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As inconceivable as it sounds to most, Arsenal could beat Barcelona at The Emirates and earn a draw at the Nou Camp, which would knock the favourites out of the Champions League.

The outcry would be heard all around the world and the Catalan region would join the Spanish press in castigating the La Liga champions for ever more, but in his quiet, assured and reasoned way, Wenger has already plotted their downfall.

Arsenal are without Gabriel Paulista, Mikel Arteta, Jack Wilshere, Santi Cazorla and Tomas Rosicky, but the quality and depth of the squad has learnt from last season’s shortcomings against Monaco.

Mesut Ozil, Aaron Ramsey and Petr Cech are among those who will return on Tuesday night, and Wenger believes this is Arsenal’s best chance of beating the Spaniards.

“Everybody’s convinced that we need absolutely to be as a whole squad totally focused, to have a chance… No team is perfect, (though) they are not far from it, Barcelona, I must say. We have to use every moment in the game where we have a chance to score,” Wenger said in his pre-match press conference.

To use every moment and press Barcelona would be the plan. To sit back and invite trouble would certainly not be the way to go, because the last thing you want to do is to invite that pressure. At some point, their ingenuity and class will break through and with Neymar, Suarez and Messi facing you, Arsenal need to force the attack.

Wenger will prepare his team to play higher up the park, thus not letting their full-backs make their usual runs. As they try to move forward, that will leave space behind them and that’s for Arsenal to exploit.

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They need to use Walcott to maximum effect as he will give the Gunners that attacking prowess, but they must not get pulled about. In Pep Confidential, Marti Perarnau recorded a conversation Pep Guardiola had with Bayern Munich in which he explained why Tiki-Taka was misunderstood:

“In all team sports, the secret is to overload one side of the pitch so that the opponent must tilt its own defence to cope. You overload on one side and draw them in so that they leave the other side weak. And when we’ve done all that, we attack and score from the other side. That’s why you have to pass the ball, but only if you’re doing it with a clear intention.”

Previous teams have overloaded one side when trying to take care of Messi, only for his teammates to show their quality and rip you to shreds. Messi is not only a superb solo player, but he is a team player and will do what he needs to do for the good of Barcelona.

When Barcelona dominate possession, they will usually win. Under Luis Enrique’s management they have added another string to their bow and become almost unmerciful on the counter-attack, winning a historic treble, becoming world champions and now they are currently on a 32-game unbeaten run, smashing Pep Guardiola’s record of 28. That’s not to say that they can’t be beaten.

While the focus will be on Messi, Arsenal still need to pay close attention to Luis Suarez. Will he come short to lose his man and then take the space behind the defence, as they move in on Messi? It’s about exploiting space and taking every chance, and you know Barcelona will do just that.

Don’t forget that Arsenal have already beaten Bayern Munich at The Emirates this season and with Welbeck back in the side, Arsenal can dominate the Barcelona defence with crosses into him and Giroud. Scrabbling around just behind them would be Walcott, Oxlade-Chamberlain and co. all looking for the loose ball.

This will be an enticing encounter and for Arsenal it’s pay-back time. Defeat in the 2006 final and the knockout stages in 2010 & 2011, maybe it’s the Gunners’ turn for glory?

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Controversial Leeds United owner Massimo Cellino claims that former Chelsea and Real Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti would be interested in taking the Elland Road hot-seat, as reported by The Telegraph.

The Leeds chief has developed a reputation of being a “coach eater” after going through 36 coaches in 22 years as owner of Italian club Cagliari and now six coaches in two years at Leeds.

And Cellino has revealed that Ancelotti would happily take the job in the future – but only under one condition.

He told The Telegraph: “Ancelotti called me. ‘Massimo, bring the club into the Premier League and I come to you because the only place I miss and want to go back to is England.’

“[I said] ‘For me a good coach still has to show he’s a good coach. Come here and show me.”

Cellino’s trigger happy reputation has angered a number of Leeds fans over the years, but the Italian has admitted that he finds it hard to work with English coaches and has explained what he looks for in a coach.

“If we lose but we tried to win I’m happy,” he said.

“We lose and we tried to draw – fired. That is Massimo Cellino. I cannot work with English managers – they want to control everything.

“Not everyone is Sir Alex Ferguson. All the other managers want to act like Ferguson but they don’t have the skills so they cause damage.”

Current Leeds boss Steve Evans’ contract expires at the end of June, and Cellino has hinted that it is unlikely to be renewed.

“He [Evans] talks too much,” he claimed.

“He has to learn to shut his mouth. I’ve told him so many times to stop, you have no idea. But he doesn’t.”

Leeds are currently 12th in the Championship table with four games of the campaign remaining.

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Finishing in the Europa League places this season would be more beneficial for Arsenal than finishing in the top four. That’s right.

The Gunners occupy fourth place in the Premier League, currently five points clear of fifth place Manchester United. Man United, however, have a game in hand and still have their sights on the final Champions League spot.

Should The Red Devils overcome the north London club and deny them a place in Europe’s premier competition for the first time since 1995/96, however, it could just be a blessing in disguise.

Arsenal are not going to win the league again with Arsene Wenger in charge, that is becoming clearer and clearer by the day. In a campaign that has seen Chelsea implode, Man United be inconsistent and Manchester City flatter to deceive, Arsenal have once again failed to seize their most golden of opportunities.

Top at New Year, the expectancy grew that Arsenal would finally come of age and win their first title since 2003/04. Instead they faltered, struggled and fell foul once again of the sheer lack of winning mentality in the side… just ask Alexis Sanchez.

And really you can only blame Arsene Wenger. The signings haven’t been what Arsenal need, a midfield enforcer and a world class striker. Equally, the feeling is that Wenger cannot compete tactically with his contemporaries. But the real problem is the mental side of the whole set up. When the Premier League was there for the taking no-one at Arsenal stood up and took games by the scruff of the neck, the club are more than content with finishing fourth.

It’s sorry situation for a club that should have loftier ambitions, Jamie Redknapp alluded to this in his Sky Sports column.

“You can’t keep doing that [getting into the top four] and be brainwashed into thinking fourth is good enough. They should be doing more. They should be looking to win the title.”

This is why finishing out of the top four would be good for Arsenal. You’d think that if the Gunners conspire to finish fifth Wenger will have to go. That’ll be the last straw and the get out of jail card of ‘at least we qualified in the Champions League’ becomes irrelevant. Wenger wouldn’t have a leg to stand on and finally a new era that Arsenal fans are clamouring for more and more would finally be ushered in.

A new manager would make the changes Wenger seems too scared or downright stubborn to make. Changing the nature of the team into winners again will not happen under Wenger, the situation is sterile.

Then, without Champions League football who’s to say Arsenal would play a full strength side in the Europa League? They’d surely only focus on winning the Premier League in this instance and maybe they finally would.

This isn’t to say I think Arsenal will finish outside the top four this year. I don’t think Man United will catch them with the few games left. Plus Arsenal have fixtures at home to Norwich and Aston Villa, which are more than winnable. I do think though that next season will be much the same because of this for Arsenal and their fans, and until the loop of being hopeful at the start of the season and then only finishing fourth is broken, the Premier League title will be staying away from the Emirates.

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It was a magical, magical season for Leicester and as the EUROs come ever closer, some of their biggest stars are being linked with moves away from the King Power Stadium.

As much as we all knew this would be the case, many would like to see the Foxes’ squad stay together and have a real go at the Champions League, but in the modern game money talks, and this could determine how many of their stars leave this summer.

And one player who has been approached by one of the Premier League’s biggest sides is Jamie Vardy, who has been offered a huge wage as the Gunners attempt to prise him away from Leicester.

Whilst the hype from this news whipped around the country like a hurricane, there was no development until days later when we found out that Leicester were ready to make a counter-offer to one of their most precious individuals. This is yet to be resolved yet either, but Vardy’s hesitation to sign a deal at the Emirates Stadiumright away shows just how far the club have come in a season.

Ask Jamie Vardy whether he would have jumped at the chance to move to Arsenal this time last season and he would have bitten your hand off. Fast-forward a year, and that group of Leicester players have made history together, and many appear to want to keep the same group of individuals that did so well to win the title.

It’s a funny game but Vardy’s reluctance to sign up straight away is a massive credit to everyone at Leicester that worked so hard to achieve the success they did last season. Money aside, at this point in time, there is little the Gunners can offer Jamie Vardy that he can’t get just where he is.

Game time – check. A place in the Champions league – check. Opportunities to play in the biggest pre-season tournaments around the world – check. You name it, Vardy has it at Leicester, until the big-bucks come into play. Whilst Arsenal do have a prestigious history and one of the best managers in the country, it might make for a curious move if Vardy ditches everything he has achieved at Leicester in a heartbeat.

And as quick as he has jetted out to France, there have been an array of reports and stories suggesting that Vardy wouldn’t ‘fit’ the Arsenal way of play, with Paul Merson being particularly cynical about the success the Englishman could achieve at the north of London.

What Vardy needs to do now is keep his head down, focus on the EUROs and consider club football on his return to England. Banging in goals in France will only boost his credentials further. Whether this ends up being good news for Leicester or Arsenal, we’ll have to wait and see.

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Are footballers these days overpaid? Possibly.

This list however is going to go through the top 10 players who have squandered their money. From gambling to the out right ridiculous some of these players could have done with keeping in closer contact with their financial advisers.

From ex stars who had the world at their feet to some of the lesser known players, this lot have lost some serious money. It’s a short career for footballers and there is some guidance on saving money but some of these guys have no taken any notice on that.

If you know of any other players who have sadly lost their wealth throw their names into the comments section below!

10. Ray Parlour

Ray Parlour. The softly spoken yet tenacious midfielder came into some financial issues in 2004 when he split from his partner.

During his move from Middlesbrough his ex wife was mediating how much money she would get. After an intial offer of £120,000 a year was rejected by the courts she eventually walked away with a deal that saw her get £440,000 a year!

Not an easy one to stomach for the ex Premier League Londoner!

9. Didi Hamann

Didi Hamann. Enough to make any Liverpool fan grimace to themselves.

The Premier League stalwart was a brilliantly calming influence and the German international earned many admirers during his time in the UK.

However it hasn’t always been playing sailing for the touch tackling midfielder, Hamann once lost £288,400 on a single bet. It was a bet on an England vs Australia cricket match and the big German lost an eye-watering sum.

It may be a nice point to note that this was a moment of self reflection for him and enabled him to realise that he cannot bet like that in future. Glad you realised before it got serious Didi!

8. Jason Euell

The former Charlton frontman, now U21’s manager at he club, Euell looks set to carry on his career off the field. However it wasn’t always smooth sailing for the former Jamaican international.

In 2011 Jason Euell was subject to a case of fraud. His signature had been forged on fake documents and he was forced into declaring bankruptcy.

The worst bit of this situation is it would appear as if a friend faked his signature and convinced him into committing money into the project. Poor old Jason!

7. Lee Hendrie

Little Lee Hendrie. The Birmingham born midfielder was hot property when he came through the academy of Aston Villa.

As a nippy winger, he was also capped for England, at the peak of his career he was earning £40,000 a week. However Hendrie made some housing investments that turned sour and by 2012 he was declared bankrupt and noted at £193k in debt.

Hendrie has, however, flipped things around and now runs his own football academy for children aged 3-9.

6. Eric Djemba-Djemba

Eric Djemba-Djemba. So good they named him twice. But one thing he hasn’t been good with over his career is his finances. Eric was earmarked as a replacement for tough-tackling midfielder Roy Keane when he was signed from Nantes.

However, Eric became too accustomed to the lavish lifestyle that comes with big cheques. So much so that he reportedly had 10 4×4 cars at one point, even his financial adviser was telling him this wasn’t wise.

He was supposedly earning £75,000 a month but was living on his win and appearance bonuses that club had written into his contract. About time to listen to that adviser?

5. David James

David James is a household name in football and was a steady pair of gloves for many a team in the Premier League.

However, in 2014 the former England no.1 declared himself bankrupt. After a messy breakup in 2005 from his wife Tanya, James found himself amassing debts that begun to take their toll nine years later.

David James had interests away from football and was involved in property and also had a modelling contract from Giorgio Armani.

4. Carl Cort

After making his move from Wimbledon to Newcastle big things were expected of Carl Cort. However his move ended up being less than impressive.

Add to that Carl Cort had to file for bankruptcy then it makes for a harrowing read.

At his peak Carl Cort was earning £20k-per-week at Newcastle, the way in which he lost his money remains unclear however it is speculated that an American advisory firm were exploiting many young English based players, and Cort may have been one of those unfortunate ones.

3. Brad Friedel

Brad Friedel. America’s number 1? Advocate of yoga? Unfortunately he will have bankruptcy to that list.

In 2011 while still an Aston Villa player, Brad Friedel was declared bankrupt after amassing a £5m debt. This was largely due to a football academy he was in charge of in the US that began to amass astronomical fees.

It even went as far as repossessions starting on his £260,000 house. The American shot stopper will have had his head in gloves when he got these letters through the post!

2. John Barnes

The Jamacian-born former English international is remembered as one of the great players to wear the Three Lions on his shirt. Barnes even went on to manage the nation where he was born, however it was not long after this that he began to suffer money problems.

In 2009 just five days after being sacked as manager of Tranmere Rovers, John Barnes was declared bankrupt by the Liverpool insolvency court.

This bankruptcy notice was later rescinded but would of certainly been a wake up call for the ex-Liverpool man.

1. Paul Gascoigne

Gazza. What a player, England hero may well be underselling it but the man was adored by football fans, not only all over the country but, all over the world.

However, as has been well documented he has not always found it easy since he had to hang up his boots. A popular member of the squad wherever he played.

Paul Gascoigne was narrowly saved from bankruptcy by settling a bill with the taxman over an unsettled £32,000 bill.

He has been noted as recovering from the issue, and we wish him all the best on his recovery!

Everton completed their latest signing on Monday in the shape of Crystal Palace winger Yannick Bolasie.

The DR Congo international has made the switch to Merseyside for a reported £25million fee as manager Ronald Koeman looks to rejuvenate his new side.

The last couple of years have been tough viewing for Toffees fans. They’ve seen their side fall well short of the European qualification places whilst teams they were once above, West Ham, Southampton and Leicester to name but a few, have all stolen a march on them in the league.

There is now renewed hope. With Koeman in charge the club have one of the most sought-after emerging managers and they also now have added financial backing to give them equal footing with those around them. The Bolasie deal shows they’re willing to splash the cash and the widely expected view is that there’s more to come.

Bolasie could just be the tip of the iceberg and here at FootballFanCast we think this FIVE could be at Goodison Park in the near future…

Lamine Kone

Kone hasn’t been in the Premier League long after joining Sunderland in the January transfer window last season but he has made a huge impact on both club and league.

The Black Cats performed a brilliant escape from the clutches of relegation and the Ivorian was a big part of that. He doesn’t get bullied by opposition players and he’s surely only going to get better as his Premier League experience grows.

Axel Witsel

Witsel was one of the first names on the Belgium team-sheet at EURO 2016 and that tells you all you need to know in what, despite their performances, is a very talented squad.

He’s well suited to Premier League football with his combative approach and would be the ideal replacement in central midfield for the aging Gareth Barry. Witsel is exactly the kind of player the Toffees should be aiming to sign.

Joe Hart

For the first time in a very long while at Manchester City, Joe Hart looks like he’s not going to be No.1.

Pep Guardiola opted for Willy Caballero between the sticks for their opening home win against Sunderland and that’s obviously going to suggest the Spaniard doesn’t fancy the England ‘keeper.

Everton, with their new money, would be silly not to try and prise him away – he’s still a very good goalkeeper.

Islam Slimani

Everton obviously want to be building for the future as well as getting in players ready to perform now and Slimani would help the club into their new chapter.

The Sporting Lisbon man has Champions League experience as well as being part of a very talent Algeria squad that boasts the likes of Riyad Mahrez so if Everton could secure his signature, it’d be a pretty significant move.

Hakim Ziyech

The FC Twente winger is similar to Slimani. Both nimble up front, both like to play out wide and both have huge bags of potential.

The fact that Ziyech plays for a club that isn’t as big as Sporting Lisbon may also work in Everton’s favour in the sense that any potential deal for him would cost the Toffees less than one for Slimani.

They’ll have to work fast, however, as the likes of Dortmund are rumoured to be interested in his services.

The West Ham fans in the Football Transfer Tavern have enjoyed a mixed start to the Premier League season…

It has been more of the same for the Hammers this season, with performances described by the West Ham faithful in the Tavern as very average so far.

Poor starts have been turned around in recent years, meaning there is very little reason, at this point, for the Hammers in the Tavern to be worried about their form.

However, that is not to say that the West Ham first team is without problems. In fact – quite the opposite.

One particularly vocal West Ham fan in the Tavern has been particularly critical of a number of Slaven Bilic’s men that he feels are given a free pass in the first team. He thinks that they shouldn’t be near the first time, going as far as to say that they are overrated!

Our landlord isn’t convinced, but he’s given him a chance to have his say.

With that said, these 3 West Ham players are overrated – Agreed?

 Winston Reid

The centre-back has been a hit since his arrival at West Ham and has built himself quite a cult following amongst the West Ham faithful in the Football Transfer Tavern.

But with that being said, his performances over the last year or so have been quite up and down, and there could be an argument to suggest that he doesn’t deserve to start ahead of James Collins or Angelo Ogbonna.

Despite this, Reid still continues to find himself as a regular in the West Ham first team – and we aren’t sure why.

Gokhan Tore

Although the Turk came with a massive reputation and an outstanding relationship with boss Slaven Bilic – he has yet to impress the West Ham fans in the Football Transfer Tavern.

When the likes of Feghouli, Payet, Lanzini and Ayew are fit it is hard to see as to how  Tore will fit into the match-day XI. This has left some of the punters in the Football Transfer Tavern questioning why his signing was made in the first place!

There is definitely some talent in there – we just aren’t sure that he is good enough to play for West Ham.

 Andy Carroll

This will no doubt cause some controversy amongst the West Ham faithful in the Football Transfer Tavern.

Andy Carroll is a fan favourite, no doubt – but the fact of the matter is that he does not play enough football for West Ham.

This is through no fault of his own, but injuries have caught up with the Englishman – yet he still remains one of the first names on Slaven Bilic’s team sheet when available.

He has failed to make as many as 30 Premier League appearances in a season since his arrival in London. Simply not good enough!

Furthermore, on a basic level – when you consider his wages and his transfer cost; he is the definition of overrated. He is not worth even close to the FFP outlay that he demands.

Even our landlord can agree with this…

The biggest game of the season so far is upon us this weekend and the predictions around who is going to win the Manchester Derby are beginning to pile up.

Trying to predict a game of this magnitude is always hard but many in this instance think it’s Manchester United and not Manchester City who are set to take the bragging rights at Old Trafford on Saturday lunch time.

Pep Guardiola and his City side are without Sergio Aguero for the game this weekend and as their main source of goals people are wondering how exactly the blue half of Manchester will get the better of the red half.

Meanwhile, the Red Devils have their own talismanic forward in Zlatan Ibrahimovic and he is going to play. He’ll no doubt back himself to score too and you wouldn’t bet against him grabbing the headlines from the game.

Whatever happens, the match will have an effect on the title race and Merson thinks United will be the ones coming out with their title challenge in a better position.

Writing for Sky Sports he said: “Sergio Aguero is an absolutely massive miss for Man City.

“I know people say they have so much money and can afford to sign anyone, but he is one player they will struggle to replace. He is their best player by a million miles.”

“It will be interesting to see how John Stones gets on against Zlatan Ibrahimovic. Stones has the potential to be a top player but he’s inexperienced and is going up against someone who has been there, done it and got the t-shirt.

“We saw what Zlatan did to a player like Ryan Shawcross on his England debut when he was playing for Sweden.

“I expect Man Utd to just pip this game without Aguero.”

Merson has gone with 2-1 for the Red Devils but what do you think? Let us know in the comments below…

It is marginally over 12 months since Jurgen Klopp became Liverpool manager. And the first game of his second year will be against Liverpool’s greatest of rivals, Manchester United. It is fitting, in many ways, that Klopp has the chance to take on the country’s most successful club at Anfield and clash with another of the world’s best managers. It is a battle of two vastly different characters, two men who will seldom see eye to eye, but it is destined to be superb entertainment.

That has been Liverpool since Klopp arrived: pure entertainment. Full of gifted forwards, the squad lends itself to goal-filled matches, though defensive mistakes throughout have also helped to make it great watching for the neutral. Over the summer, Sadio Mane joined an arsenal of flamboyant forwards, while Klopp’s 4-3-3 produces some of the most exciting football in Europe. The reinvention of Jordan Henderson as a deep-lying midfielder, the defensive additions and left-back renaissance of James Milner have seen Liverpool become one of the continent’s most feared sides.

The opportunity to hammer a nail into Manchester United’s coffin is a golden one for Liverpool. Currently three points ahead of their harshest rivals, another victory would already hurt the Red Devils’ title hopes. Liverpool have won four straight games in the league and are within one City slip up of taking top spot away from Manchester’s other footballing giant. A victory on Monday night, after momentum was quashed during the break, would be the launchpad for a realistic title challenge from Liverpool.

Without the nagging concern of Europa League football or the squad frailties that were so glaring during previous seasons, Liverpool look stronger than they have done for the vast part of this millennium. The Kop hardly needs a boost after this start to the season, but defeating two of their oldest, bitterest rivals in Manchester United and Jose Mourinho would further add to the belief that Liverpool are building something special. As we saw in 2013/14, Liverpool are a force with a following wind behind them, and this team is several factors stronger than that side.

Recent defensive improvements have shown glimmers of hope that Liverpool can adjust their game and tighten up at the back, though that isn’t an overnight process. Joel Matip’s addition reflects a faultless transfer policy from Klopp, the Cameroon international will face his greatest challenge yet against Zlatan Ibrahimovic: that will be a pivotal matchup on Monday evening.

The craving for a league title at Anfield is even greater than the desire for a greasy, inelegant lamb doner after ten pints. Jurgen Klopp can become a scouse deity if he lifts the Premier League trophy aloft at Anfield, and games like this will prove to be a determining factor in his second year in charge. Beat the Special One, and Klopp might give Liverpool their very own special one.

Leeds United and Newcastle meet in a league fixture at Elland Road for the first time since 2003 on Sunday afternoon, in what is sure to be a mouthwatering Championship clash.

After a disappointing start to the season, Garry Monk’s men have turned things around and sat in the last remaining play-off position ahead of this weekend’s round of second tier fixtures, after three successive victories over Wolverhampton Wanderers, Burton Albion and Norwich City.

Meanwhile, The Toon Army were three points clear at the top of the table before Saturday’s action. They’re on a brilliant run of form, with their latest win coming against Cardiff City at St James’ Park just before the international break.

With both sides boasting a number of in-form players at the current time, there will be key battles all over the pitch on Sunday. Here are three that could decide the result at Elland Road…

Chris Wood vs Jamaal Lascelles

Newcastle have only conceded three goals in eight matches on their travels this season, and much of that is down to the fine form of their captain Jamaal Lascelles at the heart of the Magpies’ defence.

However, the highly-rated youngster could face a tough battle to keep another clean sheet when he comes up against Chris Wood on Sunday, with the Leeds striker scoring six goals in his last seven appearances at Elland Road.

Aleksandar Mitrovic vs Pontus Jansson

Dwight Gayle was Rafa Benitez’s first-choice striker at the start of the season, but Mitrovic has established himself in the starting XI over the last few weeks, scoring the necessary goals to keep his place in the side.

The Serbian attacker loves a battle, and he will get one when he comes up against Leeds loanee Jansson – who has impressed supporters with his performances at the back alongside Kyle Bartley this term.

Ayoze Perez vs Kalvin Phillips

He may not get the headlines like Gayle and Mitrovic, but Perez is a key player for the team and Rafa Benitez.

The Spaniard is creative and provides a goal threat, as well as linking up well with his teammates. He will have to be watched closely by Kalvin Phillips, who has been a real breakthrough star for Garry Monk’s men this season.

The 20-year-old has established himself in the starting XI and will have to keep Perez in his sights at a sold-out Elland Road on Sunday.