DANIEL FARKE ISSUES HARSH DAN JAMES VERDICT POST-LEEDS SNUB
Leeds boss Daniel Farke defended dropping Dan James for the defeat at Nottingham Forest, calling it a "performance-related decision." James came off the bench and nearly scored a late equaliser.
Dan James - Photo by Visionhaus/Getty Images
Farke defended his choice to start Brenden Aaronson and Noah Okafor on the wings at the City Ground in an interview with BBC Radio Leeds following his team's loping loss on the road.
Farke claims that James has not taken "the league by storm" this season and that performance, not fitness, was the deciding factor in his choice.
"He could have started, of course," the Leeds manager stated.
It is a performance-related decision as well as a tactical one. In any case, throughout the past four months, he has hardly been on the field. Due to an injury, he was out of the Championship for almost three months. Due to his injury, he did not have the best preseason or the best run of games.
He was also out for a while when the Premier League season began. He took the league by storm, but I did not witness that in the last games when he entered.
It is not that simple since we have other offensive players who are really excellent. I would have to leave out Noah Okafor, Brenden Aaronson, or Sean Longstaff, a leader, or a workhorse, just because he is currently fit. In any case, the competition always wins. But in terms of fitness, he has returned.
Daniel Farke's cameo with Dan James demonstrates why he ought to have begun
In a last-ditch effort to save a point, Farke substituted all of his attacking options, including Dan James, who eventually came on the field for the final fifteen minutes.
James came closest for Leeds with a curling attempt at goal that was tipped around the post for a corner, but he was unable to make a significant contribution.
With 22 minutes remaining, Forest took the lead, and the Welshman looked energetic in his brief appearance, raising the issue of why he was not brought in sooner.
By a considerable margin, James is Leeds' fastest player. In such an important game, it was counterproductive to leave him on the bench for seventy-five minutes after setting Leeds up for a counterattack.
ASTON VILLA DESTROY BOURNEMOUTH 4-0 — DOMINANT DISPLAY FROM EMERY’S MEN
Aston Villa crushed Bournemouth 4-0 for their sixth straight home win. Emi Buendía and Amadou Onana scored stunning long-range strikes before Ross Barkley and Donyell Malen sealed the dominant victory.
Aston Villa 4-0 AFC Bournemouth - COURTESY/PHOTO
In a thrilling match at Villa Park, Emi Buendía opened the scoring with a diving 20-yard free-kick in the 28th minute, his fourth goal of the season.
Amadou Onana then took advantage of the ideal opportunity to extend the hosts' lead with a long-range goal, his first of the season, just before halftime.
It made it possible for five straight Premier League goals to come from outside the area, which is only the fourth time in the tournament that a team has had five or more long-range goals in a row and the first in fourteen years.
After the break, Emi Martínez was Villa's hero, tipping over Alex Scott's looping strike with a world-class stop to preserve Antoine Semenyo's penalty in the 67th minute.
Before Ross Barkley glanced home Lucas Digne's corner and fellow substitute Donyell Malen denied Youri Tielemans' attempt to seal the victory, Evanilson also headed against a post.
With just one loss in their past 24 home league games, Unai Emery's Villa secured their eighth victory in ten games.
In the UEFA Europa League victory over Maccabi Tel Aviv on Thursday, Emery made six changes to Villa's starting lineup, with the return of Buendía, Digne, Matty Cash, Boubacar Kamara, John McGinn, and Ollie Watkins.
A fan-led papercard display and banner were also held up in the Holte End on Remembrance Sunday. Both sides, sporting poppies on their shirts, lined up alongside members of the Armed Forces for the laying of a wreath, a poem reading, a period of silence, and a performance of "The Last Post."
Following a terrible head-on collision that forced the visitors into an early change, Cash tried to loft the ball over the Cherries' keeper but was stopped by an oncoming Djordje Petrovic.
Scott's corner bounced against the top of the crossbar at the other end after Kamara's long-range attempt was parried.
Marcus Tavernier's free shot from the edge of the box went over the crossbar in a thrilling opening to the match.
A few minutes later, however, Villa took the lead with a nearly identical set-piece at the other end, with Buendía's well-placed shot going over the wall and past Petrovic.
Watkins' low strike was deflected into the side netting after Villa, with their tails up and supported by the home crowd, allowed the visitors to clear their lines.
In the 40th minute of a thrilling first session, the home team doubled their lead after being prevented by more desperate defending.
Rogers executed a brilliant move down the left and passed the ball to Onana, who touched it and then sent a low shot from 25 yards out into the bottom corner.
To maintain Villa's lead, Martínez made an incredible stop in the 55th minute, backpedalling to tip over Scott's deflected, looping effort.
Before Villa, who were down early in the second half, cleared their lines under pressure, Evanilson headed against a post.
In the 67th minute, the visitors had a chance to cut Villa's lead in half, but Martínez made a fantastic save to tip away Semenyo's penalty after Rogers was given a handballing penalty.
Shortly after, Villa's attacking midfielder missed by a close margin, and the home team quickly secured all three points.
After just six minutes on the field, Barkley got up to flick Digne's corner past Petrovic and into the far corner.
The ball was played to Tielemans on the edge of the box after another skillfully executed corner routine. His low effort struck substitute Malen before going wrong-footed by Petrovic to add a fourth.
The Netherlands international had a late chance to score a second goal as Villa's outstanding performance against the Cherries made it six games without a loss.
TOTTENHAM GET NEW RANDAL KOLO MUANI INJURY UPDATE
France striker Randal Kolo Muani has withdrawn from the squad due to a jaw injury suffered with Tottenham. He is the latest attacking casualty for Didier Deschamps ahead of crucial Euro 2026 qualifiers.
Kolo Muani injury confirmed - Photo Credit: Getty Images
The French Football Federation announced on Sunday that Florian Thauvin has been added to the squad in place of Randal Kolo Muani, who will miss two World Cup qualifying matches this month due to a broken jaw.
"Suffered an injury to his lower jaw on Saturday against Manchester United," the FFF stated of the Tottenham striker.
After Tottenham and United drew in the Premier League, Kolo Muani was substituted at halftime.
The 26-year-old Frenchman's injury was described as "nothing big" by Tottenham manager Thomas Frank following the game.
With nine goals for France, Kolo Muani was the squad's second-highest international scorer, after only Kylian Mbappe's 53.
Didier Deschamps, the coach of France, lost Kolo Muani as his most recent attacking casualty.
Ousmane Dembele and Desire Doue of Paris Saint-Germain are both injured. Marcus Thuram has not been called up and is only now making his competitive comeback with Inter Milan following over a month-long absence due to a thigh injury.
Six years after his last appearance, Lens's 32-year-old World Cup winner Thauvin made a comeback to the team in October and scored his second goal for his country in a 3-0 victory over Azerbaijan.
France would qualify for the North American tournament if it defeated Ukraine on November 13 at the Parc des Princes.
Les Bleus will play Azerbaijan again in Baku on November 16 if they do not win.