Premier League hits and misses: Jury still out on Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal revolution | Football News

Jury’s still out on Arteta’s Arsenal revolution

2:27

Arsenal headed into Thursday night’s London derby with Crystal Palace on the again of a formidable latest run of three successive Premier League wins. They’d come at precisely the best time for under-pressure boss Mikel Arteta, with questions starting to be requested in regards to the Spaniard’s tenure on the Emirates.

The truth is, the house workforce have been trying to make it 4 league wins in a row for the primary time since October 2018 and assist reaffirm perception of their supervisor and his rebuilding job within the capital, whereas victory would have additionally saved their slim top-four hopes alive.

Nevertheless, on a irritating night time in north London, the hosts turned in a flat, lacklustre show to remind their supporters and most people simply what an enormous rebuilding job Arteta has on his fingers.

And one other clean up entrance means Arsenal have now failed to attain in seven league matches this season, as many as within the entirety of final marketing campaign. They final didn’t register in additional video games in a season in 2015/16 as focus falls on their misfiring ahead line.
Richard Morgan

Crystal Palace’s defensive rebuild continues

2:49

After dropping 7-0 at residence to Liverpool simply earlier than Christmas, issues regarded bleak for Crystal Palace. This was adopted up with a 3-0 defeat on Boxing Day to go away their defensive stats in tatters and a few worryingly wanting over their shoulder on the relegation battle.

However since then, Palace have been rebuilding their defensive solidity. It was clear in opposition to Arsenal on Thursday – their second successive Premier League clear sheet – that Roy Hodgson’s aspect are again heading in the right direction.

Certainly, the supervisor advised Sky Sports activities: “It is superb [to keep clean sheets]. I feel we’re getting again to the place we wish to be and it is good to enter the subsequent stage of the season with not less than 23 factors.

“It is good to know there is a wholesome hole between us and the groups actually preventing on the backside. If we preserve taking part in the way in which we performed in the present day, I feel there are factors within the bag for us going ahead.”

Admittedly, Arsenal weren’t at their attacking finest. They have been flat going ahead and sorely missed the affect of Kieran Tierney. With a lot made in regards to the emergence of Emile Smith Rowe, James McArthur and Luka Milivojevic have been spectacular in squeezing him out of the sport in midfield – McArthur particularly made 4 tackles and gained possession 13 occasions. Their expertise shone by and was very important in maintaining Arsenal out.

When the Gunners did have sights of aim, the spectacular James Tomkins appeared to be there to dam, head away and intercept every effort. He made six clearances and registered one block – each the very best within the Crystal Palace workforce. He had the clearest probability of aim when he nodded in opposition to the crossbar within the first half. His return to motion after ten months away has actually been welcome.

Subsequent up is a fair greater take a look at – an away journey to Man Metropolis. Crystal Palace are unbeaten of their final two journeys to the Etihad and as Hodgson concluded: “It’s going to give us some confidence going to Man Metropolis that if we are able to preserve Arsenal at bay, we’d have the ability to preserve them at bay as nicely.”
Charlotte Marsh

Time for Foden to get a real run

3:03

Pep Guardiola has lengthy spoken about Phil Foden in glowing phrases. Within the build-up to Wednesday’s win over Brighton, he hailed the 20-year-old’s “excessive requirements”, and after his match-winning aim, he once more was filled with reward for Metropolis’s brightest prospect.

“He deserves to play,” he mentioned. “I attempt to decide the workforce within the latest previous, within the day-by-day, and I’ve a sense he lives his life 24 hours to play soccer.”

That may supply encouragement to Foden, who can have some questions why he has solely began seven of Manchester Metropolis’s 16 Premier League video games this season – in any case, he’s now their high scorer in all competitions and has not often let his aspect down when he has performed.

Age continues to be very a lot on Foden’s aspect, and few 20-year-olds could be first alternative at golf equipment chasing main silverware, however having produced one other man-of-the-match efficiency in opposition to Brighton, he ought to get an opportunity to proceed exhibiting what he can do within the second half of the season.

Solely Guardiola and his employees actually know what Foden is like on the coaching pitch – however saying his “requirements are larger” in latest weeks appears harsh going by his first-team performances. Regardless of the cause, let’s hope Foden has discovered the important thing to staying in his supervisor’s good books. Gareth Southgate, a eager observer on the Etihad on Wednesday, actually will.
Ron Walker

Is Areola the signing of the season?

3:06

Scott Parker is a supervisor who doesn’t thoughts making swift selections. After the primary few video games of the season, Fulham regarded nailed on for relegation. Nevertheless, as an alternative of sticking to a dropping system, Parker acted by bringing in some shrewd buys on Deadline Day. The decide of them needs to be Alphonse Areola.

Marek Rodak is a really proficient goalkeeper and did a wonderful job for Parker in serving to to get the membership promoted, however Frenchman Areola is a large step up. The 27-year-old is exhibiting why he was deemed adequate for Actual Madrid. He is a goalkeeper who oozes class – as proven by one other standout efficiency within the 1-1 draw with Tottenham.

The on-loan PSG stopper has a behavior of constructing essential saves at essential occasions whereas exhibiting impeccable focus ranges. He made 5 saves with the decide of them coming from Heung-Min Son, who regarded amazed the Fulham man managed to claw away his exact header within the first half.

Even Jose Mourinho singled Areola out for his particular person efficiency. Fulham have an actual gem.
Lewis Jones

All eyes on Anfield for United’s greatest test

3:07

January 19, 2020 was the day Liverpool followers had seen sufficient, after 30 lengthy years of heartache and false dawns, their title aspirations had become actuality, and boy did Anfield make it identified.

A 2-0 victory over Manchester United that day moved Jurgen Klopp’s aspect 16 factors clear on the high and a staggering 30 factors away from their age-old rivals, prompting cries of, ‘we will win the league’ from the exuberant Anfield trustworthy.

One 12 months on and we’re offered with a really totally different image as English soccer’s two largest golf equipment put together to resume their rivalry.

Since that fateful day at Anfield, United haven’t misplaced a Premier League sport away from residence, and their final triumph on the street at Burnley sees them return to the house of the champions high of the Premier League and with a three-goal cushion.

Sunday seventeenth January 4:00pm


Kick off 4:30pm

In lower than 12 months Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has remodeled Manchester United’s fortunes and the prospect of probably opening up a six-point hole between themselves and Liverpool reveals simply how far they’ve come.

However as Liverpool will attest, it’s at this stage of the season – and what comes subsequent – the place champions are actually made, a sentiment echoed by Solskjaer who rightly identified nobody remembers who topped the league of any season in mid-January.

Manchester United are undoubtedly again within the title race however that isn’t an achievement in itself for a membership of such stature. The arduous work has solely simply begun, and all eyes might be on Anfield to see if they’ll make their largest assertion but.
Jack Wilkinson

Indispensable Keane?

3:01

The Everton defender is approaching the height of his profession and he is taking part in like a person on high of his sport. Having turned 28 on Monday, Keane now appears to be like the completed article. All of the speak pre-match in opposition to Wolves was how a lot the Toffees would miss the affect of Dominic Calvert-Lewin however this efficiency instructed that Keane is Everton’s most necessary participant proper now.

Since switching to a again 4 within the attract Burnley, Everton have conceded simply three objectives in six video games. And the one defeat in that run got here at residence to West Ham when Keane was lacking. His affect was clear to see at Molineux.

No participant made extra clearances than him (8) and naturally he popped up with the successful aim, his fourth aim of the marketing campaign.

Bear in mind the times beneath Marco Silva when Everton shipped objectives at an alarming fee? Properly, these days are gone. They’ve the very best document at defending set items within the division, conceding simply as soon as all season.

With Keane on the coronary heart, Everton don’t roll over simply anymore. Who is aware of the place it may take them?
Lewis Jones

Little hope of change for Newcastle fans

0:58

Steve Bruce deflected questions over his Newcastle future after their eighth sport with no victory at beforehand winless Sheffield United, saying he was “the incorrect man to ask” about whether or not he could be given the prospect to proceed at St James’ Park.

He is proper, however that ought to supply no consolation for watching Newcastle followers nonetheless pining for the Rafa Benitez period, or not less than some hope of development on the horizon.

The strain from the Newcastle fanbase – in addition to could be judged amid the still-empty seats on Tyneside each residence sport since March – has ramped up with the Toon exiting each cup competitions within the area of every week, and now falling to arguably their lowest consequence, and efficiency, of the season.

However what does that matter within the Mike Ashley period? The one metric which counts is Premier League survival. Newcastle are, for now not less than, eight factors away from the drop, and so long as their standing within the high flight is just not critically known as into query, or maybe even whether it is, historical past strongly suggests the supervisor goes nowhere.
Ron Walker

The tiniest shred of hope for Sheffield United

Lastly, the primary win has arrived for Sheffield United and Chris Wilder. It has, because the supervisor mentioned, been a “very long time coming” – however maybe it’s extra than simply three factors within the grand scheme of issues.

Wilder’s Blades have actually not performed like a aspect enduring the worst begin in Premier League historical past, selecting up solely two factors from their earlier 17 video games of this season.

That may give them a crumb of optimism, not more than that given their wretched place, that the unthinkable could be attainable.

They as soon as mentioned the identical about being backside at Christmas. Ask Bryan Robson’s West Bromwich Albion what they considered that.

“The season is not accomplished in January,” Wilder advised his press convention sometimes bullishly after this well-deserved win. Had the Blades misplaced in opposition to one other aspect they may hope to drag into the combination, maybe it will have been. However now lastly up and operating on the again of two wins in 4 days in all competitions, by no means say by no means.
Ron Walker