As the relegation battle went down to the final day of the season, Hull City were the final team to face the drop.
It came down to Steve Bruce’s Tigers and Newcastle, who secured a 2-0 win to play another season in the top flight. Although Hull will not be playing with the big boys of English football next season, they must stick with Steve Bruce.
Steve Bruce joined Hull City back in 2012 on an initial three year contract. In the 2013/14 season his side finished second in the Championship, which secured them a place in the Premier League for the following season. Hull have little experience in the Premier League.
They were first promoted to the the top flight back in 2008, but only managed two seasons before being relegated back to the Championship. A similar tale to that of Steve Bruce’s Hull City; spending two years in the top flight before facing the inevitable drop.
And who could forget their FA Cup final clash against Arsenal? The Tigers went 2-0 up after 10 minutes, but Arsenal’s comeback was too much to overcome. A win for the underdog – like Wigan Athletic’s over Manchester City in the FA Cup – would have went down in history. But it was not to be.
Going from FA Cup finalists to being relegated from the Premier League in the space of a year is a tough pill to swallow for everyone at Hull City. But when you consider how many teams were in the mix for relegation, you can see how tough a season it has been. The managerial merry-go-round being in full force has not helped, and Hull are wise not to have joined. Even now, they shouldn’t.
The Premier League promotion and FA Cup final have shown Bruce to be a formidable and serious manager. With the right team, he can achieve big things; and Tigers are the team for him.
Letting go of Bruce after a bump in the road would be farcical. Modern football does not respect the hard work of managers like it used to. The KC Stadium outfit shouldn’t fall into that trap. If anyone is going to bring the Tigers back up, it will be Bruce.
He will be determined to do so. He spoke about his devastation of no longer being in the Premier League, and how contracts ‘mean nothing in football’; but if they keep faith in him he’ll soon guide them back in to the big time.
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With the transfer window picking up speed and oscillating into full swing, Tottenham seem to have gone dark. Benjamin Stambouli has departed the club and there is small-talk about a young Lyon striker who broke onto the scene last season – no, it’s not the one you’re hoping for Lyon fans. It’s Clinton N’Jie.
But apart from that Tottenham have been quiet since they completed a flurry of transfers early on in the window. It looks like Spurs have done their shopping early.
To me that’s impressive. Pochettino knew exactly what he needed – defenders – and went out and got them early. It seems Pochettino is a particularly cruel man, he brings in his signings in good time to complete his notoriously intensive pre-season training schedule. No one is spared, it seems.
On the other hand, Spurs’ defence was so dodgy at times last season that defenders are sorely needed. Perhaps Pochettino simply needed the time to get the new guys organised. In any case, expect Spurs to be fit, organised and filled with team spirit next season.
That’s the benefit of getting the whole squad together before pre-season. The new guys have time to bed in and gel with the squad. They have time to make friends and get to know the ways of the dressing room as well as training with the team and getting a feel for Pochettino’s methods and style of play.
So there’s great method to Pochettino’s pre-season and I wouldn’t be surprised if Spurs reaped the rewards next season.
There’s just one troubling thought, though. And that’s Harry Kane. Last season Kane became the first Tottenham striker since Gary Lineker to score over 30 goals for the club in a single season. To repeat a cringe-worthy phrase: everything he touched turned to goals.
But I can think of very few strikers in world football who do manage to repeat their goalscoring form every year. Consistency in strikers makes managers go weak at the knees. If your main man can guarantee you 15 league goals a season without fail you’ll keep him in the side. It’s invaluable. And yet only Messi and Ronaldo seem to be able to do it. Perhaps you can add Luis Suarez to that list too. Most other mere mortals have at least one poor season. They’re only human after all.
And so what happens if Harry Kane has an off season next time around? Tottenham relied on him too much last season as it was. He was the man who scored the goals and no one else came close to his tally. But next season he may not be so hot. And Tottenham need someone else around him who can score goals. Especially if Adebayor moves to Villa and Soldado runs back off to Spain.
It’s not just for the team’s sake, but for the player’s sake too. If Kane is under pressure and has a poor season, not only could it dent his confidence, but the people who are already concerned that he’s a flash in the pan will start to be convinced of that. If he’s a 30 goal a season striker then great, but he shouldn’t be put under pressure to be one consistently, not after his first full season.
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Is Clinton N’Jie the solution to that particular problem, or maybe Michy Batshuayi, even though the rumours have cooled a little bit on that move? Or does he feel that Christian Eriksen and Erik Lamela will step up and become the players we all thought they would be two seasons ago? If Pochettino thinks so then we should probably trust him, at least for this season. Another young player who Pochettino fancies bringing through the ranks might work well for Spurs, especially as a second striker to supplement the goals of Kane. But it’s still a big season for the players who haven’t performed well of late in a Tottenham strip.
The less pressure on the young players the better, and having someone else to grab the goals could be crucial for the team and for Kane’s own development. But Pochettino should put a bit more gentle pressure onto his established attackers to see if they can supplement Kane’s goals. Failing that, he might need a striker.
It’s a great thing that Spurs have done their business early so that the squad can gel and everyone can get a pre-season under their belts, but Pochettino should be careful if he feels he’s done all of his business already. There’s a lot of firepower in his team, but if he doesn’t bring in another attacker he’ll be gambling on some of his current roster stepping up. And on the evidence of the last couple of season, that’s a bit of a risk.
Premier League fans probably couldn’t ask for a greater gift to kick off what should be a phenomenal week of Christmas football in the English top flight than Arsenal vs Liverpool.
Meetings between these two sides always deliver a healthy dose of goals, with 141 scored from their 51 Premier League meetings to date, and just to add an extra sprinkling of importance and intensity, they’re currently separated just by one point in the Premier League table – either side of that all-important Champions League qualification line.
So will we see another goal-fest in Friday’s 7.45pm kickoff? This week’s experts, Snack-Media’s Josh Challies and Live4Liverpool editor George Dagless, share their thoughts and predictions ahead of the clash at the Emirates Stadium…
The last time Arsenal faced Liverpool, they were hammered 4-0 at Anfield. While that performance went down as a counter-attacking masterclass from the home side’s perspective, it also proved how detrimental it can be to not have everybody pulling in the same direction against a Reds side who pride themselves on relentless energy.
Many individuals drew criticism for a lack of effort, but most particularly Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain who moved to Merseyside just a matter of days later. The big danger this time around, though, is Alexis Sanchez; he’s still easily Arsenal’s biggest threat on paper, but has been accused of a lack of commitment ahead of the January transfer window with his contract situation ongoing.
Would you start a half-committed Sanchez on Friday, or does someone else deserve the chance?
JC: “I would drop Sanchez. He needs to learn that he’s not bigger than the club and that his performances still matter, regardless of whether he’s staying or going. He’s been woeful in recent weeks and Danny Welbeck’s more direct approach against Liverpool could prove to be decisive. He’d be a better option in the attack and deserves for more opportunities.”
Perhaps Liverpool’s biggest selection dilemma, meanwhile, centres around their ‘fab four’ – Sadio Mane, Philippe Coutinho, Mohamed Salah and Roberto Firmino. Despite their undoubted quality, Jurgen Klopp has shown a reluctance to field all four at times this season, perhaps because of how they can leave Liverpool exposed at the other end.
Would you start all four against the Gunners, considering Arsenal have won eight of nine at home in the Premier League this season?
GD:“This is a tough away game, yes, but it’s probably the most open you can have of the other big sides in the league – so I’d start all of the ‘fab four.’ Klopp has rested some of his big stars in recent weeks, especially Mane, but I think the quartet will play in order to get at Arsenal from the off.
“The Gunners haven’t liked it when we’ve gone for them early on and so I think Mane, Salah and Firmino will be the leading three with Coutinho lying deeper in midfield. We will need some balance, though, and I’d expect Jordan Henderson to be joined by one of Emre Can or James Milner to keep things as tight as possible without restricting our attacking potency.
“Gini Wijnaldum could also have a chance of being the other midfielder but I think he might just be ousted as I felt he was quiet in the win over Bournemouth. Getting the midfield balance right will be key here.”
And in light of that impressive record at the Emirates Stadium this season, what game-plan should Klopp take into Friday night?
GD: “It must be all-out attack. Of course, many would argue the Reds only know one way of playing but in games like this it is probably the best option. Arsenal have hated it when we’ve flown at them in from the off and shown no fear and so I can’t see why we should change our approach come kick-off.
“Yes, they have been very good at home this season but United showed that if you apply pressure on them at the right times you can get goals at the Emirates. Liverpool are a better pressing side than United, too, and so providing we don’t give the Gunners an early goal or something silly like that, we should hopefully get some joy.”
“I haven’t decided [the formation] yet, but the fact that we are adaptable now to both systems [means] it will be down to me to make the decision, do we play in a four, or in a three, or in a five? I have to analyse that well.”
Arsene Wenger has revealed he’s yet to decide whether his team will line up in a 3-4-3 or a 4-2-3-1 against Liverpool, having started the season with the former formation but reverted back to the latter in recent weeks amid the absence of Aaron Ramsey.
Which formation would work best against Liverpool?
JC: “I’m not a fan of either formation, in all honesty, but anything other than a four-man defence against Liverpool’s attack is the wrong set up. For that reason, 4-2-3-1 is the way to go. The balance is key though, particularly with the two deeper midfielders. They have to do their job and defend, otherwise Liverpool’s attack will tear us apart yet again.”
“I think the biggest improvement and potential for him is being involved in goalscoring situations. It is unbelievable but he was not asked for this too much in the past.
“Here we put it on more shoulders, much more shoulders. If he is on the pitch he needs to be involved in these situations. At the moment it’s all good but I also see there is space for improvement.”
Oxlade-Chamberlain has inevitably become one of the centre-pieces for this fixture ahead of his first meeting with Arsenal since leaving north London at the end of the summer transfer window. Klopp has been quick to talk up the England international’s abilities and question whether his talents were fully appreciated by his former employers.
But will the midfielder be a key factor against the Gunners?
GD: “I’ve been really impressed with him. He’s started to show the traits he has always said he has in central midfield. He harasses at the right time, gets into the box to take shots well and can still ghost past players with his pace.
I thought his best game was against Bournemouth last weekend, too, but I actually don’t think he will start. It does seem a little harsh but I don’t know if he is defensively disciplined enough yet to play in a game like this as well as the ‘fab four’ who I think will play.
He certainly has the potential to come on and be an impact from the bench, though, and he’ll be eager to prove a point to any Gunners fans who give him stick.”
With little to choose between the two teams and both desperate for a win over a big six rival, Friday’s encounter could well come down to which side dominates the key individual battles.
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Which key battle will decide the game?
JC: “It’s not a direct battle but Salah and Alexandre Lacazette may decide the game. Salah has certainly been the best signing this season and Lacazette has also impressed. However, he’s often been overlooked for the big games and this is the chance for him to prove himself. It seems he’s still settling into the system though, so it could go either way.”
And finally lads, let’s hear your score predictions…
JC:“With both defences being poor, I certainly expect there to be plenty of goals. I’m going for a 2-2 draw and the Arsenal way would be to fall behind, before then securing a dramatic late equaliser. Giroud would usually be the choice for this impact but his injury means the super sub tag is there to be claimed.”
GD: “There’s goals written all over this. 3-4! (Again).”
Watch the feet, not the eyes, they say. But you can watch the feet all you like and it won’t help you much.Wilfried Zaha is a special footballer and there are few like him. That’s what led the legendary Alex Ferguson to sign him for Manchester United. But the disastrous tenure of David Moyes, did more than set the Red Devils back a few years. It also set Zaha back, too.Declaring for the Ivory Coast instead of becoming an England regular is often seen as betraying either a lack of ambition or a lack of belief that he would make it back to the top of the Premier League again, though in reality it might just be the choice of a man who feels more Ivorian than English: after all, international football isn’t about career choices, it’s about emotion and passion, theoretically anyway.But he almost has managed to claw his way back. He may not be on his way to the top six in January, but he’ll be there soon enough if he keeps his form high.That’s because he’s a precious commodity: a tricky wide player. It sounds like such players should be ten a penny, but they aren’t. Sure, there are plenty of players with pace, but the likes of Leroy Sane and Mohamed Salah are showing the benefits of their pace to get in behind defences, ready for through balls or even cut-backs, having lost their markers.They can beat players, too, of course. So too can Raheem Sterling and Sadio Mane – there’s a theme appearing, Liverpool and Manchester City are the top-scoring teams in the Premier League this season – but few can do it like Zaha.
In fact, he’s elevated it to an art form. It’s one thing to beat a player with a stepover and a turn of pace, but doing it in a tight space with little to no forward momentum to speak of is the purest form of beating your marker.
And the more you watch it, the more you wonder how he can do such a thing. Ashley Young, a player who’s been something of a revelation at full-back for Manchester United this season, wasn’t in a bad position; on his toes and not too tight, he was ready to get a toe on the ball and poke it away from danger.
But he looked at the feet.
A simple stepover was enough to bewilder the former United defender. But sometimes they do that. Just temporarily bamboozling a defender with a stepover doesn’t mean you’ve beaten him. Only stunned him for a second – and Young duly recovered. He came back at Zaha.
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But the Ivory Coast international knows what he’s doing. He understands geometry and momentum, he’s done the sums and factored in body weight, possibly even wind direction. And Young is left to contemplate the futility of intellectual thought for a second time in a matter of seconds. This time there can be no recovery, no chance of redemption. And, with Young slightly off balance, Zaha knows what he’s achieved, and with the same timing with which he’s performed the stepover previously, he gives his opponent the coup de grace.
Like in a kids’ film, where the final blow is administered with a featherweight touch, Zaha ends it with the slightest push, sending the Manchester United player to the grass, and Palace on their way.
There’s no one quite like Zaha for such a move in the Premier League.
His pace and his uncanny strength are obvious, but they are not unique. What’s special, though, is that ability in tight spaces, that flair for getting it done from a standing start. And that’s what any team in the Premier League could be doing with adding to their ranks; that ability to create something from nothing.
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It’s January and the Manchester clubs are fighting over Alexis Sanchez. That means there are three clubs – Manchester United, Manchester City and Arsenal – who could be forgiven for making a money-no-object offer for a man with a special talent.
It won’t be long before he claws his way back to the top. And if United were to go back in for a player they’ve seen up close before, perhaps they’d be back at the top, too. They’re on the same trajectory – surely they have to meet again.
Liverpool were in lethal form on Tuesday night against Huddersfield Town, beating them 3-0 away from home in the English Premier League.
The Reds needed to win to put distance between themselves and fifth-placed Tottenham Hotspur, who have a difficult match against Manchester United tonight.
While players like Emre Can, Mohamed Salah and Roberto Firmino stole the headlines for their goalscoring contributions, it was also a big night for the Liverpool defence.
It was the first clean sheet for Jurgen Klopp’s side since Boxing Day and perhaps surprisingly it came without new star signing Virgil van Dijk, who was on the bench, replaced by Dejan Lovren.
Supporters praised Lovren’s performance after the match and are now calling on the Croatian international to partner his new teammate ahead of Joel Matip.
Is a Lovren and van Dijk partnership the way forward to provide defensive stability in the coming weeks and months?
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According to the reliable @ExWHUemployee on his Twitter account, West Ham United are getting closer to an agreement to sign Anderlecht midfielder Leander Dendoncker before the January transfer window closes, and Irons fans have been quick to have their say on the news.
The east London outfit are already on the verge of bringing Inter Milan midfielder Joao Mario to the club on loan with a view to a permanent move in the summer, but it appears as though manager David Moyes wants to add another player in the centre of the park.
The Hammers have been heavily linked with a move for Dendoncker – who can play as a defensive midfielder or as a centre-back – throughout this month, and it appears they are finally making progress on bringing the 22-year-old to the Premier League.
West Ham supporters took to social media to give their thoughts on the latest update, and while one said the Belgian is “just what we need”, another said “let’s hope it happens”.
Tottenham Hotspur will be heading into this weekend with plenty of confidence having beaten Manchester United in midweek.
Mauricio Pochettino’s men outplayed the Red Devils at Wembley, eventually claiming a 2-0 victory, but the scoreline could have been much larger.
The North London outfit have a tough run of games coming up, including a showdown against Liverpool at Anfield this Sunday.
Following that fixture, Spurs will take on Newport County in an FA Cup replay and then North London rivals Arsenal in the league.
The difficult schedule continues as Tottenham play Juventus in the first leg of a last-16 clash in the Champions League.
To round off a busy month, Pochettino’s team will face Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park.
The fans have every right to feel confident about the upcoming fixtures given that the team are unbeaten in nine games in all competitions.
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Even though their opponents could provide a stern test, it seems that the majority of Tottenham supporters think that they are in for a good few weeks on the pitch.
Sometimes young footballers just look the part, and that’s certainly the case with Ainsley Maitland-Niles. The 20-year-old is always so composed and comfortable on the ball that it becomes easy to forget this is still only his first full campaign as a member of Arsenal’s senior squad, yesterday’s 3-0 win over Ostersund marking his 20th appearance across all competitions this season.
And although the Swedish side hardly provided the most formidable opposition, yesterday evening was another occasion in which the promising Englishman looked so calm, confident and natural. While he didn’t play a direct hand in any of Arsenal’s goals, the platform Maitland-Niles and Mohamed Elneny provided in central midfield was crucial to maintaining the Gunners’ dominance over their Europa League opponents.
Asserting authority over the engine room in an exceptionally busy and holistic display, Maitland-Niles recorded the second-most tackles, interceptions, dribbles and touches of the ball of any Arsenal player against Ostersund, while creating one chance and completing 94% of his passes. That’s an impressive impact for any 20-year-old to have on any game at senior level, and especially on a European stage, regardless of Ostersund’s questionable quality.
It wasn’t a perfect performance from Maitland-Niles though; he was dispossessed the most times of any player on the pitch, four, and frequently winning balls in dangerous areas almost allowed the home side to claw their way back into the match after the Gunners scored twice early on. It was a timely reminder that although the youngster is an incredibly exciting prospect, he can still be a little naive at times.
But perhaps the ultimate question lingering over Maitland-Niles – who Transfermarkt value at £4.5million – is what kind of player he actually is. In recent years, we’ve seen countless promising Arsenal youngsters struggle to fulfil their potential upon being caught between more than one position – Theo Walcott and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain being the obvious examples – and in his short Gunners career he’s already been fielded as a central midfielder, a wing-back, a full-back and a defensive midfielder, while some would argue he should be playing much further forward.
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So, in a bid to ensure Maitland-Niles doesn’t endure a similar path to Oxlade-Chamberlain and Walcott, which position should Arsene Wenger stick with? Let us know by voting below…
It would be fair to say that Robert Snodgrass failed to make his mark at West Ham United last season.
The attacker joined the Hammers from Hull City in January 2017, but failed to score in 15 Premier League appearances in the second half of the 2016-17 season.
Snodgrass was sent on loan to Aston Villa in the latter stages of the summer transfer window, and the Scotland international has been excellent for Steve Bruce’s side this term.
Indeed, he has scored eight times and registered nine assists in 29 Championship appearances for a team that have ambitions of returning to the top flight.
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Snodgrass, who is valued at £6.3m by transfermarkt.co.uk, registered a goal and an assist in Villa’s 4-2 win over Sheffield Wednesday at the weekend, which led to a West Ham Twitter account discussing the Scot.
As expected, the West Ham fans responded in their numbers, with many insisting that Snodgrass has found his level in the Championship.
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That said, there were those that claimed the attacker should be given another chance to impress for the Hammers.
A selection of the Twitter reaction can be seen below.
Leeds fans have been reacting on Twitter after the club bravely (or stupidly) wished out of form goalkeeper Felix Wiedwald a happy birthday.
The 28 year-old keeper was signed from Werder Bremen last summer with high hopes, despite conceding 64 goals in 34 games in his final season with the Bundesliga outfit.
His Leeds career has gown considerably downhill since Christmas, and his form has pretty much encapsulated the state of the club as a whole.
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His misery was compiled in the 3-0 defeat to Middlesbrough earlier this month. The German stopper was slow to react to the first goal, before allowing a second to squirm under him, and was just generally nervous all night.
He has since lost his place to youngster Bailey Peacock-Farrell, and doesn’t look like getting it back any time soon.
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This morning, the club wished Wiedwald a happy 28th birthday, and the responses are as expected. Most fans have taken the chance to ridicule the German, and some even responded to the tweet with genuine pity, which is just about as bad as it gets.
Some of the best Twitter reactions can be found below…