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This article is part of Football FanCast’s Off the Bench series, which places in-game managerial decisions and squad selections under FFC’s microscope.

Barcelona’s bout vs Celta Vigo ended up in a comfortable 4-1 victory for the Catalans. But not all was as rosy as it might seem and Sergio Busquets’ absence was glaring. Luckily for them, the experienced Spaniard was introduced in time to change the game.

Snapshot

Ernesto Valverde’s troops returned to winning ways at the Camp Nou last weekend and they dispatched a struggling opponent in a seemingly effortless manner.

But the Catalans were not really as impressive as the scoresheet could suggest, as we’ve already discussed previously, and a lot of their power came from one man and one man only – Lionel Messi.

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The little Argentine wizard bagged a set-piece hat-trick with one penalty and two free-kicks on the day.

But apart from Messi and his usual brilliance, the game took a turn for the better once Busquets was introduced about halfway through the first 45 minutes played in Catalonia.

A silver lining

Of course, Busquets was only introduced because Nelson Semedo picked up an injury and couldn’t continue the game.

The Portuguese was then promptly taken off and Valverde made a bold call by replacing the defender with the Spanish midfielder. Even though that seemed like a big blow for the Catalans, and might still prove to be in the long run, it was actually a blessing in disguise for that particular clash.

Busquets was introduced in the 22nd minute of the game and until that point, Celta Vigo were actually pretty much handling their opposition rather well.

Barcelona were restricted to only one shot on goal and lost possession a total of six times.

Celta, on the other hand, attempted 12 tackles and five interceptions in that time span and the possession fluctuated quite bit with the visitors even having the edge at certain points in the game.

But Busquets’ presence immediately put out that fire that was brewing.

Barcelona’s pass success rose to 90% and their rating for the rest of the game was much higher, rising from 6.15 to 6.81.

The midfielder himself scored the final goal and the only one from open-play while also doing what he does best – control the game.

He tallied 89% passing accuracy with 83 touches on the night and managed two tackles and two interceptions, the highest number in the team for the former category and second-highest for the latter.

All in all, his substitution clearly changed the game for Barcelona and in a way, Semedo’s injury had a silver lining.

According to 90min, West Ham United are considering a move for Manchester United midfielder Nemanja Matic when the January transfer window opens for business.

However, it would be fair to say that not too many of the London club’s supporters are interested in a potential deal for the Serbia international.

Matic – currently on the sidelines with an unspecified injury – has only made five appearances for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side during the 2019/20 campaign, with just three of those outings coming in the Premier League.

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The experienced midfielder will see his contract at Old Trafford expire next summer.

And The Manchester Evening News recently reported that the 31-year-old is open to the idea of leaving United at the start of 2020.

West Ham are being linked with a swoop for the two-time Premier League title winner, but the club’s supporters are just not interested despite Matic’s impressive CV.

A selection of the Twitter reaction is available to view below:

Wilfried Zaha had not scored in the Premier League this season ahead of Saturday’s Premier League clash with Liverpool.

The attacker’s 82nd-minute goal was not enough for Crystal Palace to take anything from the match, but there is no question that it was an important moment for Zaha.

Having been strongly linked with a move away from the club over the summer, Zaha’s early-season form was questionable. Indeed, he did not register a goal or an assist in his first six Premier League appearances of the season.

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The Ivory Coast international has now managed one goal and one assist in his last four league outings, though, and the Palace fans will be hoping that they can see more of the same from their star player moving forward.

Zaha took to social media in the aftermath of Saturday’s clash with Liverpool, which led to a number of Palace fans lavishing praise on the attacker.

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A selection of the Twitter reaction can be seen below:

After signing Harry Maguire for a world-record fee for a defender last summer, and also bringing in Aaron Wan-Bissaka in a big-money deal too, Manchester United have certainly shown that they are intent on improving their defence.

The Red Devils have conceded 30 goals in 29 Premier League games this season, with Liverpool, Leicester and Sheffield United the only teams to have let in less.

But whilst that is no doubt impressive, there is no question Ole Gunnar Solskjaer could perhaps do with someone to establish themselves as Maguire’s partner in the heart of defence.

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The likes of Victor Lindelof, Phil Jones, Eric Bailly, Axel Tuanzebe and Marcos Rojo have all had their turns in trying to prove to the United manager that they are the ones to be forming a partnership with the England international.

But Solskjaer could find his answer to his conundrum in Inter defender Diego Godin.

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According to Italian publication Corriere dello Sport (via The Daily Mail), the Manchester side are interested in signing the centre-back. Whilst he hasn’t had much game-time in the Serie A, he still remains a wizened old veteran of the game with his performances at former club Atletico Madrid.

The defender would have embraced all the dark arts that Diego Simeone and his Atletico side have come to be known for, and it’s that kind of win-at-all-costs mentality that could go down a treat at Old Trafford.

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Whilst Maguire could be the more elegant centre-back, bringing the ball out of defence like Rio Ferdinand, Godin could bring his hard-nosed style of play to perfectly compliment him. As per Whoscored, the 135-cap Uruguay international has a very impressive career average of 1.9 tackles and 2.5 interceptions per game, whilst his total of 120 yellow cards in 531 total games certainly shows he isn’t averse to doing whatever is necessary to help his side’s defence hold firm.

He may be slightly older, but Godin could be the perfect centre-back partner for Maguire.

Meanwhile, this Man Utd ace should move on for the good of his career.

Alan Hutton has told Football Insider that Rangers midfielder Ross McCrorie, who is on loan at Portsmouth, must seek clarification from Steven Gerrard as to whether he will be in his plans moving forward.

The 22-year-old is spending the season with the League One side, where he has made 22 appearances in all competitions. As it stands, he has five assists to his name, with Pompey currently in fourth place in the second tier.

Moving forward, Hutton – who used to play for the club – believes it is vital for him to speak to Gerrard, who is currently the boss at Ibrox, in regards to whether he has a future with the Glasgow-based outfit. He said: “It’s a difficult one, he obviously wasn’t in the plans up there so he went down on loan which I think was a great idea. Portsmouth are doing well which helps. It just depends on where Gerrard sees him fitting in – does he need him at the moment, does he want to sign him to a long-term deal?

“If it was me personally, I would want to play every week and I would presume he would be the same so you really need to get that conversation out there – am I going to play or am I coming up to be a bit-part player? If so, it’s worth me moving because I need to play. I think that’s everybody’s dream when you’re a kid, you don’t want to be sitting on a bench week in, week out for years. It’s a conversation he’ll definitely have to have.”

Clearly the former Scotland U21 international was not at the forefront of the former Liverpool’s player’s plans after having made just 17 league appearances across the whole of the last season (Transfermarkt). Even though he has played for Portsmouth throughout this campaign, he is still not one of the first names on the team sheet so you would imagine Gerrard will have seen little to change his mind so far.

Therefore, as Hutton says, it is imperative that the player speaks to his manager to seek some clarity about his future. At his age, it really is important that he becomes a regular fixture wherever it is he ends up so this could be a huge summer for him.

What do you think the future holds for McCrorie? Let us know in the comments!

Manchester United are still trying to keep Angel Gomes at Old Trafford as the wonderkid nears the end of his contract, according to The Evening Standard. 

Gomes has made just six appearances for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side in all competitions this season. The 19-year-old has also scored four goals and created two assists in five games for the Red Devils’ development squad (Transfermarkt).

United will no doubt be well aware that other Premier League rivals are monitoring the midfielder’s situation, with Frank Lampard’s Chelsea lining up a move for the England under-20 international in the summer (The Mirror). The board are secretly hoping that Tahith Chong’s decision on his future will cajole Gomes into following suit.

Although Solskjaer has used a number of academy products during his time at the Theatre of Dreams, including the likes of Scott McTominay and Marcus Rashford, the playmaker has been pushed to the outskirts of the squad so far.

Loads of United supporters took to social media to share their thoughts on the transfer update. Whilst some directed their ire at the “overrated” youngster, others reserved their anger for the club. One fan branded the saga as “nonsense” and another added Ed Woodward should “let him go.”

Scroll down through some of the differing reactions below…

United fans, do you think the board should allow Angel Gomes to leave in the upcoming transfer window? Let us know in the comments section!

Tottenham Hotspur fans haven’t had much joy in 2020.

It began with injuries to both Harry Kane and Moussa Sissoko, which then doubled up to see Heung-min Son and January signing Steven Bergwijn join them on the sidelines.

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The north Londoners also crashed out of all their remaining cup competitions, including the Champions League where they were finalists just last season.

And Jose Mourinho’s side have sunk seven points adrift of the top four with only nine games to play.

Now supporters have been left reeling even more as their home kit for next term has been leaked on social media.

It remains to be seen whether the Nike-designed strip is accurate or not, but that hasn’t stopped several of the Spurs faithful from throwing in their thoughts about it.

Every word under the sun was used ranging from “disgusting” to “atrocious” and there was even a comparison made to Bolton Wanderers.

Here’s what has been said…

AND in other news, Whelan claims Spurs will be tempted by Barcelona offer…

Jamie Carragher has revealed Duncan Ferguson was the Evertonian he feared the most during his playing days.

During an Instagram Live chat with former Blues player Tim Cahill, the Sky Sports pundit spoke about how Liverpool would plan their performances around trying to contain Big Dunc (via Liverpool ECHO).

“My most feared derby opponent? I’d probably say Duncan Ferguson,” Carragher said. “Especially when I got in the team as a kid.”

The ex-defender’s first Merseyside derby saw him up against the 6 ft 3 striker, a match in which Ferguson scored. Paul Ince managed to find an equaliser for the Reds but Carragher’s first meeting with the powerhouse Scotsman proved his and the team’s worries were justified.

The 48-year-old played a total of 253 matches for Everton and scored 65 goals in that time (via Transfermarkt).

Not only was Ferguson powerful, he managed to balance that out by being agile on the ball as well as in the air, marking him out as a centre-forward certainly to be feared.

He also enjoyed a goal or two against Everton’s bitter rivals, scoring on five occasions against the Reds. Big Dunc now stands at the hilt of the club for whom he loved playing, side by side with Carlo Ancelotti.

The final word goes to Carragher: “There was a fear and we talked about trying to control him. No doubt.”

What do you make of Carragher’s comments, Blues? Join the conversation in the comments below!

Tim Spiers has revealed that Wolverhampton Wanderers are the club to have used the fewest players so far this season, with 20 in total, according to his article for The Athletic.

As per the report, whilst some clubs have perhaps been reluctant to embrace English football’s impending return, Wolves’ motivation levels for the next two months arguably could not be much higher.Currently sat in sixth place in the Premier League table on 43 points and potentially just two points off of a Champions League place, pending the outcome of Manchester City’s appeal against a European ban, Nuno Espirito Santo’s team have so much to play for, and that is without even discussing this season’s UEFA Europa League, which could be set to resume in August.The English top flight will look very different when it makes its comeback on June 17. WWFC players have experience of how things may play out from their behind-closed-doors encounter in Greece almost three months ago, as per the journalist.In that respect, they may be a step ahead of others in knowing how to deal with a silent stadium. All clubs in England’s highest division will also have carefully monitored the nuances in Germany and will likely be looking to see if they can replicate the social distancing rules whilst also seeing a football game of quality on the pitch.Clubs will also be able to name nine substitutes on the bench, as they can now use five across the game, meaning that 20 players can be named in a match day squad.With Wolves only using 20 players all campaign so far, perhaps this is something to look out for as it may mean that more of those in the squad get the opportunity to rack up a few appearances in the final few fixtures.Wanderers, are you looking forward to the term restarting? Comment below!

Manchester United bounced back from a well-earned draw away to Tottenham with a 3-0 thrashing of Sheffield United at Old Trafford.

Paul Pogba returned to the starting lineup after a lengthy absence and proved pivotal as Man United ran riot over the Blades.

His teammate Marcus Rashford succumbed to a back injury in January but started both games, having a hand in two of Anthony Martial’s goals.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer insisted the Red Devils duo are a couple of the “world-class players” at his disposal.

Solskjaer recently made the headlines after claiming David de Gea is still the best goalkeeper in the world, despite making several high-profile mistakes.

Writing in the matchday programme, as relayed by the Manchester Evening News, the club legend noted “With so many players back fit now, everybody can see the quality we have in our ranks.

“The players who came on at Spurs made a difference, which shows you the level of competition we’ve got in the squad now.

“Even before lockdown we were on a strong run of form. Now we’re able to call upon world-class players like Paul and Marcus returning from injury.

“Paul could tell you more than most about our evolution, because the team he’s re-joining now is a different team to the one that started the season. Our development is there for all to see.”

It is hard to argue with Solskjaer here, as Pogba and Rashford are two of United’s biggest attacking threats.

Indeed, Rashford is the club’s top scorer this season, scoring 19 goals and creating 7 assists in all competitions so far.

The French World Cup winner, who has been linked with a move away from the Theatre of Dreams, has made a full recovery, and although he has only managed 628 minutes of Premier League action up until now, has averaging 2.2 key passes per game, via WhoScored.

Earlier this month, January signing Bruno Fernandes admitted it would be “amazing” to play with Pogba when football returns.

Fernandes’ arrival coincided with the Frenchman’s rehabilitation, but the pair have shown glimpses of a formidable partnership in the making, as Pogba won the penalty that the Portuguese converted to equalise at Spurs.

To all intents and purposes, Solskjaer is in possession of a wealth of attacking talent, and his players will need to prove their worth if they are to reach the top four by the end of the season.

United fans, do you think Pogba and Rashford are world-class players? Let us know down below!