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After missing out on promotion last term, a trip down memory lane is always a good way to lift the mood of a football club.

And that’s exactly what’s happened with Leeds fans who after experiencing a somewhat topsy-turvy start to pre-season where Marcelo Bielsa declined the chance to go on the first leg of their tour, were given a thick slice of nostalgia on Twitter.

A series on the social media channel sees videos being released under the hashtag #LegendsOfEFL, one of which demonstrated the abilities of Luciano Becchio.

Upon watching the footage, Leeds fans were foaming at the mouth over what he used to bring to the Yorkshire club.

One supporter claimed he was the best player in the division on his day whilst a further fan called him the best Leeds player of the last decade.

Another individual couldn’t help but dream of what he’d be like playing under Bielsa as another tweet saw one fan urge for him to be involved at Leeds in a coaching capacity.

In 219 games for the Whites between 2008 and 2013, the 35-year-old netted 86 times and also claimed 20 assists.

The Argentine is now retired but is currently employed as the assistant manager of Spanish outfit Atletico Baleares.

Here’s the best of the reaction.

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As Wolves take to the field against Crusaders at Molineux tonight their players will be stood under the floodlights shrouded in pioneering history.

For the first time since 1981, the Midlands outfit will be playing in a European competition, fresh with the knowledge that this is, despite the opposition, one of the biggest games in their recent history.

Wolves have come a considerable way since Nuno Santo took over.

They’ve gone from mid-table in the Championship to the upper echelons of the Premier League.

However, there is a greater story deeply rooted in Wolves’ history when it comes to Europe.

In 1953, floodlights were installed at the club’s ground, a moment which rewrote the course of competitive football across the continent.

That installation was to kick start a period throughout the 1950s called the ‘Floodlit Friendlies’ – a series of matches that saw Wolves take on some of the finest clubs in world football.

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Their first contest under the lights was a 3-1 win over South Africa, before victories over Celtic and Racing Club Avell followed.

Yet, the most poignant game wasn’t to occur until December 1954 when Wolves faced Hungarian opposition, Honved.

A brisk and muscular side, as described by Sports Illustrated, the former were a team who were one of the best around, winning the First Division title in 1954.

They were led by the religious Stan Cullis, who together with the players at the time, had an everlasting impact on the way football is today.

That game against Honved drew such a spectacle that it was broadcast live on television as a side containing the great Ferenc Puskas, who the award for the best goal of the year is now named after, lost 3-2 to Wolves at Molineux.

Rather typically, it was a dark and rainy evening, a game perfectly suited for the floodlights as the hosts took on the unofficial name of ‘champions of the world’ after their victory.

At that point in time, there was no Champions League or European Cup and this was the best the continent had to offer.

Honved raced into a 2-0 lead on that historical night courtesy of Sandor Kocsis and Ferenc Machos.

However, much like the Wolves side of the current day, they showed tremendous resilience to fight back.

Johnny Hancocks scored from the penalty spot four minutes after the break before a brace from Roy Swinbourne won them the game.

The lasting impact of the game, though, couldn’t possibly have been foreseen by those playing at the time.

Gabriel Hanot, a French journalist, was impressed by what he saw and, inspired by the Campeonato Sudamericano de Campeones – a tournament now known as the Copa Libertadores in South America – he drummed up the idea of competition involving Europe’s best teams.

Lo and behold, in March 1955, a UEFA congress came together just a year after Wolves’ outing against Honved to formalise plans for such a competition.

A season later, arguably one of the most prestigious tournaments in world football was officially formed with the birth of the European Cup.

It was perhaps rather ironic, therefore, that English teams weren’t originally able to compete in such a competition for fears that it would have a negative impact on attendances at domestic matches.

But that match with Honved was merely just the beginning for Wolves.

Throughout the 50’s they tussled with some of the best teams on the globe.

They defeated Borussia Dortmund 4-3 in March 1957 before beating Real Madrid 3-2 in October of the same year.

There was also a win over Red Star Belgrade when they did eventually qualify for the European Cup, although they suffered a rare defeat against Barcelona at the start of the 1960s.

It’s been a lengthy period since Wolves were in the same company as some of the greats of European football and although they may still have to wait for teams like Barcelona and Real Madrid, this season’s Europa League instalment gives them their best hope of playing against them again anytime soon.

The story of the club’s floodlit friendlies all those years ago is a fascinating one, not least for the fact that it kick-started what we now know as the Champions League, but for the fact that Wolves are now on the cusp of yet more special nights under the Molineux lights.

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Liverpool’s 2019 summer pre-season fixtures are now behind them as they gear up for the start of the new Premier League campaign.

But the Reds have one final challenge before they face off against Norwich in the new campaign opener.

On 4 August, Jurgen Klopp’s troops will head to Wembley where they will clash with last year’s champions of England Manchester City in the Community Shield match.

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And if their latest game is any indication at all, Liverpool are ready to face their big rivals.

The English team played against Olympique Lyon in their last friendly match and they won 3-1.

Their youngster Rhian Brewster also played a part in the clash and has now quickly taken to Instagram to share a post-match snap.

Soon enough, some other youngsters replied to his photo.

Tariq Uwakwe, Chelsea’s young player, told Brewster it is now “go time” and Harvey Elliott, the Reds’ newest signing, called him his “brother”.

There were also some other players and friends who commented below the snap and from the looks of it, Brewster seems to be quite a popular figure among the younger crop of players.

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

According to The Daily Mail, Manchester United would like Juventus to include winger Douglas Costa as part of a swap deal with Romelu Lukaku.

What’s the word?

Reports in recent weeks have claimed that Lukaku is set for an exit from Old Trafford this summer, and that Inter were in pole position for the Belgium international’s signature.

However, The Daily Mail claim that Juventus are very much interested in battling their Serie A rivals for Lukaku. The report adds that following suggestions that Paulo Dybala was reluctant to be involved in such a deal, United have turned their attentions towards his teammate Costa.

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It further suggests that whilst the Brazilian is similarly hesitant to leave the Bianconeri, he could have his “head turned by the star-billing United are willing to afford him”.

A star winger

In his time playing for many of European football’s biggest sides, including Bayern Munich and Juventus, Costa has proven himself adept at performing on the big stage – he has grabbed 61 goals and 89 assists in his career so far.

The Brazilian has in general struggled to nail down a first-team spot since leaving Ukrainian outfit Shakhtar Donetsk though, but has always offered glimpses of the incredible qualities he has to offer.

The 28-year-old is pacy and direct with incredible dribbling, and would offer United something that they sorely lack; a left-footed winger cutting in from the right-hand side. Mason Greenwood has shown promise of potentially filling that role, but is still raw, untapped potential at this stage in his career. Costa however, would give United a Champions League-quality wide-man.

Despite featuring so little for Juventus last season, Costa still managed relatively decent numbers. In the league, the 28-year-old averaged 1.8 dribbles and 1.2 shots per game, and offered the Old Lady something different in games with his one-on-one ability. Signing for United would give the Red Devils a genuine game-changer, who simply needs an opportunity to revive his career.

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

Bruno Fernandes has told Sporting Lisbon that he wants to move to Tottenham Hotspur this summer, per The Mail on Sunday.

What’s the word?

Spurs have been heavily linked with a swoop for an attacking midfielder this summer, with the London Evening Standard reporting last week that the club were “determined” to sign either Giovani Lo Celso of Real Betis or Fernandes.

And it now appears that the Portugal international is keen on a transfer, too, The Mail reporting that he has informed the club of his desire to move to London.

Of course, the English transfer window shuts on Thursday and it remains to be seen if the two clubs will reach an agreement.

The report claims that Spurs have made a bid but that it falls short of the Portuguese side’s valuation, which is said to stand at £64m.

A breakthrough at last

Spurs need to sign some players.

The club have only bought Tanguy Ndombele from Lyon this summer to strengthen the first-team squad – Jack Clarke, of course, was loaned back to Leeds United following his acquisition.

Bringing in Fernandes, a player who scored 32 goals last season in all competitions, would go a long way to ensuring that Spurs’ squad is as strong as it can possibly be for the beginning of the 2019/20 season.

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Of course, he would ease the burden on central striker Harry Kane, as well as adding an extra dimension to the attacking midfield ranks.

A fee of £64m is steep, but one imagines that price may fall after the player supposedly aired his own desire to move.

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This article is part of Football FanCast’s Opinion series, which provides analysis, insight and opinion on any issue within the beautiful game, from Paul Pogba’s haircuts to League Two relegation battles…

For Leeds, this summer was very much about taking the rough with the smooth.

It was a whirlwind and a roller-coaster experience for those involved at the club but they’re now finally out of the other side.

And in their grasp they still rather remarkably have Kalvin Phillips. They also have Mateusz Klich, a player who had attracted the eyes of the Premier League.

Phillips was no stranger to interest either, fielding it from Aston Villa, Wolves and Bournemouth.

But as Leeds rejected £35m worth of offers for various players, both Pontus Jansson and Kemar Roofe still departed.

If there was ever a topsy-turvy window, this was it. Indeed, concerns may still lie surrounding the defence after the Whites failed to bring in anyone other than Ben White but the business they have done must be looked at in a positive way.

Why? Because it could prove to be game-changing in the future.

Leeds decided to operate this summer with the policy that they’d bring in players on loan.

Through the doors came White, Helder Costa, Jack Harrison, Jack Clarke, Eddie Nketiah and Illan Meslier.

Three of those players all have clauses specifying they can return permanently next term. Those lie in the contracts of Costa, Harrison and Meslier who prove that Leeds have been particularly meticulous in their operations.

It may have been a frustrating period, but ultimately they look well set for the future.

Costa and Harrison will give depth out wide whilst it’s already been detailed how big a fan manager Marcelo Bielsa is of White, even if they do lack options at centre-back.

That being said, their attack, with the addition of Nketiah still looks a considerable threat. He is a player who scored against Bayern Munich and Fiorentina in pre-season whilst his record at youth level, scoring 46 goals, speaks for itself.

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However, the fact they can make three of those players permanent parts of the furniture next summer bodes well, even if they don’t achieve promotion.

Securing players on loan means they won’t have unnecessary baggage to ship out if they do go up whilst Aston Villa have already shown the benefit of loan signings like Tyrone Mings and Kortney Hause who both returned fairly simply.

For Leeds, it may not have been the best summer, but there are definitely positives if you look further enough ahead.

Given financial fair play, this is one of the best outcomes they could have had.

Of course, achieving promotion is the ultimate goal, but there are reasons to be encouraged.

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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…

Danny Mills believes that Tottenham Hotspur will again snub Jan Vertonghen when they play Newcastle United this weekend, per Football Insider.

What’s he said?

The Belgium international has yet to make a first-team appearance for Spurs this season.

He was left out of the 3-1 win over Aston Villa in their first game of the season and also sat out the 2-2 draw with Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium.

Davinson Sanchez and Toby Alderweireld have been picked for the opening two encounters and Mills believes that Spurs boss Mauricio Pochettino will stick with that selection for the visit of the Magpies this weekend.

He said: “They’ll probably go: ‘We did okay, we did pretty well against Manchester City, we rode our luck at times.’

“They did what they were supposed to do, so it would be highly unlikely he would change it for this weekend.”

Spot on

Pochettino has no reason to tweak his backline.

Spurs have yet to keep a clean sheet this season but they are also the only side to play City away.

Keeping Sanchez and Vertonghen in the same team will only further their partnership and their understanding of each other.

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At the same time, per Statsbomb, Newcastle have yet to complete a pass in the opposition box.

This game, then, does not call for the inclusion of Vertonghen; Sanchez and Alderweireld will do just fine.

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

Mauricio Pochettino is concerned by Tottenham’s lack of Plan B, according to The Daily Mail.

What’s the word?

Spurs lost 1-0 to Newcastle United at the weekend after a 2-2 draw with Manchester City and a 3-1 victory over Aston Villa.

Of course, Fernando Llorente left the club after the expiration of his contract, leaving the club without a back-up striker to Harry Kane.

Pochettino has been unable to pick a striker on the bench for the first three games of the 2019/20 season, with the Spaniard deciding against signing an extension in north London, having been offered a new contract on vastly reduced terms to his £75,000-per-week deal, per the Mail.

The 34-year-old scored eight goals in all competitions last season, including the winning goal in the second leg of their Champions League quarter-final against Manchester City.

He made just six starts in the Premier League, however, though he was substituted on 14 times as Spurs looked to change games.

Keep him around

Keeping Llorente would have been a no-brainer, one would have thought.

His heroics in the Champions League should have seen him handed whatever he wanted.

Obviously, had he demanded £200,000-per-week, his exit would have made all the more sense.

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But one feels that simply offering him the same deal, for a further year, would have been the sensible option.

Llorente didn’t score that many goals in north London last season but he was a game-changing influence throughout the campaign.

He is already missed.

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Leeds face another outing against Stoke this week, their second in just four days as the Carabao Cup returns.

The Whites defeated Salford with relative ease in their opening League Cup encounter of the season but this provides a stiffer test than the League Two outfit did a couple of weeks ago.

Marcelo Bielsa’s men are currently unbeaten this term so will be looking to carry on that record after defeating the Potters 3-0 a matter of days ago.

However, who will start on this occasion? Our predicted XI tips the Argentine to make five changes.

The Whites decided to play with a different formation at the weekend, opting for three in defence but back at home, it wouldn’t be a great surprise if Bielsa reverted to his tried and tested 4-1-4-1 formation.

This means that there could be a number of changes to his starting XI.

The first one to note is Illan Meslier. The Frenchman is yet to play for the first-team yet but has featured for the U23s.

After a few weeks to get used to Leeds’ methods, now seems like the ideal time to hand him his chance after arriving on loan from Lorient.

Further opportunities could also be given to Helder Costa and Eddie Nketiah.

The pair combined for the opening goal against Salford whilst the same combination was on hand against Brentford. That means that Patrick Bamford will likely be rested.

There may also be a role given to Mateusz Bogusz who is yet to feature in competitive action for the Whites despite scoring against Western Sydney Wanderers in pre-season.

Kalvin Phillips and Mateusz Klich both started the last League Cup outing so could play again. Given the opposition is stronger, Jack Clarke may have to sit out once more with a degree of familiarity preferred.

Bielsa has been talking up Jamie Shackleton recently so he may be given a start at right back in place of Stuart Dallas.

We’re also tipping Liam Cooper to miss out again after the Leeds boss favoured a cautious approach with the defender at the weekend.

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This article is part of Football FanCast’s The Chalkboard series, which provides a tactical insight into teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

Everton showed signs of improvement against Wolves but Marco Silva is still yet to find the right balance between attack and defence.

On the chalkboard

The Toffees had six shots on target at the weekend, doubling the tally they had achieved in the three league games prior to that fixture, and their three goals scored suggests they now pose more of an attacking threat.

However, they also doubled the amount of goals they conceded, and there is a sense that Silva is yet to settle on his preferred team, with the likes of Bernard, Morgan Schneiderlin and Dominic Calvert-Lewin being dropped for the first time.

Since arriving last summer the Portuguese manager has preferred to use a 4-2-3-1 formation, but there is an alternative method he could use which would suit the players at his disposal.

A diamond formation would allow the likes of Moise Kean and Richarlison to take up forward positions, and as they both come alive in the box they could be more likely to get on the end of goalscoring chances if they partnered each other up front.

The system would also allow Gylfi Sigurdsson to maintain his role playing just behind the strikers, whilst providing extra cover by operating with a defensive midfielder, with Fabian Delph and Andre Gomes acting as box-to-box midfielders.

A flaw with the diamond formation is often a lack of width, but both Lucas Digne and Seamus Coleman excel going forward – as evidenced by their assist record – and they would provide a threat from the flanks.

More suited to current squad

Everton have got off to a rather slow start to the season but there have been positives. Sigurdsson is growing into the season with a goal and an assist from his last two games, but with two strikers to aim for he could improve on those numbers.

Kean, meanwhile, has struggled to adjust so far and made just six passes at the weekend, but his introduction did result in a greater attacking threat for Everton and he has made an impact from the bench on occasion, with two shots in 19 minutes against Watford.

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Partnering him with another striker could get the best out of him, too. At Juventus last season he started in a front two on four occasions and scored four goals in that time, and with Sigurdsson playing behind him the two would likely link up well.

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