

If the Frenchman wants to improve on the results of the 2018/19 season, which he definitely should considering how (un)successful they were, fixing his defensive woes should be at the top of his priority list.

Finding the right formula

And this is a big one for Zidane and co. Many names have joined Real Madrid this summer from abroad, some have returned from their loans and some have stayed on despite seeming destined to depart just a few weeks ago, with Gareth Bale certainly falling into that category. Be that as it may, the coach of the Whites is still very much in search of his perfect and strongest lineup.

In the three games they’ve played so far, Real Madrid have used 17 different players and three different systems. Integrating the likes of Eden Hazard and James Rodriguez into that roster once they return from their injury will also be key for Zidane. If they want to start winning and stop dropping points, the Frenchman will have to decide on one go-to system that he can rely on when the going gets tough.

So far, he clearly hasn’t done that and the results have, for that reason, been rather mixed.

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Sergio Ramos premiered his brand new documentary “The Heart of Sergio Ramos” just the other day, and of course, most of his Real Madrid teammates were there to celebrate with him.

Ramos talked about the movie and about the team in general, mentioning their hunger, their desire to win titles and much more.

But the talk of the evening, at least among many of the fans around the globe, was actually not about Ramos himself but rather the potent forward Karim Benzema.

Watch Spanish Football Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

Even though he is already 31 years old, the Frenchman seemed to have dressed like a “freshman” or as a kid on his “first day of school”, as lots of the fans were quick to notice and comment on his choice of attire.

There were mixed reactions, to say the least. Some fans thought it was a pretty bold choice to dress casually in an event that’s full of smartly dressed people, some just thought it was really funny and then there were some who didn’t think much of it.

You can see some of the replies in the tweets down below:

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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…

Real Madrid are gearing up for their biggest test of the 2019/20 season so far as they travel to Parc des Princes to face PSG in the opening match of their Champions League group.

And looking at the squads, it will be crucial for the Galacticos to shut down the French side’s wingers.

On the chalkboard

Los Blancos have already conceded six goals in four games in La Liga and are yet to keep a clean sheet -their defensive prowess, or lack thereof, will be severely tested by the French giants.

Watch Spanish Football Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

Not conceding a goal for the first time this season will surely be a major objective for Zidane’s men.

However, they will be without Sergio Ramos, who is suspended, and Marcelo, who became the newest name on the injury pile, for this clash.

With that in mind, a huge part of the defensive responsibility might fall on Daniel Carvajal’s shoulders, and he will have to win his battle against Angel Di Maria of all people.

The Argentine is usually deployed as a right-winger for Paris Saint-Germain but seeing how they’ve been riddled with injuries and suspensions – Kylian Mbappe and Edinson Cavani are both ruled out – the only real natural left-winger left in the squad is Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting.

Given the importance of this game, then, Tuchel might reshuffle the deck just a bit and put Di Maria on the left flank instead of Choupo-Moting – best known, perhaps, for a spell at Stoke City – and then shift Pablo Sarabia to the right.

With such a setup, Di Maria would get face to face with Carvajal.

Stopping the bleeding

Carvajal has so far featured in three games for Real Madrid this campaign and he has performed well.

The 27-year-old defender has tallied 1.7 tackles, 1.3 interceptions and 1.5 fouls so far in La Liga. This stacks up against Di Maria’s 1.6 shots, 2.4 key passes and 3.8 dribbles per game.

Still, despite his numbers maybe being somewhat lower than his opponent’s, he looks ready to face the challenge and even emerge victorious from it.

During the international break, Carvajal was shining for Spain and also laid on an assist in Real Madrid’s clash with Levante on the weekend, suggesting he’s definitely starting to peak.

Seeing how his dancing partner is looking to be the experienced Argentine winger – formerly of Real – this will definitely be a tall task.

Thus far this season, Di Maria has three goals and one assist to his name in all competitions.

He will be out for more this week; it is up to Carvajal to stop him.

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Liverpool will switch their attention to the EFL Cup this week as they prepare to travel to MK Dons for a clash in the third round of the competition.

The Reds made it six straight wins at the start of the 2019/20 Premier League season by recording a 2-1 victory at Chelsea on Sunday afternoon.

Jurgen Klopp’s side boast a five-point advantage over Manchester City in the Premier League table, but it is worth remembering that they lost their Champions League group opener against Napoli last week.

Watch Liverpool Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

The club’s presence in the UEFA Super Cup last month means that it has been a busy start to the season in terms of volume of matches, and it is likely that Klopp will make changes on Wednesday night.

Just how many alterations occur for the MK Dons clash remains to be seen, but the Liverpool fans are keen for a number of youngsters to be given chances to impress.

A selection of the Twitter discussion on which prospects should play against the League One outfit can be seen below:

It’s nearly time for the big La Liga clash between Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid. Eden Hazard did an interview before the game and identified the team’s mentality as the most important aspect heading into the derby.

What did he say?

This will be Hazard’s first big derby since he joined Los Blancos earlier in the 2019 summer transfer window.

The former Blue has struggled with injuries at the very start of his Real Madrid career so he’s still somehow trying to find his groove at the capital.

Watch Spanish Football Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

So far, however, he has tallied three appearances for the Galacticos across all competitions and a total of two in La Liga specifically. Zinedine Zidane decided to rest his Belgian bomber in Real Madrid’s last bout with Osasuna and since the Whites won that game 2-0, it seems to have been the right call by the Frenchman.

Now, Hazard appears likely to return to start in the derby against Atletico Madrid and the 28-year-old has identified the team’s mentality as key going into that huge clash.

Here’s what he said when asked what’s going to be key for the game:

“Your mentality. In a derby that’s key and what’s even more important is your desire. When you’re a football player, you know what derbies are like. You know what you have to do, you just have to win; you don’t need your teammates to tell you that”.

Peace of mind

Interestingly enough, Hazard is not the first one to bring up the question of mentality into the fold.

Zinedine Zidane has been calling for the team to stay calm and think, while Florentino Perez recently talked at length about how success made Real Madrid lose their intensity. Of course, there’s a physical aspect to that too, but the relentlessness he’s talking about stems from mindset.

So it’s safe to say that Hazard has absolutely nailed the one key aspect his team will have to keep in mind for the derby.

Of course, most of it will be decided on the pitch but there’s also going to be a battle raging in their heads. The squad that can stay collected while still showing enough desire and hunger just might take it all.

Let’s see if Real Madrid can be the ones to do that.

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…

Tottenham Hotspur fans should check out reported summer target Max Aarons in action for Norwich City on Saturday, following a truly awful week for Serge Aurier.

The departure of Kieran Trippier during the previous transfer window left Kyle Walker-Peters and Aurier as the specialist right-backs fighting for a spot in the starting XI in north London, with the former getting the nod at the beginning of the campaign.

However, the 22-year-old picked up an injury against Newcastle United which eventually led to a chance for the Ivory Coast international, and he shone in the 4-0 win against Crystal Palace at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

The African has never managed to hold down a regular spot on Mauricio Pochettino’s team-sheets since arriving in the summer of 2017, mainly due to some erratic displays which included a red card on his first Premier League start against West Ham United.

Perhaps the outing against the Eagles was a turning point, then?

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Wrong. The 26-year-old was back to his old self against Southampton last weekend, with two silly quick-fire first half bookings leading to his dismissal, with Spurs left to fend with 10 men for around an hour.

He was given a shot at redemption with a start against Bayern Munich during the week, but he failed to take it in the 7-2 thrashing as he picked up a shocking 2/10 rating from Football London, while Aurier was unlucky not to see red for a really poor challenge on David Alaba.

As things stand it is difficult to see him ever re-establishing himself as a first-team regular at Tottenham, which means the club may have to start the search for a replacement.

Aarons was someone who caught their eye during the summer, although they were said to be unwilling to pay his £20m-plus asking price – the 19-year-old later signed a new five-year contract at Carrow Road.

Aside from missing two games through injury, the teenager has played every minute of their Premier League campaign to date, and he has impressed given his tender years.

According to WhoScored, he has shown his defensive nous by averaging 2 tackles, 0.4 interceptions and 2.2 clearances per game, while from an attacking sense he has averaged 0.4 key passes and an impressive 1.8 dribbles, showing his ability to get forward successfully.

Norwich play host to Aston Villa on Saturday, and Tottenham fans should be keeping a close eye on a player who could potentially end their Aurier nightmare at some point in the future.