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Celtic were humiliated by CFR Cluj at Parkhead on Tuesday night, and fans are furious at goalkeeper Scott Bain.

For the second year running, Celtic have suffered an upset in their Champions League qualifiers, and this one is perhaps even worse due to the fact that the second leg came at home.

After a relatively comfortable 1-1 in Romania, Cirpian Deac immediately stunned the Bhoys with a first-half header on Tuesday, and a truly remarkable second half ended with the visitors walking out as 4-3 winners, 5-4 on aggregate.

While very few players in green and white can come out of the game with any credit, fans are particularly annoyed with Bain.

It seems harsh to criticise a goalkeeper for not saving a penalty, but the spot-kick that levelled things up at 2-2 was certainly saveable, and the Romanians’ third goal of the night came when the 27 year-old palmed a shot right into the path of an onrushing striker.

Pushing shots wide and out of the danger area is goalkeeping lesson 101, but Bain seems to have skipped that class.

Fans are crucifying the 27 year-old on Twitter, as you can see from the reactions down below…

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Arsenal have made a promising start to the season so far.

They have come out of their first two games against Newcastle and Burnley with a 100% record, having won 1-0 and 2-1 respectively.

Next up is Liverpool. Whilst that will obviously be a far sterner test of the Gunners’ credentials after they finished second last season, Unai Emery and co can be happy with their work so far.

Find out the truth about why David Luiz joined Arsenal in the video below…

Both victories have come without Lucas Torreira in the starting line-up. The Uruguayan impressed last season, making 50 appearances in all competitions for the north London side, but he has been unable to find his way into the XI this campaign after struggling with injury.

However, despite winning both of those games without the 23-year-old, lots of Gunners fans have called for the former Sampdoria midfielder to start against the Reds at Anfield this Saturday.

Plenty of the Emirates faithful have taken to Twitter to share this opinion. You can see some of the best comments from the social media platform 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… 

After all the praise and sense of revival following the 4-0 win over rivals Chelsea, Manchester United have been brought firmly back down to Earth with a couple of disappointing results.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side tore Chelsea apart in the opening Premier League game of the season, with a scintillating display of counter-attacking football, revelling in the Blues’ high defensive line and open space in midfield. Against Wolves and Palace however, United looked devoid of any ideas coming up against a packed defence, perfectly happy with protecting the edge of their own box.

Watch Manchester United Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

Against Roy Hodgson’s side at the weekend, the Red Devils boasted an incredible 71% possession and managed 22 shots at goal. However, only three of those were actually on target – the same amount Palace had. United lacked any kind of creativity through the middle third, and Jesse Lingard’s continued involvement despite his poor form continues to baffle.

Indeed, such was United’s inability to create much from their plethora of attacking stars, Ashley Young, who came on in the 33rd minute at left-back, finished the game with the side’s most key passes. It perhaps says it all that two out of the Red Devils’ top three for total passes were Victor Lindelof (90) and Harry Maguire (81).

Former Wigan & Fulham man, Jimmy Bullard recently showed that he’s still got it! Check out the video below…

Solskjaer’s men struggled to break a resolute Palace defence down, and endured the same problem against Wolves too. Counter-attacking is all well and good against teams that want to take the game to you, but against sides who employ that same tactic themselves, a plan B is needed.

The Red Devils simply huffed and puffed without going anywhere in meaningful fashion, and it represents an ominous sign of how things may play out over the course of the season.

If Solskjaer cannot embrace the possibility of adding different layers and styles to United’s attack, then their defeat to Palace will become the norm, rather than the exception this season.

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This article is part of Football FanCast’s Transfer Focus series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent transfer news…

Just as we thought we were about to get some rest from all the Neymar stories, Globoesporte published an interview with the Brazilian’s former president, Jose Carlos Peres, who claims that the player is definitely heading to Real Madrid.

And that, even though it sounds good on paper, would be an extremely bad move for Los Blancos.

What’s the word, then?

Even though Barcelona were chasing Neymar for almost the entirety of the summer – only for him to stay at Paris Saint-Germain – it now seems that we’ve seen another big twist in the story.

Before the Brazilian joined Blaugrana way back in 2013, he was playing for Santos in his homeland.

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And according to Peres, his former club are entitled to a percentage of Neymar’s supposed transfer from Paris Saint-Germain, regardless of the club he chooses in the end.

But the Santos president seems to be extremely confident that the Brazilian superstar is actually heading to Real Madrid and not to Barcelona, and he said so himself when talking to Globoesporte.

“(The money) will still come! He will go to Real Madrid, if not now, it will be at the end of the year,” Peres stated in his interview.

And if this is true, it could spell even more headache for Zinedine Zidane.

An unbalanced team

Real Madrid’s transfer window was far from perfect. Apart from the arrival of Eden Hazard, hardly anyone slots right into the starting lineup and directly strengthens the team.

Neymar, for all his skill and reputation, would likely do exactly that but he would be an extremely costly acquisition that would hardly solve Real Madrid’s major concerns.

He would no doubt drain most of their resources and after spending close to £300m this year, it remains to be seen whether they can do a repeat next year.

But even if they financially can justify it, there’s still the question of whether another winger is actually needed in the squad. Currently, Real Madrid have five natural left-wingers and an additional three players who can also play there. So, theoretically, Neymar would be the ninth available option in that role.

Other areas should be their priority going forward. They’re missing a substitute for Casemiro in defensive-midfield, more competition in the central areas for the likes of Luka Modrić and Toni Kroos and especially refreshment in defence.

Going for Neymar would only limit their potential in the upcoming transfer windows and would further unbalance the squad.

For those reasons, they should simply stay away from him altogether.

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Harry Kane seemingly wasn’t in a jovial mood despite scoring against Kosovo.

He said that there is a lot to work on, and we can only assume that one of these things is his penalty technique – his spot-kicks are usually near-flawless.

Kane had a chance to net his 27th England goal from the penalty spot on Tuesday evening, but his effort from 12 yards was saved by Arijanet Muric.

We’ve seen before how much personal accolades mean to Kane. Who can forget the saga surrounding him claiming Christian Eriksen’s goal a couple of seasons ago?

With so much being made of the striker chasing down Wayne Rooney’s England scoring record, you can understand why the attacker has maybe been a bit hard on himself after the penalty miss at St Mary’s.

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This article is part of Football FanCast’s Transfer Focus series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent transfer news…

Speaking to The Daily Mail, Douglas Costa’s agent has confirmed Manchester United’s attempts to sign Juventus star Douglas Costa this summer were rebuffed.

What’s the word?

The Brazil international was linked with a move to Old Trafford amid speculation linking Romelu Lukaku with a transfer to Turin.

Reports had suggested Costa could be used as part of the deal to lure the striker to Italy, but a move failed to materialise and Lukaku ended up joining Inter. Now, the Brazilian’s agent, Giovanni Branchini, has confirmed the Red Devils made a concerted effort to bring the winger to Old Trafford, but were met with stiff resistance from the Juventus management.

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He said: “I sincerely say that Allegri and Sarri have never thought of letting him go. The interest of Manchester United was strong, a club that has always been interested in the Brazilian. It was not the only club but in England it was certainly the most active team on the trail of Douglas Costa.

“Douglas has had countless health problems. Last season he was very often injured. He is wanting to recover with great professionalism after standing still. Juventus never intended to sell him despite the big pressure from United.

“He loves Juventus but is able to adapt to every reality. Premier League is a beautiful championship but for now United have failed in all their attempts to convince Juventus to sell him. The player remained in Turin and is a champion.”

A sprinkle of stardust

Make no mistake, Costa would have added some real dynamism to United’s attack. Aside from the 4-0 crushing of Chelsea in their opening game of the Premier League season, the Red Devils have looked relatively toothless going forward. In their last outing against Southampton, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side laboured to a 1-1 draw and essentially resorted to just chucking balls into the box.

Having Costa in their ranks would have given them an explosive winger with a sense of trickery and directness that is a step above Daniel James, for all the youngster’s qualities.

In just his two Serie A appearances this season, the 28-year-old has picked up two assists, and has averaged an impressive 2 shots, 2.5 key passes and 2.5 dribbles per game. The Brazilian can change the tempo of the game with his searing pace, and United already look like they’re missing someone who can do exactly that.

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Thiago Almada, the young attacking midfielder who had been a transfer target for Manchester City this summer, has committed his future to current club Velez Sarsfield.

Velez Sarsfield confirmed on their Twitter channel @Velez [via Golazo Argentino] that the 18-year-old has signed a new four-year deal with the club which will take him up to 2023.

According to Golazo Argentino, the deal includes an increased release clause of €19m (£16.95m) if triggered before next February, €22m (£19.63m) up to next August and a final €25m (£22.3m) for the remainder of the player’s contract.

Portuguese media outlet Record reported [via Sport Witness] this summer that Manchester City were in negotiations with Velez Sarsfield over the teenager, with O Jogo claiming that the Premier League champions had a bid of €10m (£8.92m) rejected by the Argentine Superliga club.

Almada scored three goals and provided two assists in 16 appearances in his debut season for Velez Sarsfield, an average of 0.19 goals and 0.12 assists per game. [via TransferMarkt.co.uk]

He has featured in four of their first five matches so far this term but started just once and has yet to contribute to any goals in 2019/20. He has averaged 29.3 passes and 0.5 key passes per game this season, with an accuracy rate of 79.5%.

He has played as a left winger for Velez Sarsfield this season, the same role in which Raheem Sterling has excelled for Manchester City recently.

The 24-year-old England international scored five goals in his first four Premier League matches this season and has averaged 30.8 passes per game, although his passing success rate of 78% is slightly lower than Almada’s.

Sterling has been a hugely prolific player for Pep Guardiola’s team over the last couple of years, with 25 goals in 51 games last season (0.49 goals per game) and 23 goals in 46 appearances (0.5 goals per game) in 2017/18.

He had not always been such a fruitful resource of goals, though, with just 21 in 94 Manchester City appearances in his first two seasons at the club (0.22 goals per game).

When Sterling was Almada’s current age of 18 years and five months, he had just finished the 2012/13 season with a paltry return of two goals from 36 appearances for Liverpool (0.05 goals per game), which makes Almada’s return from his first Velez Sarsfield campaign seem quite respectable by comparison.

Almada has not been a regular in the Velez Sarsfield team of late and has only made 20 senior club appearances, which makes his potential release clause of £22.3m seem steep, while he would find it virtually impossible to displace Sterling at Manchester City given the England forward’s superb form.

However, Sterling has shown how beautifully polished gems can be made from rough teenage diamonds, while fellow Manchester City left winger Leroy Sane continues to be the subject of transfer interest from Bayern Munich, as reported by The Sun, which could leave Guardiola seeking an alternative to Sterling in that position if Sane goes.

Even with Almada signing a new deal at Velez Sarsfield, the Premier League champions ought to monitor his progress over the season and evaluate whether he could blossom into a winger of the same goalscoring substance as Sterling, in which case he would certainly be worth another transfer bid in the next few months.

Manchester City fans, do you think Almada would be worth pursuing in the future? Let us know your thoughts by commenting below!

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Lots of Charlton fans have taken to Twitter to discuss Lee Bowyer’s comments on Chuks Aneke.

The former Arsenal striker was signed by the Addicks from MK Dons back in the summer, following an impressive 2018/19 campaign in which he hit 17 goals in League Two.

However, the 26-year-old has only made five substitute appearances so far this term as he finds himself behind five-goal Lyle Taylor and another summer signing, Tomer Hemed, in the pecking order.

An injury to Taylor saw Hemed lead the line against Birmingham last time out, and Bowyer has said that Aneke is yet to convince him that he can be a No.9 in his team – the 42-year-old mentioned that he has been more impressed with the player in a No.10 role.

“At the moment Chuks hasn’t really done anything to persuade me he can play up top,” said Bowyer.

“We tried to put him up there the other day [as a substitute against Birmingham] and he didn’t do so well.

“When we brought him on at Reading as a 10 he was better. So looking at performances I think he is better as a 10.”

Bowyer on Aneke

One fan said that they think Bowyer’s comments are “harsh”, while another argued that Hemed didn’t show too many glimpses of quality either against Birmingham last time out.

Let’s take a look at some more of the Twitter reaction…

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It may not have ended in the result they would have wanted, but Sheffield United can take a lot of encouragement from their narrow 1-0 defeat to Champions League holders Liverpool.

Chris Wilder’s side were more than a match for the Reds, and looked on course for a famous point before Dean Henderson’s moment to forget cost them dearly.

Coming up against the likes of Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino, the Blades’ back-line had to be at the top of their game. One man who stood out in particular however, was Enda Stevens.

The 29-year-old was immense at the back, winning four duels and making three clearances and interceptions – a performance that led to him getting a 7.2 match rating on Sofascore (the joint-second highest of any Sheffield United player).

After seeing the defender’s display, many Blades fans took to Twitter to hail the Republic of Ireland international.

A whole host of supporters praised Stevens’ work, and one in particular labelled him as an “absolute baller”.

Another fan even revealed he thinks the 29-year-old is the best left-back he has seen in all his time of supporting the club.

Check out some of the reaction of Sheffield United fans below:

Even the greatest sports teams of all time suffer setbacks every now and then, but what’s most important is how they react to that.

To say that Tottenham Hotspur suffered a setback this week however would be a massive understatement.

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The London club endured what can only be described as one of the most embarrassing losses in their history, as they were beaten 7-2 by Bayern Munich on Tuesday night.

During times like this a team needs a leader to guide them through, and for Spurs that man is Mauricio Pochettino – he gave his view on what Spurs need to do next as he spoke to the club’s official YouTube channel.

The Argentine stated that staying calm is “the most important” thing after watching his team be destroyed by the German champions.

He said that there is no room for rash decisions and that Spurs need to make the right assessments and keep calm.

He’s absolutely right, if Spurs are to rekindle their form under Pochettino that is exactly what they need to do, but it’s easier said than done and whether or not his players can follow his instructions remains to be seen.