In the modern cash-rich Premier League, the most basic of maths dictates that all of the top flight’s big six cannot simultaneously enjoy successful seasons.
Chelsea, Tottenham, Arsenal, Manchester United, Manchester City and Liverpool all look to progress every season and please their fanbase but the simple reality is this.
There are six teams in pursuit of four Champions League qualification spots and it is Europe’s elite competition, along with the FA Cup, the Premier League and the EFL Cup that traditionally make up the four trophies available to them.
That means that, every season, two sides face the prospect of missing out on lucrative qualification for the Champions League and at least two will have to deal with a trophyless season. The dominance of City this season means it will be more this time around.
This means that, paradoxically, as spending has increased and therefore the level of success demanded by fans has as well, the threshold for what qualifies as a good season has actually become lower.
This is where we come to Arsene Wenger. The Frenchman used to be crucified for ensuring his sides finish in the top four every season – which they managed to do until coming fifth last time around – and he has won three of the last four FA Cups.
Top four and a trophy was derided as an acceptance of mediocrity but now it represents a good season for many of the Premier League’s top sides. Man United would take it this season, as would Liverpool and Spurs.
Chelsea can only, realistically, get the trophy – the FA Cup, while Arsenal have the opportunity to, effectively, clinch both in one swoop – by winning the Europa League.
Back in 2012, Wenger was mocked for stating at the Arsenal AGM that coming fourth was like winning a trophy. His exact words were:
Even Jose Mourinho, who branded Wenger a “specialist in failure” made full use of Europe’s secondary competition to bolster his and United’s European record and return to the top table last season and Wenger could well do the same this time around.
If English sides win the Europa League for two seasons running, it could genuinely turn into a period of sustained dominance from these shores.
The aforementioned six elite sides are being forced to look elsewhere for a route into the Champions League and for silverware and the Europa League – so often derided in this country – provides both.
Wenger placed the fourth-place trophy in third on his list and there is a genuine argument to be made that it is that important for the side or sides who miss out on the top four the previous season.
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The Frenchman has come under unprecedented scrutiny this season but he could well end the campaign by delivering what he has come to value above all else – Champions League qualification – alongside silverware, which is what the fans demand.
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The race to the top four has always felt like a phoney war, engineered to sustain mild entertainment in the absence of a genuine title fight since 2012.
Finishing in the top four is a relief but celebrating it still feels wrong and always will, no matter how financially important the Champions League becomes.
Qualification via the Europa League provides the excitement of a cup run, the opportunity for fans to travel to follow each passing stage, where belief and anxiety grow in equal measure.
Of course, the very presence of any of the top six in the competition is a manifestation of a previous failing but it also presents a huge opportunity to rectify that shortcoming in emphatic fashion.
Wenger is so often accused of being left behind by the modern football landscape but on this one, he was six years ahead of the curve. The current state of affairs renders the Europa League his mythical fifth trophy.
Arsenal were one of the Premier League’s more active sides during the January transfer window, recruiting Krystian Bielik from Legia Warsaw on the 21st and following up five days later with a swoop for Villarreal’s Gabriel Paulista.
It was still hardly a window of prolific spending however, with a total outlay of just under £14million, when compared to a summer in which the Gunners splashed out a whopping £80million.
So, should the north Londoners be praised for not falling into the many traps of the winter market, or is this a window of missed opportunities for Arsenal?
Perhaps this select XI, combining the club’s top performers with rumoured January targets, will shed some light on the debate.
GOALKEEPER – MATTIA PERIN
With Arsenal No.1 Wojciech Szczesny enduring a rather turbulent campaign both on and off the field, committing a catalog of costly errors between the sticks and caught smoking post-match in the Southampton showers, the Gunners were linked with a number of potential replacements during the January window, including Serie A sensation Mattia Perin.
Dubbed ‘the next Gigi Buffon’ for his lofty frame and shared hairstyle, the 22 year-old has made the most saves of any Italian top flight goalkeeper this season with an impressive 63 in 20 appearances, also boasting five clean sheets.
Indeed, the one-cap Italian international is tipped for great things; accordingly, The Express alleged Arsenal were considering a £12million bid for his services last month.
Perhaps due to the impressive form of David Ospina in recent weeks, such a bid failed to materialise.
RIGHT BACK – MATHIEU DEBUCHY
Having invested £28million in two right-backs during the summer, Calum Chambers and Mathieu Debuchy, and recently found another potential gem in academy product Hector Bellerin, No.2 was one of the departments that didn’t require Arsene Wenger’s attention last month.
Despite struggling to stay fit, the France international has proved a decent addition for the Gunners, averaging an impressive 2.6 tackles, 1.8 interceptions and 5.1 clearances per match from his 10 Premier League outings.
CENTRE-BACK – WINSTON REID
Arsenal remedied their dearth of depth at centre-back with an £11million swoop for Villarreal defender Gabriel Paulista during the winter window – but was he the best option on the table?
West Ham’s Winston Reid, for example, also linked with the Gunners, is well proven in the Premier League and largely considered to be one of the better centre-backs outside of the top four.
The 26 year-old may not be the most gifted defender technically, but he’s an undisputed master of the nuts and bolts of the trade – tackles, headers, interceptions and clearances – and is blessed with the awkward, gangly and physical frame of a modern Martin Keown.
The New Zealand skipper would have offered a new sense of grittiness to the Gunners’ backline and with his contract expiring at the end of the campaign, the potential was there to poach him from Upton Park in a cut-price deal.
Wenger opted for Paulista however, despite being fairly public about his interest in Reid – perhaps suggesting some truth in the rumour that he’s already agreed to join Tottenham in the summer on a free transfer.
CENTRE-BACK – LAURENT KOSCIELNY
Laurent Koscielny has emerged as one of the top centre-backs in the Premier League over the last few seasons and continued to improve it this year, despite some worrying injury problems.
The France international has averaged an impressive 1.2 tackles, 3.7 interceptions and 2.5 successful aerial duels per match this term. Rather tellingly, the Gunners have kept six clean sheets during his ten Premier League outings this season.
LEFT BACK – TYRONE MINGS
Following his Championship Player of the Month award in September, Arsene Wenger soon admitted that Ipswich Town left-back Tyrone Mings was one of the targets on his radar.
The 21 year-old has certainly been in impressive form this season, grabbing three assists in 23 second tier outings whilst averaging 2.3 tackles, 2.6 interceptions, one successful dribble and 1.2 chances created per match.
What stands out most about Mings however is his obvious potential, despite being yet to represent England at junior level. He’s an ambitious, marauding and speedy full-back, but also blessed with the imposing 6 foot 5 physique of a Premier League centre-half; in other words, he’s a prospect that could be moulded into virtually anything by the Gunners coaching staff.
An £8million fee was quoted by the press, but now in the latter half of a surprise promotion bid, Tractor Boys manager Mick McCarthy made it clear that the former Southampton trainee wasn’t for sale.
CENTRAL MIDFIELD – WILLIAM CARVALHO
With Sporting Lisbon restructuring all their third-party ownership agreements to ensure full profits from any future sales, coveted midfield prodigy William Carvalho was certainly there for the taking last month.
Despite the emergence of Francis Coquelin in recent weeks, the Gunners’ engine room still lacks that imperious physical presence that can compete with the likes of Yaya Toure and Nemanja Matic; measuring in at 6 foot 2, weighing around 14 stone and famed for his simple-yet-effective, imposing style of play-breaking, the Portugal international could have been the perfect remedy.
It’s claimed Arsenal had a bid for the 22 year-old knocked back on summer deadline day, so many assumed they’d return for him when the transfer window reopened. The Metro even claimed they were intent on finalising a £25million deal.
Unfortunately however, the bid never went on the table – or at least, news of it never hit the press – and Arsenal’s midfield remains without a monolithic influence for the remainder of the campaign.
Central Midfield – Moussa Sissoko
Another physical, although somewhat more progressive, midfielder linked to the Gunners last month came in the form of Newcastle’s Moussa Sissoko.
The France international has produced some convincing displays this season, particularly against the Premier League’s big boys as an industrious counter-attacking threat just in front of the midfield, following on from his impressive six-assist haul last term.
Speculation regarding a move to the Emirates hit it’s maxim when the 25 year-old revealed on French television that he’s a lifelong Arsenal fan and wants to be playing Champions League football.
But the previously alleged £15million bid as the Gunners suffered several injures in central midfield, never took place.
RIGHT WING – MESUT OZIL
Not a position the majority of Arsenal fans would like to see club record singing Mesut Ozil in; the £42million man’s Gunners career has been plagued by Arsene Wenger’s insistence upon fielding him on the right hand side.
But needs must, and for this starting Xi the German international is filling in. With his World Cup hangover and injury problems hopefully overcome, we could see the Real Madrid star finally live up to his billing in the second half of the season after scoring against Aston Villa last weekend.
ATTACKING MIDFIELD – KEVIN DE BRUYNE
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Despite Arsenal’s overload in attacking midfield, the tabloids linked them to another this January – former Chelsea youngster Kevin De Bruyne.
The Belgium international struggled to make the grade at Stamford Bridge, managing just three Premier League appearances in two years despite a very productive loan spell with Werder Bremen, where he picked up the Bundesliga’s Young Player of the Year award.
He returned to the German top flight last January, this time with Wolfsburg, and has since gone on to produce some incredible form. This season, for example, he’s notched up six goals and eleven assists in just 18 Bundesliga outings – the latter statistic being almost double of any other player in the division.
A £25million fee was mooted as Manchester United and Manchester City were listed as fellow potential suitors, but The Express reported on deadline day that the 23 year-old playmaker had snubbed Premier League interest to say on at the Volkswagon Arena.
LEFT WING – ALEXIS SANCHEZ
Head and shoulders above the rest of the Emirates roster in terms of performances this season, no matter who Arsenal could have signed in January, Alexis Sanchez’ place in the starting Xi would never have come under any serious threat.
Indeed, the Chile international has bagged twelve goals and seven assists in 21 Premier League appearances, in addition to netting thrice in the Champions League, since his arrival from Barcelona in the summer, and the Gunners appear to have landed a real bargain in their £35million acquisition.
STRIKER – EDINSON CAVANI
Although Olivier Giroud has enjoyed some impressive form of late, Arsenal’s strike-force still lacks that star-studded world-class figure who can become talismanic for the north Londoners in the final third.
Speculation in January, however, suggested they were considering a move for Uruguay striker Edinson Cavani, who blends his powerful, athletic and combative 6 foot 2 frame with a prolific supply of goals, bagging 39 in 66 for PSG and 104 in 138 for former club Napoli.
He appears to be on his way out at Parc de Princes too, having fallen afoul of Laurent Blanc after receiving a three-match internal ban for missing the club’s winter training camp.
Some even alleged the Gunners were resultantly plotting a club-record £50million bid, which unsurprisingly failed to materialise. Other reports however, claim Arsenal will return for Cavani in the summer.
Leon Osman has declared he has ambitions of winning his first trophy with Everton ahead of celebrating his 10th anniversary with the side, when the Toffees take on Swansea at the weekend.
The midfielder scored in Everton’s 5-1 triumph at Cheltenham on Monday night, helping David Moyes’ men to reach the fourth round of the FA Cup.
Osman made his Toffees debut in January 2003 as a substitute against Tottenham at Goodison Park.
He has since established himself as a key player in the Merseysiders’ midfield and finally made his England debut last November against Sweden.
But silverware has eluded him, and the 31-year-old has told The Daily Mail he is keen to change that statistic this term.
“I’ve been made aware that this weekend will be 10 years since my debut so it will be a nice occasion.
“I have great memories of those 10 years but I don’t think we’ve won anything since I’ve been playing.
“I’d love to finally win something for the club.’
The FA Cup represents Osman’s most realistic chance of claiming a trophy this season and Everton boss Moyes showed a signal of intent after fielding an almost fully strength side at Whaddon Road.
“The manager signalled his attitude towards the game,” Osman added. “He put a strong team out and we went out there with the attitude that it was going to be difficult and we had to perform.
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“We got to the semi-finals last year and there is a real determination to do well every year.
“You need a bit of luck in the cup and you need to perform on the occasion. We are looking to do that in every round we can this year.”
According to reports in The Sun on Sunday, Southampton are lining up a summer move to appoint Huddersfield Town boss David Wagner as their new manager despite hiring Mark Hughes just over a fortnight ago, and Saints fans have been quick to react to the rumour.
The Sun on Sunday says that the 46-year-old German is likely to leave the Yorkshire outfit at the end of the season whether they stay in the Premier League or not, and the south coast outfit are keen on him.
They brought in Hughes, who has been heavily praised by midfielder Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, until the end of the campaign following the sacking of Mauricio Pellegrino earlier this month, and the 54-year-old Welshman has been tasked with leading the club – who currently lie in 18th position and two points adrift of West Ham United above them – to safety.
Southampton supporters have taken to social media to give their thoughts on Wagner arriving at St Mary’s this summer, and while one said “no thanks”, another said “stick with Hughes”.
Here is just a selection of the Twitter reaction…
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David Moyes’ torrid eleven months at Old Trafford will forever be remembered as one of the darkest episodes in recent Manchester United history. But if there’s one decision Red Devils fans will be thanking the much-maligned Scot for in the many years to come, it’s likely his tying down of prodigy winger Adnan Januzaj to a five-year contract, along with a £5million signing-on sweetener, in October 2013.
A supremely talented teenager, Januzaj exploded onto the scene with a stunning brace against Sunderland during his first start for Manchester United. Just a handful of appearances later, he was nominated for BBC’s Young Sports Personality of the Year award and became the epicentre of a tug of war between the England, Belgium, Albania and Turkey national teams – all of whom he was legible to play for.
So away from the chaos of last season and in the comfort of a far more positive, organised and ambitious United side, many expected the youngster to be treading new ground this season – perhaps even a starring role despite his tender age, parallel to that of Liverpool’s Raheem Sterling.
Counter-intuitively however, Januzaj seems at his furthest from United’s starting Xi since his debut almost eighteen months ago, eclipsed by the club’s ‘Gaalactico’ summer signings and struggling to even claim a place on the bench. In total, he’s seen just 409 minutes’ worth of Premier League action this term and is yet to record a goal or an assist from ten outings – four starts and six sub appearances.
There are now reports he could be sent out on loan in January, either a link-up with David Moyes and Real Sociedad or a shorter trip to Everton, so the question persists; should Manchester United fans be concerned by Januzaj’s seemingly limited progress this season?
Of course, we are talking about a 19 year-old with over a decade ahead of him to turn good. Januzaj’s potential remains without doubt; even though his performances have remained fairly unspectacular this season, averaging 0.8 chances created, 0.8 successful take-ons, 1.4 attempts at goal per match compared to 1.15, 1.89 and 1.8 respectively last term, glimpses of his quality are still forthcoming, be it through his imaginative link-up play or ability to perform technically-demanding skill.
His decision-making often comes under criticism from sectors of the United support but that should hardly be a concern regarding a player so young. It’s a case of when, rather than if, the Belgium international begins to pick his moments more wisely and stops overcomplicating matters in the final third.
Yet, the lingering doubt, in my opinion, stems from Louis van Gaal. The Manchester United boss has worked at some of the biggest clubs in world football and the alumni of debutants from his spells at Ajax, Barcelona and Bayern Munich verges on legendary; Xavi, Andres Iniesta, Carles Puyol, Thomas Muller, Toni Kroos, David Alaba, Clarence Seedorf, Patrick Kluivert, the De Boer brothers to name a few.
Consequentially, one would expect Januzaj to flourish under a manager with such an incredible reputation of developing young talent, but he’s been outshone in that regard by the likes of Luke Shaw, James Wilson, Patrick McNair and Tyler Blackett. One could even argue Reece James – a star of United’s pre-season tour – has shown more progress than the Belgian under LVG this season.
That’s not to suggest Januzaj has in any way fallen afoul of van Gaal in the same manner Wilfried Zaha did under David Moyes last season, for example. He’s issued the Belgian wizzkid ten Premier League appearances, after all, which is more than Wilson, Blackett and McNair.
But it certainly gives food for thought, and with the landscape at Manchester United ever-changing at this moment in time – indeed, they seem to be switching formations, systems and starting line-ups on a weekly basis, whilst further lucrative arrivals are expected in January – perhaps a loan move wouldn’t be the worst option for young Januzaj. There’s no disgrace in taking a step backward to go forward – especially at a club with the monolithic pressures of Manchester United.
So should Red Devils fans be concerned? Perhaps that Januzaj hasn’t taken to the change in regime quite so quickly as some of United’s other youngsters. Some might also suspect whether the Belgian’s attitude has been affected by his new found fame and fortune. But more than concern, what Januzaj deserves now is patience; having exploded onto the Premier League in a fit of frenzied hype, it would be a tremendous shame if he soon becomes surrounded in equally rash, counter-acting criticism.
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The 19 year-old has already shown phenomenal progress for a player his age – fans may have to wait a little longer than expected, but there seems little doubt that Januzaj will be worth it.
Stewart Downing has vowed to save his Liverpool FC career following his most impressive display yet for the club in the win over Fulham on Saturday.
Downing has endured a difficult time at Anfield since signing for £20million in 2011, having not scored a Premier League goal until the weekend’s 4-0 victory over Fulham.
It had been reported that the Reds boss Brendan Rodgers was happy to allow him to leave in January after all but securing a deal for Chelsea forward Daniel Sturridge, as well as trying to re-sign young winger Thomas Ince from Blackpool.
However Downing insists he wants to stay and fight for his place at club. “That goal had been a long time coming and I am enjoying playing games,” he told the Liverpool Echo.
“It seems to be coming together now and I am pleased. I worked hard to get to a club like this and I don’t want to leave in a hurry. I want to stay.”
“I never wanted to leave but obviously I was out of the team, I was frustrated as a result of that, and in that situation you have to look at something if it crops up.
“The only thing I can do is play well and make him keep me here. All I am trying to do is make him pick me. Hopefully, if I keep playing like I did against Fulham, that will happen.”
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The 28-year-old will now hope he can win over the fans by starting to live up to his price tag.
During a crucial time of the season, some football fans would arguably prefer there not to be an international break.
Supporters worry that their key players could suffer injuries, which would potentially affect how the rest of their campaign pans out.
On this occasion, Aston Villa fans are pleased that a member of their team has been called up to represent England.
Callum O’Hare is one of three Villa youngsters, including Keinan Davis and Easah Suliman to make it into the Under-20 squad for next week’s fixtures.
The 19-year-old has made eight appearances for the Villa first team this season, but his starts have been restricted to cup competitions.
In the Championship, O’Hare has come off the bench four times and he created an assist in the club’s 2-1 defeat to Sheffield Wednesday at Villa Park in November.
The midfielder still has plenty of development left to make, but in reaction to the teenager’s call-up, plenty of fans made it clear that they want him to get more minutes in the first team.
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O’Hare has not played in Steve Bruce’s side since early January.
Mario Balotelli can make it at Liverpool and his performances will improve, but only when he increases his work-rate.
The Italian has not started as well as Liverpool fans would’ve hoped and after eight appearances for the Reds he has scored just once – against Ludogorets in the Champions League. Mario’s shot accuracy is 44%, which when compared to the Premier League’s top scorer Diego Costa (84%) is very poor. He is yet to get a direct assist for Liverpool – generally he hasn’t contributed much at all and that led to him being dropped for Rickie Lambert for Liverpool’s home game against West Brom.
His attitude is notoriously poor and English football fans know all about that from his time spent with Manchester City. AC Milan’s president Silvio Berlusconi hit out at Balotelli after he left the Italian giants and declared himself pleased that the “rotten apple” that is Mario is no longer in the Milan dressing room. Quite incredible comments, especially considering the 24-year-old had a decent record for AC – 30 goals in 54 games.
His troubles in his past were mainly to do with his mischievous ways off the pitch, rather than what he did on it, and that should be very much in his past. Liverpool made it known that in order to agree a contract with Mario they wanted him to agree to their demand that he won’t misbehave, and if he does then Liverpool are in control of his future. This has not however improved his work-rate on the pitch.
His much anticipated return to the Premier League against Tottenham was promising for Liverpool fans. He looked bright and should have scored early on when he struck the woodwork from close range. However it was his new found work-rate which really impressed, and he was tracking back and coming deep to win the ball – like a young Wayne Rooney was renowned for. However that hard working Balotelli appears to have disappeared again and unless he can increase his work-rate he won’t repay Brendan Rodgers’ trust.
It seems now Mario is sitting too deep in the Liverpool system and when The Reds’ creative players get themselves into decent wide positions the Italian striker is nowhere to be seen in the box and is therefore a very little threat to the opposing defenders. He hasn’t ever been a particularly strong ‘poacher’ and a large selection of his goals have come from set-pieces. He’s a very good penalty taker but that doesn’t mean he’ll get a chance all the while Steven Gerrard is at Liverpool. Mario certainly has the ability to score wonderful goals and he has the ability to score tons of goals at Liverpool as long as he’s willing to work hard.
That is all that he is missing. When/if the work-rate comes the Italian can still become a Liverpool cult hero, as nowhere quite like England do the supporters appreciate hard work from their players. The goals will come and the Liverpool fans will love him if he gives them all that he has. If you get the Reds supporters on your side, they’ll support you for as long as you wear the shirt.
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QPR defender Armand Traore believes that Saturday’s 2-1 win over Fulham can kick-start the club’s Premier League season.
The Super Hoops have endured a tough start to the campaign, with Harry Redknapp coming in to replace the sacked Mark Hughes, with the team still searching for their first victory of the campaign.
An Adel Taarabt brace handed the Londoners their first three-point haul of 2012/13, and Traore believes that it could prove to be the catalyst for a run of results:
“It was definitely a relief to get that win,” he is quoted by The Metro.
“I still think it’ll be really hard and before this game we were unbeaten in three.
“It was really important to get that win, so I think now we can start our season.”
The result lifts QPR from the foot of the table and into 19th, however Reading could move back ahead with a draw against Arsenal.
The Loftus Road club have improved of late, with Redknapp instilling a new sense of optimism in the squad.
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It is expected that the former Tottenham coach will delve into the transfer market in January in a bid to keep them clear of relegation.
Names such as Scott Parker and Peter Crouch have been mentioned, but it’s unclear how much ‘Arry will be able to spend following a costly summer under the guidance of his predecessor.
The World Cup is a fantastic shop window for players needing a move this summer and Wabhi Khazri certainly falls into that category.
The Tunisian winger is still contracted to Sunderland but is unlikely to humour their bid to get out of League One, especially after spending last season on loan at Rennes in the French top flight.
But the 27-year-old showed what he can do at Premier League level during his debut term at the Stadium of Light and the World Cup’s group stages have served as a reminder of his quality, particularly a performance against Belgium which saw Khazri grab a goal and an assist.
With that in mind, we recently asked Cardiff City fans whether Neil Warnock should look to bring in Khazri’s Premier League experience to help with the Welsh outfit’s top flight survival bid in the coming season.
And our poll has revealed that the slimmest of majorities from those who took part, 51%, would back a swoop for the 38-cap forward. Are there any other World Cup stars you’d like to see Warnock sign this summer? Let us know by commenting below…
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