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Steve Bruce is expected to make a handful of key changes to his starting line-up at Arsenal after admitting he “picked the wrong team” for Newcastle United’s midweek defeat to Sheffield United.

The Magpies earned the ignominious honour of becoming the first side to lose a Premier League game to Chris Wilder’s Blades this season when beaten 1-0 on Tuesday, and Bruce accepts he was too defensive in his team selection.

“In hindsight, I picked the wrong team. I have to come in front of you [the media] and accept that, and accept that the performance was nowhere near good enough,” Bruce said, via quotes by The Northern Echo.

Bruce is also facing injury concerns ahead of returning to the Emirates Stadium on Monday night, the place where Newcastle exited the FA Cup just nine days before. So, with that in mind, here’s a potential line-up the Toon may field in north London…

Martin Dubravka returned from a heel injury to make his first appearance of the season during Newcastle’s FA Cup defeat at Arsenal, but will be expected to watch from the sidelines as Karl Darlow chases a fourth clean sheet in what would be his 18th top-flight outing of the campaign.

Jamaal Lascelles also opened the cup affair earlier this month as he made his return following several weeks out after testing positive for coronavirus, and Bruce hopes to have the 27-year-old in the side to face Mikel Arteta’s Gunners this week, likely in place of Federico Fernandez.

“Jamal Lewis could come back into the frame. The captain, Jamaal Lascelles, could come back in – we’ll see how he is after a week’s training after the COVID,” Bruce said. “We’ve got a problem with Fernandez.”

Bruce had fielded a very defensive midfield at Sheffield United with Jeff Hendrick and Isaac Hayden anchoring the unit and Sean Longstaff playing out wide, but will likely only retain Hayden at Arsenal.

Longstaff registered the second-lowest match rating at Bramall Lane by a visiting player on Tuesday night at 5.9 by WhoScored, having failed to create any chances to score, take a shot and only won possession with one of his four tackles.

The £16m-rated dud will likely be replaced by Miguel Almiron, who joins Matt Ritchie in providing the attacking width with Allan Saint-Maximin still weeks away from a return and Ryan Fraser suspended.

Matty Longstaff will hope to be given the call to partner Hayden in north London after sitting out the Blades defeat, having played the full 90 minutes in each of Newcastle’s three prior Premier League games and holding his own in defeat to Leicester City earlier this month.

Callum Wilson will once again lead the line on his own in search of a ninth goal of the season, after firing blanks at Bramall Lane made it three games without a goal for the Toon’s top-scorer.

AND in other news, a £2m-rated Newcastle target’s potential has been questioned by his current side.

Arsenal are making a foolish mistake over Ainsley Maitland-Niles, with the England international ready to leave the club on loan in this January transfer window.

What’s the story?

The 23-year-old has only played a bit-part role in Mikel Arteta’s side this season, featuring for just 485 minutes of Premier League football in total.

Now, The Daily Mirror claim that Maitland-Niles is “willing to consider a move in January if it means getting more regular minutes”, with an intention of trying to make Gareth Southgate’s England squad for this summer’s EUROs.

And, speaking in his pre-match press conference ahead of the Manchester United game on Saturday, Arteta himself said of the situation: “Yes, it is a concern when there is international football involved as well and the chance to reach that opportunity. I understand that Ainsley wants more minutes and what he needs to do is fight, train and challenge his teammates and show us that he can be one of our starters.”

Foolish mistake from Arteta

After playing an integral role in Arsenal’s FA Cup triumph last season – the 23-year-old played left wing-back in both the semi-final and final against Manchester City and Chelsea respectively – it seems incredible to think that Maitland-Niles has fallen so badly out of favour under Arteta this campaign.

And with the Gunners boss giving the green light for Sead Kolasinac to join Bundesliga side Schalke on loan, the north London side are desperately short of left-back cover, with right-back Cedric filling in for Kieran Tierney whenever needed.

The £16.2m-rated Maitland-Niles proved last season that he can play that role effectively, and there’s an element of responsibility on the Arsenal boss to try and get the best out of the academy product.

Whilst it might be better for Maitland-Niles himself to go out on loan in this January window, it certainly wouldn’t be the case for Arsenal themselves. A lengthy injury to Tierney (he’s missed the last couple of games with a calf problem so the danger is already there), and even one to Cedric, would leave the Gunners without anyone who could adequately play that left-back role – Bukayo Saka could fill in, but Arteta would surely want his star sensation to play further forward.

The Arsenal manager either should have brought in some natural left-back cover before he allowed Kolasinac to leave, or given Maitland-Niles more of a consistent opportunity to impress – how can you expect some to shine when they don’t start more than two Premier League games in a row?

Once dubbed “the future” by Arsene Wenger, Maitland-Niles’ career this season has taken a step back.

Meanwhile, Arsenal can finally sign ace Arsene Wenger wanted…

If ever there was a game that typified the kind of roller-coaster of a ride Leeds United’s first season back in the Premier League would be like, then Saturday’s defeat to Tottenham was exactly that.

Marcelo Bielsa’s side have shown they can absolutely blow teams away at this level, just like they did against West Brom last time out. But when that clinical edge deserts them, and they make those silly mistakes at the back, they can be on the receiving end of some heavy score-lines too.

It might not have been as bad as the 6-2 drubbing at the hands of Manchester United, but the Whites fell to a 3-0 defeat away at Spurs.

The Whites had a number of decent chances in the opening period of the game, not least when Patrick Bamford just couldn’t rise high enough to nod home from a delicious cross from Raphinha.

And whilst the latter had flashes of brilliance, it simply wasn’t enough for the Whites.

As per Sofascore, he lost possession 23 times over the course of the game, which was by far the highest of any Leeds player on the day. And as well as that, he also struggled to deal physically with Spurs getting up tight to him whenever he got the ball and tried to spin – he lost a whopping 13 of his 16 total duels.

Raphinha’s disappointing day certainly wasn’t for a lack of trying, and on another day, he might have got himself an assist and the story would be different.

But given he arrived in the summer for a decent fee, and with Victor Orta having only just recently praised him as a “complete player”, it just wasn’t good enough for a player of his obvious natural talent.

Bielsa would have been hoping that he could be his game-changer, but instead, he just didn’t quite get up to speed.

It may be a little late in the season, but Celtic are finally beginning to pick up some form and momentum as they head into the new year.

Neil Lennon’s side started the Scottish Premiership campaign so poorly, but have recently found their groove, winning their last five games in all competitions, including keeping three clean sheets in their last three league games.

And whilst the Hoops boss may be reluctant to make any wholesale changes ahead of the clash against Dundee United on Wednesday night, he should consider throwing in Michael Johnston into the starting line-up.

He came off the bench last time out in Celtic’s 3-0 win over Hamilton, and the 21-year-old could bring some added energy to the attack. The festive period has been a busy one for Lennon’s side, and freshening things up and giving young and fringe players the chance to shine and keep the first-team stars fully fit is key.

Johnston has shown flashes of his talent since making his debut for the Bhoys, and after scoring against Ross County in December 2019, Hoops icon Chris Sutton took to Twitter to declare him a “real talent”, with former Scotland international Billy Dodds adding to the plaudits too.

He said: “He’s special is Michael Johnston. Once he gets himself into the position he just cuts inside, bears down on goal, and my word he’s got the composure. It’s a brilliant finish from a guy who is just on the pitch.”

The youngster – valued at just £900k by Transfermarkt – may offer a bit of unpredictability and fearlessness to Lennon’s side, and with the Old Firm derby coming up on Saturday, could really stake an incredible claim to be a part of that fixture too.

David Sullivan can redefine David Moyes’ West Ham United with a swoop for Olympique de Marseille’s Nemanja Radonjic in the January transfer window.

What’s the word?

According to the print edition of The Sunday Mirror (06/12, p63), Marseille are open to sending Radonjic out on loan in the upcoming winter market after he fell down Andrea Villas-Boas’ pecking order.

Radonjic has only started nine per cent of the Stade Velodrome natives’ Ligue 1 fixtures this season, with his sole opening role coming on matchday one away to Stade Brest before making five substitute appearances prior to sustaining a thigh injury last month.

Radonjic would have hoped to see his opening role in August’s victory over Brest lead to further opportunities to impress Villas-Boas after starting just eight of his 21 top-flight outings last term, but he is now thought to be on his way out.

Marseille are informing any potential suitors of their willingness to strike a mid-season deal, with West Ham and Southampton said to be keen on a temporary transfer.

The 6ft wide man is yet to score and boasts more yellow cards (two) than assists (one) in all competition after eight appearances this term, and had only struck home on six times in 47 games heading into the current campaign.

Chance to redefine West Ham

While Radonjic has struggled to make an impact under Villas-Boas, the 20-cap Serbia international’s potential availability should not be scorned at by West Ham supporters, for he can redefine Moyes’ side if Sullivan gives the green light to a winter deal.

Radonjic enjoyed his best single-season return in front of goal last year despite making 13 of his 21 Ligue 1 appearances from the bench, with the forward finding the net five times before sustaining a groin strain and the campaign being called early amid the coronavirus pandemic.

His strikes included a winning effort against Stade Brest, an equaliser at FC Metz and goals to settle meetings with FC Toulouse and AS Saint-Etienne, too.

The Serbian forward has brought his creativity to the field when given the chance from the bench this season, as well, with SofaScore data showing an average of 0.7 key balls a game despite playing just 24 minutes a match prior to his injury – which is more than Pablo Fornals offers (0.6) at the London Stadium from 82 minutes per Premier League outing.

Moyes could be the one to settle Radonjic down into a regular role and unlock his full potential if West Ham push ahead and sign him, after Angelo Ogbonna recently praised the former Manchester United boss for helping the Hammers to break free of their shackles.

“The potential of the squad here has always been high, always,” Ogbonna told the Evening Standard. “I want to give a big credit to the manager. Since he came in, he changed a lot of things: discipline, hard work and you can see on the pitch. He has a lot of credit on that one.”

AND in other news, a “powerful” West Ham dud has given David Moyes all the evidence in the world to why he will never be trusted.

Glasgow Rangers manager Steven Gerrard has admitted that he is hopeful that Joe Aribo will be available again for the Europa League clash with Standard Liege on Thursday night.

The Nigerian attacking midfielder was forced to miss the past two games due to an undisclosed illness, but is now back in training ahead of tonight’s game.

Whilst Ryan Jack remains a “major doubt” for the clash, Aribo is set to return in some capacity against the Belgian club, which will be a huge boost for the Ibrox boss, as he has become an integral part of Gerrard’s side since he first arrived at the 54-time Scottish champions.

He was heavily involved in their Premiership title bid last season, although they ultimately came up short as they finished second, as Celtic were crowned champions for the ninth time in a row.

In the process, he was named the Young Player of the Season, having scored three goals and supplied eight assists in the top flight, via Transfermarkt.

It’s hard to believe Aribo is still only 24 as it feels as though he has been around forever and a day, even though the Gers only signed the Nigeria international from Charlton Athletic in 2019.

The versatile player, who can play on the right or in a more central role, has made 11 appearances in all competitions so far this season, scoring four goals in the Premiership, whilst he is averaging 1.8 shots, 1.4 key passes and 1.6 dribbles per game, via WhoScored.

In contrast, even Scott Arfield has only mustered 1.6 shots, 1 key pass and just 0.5 dribbles on average per game, as per WhoScored.

Arfield has been in such fine form in recent weeks, with three goals and two assists in total in his last three games.

But the fact remains that the 32-year-old isn’t getting any younger, and there may soon come a point where Rangers will have to refresh their squad, which is one of the oldest in the first division.

Gerrard may not have to look very far to find the perfect replacement, that’s for sure.

Whilst tonight’s game may come too soon for Aribo, we wouldn’t be surprised to see him make a brief cameo off the bench.

AND in other news, Ianis Hagi and Kemar Roofe start, no room for Morelos: Glasgow Rangers Predicted XI vs Standard Liege…

Steve Parish missed the boat with Crystal Palace’s failed pursuit of CSKA Moscow striker Fedor Chalov after the Russians rejected a £14m bid for the centre-forward last year.

What was the story?

According to a report from Sky Sports at the time, Palace were among several Premier League clubs said to be interested in signing the Russia international in the summer of 2019, along with Monaco, Lazio and Valencia, having been impressed by the striker’s prolific top-flight form in the 2018/19 campaign.

Chalov burst onto the scene with 15 goals and 7 assists in 30 games in Premier Liga, whilst he also scored two goals in the Champions League that  same season.

Following their futile attempts to sign Chalov last summer, his agent Christian Emile said: “Fedor is one of the most striking players in Europe, and the increased interest in him is completely justified.

“Especially from the side of one Premier League club, which made a significant offer, but CSKA refused to sell the player.

“The position of CSKA is completely understandable – they have serious goals, and Fedor is the most important player for them.”

It’s believed that Palace boss Roy Hodgson wanted to sign two centre-forwards, having identified the Russian as one of his top transfer targets, as well as then-Brentford striker Ollie Watkins. However, as we all know, Hodgson didn’t end up with either of those options, signing Jordan Ayew in the end instead, before bringing in Michy Batshuayi from Chelsea on a season-long loan deal on transfer deadline day this season.

Missed the boat

Chalov has at times struggled for consistency so far this season, having scored two goals and supplied five assists in all competitions for his boyhood club, as a recurring knee injury has caused him several problems. However, he scored during the 2-0 win over Rostov before the international break, and has bagged two times and produced two assists in his past four games.

Per WhoScored, the 22-year-old has played 11 games in Premier Liga, scoring two goals and supplying four assists, whilst he is averaging 2.3 shots and 1.1 key passes per game.

By comparison, Batshuayi is barely managing one shot and just 0.2 key passes per game in the Premier League, via WhoScored, whilst he has failed to find the back of the net at Selhurst Park this season so far.

Pavel Koval, Chalov’s first coach at CSKA’s youth academy, once said his former charge “has everything a forward needs; speed, dribbling ability, a good scoring instinct – he has it all,” which is high praise indeed for someone who is still at the early stages of his career. 

In Chalov, Parish could have added a natural goal threat in the middle of the pitch to the Palace first-team squad, who can also play as an attacking midfielder, whilst he still has room for improvement at the age of 22.

The £11.7m-rated sensation could’ve become a first-team regular starter for years to come if he had brought him to Selhurst Park and he was able to hit the ground running, although his statistics seem to indicate that he would’ve done this, given his impressive return for CSKA Moscow (41 goals in 139 games), as he has shown he can score goals at the top levels of the game.

However, his contract is set to expire in 2022, and it’s unlikely he will be short of potential suitors if/when the chance once again arises to sign him.

AND in other news, Crystal Palace got rid of Aaron Wan-Bissaka at the perfect time…

Former Dundee head of development Jimmy Boyle has urged Glasgow Rangers midfielder Glen Kamara to leave Ibrox as he has the ability to play at the highest level.

Kamara can do better

The Finland international was signed by the Gers in January of last year for the paltry fee of £50,000. That already looks to have been incredibly shrewd business – he has made 71 appearances in all competitions under Steven Gerrard, and he has been linked with a €10m (£8.9m) move to Olympique Marseille this year.

Boyle believes that the 24-year-old has the ability to play at a higher level than the 54-time Scottish champions. He told The Glasgow Times:

“When Glen came in Neil said to me: ‘What do you think?’. I told him: ‘He can play at a much higher level’. I don’t actually know how Neil managed to get him.

“Straight away, we felt he could go on to greater things. He was an excellent footballer. He got on the ball all the time, he read the game well, he didn’t give away possession, he was a good team player and, on top of all that, he was a great lad as well.”

“He suits the European game. With the schooling he has had at Arsenal, his style of play is ideal for continental football. He has done really well in the Europa League games for Rangers. He has done great getting to where he is now. But he has got the ability to go further.”

“I am really pleased for him. I would love to see him kicking on again somewhere else at some point in time. I fully believe he has got the technique and the mentality. But that will be up to Glen. If he wants to then I am sure he can do it.”

Vital to Gerrard

In the long run, Kamara is likely to depart the Gers. After all, the Scottish Premiership does not have enough prestige to hold on to its star players. However, right now, Steven Gerrard cannot afford to lose the midfielder – he is such an important part of the way the team plays.

Kamara has featured in 16 of the 20 matches the Gers have played this term, scoring one goal. In the Europa League, in particular, he has stood out, averaging 1.7 tackles and 1.7 interceptions per game. As Rangers go in search of a first piece of major silverware since 2011, Kamara has a big role to play – the club cannot afford to lose him.

In other news, this summer Rangers target shines on international duty.

What makes Marcelo Bielsa a great manager is his ability to improve his players.

The likes of Stuart Dallas, Luke Ayling and Kalvin Phillips were all mid-table Championship players before El Loco arrived, but now they’re already looking like bona fide Premier League stars.

Bielsa has been able to improve almost every player he has worked with at Leeds, transforming the squad from a team that finished 13th in the Championship to champions of the second division, all while keeping a very similar core of the squad.

However, there is one player that has gone backwards under his tutelage.

Unfortunately, we’re talking about Barry Douglas.

The Scot arrived at Elland Road with one hell of a reputation, having assisted 14 and scored five in Wolves’ incredible promotion season, but since then he’s not come close to those types of numbers.

He’s had just five assists in two seasons since joining Leeds, while he’s still waiting on his first goal for the club.

The most frustrating thing about Douglas’ regression is that we know how good he can be, and if he reproduced his Wolves form he would undoubtedly be a Premier League calibre left-back. For one reason or another however, that hasn’t happened.

It’s rare for Bielsa to fail when it comes to bringing out the best in a player, but with Douglas he’s simply not been able to find the key to unlock his potential. Now the defender is set to head out on loan with his contract expiring in 2021, we may never see his best at Leeds.

Perhaps his incredible season at Wolves was more a testament to Nuno Espirito Santo’s managerial ability than his time at Leeds being a knock on Bielsa’s, but one thing is for sure, he has regressed since joining the Whites.

With no European football on offer this season, Wolverhampton Wanderers go into this afternoon’s clash against Newcastle United well-rested.

Nuno Santo’s side are also in-form having won both of their last two outings 1-0.

Once again, the Midlands outfit find themselves vying with the top six and now they host a struggling Magpies side at Molineux.

But with only Jonny on the treatment table, will the Portuguese boss make any changes to his winning side? Here’s the XI we’re predicting today…

There could be as many as three changes to the side that rocked Leeds United at Elland Road on Monday night.

Summer signing Marcal is in line to reclaim his starting place at left wing-back despite Romain Saiss deputising impressively in recent games, though the Morrocan utility make keeps his place as a centre-back.

That could come at the expense of Max Kilman, perhaps unfairly after picking up a Man of the Match award but he is still only young. It means skipper Conor Coady, Willy Boly, Nelson Semedo and shot-stopper Rui Patricio all keep their places.

There could also be another change in midfield with Ruben Neves coming in to partner Joao Moutinho, he replaces Leander Dendoncker in the two-man engine room.

Whilst in the attack, Raul Jimenez will be the first name on the teamsheet but there’s a decision to make behind him. There are two places for three worthy players.

Daniel Podence could well remain in the starting XI despite being withdrawn during the second half earlier in the week, but £36m-rated sensation Adama Traore gets the nod over Pedro Neto this time around.

Wolves scored within five minutes of the newly-capped Spain international coming on, so it would make sense to start him from the off.

AND in other news, Wolves played a blinder over £90k-per-week Mendes client this summer…