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 be under pressure. Although he has done a good job over the past few seasons, he has been given money and now has a player he likes everywhere as well as different options, making success not a bonus but a necessity. However, opponents now have a better handle on how to stop his team, shutting down their wide attackers to force play into the field where only Martin Ødegaard can reliably create, and is not the type of goal scorer reliable of them able to redeem a poor performance – or, as happened against Liverpool, make sure the good ones don’t get away with it. A new striker might help, but Arteta needs to change his side’s style quickly and quickly to prevent the season – and possibly his players’ buy-in. Daniel Harris
Sunderland slide on and off the field
It’s been an exciting few days for Sunderland. They were outplayed by Newcastle, their possession-oriented approach badly exposed by a skilled pressing team and a lack of pace or height in forward areas leaving them with no other strategy. But their distance from the pitch has also been revealed, the naïve decision to redecorate the Black Cats Bar with Newcastle’s slogan the latest example of fans feeling they and their views are being neglected by the new management. No one doubts that Kyril Louis-Dreyfus inherited a mess, and under his ownership the club has been promoted and edged the relegation playoffs and the financial situation is much better. But the decline of the State of Light continued. The roof of the North Stand is leaking, very few hand dryers work in the toilets and the whole place needs sprucing up (and that’s before you get to the lack of functional screens and intermittent wifi in the press box). What should be an asset has started to look shabby. Jonathan Wilson
Gilmour fulfilling his abilities
Roberto De Zerbi rated Jan Paul van Hecke and Billy Gilmour as two of Brighton’s best players. The latter struggled to get minutes early last season and his move from Chelsea looked like it might not have worked out. At Stoke he was a constant presence in midfield against a tough Championship opponent, keeping things ticking when Brighton took their time to get into the swing of things. He repeatedly received clever passes to break the lines and kept control as the likes of Van Hecke ran over him to join in attacks. João Pedro is taking the headlines but a number of Brighton players are steadily improving under De Zerbi’s watch. Gilmour has already played more games this season than last year and is set to star for Scotland at the Euros – he is ready to take center stage. Will Unwin
De Bruyne’s return is a huge boost
Kevin De Bruyne was welcomed back from the 57th minute against Huddersfield. City have failed him, even if they are far and away at the top of the Premier League. Although Rodri leads the team, no one, not even among City’s all-powerful squad, can match the Belgian’s qualities as a creative director and the inspiration of the team. His auburn hair has grown longer than last season, the body a little bulkier. Last season, De Bruyne sacrificed himself for the cause, later admitting that he played with a cut string. In his absence, Phil Foden and Bernardo Silva have shown their qualities, but neither offers the direct, all-action style of De Bruyne. They also don’t have the same telepathic connection with Erlng Haaland, another recent absentee. He is now 32, when frequent injuries can affect even the best players. City fans will know to appreciate him while he’s still around. John Brewin
Broja’s body language is crucial
Armando Broja accepted Mauricio Pochettino’s constructive criticism after Chelsea’s win over Preston. Pochettino was happy with the striker’s superb goal but believes he needs to smile more. “Like the gaffer says, I can use my body language to be more positive,” said Broja. “I’m a bit hard on myself sometimes. The manager just wants to take that weight off my shoulders. I am trying to take that advice into account because it is helping me every day. I just have to smile and be a little more positive.” Opening the scoring with a fine header was a cause for courage. Broja is looking to build momentum after returning from a serious knee injury. “When you go on a run where you’re not scoring a lot you can be a bit down,” he said. “It’s not the greatest feeling but if you get a goal in a game like this it makes up for it.” Jacob Steinberg
There is little sympathy for Nuno’s complaints
Nuno Espírito Santo would end the FA Cup play-offs. “I think it should be finished on the day,” said the Nottingham Forest head coach. If Forest beat the opposition two tiers below them, they would have a two-week break before their league trip to Brentford. Now plans have to be redrawn. Nuno’s thoughts are shared by many of his peers in the Premier League, including Mikel Arteta and Jürgen Klopp. Unsurprisingly, however, 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 didn’t play that. They get international breaks; they get time off. We don’t get that. Get on with it. Look at the resources, the finances, the facilities, the staff – we don’t have that. tough Let’s get on with it. It’s football. Get up and play.” Many FA Cup traditionalists will heartily agree. Sam Dalling
Villa ruthlessly heeded their lessons
It feels great to say it, in both historical and present context, but Matty Cash’s late winner for Aston Villa at Middlesbrough took them through to the fourth round of the FA Cup for the first time since 2016. There was no shame in last year’s face Stevenage but the top. an exciting iceberg for the eight-time winners – Unai Emery later admitted his squad had spoken about the 2023 massacre a few times in the days leading up to the trip to the Home Side – and if there was one team to put the hood on sleep, it was the current vintage on an electrifying Premier League weekend. “It’s a trophy, and it’s an award,” said Emery, hinting that the FA Cup was a target if not a priority. “We’re going to try. We will not turn down the opportunity to try something.” Andy Brassell
Manning burnishes reputation
Liam Manning has been talked about for some time as one of the most promising young managers in the country and the 38-year-old, former manager of the West Ham Under-23 team, gave a taste of his style on his return to east London. After a tentative start Bristol City were ambitious, slick and inventive, causing serious problems with their overloads out wide and rotation in the middle. It remains to be seen whether Manning, whose players clearly heeded his half-time call for heroics, can lead the Robins into the top six of a typically madcap second tier in which five points separate sixth place from the 14th, and it certainly makes sense. they require more cutting edge. But Tommy Conway’s equalizer seemed to be a great sign of things to come and if Manning is backed up, he could be the man to turbocharge a club that doesn’t regularly live up to its potential. Nick Ames
Hoedt unhappy despite Hornets’ win
Ahead of their game against Chesterfield, Dean Whitehead, Watford’s assistant head coach and a member of Stoke’s 2011 finalist side, spoke to the team about his FA Cup, so-called magic and ability to disrupt( there is no). survivors of Watford’s own run to the final in 2019). Wesley Hoedt, their captain, also spoke, emphasizing the need to match the work rate of their opponents. “I think that’s something we didn’t do in the first half and it’s something we have to look at because it’s not acceptable,” he said later. “It was too slow from the whole team. We were just strolling around instead of sprinting and doing the things we should be doing. I stressed before the game, and so did the gaffer, that we can’t be lazy and start slowly.” Watford got away with it, coming from behind to beat their top-class opponents in stoppage time, but it’s not often that they win when Hoedt reveals so much of what Hoedt called “little details that annoys me”. Simon Burnton
There is no sunlight for Blades
“Time is of the essence for us,” said Chris Wilder, pleased his Blades squad were able to enjoy a “winning feeling” at Gillingham before refocusing on the Premier League relegation battle. But when many clubs spend their January breaks until warmer weather, Dubai can wait.
Wilder’s squad will be staying in South Yorkshire. “We have a lot of work to do,” he said, and plans to use the time to reset his thoughts at the club he returned to on December 5. “This is just a normal work week, and we will work through the next two weeks; we don’t have time to work with the players,” he continued. At Priestfields, James McAtee – on loan from Manchester City – was outstanding, his swagger reminiscent of Cole Palmer. “He’s got a little something going on,” said Wilder. “A Manchester boy, a boy from Salford, he’s not a shy boy and he supports it.” John Brewin
