In edging out Tottenham, Manchester United recorded a sixth consecutive victory as Ole Gunnar Solsjkaer’s unbeaten run remained alive against all odds.
Red Devils fans were surely making shrines of David De Gea today – the goalkeeper made some unbelievable saves with his legs to keep the score at 1-0 – while Spurs fans took to Twitter to dissect Kieran Trippier’s performance in a game which they really shouldn’t have lost.
The right-back gave England fans the moment which many surely feel is the point which they peaked in 2018 – he scored an early free-kick in the Three Lions’ ultimately ill-fated World Cup semi-final clash with Croatia – although, since returning to club football, he has been a shadow of that player.
Previously flourishing in Gareth Southgate’s three-at-the-back in the summer, the 28-year-old has been deployed on the right of Mauricio Pochettino’s back four for the most part and, after his poor showing at Wembley on Sunday, has shown many Spurs fans why he shouldn’t be given the nod ahead of Serge Aurier again.
Which big 6 club needs to do the most business in January? Check out what the Playmaker FC squad think in the video above…
The former Burnley man was often exposed by the pace of Anthony Martial and Marcus Rashford and showed his lack of comfort in a more defensive role.
The White Hart Lane faithful showed no sympathy for the free-kick wizard as they ripped into him in some style – you can check out the best of the reaction below…
Southampton left-back Ryan Bertrand is yet to make his first appearance under Ralph Hasenhuttl having been suffering from a back injury since the Austrian took charge last month, but now he is back in training he has given his manager a massive decision to make with Matt Targett filling in well in recent weeks.
The quality of the 29-year-old is not in doubt even if his performances – like those of many of his teammates – haven’t been up to the standard they once were in the previous couple of seasons especially, and man who was Saints skipper under Mark Hughes looks to be ideally suited to the type of full-back or wing-back that the 51-year-old wants in his starting XI.
Hasenhuttl prefers players with speed that can break forward but obviously have the minerals and endurance to get back as well, and the England international ticks both of those respective boxes, as well as having the ability to get to the byline and cross the ball back which will surely appeal.
That said the former RB Leipzig coach has shown a real affiliation with his younger players since succeeding Hughes, with the likes of Jan Bednarek, Kayne Ramsay, Yan Valery and Michael Obafemi starting matches when some of their more senior teammates have also been available.
Targett has had his ups-and-downs since coming into the side, where he has often struggled for pace and from a positional sense, but also produced some brilliant deep crosses like the one Danny Ings scored from in the win against Arsenal.
Hasenhuttl would probably be going against his principles by picking Bertrand over Targett in that regard, but the former is significantly quicker than the latter and is stronger defensively and in the final third, and when you lay it out like that the decision is a no-brainer.
We want Southampton fans to vote on our poll below to tell us who they would prefer to see in the team out of the two Englishmen.
Check out the video below for Emma Conybeare’s rundown of which clubs need what in the January transfer window…
Arsenal’s visit to Stamford Bridge last August was supposed to tell us a few things about how well or otherwise Unai Emery and Maurizio Sarri were implementing their philosophies at their respective new clubs.
We were certainly not expecting anything conclusive: after all, Arsene Wenger’s successor had only been announced in May while Sarri arrived from Naples a full two months after that. We were though hoping for clues; glimpses of the reimaginings to come.
In the event the game only produced more question marks. Each side took it in turns to be dominant and were mostly incisive in the final third but it was impossible to gauge just how incisive against two disconcertingly uncertain defences.
Petr Cech in particular looked deeply uncomfortable adhering to Emery’s mandate to invite the high press but he was hardly alone and across both rear-guards players considered what was being demanded of them rather than moving instinctively. In the ferocious environs of elite football that split-second of doubt can make a great talent look positively Sunday League.
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Tactically, the home side were set up in the Italian’s trademark 4-3-3 so no surprises there. Arsenal meanwhile deployed a double-pivot which again told us very little as Emery had long been a fan of such central conservatism. Besides, this was Chelsea away. It made sense.
Frustratingly then, the first meeting this season between these charismatic coaches barely informed because simply put there wasn’t enough to go on. We were art critics appraising a doodle.
Six months have now passed since that sunny afternoon and with 61 games accumulatively contested across all competitions the dots are now beginning to join together. We can see what each coach is attempting to create and we can assess how successful those processes are proving to be. And with Emery and Sarri set to pit their wits against one another again this weekend what must concern both Arsenal and Chelsea supporters is that the negatives are beginning to outweigh the positives.
Firstly however, let’s add a caveat or two. The Gunners and the Blues presently inhabit fourth and fifth in the league table and considering the scale of transformation required at each club – with Emery reviving a club that had grown stale under Wenger and Sarri having to lift a squad depleted of spirit after enduring two consecutive brattish managers – that is where they could realistically expect to be at this juncture.
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Furthermore, we shouldn’t disregard the surprising swiftness that the Chelsea stars embraced and understood Sarri-ball – because it was anticipated that this alone would take a good few months – while Arsenal’s 22-match unbeaten streak that ended prior to Christmas revealed that Emery’s ways unquestionably work with the right wind behind them.
It should be stated too that a coach should never be wholly judged until at least halfway through his second season with a minimum of three transfer windows negotiated.
Even so, even with those caveats accepted, the glitches in each matrix stand out.
Look away Arsenal fans! American Soccer Fan is back to troll more fans at the London Stadium in the video below…
At Chelsea results are outstripping performances and it is becoming increasingly obvious that games are being won solely through possessing superior quality which is always a worrying red flag for any big club. It is an indicator that victories are being achieved in spite of their coach rather than because and often too that quality has come from the twinkling boots of Eden Hazard. Lord knows where they would be without him this term.
Scheming with minimal success around the Belgian are Willian and Pedro, with the former in particular an unpopular figure among the Bridge faithful while the charge persists and grows that this isn’t anything like the rabid, complete Sarri-ball that took the breath away at Napoli.
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Rather, it is strangely almost a version of Arsenal-lite in the good days of Wenger, a passing side who are easy on the eye but lacking any end product or cutting edge.
Across the capital Arsenal similarly have severe and significant shortcomings. Emery’s aforementioned caution in the middle of the park exasperates Gooners while the exclusion of Mesut Ozil – undoubtedly the Gunners’ marquee talent – only adds to the consternation.
An inability to win against the big boys meanwhile has carried over from recent times as too has the accusation that Arsenal are flat-track bullies. Two fixtures over New Year bear this out perfectly, with Emery’s men shorn of pride and honour at Anfield only to then lord it over Fulham.
Most worryingly of all is the team’s propensity to start games poorly, coming into their own during the second half, usually after substitutions. If nothing else that suggests Emery’s team selections are amiss.
Does this all amount to anything like a crisis in either camp? Of course not. Nor does it suggest Sarri or Emery are unsuitable incumbents in the two most prestigious footballing positions in London.
It’s just that perhaps we all expected a little more by now. More cause for excitement; more advancement on what preceded their arrivals.
This Saturday’s clash could tell us a great deal about where Sarri’s Chelsea resides and where Emery’s Arsenal is. What we couldn’t foresee way back in August is that the answers might not be entirely palatable to either fan-base.
Celtic fans were left gutted by news of Tom Rogic’s knee injury.
Australia’s exit at the quarter final stage of the Asian Cup should have meant an early return to club action for the midfielder but now it looks unlikely that he’ll be back in action until mid-March.
Before the turn of the year Rogic was at the centre of a tug-of-war with Australia insisting that he joined their Asian Cup squad on December 27th. Celtic had hoped to delay that journey by three days but Aussie boss Graham Arnold dug in, resulting in Rogic missing the Glasgow derby at Ibrox.
Australia weren’t in action until January 6th when they lost to Jordan in the opening group match, before seeing off Uzbekistan on penalties in the last 16 and then losing out to the UAE in the last eight.
Celtic have a number of attacking options to deputise for Rogic but the 26-year-old has a great track record for coming up with goals on the big occasion, with a string of important strikes at Hampden Park and in the Glasgow derby.
Rogic joins a growing list of absentees for Celtic’s Europa League ties against Valencia that already includes Leigh Griffiths, Filip Benkovic and Dedryck Boyata.
Here’s a look at how Celtic fans have reacted to the news on Twitter…
Liverpool are set to travel to the London Stadium on Monday evening with Manchester City breathing down their necks after Pep Guardiola’s side returned to form against Arsenal on Sunday, and Marko Arnautovic’s fitness could be a determining factor as the Reds aim to extend their advantage in top spot.
What’s the word?
Arnuatovic and Xherdan Shaqiri are two players who made their names at Stoke City before moving on to bigger challenges.
The latter has established himself at a title-challenging club, with key performances this season pleasantly surprising supporters following his summer transfer.
Like the entirety of Liverpool’s starting line-up, Shaqiri was underwhelming and tepid in the 1-1 draw against Leicester City last week, but one anomalous performance should not take away from what has been an excellent season so far for the diminutive playmaker.
Ahead of the clash this evening, Shaqiri spoke to Liverpool’s official website about their title challenge and he spoke highly of his former teammate Arnautovic, who is a doubt for the game after suffering a foot injury against Wolverhampton Wanderers last week.
“He is playing with his physicality, he is a strong guy,” he said. “He has a good shot and is a dangerous player against every team. But we have good defenders and I hope they will be able to deal with the threat. We need a good performance to try to win the game there.”
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How significant will Arnautovic be in the title race?
Felipe Anderson may well have taken a touch of the limelight off Arnautovic this season but Shaqiri is absolutely right: the 29-year-old powerhouse is a huge danger man regardless of the strength of the opposition.
Even if the Austria international is ruled out through injury on Monday evening, there is no question that he could still have a huge say in this season’s title race.
Naturally, Manchester City supporters will be hoping to see Pellegrini’s talisman start at the spearhead of the attack to boost the home side’s chances of causing an upset against Liverpool.
Arnautovic has showcased his appetite for the big occasion in the past, most notably against Chelsea last season and Manchester United during the current campaign, and another big-game performance could be in the offing on Monday night if he’s available.
But West Ham still have to travel to Man City and Tottenham before the season reaches its conclusion, and the standard of his performances in those fixtures will determine his side’s chances of clinching a priceless result which, ultimately, could well shape the outcome of the title race as well. He certainly has the ability and big-game motivation to make a decisive impact.
Loads of Liverpool fans have been weighing in on a huge selection decision for Jurgen Klopp, as one of Fabinho or Jordan Henderson will likely play centre back against Bayern Munich.
Liverpool are still sweating over the fitness of Dejan Lovren, though reports claim the Reds are planning to take on Bayern Munich without the Croatian international.
The 29 year-old has been missing with a hamstring injury that he sustained in the FA Cup defeat to Wolves, and having not travelled to the club’s warm-weather training camp, it seems unlikely that he will feature next week.
If you haven’t seen Patrice Evra’s bizarre new Instagram post then you need to check out the video below…
With Joe Gomez still out and Virgil van Dijk suspended, that leaves just Joel Matip for Klopp to pick in the heart of defence, so chances are we will see a midfielder alongside the lanky Cameroonian.
The obvious choice is of course Fabinho, who slotted in at centre back during that FA Cup match at Molineux, but captain Henderson is also in the running to get the nod.
He performed admirably out of position as a right-back against Leicester despite the side dropping points, and moving him to the middle would allow Klopp to deploy Fabinho in midfield, where he has been superb recently.
Liverpool fans have been having their say on the matter, and let’s just hope Klopp is slightly more decisive than these Twitter reactions…
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…
Jose Mourinho has told Ryan Sessegnon exactly what he needs to improve after Tottenham Hotspur’s 3-1 defeat to Bayern Munich, per Metro.
What’s he said?
The summer signing from Fulham scored Spurs’ only goal of the game at the Allianz Arena, sending a brilliant volley past Manuel Neuer.
However, Mourinho has outlined the exact attribute Sessegnon needs to work on as the season continues apace.
He said: “That’s his quality, that’s the quality we know he has, he arrives always in dangerous positions, he is a good finisher.
“He has a lot to improve, he lost too many individual duels.
“He has to learn how to use his body, he was playing against experienced players – Pavard and Boateng – he has a lot to develop, but the potential is there.”
Tough love
This will go one of two ways.
Either Sessegnon takes this on board as a means of improving his game or it will lead to him being cowed.
After all, the 19-year-old was perhaps one of few Spurs players to emerge from the game with any credit.
Who is that?! Can you name all of these obscure Spurs signings? Give it a go now…
But Mourinho is also right; Sessegnon, per WhoScored, completed just one dribble throughout the 90 minutes and also made just one tackle.
This is an example of the fresh management style that Mourinho is implementing; it remains to be seen if it will work.
Meanwhile, loads of Spurs fans were disappointed by one Mourinho decision.
According to Sky Sports, Tottenham Hotspur have been tracking Bayer Leverkusen attacker Kai Havertz ‘for a number of seasons’.
The transfer report has claimed that Liverpool, Manchester United, Chelsea and Tottenham are all interested in the Germany international, although he is likely to remain with Leverkusen for at least the remainder of the season.
As expected, the Tottenham link has sparked the attention of the London club’s fans, with many taking to social media to offer their views.
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And some of the supporters have already started to dream of a potential swoop.
One supporter, meanwhile, said that Havertz would be the perfect replacement for Christian Eriksen, who will see his contract expire at the end of the season.
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Havertz scored an impressive 20 goals in 42 appearances for his German club during the 2018/19 campaign, whilst he has managed three goals and one assist in 19 outings this term.
Not everyone shares the same views, though, with some claiming that a swoop for Havertz would be pointless due to the presence of Dele Alli.
Who is that?! Can you name all of these obscure Spurs signings? Give it a go now…
Meanwhile, it has also been suggested that the club should prioritise moves for defenders and a new winger over a swoop for Havertz.
Meanwhile, former Tottenham boss Mauricio Pochettino has been tipped to continue his managerial career in Argentina.
A year ago yesterday, Andros Townsend scored an incredible volley from outside the box against Manchester City as Crystal Palace went on to secure a shock 3-2 victory at the Etihad.
Taking to Twitter to celebrate the goal on the day of its anniversary, it is clearly a strike that the 28-year-old is proud of. And looking at the replies to his tweet regarding the sweetly hit volley, it is apparent that supporters also cannot get enough of the goal.
Quote tweeting a tweet from Crystal Palace’s official Twitter account that featured the strike, Townsend wrote “oh go on then” in reference to @NoContextHearn, and fans were absolutely loving it.
Unfortunately, they have not quite seen Townsend at his best this season, with the England international netting just once in the Premier League so far.
However, that takes nothing away from his beautiful strike, which they have been lauding a year on. Take a look below…
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Sadio Mane has played an integral role in Liverpool’s ascension into domestic dominance this season and it seems his performances have caught the eye of one of Europe’s giants.
What’s the word?
Mane, Mo Salah and Roberto Firmino have formed one of the most deadly understandings in world football in recent years. This season alone they have contributed 35 goals and 27 assists between them across all competitions, but could the trio be broken up in 2020?
Well, according to a recent report from French media outlet Le10sport, the former has attracted interest from Real Madrid.
Los Blancos have made initial contact with the Senegal international’s representatives over a potential summer switch and there is even a suggestion that Zinedine Zidane has spoken to Mane about moving to the Spanish capital.
There is nothing to indicate the 27-year-old is interested in a move but the report is still a concern for the club given Madrid’s international standing and historical appeal.
Biggest blow since Suarez
Liverpool have endured their fair share of transfer setbacks in the Premier League era. Most recently they lost Philippe Coutinho in the mid-season window but, retrospectively speaking, it was actually a wise decision to offload him when his value was soaring so astronomically high.
Raheem Sterling’s decision to join Manchester City remains a gut-wrenching sore point to this day, but no transfer has been quite as disappointing as the deal which saw Luis Suarez join Barcelona in 2015.
The Uruguayan was the club’s chief talisman and provider of goals, scoring a whopping 82 times in 133 games for the club. Losing him was both a physical and metaphorical blow which reflected in the Reds’ league position the year after he left as they slumped to 8th position in Jurgen Klopp’s maiden campaign.
Liverpool have much stronger foundations in place now compared to 2015 when it comes to dealing with the departure of a star player, but there’s no doubt Mane’s exit would be a major blow to their long term ambitions.
The front three’s intricate understanding has been a massive driver in the club’s rise in recent years. Removing one component could damage the machine Klopp has created while the psychological impact of losing Mane to a stark European rival cannot be underestimated.
A summer sale of the relentless goal machine could swing the Premier League pendulum and halt Liverpool’s perpetual rise.
In other Liverpool news, one youngster has provided Jurgen Klopp with a welcome selection headache…