José Mourinho is well placed to see off Manchester City and Liverpool but Chelsea, Arsenal and Spurs are set to go for the biggest prizeAlarm bells have started to ring in the north-west of England. The EFL and FA Cups may be providing a temporary distraction but the inescapable fact is that London clubs occupy the top three positions in the Premier League.This was not widely anticipated at the start of the season, when it was thought coaches of the calibre of José Mourinho, Pep Guardiola and Jürgen Klopp would be slugging it out for the league leadership, not squabbling between themselves for the one remaining Champions League place. Related: Football transfer rumours: Leverkusen winger Julian Brandt to Liverpool? Continue...
Wayne Rooney’s goal at Stoke kept José Mourinho’s side near the top for points won in the last 10 minutes of matches but they have also lost seven pointsSir Alex Ferguson may be long gone, but Manchester United’s knack for scoring late goals appears to be alive and well. Wayne Rooney’s equaliser in the fourth minute of injury time against Stoke City on Saturday not only rescued a draw for his side and took him past Sir Bobby Charlton’s all-time record of 249 goals, but it also ensured United retained second spot in this season’s table of most points picked up following goals registered in the last 10 minutes of matches, having amassed nine in total.In 2012, a study commissioned...
Even though their new stadiums will still be at Stamford Bridge and White Hart Lane, with total rebuilds Chelsea and Tottenham will be losing history and memoriesIt isn’t always easy remembering what Stamford Bridge used to be like before the money arrived. Suffice to say, though, it was nothing like the shiny, photogenic ground Chelsea call home now. Stamford Bridge had soul. But it was hard-faced, too, and a little eccentric bearing in mind it was the only ground in the country where there was enough space for drivers to park round the edge of the pitch, meaning games would take place with a forecourt-style display of motors – including a sky-blue Robin Reliant if memory serves right – behind...
Jesus is finally available for Manchester City, Klopp faces a choice between Origi and Sturridge and Costa may have to bide time for return to Chelsea starting XIAs Manchester United prepare to visit the Britannia Stadium, examining Stoke City’s record against the league’s best sides this season offers an indication of where Mark Hughes and José Mourinho should both be looking for improvement. Stoke’s record against the elite is awful: five of their six matches against the league’s top six sides have ended in heavy defeats. They have lost 3-1 at Arsenal, 4-2 at Chelsea and 4-1 at Liverpool, while they were thumped 4-1 and 4-0 at home by Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur respectively. Good enough to take the...
Manchester City resemble the girl with a curl in the middle of her forehead, N’Golo Kanté’s return to Leicester shows Wilfred Ndidi what needs to be done and David Moyes regrets catching the bullet dodged by Mark HughesThis time last year Southampton paid £4m to sign Charlie Austin from Queens Park Rangers. It was a while before he made an impact, but he certainly made an impact during the early part of this season, scoring nine goals in 19 games. But Southampton’s form has tailed off since Austin suffered a shoulder injury last month. They have lacked a cutting edge and have won only three of their past nine games in all competitions, sinking into the bottom half of the...