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Marcelo Bielsa’s arrival has galvanised a multitude of individuals who can now all make a genuine case for the club’s most improved player of the season accolade. The award is typically the least glamorous of all those on offer but widespread improvement throughout the Leeds squad has added a layer of prestige to this particular honour.

Discussion over exactly which Leeds player has showcased the greatest level of improvement this season has been rife at Football FanCast towers of late, but a consensus remains elusive. Read a handful of our writers’ verdicts below…

James Beavis – Liam Cooper

“While he may have been captain last season under Thomas Christiansen and Paul Heckingbottom, the 27-year-old was seen as one of Leeds’ weak links – not helped by some of the errors he made. However, he has been a completely different animal under Bielsa, and like many of his teammates his game has come on leaps and bounds under the Argentine. A brilliant leader who isn’t afraid to put his body on the line for his side, he has improved massively from a technical point of view in recent months, and is arguably more important than Pontus Jansson now.”

Billy Myers – Kemar Roofe

“Admittedly, the diminutive forward was very good last year, but he seems to have stepped it up a notch this season and already has three more Championship goals than he managed in the previous campaign. Roofe bagged 15 Championship goals during the course of the previous two campaigns, and his 14 so far this term prove that he is always improving and working on his game.”

Ben Goodwin – Gjanni Alioski

“The Macedonian international was best known for getting caught offside last season, and likely would have been shown the door if fans had their way in the summer. He is now one of the first names on the teamsheet due to his engine, drive and versatility. In fact, his transformation is perhaps the best of all the Marcelo Bielsa success stories at Elland Road this season. With Barry Douglas struggling for form and fitness, Leeds may not even be in the title race without Alioski filling in at left-back.”

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According to reliable West Ham United insider ExWHUemployee on Episode 124 of ‘The West Ham Way’ radio show, Winston Reid has said he will be back in full training next week after almost a year on the sidelines, and Irons fans have been quick to react.

The 30-year-old has been out of action ever since landing awkwardly during a Premier League clash against Swansea City in March 2018, and it was reported back in July that he would be out for at least three months following surgery.

However, that timeframe didn’t prove to be very accurate at all and it is now only nearly 12 months on that the New Zealand international looks set to return to the training ground, having told people there he expects to be back in action next week.

In his absence the likes of Issa Diop, Fabian Balbuena and Angelo Ogbonna have featured at the heart of the defence, with the former duo – both summer additions – in particular impressing.

West Ham supporters have taken to social media to have their say on Reid’s imminent return, and while one said “OMG finally”, another said it is “exciting times”.

Here is just a selection of the Twitter reaction…

In this era of ‘big 6’ dominance, has finishing 7th become as good as winning a trophy? The Pl>ymaker FC squad have their say in the video below…

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Newcastle’s good performances in recent weeks have hardly earned them the results they’ve deserved but that changed completely against Huddersfield on Saturday, who were truly put to the sword by the Magpies.

The Tyneside outfit ran out 2-0 winners, with Salomon Rondon and Ayoze Perez getting on the scoresheet in quick succession after the break to secure all three points for the home side.

Miguel Almiron, making his St James’ Park debut after signing for a club-record fee in January, nearly capped off a fine move but his chipped effort struck the post 11 minutes in.

Have the new Newcastle home and away kits for next season accidentally been leaked? See for yourself in the video below…

With the Paraguayan making a promising start, his afternoon was nearly cut short by Terriers defender Tommy Smith, whose dangerous challenge nine minutes later could easily have had catastrophic consequences for the Newcastle man.

The Huddersfield captain was deservedly shown a straight red card – making him the first player to be sent off against Newcastle since 2014 – for his horror tackle and, fortunately, Almiron was able to carry on.

Here’s what the Toon Army had to say about 26-year-old Smith’s red card on Twitter, with some relieved that they had finally seen a red card awarded to their opposition, while others were simply pleased that Almiron wasn’t injured…

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The Fulham fans could not quite believe what head coach Claudio Ranieri did during Friday night’s Premier League clash with West Ham United.

At the interval of the match, with Fulham 2-1 down, Ranieri decided to bring both Jean Michael Seri and Ryan Sessegnon off, with Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa and Lazar Markovic entering the field.

It would be fair to say that the double change did not go down well with the Fulham supporters, with many taking to social media to blast their head coach.

As it transpired, Fulham suffered a 3-1 defeat at the London Stadium, despite taking the lead in the early stages through Ryan Babel, so it’s safe to say the half-time switch-up didn’t work out.

Indeed, goals from Javier Hernandez, Issa Diop and Michail Antonio secured the points for the Hammers, leaving Fulham in 19th position in the table, eight points from safety.

A selection of the Twitter reaction from the struggling club’s fans – in relation to the double substitution at the break – can be seen below:

أحرز الدولي الهولندي لوك دي يونج مهاجم إشبيلية، الهدف الأول لفريقه في مرمى برشلونة في المباراة الجارية بينهما في الدوري الإسباني.

برشلونة يستقبل إشبيلية، على ملعب “الكامب نو”، بالجولة الخامسة من الليجا (طالع المباراة مباشرةٍ لحظة بلحظة).

هدف دي يونج جاء في الدقيقة الثامنة بعد تخبط دفاعي، وخطف الكرة من أمام مدافعي برشلونة وسدد الهدف الأول. شاهد هدف لوك دي يونج فى برشلونة

وبعدها بدقيقتين وتحديدًا في الدقيقة 10، تمكن البرازيلي فيليب كوتينيو، من إحراز هدف التعادل بطريقة رائعة بعد تمريرة من ليونيل ميسي شاهد هدف كوتينيو فى اشبيلية

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Loads of Leeds fans have been reacting to a rather special moment in their win over Bolton, as the Whites won their first first-half penalty kick since September 2017.

Leeds got back to winning ways with a 2-1 victory over struggling Bolton at Elland Road on Saturday, courtesy of goals from Patrick Bamford and Gjanni Alioski.

The Whites were on top for most of the match, racking up 69 per cent of the possession, 21 shots and eight shots on target, per BBC.

This meant lots of pressure in and around the visitors’ penalty box, and Marcelo Bielsa’s side were awarded a penalty 15 minutes in – their first penalty kick before half-time in 80, yes eighty, games in all competitions, per lufcstats. It was also just their second spot kick of the season.

Bamford stepped up to tuck the spot kick home, and Alioski’s somewhat fortunate winner earned Bielsa’s side all three points after Mark Beever had equalised.

While the focus for Bielsa and his squad is of course the next game and kicking on to try and catch league leaders Norwich, fans are all too busy reacting hilariously to the penalty.

Yorkshire Evening Post journalist Phil Hay tweeted out about the spot kick, and the fans in the replies went absolutely wild.

You can find some of the best Twitter reactions down below…

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Liverpool fans have taken to Twitter to discuss Naby Keita’s recent spell out of the starting XI, after a good run of form in which it appeared like he had finally settled in at the club.

The Guinean international arrived at the club to much fanfare after a £52.75m move from RB Leipzig, but struggled to acclimatise and bring his Bundesliga form over to the Premier League.

In recent weeks, however, the 24-year-old looked to have turned a new leaf, with the 3-0 win over Bournemouth at Anfield a real indicator that Keita had finally found his feet in a Liverpool shirt.

He had made four successive league starts for the Reds from the end of January to the middle of February, but has since been dropped inexplicably – Keita has played just six minutes of league football since the aforementioned victory over the Cherries.

Jurgen Klopp’s decision to omit him seems unfair, and Liverpool fans have been discussing the matter on Twitter…

It’s been quite a tough season for Brett Pitman hasn’t it Portsmouth fans?

The 31-year-old forward’s goal-scoring antics last season saw him record his best total (24) for eight years as he fired Kenny Jackett’s side to an eighth place finish in League One.

Yet despite Pompey experiencing a much better campaign this year, Pitman has failed to replicate anywhere near the same level of performance, raising concerns that he may not be able to make the jump up to the Championship if the club achieve promotion in May.

With the former Bournemouth star having only found the back of the net on six occasions in 30 league games, Jackett has had to rely on the likes of Jamal Lowe, Ronan Curtis and Gareth Evans to step up to the plate this season.

Pitman’s poor recent record in the Championship will also act as a warning sign for Portsmouth. Before moving to Fratton Park, the forward represented Ipswich in the second tier for two seasons and only managed to score 14 goals in 64 league games for the Tractors, illustrating that he may not have what it takes to compete at that level anymore.

By letting Pitman leave, the club could focus on trying to lure Omar Bogle away from the club on a permanent deal in the summer. However, according to The Star, Pompey did not include an option to buy as part of their initial loan deal with Cardiff City and therefore will have to negotiate a new deal with Neil Warnock’s side in the summer if they want to sign the striker.

Even if Portsmouth do not achieve promotion at the end of this season, it would still be beneficial if they let Pitman go as it would give them the opportunity to give the younger generation of forwards at the club the chance to flourish at Fratton Park.

What do you think Pompey fans? Should Jackett cut ties with Pitman in the summer? Or will a decision depend on what league the club finds itself in next season? Let us know below.

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According to WhoScored, Liverpool midfielder Fabinho had a pass success rate of 91% in Sunday’s 2-1 win over Fulham, whilst he also made two tackles and won three aerial duels.

It would be fair to say that the overall performance from Liverpool was not exactly fantastic, but they did enough to collect all three points, with James Milner netting a late penalty.

It is results rather than performances that matter most at this stage of the campaign and Jurgen Klopp’s side boosted their title challenge in the English capital.

Fabinho – a 2018 arrival from Monaco – was making his 22nd Premier League appearance of the season against the Cottagers.

It took the Brazil international a little bit of time to settle at Liverpool, but he has now played every minute of his team’s last seven Premier League matches.

The Merseyside club’s fans have been delighted with what they have seen from the midfielder in recent weeks and that was again the case at the weekend.

A selection of the Twitter reaction to Fabinho’s performance can be seen below:

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Bournemouth visit Huddersfield in a game that is far more important for the hosts – as every clash will be for the Terriers from now on as they look to evade the drop – and Eddie Howe can ensure their opposition don’t secure another shock win by prioritising the importance of Charlie Daniels and Ryan Fraser.

On the chalkboard

Jan Siewert’s side’s surprising victory over Wolves last week, in which they won in stoppage time, showed the Premier League that even the team that is rock bottom of the standings can prove to be a stumbling block.

The Cherries, meanwhile, will be hoping that they can bounce back from their gutting 1-0 loss to Manchester City last weekend and move closer to a top-half finish.

Howe can ensure that all three points are taken back to Dorset by snuffing out Huddersfield’s favoured avenue of attack, to which Daniels and Fraser will both be crucial.

Predictable Terriers

WhoScored names the Terriers’ frequency of attacks through the middle as the lowest in the Premier League (21%) while their assaults down the right flank are a league-high of 43% percent.

Bournemouth must force their hosts to come inside and narrow the pitch as best possible as they clearly aren’t comfortable if they cannot get the ball out wide – Daniels and Fraser will be essential to ensuring that the Cherries’ left-flank is impenetrable.

Fraser has come on leaps and bounds this season, with his pace a huge asset to the Vitality Stadium outfit going forward – he can be of equal importance on the back foot next time out, though, if he can chase back and help out Daniels when Huddersfield inevitably look to whip balls into the box from the right wing.

How much money could you make busking for a week as a freestyle footballer? Find out in the video below…

The Cherries have plenty of talent to take this game well out of their opponents’ reach but they should not be so foolish to assume it will be an easy win – making sure the aforementioned pair are on their A-game will be a huge step towards guaranteeing a victory.