Having lifted both the Coppa Italia and the Serie A in the last few weeks, Juventus also find themselves in the Champions League final. But do the Serie A giants have what it takes to do the treble?

No other team in Italy got a look in with Juventus this season. They won the league with a huge sixteen point cushion – and we thought Chelsea were good. Their team is one of the best in Europe, with so many big players like Andrea Pirlo, Carlos Tevez, Patrice Evra to name just a few.

When it comes to Europe, Juve absolutely deserved their place in the final. Their dramatic draw at the Santiago Bernabeu was enough to send them through, thanks to the all important away goal. The goal in question coming from Alvaro Morata: the player deemed not good enough for Real Madrid’s standards. You couldn’t make it up, could you?

But what a battle Juve have on their hands and they could not face a stronger side. Barcelona themselves have won the La Liga title, and are in the final for the Copa del Rey. So, by the time they face Juventus, Barcelona themselves could be looking to complete a treble of their own.

With the front three of Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and Neymar, they could spell trouble for Juve. They’ve spelled trouble for just about everyone else. If a strong Barcelona side is fielded (is there even a weak one?) Juve will have a tough time stopping them.

Andrea Pirlo has said he would love to lift the Champions League as a fitting send off to his Juventus career. But, now that Xavi will not be staying at Barcelona – he will be leaving the Catalan giants at the end of the season for Qatar – would it not be a the perfect end for him too? Of course it would. He has been vital to Barcelona’s successes and will be a huge loss to them. Unfortunately, both players cannot snag a Champions League medal at the end of full time.

Juventus are worthy contenders for the title. If they can stop the best side in European football on the 6th of June, it will go down in history. For right now, they are the underdogs.

Who doesn’t love a win for the underdog?

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‘The idea of the sign of a good team is when they grind out a result from not playing well is b******s.’ 

These are the words of Oxford educated Brentford and FC Midtjylland owner Matt Benham.  A former professional gambler, Benham hit headlines when former manager Mark Warbuton announced he would be leaving Brentford despite reigning over a period of success.

After leading them to promotion from League One, and ultimately a place in the Championship play-offs, Warburton was cast aside after a disagreement over the ‘long term direction’ of the side.  Having been met with dismay from the Brentford fans, Benham calmly replied: “I am single minded in my resolve that we can leave no stone unturned in our quest for sustainable Premier League football.”

Now, Warburton – a fans favourite and a seemingly nice bloke – will be replaced by a continental structure with both a head coach and a sporting director.  It is a common sight in football to see an owner ruthlessly kick a manager to the curb, as Carlo Ancelotti will tell you.  The image of a cold hearted owner acting on his impulses is one of the most recognisable in football.

The same can’t really be said about Benham.  Though the mathematical approach to football will rattle the diehard romantics, perhaps Benham’s approach is truly the more beautiful.  Speaking to the Guardian in February 2015, Rasmus Ankersen (the man Benham appointed chairman at Danish side FC Midtjylland) quipped: “No one wants to say they were lucky when they win.”

Is this not more of a romantic approach to the beautiful game?  Nothing is knee jerk.  In Benham’s statistical revolution key performance indicators (KPIs) over the long term are more indicative of success.  He is not interested in signing a flash in the pan striker, in fact he ‘does not care’ about such a player’s goal scoring record and is far more interested in how ‘the team do collectively, offensively and defensively within the context of the individuals performance.’

Rather than sit back and park the bus, Benham is driving it straight into a new era for football.  The systematic approach is not quite as cold hearted as you might think.

In the Premier League, the vibrant Southampton had their own statistical revolution.  Using a complicated recruitment system, they were transformed from would be relegation fodder to Champions League contenders.  Their statistical approach to measuring how a player feels each morning, through the use of saliva tests, seems to have paid off.

How often has your club wasted millions on a signing?  Perhaps the cliché shattering, statistical based way of running a club can rectify the age old problem of signing a stylish South American superstar with tricks to boot, only for him to freeze up on a cold night in Stoke.

Imagine where Manchester City would be if they had applied their multi millions in such a way.  Southampton expertly reinvested their cash, as Liverpool paid £20million pounds for Dejan Lovern.  That’s right.  Twenty.  Million.  Pounds.

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As a result, they had an excellent season and can look forward to European competition next year.

‘When there’s a question, I trust the numbers.  The numbers don’t lie.’  When a visionary like Benham says that, he is not being as cold hearted as it sounds.

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Everton manager Sam Allardyce delivered some news on Thursday that was not entirely unexpected when asked about Ross Barkley’s future.

The experienced coach told reporters that he and the club are resigned to losing the midfielder, who has decided not to sign a new contract at Goodison Park.

Allardyce added that some of the “big boys” may make a move for Barkley before the end of January.

For some time, the 24-year-old has been widely linked in the media to Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur, but it is unknown if either will swoop within the next few weeks.

A hamstring injury has kept Barkley on the sidelines for the entire season so far, which means that if he does secure a January transfer, he will be heading to a new club without any first-team football in this campaign.

Some fans held hope that their homegrown star would put pen to paper on a fresh deal, but this latest news has made the situation clearer.

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A handful of Everton supporters took to Twitter following Allardyce’s press conference.

West Brom aren’t exactly famed for their youth academy, but if you choose to manage the Baggies on Football Manager 2018 there are a handful of wonderkids you should be looking to pay particular attention to.

The midlands outfit do have a lot of potential in the game and if you think you’re the right man to turn them in to one of the big forces in England football, you’ll need to look to youth in order to help you do it.

The budget isn’t massive but it does improve over the years, so it’s worth taking a look at the following three youngsters to help boost your chances of success.

Read on to learn more about West Brom’s three most promising wonderkids…

Oliver Burke

Age: 20

Position(s): M/AM (RL)

Nation: Scotland

Value: £11m

Asking Price: £47.5m

Jamie Soule

Age: 16

Position(s): ST (C)

Nation: England

Value: £22.5k

Asking Price: £925k

Sam Field

Age: 19

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Position(s): DM, M(C)

Nation: England

Value: £5m

Asking Price: £36.5m

According to The Mirror, Arsenal midfielder Francis Coquelin has emerged as a January target for West Ham United.

What’s the story?

It is no secret that West Ham are in the market for a new midfielder this month, and a number of names have been linked with moves to the London Stadium.

Stoke City’s Joe Allen and Newcastle United’s Jonjo Shelvey are among those that have been mentioned, but according to The Mirror, Coquelin is now in the frame.

The 26-year-old was not involved in Arsenal’s clash with Nottingham Forest in the FA Cup on Sunday afternoon amid suggestions that he will be leaving the Emirates Stadium this month.

A number of clubs are believed to be in the hunt for a player that has struggled for regular action this season, but West Ham appear to be at the head of the queue.

Would he be a good signing for West Ham?

According to The Mirror, Arsenal would want £10m for Coquelin, which appears to be extremely fair when considering the state of the current market.

The midfielder has made over 100 Premier League appearances during his time with the Gunners, and appeared 39 times in all competitions during the 2017-18 campaign.

Coquelin has made 13 appearances in total this term, but has featured on just seven occasions in the Premier League after struggling to gain a regular spot in Arsene Wenger’s first XI.

West Ham are not exactly well stocked in the middle of the park, and the chance to sign a proven Premier League performer for £10m seems like a very good deal.

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The Hammers will not be the only club in the hunt when considering the price-tag, but they can offer Coquelin, who also has plenty of experience in Europe, the chance to remain in the English capital.

Everton plan to keep hold of young forward Shani Tarashaj rather than send him on loan for the rest of the season, according to the Liverpool Echo.

What’s the word?

The 22-year-old has been part of the Merseyside club since January 2016 when he joined from Swiss club Grasshoppers.

The forward has struggled to break into the first team at Goodison Park, which resulted in a loan deal with Eintracht Frankfurt at the start of the season.

Tarashaj, though, was forced to return to Everton early due to a knee injury.

The youngster has since returned to fitness, but according to the Liverpool Echo, the Toffees will not loan him out again for the remainder of the campaign.

Is this a good idea?

From the club’s point of view, it is always helpful to have a full squad to choose from, particularly in Everton’s situation given that they are on a seven-game winless run.

However, Tarashaj does not have the experience to be thrown into the fold and it seems unlikely that he would get many minutes anyway.

The Swiss player is going to struggle to compete with new signings Cenk Tosun and Theo Walcott.

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For all parties, it would have been beneficial for the young attacker to be loaned out in order to gain more first-team experience.

Sunday proved to be a special day for Aston Villa as Steve Bruce’s side recorded a 2-0 win over their bitter rivals Birmingham City at Villa Park.

Not only was it an important win in terms of the bragging rights, the success saw Villa moved into second position in the Championship table.

Bruce’s side have now won each of their last seven league fixtures during a storming run of form, and they look well placed to secure a return to the Premier League this season.

One of those that particularly impressed on the afternoon was Ahmed Elmohamady, with the 30-year-old a constant threat down the right.

The defender joined Villa from Hull City last summer, and he has registered five assists in 29 Championship appearances during the 2017-18 campaign.

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Not much was made of Elmohamady’s switch to Villa Park last summer, but there is no question that he has been key in the team’s recent push up the table.

The Villa fans have been absolutely delighted with the Egyptian’s form, and a selection of the Twitter reaction can be found below:

Former Leeds United midfielder David Prutton has questioned club owner Andrea Radrizzani for his assessment of Thomas Christiansen’s sacking.

The head coach was dismissed earlier this month following a six-game winless run in the Championship.

The Dane started his Leeds career off strongly when the team were in and around the promotion places in the early stages of the season.

However, at the time of Christiansen’s sacking, the club had dropped to 10th in the standings, and the owner decided to bring in Paul Heckingbottom from Barnsley.

Following the managerial change, Radrizzani told the Yorkshire Evening Post that he made a “mistake” with his first appointment and he went on to apologise to the fans.

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Sky Sports pundit Prutton has given his thoughts on the owner’s choice of words, and feels that the Italian may have been a little bit harsh.

In a piece for the Yorkshire Evening Post, the former footballer admitted that Radrizzani was right to take responsibility, but maybe he should have chosen his phrases more wisely.

“The fact that Andrea Radrizzani came out and almost apologised for appointing Thomas Christiansen means that he is taking some responsibility. On one hand, I thought that was a bit of a below-the-belt hit but on the other side of it you have got to admire someone that has taken it on the chin and said ‘look, it’s my fault, we should never have done that’.”

Newcastle United will look to stay out of the relegation zone and pick up their second successive Premier League win when they face Bournemouth at the Vitality Stadium on Saturday.

The Magpies slipped back into the bottom three last weekend prior to their clash against Manchester United at St James’ Park on Sunday as other results went against them, and things looked bleak for them against the Red Devils as they went into the clash with the worst home record in the top flight.

However, a second-half goal from Matt Ritchie saw them record a 1-0 victory that moved them up to 13th and two points clear of Southampton in 18th.

Rafa Benitez will know that his team need to carry on picking up points to stay out of trouble and to try and reach the magic 40-point mark, and it could be a good time to play the Cherries seeing as their seven-match unbeaten run in the Premier League came to an abrupt end as they were beaten 4-1 by Huddersfield Town at the John Smith’s Stadium last time out.

The Spanish manager has largely kept with the same XI in recent weeks and while his team beat Jose Mourinho’s men previously, he will perhaps be thinking of making a change or two ahead of the long trip down to the south coast to maximise his side’s chances of taking all three points.

Here is how Newcastle must line up against Bournemouth on Saturday, ahead of Martin Dubravka in goal…

Defence

Following Martin Dubravka’s brilliant performance and clean sheet between the sticks on his debut against Manchester United last time out, Newcastle’s back five pretty much picks itself for the trip to Bournemouth.

Captain Jamaal Lascelles and Florian Lejeune were brilliant at the heart of the defence against the Red Devils after the Frenchman replaced the injured Ciaran Clark, while DeAndre Yedlin and Paul Dummett, who signed a new contract with the club last week, also continue to impress in the full-back roles.

Benitez is unlikely a defence that kept a clean sheet last time out against the Cherries, and the Spaniard will be hoping for a second successive shut-out.

Midfield

Even though they perhaps weren’t at their best in the 1-1 draw against Crystal Palace earlier this month, Benitez decided to stick with Jonjo Shelvey and Matt Ritchie against Manchester United even though they had found themselves on the substitutes’ bench for a couple of matches previously.

It was a decision that paid off with the duo impressing – and Ritchie scoring – in the win against the Red Devils, and with Mo Diame and loanee Kenedy two of the club’s best performers in recent weeks there is no reason why they shouldn’t continue against Bournemouth either.

Benitez will be looking for quality and a goal threat from the flanks from Kenedy and Ritchie on the south coast especially if his team are to pick up another three points.

Attack

Ayoze Perez started behind Dwight Gayle in a 4-4-1-1 system against Manchester United, but considering Newcastle are travelling to Bournemouth in search of three points, Benitez must be braver this weekend.

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While Perez has been a mainstay in the side this season he hasn’t always been at his best, and if new boy Islam Slimani is finally fit to make his debut for the club this weekend he must come straight into the starting XI.

There is no doubt that a partnership of the Algerian and Gayle up top in a 4-4-2 formation has the potential to cause the Cherries defence plenty of problems, and it could be a decision that gets the visitors a much-needed three points that moves them another step closer to safety.

Do you agree, Magpies fans? Let us know below.

Leeds fans have been reacting to the news that goalkeeper Felix Wiedwald will likely start against Wolves on Wednesday, and needless to say they aren’t best pleased.

Paul Heckingbottom suggested youngster Bailey Peacock-Farrell might get a go in goal at his press conference on Monday, saying he “would not hesitate” to give the 21-year-old the nod.

However, it now appears as though Wiedwald will keep his place for the match against Wolves, with Andy Lonergan injured and the other choices deemed too inexperienced.

Heckingbottom said:

“It’s one of the most important positions in a team. Every successful team has a top goalkeeper.”

Of course, Leeds haven’t had a successful goalkeeper this season, failing to replace Rob Green after his move to Huddersfield last summer.

Wiedwald was at fault for at least one of the goals in the 3-0 defeat at Middlesbrough on Friday night, and didn’t look particularly convincing at any point, failing to command his penalty area or instil any confidence in his defenders.

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The German stopper was signed from Werder Bremen last summer, where he conceded 64 goals in 34 league games.

Despite the 27 year-old’s poor form, circumstances may force Heckingbottom to start Wiedwald, and Leeds fans have been sharing their feelings about the news on Twitter.