Leeds need a striker
Leeds had a bagful of chances in their defeat to Aston Villa on Friday but only took one with that chance being Patrick Bamford's consolation goal. They're a side who work create a lot of chances during games but are often wasteful when they come to them. This has quite possibly been the story of their season so far and after missing another several opportunities in their game against Villa, I can officially say that Leeds need a no.9 who can put the ball in the back of the net.
Patrick Bamford did mark his return to action with a goal off the bench in their defeat to Villa but he hasn't been able to get a run of games due to the injury troubles he's had both this season and last season. His return will no doubt be a massive boost for Leeds as they're a better side when he's available. But with the injury troubles he's had recently, Jesse Marsch's side should still bring in a striker.
Leeds haven't won in six league games and find themselves just two points above the relegation zone. If they're to pull themselves away from danger and start winning games again, they need to buy that striker who can make the difference for them in the final third. They're missing a lot of chances in games because they don't have that no.9 who can put in the ball in the net on a weekly basis. Getting one in this month will give them a better chance of staying up and wining games.
Should Bruno Fernandes' goal have stood in the Manchester Derby?
Bruno Fernandes' equaliser in the Manchester Derby was without a doubt the most controversial decision of the weekend due to Marcus Rashford being in an offside position in the lead up to the goal. Rashford didn't touch ball before Fernandes tucked it away but a lot of people are saying that it should've been ruled out. So should the goal have stood?
The offside law states that a player in an offside position at the moment a ball is played by a teammate is penalised if he is involved in active play. Rashford didn't touch the ball when he was played through by Casemiro but him making that run did impact the way Ederson dealt with the situation.
Ederson had his eyes on Rashford when the ball was played into his penalty area and the movement of Rashford no doubt played a part in the goal being scored. The City keeper might've cleared the ball away had Rashford not made that run. The law says further that if a player in an offside position makes an action that impacts the ability of an opponent to play the ball, an offside will be given against that player.
People will have their different views on the decision with some saying that it should've been disallowed and some saying that it should've been given. The law suggests that the goal should've stood. But when you watch the goal over and over again, there is an argument that it should've been disallowed.
Is Everton's Premier League stay seriously coming to an end?
These are tough times for Everton at the moment. The fans aren't happy with the way the club is being run after seeing their protests outside the ground following their 2-1 defeat to Southampton and the club itself are 19th in the Premier League and again facing the prospect of relegation. So is Everton's Premier League stay seriously coming to an end?
The Toffees were in a similar position this time last season but a fair few were expecting them to stay up due to the quality they had in the squad. But this season things are arguably much worse. They lost their best player in Richarlison who they did not replace as they're struggling to score goals and the rest of the team itself hasn't really improved. Their entire squad is made up of players bought by previous managers and it's because of that the team have struggled to find an identity in the way they play and why Frank Lampard has struggled to find his best team.
With the frustrations of the fans reaching a completely new level after their protests at the weekend, things could potentially get worse for the Toffees.
I've said for the last couple of weeks that they could be turning into Aston Villa in that they've been a well established Premier League club for a number of years who later get dragged into consecutive relegation battles. I would definitely add the fans protests on top of that as the atmosphere around Villa at the time they were relegated was toxic and the atmosphere around Everton at the moment appears to be toxic with the fans protests. If they go down this season or maybe next season, they could well and truly be turning into another Aston Villa.
Are Nottingham Forest turning a corner?
5 points clear of the relegation zone and three wins from their last 5 games. The momentum is with Nottingham Forest in their battle to avoid relegation with the form they're in which has given them some much needed belief that they can stay up. So are they turning a corner?
They're looking more like a team than they did earlier in the season after making a shedload of signings in the summer. It's taken time for Steve Cooper to find his best team and that time has finally paid off with the recent results his team have had. He's not making as many changes to his team as he did earlier in the season and has got his team playing like a Premier League side.
They've been tougher to beat over the last couple of months and especially at home where they haven't lost since the end of September. They were very naïve in the way they were playing earlier in the season as they were conceding a lot of goals. They've tightened up at the back since then by changing system from a back three to a back four which has worked as they're not conceding as many goals and are getting better results.
They have a lot of confidence on board with the form they're in and the gap between themselves and the relegation zone will give them a lot of belief that they can beat the drop. But with a number of games left till the season ends, we'll have to wait and see whether they have turned a corner or not.
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