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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…

We said it would be a test, and it looks as if they failed it.

Although that doesn’t mean everything should be doom and gloom around the City Ground. How does the saying go? “You learn more from failure than you do from success.” Well, that needs to be the attitude going forward.

As covered on FFC last week in the build-up to the game, we stated that Sunday’s game against Wigan would be a perfect test for how Nottingham Forest, and more importantly Sabri Lamouchi would be able to cope with the number of injuries that have been going through the squad.

Forest have had things relatively straight forward so far during their impressive start to the season, but this really acted as a way of working out whether or not the work they had done so far this campaign was down to the efforts of Lamouchi, the players, a combination of the two, or just good luck in how things have panned.

As not just the result, but the performance showed, there is still some work to do when it comes to how Forest can attack the rest of the season.

Whilst they may have a lot of strength in depth in terms of quantity, with 31 players on their books (via Transfermarkt), as well as those coming through the academy, they might not necessarily have the strength in depth in terms of quality to get them through the season.

Now it is up to Lamouchi to turn that quantity into the sort of quality that he can rely on throughout the season.

Injuries like these are bound to pop up again throughout the rest of the season, so the reserves have to be at a level where they are capable of being a help rather than a hindrance whenever they step up to the plate.

They certainly proved that wasn’t the case on this occasion with defeat at the weekend and similarly poor performances with a weaker team could be season-defining.

When he was first appointed, Lamouchi joked about how this league was ‘the worst in the world’ and having been given the first real shock to the system, now he just has to show that he has learned from it.

It was a busy summer for Arsenal in the transfer window.

No less than six new faces joined the Gunners. But, whilst five of them are still with the club and will play this season in England, one will spend it away from the Emirates Stadium.

William Saliba, an 18-year-old French centre-back, signed for the north London outfit in July for a fee in the region of £27m, but he was sent straight back out on loan to former club Saint-Etienne.

Unfortunately, he has been unable to play for the Ligue 1 outfit so far this season due to injury. Until Sunday, that is, when he made his first appearance of the campaign against Nimes, albeit from the bench. Although he can hardly take too much credit, playing just one minute, it did coincide with Les Verts’ first clean sheet of the season.

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Arsenal supporters have been keeping an eye on the defender, and they were quick to react to his taste of action of the term. They took to Twitter to share their thoughts, and you can see some of the best comments from the social media platform below.

This article is part of Football FanCast’s The Chalkboard series, which provides a tactical insight into teams, players, managers, potential signings and more… 

You can’t fault a manager for keeping his players healthy.

However, you can fault him when perhaps he takes his methods a little bit too far.

It seems pretty obvious that Sabri Lamouchi is simply trying to rotate the wide players in his squad to keep them fresh for the rest of the season; with the likes of Sammy Ameobi, Joe Lolley and Albert Adomah all sharing responsibilities amongst themselves in recent weeks.

However, it looks as if Joao Carvalho has found his way into that rotation as well, although the question remains whether or not he should.

On the chalkboard

Last weekend he found himself out on the left-wing, and if you take a look at his WhoScored.com rating of 6.6 for the game, it’s fair to say that he certainly left a lot to be desired, and that’s predominantly because he’s not used to that position.

Throughout the encounter, he completed two dribbles but failed to register a single shot or key pass.

Joao Carvalho was used predominantly as an attacking midfielder last season and was able to produce some excellent displays in that role, grabbing four goals and eight assists in the process, so it just seems relatively simple to keep him there.

In fact there is a lot of potential for him to be even better this season compared to the previous campaign.

With Samba Sow putting in great defensive performances week after week protecting the back four, averaging 4.2 tackles a game and 2.1 interceptions a game to boot, Carvalho should be given a lot more freedom to go out and be as creative as he was last year.

That’ll only happen if he’s played in his natural role.

Be that in a 4-2-3-1 acting in the #10 position behind the centre-forward, or as part of a midfield duo in a 4-3-3, the fact of the matter is that he is much more effective through the middle and is more or less wasted out wide.

Lamouchi must stray from making a similar error in the future.

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Loads of neutral fans on Twitter said Arsenal striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is better than Tottenham Hotspur ace Harry Kane following his brace in the 2-2 draw against Watford on Sunday.

The Gunners signed the Gabon international in a £56m deal from Borussia Dortmund in 2018, and he has gone on to score an impressive 46 goals in 70 appearances in all competitions for the north London outfit, as per Transfermarkt.

Meanwhile, Kane also has an unbelievable record of 167 goals in 258 matches in total for Spurs, and the duo’s impressive ratios of finding the net show why comparisons between the two attackers are being made by neutral supporters.

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Plenty of those individuals appeared impressed by the 30-year-old Gunner at the weekend as he put away two first-half chances, taking his tally to five in five this term, although his team couldn’t hold out for the three points.

Many appeared in no doubt as to who is the better player, with one even suggesting “Kane is nowhere near” his rival – controversial to say the least when you peruse the statistics.

Here is just a selection of the Twitter reaction…

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The former England international knows the type of threat Napoli will pose after the Reds were drawn against the Italian outfit in the group stage this time last year.

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Liverpool lost the last time they travelled to the Stadio San Paolo, courtesy of a late Lorenzo Insigne goal, and oh boy would revenge be sweet.

That loss seems to have stuck in Milner’s mind, as his caption states that the team know Tuesday night’s clash is not going to be easy by any means.

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Crystal Palace put in one of their most professional performances of the season on Saturday, but with a few tweaks they can go one better against West Ham next week.

On the chalkboard

Roy Hodgson must have enjoyed his Saturday, as the Palace boss watched his side put in a near-flawless display against relegation candidates Fulham.

The Cottagers had 63 per cent of the possession per Whoscored’s stats, but didn’t register a single shot on target, and goals from Luka Milivojevic and Jeffrey Schlupp were enough to give Palace all three points.

The Eagles will now welcome West Ham to Selhurst Park next weekend, and Hodgson should unleash his deadline day signing against a hurting Hammers back line.

Check out the below above to see football played as you’ve never seen it before… in a maze!

Hammers in trouble

West Ham will welcome league leaders Liverpool to the London Stadium on Monday night, and it’s hard to see anything other than an absolute trouncing.

The Hammers are currently without commanding leaders Fabian Balbuena and Winston Reid, leaving the erratic and downright hopeless Angelo Ogbonna to partner young Issa Diop in defence.

If Manuel Pellegrini’s side do suffer a hefty defeat, then Palace can heap more misery on them next weekend by starting a front three of Wilfried Zaha, Michy Batshuayi and Andros Townsend, assuming Zaha does not receive a further ban from the FA for his red card at Southampton.

This front three has far too much movement, speed, trickery and guile for the Hammers’ makeshift defence to account for, and Batshuayi showed he is up to the task by setting up the second goal just minutes after coming on for his debut against Fulham.

Blessing in disguise for Benteke?

While throwing Batshuayi right into the mix against West Ham might seem harsh on Christian Benteke, who was decent on his return to the starting XI on Saturday, it could actually be a blessing in disguise for the big Belgian.

Aforementioned, West Ham are currently decimated by injuries and playing with absolutely no confidence, so the last thing they’ll want to see is Benteke coming on for the last 20 minutes of the match.

The 28 year-old could forge a new role at Selhurst Park as a super-sub, allowing the pace of Batshuayi to tire out the likes of Diop and Ogbonna before coming on to finish the job.

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The Championship season got underway in August and Sheffield Wednesday have had to play no fewer than eight matches – that’s pretty much two per week.

They sit 11th in the table having won three and lost three, whilst they have also progressed into the third round of the Carabao Cup, setting up a tie with Everton at Hillsborough.

Following online votes, centre-back Julian Borner managed to clinch the Player of the Month award for August, leaving many fans in south Yorkshire reacting to the news.

One supporter claimed it was deserved, stating that Kadeem Harris was the only other decent option out of a bad bunch.

The 28-year-old is a new arrival at the club having joined from Arminia Bielefeld in the summer and has played every single minute in the Championship this season.

Another fan said it was never in doubt whilst one more member of the Hillsborough faithful believed that Atdhe Nuhiu had been robbed of the award.

Wednesday will be hoping for a better start in September as Lee Bullen’s men have lost three of their last four matches after what looked to be a strong start.

However, they’ll have to wait another week or so as the international break is currently on the agenda.

You can read more of the reaction to Borner’s award below:

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According to Dan Sheldon of The Athletic, another loan spell at Southampton is unlikely for Broja, but a permanent move is possible in the summer.

The Lowdown: Broja’s outstanding form at Southampton

The 20-year-old has quickly established himself as one of Southampton’s most important players since arriving on a season-long loan from Chelsea.

The striker has made 17 Premier League appearances this season, nine of which have come as part of the starting XI.

Broja has scored five goals and produced one assist under Ralph Hasenhuttl, which makes him Saints’ second top scorer in the league behind James Ward-Prowse.

The Latest: Broja permanent transfer possible

Hasenhuttl has previously stated that talks are taking place between Martin Semmens, Southampton’s club’s chief executive, and Marina Granovskaia at Chelsea over the Albanian’s future.

According to fresh reports from Dan Sheldon and The Athletic, ‘as it stands’, another loan move for Broja is unlikely. Therefore, this means that the loanee will either leave Chelsea on a permanent transfer this summer or will remain at Stamford Bridge in a bid to fight for his place in Tuchel’s side.

This is fantastic news for Saints fans, as it is also said that Broja is enjoying his time at Southampton and that he has developed a good relationship with Hasenhuttl, meaning if a fee can be agreed the player certainly seems keen to stay put at St. Mary’s.

The Verdict: Massive for Saints fans

The possibility of a permanent deal coming to fruition will arouse excitement amongst the Saints fanbase, who are desperate to keep hold of the 20-year-old beyond the summer.

Broja is scoring a top flight goal every 175 minutes this season, a fantastic rate for a player who had rarely stepped foot on a Premier League pitch before 2021.

The fact that the player has a good relationship with the manager will give the club a big boost in negotiations over a permanent transfer, as this could influence Broja into pushing for a return move.

Hasenhuttl would clearly love for the striker to return, having described the striker as ‘dangerous’ in front of goal. Therefore, it likely all depends on whether Southampton have the finances needed to meet Chelsea’s asking price.

A deal for Antonio Rudiger would cost Manchester United €55million (£46million), according to a report from Marca’s Mario Cortegana. 

Rudiger’s Chelsea contract expires at the end of the season, so that sum comprises his salary and bonuses.

The German’s representatives are apparently holding ‘meetings and calls’ with various suitors.

Rudiger was said to be ‘upset’ with Chelsea’s renewal offer in the summer, but talks at Stamford Bridge have now resumed, and ‘with a much greater harmony’. The 28-year-old has plenty of options elsewhere however, including United.

Significantly, Ralf Rangnick enjoys ‘a good relationship’ with the player’s agent, according to this latest update.

Who else could sign Rudiger?

Also in the frame are Italian giants Juventus and Ligue 1 leaders Paris Saint-Germain.

Bayern Munich could make a move, depending on what happens with Nicklas Sule, and there’s been contact with Real Madrid too.

The defender has shone under Thomas Tuchel, earning a place in the UEFA Champions League Squad of the Season for 2020/21 after Chelsea beat Manchester City in the final.

Fan feed Utd Report relayed Cortegana’s claim, and here’s what supporters made of it.

These United fans excited by Rudiger prospect

“Imagine rudiger x varane, finally rudiger can play with an actual rolls royce”

Credit: @UtdPatrick__

“Nice deal. He would improve our defence. Rudiger x varane”

Credit: @ZackMullerr

“Bailly is leaving , sell the fridge asap and get in rudiger .”

Credit: @xvenom07

“Rudiger and Varane backline could catch Lewis Hamilton”

Credit: @gregoryanwar28

“That’s less than Maguire’s transfer fees. Get him”

Credit: @blackvanpersie

“Bring this beast to La Theatre.”

Credit: @EthanGed

In other news, fans flock to this news on Lingard.

Leeds United are among the teams interested in Manuel Lanzini ahead of the January transfer window…

What’s the word?

That’s according to TEAMtalk, who claim the Yorkshire giants have submitted an enquiry to West Ham over the 28-year-old attacking midfielder, though the Irons have rebuffed such advances.

Premier League rivals Newcastle United, Aston Villa, Southampton and Everton are also said to be keen.

It remains to be seen how much the Argentinian would command next month, having cost the east London outfit just £9m from UAE Pro League side Al Jazira back in March 2016.

He is thought to be on around £70k-per-week at the London Stadium.

Creative solution

Although the Hammers are rejected the idea of letting Lanzini leave this winter, it would be hard to imagine them rejecting a substantial bid for his signature considering he has slipped down the pecking order this season.

Both Pablo Fornals and Said Benrahma are often preferred to him, whilst Irons boss David Moyes made a €39m (£33m) investment in Nikola Vlasic in the summer.

The 28-year-old’s vast experience in the top-flight would make him an interesting candidate for this struggling Leeds side – one that could ultimately do with some creativity in the final third.

Only five teams have scored fewer goals than the Whites from 18 league matches this season, two of which sit in the relegation zone. 44% of these goals have come from set pieces and they are amongst the four worst teams when it comes to scoring from open play, per WhoScored.

Lanzini, who has never really been a regular figure at West Ham, has still proven to be a playmaking influence, having averaged 1.7 key passes per 90 throughout his time in east London.

If he were to perform to that level at Elland Road right now, then only two players would rank ahead of him, one being the wing threat of Raphinha.

“In training, being around this player all the time, he’s brilliant, he’s amazing. I’ve never seen a player like him,” once claimed former teammate Jordan Hugill. “The things he can do with a football, it’s incredible just to watch him and in training, it’s even better.”

Ex-manager Slaven Bilic even likened him to Ballon d’Or winner Luka Modric, whilst Darren Bent dubbed him a “top player” with “wonderful feet” to Football Insider just last year.

On the above evidence, Bielsa signing his fellow countryman could be quite a shrewd move, whether it can definitely happen or not remains to be seen but United would be foolish to not try again next month.

AND in other news, Leeds source drops major behind-the-scenes Bielsa update at Thorp Arch, fans will be worried…