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Arsenal were unable to hold onto their 1-0 lead against Wolves last Saturday as a Raul Jimenez strike denied Unai Emery’s side from earning a vital victory.

However, the club’s decision to highlight a save made by keeper Bernd Leno has led to criticism given the disappointing scoreline.

The Gunners’ shot-stopper kept Matt Doherty at bay with a one-handed save to keep Arsenal in the game.

Although given the current predicament at the club and the increasing calls Emery to depart The Emirates, a social media post highlighting the German keeper’s impressive save has seemingly intensified the ill-feeling from a number of the club’s fanbase towards their manager and the club. 

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With Arsenal sitting fifth in the league table, having won just four of their first 11 league games, domestic results have not been at a satisfactory standard for the club so far in 2019/20.

The Daily Mirror report that Emery has just one month left to save his job – but for these fans that may be too long with this social media post leading to a wave of criticism towards the club.

Here are some of the best reactions following Arsenal’s tweet regarding Leno’s save against Wolves.

This article is part of Football FanCast’s Transfer Focus series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent transfer news…

Chris Smalling has been ridiculed a little bit on Twitter this week.

The centre-back gave away a last-minute penalty for Roma in the Europa League on Thursday, but recent reports from Gianluca Di Marzio indicate that he’s actually having a fruitful spell in Rome.

What’s the story then?

After just two months of playing for the Serie A side, AS Roma apparently already want to make their loan deal for Smalling a permanent one.

Watch Manchester United Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

The article describes Smalling as “Always among the best in the field and the leader of a defense that has found stability and compactness with [Gianluca] Mancini.”

After years of being panned by his own fans it’s interesting to see Smalling described in such a way, but following these supposedly incredible performances for Roma, Manchester United have a decision to make.

Don’t decide yet

United would be foolish to call it quits on Smalling’s Old Trafford career now.

With the centre-back impressing over in Italy, surely he’s worth another go if he keeps this up.

Thogden ranks every Premier League striker from best to worst in the video below…

Ok, he’s only played four league games, and even the biggest Smalling sceptic will tell you that he’s capable of hitting form, but if this truly is the beginning of a resurgence, then United shouldn’t think about selling him just yet.

The report states that Roma will try to meet with United in the next few weeks to discuss his transfer, but the Red Devils should hold off these types of negotiations until the end of the season where they can fully assess whether or not he has the ability to be an asset in the Premier League.

After all, United have conceded on average one goal per game in the Premier League this season, and former boss Jose Mourinho has identified aerial quality as one of Victor Lindelof’s key weaknesses – Smalling, meanwhile, has won almost six aerial duels per game in Serie A.

Perhaps he can still have a role to play at Old Trafford.

Arsenal fought back from 2-1 down to prevail as 3-2 winners against Vitoria Guimaraes in a vital Europa League clash for Unai Emery’s side, and whilst Nicolas Pepe’s match-winning brace has understandably stolen the headlines, these Gunners fans have been singing the praises of one individual after yet another sensational European display.

Gabriel Martinelli, 18, got Arsenal’s opener on the night with a well-taken header, taking the Brazilian’s tally to three goals in two Europa League appearances. Although the forward is yet to start a Premier League game in 2019/20, performances such as these are likely to be giving Emery a selection dilemma if his goalscoring form persists.

With the club securing a vital victory in their bid to reach the knock-out stages, maintaining their 100% winning start to Group F, some Arsenal fans were quick to praise Martinelli’s performance. Here are some of the best reactions to the Brazilian’s display against Vitoria Guimaraes.

Many Everton supporters have been discussing on social media whether or not the Blues should take any form of action over Cenk Tosun’s military salute celebration for Turkey.

Europe’s football governing body UEFA have said that they will be investigating the celebration given by Turkey’s national side, per the BBC, after several of their players offered a military salute when Tosun scored against Albania last week.

Tosun also shared a post on Instagram following the game, with the message: “For our nation, especially for the ones who are risking their lives for our nation.”

Turkey’s army are currently clashing with Kurdish fighters in areas of northern Syria controlled by the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces, with dozens of civilians and fighters killed on both sides.

The offensive move by Turkey sparked the Syrian government to send its army to the northern border to try and halt the advances, via the BBC, in a decision taken after the United States withdrew all of its remaining troops from the area; they had been a close ally of the SDF, who were heavily bombarded over the weekend.

UEFA disciplinary rules prohibit any form of political gesture, or an act that is intended to provoke a reaction on political, ideological or religious beliefs.

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German Bundesliga 2 outfit FC St. Pauli have recently parted company with one of their players, Cenk Sahin, for his involvement in Turkey’s military salute celebration and a subsequent post on his Instagram account, with the Hamburg-based club releasing the midfielder with immediate effect on Monday.

The club took action after an internal investigation which included discussions with fans, board members and friends with roots in Turkey.

A statement by St. Pauli read: “Sahin has been released from his training and playing duties with immediate effect. The prime factors in reaching the decisions were his repeated disregard for the club’s values and the need to protect the player.

“After numerous discussions with fans, members and friends whose roots lie in Turkey, it has become clear to us that we cannot and should not attempt to gauge nuances in perceptions and attitudes from other cultural backgrounds in detail.”

Some Everton supporters have now suggested their side should do likewise with Tosun, although there is a clear break among fans who feel the Blues should not intervene in matters that did not occur at club level.

Here are some of the messages shared…

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

It’s nearly time for Barcelona’s second game of the Champions League group stage.

The Catalans will welcome Inter Milan at the Camp Nou and the key to overcoming them just might lie in the middle of the park.

On the chalkboard

It hasn’t really been a dream start for Barcelona in Europe this season.

Their opening clash against Borussia Dortmund at Signal Iduna Park ended in a goalless draw but the Catalans surely wanted to claim more than just a point for their efforts.

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Still, that was only the first game and seeing how Inter Milan also drew their game with Slavia Prague, Group F is very much open.

This particular clash, however, is huge for both teams and if Barca want to pick up all three points, Sergio Busquets will have to outshine Marcelo Brozovic.

Midfield generals

Busquets is very much the linchpin of Barcelona’s midfield.

In many ways, the experienced Spaniard is the Catalans’ general and everything starts and ends with him in the middle of the park. But Brozovic certainly looks like Busquets’ direct counterpart in Inter’s camp.

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

The Croat is heavily involved in everything that’s happening on the pitch and most of it flows directly through him.

Just this season, in the six games he’s played in Serie A, Brozovic has registered a 91.5% passing accuracy with a total of 83.8 passes per game. This becomes even more impressive when we compare it to Busquets’ 90.6% passing accuracy and 76.8 passes per game.

Barcelona are very much known for their passing game, which only emphasises Brozovic’s importance to his team since he managed to edge out Busquets in both aforementioned categories.

But the Croat falls short only slightly in key passes as he tallied 1.2 as opposed to his rival’s 1.4 per game.

Both players are pretty active going the other way as well, often dominating the defensive phases of the game. Busquets registered 2.6 tackles and one interception per game in La Liga while Brozovic averaged 3.2 tackles and 1.8 interceptions under his belt in Serie A.

By all standards, this is looking likely to be an impressive battle of two highly skilled players – Barcelona’s midfield general vs Inter Milan’s engine.

The winner of this battle just might tip the scales in his team’s favour.

Derby County’s start to the season hasn’t exactly gone how they would have imagined it.After losing the playoff final last term, the Rams will have had their eyes on another promotion push this time round, but they have often looked a shadow of the team that dramatically knocked Leeds out of the playoffs last campaign.Watch Derby County Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

The East Midlands club have won just two of their opening ten games, and they sit in the bottom half of the Championship table.

Fortunately, it seems as if their players have the right attitude to turn things around, as Curtis Davies sent out a rallying cry on Twitter after their draw with Barnsley.

Davies’ message was loud and clear – Derby need to stop dropping points in games they should be winning.

It’s hard to disagree with the centre-back’s view that Derby should have beaten Barnsley on Wednesday evening.

The Tykes had lost their last three games before they met Phillip Cocu’s side, and if it weren’t for a late equaliser, Derby would have taken all three points, so you can understand why Davies calls it ‘sickening’.

It was an important result for Southampton on Saturday where they managed to secure their first league win of the season with a 1-0 victory over Leeds United.

A second-half goal from Armando Broja was enough to secure the three points for Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side, putting them in 15th place in the league table with seven points prior to Sunday’s fixtures.

Despite the victory, there was one player that was involved against Leeds that failed to impress.

The player in question was Saints winger Mohamed Elyounoussi, who started the game against Marcelo Bielsa’s side before being taken off and replaced by Nathan Tella late on in the match.

During his time on the pitch, Elyounoussi failed to even have one shot on target while he was also unable to provide one accurate cross or long ball.

His dismal afternoon was capped off by a miss at the back post where he was unable to get his head to what would have been a simple tap in. What made matters worse was the fact he lost possession on 19 occasions and won just ten out of the 21 duels he was involved in. That ultimately earned him a rather disappointing overall match rating of 6.3/10, making him the lowest-rated Southampton player on the day that started the match, according to SofaScore.

Given how Elyounoussi, who is currently earning a weekly wage of £60k-per-week according to Spotrac, was taken out of the starting XI in Southampton’s 3-1 defeat against Chelsea, we feel as though the winger failed to repay the faith that Hasenhuttl showed in him to put him back in the starting XI against Leeds.

Southampton signed Elyounoussi back in the 2018 summer transfer window from FC Basel before sending him out on loan to Scottish club Celtic in the next summer window.

Overall, the 27-year-old, who is currently valued at £10.8m according to Transfermarkt, has made just 26 appearances for Hasenhuttl’s side, scoring four goals and providing two assists along the way.

During his time at Celtic, Elyounoussi was once described as being a “passenger” by Hoops podcaster Paul John Dykes, which is how we feel he was like in the game against Leeds.

Moving forward, if Hasenhuttl decides to stick with Elyounoussi in the starting XI for their upcoming Premier League clash against Burnley next weekend, the winger will have to put in a solid display to show that he is worthy of being a regular starter for the club, or else he could find himself back on the bench, potentially for an extended period of time.

In other news: Forget Broja: £60k-p/w Southampton beast who made 6 key passes stole the show vs Leeds – opinion

The Birmingham Mail’s Ashley Preece has delivered an update on Aston Villa starlet Kaine Kesler.

What’s the story?

The 18-year-old made the move to League Two side Swindon Town on a loan deal, and it appears he’s already impressing at his new home.

Writing initially on Twitter, Preece said: “Mile Jedinak has nailed this loan. @KaineKeslerHayd has clocked up 620/630 possible minutes. He’s improving week after week & he’s in fantastic hands given the calibre of players Ben Garner has worked with! Kaine shining bright at Swindon!”

Then, in a follow-up tweet, he added: “Massive talent! Swindon playing same system as Villa as well. He’s doing brilliantly.”

Villa fans will be excited

The Express and Star’s Matt Maher revealed over the summer that Kesler was handed a new five-year professional contract to stay at Villa Park for the long-term, the longest the club have given to any academy player in their history – even Jack Grealish, who signed a four-year deal after turning 19 back in 2014.

The teenager didn’t play a single minute in the Premier League last season, but he was given his senior debut by Dean Smith when Villa’s young guns were needed for the FA Cup third round clash against Liverpool.

Although they fell to a 4-1 defeat, Kesler was one of the players who really stood out against Jurgen Klopp’s men, and showed enough in that 90-minute performance to suggest that he will be a big player in the coming years.

Speaking to The Athletic, one source even said “he looks like he’s got a real chance of featuring for the first team in the future. His speed is frightening and that could set him apart.”

When he does return from his loan, Kesler could be someone to give Matty Cash some competition at right-back, not just for the future but for the short-term too.

Meanwhile, Aston Villa found a “ridiculous bargain” in this star…

Celtic reporter Kieran Devlin answered a question on Sunday about Karamoko Dembele and his continued Parkhead absence.

The Lowdown: Injury issues

Ange Postecoglou has been without a number of players in recent weeks, with Dembele one of the first on the injury list after going off during a pre-season game with Bristol City back in July.

The likes of Christopher Jullien, Greg Taylor, Callum McGregor, Kyogo Furuhashi, Mikey Johnston, James Forrest and Giorgos Giakoumakis have also been missing, some long-term and others short-term.

The Hoops have struggled for wins as a result, winning just two of their last seven fixtures in all competitions.

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The Latest: Devlin’s response

Devlin ran a Q&A on The Athletic before the Dundee United game on Sunday to talk all things Celtic.

He was asked what was going on with Dembele after his injury two months ago, to which he responded with this nine-word claim.

“Still out through injury as far as I’m aware.”

The Verdict: Worrying times

With no positive update on Dembele, it could still be a while until we see the teenager in competitive action under Postecoglou.

The Hoops boss has had to rely heavily on Jota and Liel Abada in recent weeks, so having Dembele back fit as soon as possible would only help Celtic going forward.

However, it doesn’t appear as if Dembele will be featuring anytime soon, upsetting news for both the player and Celtic as more and more players join the absentee list.

In other news: ‘I have never heard’ – McLeish baffled by something happening behind the scenes at Celtic. 

Luke Shaw has been labelled the "most unreliable player to ever wear a Manchester United shirt" after leaving the pitch before half-time at Luton.

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• Shaw injured at Aston Villa
• Returned in time to start Luton game
• Went down tunnel before half-time whistle

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Shaw went off at half-time as a "precaution" during United's 2-1 win at Aston Villa last week, but recovered in time to return to Erik ten Hag's starting XI at Kenilworth Road on Sunday. However, the England full-back tweaked something with seconds to go until the interval, and signalled to the bench before making his way down the tunnel, with Victor Lindelof brought on as his replacement in defence.

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• Getty
  

  WHAT THE FANS ARE SAYING

  Fans took to social media after the incident to criticise Shaw, who also missed the majority of the first half of the season due to injury. One account named @zeeshankxz wrote: "Luke Shaw subbed off. The most unreliable player to ever wear a Manchester United shirt. Protected by the fans like he is something special. The sooner we move on the better."

  Another account, called @TenHagEra, said: "Love him as a footballer and a person, but we might have to buy a Luke Shaw replacement with all these reoccurring injuries.."

  With the 28-year-old's latest injury having yet to be specified, fan account @BillyMeredithMU simply asked: "What's wrong with Luke Shaw?"

  The same account then added in a separate post: "Left Back needs to be a priority next season. Luke Shaw isn’t reliable at all."

  Meanwhile, @UtdXclusive asked: "If Luke Shaw wasn't 100% fit why risk making the injury worse?"

• WHAT TEN HAG SAID

  United went on to win the game 2-1 without Shaw, and Erik ten Hag confirmed after the final whistle that it wasn't just a "knock" that forced the left-back off. The Dutch coach added to BBC Radio Five Live when quizzed on the severity of Shaw's injury: "I can’t tell. We have to wait minimum until tomorrow to see what’s going on. Clear, when you come off, it doesn’t look great."

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• THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Shaw was one of the most important players in the United squad last season as Ten Hag guided the team to a third-place Premier League finish and Carabao Cup glory in his debut season at the helm. However, the Red Devils have only been able to call upon Shaw for 14 appearances to date in the 2023-24 campaign, and he might be facing another spell on the sidelines after this new blow.