by Arteta must find solutions soon
Every Premier League manager is under pressure and every Arsenal manager is under pressure, but if results don’t improve and quickly, Mikel Arteta will soon experience an intensified version of the pressure. Although he has done a decent job in recent seasons, he has been given money and now he has a player he likes at each position along with several alternatives, making success no longer an advantage but a necessity. However, opponents now have a better handle on how to stop their team, blocking their attackers to force play on the pitch where only Martin Ødegaard can reliably create, and they also lack the type of reliable goalscorer capable of redeeming themselves. bad performances or, as was the case against Liverpool, make sure the good ones don’t go unrewarded. A new striker could help, but Arteta must also modify the style of his team, and quickly, to prevent the season (and perhaps the acceptance of his players) from slipping away. Daniel Harris
Sunderland slide on and off the field
It has been a sobering few days for Sunderland. They were outplayed by Newcastle, their possession-oriented approach poorly exposed by a team adept at pressing and a lack of pace or height in the forward areas leaving them with no alternative strategy. But the distance they still have to cover off the pitch was also exposed – the naive decision to redecorate the Black Cats Bar with Newcastle slogans is just the latest example of how fans feel the new leadership is neglecting them and their supporters. points of view. No one doubts that Kyril Louis-Dreyfus inherited a disaster and, under his ownership, the club rose to prominence and remains on the fringes of the playoffs with a much-improved financial situation. But the decline of the Stadium of Light has continued. The roof of the north stand is leaking, very few hand dryers in the bathrooms work and the whole place is in need of a makeover (and that’s before you get to the lack of working screens and intermittent wifi in the press box). What should be an asset has started to look bad. jonathan wilson
Gilmour reaching his potential
Roberto De Zerbi named Jan Paul van Hecke and Billy Gilmour as two of Brighton’s best players. The latter struggled for minutes early last season and it looked like his departure from Chelsea would not have worked out. At Stoke he was a constant presence in midfield against a tough Championship opponent, keeping things going as Brighton took their time to get into their rhythm. He repeatedly found clever passes to break the lines and maintained discipline as players like Van Hecke ran behind him to join the attacks. João Pedro is grabbing the headlines, but there are several Brighton players who are constantly improving under De Zerbi’s watch. Gilmour has already played more games this season than last and will become a key man for Scotland at the Euros – he is ready to take center stage. won’t win
De Bruyne’s return is a big boost
The return of Kevin De Bruyne from the 57th minute against Huddersfield was very welcome. City have missed him, even if they are within striking distance of the top of the Premier League. Although Rodri has assumed leadership of the team, no one, not even among City’s conquering team, can match the Belgian’s qualities as creative director and inspiration of the team. His auburn hair has grown longer than last season and his body is a little bulkier. Last season, De Bruyne sacrificed himself for the cause and later admitted that he had played with a fractured hamstring. In his absence, Phil Foden and Bernardo Silva have demonstrated his qualities, but neither offer De Bruyne’s direct, action-packed style. They also do not have the same telepathic link with Erlng Haaland, another recent absentee. He is now 32 years old, when frequent injuries can harm even the best players. City fans will appreciate him as long as he is around. John Brewin
Broja’s body language is key
Armando Broja took into account Mauricio Pochettino’s constructive criticism after Chelsea’s victory over Preston. Pochettino was happy with the forward’s excellent goal but believes he needs to smile more. “Like the boss says, I can make my body language more positive,” Broja said. “Sometimes I’m a little hard on myself. The manager is just trying to take that weight off my shoulders. I’m trying to follow that advice because he’s been helping me every day. I just need to smile more and be a little more positive.” Opening the scoring with a good header was a cause for joy. Broja wants to gain momentum after returning from a serious knee injury. “When you have a career where you don’t score much, you can get a little depressed,” he added. “It’s not the best feeling, but scoring a goal in a game like this makes up for it.” Jacob Steinberg
Little sympathy for Nuno’s complaints
Nuno Espírito Santo would eliminate FA Cup replays. “I think it should be finished that day,” said the Nottingham Forest head coach. Had Forest beaten a rival two levels below them, they would have had a fortnight’s break before their league trip to Brentford. Now we have to redefine the plans. Nuno’s thoughts are shared by many Premier League teammates, including Mikel Arteta and Jürgen Klopp. However, it is not surprising that there is little sympathy from those further down the food chain. “This is our 35th game of the season,” said Blackpool head coach Neil Critchley. “Premier League teams haven’t played that. They get international breaks; They have free time. We don’t understand that. Let’s do it. Look at the resources, the finances, the facilities, the staff – we don’t have that. Difficult. Let’s continue with this. It’s football. Let’s play.” Many FA Cup traditionalists will wholeheartedly agree. Sam Dalling
Ruthless Villa Heeds His Lessons
It seems extraordinary to say it, both in historical context and in the present, but Matty Cash’s latest triumph for Aston Villa at Middlesbrough took them to the fourth round of the FA Cup for the first time since 2016. Last year’s embarrassment against Stevenage was just the tip of an infuriating iceberg for the eight-time winners (Unai Emery later admitted that his team had talked about the 2023 giant-killer several times in the days before the trip to Teesside) and whether a team was going to end the voodoo, It was the current crop on a free weekend to electrify the Premier League. “It’s a trophy and it’s prestige,” Emery said, indicating that the FA Cup was a goal, if not a priority. “Let’s try. “We won’t turn down the chance to try something.” Andy Brassell
Manning polishes his reputation
Liam Manning has been talked about as one of the country’s most promising young managers for some time and the 38-year-old, former manager of West Ham’s under-23 team, gave a taste of his style on his return to east London . After a tentative start, Bristol City looked ambitious, skilful and inventive, causing serious problems with their overloads down the flanks and their rotations through the middle. It remains to be seen whether Manning, whose players clearly heeded his call for bravery at halftime, can lead the Robins into the top six of a typically crazy second division in which five points separate sixth place from 14th, and there is certainly the feeling that they require more avant-garde. But Tommy Conway’s wonderfully accomplished equalizer seemed a sign of things to come and if Manning is backed then perhaps he is the man to energize a club that routinely fails to live up to its considerable potential. Nick Ames
Hoedt unhappy despite Hornets win
Before the match against Chesterfield, Dean Whitehead, Watford’s assistant coach and a member of the Stoke team that reached the final in 2011, spoke to the team about the FA Cup, its so-called magic and its ability to surprise (there are no survivors of the Watford’s run to the final in 2019). Wesley Hoedt, their captain, also spoke, emphasizing the need to match the work rate of their opponents. “That’s something I don’t think we did in the first half and it’s something we need to look at because it’s not acceptable,” he said later. “It was too slow on the part of the whole team. We were just walking around instead of running and doing the things we were supposed to do. I really emphasized before the game, and so did the coach, that we can’t be lazy and start slow.” Watford got their way, coming back from a goal down to beat their excellent and excellently supported opponents in stoppage time, but they don’t usually win when they expose so many of what Hoedt called “little details that bother me a lot”. Simon Burnton
No sun for Blades
“Time is of the essence for us,” said Chris Wilder, happy his Blades team had been able to enjoy a “winning feeling” in Gillingham before refocusing on the Premier League relegation battle. But where many clubs will spend their January holidays in warm climates, Dubai can wait.
Wilder’s team will stay in South Yorkshire. “We have a lot of work to do,” he said, and he plans to use the time to reinstate his ideas at the club to which he returned on December 5. “This is just a normal work week and we will work for the next two weeks; We haven’t had time to work with the players,” he continued. At Priestfields, James McAtee, on loan from Manchester City, was outstanding and his arrogance was reminiscent of Cole Palmer. “There’s something about him,” Wilder said. “A Manchester lad, a Salford lad, he’s not a shy lad and he backs it up.” John Brewin
