Tan airs his own dirty linen, Jesús stars at Christmas, Allardyce is running out of time and Man Utd's midfield needs
1) Should Ben Arfa have started against Arsenal?
Even Alan Pardew's biggest fans - this reporter very much included - were disappointed when Hatem Ben Arfa was not in Newcastle's starting line up for the incredibly tight, rather harsh, 1-0 home defeat by Arsenal on Sunday. Yes, Ben Arfa's audacity can lose games along with possession but his presence over 90 minutes could well have won, or at least drawn, this one for Newcastle. Moreover, too many more weeks left on the bench and Ben Arfa will be agitating for a move with no shortage of interested suitors. Pardew has taught Ben Arfa a lesson about team play but now – for all Yoan Gouffran's undoubted abilities and diligence at tracking back – the time has surely come to build his side around one of the most talented players the club has ever possessed. Louise Taylor
• Read the report: Newcastle United 0-1 Arsenal
2) A lack of a winter break is taking its toll
Chelsea's 2-1 home win over Liverpool showcased so many of the features that make English football over the Christmas period so popular around the world - thrills, spills, controversy, tempo, total commitment. Yet there was also the reminder of the faintly ludicrous demands that are placed on the players in the shape of the walking wounded. Chelsea lost Branislav Ivanovic and Frank Lampard to injuries that José Mourinho attributed purely to the physical toll at this time of the season, when most of the rest of Europe is resting while Liverpool lost Joe Allen and Mamadou Sakho. Brendan Rodgers reported that Jordan Henderson was also at only 70 per cent fitness. David Hytner
• Read the report: Chelsea 2-1 Liverpool
• Pictures: the best images from Stamford Bridge
• David Hytner: Chelsea block Suárez's route to goal
• Michael Cox: Luiz in Chelsea midfield has mixed results
3) Manchester United's midfield needs
The player's insistence that he is happy and settled at Southampton is unlikely to stop speculation about Manchester United making a bid for midfielder Adam Lallana during the transfer window, and on Saturday at Carrow Road it was once again evident why. In the absence of Wayne Rooney, the lack of creativity in a midfield consisting of Shinji Kagawa, Ryan Giggs, Michael Carrick, Tom Cleverley and Ashley Young was startling. David Moyes was guarded about Kagawa's abject failure to influence the game, even when moved into a central position, but his suggestion that Kagawa was "blowing" before being substituted hardly reflects well on the Japan international's fitness. When even the most one-eyed United supporter would surely have to admit that their festive period wins at Hull and Norwich have involved an element of good fortune, the need for Moyes to bring in a player capable of keeping his side on the front foot remains strong if United are to finish in a Champions League qualifying position. Richard Rae
• Read the report: Norwich 0-1 Manchester United
4) Paulinho marries grit with flicks
Danny Murphy suggested on Saturday's Match of the Day that Tom Huddlestone is better than any of the midfielders that Tottenham Hotspur bought to replace him in the summer. The next day Paulinho put in a powerful reducer on that notion. Right up to the point that he had to leave the action following a tackle by Charlie Adam, the Brazilian was brilliant against Stoke, showcasing not only a level of dynamism that Huddlestone could never match but also regular incisiveness and sumptuous flicks and tricks. Huddlestone has quality and maybe Spurs should not have sold him, but they were certainly right to buy Paulinho. Spurs will be poorer if injury forces him to miss the trip to Old Trafford on Wednesday. Paul Doyle
• Read the report: Tottenham 3-0 Stoke City
5) Tan airs own dirty linen
Vincent Tan, Cardiff's Malaysian owner, is a hard man to like. He sacked Malky Mackay, the manager who took the club into the Premier League for the first time, which is his prerogative after bankrolling promotion, but having fans' banners thanking Mackay removed by stewards at Saturday's match was petty in the extreme. And how about this for hypocrisy: Tan said on Friday that too much dirty linen was being washed in public yet after the game, not realising he was talking to a journalist, he asked him: "Well, would you have spent £8m on [Andreas] Cornelius?" No wonder Ole Gunnar Solskjaer doesn't fancy the job. Joe Lovejoy
• Read the report: Cardiff City 2-2 Sunderland
• Video: David Kerslake distances himself from vacancy
6) Jesús stars at Christmas
Perhaps, considering his given name, it is appropriate he has starred at this time of year but Jesús Navas found his finest form in a Manchester City shirt in the depths of winter. The World Cup winner was displaced in the side by the renascent Samir Nasri but injuries to first David Silva and then Sergio Agüero have brought a reprieve. Navas was outstanding in the 6-0 win against Tottenham and has exerted an influence in each of the last three games: he was a goalscoring substitute at Fulham, the provider of Alvaro Negredo's winner against Liverpool and the creator of Edin Dzeko's decider in the Crystal Palace game. With Silva suspended for the New Year's Day trip to Swansea, the Spaniard's excellence is proving timely. Richard Jolly
• Read the report: Manchester City 1-0 Crystal Palace
• Video: Manuel Pellegrini criticises congested schedule
• Video: Palace will sign players in January, says Pulis
7) Can Lerner trust Lambert to get it right in transfer market next month?
On the evidence of the season so far, but in particular the last five games, Aston Villa need to strengthen in the transfer window to avoid being dragged into a relegation battle for the fourth season running. Villa broke their transfer record three years ago, when Randy Lerner sanctioned the signing of Darren Bent to help the club pull clear of the bottom three, but there is no chance of the owner approving deals anywhere near that level now. At the same time, it is often overlooked that Paul Lambert has spent the best part of £40m bringing in 15 players since taking over as manager in the summer of 2012. While the signing of Christian Benteke came off spectacularly, and Ron Vlaar has come good this season, many of the new recruits have struggled and in some cases looked totally out of their depth, to the point that Lerner could be forgiven for wondering to what extent he can trust Lambert's judgment in the market next month. Stuart James
• Read the report: Aston Villa 1-1 Swansea City
• Video: Lambert blames poor form on squad injuries
• Stuart James: Villa heading in the wrong direction
8) Allardyce running out of time – and excuses
Sam Allardyce has a lot to thank Nicolas Anelka for. The striker, whom Allardyce signed when in charge of Bolton, may have struck twice against West Ham on Saturday but had it not been the controversy surrounding one of his goal celebrations then it is likely that much of the focus following the 3-3 draw at Upton Park would have centred instead on the home team's ongoing troubles. It is now one win in 12 league games for West Ham and while they showed admirable fighting qualities against West Bromwich Albion, this was a key opportunity missed to escape the bottom three. Next up is a crucial-looking visit to Fulham on New Year's Day and it cannot come as much encouragement for West Ham supporters that Allardyce is already getting the excuses in. "My problem is that the team that'll play at Fulham is depleted," said the manager. "I need to recover those players as quickly as I can." In fairness to Allardyce, he has had to deal with a long list of injuries this season, with James Tomkins the latest to be ruled out of for duty. But the readiness with which he uses that as an excuse to explain why West Ham will begin 2014 in 19th place suggests Allardyce is already fearing the worst. At the very least, it cannot be great for the fit players to hear their manager constantly bemoan the absence of those on the treatment table. Whatever the case, this is proving to be a gruelling winter for West Ham and defeat at Fulham could well prove the end for the man in charge. Sachin Nakrani
• Read the report: West Ham 3-3 West Bromwich Albion
• Anelka faces lengthy ban for making quenelle gesture
• The French comedian at the centre of Anelka row
9) Can Huddlestone make it to the World Cup?
When asked if Roy Hodgson should think about taking Tom Huddlestone to the World Cup, following his stand-out performance in the 6-0 demolition of Fulham, Hull manager Steve Bruce was thinly veiled in his response. "It is not for me to tell Roy what to do," said Bruce, "but it will be hot in Brazil and you will need people who can technically take care of the ball." Technically, Huddlestone's ability is not in doubt, but his mobility, or perceived lack thereof, has been a barrier in the past. If he can maintain both the dynamism and tactical awareness he showed on Saturday – two qualities that are essential to Hodgson's playing style with England – all season, he has a big chance of bettering the provisional 30-man World Cup squad he made in 2010. Huddlestone faces another challenge in his battle to beat other hopefuls like Tom Cleverley and Jordan Henderson to Brazil: that 2010 squad he made while playing for Tottenham; will Hodgson favour picking players from the so-called bigger sides? Michael Butler
• Read the report: Hull City 6-0 Fulham
• Video: Bruce hails Huddlestone 'midfield masterclass'
10) Lallana bares his teeth
The moment when Adam Lallana squared up to Sylvain Distin in the second half of Southampton's 2-1 defeat at Everton indicated the captain has the feistiness to go with the undoubted skill he illustrated all afternoon. Whenever the ball came to the forward it was retained or recycled in progressive fashion as Lallana again underlined why he has a good shout of making Roy Hodgson's England squad for the summer's World Cup in Brazil. But it was when he took on Distin, who is sizeably bigger than Lallana, that he most impressed: after one of those 50-50 tangles that occur throughout a game the smaller man was on his feet quickly to send a message to the defender and the rest of the team that he had no problem leading the fight on enemy turf. Jamie Jackson
• Read the report: Everton 2-1 Southampton
• Jagielka's hamstring puts him out for a month
via Football news, match reports and fixtures | theguardian.com http://feeds.theguardian.com/c/34708/f/663845/s/3553846a/sc/12/l/0L0Stheguardian0N0Cfootball0Cblog0C20A130Cdec0C30A0Cpremier0Eleague0E10A0Etalking0Epoints/story01.htm
No comments:
Post a Comment