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This article is part of Football FanCast’s One to Watch series, which focuses on those players we think are particularly worth keeping an eagle-eye on as the 2019/20 season unfolds.

Jonjo Shevley is a very curious case indeed.

Once a starter and lynchpin at the heart of the midfielder, he found himself struggling for regular opportunities under Rafael Benitez.

The transition into a new managerial era could stimulate a turnaround in his fortunes and that’s why he’s been selected as one to watch.

The story so far

Shelvey was signed by Liverpool from Charlton when the Englishman was just 18 years old. He’d managed 24 league appearances for the London club in the third tier of English football before Roy Hodgson signed him for a mere £3m.

His time on Merseyside saw him play for the club 81 times, but a move to Swansea came around in 2013 for £5m.

Shelvey played three campaigns for the Swans, scoring one particularly memorable wonder-goal against Aston Villa from the halfway line, though his time in Wales came to an abrupt end as he joined Newcastle midway through a season in which they eventually struggled to relegation under Steve McClaren.

In his time on Tyneside, he achieved promotion with Rafael Benitez and remained an important part of the Spaniard’s side who went on to finish comfortably in mid-table in during their first season back in the top-flight.

The creative midfielder was so impressive that a handful of pundits, including Danny Murphy, Paul Ince and Alan Shearer, suggested he deserved a place in Gareth Southgate’s 2018 World Cup squad.

Last year, though, Shelvey’s opportunities diminished and he played just 16 league games, with just ten of those being starts.

What’s 2019/20 got in store for Shelvey?

Shelvey has been a regular figure in the starting XI during Newcastle’s pre-season under new manager Steve Bruce.

With Isaac Hayden impressing under Benitez, the signing of Miguel Almiron, the emergence of young Sean Longstaff and the presence of Ki Seung-yueng all to consider, Shelvey is battling against some talented midfielders.

The signs are there from pre-season to suggest that he will be a major part of Bruce’s plans this season in a team that will boast some very expensive signings.

Almiron was Newcastle’s record signing earlier this year, but the arrivals of Joelinton’s from Hoffenheim and Allan Saint-Maxim from Nice have added further firepower to the squad. And Shelvey may well have a lot of fun raking passes into that front three.

With Hayden and Longstaff available to Bruce as well, you could see Shelvey starting in a midfield three with plenty of licence to get forward and show his most creative instincts, something he’s done many times as an attacking midfielder, though he’s played most of his career more centrally.

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What would constitute a good season for Shelvey?

If Shelvey can cement his place in the starting XI and begin to command the type of esteemed recognition he was earning towards the end of the 2017/18 season, it will be regarded as a successful campaign.

Anything less than that will be disappointing for everyone concerned, so it will be intriguing to see how he develops under the new regime.

Shelvey should target (all competitions)

Appearances: 40

Starts: 32

Goals: 5

Assists: 8

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Ryan Kent was left out of Liverpool Under-23s’ 3-0 defeat to Chelsea on Monday, giving the Rangers fans hope they might see him make an Ibrox return before the end of the month.

The snub comes just days after the ex-Gers loanee posted a cryptic message on his Instagram that appeared to suggest that the Reds were holding him back.

It’s been a summer of speculation for the winger, who’s seen links to the Gers and Leeds cool down in recent weeks.

The greatest player ever to grace the Scottish Premiership is revealed in the video below…

It’s no surprise that the Ibrox faithful want to see Kent in the famous Light Blue again. The winger was brilliant for Steven Gerrard’s side last season, scoring six times and setting up another nine in his 43 appearances, and he eventually won the PFA Young Player of the Year.

As well as being excited about a potential reunion with Kent, some supporters are getting annoyed by the Premier League club’s treatment of the 22-year-old. These Gers fans don’t appreciate the way the youngster is being treated by his parent club at a time when it might be best for all parties if he were to leave Anfield.

Here’s how they reacted to the latest news on Twitter…

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The striker’s message was clear and simple. He said that the team sticks together whether they win or lose.

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Bennett knows what it’s like to bounce back from a loss as a Derby player. Despite only being 23 years old he’s been a first-team player for eight years at this point. That means he’s seen his team lose in the playoffs four times already in his career.

With Philip Cocu’s managerial spell at Pride Park still in its infancy, it is vital that the team stick together through this time, and Bennett is certainly one man the Dutchman can rely on.

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This article is part of Football FanCast’s In The Pipeline series, which takes a look at some of the most promising young talent either linked with clubs or emerging from their academies…

Liverpool fans have a particular fondness for young players who come through their academy from a young age, and Luis Longstaff could be the latest graduate to enjoy their support.

Trent Alexander-Arnold is the perfect example of an academy player who Liverpool fans love as ‘one of their own’, but other than the right-back there havent been too many players which have taken the same journey and remained in the first-team in recent years – with Raheem Sterling and Jordon Ibe examples of academy graduates who have moved elsewhere.

The path ahead for Longstaff is therefore a difficult one, as to break into a squad of European champions requires not only exquisite skill, but tremendous bravery and an attitude to work hard and never give up – Alexander-Arnold has shown all of that.

There are positive signs so far for Longstaff in his short career. He is 18 years of age but this season has been fast-tracked into the U23 team, and it didn’t take him long to make his mark with a goal against Southampton U23s.

In 2017 he also endeared himself to Liverpool fans with a goal against Manchester United U18s, and has since developed into a tricky winger, who is adept with the ball at his feet and likes to take the ball past opposition defenders.

His pace will also be very useful for his chances of appearing in the first-team. Jurgen Klopp’s pressing style is so effective, in part, due to the rapid movement of Sadio Mane and Mo Salah, and if Longstaff can prove he is disciplined off the ball and prepared to work hard, he will make a good case for himself in regard to first-team opportunities in the future.

The departure of Ryan Kent could also be important in his progression for two reasons. Firstly, it opens up a space in the U23 squad for Longstaff to appear more often, but it also acts as a warning sign to the player, showing that he will be moved on if he fails to reach the high standards set by the club.

For his sake that should hopefully act as a motivating factor, but if he continues his current rate of development he could certainly be one to watch out for.

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Loads of Celtic fans have been responding to a tweet from their club offering them the inside track on Europa League opponents CFR Cluj.

Lots of clubs tweet information on their opponents for fans to enjoy, especially when that opponent is the 312th-ranked side in Europe, playing in a league that is rarely watched by the average football fan.

In Celtic’s case however, the fans know all about their Europa League Group E counterparts, as it was the Romanian outfit who dumped them out of Champions League qualifying last month.

Cluj scored four times at Parkhead in a truly abysmal performance from Neil Lennon’s side, and fans have now been left slightly irked by the Hoops’ tweet offering “the story” of their upcoming opponents.

One fan simply responding by saying it was “too soon” to re-open the wound, while some sarcastically asked if the club even remembered getting knocked out and one simply resorted to a funny gif basically asking the club to cut it out.

Have a look at some of the best Twitter reactions down below…

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Excitement is building among the Arsenal faithful after Dani Ceballos’ performance in Spain’s European Championship qualifier against Romania.

Spain won 2-1 with the on-loan Real Madrid man playing a beautiful pass for the ‘pre-assist’ as Paco Alcacer scored the second goal of the game.

Ceballos is enjoying his time at the Emirates Stadium so far after his man-of-the-match performance against Burnley. The Spain international assisted both goals as Arsenal beat Sean Dyche’s side 2-1.

The 22-year-old made the move to north London on a season-long loan deal in the summer. There isn’t thought to be an option to make the move permanent, though Italian journalist Fabrizio Romano (via Metro) has said that the Spanish giants have promised discussions will be held next summer over a permanent move.

Fans have already fallen head over heels for the Spaniard and took to Twitter to drool over his pass.

Here is a selection of tweets from Gooners:

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Liverpool started their Champions League title defence with a 2-0 defeat to Napoli on Tuesday night.

The Reds would have been looking to get their 2019/20 challenge off to a positive start in Naples – but the home side had other ideas as they recorded an impressive win.

Head coach Jurgen Klopp made two substitutions during the European affair – introducing Georginio Wijnaldum in the 66th minute before sending Xherdan Shaqiri onto the field with three minutes of regulation time left.

And the fact that Shaqiri was given minimal time to make an impression did not go down well with the Liverpool fans.

Napoli were only one goal ahead at the time of the change, but Fernando Llorente made it 2-0 in the 92nd minute to put the match beyond the reigning champions.

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Shaqiri was never really given the opportunity to alter the outcome, though, and his late introduction did not go down well with the Merseyside club’s fans.

A selection of the Twitter reaction can be seen below:

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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…

Jermaine Beckford has given his thoughts on Leeds striker Patrick Bamford, claiming he’s an unsung hero but also talking about the massive burden on his shoulders.

What’s he said?

Bamford was withdrawn early in the game against Barnsley last weekend as he was replaced by eventual goal scorer Eddie Nketiah.

Whether the pair can play together has been discussed and teased by Marcelo Bielsa in the past and both of them have now already scored eight goals between them in all competitions.

So far, the former Middlesbrough man has been preferred in attack in the league but Beckford has hinted that he perhaps deserves more praise.

Talking to Yorkshire Evening Post, he claimed that the burden and pressures of playing with the number 9 on your back at Leeds is huge. He said:

“It’s massive if I’m honest with you. If you look at some of the veterans who have worn the number nine shirt prior to myself, the expectation levels and the pressure levels are sky high.

“You’re the focal point of the attack and you have to create, make things happen. The pressure for the number nine is huge.

“Last season I don’t think they had as much confidence in him in terms of his hold up play. I think he’s definitely an unsung hero for Leeds.”

Understandable pressures

Wearing the number 9 at Leeds understandably comes with a huge pressure but it shouldn’t be seen as a burden. Instead, it should be treasured and relished.

In the past, some of the great names of English football have worn it including Ian Rush, Mark Viduka and Jimmy Floyd-Hasselbaink.

The trio scored 622 goals between them throughout their careers as both Rush and Hasselbaink netted over 200 times. Viduka, meanwhile, bagged 118.

That shows their goal-scoring prowess and underlines the huge pressure Bamford has in following some illustrious footsteps.

Beckford also wore the number 9 at Leeds so knows what he’s talking about having scored 84 goals for the Whites.

It’s a definite burden but after some more mature performances from Bamford this season, it looks like he’s taken on the added responsibility.

He was of course banned for deceiving the referee last term but has worked hard in 2019/20, starting each league game and also being hailed by fans for his efforts.

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Real Madrid seem to be growing in stature as far as La Liga is concerned.

Los Blancos are finally back in the upper part of the table and are currently above both Barcelona and Atletico Madrid. But the important thing for Zinedine Zidane is that things slowly seem to be falling into place at the Santiago Bernabeu.

The Whites have dropped points on two occasions so far in the season but their narrow 1-0 victory over Sevilla last weekend was a big one, even though the scoreboard would not necessarily suggest it.

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Following that win, it wouldn’t be a stretch to conclude that Zidane might just apply the same formula he used in Andalusia in Wednesday’s clash with Osasuna.

With that in mind, and taking Real Madrid’s injuries into consideration – Marco Asensio, Luka Modric and Marcelo are all likely to be out among others – here’s what we think their starting XI might look like:

Thibaut Courtois finally got his clean sheet in La Liga last weekend against Sevilla. That was Real Madrid’s first in the ongoing campaign and it could prompt Zidane to leave the majority of his backline unchanged.

Unfortunately for the Whites, Ferland Mendy has been officially confirmed as the latest injured player in their midst. And with Marcelo already out of the picture, Nacho should be called upon to play at left-back.

The well-known tandem of Sergio Ramos and Raphael Varane will occupy the centre-back positions. After a great game against Sevilla, Daniel Carvajal is bound to start on the right again.

The middle of the park will also remain unchanged, with Toni Kroos, Casemiro and James Rodriguez all once again featuring in the starting XI and just behind a trident that is likely to become Real’s trademark.

Eden Hazard will play on the left, with Karim Benzema central and Gareth Bale on the right.

Once both Marcelo and Luka Modric return to action and most likely into the starting lineup, we could be looking at Zidane’s gala XI for all the big games but even without the aforementioned duo, this lineup is formidable and capable of picking up all three points.

Osasuna, indeed, have won just once this season, a 1-0 triumph over Leganes.

Real will expect to collect all three points.

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…

The 5-3-2 system in which Mark Warburton sets his QPR side up in hasn’t always been the formation used by the R’s boss.

Interestingly, the former Rangers and Brentford manager used a 4-2-3-1 system in the early parts of the current campaign, before switching to the current 5-3-2 for the trip to Sheffield Wednesday at the end of August.

The move merited a 2-1 win, with Jordan Hugill scoring both goals for QPR on a day that served to suggest the on-loan West Ham man might be well-suited to the new system.

However, since the trip to Hillsborough, the former Preston forward has struggled.

Last time out in the 3-0 defeat to Cardiff, the 27-year-old could not add to his five Championship goals as he delivered an extremely poor performance against the Bluebirds, despite Warburton switching back to a 4-2-3-1.

Hugill failed to have a single shot, and also failed to complete a key pass as he looked lost against Neil Warnock’s side.

The 6-foot striker also had a game-high six unsuccessful touches, leading to WhoScored handing him an underwhelming 5.63 match rating – the lowest of any player to start the game at the Cardiff City Stadium.

Hugill’s goalless display continues a worrying trend.

Since the aforementioned game against Sheffield Wednesday – in which he scored twice – Hugill hasn’t scored a single goal, while you only need to compare his match ratings from the fixtures since to see that he was struggling in Warburton’s 5-3-2 system but could also not return to his best despite a move back to 4-2-3-1.

Having earned an 8.49 match rating against the Owls, Hugill then received a 7.19 rating in the following fixture against Luton.

He then went on to be handed a 5.67 rating in the 2-0 defeat to West Brom on Saturday, before being given the aforementioned 5.63 against Cardiff – with each passing game, Hugill’s ratings are getting lower and he still isn’t finding the net.

The formation change seemed to work as a whole, with QPR winning four games in a row before losing to the Baggies, but Hugill, in particular, seems to be struggling in it despite early signs of promise.