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Leeds United fans on Twitter are far from happy after seeing a set of stats that show where exactly they’re scoring their goals from.

It seems that the fanbase aren’t happy with the club’s tendency to try and walk the ball in as they’ve scored just one goal from outside the area this season.

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Of course, this was United’s first goal of the campaign as Pablo Hernandez netted from range to open the scoring against Bristol City.

Since that strike, every single one of Leeds’ goals have come from inside the area, with the majority of them coming within the six-yard box.

This has seemingly had an effect on United’s ability to find the net as they’ve scored eight fewer goals than they had at this point last term.

Perhaps Leeds need to adopt a tactic that encourages them to shoot on sight more often rather than always trying to score the perfect goal.

A number of fans clearly agree with that sentiment and here is what they’ve been saying on Twitter…

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…

James Pearce has hit back at Danny Mills’ criticism of Jurgen Klopp’s trophy haul, citing five reasons why the German deserves more credit.

Former Manchester City man Mills angered Liverpool fans this week by suggesting that Klopp does not belong in the conversation with Liverpool’s greatest managers due to the fact he has only won one major trophy.

Pearce though, who covers the Reds for The Athletic, tweeted a comprehensive list of five reasons why the criticism is unfair.

Spot on

There’s nothing like some cold hard facts to put a pundit in their place.

Pearce’s point about the UEFA Super Cup was quickly dismissed by Mills, who claimed it is no better than the Community Shield.

As Pearce points out however, the Reds have also come incredibly close to significantly increasing that trophy haul.

The League Cup final in 2016 was lost on penalties, the Europa League final that same year was lost due to some horrific defending from Alberto Moreno, who is no longer at the club, and who knows what would have happened in Kiev in 2018 had Mohamed Salah not picked up that shoulder injury?

Klopp’s side of course racked up 97 points last season as well, a club-record, while his three consecutive top-four finishes are a far cry from the horrific depths the team had stooped to before his arrival – Brendan Rodgers achieved Champions League qualification at Anfield just once.

The former Borussia Dortmund boss has completely transformed the red half of Merseyside, and Pearce’s response to what was a rather strange dig is absolutely spot on.

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…

The Championship season is only 12 games old, but West Brom have been brewing up a storm as they currently occupy top spot going into tonight’s fixtures.

Albion have lost the fewest amount of matches in the division, meaning they are two points clear of second-placed Leeds United, who are the only side to defeat them this season.

But, it’s not just the club as a whole that have been topping the charts for specific statistics.

The Baggies’ shot-stopper Sam Johnstone is currently outperforming every single goalkeeper in England’s top two divisions in terms of total saves made for the season.

The 26-year-old has recorded 42 saves across 12 matches, meaning he averages 3.5 per game. He is closely followed by Millwall’s Bartosz Bialkowski, who has managed one less having joined from relegated side Ipswich Town in the summer.

Johnstone has even managed more saves than Arsenal goalkeeper Bernd Leno, who has recorded 35 saves from their nine matches, though his average per game is higher at 3.8.

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But the Gunners recently held the unfortunate acclaim for facing the most shots of any side in Europe’s elite five leagues, so that only makes Albion’s number one look even more impressive.

However, despite all the personal positives for the former Manchester United man, it offers up a more pressing concern for manager Slaven Bilic.

The fact that his keeper is making so many saves means that his defence is rather penetrable as they are clearly allowing attempts on goal, this train of thought is only reinforced when seeing that West Brom have kept just two clean sheets all season – yet somehow remain at the Championship’s summit.

The Baggies currently concede an average of 11.9 shots per game, which places them in the middle of the Championship for that statistic, but what is most damning is that their most likely title challengers in Leeds are conceding the fewest shots per game at 8.9, via WhoScored.

At some stage, the scale is going to swing in their favour unless the Croatian can find a way to eradicate the problems that lie in his leaking defence.

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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… 

Garry Monk will face just his second game in charge of Sheffield Wednesday later this afternoon as they welcome Fulham to Hillsborough.

It will be the 40-year-old’s first introduction to the home faithful as his side looks to continue on from last weekend’s 2-0 victory over local rivals Huddersfield.

This fixture presents a different test considering Fulham are potential title challengers and the Terriers languish in the bottom three.

Scott Parker’s men opened the season with three victories in four matches but have slumped since then by not picking up another three points in four games, though they deserved more from their 1-1 draw with West Brom last weekend.

The Baggies salvaged a point with a late equaliser despite there appearing to be a foul on goalkeeper Marcus Bettinelli.

If Wednesday want to get a result today, they’ll have to conquer one man in front of the shot-stopper, Alfie Mawson.

On the Chalkboard

Steven Fletcher is expected to lead the line for the Owls having scored four goals already this season.

The battle between him and the Fulham centre-back presents an interesting duel, one that is very much brawn versus technique.

The Cottagers play a slick passing style of football – they rank first in the league for possession percentage at 63.7%.

Therefore, their central defenders are imperative to their system paying off as they’ll start most attacks by playing the ball out from the back – Mawson averages a massive 95.1 passes per game which is only bettered by his teammate Tim Ream in the entire league.

On the other hand, they rank inside the bottom four in the Championship for aerial duels won which only emphasises the fact they like to play it on the deck.

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Mawson edges the 6 foot 1 striker in height by an inch, but it is the Owls forward that has considerably won more duels in the air, averaging 6.6 per game.

His combative nature, therefore, could be key in halting the way Fulham go about their business.

Wednesday’s ability to play the ball to him also earns the side some sort of set-piece through being fouled 1.4 times per game, where he will only continue to be a threat.

The 25-year-old doesn’t attempt too many tackles at 0.6 per game which either means Fletcher will go unscathed throughout the match or that he will garner plenty of time on the ball.

Whoever comes out on top in this key battle is likely to help their team to their respective results.

Tottenham Hotspur announced in the latter stages of August that midfielder Jack Roles had left the club to join Cambridge United on loan.

Roles netted 11 times in 29 outings for Spurs during the 2018-19 campaign, with a number of those matches coming for the club’s Under-23 outfit in Premier League 2.

At the time, a number of Spurs fans reacted positively to the news as it would give the 20-year-old the chance to secure regular first-team action.

Roles netted a stunner in Cambridge’s 2-2 draw with Macclesfield Town on Saturday – his second goal in eight League Two appearances this season.

And a number of Tottenham fans have been on social media calling for their club to bring the youngster back as soon as possible.

One supporter, meanwhile, even claimed that Roles was better than Dele Alli, who has struggled for form in the early stages of the 2019/20 campaign.

A selection of the Twitter reaction can be seen below:

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Tottenham Hotspur slumped to their first defeat in five matches when they were beaten 2-1 by Burnley at Turf Moor on Saturday.

The result damages Spurs’ title chances, as both Liverpool and Manchester United will now have a chance to pull further ahead of the north London club. Mauricio Pochettino will be disappointed to have seen his side beaten in such a fashion. 

Spurs’ defensive performance left plenty to be desired, as they struggled to deal with the aerial prowess and physicality of the Clarets’ forwards. Young centre-back Juan Foyth and 26-year-old right wing-back Serge Aurier were particularly poor.

Aurier’s experience and physical attributes ought to have made him well suited for this fixture, but his lack of focus and poor positional awareness saw him fail to effectively challenge the Burnley attackers. It was certainly a game to forget for the 48-cap Ivory Coast international.

After the match, plenty of Spurs fans took to Twitter to criticise Aurier’s display…

Barcelona had a very good weekend in La Liga.

The Catalan giants welcomed Valencia to the Camp Nou on Saturday and won 5-2, taking all three points comfortably.

While many of the Blaugrana’s players were impressive in the encounter, Frenkie De Jong and Arthur Melo turned in particularly eye-catching performances.

The former netted a goal and an assist while the latter bagged an assist himself.

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Barcelona shared some pre-game footage of the tandem warming up with some ridiculous long-range passing skills, and it didn’t take long for the fans to notice it.

Loads of them swarmed Twitter with compliments and they were drooling over the footage, comparing De Jong and Melo to Xavi and Andres Iniesta, the midfield duo that was at the centre of Pep Guardiola’s excellent Barca side that won three La Liga titles and two Champions League trophies.

One fan demanded that they start every single game for Barcelona, as well, from here on in.

You can see some of the reactions in the tweets down below.

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Dean Jones has revealed some big Transfer Deadline Day news involving Newcastle United.

The Lowdown: Busy day

It has certainly been a busy day at St James’ Park so far, with both Dan Burn and Matt Targett currently undergoing medicals ahead of moves from Brighton and Aston Villa respectively.

Hugo Ekitike also looked like he was on his way to the northeast, but that deal now looks to be off as things stand.

One other name who has popped up fairly recently is Jesse Lingard, and that would potentially make three new arrivals on Tyneside today.

The Latest: Five deals?!

As per journalist and transfer insider Jones, Newcastle are ‘pushing’ to sign as many as five players today, although he did not confirm who they were.

The reporter tweeted: “Newcastle pushing for 5 players on deadline day should be fun!”

The Verdict: More than expected?

Assuming that Burn and Targett pass their medicals, that would be two new arrivals on deadline day, and Lingard could potentially be a third.

There could still be a dramatic twist with Ekitike in the final few hours, but that still only makes four players. Who the fifth one could be is anyone’s guess, with links to the likes of Yannick Carrasco today as well.

Nonetheless, if Newcastle can bring in five fresh faces before the 11pm deadline, it would certainly be a big statement in terms of increasing their chances of staying in the Premier League.

In other news, find out what Keith Downie has said about NUFC’s pursuit of Jesse Lingard

An update has emerged regarding Rangers winger Ryan Kent and his future at Ibrox… 

What’s the talk?

According to Football Insider, the 25-year-old is attracting interest south of the border and is currently available for a fee of £20m due to a release clause in his contract.

The report claims that the Gers want to tie him down to extended terms to ensure his future at the club, with Leeds United now preparing to swoop for the forward.

Marcelo Bielsa was said to have been a huge admirer of Kent during his time at Elland Road but his departure has not ended the Whites’ interest in the player as they remain keen on a deal.

Disasterclass

Ross Wilson must now avoid a major Rangers disasterclass with the attacker, as the Ibrox chief must not allow Leeds to activate that release clause.

Whilst there is nothing in place at the moment to allow him to stop the Premier League club if they came in with an offer of £20m today, what he can potentially do is remove the clause by negotiating a new contract. Football Insider claimed that the board wants to tie Kent down to fresh terms, so this is the perfect opportunity to remove that £20m option, duly stopping any prospective suitors from activating it.

Journalist Andrew Dickson recently dubbed the 25-year-old “completely unplayable” for the Gers, and his form this season reflects that. The Englishman has provided three goals and 13 assists across the Premiership and Europa League in 30 appearances this term.

This means that he is contributing directly to a goal just over once in every two games. He has been consistently brilliant throughout the season with his creative skills from out wide, while his direct play surely excites fans as he likes to run with the ball to create chances for himself and others.

Kent has completed 2.2 dribbles and 1.8 key passes per game in the Premiership. This illustrates how he wants to play football as he brushes past players with the ball at his feet before delivering a pass or a cross in an attempt to create a goal.

He is a crucial player for Gio van Bronckhorst because of his talents in the final third, and that is why Wilson must not allow Leeds to snap him up. The sporting director must avoid a disasterclass by negotiating a new contract which removes the release clause and ensures Kent’s future in Glasgow.

AND in other news, Forget Morelos: “Beautiful” gem who’s “unplayable” could fire Rangers to the title…

West Ham United are interested in a deal to bring Fabio Carvalho to the London Stadium.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a claim made by ExWHUemployee, who confirmed on a recent episode of The West Ham Way Podcast that, following earlier reports suggesting that West Ham are keeping a very close eye on the situation of the Fulham attacking midfielder ahead of a potential move, the 19-year-old is indeed a player that David Moyes is interested in.

The Hammers insider went on to state that, with the England youth international’s current contract at Craven Cottage set to expire at the end of the season, the 58-year-old manager could make an early move to sign the teenager in the coming months.

Speaking about West Ham’s interest in Carvalho, Ex said: “We are looking at Championship players. Carvalho at Fulham – he is someone we like. He’s out of contract in the summer, a move for him might be on the cards in the summer. He’s not a priority position [but] we could move early for him.”

Fans will be buzzing

Considering the sheer amount of impressive attacking midfield options Moyes currently possesses at the London Stadium, with the likes of Said Benrahma, Manuel Lanzini, Pablo Fornals and Nikola Vlasic all capable of operating in the number 10 role, the further addition of a player as exciting as Carvalho is sure to be a prospect that will have West Ham fans buzzing.

Indeed, the £3.15m-rated youngster has highly impressed over his 15 Championship appearances this season, having already scored five goals, provided one assist and created three big chances for his teammates, as well as taking an average of 1.9 shots and making 1.6 key passes per game.

These returns have seen the £650-per-week forward average a SofaScore match rating of 6.91, ranking him as Marco Silva’s 14th-best performer in the second tier of English football.

As such, it is clear to see that the attacking midfielder is a player who possesses an extremely bright future in the game, leading us to believe that, should Moyes be able to beat the likes of Barcelona, Real Madrid, Liverpool and Chelsea – all of whom have been linked with a move for the 19-year-old – to Carvalho’s signature this summer, it would be a major coup for the Champions League hopefuls.

In other news: Sheth reveals West Ham are “looking at” £17m beast, he’d be an “exemplary” signing