Fulham’s display against Millwall has won the Whites all sorts of praise – be it from Scott Parker, the adoring fans or even opposition manager Neil Harris.

Parker’s men played the Lions off the park at Craven Cottage, dominating the possession and passing statistics in record-breaking style on their way to notching their third successive win.

Ivan Cavaleiro’s double gave the on-loan winger a third goal in two games after his match-winning strike against Huddersfield Town on Friday, while Anthony Knockaert scored his first in a Fulham shirt before Aleksandar Mitrovic grabbed his third of the season from the penalty spot.

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But with Fulham putting on a show for the fans under the lights, it was the man with the armband that may have been underappreciated for his part in the Whites’ commanding victory.

Tom Cairney, who capped his last home appearance with his beauty of a strike against Blackburn Rovers, was very much conductor-in-chief for last night’s performance.

His performance adds to the midfielder’s impressive start to the campaign, with his tally of goals and assists already surpassing that of last season’s after a brace of assists that led to Cavaleiro’s double – the latter of which being a perfectly-lofted through-pass over the Millwall defence before the Portuguese rounded the goalkeeper to add further gloss to the scoreline.

The team also reached a pass success rate of 94% – helped in no small part by Cairney’s individual total of 98.2%, which is no mean feat for the 28-year-old having achieved a higher percentage in the win over Huddersfield last weekend.

So while Cairney was not able to put his own name up in lights by getting in on the act during the Fulham rout, there’s little denying his influential performance judging by his individual accomplishments on the night.

Is Cairney the best midfielder in the Championship? Join the discussion by commenting below… 

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And now it’s already official – Liverpool have confirmed that Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain has signed a new long-term deal with the club that will keep him on Merseyside for a while longer.

The Reds’ number 15 first signed for the team back in August 2017 when he joined from Arsenal.

Since then, he has made a total of 47 appearances, scoring five and tallying eight assists to date.

Watch Liverpool Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

He spent almost the entirety of last season sidelined through injury, but the fact he has been offered fresh terms suggests that Jurgen Klopp has big plans for him after returning to full fitness.

Oxlade-Chamberlain has quickly jumped to

/B1ed_P7g_D-/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link” data-lasso->Instagram and his social media accounts to celebrate his contract extension.

And soon, his teammates were also there to celebrate it with him, posting their messages of support and showing their excitement.

The likes of Jordan Henderson and Andy Robertson were among the first ones to the scene with their snaps, and Oxlade-Chamberlain responded through his Instagram stories.

So far this season, the Ox has made three appearances across all competitions.

He appeared once in the Premier League, once in the UEFA Super Cup and once in the Community Shield.

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According to The Telegraph, Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Eric Dier is set to make his first appearance of the season in his side’s Carabao Cup clash against Colchester on Tuesday night, and Spurs fans on Twitter appear pleased with the update.

The 25-year-old has been an unused substitute on six occasions this term – missing the north London outfit’s only other fixture through injury – but it appears as though Mauricio Pochettino has made the decision to name him in the starting XI at the JobServe Community Stadium.

The Argentine manager has largely decided to play without an out-and-out defensive midfielder this term with Moussa Sissoko, Harry Winks and summer addition Tanguy Ndombele preferred in the centre of the park, although Victor Wanyama did come on against Leicester at the weekend – the less said about that outing the better however.

That particular spot looks to be up for grabs given the number of goals Tottenham have conceded on the road already this season – two in each of their four games on their travels – and Dier will know he needs to impress against the League Two club to force himself into contention.

Spurs supporters certainly seem pleased with the Telegraph report, with one labelling it as “the positive change we needed”.

Here is just a selection of the Twitter reaction…

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…

Louis van Gaal recently spoke to Fox Sports at a Dutch gala and he talked about some of the awards that were handed out and also particularly about Frenkie de Jong and Matthijs de Ligt, both of whom made big transfers over the summer.

The former went to Barcelona and the latter ended up at Juventus. Van Gaal, however, believes that the Catalans and Ernesto Valverde are not really utilising De Jong the way they’re supposed to be. Mundo Deportivo also states that De Jong himself had to justify his time of adaptation since he found himself playing in some different roles from the ones he had at Ajax.

Here’s what Van Gaal had to say:

“Barcelona are not using [Frenkie] De Jong’s qualities well,”, he suggested and then continued, concluding: “it’s about adapting to it”.

And that statement can especially be applied to Barcelona’s recent ventures in La Liga. De Jong was one of the Catalans’ big summer signings and just his price tag and undeniable quality suggested that he would bring quite a revolution in their midfield. But so far, he’s been uncharacteristically quiet which was mostly due to a simple fact: Ernesto Valverde is not utilising his qualities to the fullest.

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That much was visible in the first couple of games he played so far in La Liga. But that also seems like a pretty common thing in the team, and it’s something that cost Philippe Coutinho his career at Barcelona and judging by the initial games of the Dutchman at the Catalan capital, Valverde might want to rethink De Jong’s preferences once again.

Last weekend, Barcelona drew with Osasuna and De Jong, although pretty solid, was quiet for his standards. He still managed to deploy two key passes with 93.4% passing accuracy but he was subbed off in the second half and even admitted himself at that same gala that he knows he can play better and that he has to grow in this new role.

But would it be too big of a stretch to say Valverde is slightly missing the trick by not utilising his big midfield reinforcement in a proper way and that it, in fact, might be affecting their overall performances?

Maybe there is something in Van Gaal’s words that the Ant should consider going forward.

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تحدث الدولي الهولندي، جورجينيو فينالدوم، لاعب وسط فريق ليفربول، عن اقتراب نهاية عقده مع حمُر الميرسيسايد.

سينتهي العقد الحالي للاعب الهولندي مع بطل الدوري الإنجليزي في صيف 2021، ويستطيع فينالدوم الدخول في مفاوضات مع أي نادِ.

ويرغب فينالدوم الحصول على عقد مدته 4 سنوات، من أجل الموافقة على تمديد إقامته في “آنفيلد”، ولكن إدارة الريدز يرفض، لذلك لم يتوصل الطرفان إلى أي اتفاق حول عقد جديد حتى الآن.

ويتواجد فينالدوم على رادار ثلاث أندية أوروبية، برشلونة الإسباني، باريس سان جيرمان الفرنسي، إلى جانب إنتر ميلان الإيطالي.

اقرأ أيضًا.. كلوب: نفتقد مساعدة جماهير ليفربول.. ولدينا القوة في دوري أبطال أوروبا

وقال فينالدوم في تصريحات خلال المؤتمر الصحفي الخاص بمباراة لايبزيج الألماني في دوري الأبطال: “لا توجد أخبار في الوقت الحالي (يضحك)!، أود أن أقول إنني سعيد حقًا في النادي”.

وأضاف: “انا سعيد مع الفريق والجماهير والنادي، هذا فقط ما يُمكنني قوله، الأمر ليس أنا لست سعيدًا ويتيعن عليّ الرحيل، الأمر ليس بهذه السهولة، لذلك من الصعب التعامل معه”.

وواصل: “الوضع الذي نحن فيه الآن هو ليس الشيء الأكثر أهمية، ولكن الشيء الوحيد الذي يمكنني قوله هو أنني سعيد حقًا هنا مع الجماهير والفريق والموظفين والأسرة سعداء هنا، لكن لا توجد أخبار حول التجديد”.

وأتم تصريحاته قائلًا: “الأمر صعب حقًا أنّ أرحل، ليس من السهل أنّ يحدث ذلك، ليس من السهل انّ تترك فريقًا تحبه، لعبت له لسنوات عديدة وشعرت بالراحة فيه، ولكن أنا لا أعرف ماذا سيحدث، ولكن ما أعرفه أنني سأكون مُحطمًا إذا لم ألعب مع ليفربول!”.  

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Liverpool’s Dejan Lovren has stated to Croatia media outlet Sportske Nowotski, as translated by Sky Sports, that he is committed to fighting for his place in the team having admitted he did think about leaving this summer, and it is exactly what fans of the Merseyside outfit want to hear.

The Croatian international was linked with a move to Roma, having given his best for the Reds since joining in 2015.

Despite the interest, and the fact he has fallen down the pecking order with Joel Matip and Joe Gomez starting games alongside Virgil van Dijk this season, he doesn’t want to accept a place on the bench.

That attitude has earned him praise from some fans, with one also pleased that the defender staying at Anfield means his strong friendship with Mo Salah will continue.

The 30-year-old endured a frustrating campaign last time out, suffering from injuries which limited him to 18 appearances, but is happy to still a Red after the club stood by him through that period and over the summer.

Watch Liverpool Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

Jurgen Klopp told him how much he was valued and that encouraged Lovren to stay, and as shown in the responses below, some Liverpool fans are clearly impressed with his attitude.

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Southampton travel the short distance to Brighton on Saturday to take on Graham Potter’s men at the Amex Stadium, where Ralph Hasenhuttl will be hoping to see his side record their first result of the season having lost their first two games.

The Saints have only scored once in those two games, and even that was courtesy of Liverpool keeper Adrian kicking the ball at Danny Ings – the backline has also conceded five times, so there is cause for concern all over the pitch.

Brighton, on the other hand, have already picked up four points with an impressive win over Watford and a 1-1 draw against West Ham last time out.

Let’s take a look at how Hasenhuttl should set his side up for the South Coast derby…

We recently detailed why Jannik Vestergaard is too much of a liability, and how the Dane should be dropped as a result of his performances as well as to move away from the 3-5-2 system.

With that in mind, we think the 6 foot 5 centre-back should definitely be dropped, with Maya Yoshida and Jan Bednarek retaining their places in the team – Yan Valery and Ryan Bertrand should also be moved back into a four-man defence.

In attack, Che Adams and Nathan Redmond have struggled to get involved recently, outlined by the fact that the Saints haven’t scored a goal yet of their own making – we think that they should keep their place despite that, but £15m summer signing Moussa Djenepo should also be handed a first start to help them out up top.

A midfield trio of James Ward-Prowse, Pierre-Emile Højbjerg and Oriol Romeu provides a nice blend of craft and defensive solidity, which would help keep the side balanced overall in comparison to the disjointed 3-5-2 which was torn apart by Burnley – it is this trio that the former RB Leipzig boss should opt for against Brighton.

It would be a huge shift of impetus from Hasenhuttl, but we think he should certainly take on this approach for a game he should see as a winnable one against the Seagulls.

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

The Sun journalist Alan Nixon has provided an update on Sheffield Wednesday’s hunt for a potential successor to Lee Bullen, claiming that the compensation involved in any Danny Cowley deal is substantial, considering Lincoln City turned down other clubs earlier in the summer.

What’s the word?

The Owls have hit a rough patch of form, losing three of their last four Championship matches, following a bright start to the season.

Current caretaker boss Bullen is now under pressure to turn things around after the international break, or he may face the axe at Hillsborough.

Watch Sheffield Wednesday Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

The Sun have linked Tony Pulis to the club this week whilst Alan Biggs, of the Athletic, has named Danny Cowley as the only other manager the club have ‘seriously considered.’

Pulis is without a club following his departure from fellow Championship side Middlesborough back in May and Cowley is currently in charge of Lincoln.

Pursue at all costs

The hierarchy at Wednesday must do everything in their power, no matter how unlikely it is, to pursue the 40-year-old whose career trajectory has risen substantially in such a short space of time.

He may not bring Championship-level managerial experience, but he has proven his worth at every challenge thrown at him to date.

Beginning in non-league, he oversaw the Imps’ return to the Football League whilst also knocking out Ipswich Town, Brighton and Burnley in a historic FA Cup run which saw them reach the quarter-finals.

Cowley then guided the club to the EFL Trophy in their very first season back in League Two before earning promotion to League One the following year as champions.

Any doubts over whether this was a step too far have been quickly put to bed as Lincoln are currently sitting second in the table.

Now, the 40-year-old may not want to leave Sincil Bank anytime soon as his remarkable journey at the club appears to be far from complete, but there’s no harm in Wednesday throwing everything they can at him, just in case something could sway his mind.

It is football at the end of the day.

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أكد إسلام جمال، مخطط أحمال فريق المريخ السوداني، أن الأجواء صعبة جدًا في تنزانيا، قبل مباراة فريقه أمام سيمبا التنزاني في دوري أبطال إفريقيا.

ويلتقي المريخ السوداني نظيره سيمبا التنزاني في الثالثة من عصر اليوم الثلاثاء، ضمن منافسات الجولة الرابعة من دور المجموعات ببطولة دوري أبطال إفريقيا وهو نفس موعد مباراة الأهلي وفيتا كلوب في الجولة ذاتها من البطولة الإفريقية.

اقرأ أيضًا.. قنصل مصر بالكونغو: درجة الحرارة ستمثل أزمة كبيرة لـ الأهلي أمام فيتا كلوب

وقال إسلام جمال خلال مداخلة هاتفية عبر برنامج “الماتش” المُذاع عبر قناة “صدى البلد”: “الأجواء صعبة جدًا في تنزانيا، تدربنا في الملعب الفرعي، وأحاول توفير جهد اللاعبين بأدوات حديثة استقطبتها معي من أمريكا”.

تابع: “هناك فارق كبير بين أول وثاني مباراة على أداء اللاعبين، وسيحاولون بقيادة المدرب لي كلارك إحداث مفاجأة بالمباراة وتحقيق الفوز”.

وواصل: “سيمبا يضع المريخ في رأسه، حدث تأخير عن عمد بإجراءات فحص كورونا لمدة 6 ساعات عن الموعد المحدد، ولم تصلنا نتائج المسحات حتى الآن”.

استكمل: “الكاف أبلغنا بعدم حضور جماهيري، وحتى الآن لن تتواجد الجماهير بالمباراة، لكن من الممكن أن نرى  حضورهم بشكل مفاجئ”.

وعن وجود بيراميدز بتنزانيا لخوض مباراتهم مع نوماجو في الكونفدرالية، قال: “قابلت خالد عبد الله وأحمد فتحي وأحمد الشناوي وعمر جابر، وهناك تركيز لتحقيق نتيجة إيجابية”.

يتصدر سيمبا التنزاني المجموعة الأولى برصيد 7 نقاط، فيما يحتل فيتا كلوب المركز الثاني بـ4 نقاط، بالتساوي مع الأهلي الذي جاء في المركز الثالث برصيد 4 نقاط أيضًا، وأخيرًا المريخ السوداني في المركز الرابع بنقطة واحدة.

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This article is part of Football FanCast’s Loan Watch series, which takes a closer look at those players who are aiming to galvanise their careers away from the spotlight of their parent club.

Since joining Gillingham on loan back at the start of July, young Southampton prospect Alfie Jones has enjoyed a busy time at the Priestfield Stadium.

Naturally a centre-back, Jones has been deployed in numerous positions by Steve Jones, one of which may catch Ralph Hasenhuttl’s attention back at St Mary’s.

The 21-year-old has appeared at centre-back, defensive midfield and at centre midfield for the Gills, and seems to be doing so in impressive fashion.

Jones was named in the WhoScored League One Team of the Week for his efforts recently, standing proud as the fourth-highest rated player in the XI.

He is certainly doing very well in a Gillingham shirt across a number of positions, but it is his ability to play in a defensive midfield position that should catch Hasenhuttl’s eye.

Some Saints supporters on Twitter were certainly keen for a new DM at the club this summer after hearing news of Victor Wanyama’s availability, with one saying that he thinks a new midfielder is needed more than a new defender.

Another said that the back four ‘needs the extra protection’ that a DM would offer, and in Jones’ sudden emergence as a capable defensive midfielder, Hasenhuttl may now have an option on his hands in that position that he wouldn’t have expected.

The youngster has recorded some pretty impressive stats so far in League One this season, in areas that you would feel are pivotal for a deep-lying player to be excelling in.

Jones has won 3.3 aerial duels per game so far this season, whilst also winning 2.3 tackles.

His efforts in midfield and at centre-back for the Gills have seen him earn one Man of the Match award from his six League One appearances, and there is no doubting that he has presented his parent club with an interesting potential option.

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