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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…

It might seem sacrilegious to suggest, but it’s an option that needs to be explored.

Lukas Jutkiewicz so far has started every game for the Blues this season and has played 90 minutes in all but three of them (via Transfermarkt).

However, with Jutkiewicz currently aged 30, is it time that the Blues consider giving him a bit of time off so that he can be available for them throughout the season rather than risk him being out for a long stretch or simply being ineffective as a result of burnout?

We may be seeing those effects come into play already, as he has failed to find the back of the net since the Stoke City game at the end of August.

Journalist Brian Dick recently said in a Q&A that the forward role has to be the priority for the Blues in January, so it looks as if help may be coming, but with the window still being over two months away, Pep Clotet is going to have to make do with what he’s got.

Birmingham have been relatively short of goals, not just from Jutkiewicz, but from all departments as they struggle for a natural goal scorer.

Although they are having goals chipped in from other areas of the pitch, like Jude Bellingham, Alvaro Gimenez and Fran Villalba, they haven’t been coming in the sort of numbers you’d hope would be able to tie a club over for a long period of time.

The fact that the main forward only has three as we approach the end of October should be a rather worrying sign.

If the rest of the team were to start bringing their fair share to the table, then they wouldn’t have to be relying on him so much to get goals and he’d essentially ‘earn’ a game or two to rest.

However, because that help isn’t particularly forthcoming, he might be at risk of burning out.

We have documented previously on FFC that they do have options in the academy to turn to if things do end up getting too desperate.

One word of warning though if they do decide to give him a game off, as Nottingham Forest recently proved when they rested Lewis Grabban for their game against Wigan Athletic, it didn’t end up going well for them, so they’ll have to pick the games carefully.

Real Madrid have a rather difficult task ahead of them.

After a disappointing bout with Club Brugge in the heart of the Spanish capital, Los Blancos will welcome the current runners-up to the first spot in La Liga, Granada, to the Santiago Bernabeu stadium.

Not many would’ve expected to see a newly promoted team so high in the standings after seven matchdays and yet, here they are, ready to take another scalp and continue shaking Spain to its core.

Watch Spanish Football Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

For that reason, they cannot be taken lightly and Zinedine Zidane would be wise not to underestimate them. That also includes sending out a strong side that can get the job done this Saturday afternoon.

And with that being said, here’s what we think the Frenchman should go for in terms of his personnel…

Thibaut Courtois had to be subbed off at half-time in the clash against Club Brugge and the club confirmed that the Belgian is suffering from gastroenteritis with dehydration and electrolyte imbalance.

Zidane did mention that there indeed was a problem with his goalie when he faced the press after the Champions League clash, so Alphonse Areola is his best option.

Watch Lionel Messi and Gareth Bale answer the internet’s weirdest questions in the video below…

One other player that will miss out on the clash is Marcelo. The experienced left-back has also been injured for a while but made an appearance against Club Brugge in midweek. Still, the newest report coming from the club suggests he suffered a relapse of his injury so we won’t see him against Granada this weekend.

And with other left-back options, Ferland Mendy and Nacho, also injured, Zidane faces a huge selection problem that we believe can be best solved by a big change in formation.

Even though it’s fairly risky, we’re going with the bold choice of three defenders in front of Areola as Ramos and Varane are accompanied by Eder Militao.

In the middle of the park, Zidane should stick with familiar faces – Toni Kroos, Casemiro and Luka Modric are expected to all be fit, and they should be joined by James Rodriguez in a more advanced role. Despite only finding one assist this season, he’s averaged an impressive 1.8 key passes per game.

Gareth Bale sat out the last clash altogether, but we’re putting him into our suggested XI, contributing to three goals in five La Liga games so far.

He should be deployed on the right, opposite of Eden Hazard and just next to their centre-forward Karim Benzema, who remains Real Madrid’s top scorer in La Liga with five goals this term.

Jurgen Klopp is much loved on Merseyside for his coaching ability, but a clip of a stunning goal he scored for Mainz is also gaining him plaudits.

The German played in a variety of positions in his playing career and went from a centre-forward to a right-back, via right midfield, making his career return of 56 goals in 341 appearances a very respectable record.

The clip in question, which shows Klopp hitting a thunderous strike against SV Meppen in 1997, has impressed a huge number of Reds fans, with one suggesting it is a feat even Virgil van Dijk couldn’t replicate.

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One aspect of his performance which is clear to several fans is the passion he showed after the ball hit the back of the net, a characteristic of the 52-year-old that remains prevalent more than 20 years later.

Despite the brilliant strike, even Klopp would probably admit that he is a better manager than player, having made three Champions League finals as a coach and winning the domestic title twice with Borussia Dortmund.

Here is some of the reaction from fans, who are excited to see that their manager bossed things on the pitch too.

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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…

Sky Sports pundit David Prutton has discussed the huge challenge for Garry Monk now he’s at Sheffield Wednesday when talking to Football League World.

What’s he said?

The Owls finally appointed a successor to Steve Bruce last weekend by bringing in the 40-year-old and his first match in charge is no easy feat against local rivals Huddersfield in front of the TV cameras on Sunday afternoon.

Wednesday had been operating under caretaker boss Lee Bullen’s stewardship which has seen them reach 11th in the table, but after a good start to the season, the side hit a poor run of form – losing three of their last four matches.

That run of form has ultimately led to the decision to appoint a permanent man for the foreseeable future with Monk taking the reins.

Watch Sheffield Wednesday Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

Prutton, who finished his playing career at Hillsborough in 2014 was rather undecided on the appointment. Speaking to Football League World, he said:

“It is a concern having five jobs in five years.

“He’s still in a position where from the outside looking in, there’s still an element of wanting to prove himself.”

“This is his next huge challenge, and the sense that you get from what he’s been like, he’s a very determined individual. You never know who wanted what at Birmingham, but he’s going to Wednesday, and they’ll listen as to how he wants to approach it and what’s available to him.”

A fresh start for both

Monk’s recent managerial experience seems to be short-lived wherever he’s been and with that in mind,  there are reasons to be slightly concerned over his appointment, especially after how things ended at Birmingham.

Saying that this could be the perfect opportunity for him to finally settle down, something he hasn’t been afforded in the past. Like Prutton says, it could be a chance for him to prove himself despite a huge challenge.

Wednesday are a club that needs some stability too so it could be a perfect match for a club and manager looking to stamp their authority.

The Owls have gone through as many as 15 permanent managers in the last 20 years, which has to be a factor in them not featuring in the top-flight since 2000.

The 40-year-old’s experience has all come from within this league barring his managerial start at Swansea, and that only bodes well for the club as he should know the Championship inside out.

Not all of his departures have been through his own choice either, unlike Bruce.

Birmingham were slapped with a points deduction just as Monk had them competing in around the playoff picture – their 17th place finish was undoubtedly no mark on the effect he had at the club.

He left the west Midlands following a disagreement with the Blues’ ownership, but their loss can indeed be a gain for Wednesday.

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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 were beyond ecstatic when the club completed the club-record signing of Tanguy Ndombele during the summer transfer window, for a fee Sky Sports reported to be £63m.

The Frenchman made an instant impression on the opening day of the Premier League season with a fine goal against Aston Villa, before the 22-year-old followed it up with an assist against Manchester City in their following top flight clash.

However, he then suffered a hamstring issue that kept him out against Newcastle United and Arsenal, and he hasn’t really looked great since he made his return to action as a substitute against Crystal Palace.

Watch Tottenham Hotspur Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

Whether he simply isn’t back to full fitness or not, the former Lyon man was particularly disappointing in the 2-1 defeat against Leicester City on Saturday.

He wasn’t at the races, and as well as encountering bad control on six separate occasions according to WhoScored, he was also dispossessed three times as well.

Having committed three fouls and having not been particularly great on the ball with a passing accuracy of less than 77%, it was hard to see what he was really bringing to the table at the King Power Stadium – whatever it was it certainly wasn’t worth £63m.

Off days can happen, but perhaps most worrying of all though was how lethargic he looked.

While the midweek Champions League trip could have played a part, you would expect an athletic 22-year-old to have a fair bit of energy but as Football London picked up on, he appeared tired throughout.

The fact that he was dribbled past on three occasions, as per SofaScore, and won just eight of the 20 duels he faced only goes to back that up even more, and it was a concerning performance in that respect.

Ndombele is a young player who clearly has a lot of quality in his locker, but he needs to show a lot more than he did against Brendan Rodgers’ men if he wants to ensure that Tottenham don’t end up regretting shelling out a huge transfer fee for him.

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According to French media outlet L’Equipe on Wednesday, Tottenham Hotspur winger Georges-Kevin N’Koudou is set to join Ligue 1 strugglers Monaco on loan for the rest of the season, and Spurs fans were quick to react to the potential exit of their player on Twitter.

The 23-year-old left the French top flight for a move to the north London outfit in the summer of 2016 from Marseille, but he has failed to make an impact with the club under Mauricio Pochettino.

As per Transfermarkt, the former France U21 international has only made 26 appearances in all competitions for Spurs, also spending the second half of the 2017/18 campaign on loan at Premier League rivals Burnley.

This term, the wide man has only got on the pitch on three occasions, again according to Transfermarkt, although he did make a significant impact in his four minutes on the pitch against Fulham at Craven Cottage earlier this month, setting up Harry Winks’ last-gasp winner in a 2-1 triumph.

Tottenham supporters have been quick to have their say on the reported impeding exit of N’Koudou via social media, and while one said the club has “no ambition”, another said “seriously what is going on”.

Here is just a selection of the Twitter reaction…

Arsenal’s Hector Bellerin may be out for the season but it’s given him a chance to show off his new accessory. Check out the video below to see for yourself…

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Arsenal’s Dani Ceballos has admitted that his first experience of Anfield was one of his toughest matchday experiences, and Liverpool fans are loving the recognition.

The attacking midfielder is enjoying his first spell outside of his native Spain, where he played 56 times for Real Madrid, and although he did well on his debut against Burnley, the Reds were a much different proposition.

Liverpool defeated the Gunners 3-1, dominating proceedings in the process, and in an interview with The Guardian, Ceballos pointed out their ability to press relentlessly and also retain possession.

“I had never seen anything like it. I’ve not seen up until now a team that plays better, that presses better. That game had quite an impact on me.” – Dani Ceballos

The club’s supporters are enjoying such high praise from an opponent, and it is what they have come to expect from their team at home, with the Reds approaching a year unbeaten at Anfield, their last defeat coming against Chelsea in the Carabao Cup in September 2018.

Watch Liverpool Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

Here is some of the reaction from fans enjoying the Spaniard’s comments on Twitter.

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Newcastle United are back in talks with Bayer Leverkusen over signing Mitchel Bakker in this January transfer window.

What’s the story?

While the Magpies continue to work on a deal to sign Lyon midfielder Bruno Guimaraes, it appears they still have their irons in several fires, with Bakker now well and truly back in the equation.

Writing on Twitter, journalist Ryan Taylor said: “Newcastle have revived talks with Bayer Leverkusen for Mitchel Bakker. Deal looked dead in water. Personal terms have already been discussed. #NUFC”

Fans will be buzzing

After clinching deals for Kieran Trippier and Chris Wood earlier this month, Newcastle’s recruitment team are ramping into overdrive heading into this final week of the January transfer window.

They seem to have pipped Arsenal in the race to sign Bruno, and have now come back to the table for Bakker.

The latter has had extensive experience of playing for some big clubs in Europe, with stints at Ajax, PSG and Leverkusen to his name.

Able to play at left-back, but also further forward or even in central defence as he has done in his career before, Bakker looks like the perfect versatile player who Newcastle could really do with in the second-half of this campaign.

With injuries and the virus wreaking havoc across the Premier League, having players like Bakker who can fill multiple positions when required gives managers a welcome option if and when things begin to get tough with their squad.

The £9m-rated star would be another fine signing for the Magpies, and have fans buzzing.

Meanwhile, Craig Hope has dropped an exciting Newcastle United transfer update on Bruno Guimaraes…

Newcastle United are sure to be in the market to improve their squad in the summer as PIF look to take the team to the next level in the Premier League.

Instead of battling against relegation, the Saudi Arabian consortium will surely want to see the club competing further up the table.

To do this, they may need to invest in the team and one player who would be a sublime signing is Everton striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin. He has been touted with a switch to St. James’ Park, with the Toffees valuing him at around £60m, and Newcastle can find their Andy Carroll 2.0 in a deal for the forward.

The England international has already impressed a Toon legend, with Alan Shearer hailing his “magnificent” aerial ability, and Brazilian attacker Richarlison claimed that he is a “nightmare” to play against.

Shearer said he’s superb in the air and this is certainly reflected in his stats. He has won 3.2 aerial battles or more per game in each Premier League season for the Toffees since the 2017/18 campaign. This includes 5.0 per match in 2019/20 and 4.5 or more per game in the last two terms in the top-flight for Everton.

Carroll has averaged 5.8 aerial battles won per game throughout his career, which suggests that Calvert-Lewin’s peak of 5.0 per match puts him in a similar bracket to the Geordie giant aerially. Both players are capable of being a target for their team to hit in the air and this is a useful quality to have as they can help to alleviate pressure on the side by winning headers to retain possession or force the defence back instead of allowing the opposition to push higher up.

The Magpies academy product has scored 54 goals in the Premier League, with 24 headers, 22 with his left foot and six with his right. Calvert-Lewin, meanwhile, has 43 strikes in the competition, with 18 headers, 20 with his right foot and five with his left.

This shows that they are both similar types of strikers in terms of what they offer on and off the ball. Both of them equally excel at scoring with their head and their preferred foot, whilst they are also able to use their aerial strength to help their teams out in general play.

These statistics also prove that Calvert-Lewin knows how to score goals in the Premier League. He is a proven top-flight forward, just as the now-West Brom man was earlier in his career. Thus, Newcastle must bring him in to be their new English talisman at the top end of the pitch; Carroll 2.0 if you will.

AND in other news, Sold at £108k, now worth £10.8m: NUFC had howler on gem who proved Benitez “all wrong”…

Writing for La Gazzetta dello Sport, Italian reporter Carlo Laudisa has made a big Tottenham Hotspur transfer claim involving Chelsea striker Romelu Lukaku.

The Lowdown: Paratici eyes striker…

As per The Athletic, it is believed that a new centre-forward is on the agenda at Spurs as transfer chief Fabio Paratici and manager Antonio Conte eye alternatives to Harry Kane.

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The most hotly-linked forward by some distance has been Fiorentina hotshot Dusan Vlahovic with Spurs long credited to swoop for the Serbian.

There have been other names mentioned, like Mauro Icardi previously, but Laudisa has now made an exciting claim involving Premier League star Lukaku.

The Latest: Journalist makes exciting Lukaku claim…

According to the La Gazzetta journalist, the Chelsea forward could ‘decide to follow Conte to Tottenham’ in the summer, with his Stamford Bridge return making him unhappy thus far.

Indeed, amid his unrest at the Blues, it is believed that Spurs have emerged as a possible 2022 destination for the Belgium international.

The Verdict: Big claim…

This piece of news certainly comes as an exciting claim out of Italy, especially considering Lukaku’s obvious pedigree and the fact he has shone under Conte before at Inter.

Indeed, the 28-year-old bagged 47 goals and 13 assists in just two full Serie A seasons during the duo’s time together at the San Siro, and he has continued in that fashion when given the opportunity under Thomas Tuchel.

Managing to score consistently over his limited appearances, the German has called Lukaku ‘world class’ for his contribution at times over 2021/22 despite the recent unease between the pair.

It is clear that Lukaku has ability, but the devil is in the details, with Chelsea arguably unwilling to sell such an impactful, big-name player to a direct rival like Spurs. It is also debatable whether the Lilywhites could afford such a swoop given that Lukaku is valued at around £90m by Transfermarkt and commands a seismic £350,000-per-week pay package.

While Lukaku being linked with Spurs comes as a very interesting development, we believe that a move is less than likely later in the year.

In other news: ‘Absolute no brainer’…Sky Sports pundit thrilled by ‘exciting’ transfer news out of Tottenham, find out more here.