Can Ratcliffe allay Man Utd’s season of drift?
Sir Jim Ratcliffe meets Erik ten Hag
Man Utd vs Tottenham – Sunday, 4.30pm
Sir Jim Ratcliffe is due to be in attendance for the very first time as Manchester United kickstart a new calendar year by entertaining Tottenham on Sunday. An enterprising first fixture.
Ratcliffe, who completed his 25 per cent share takeover on Christmas Eve, has visited Carrington for initial introductions but is yet to see Erik ten Hag’s side kick a competitive ball first hand.
What is he likely to observe when Man Utd – eighth in the league – take on Spurs, live on Sky Sports Premier League, at Old Trafford? Well, Ratcliffe’s presence has the potential to create calm and chaos simultaneously.
Sunday 14th January 4:00pm
Kick off 4:30pm
Ten Hag has projected a mood of hope of optimism since Ratcliffe’s takeover was announced. A clean slate. A fresh start. But the swell of pressure as a result of poor performance remains the undertone.
Man United have lost nine of their 20 league games this season, as many defeats as they suffered the whole of last term. They finished 2023 with limp defeat to Nottingham Forest. Ratcliffe cannot remedy that.
“Many hours we sit together, many issues we were on the same page,” Ten Hag said of his early meetings with the INEOS business owner. How long is that accord and harmony likely to last if results don’t swiftly improve?
Perhaps a meeting with Spurs, a team Man Utd have beaten more times (24) than any other in Premier League competition, is the perfect tonic. A chance to exploit the Londoners’ erratic style. The opportunity to lay a marker – this is new era United. An expression of ‘new year, new me’.
Or maybe the drift, for this campaign at least, is already too far gone…
Laura Hunter
Breaking the lines – who will time it right?
Ange Postecoglou is a brave manager.
He demands his defensive line to play a high line to make his press as aggressive and successful as possible. Even with nine-players, the Australian still wants his boys to have a crack – as so famously shown in the bonkers encounter with Chelsea where his backline defended on the halfway line despite playing with two fewer players.
Only Aston Villa have caught more players offsides this season (101) with Spurs racking up 64 offsides against.
It’s an impressive haul considering the chopping and changing Postecoglou has had to contend with due to injuries to Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven. Whichever partnership is selected at Old Trafford – Romero is back in training and new signing Radu Dragusin is available for selection – the Tottenham trap will need to be working at full capacity as the United attack love to run in behind.
No team have been caught offside more this season (54) – and Villa’s decision to protect a 2-0 lead at Old Trafford by continuing with their aggressive offside trap was feasted upon by Marcus Rashford, Alejandro Garnacho and Bruno Fernandes after the break.
Those line breaks were the catalyst for the remarkable 3-2 comeback.
Whoever times it right on Super Sunday, whether offensively or defensively, will hold a huge advantage in a fascinating encounter.
Assistant referees Eddie Smart and Nick Greenhalgh are in for a busy day at the office.
Lewis Jones
Barkley & Doughty provide the key to Luton’s survival bid
Dynamic duo: Ross Barkley & Alfie Doughty are making Luton believe
Burnley vs Fulham – Friday, 8pm
It wasn’t supposed to be like this. Luton will get battered everywhere they’d go. Relegation was nailed on.
Perhaps Derby would finally rid themselves of the worst team in Premier League history tag after their haul of just 11 points in 07/08?
Well, Luton already have 15 points with another 57 points to play for.
After initially struggling with a sense of belonging at this level, Rob Edwards has got his players believing that the Luton way can flourish in the Premier League. They are only getting better and face a huge test of their survival hopes at Burnley on Friday night.
Of course, a productive blueprint and team spirit will only get you so far. Teams need Premier League quality to survive. And in Ross Barkley and Alfie Doughty, Luton have the finesse to go with the fight.
After coming close to falling out of love with the game, Barkley and Luton are a match made in heaven. Cupid does work in mysterious ways.
Barkley – when at his best – has the ability to glide with the ball. Not many are born with this trait. Jude Bellingham has it. Zinedine Zidane had it. When Barkley is at his best, he moves likes those two.
Inconsistency has always been the issue but with Edwards happy to build his midfield around the skillset of the 30-year-old, Barkley is gliding again.
Ross Barkley
While Barkley dominated in the middle, Doughty is providing the quality out wide. Intelligent, strong and possessing one of the best left pegs in the game, the 24-year-old, who was playing on loan in the Isthmian League Premier Division for Kingstonian just five years ago, has taken the step up to Premier League football in his stride.
Doughty is a phenomenal crosser of a ball so pushing him to the forefront of the gameplan into aerially dominant strikers might seem like one-dimensional football but if that dimension is creating chances, then why not go all-in on it. That’s what Edwards is doing.
Doughty leads the way for Luton across all their key creative metrics, ranking first for assists (4) and chances created (35), while his crossing statistics from dead ball and open play have him mixing it with the likes of Trent Alexander-Arnold and James Ward-Prowse for accuracy when assessing the league as a whole.
He is a gem of a footballer, and along with Barkley, is capable of providing the ammunition to keep Luton a Premier League side. That duo will be key on Friday night.
Lewis Jones
Fulham the first of three season-defining games for Poch
Chelsea vs Fulham – Saturday, 12.30pm
Chelsea host Fulham in a west London derby on Saturday lunch time in the first of three games that could decide manager Mauricio Pochettino’s future at Stamford Bridge, according to reports in the Independent.
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Highlights of the Carabao Cup semi-final first leg between Middlesbrough and Chelsea.
The Blues actually head into the Premier League clash sitting just three points behind Brighton and Hove Albion in seventh after a recent upturn in league form, especially in west London where they have won their last three.
Victory over an impressive Cottagers side who pushed Liverpool all the way before losing 2-1 at Anfield in the first leg of their Carabao Cup semi-final on Wednesday night would set Chelsea up nicely for their next two, equally pivotal, home games with Middlesbrough (Carabao Cup semi-final second leg) and Aston Villa (FA Cup fourth round) later this month.
However, Pochettino’s side have been so up and down so far this campaign that Chelsea fans will be wary this may be just another false dawn, like so many others this season and last.
Tuesday 23rd January 7:00pm
Kick off 8:00pm
At the same time, though, a third straight league victory (by a two-goal margin) would lift the Blues up to the heady heights of seventh place in the standings and the European places – then follow that up with two more home wins against Boro and Villa later this month and things would suddenly look a whole lot rosier for Poch and Co as we move into the second half of the season.
Richard Morgan
Can Fulham end their travel sickness at the Bridge?
Fulham make the short trip across west London to take on Chelsea on Saturday looking to end their miserable away form in the Premier League this season.
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Highlights of the Carabao Cup semi-final first leg between Liverpool and Fulham at Anfield.
Marco Silva’s side are a completely different animal away from the confines of Craven Cottage, where they have picked up 18 of their 24 points so far this campaign, including last time out when they saw off Arsenal 2-1 on New Year’s Eve.
However, the Cottagers showed in a spirited and disciplined display at Anfield in their Carabao Cup semi-final first-leg clash in midweek that they are more than capable of holding their own on the road against even the Premier League leaders.
Wednesday 24th January 7:00pm
Kick off 8:00pm
That performance came on the back of an equally impressive showing at Liverpool in the league in December when the visitors were minutes away from ending the Reds’ long unbeaten top-flight home run, before two late goals gave Jurgen Klopp’s team a 4-3 win.
What better fixture, though, to record just a second away win in the Premier League this season than at the home of your fiercest rivals in a London derby?
Richard Morgan
Watch out: De Bruyne’s back
Kevin De Bruyne is congratulated by Matheus Nunes after setting up a goal for Jeremy Doku
Newcastle vs Manchester City – Saturday, 5.30pm
It took Kevin De Bruyne just 17 minutes to record his first assist of the season after stepping off the bench to make his long-awaited return from his hamstring injury against Huddersfield in the FA Cup last weekend.
With his team-mates at times vulnerable in his absence and not quite at the all-conquering level of last season, the Belgian’s comeback has been hotly anticipated. His warm-ups as an unused sub during the win over Sheffield United drew huge roars from the City fans. His entrance against Huddersfield had them out of their seats.
The early signs were encouraging, too. The Championship strugglers were already two down and almost instantly 3-0 behind when he came on, but those familiar De Bruyne traits were clear to see. The powerful drives through the right channel. The forcefully whipped crosses and defence-deceiving cutbacks. The ambition and ability to shoot from distance.
Such is the reputation of the Assist King, his presence for City at St James’ Park shifts the perception of this match. A tricky away day becomes an ominous fixture for Newcastle. De Bruyne is back and City’s rivals had better watch out.
Peter Smith
Newcastle hit rock-bottom in form table amid more injuries
Newcastle stopped the rot with a much-needed 3-0 win over rivals Sunderland in the FA Cup on Saturday – having lost seven of their previous eight games in all competitions.
In fact, the Magpies are bottom of the Premier League form table over the previous six games – level with Brentford on just three points from a possible 18 but with an inferior goal difference.
Could progression to the FA Cup fourth round become a catalyst for a midseason turnaround? Well, Eddie Howe would have wanted to come up against any other team than reigning champions Manchester City for that to happen.
In complete contrast to Howe’s struggling side – who have now plunged into ninth spot in the Premier League table – Guardiola’s juggernauts have won seven of their previous eight in all competitions.
To compound matters, key midfielder Joelinton has been ruled out for at least six weeks with a tendon injury. Indeed, the ongoing injury crisis at the club arguably triggered their dramatic decline in form.
A study published on Sky Sports this week found Newcastle have suffered from injuries more than any other Premier League club this season.
The Magpies’ hopes could rest on Alexander Isak, who scored twice at the Stadium of Light at the weekend, but has struggled for a regular run in the side. However, the 24-year-old has certainly impressed and proven clinical during his time on the field.
The Sweden international has scored 0.77 goals per 90 minutes in the Premier League – only three players have clocked more than 360 minutes and can better that ratio.
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Sky Sports’ Keith Downie reports from the Stadium of Light as Newcastle have a good day at the office against their north-east rivals.
Newcastle will also be hoping Kieran Trippier has returned to his best after suffering an uncustomary dip in form, and will once again rely on their ever-present talisman Bruno Guimaraes to provide the midfield mettle if they are to beat the odds and make it two wins in two.
Adam Smith
The New Year brings renewed ambition for Aston Villa
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FREE TO WATCH: Highlights from Aston Villa’s win against Burnley in the Premier League.
Everton vs Aston Villa – Sunday, 2pm, live on Sky Sports
Unai Emery revealed his New Year’s resolution after Aston Villa’s last-gasp win over Burnley last time out in the Premier League. “It was really fantastic, the year we did,” he said after an incredible 12 months of improvement. “But my expectation for the next year is try to progress.”
Villa fans will be wondering how much better it can get. Victory in their first game of 2024 at Everton on Sunday would send them level on points with Premier League leaders Liverpool.
The current table-toppers have a significant goal difference advantage over Villa, so the wait to hit the Premier League summit will go on. It was August 2011 when Villa were last No1.
But number two, three or four would suit Emery nicely this term. A Champions League qualifying place could turbo charge his already rapid transformation of Villa’s fortunes.
It feels like it would be a fitting reward for one of the most entertaining and impressive teams this season.
But Emery knows the dangers of resting on the laurels of the first half of the campaign. Onwards and upwards, is his message. Expect his Villa to attack the New Year with renewed ambition.
Peter Smith
Sunday 14th January 1:00pm
Kick off 2:00pm
How will Everton cope without McNeil?
Dwight McNeil’s ankle injury is being monitored
Under Frank Lampard, Dwight McNeil made an inauspicious start to his Everton career following his £20m move from Burnley, but the arrival of Sean Dyche nearly a year ago kick-started his spell on Merseyside. It was his inswinging corner met by James Tarkowski which ignited the Dyche regime with the victory at home to Arsenal.
McNeil hasn’t looked back. Further noteworthy contributions in wins over Brentford and Brighton ensured Everton survived – but their poor start to this campaign coincided with McNeil being stuck on the sidelines. An injury in pre-season against Stoke meant the 24-year-old missed the opening three games.
Everton lost all three, without scoring. During the FA Cup third round tie at Crystal Palace, McNeil sustained an ankle injury which is now being monitored. Dyche has said he in unlikely to make the weekend’s home game against Aston Villa, live on Sky Sports, meaning he must find a solution.
The future of Arnaut Danjuma is uncertain, meaning Dyche may need to get creative. He deployed a back three during victory at Villa in the Carabao Cup – having lost 4-0 in August at the same ground against much-changed opposition using a back four.
Abdoulaye Doucoure’s timely return from his own five-game lay-off enables Jack Harrison and James Garner to provide the width. Five games without a win and with incomings unlikely this month, now would be a good time the out-of-form Dominic Calvert-Lewin to make the most of his FA reprieve.
Ben Grounds