Manchester United may go for jugular against Liverpool, Morgan Schneiderlin must settle quickly at Everton and Ahmed Musa has chance to shine for LeicesterManchester United were on the receiving end of heavy criticism when they shut up shop and successfully played for a 0-0 draw when they visited Liverpool in October. It was a classic exercise in parking the bus from an unapologetic José Mourinho, who reasoned that a cautious approach was necessary against a team who regularly overwhelm their opponents with blistering attacking play. But while it was possible to grudgingly respect Mourinho’s plan, there is no need for the United manager to play it safe at Old Trafford on Sunday. Although United are unlikely to veer too far...
Leicester hope to party like it’s 1963, Liverpool must find a way to stop Joe Allen scoring and it is eight years since Phil Brown’s infamous Hull City team talkEvery year for more than half a century folks have been hoping for a repeat of the Boxing Day fun of 1963, when the 10 top-flight fixtures produced a record tally of 66 goals. We can’t get an exact repeat of that this year because half of the teams who were in the First Division back then are now in the lower leagues (although, as it happens, Ipswich and Fulham are meeting in the Championship this Boxing Day so Mick McCarthy could point to progress if his team do better than...
Claude Puel’s rotation proves a winner, opportunity finally knocks for Michy Batshuayi, and Mesut Özil’s invisibility at City should worry Arsène Wenger Related: The Dozen: the weekend's best Premier League photos Related: Premier League 2015-16 fans’ verdicts part one: Arsenal to Manchester United Related: Premier League fans’ half-time verdict part 2: Manchester United to West Ham Continue reading...
The balance shifts from Arsenal to Manchester City, Chelsea could take a defining step away from the pack and Jack Wilshere’s chance to crack onGiven Chelsea’s rampaging form at the top of the table, the first Premier League meeting between Pep Guardiola and Arsène Wenger feels hugely significant, particularly for Manchester City who could find themselves 10 points off the title pace should they suffer defeat at the Etihad. A week ago Arsenal might have started this contest as favourites, but their 14-game unbeaten streak in the league came to an end in the midweek defeat at Goodison Park, while City rectified their recent slump with a confident 2-0 win over Watford. City’s performance was enhanced by Raheem Sterling’s return...
Jürgen Klopp was right to take Loris Karius out of the spotlight, Tottenham’s back three can set their full-backs free and Marcos Rojo has not learnedIn truth, Simon Mignolet did not have much to do during Liverpool’s 3-0 victory at Middlesbrough, but Loris Karius was taken out of the spotlight nevertheless. The saga involving Liverpool’s first-choice goalkeeper before the midweek fixtures overshadowed all else at the club, but Jürgen Klopp’s team responded with a convincing performance, one of their best this season. On Karius, the Liverpool manager said: “I’m not interested in public pressure, I’m interested in the boy and there’s no reason to push him through this situation.” Mignolet appears set for an extended run in the team while...