1) How Spurs fare without Kane and Son
If Mauricio Pochettino could have picked one Premier League team to start playing against without his top scorer and his most in-form attacker, then he would surely have plumped for Fulham. Claudio Ranieri’s defensively chaotic side are the perfect opponents in a far-from-ideal scenario for Tottenham, who must learn to cope without Harry Kane and Son Heung-min. It will still be interesting to see how Mauricio Pochettino tries to overcome those losses. Perhaps he will ask Dele Alli or Lucas Moura to play as a shifty striker or maybe he’ll deploy Fernando Llorente, a more conventional centre-forward who netted a hat-trick in the recent annihilation of Tranmere Rovers? Or the manager might even push his faith in youth to an unprecedented extreme by giving a start to the highly promising 16-year-old Irish striker Troy Parrott, who has yet to appear for the senior team? Whatever the manager opts for, Spurs can be confident of victory given that Fulham have been so hapless this season that they even managed to concede two goals last week despite restricting Burnley to no shots on target. PD
2) Puel getting an unfairly rough ride
The talk of Claude Puel being on the verge of the sack at Leicester is a nonsense, or at least it should be. The Frenchman was booed during last week’s defeat to Southampton but fans and certain journalists seem to have the blinkers on to the wider picture, hungry for the next headline. Leicester sit eighth, one place and one point off their highest realistic target of seventh. In the last month they have beaten Chelsea, Manchester City and Everton. Yes, the FA Cup defeat to Newport was poor but more lasting positives – from Puel’s immaculate conduct and poise in the aftermath of their chairman’s death to his role in the development of James Maddison and Ben Chilwell – should endear him to both the board and his fans. Moreover, who would even replace Puel? Brendan Rodgers and Chris Coleman seem to be the favourites to replace him. Whatever the result against Wolves this weekend, Leicester should stick with Claude. MB
3) Lindelöf’s continuing improvement
One of the more interesting developments of Ole Gunnar Solskjær’s brief but eventful tenure at Manchester United has been Victor Lindelöf’s drastic improvement. The centre-back has completed 90 minutes in all five Premier League matches under Solskjær and been excellent; positionally sound, dominant in the air and with the sort of ferocious but well-timed tackles that made Nemanja Vidic such a cult figure. The visit of Brighton shouldn’t present as stern an examination as Kane and Son at Wembley last Sunday, the Seagulls have scored nine times on the road in the league this season, but holds a degree of symbolism for the Swede. The reverse fixture last August witnessed a performance the polar opposite of his current form as United lost 3-2, while a mistake against Spurs the following week, prompted Jamie Carragher to rule: “I actually feel a bit sorry for him, he should not be playing at this level.” Lindelöf is making that assessment look increasingly rash. JP
4) Zaha testing Liverpool’s injury issues
Wilfried Zaha has blown hot and cold in recent months but he is still one of the last opponents a side would wish to face when shorn of their best right-backs. The injury to Trent Alexander-Arnold, on top of the absence of Joe Gomez, means that for the visit to Anfield of Crystal Palace, Jürgen Klopp will probably have to resort to the plan that he was so eager to avoid at Brighton and use James Milner at right-back. As a bona fide utility superman, Milner can be expected to do as well in the role as he did in recent wins over Wolves and Bournemouth but that will not be good enough if Zaha is on song. On the plus side for Liverpool, having to play Milner (and Fabinho) in defence practically obliges Klopp to start Xherdan Shaqiri in midfield again. The Swiss was below par at Brighton but has previously demonstrated that he has the ingenuity required to link sharply with Liverpool’s front trio. Get that connection right and Liverpool should open up a seven-point lead on Saturday before Manchester City take on Huddersfield a day later. PD
5) A crucial contest at St James’ Park
Newcastle’s 4-2 victory over Championship side Blackburn in their FA Cup third round replay on Tuesday was comprehensively their biggest of the campaign (albeit inside 120 minutes) and only time the fifth time they’ve beaten an opponent by two goals or more since the start of the 2017-18 season. On just three occasions have they found the target more than once this term while Saturday’s opponents are equally as awful in the final third, Cardiff having scored one goal in their last five games in all competitions. Unsurprisingly, the two teams rank 17th and 18th in the Premier League for chances created per game (Newcastle 7.6, Cardiff 7.4) and average shots on target (Newcastle 3.2, Cardiff 3.0), which adds up to a bleak afternoon on Tyneside. That being said, if one individual – Salomón Rondón or Ayoze Pérez for the hosts and Callum Paterson or Víctor Camarasa for the Welsh side – can produce, it’s likely to be decisive and absolutely vital in the context of the relegation battle. JP
6) Giroud’s role at Chelsea
It will be interesting to see if Maurizio Sarri deploys Olivier Giroud against the Frenchman’s former club, Arsenal, this weekend. The World Cup winner will be itching for his first start of 2019; not only is there a point to prove to Gunners fans but with possibly the last chance to remind those in blue of his undeniable quality before Gonzalo Higuaín’s probable arrival at Stamford Bridge. Barcelona have been linked with a move for the 32-year-old this week and if Sarri opts for a more mobile central striker at Arsenal – Hazard played there last week against Newcastle – one could forgive Giroud for dreaming of Catalonia. MB
7) Clyne’s Anderson assignment
Nathaniel Clyne was last included in an England squad in May 2017 but his subsequent time in the wilderness at Liverpool, through injury and the emergence of Alexander-Arnold and Gomez, has left him firmly out of the international picture. That undoubtedly influenced the right-back decision to move to Bournemouth on loan where he has played 90 minutes in both of the Cherries’ games since his switch south. He’s set to make his first home Premier League start for his new club against West Ham in what will be a significant test, matched up against Felipe Anderson. The Brazilian presents a unique threat; whether he opts to dribble 1v1, drift inside and potentially drag his marker out of position with Aaron Cresswell overlapping, make a run behind the defence or attempt to play one of his clever inside passes. A strong performance at the Vitality Stadium can help Clyne show he deserves to still be part of the England conversation. JP
8) Gracia flying under the radar
Who’s the best manager outside of the top six? Eddie Howe? Nuno Espírito Santo? Manuel Pellegrini? Rafael Benítez? He’s rarely in the discussion but, on this season’s evidence, it has to be Javi Gracia. The understated Spaniard, who on Monday celebrates a year in charge of Watford, has guided his team to seventh as the “best of the rest” and, bar a run of three defeats in late November/early December, two against Liverpool and Manchester City, the expected winter slump hasn’t materialised. This is following a minimal transfer spend in the summer (approximately £26m) plus the sale of their most potent attacking player in Richarlison, highlighting the weight of Gracia’s coaching ability and the methodical squad planning behind the scenes at Vicarage Road. An encounter against a resurgent Burnley, led by Watford old boy Sean Dyche, presents its own complications but Gracia’s malleable and adaptive style has, so far, shown Watford capable of playing their way around teams or winning ugly. JP
9) Hudson has to lift gloom at Huddersfield
The atmosphere at the John Smith’s Stadium has been among the best in the Premier League, even during a campaign in which results and luck have gone against Huddersfield with dispiriting regularity. But the mood could be different on Sunday as there will inevitably be at least a hint of sadness at the absence from the sideline of David Wagner, who remains much loved despite the club’s position at the foot of the Premier League and his departure from the role of manager this week. Mark Hudson, temporarily promoted from his U-23 coaching job, has the mighty task of trying to pick up a team that has not won in 10 matches and getting them to stop a
Manchester City side in ominous title-chasing mode. Might there still be
wonders at Huddersfield after Wagner? PD
10) Redmond remaining key for Saints
Nathan Redmond was in the news for the wrong reasons on Thursday – it was his penalty miss that was decisive in Southampton’s FA Cup shootout defeat to Derby. But the 24-year-old also scored a delicious goal – dinking in a cute finish – and anyone watching Saints since the arrival of Ralph Hasenhüttl will know the forward has been a revelation of late with five goals in the past seven games. But it is also his defensive discipline that is so valued by Hasenhüttl, who this week declared “what he did [in the win over Leicester], defending his own box and clearing the ball – that is a new Nathan Redmond.” The Austrian will be hoping Redmond gets over his penalty disappointment for the visit of Everton and puts in another big performance against Everton. MB