Month: January 2023

Manchester United are the only team to have beaten Arsenal in the Premier League this season and on Sunday they get the chance to do it again. 

If Erik ten Hag’s team can win at the Emirates, they will cut the eight-point gap between the sides to just five, albeit with the Gunners still holding a game in hand. 

Arsenal were held to a 0-0 draw with Newcastle in their last home match after winning their previous seven top-flight outings.

Ahead of the crucial encounter between the old enemies, we take a look at some of the reasons for the Red Devils to be positive.

Rashford form

There is no Premier League forward in better form right now than Marcus Rashford. 

After a World Cup campaign in which the 25-year-old scored three goals for England, despite having limited opportunities, he has taken his confident attitude back to his club. 

Since the domestic season resumed, the forward has scored eight goals in as many games across all competitions. This included the winning goal in the dramatic 2-1 victory against Manchester City last weekend. 

Earlier on in the season he was the key figure in United’s 3-1 win at home to Arsenal. Playing as a striker that day, the attacker set up the opening goal for Antony, before scoring twice himself.

Counter threat

Rashford’s first goal against Arsenal was a classic example of United’s ability to make swift transitions forward. 

Christian Eriksen received the ball in a deep position and passed it quickly to Bruno Fernandes, who from just inside his own half, played a perfect through ball to release their No10, who had the pace and composure to run through and finish. 

United only had 39% of the possession that day and, though they are far more comfortable when dominating play than when Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was manager, they remain deadly on the counter. 

They only had 29% of possession in the Manchester derby on Saturday but still managed to cause chaos in transition.

Case for the defence

It is not just the forward line that has improved under Ten Hag — the defence also looks far more secure. 

Since the season returned, the Red Devils have kept five clean sheets in eight games. In the three matches in which they did concede, they limited the opposition to just one goal. 

United came close to another shutout on Wednesday when they travelled to Crystal Palace, with only a spectacular free-kick from Michael Olise in stoppage time preventing them from picking up a 1-0 win. 

This form has come despite left-back Luke Shaw often being employed as a central defender during this run. 

The England international was back in his natural position against Palace, with Rapahel Varane paired with Lisandro Martinez. 

Midfield overload

Casemiro picked up a booking in the 1-1 draw with the Eagles, which means he will be suspended for the visit to Arsenal. 

The Brazilian will undoubtedly be missed against Mikel Arteta’s men, but it’s worth considering that his contribution in the reverse fixture was limited to a late cameo from the bench. 

Casemiro started alongside Fred in the victory over the Citizens, with Christian Eriksen just ahead of them and Bruno Fernandes nominally employed on the right. This gave United the opportunity to pack the central midfield area with four players on occasion. 

Scott McTominay could replace the anchorman to complete a quartet that can outnumber the Gunners’ three-man engine room.

Late threat

Manchester United conceded a late goal at Selhurst Park, having built a reputation as being the team that tends to score them. 

In the nine games since thedomestic season resumed, Ten Hag’s team have scored eight times in the last 15 minutes of their contests.

The Dutch coach was able to bring on Antony and Alejandro Garnacho as second-half substitutes against City and the pace and trickery of the wingers proved vital in turning that contest on its head.

Garnacho in particular is building something of a reputation as a super sub. His dribbling ability makes him the perfect addition against tiring defences and he will hope to cause the Gunners similar issues on Sunday.

Marco Rose joked Yann Sommer would have snubbed a move to Bayern Munich in order to reunite with him at RB Leipzig if he had only asked.

The goalkeeper made the switch to the Bundesliga champions from Borussia Monchengladbach on Thursday after almost a decade at Borussia-Park.

He arrives to replace the injured Manuel Neuer and could slot straight into the starting line-up for Bayern’s league match with Leipzig on Friday.

Rose, who coached Gladbach for a two-year period between 2019 and 2021, quipped that Sommer could have made the move to another destination if he had intervened.

“He called me and said ‘if you don’t take me, I’ll go to Bayern’,” he said. “I hold Yann in very high regard, as a person but also as a player.

“I think he’s had an outstanding phase [of form]. I think he’s a good signing for Bayern Munich. [But] I think that Sven Ulreich is an excellent goalkeeper who has also done well.

“There will be a good goalkeeper in goal [whoever it is]. Yann, I wish all the best of course.”

Sommer made 272 Bundesliga appearances for Gladbach following his arrival in 2014, and enjoyed a 71.1 save percentage among goalkeepers with more than 10 league games.

He has the second-best figures in the division this term, with 77.1 per cent, behind only the 79.1 figure posted by Union Berlin’s Frederik Ronnow.

Sommer is the second new face to arrive at Bayern this transfer window, following Daley Blind from Ajax.

Gladbach moved quickly by announcing fellow Switzerland international Jonas Omlin as Sommer’s successor on Thursday.

West Ham are set to complete the signing of Danny Ings from Aston Villa. 

Villans chief Unai Emery confirmed that a deal had been struck and wished the goalscorer the best for the future.

He said: “He will sign with West Ham. His commitment was amazing here, with his team-mates and he helped to better our performance. 

“I decided to let him go because I think for him it was a very good offer, for the club as well.”

The striker, 30, will be a welcome boost for David Moyes as he tries to steer the Hammers clear of the relegation zone.

Ings has scored 68 goals in 188 Premier League appearances across spells with Burnley, Liverpool, Southampton and the Villans.

He has featured in 18 top-flight games so far this season but 10 of those outings were from the bench.

Following Emery’s arrival at Villa Park, Ings scored two goals in a win over Brighton and a crucial equaliser against Wolves but the Spaniard has opted to sanction his top scorer’s exit.

Moyes is in desperate need of help with West Ham occupying a relegation spot in 18th — one point clear of safety — after a run of seven defeats in eight league games.

His side have scored just 12 times in 19 top-flight matches and the Scot will need Ings to step up immediately.

With Ollie Watkins set to be left as Villa’s only senior striker, Emery confirmed the Midlands outfit’s plans to sign a replacement.

This is a breaking news story and will be updated as more details become available. Please keep refreshing the page.

Former Brighton midfielder Enock Mwepu has been discharged from a specialist heart hospital in his native Zambia.

Mwepu was forced to retire from playing in October after being diagnosed with a hereditary heart condition.

Amid reports the ex-Zambia international had suffered a heart attack at the weekend, Brighton released a statement confirming he was “undergoing precautionary checks”.

The 25-year-old has now been released from Lusaka Heart Hospital after a four-day admission and will continue his recuperation at home.

When announcing his retirement three months ago, Brighton said Mwepu was at an “extremely high risk of suffering a potentially fatal cardiac event” if he continued playing.

He has since taken on a role as academy coach of the Premier League side.

Manchester City have topped the Deloitte Football Money League for the second year running, with 11 of the world’s 20 highest-earning clubs coming from the Premier League.

Reigning English champions City last year became just the fourth club ever to top the list, which examines the top-performing football clubs in terms of revenue every year.

City remained the world’s highest revenue-generating club in the 2021-22 campaign – the first season in which fans returned to stadiums as coronavirus restrictions were eased.

They made £619.1million (€731m) over that period to finish ahead of LaLiga giants Real Madrid (€713.8m), while Liverpool climbed from seventh to their highest position of third after making £594.3m (€701.7m).

Fellow English clubs Manchester United (fourth), Chelsea (eighth), Tottenham (ninth) and Arsenal (10th) also make the top 10, with West Ham (15th), Leicester City (17th), Leeds United (18th), Everton (19th) and Newcastle United (20th) in the top 20.

It marks the first time in the report’s 26 years that a single country has provided more than half of the rich list.

“The Premier League was the only one of the big five European leagues to experience an increase in its media rights value during its most recent rights sale process,” said Tim Bridge, the lead partner in Deloitte’s Sports Business Group.

“It continues to appeal to millions of global followers and its member clubs have a greater revenue advantage over international rivals.”

Paris Saint-Germain (fifth), Bayern Munich (sixth), Barcelona (seventh), Juventus (11th), Atletico Madrid (12th), Borussia Dortmund (13th), Inter (14th) and Milan (16th) make up the rest of the top 20.

In the women’s game, Barcelona generated the highest revenue (€7.7m) after winning the Champions League in 2021 and reaching the final last year.

Yann Sommer has joined Bayern Munich from fellow Bundesliga side Borussia Monchengladbach.

Sommer, a Switzerland international, has regularly been one of the best-performing goalkeepers in Germany during his time at Gladbach.

The 34-year-old, whose contract was due to expire at the end of the season, has joined Bayern on a two-and-a-half-year deal for a fee reported to be in the region of €8million.

Bayern wanted to add to their goalkeeper options after Manuel Neuer was ruled out for the rest of the season having broken his leg while skiing in December.

The possibility of recalling Alexander Nubel from his loan at Monaco had been explored, though Sommer always seemed to be the priority target.

Despite Gladbach’s insistence they did not wish to sell him, Sommer reportedly asked to leave, and a deal was struck between the clubs on Wednesday.

“I’m really looking forward to my new role at Bayern. It’s a big club with power, we’ve often played against each other – I know about the enormous quality and charisma of this club,” Sommer said on his transfer.

“I’m proud to be part of Bayern now. We have big tasks ahead of us. I’m really looking forward to the start with my new colleagues and to everything that’s coming.

“I would like to thank Borussia Monchengladbach for eight and a half great years and for making this transfer possible.”

Sommer joined Gladbach in 2014 and made 272 Bundesliga appearances. Hoffenheim’s Oliver Baumann is the only goalkeeper to have played more times in the competition in the same period.

Of goalkeepers to make 10 or more Bundesliga appearances in that time, Sommer’s save percentage of 71.1 is the seventh best and ranks similarly to Neuer’s (72.5). He has kept 70 clean sheets.

Sommer has only made 10 appearances in the competition this season but boasts the second-best save percentage (77.1) behind Union Berlin’s Frederik Ronnow (79.1).

Based on Opta’s expected goals on target conceded (xGOT) data, Sommer’s saves have prevented 4.1 goals in the Bundesliga this season, the highest figure in the division, with Neuer ranked second (3.8).

Bayern restart their campaign against Julian Nagelsmann’s former team RB Leipzig on Friday.

Charlotte FC have confirmed defender Anton Walkes died following an accident on Thursday.

The former Tottenham academy player was 25.

Walkes, who was born in London, had played in MLS since 2020, when he joined Atlanta United after leaving Portsmouth.

He moved to Charlotte for the 2022 season after being selected in the 2021 MLS expansion draft and made 23 league appearances in his debut campaign.

Following his shock death, Charlotte paid tribute to the family man.

Owner David Tepper said: “Everyone at [the club] is devastated by the tragic passing of Anton Walkes. He was a tremendous son, father, partner and teammate whose joyous approach to life touched everyone he met.

“Anton made those around him better people in all areas of life and represented Charlotte FC to the highest standard both on and off the pitch.

“He will be greatly missed by many and our thoughts and prayers are with Anton’s family during this heart-breaking time. The club offers its full support to all those impacted during this period of mourning.”

Jesse Lingard turned to drink as his Manchester United career crumbled.

Having joined United at the age of seven, the attacking midfielder spent 22 years at the club before leaving for Nottingham Forest last summer.

The England international made more than 230 senior appearances for the Red Devils but admits his mother’s struggle with depression left him “trying to forget what was going on” at Old Trafford.

Speaking on The Diary Of A CEO podcast, Lingard, 30, said: “I was drinking before bed, having a nightcap.

“I needed something to try and take the pain away and put me at ease somehow.

“I was trying to forget what was going on. But it makes it 10 times worse.

“You’re getting that much abuse, and I’m already down enough, and I’ve got to perform. 

“I’m already going through things you don’t know about… I felt like the world was on my shoulders.”

Lingard’s mum Kirsty often spent the whole day in bed as she grappled with her mental health.

And when she was admitted to hospital for treatment in 2019, the United academy product had to care for younger siblings Jasper and Daisy-Boo.

He added: “The depression was so bad she couldn’t really cope and she needed to go away and get help.

“But leaving me with my little sister who was 11 at the time and my little brother who was 15, for me, I was still going through my own things as well.

“So I wasn’t really the big brother they wanted at the time. 

“They always get the fun, laughy, bubbly Jesse and I was going through my own things, so I was on autopilot. I just wasn’t there mentally.”

Matters came to a head when Lingard was abused by supporters after United’s FA Cup win at Derby in March 2020.

But he found solace talking to Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, the team’s manager at the time. 

Lingard said: “To be abused like that tipped it. I didn’t want to be on the pitch, I didn’t want to play. 

“I didn’t want to quit football, I never would have quit football, but I needed a break.”

Having shone at West Ham during a loan spell in the second half of 2020-21, when he scored nine goals in 16 appearances, Lingard found minutes hard to come by back at United. 

He was angered a year ago after a loan switch to Newcastle failed to materialise despite a deal being agreed. 

Lingard eventually chose Forest over a return to West Ham before the start of the current campaign because they “showed me a lot more love”.

Perhaps not surprisingly, the Warrington-born ace admits he lost respect for United over time.

He added: “[There was] no balance, no structure, people doing what they want. It was like a free-for-all.

“They are so behind with everything. You see [Manchester] City’s facilities, Tottenham’s facilities. People are miles ahead. 

“Even on the social side of things. I went to them in 2017 about YouTube and said let’s do content.

“I just want them to get up to date on the new things that are happening. You’ve got to stay relevant. Catch up a bit.”

Lingard, who has made 16 appearances in all competitions for Forest this term, is currently out with a thigh injury. 

Steve Cooper’s men return to action on Saturday when they travel to the South Coast to face Bournemouth. 

– Aston Villa have won their last two away league games
– Southampton have won just once at home in the league all season
– Recommended bet: Aston Villa Draw No Bet

After correctly predicting Aston Villa to beat Leeds last week, Simon Barlow now assesses the Villans’ chances against Southampton this weekend.

Southampton’s bid to move off the bottom of the table faces stiff opposition from an Aston Villa side on a three-match Premier League unbeaten run this Saturday.

When they met in September, it was Steven Gerrard’s Villa who earned a 1-0 home win over Ralph Hasenhuttl’s Saints, but both clubs have since changed managers and appear to be heading in a positive direction.

After facing flak for achieving only one win in his first five games, Nathan Jones has led the Saints to three straight victories across all competitions — including last week’s all-important one at Goodison Park.

Saints skipper James Ward-Prowse, who scored twice in that 2-1 win over Everton, says the club’s recent results are “a real turning point”.

Meanwhile, Unai Emery has overseen a run of four wins in six and the visitors will be looking for their third away league win on the trot when they come out of the tunnel at St Mary’s.

Team news

Southampton have no fresh injury or suspension concerns with Jones expected to stick with the same formula that brought the Saints success on Merseyside.

Samuel Edozie is the only one from that 2-1 win who could find his spot under threat from Adam Armstrong or Sekou Mara.

Theo Walcott, Alex McCarthy and Armel Bella-Kotchap are in contention to return to the matchday squad, but none of the trio is likely to start.

Juan Larios (adductor) and Valentino Livramento (knee) remain on Southampton’s long-term casualty list.

Villa have agreed to sell top scorer Danny Ings to West Ham, a few days after striking a deal with Major League Soccer’s Chicago Fire to sign young Colombian striker Jhon Duran.

It is unclear whether he will be eligible to start or even be in Emery’s short-term plans with the Villa boss expected to stick with Leon Bailey and Ollie Watkins, who has been cleared to play after sustaining an ankle issue at Leeds, as his strike pairing.

Matty Cash could be available again after a groin problem while Leander Dendoncker returns from suspension, but the only change to Villa’s starting line-up from Elland Road last week is likely to be at left-back.

Lucas Digne left the field with an injury in the first-half and is almost certainly going to be replaced by new signing Alex Moreno.

The stats

Victory at Goodison Park last weekend meant Southampton avoided losing seven consecutive league games for the first time in their history.

Jones also avoided becoming the first manager to lose his first five games in the Premier League since Scott Parker at Fulham in 2019.

Emery is looking to become the first Villa boss to win his first three away top-flight games since John Gregory.

Prediction

Southampton’s recent resurgence is impressive and the quality of the goals they are scoring has been outstanding. But three of their last six strikes have come from outside the penalty area and another directly resulted from a goalkeeping blunder.

That suggests they may not be able to sustain the goal production over a long period.

Villa have become a solid unit under Emery with the midfield duo of Boubacar Kamara and Douglas Luiz helping to make them very hard to beat.

They should make the return trip to the Midlands with something, even if it is just a point.

But the electric form of Bailey, who has scored three goals in his last eight league appearances, gives them a chance of making it three away wins in a row

Villa can be backed to stop Southampton’s streak and potentially pick up all three points themselves at 8/11 Draw No Bet with LiveScore Bet.

Manchester City go into their game against Tottenham tonight on a run of poor form. 

Pep Guardiola’s team have only won two of their last five games, which has seen them exit the Carabao Cup and lose ground in their Premier League title race with Arsenal. 

Now eight points behind the Gunners, the Citizens badly need a win against a Spurs side to whom they lost both Premier League games last season. 

Ahead of the crunch clash at the Etihad, we look at some of the tactical problems that have impacted the title holders this season and some possible solutions. 

Haaland issue

The most obvious change to City’s team this season has been their purchase of Erling Haaland. 

It seems ridiculous to consider that a player who has scored 27 goals in 24 appearances could actually weaken a side, but there is a strong argument that the Norwegian’s presence makes the team more predictable. 

Since joining the club, the 22-year-old has scored 44% of Manchester City’s goals in all competitions. 

Last season’s top scorer was Riyad Mahrez, who only scored 16% of the total goals. Seven different players broke into double figures for goals as City shared the responsibility around. 

The team have scored more goals than at this stage last season, create a greater number of big chances per game and are outperforming their expected goals. 

Yet there are signs that opposition managers are learning to cope against them. 

The Citizens’ first nine Premier League games saw them score 33 goals, while in their last nine the number has reduced to just 13. 

Haaland scored 15 in those first nine games, but only six in the next eight games that he has played. 

Width question

With the superstar No9 now the key target for attacks, opposing teams are often playing with three central defenders in an effort to block the supply route. 

City have only taken one point from their last two home games, with the opposition playing with a back three on both occasions. 

Brentford won 2-1 before the World Cup break, while Everton held them to a 1-1 draw in their last match at the Etihad. 

Guardiola’s full-backs tend to position themselves infield when attacking, rather than overlapping on the flanks. 

The wide players in the front three stick to the flanks, but when they get the ball, will generally come inside onto their stronger foot into an area packed with defenders.

Against teams that play with a low block, getting full-backs closer to the byeline to provide more crosses into the box could be an effective solution for the Spanish tactician.

Cancelo culture

But even if Guardiola did want to do this, there is an issue that makes it difficult. 

Since the sale of Oleksandr Zinchenko to Arsenal, the team has no real alternative to playing Joao Cancelo at left-back, with Sergio Gomez yet to earn his manager’s trust. 

Last season, they had the tactical flexibility to play the Portugal international on either flank. He started 14 of the team’s 38 Premier League games as a right-back, but has only done so twice during this campaign. 

In addition, the 28-year-old’s overall numbers from an attacking sense are well down. He assisted seven Premier League goals last season, compared to one this season. 

De Bruyne malaise

City’s goal against Manchester United at the weekend saw Mahrez pick out the run of Kevin De Bruyne, who took the ball to the byeline and crossed for Jack Grealish to head home. 

It was an example of the type of wide play that we have discussed as a possible solution to the current problems but it was also the first goal contribution from the Belgian maestro since the Premier League returned. 

Like City as a whole and Haaland, the second-half of the Premier League season so far has been less productive for De Bruyne than the first. 

His opening nine games saw him score once and assist nine times. In the next nine he scored twice, but has only assisted two goals. 

The 31-year-old loves to get into the space between central and wide areas and deliver a ball into the box at an angle. The opposition seems to be stopping that supply. 

Deploying Guardiola’s star creator closer to Haaland, or even wide on the right could well be a way of solving this.

Defensive injuries

So far we have talked about how City’s attacking issues — but there have also been problems in defence. 

Last season they kept 11 clean sheets from first 18 Premier League matches. This season there have only been seven, with just two of those coming in the last nine games. 

A simple reason for this decline would seem to be injuries to central defenders. 

Aymeric Laporte has only played four Premier League games all season, Ruben Dias has been unavailable for recent matches, while John Stones missed the Manchester derby defeat.

All three could be available against Tottenham. Long-term, having those key defenders back surely has to result in more clean sheets and points won.