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It doesn’t take a lot to constitute a crisis in modern football. Sunderland entered September, possibly even October on track to achieve the season’s goals and now a couple of demoralising home defeats leave a miserable cloud hanging over Wearside.

Manchester City are also edging towards the dreaded ‘c’ word, such is the madness of football. The league champions, who remain undefeated in the Premier League’s European failings leave the manager players feeling the heat. My point is in this crazy sport where the difference between success and failure is so minimal does the timing of when you play certain teams impact a team’s long-term results?

Bolton Wanderers weren’t among the favourites for relegation but ended the season in the drop-zone after picking up six points from their first nine games. During this tough tenure Wanderers met five members of the traditional top six of the league. A torrid start de-railed the ambitions of a team looking to build on a 14th place finish and a FA Cup semi-final appearance. After a momentum draining start, the Trotters lost winnable games against Sunderland, Swansea and West Brom putting them directly into a dogfight.

Other factors were at play, the influential Stuart Holden missed the entire season, while Lee Chung Yong had been an important player for the club and missed a majority of the season through injury. When Gary Cahill left in January the club were also left with a sub-standard back four, with centre backs Zat Knight, Tim Ream and David Wheater lacking the quality needed at Premier League level.

However, going against this trend, bottom club last year Wolverhampton Wanderers picked up 11 points from their opening nine games and enjoyed a relatively manageable opening quarter before fading badly. Blackburn Rovers the other club relegated that term met three of the traditional top teams in their opening nine fixtures. They managed just five points however they were always among the favourites to go down and matched people’s expectations throughout the season. Wolves weren’t many people’s favourites for relegation but were also not expected to be far away from the drop-zone perhaps not making the two clubs the best examples.

The biggest over-achievers last year were Norwich City. Guided by the highly rated Paul Lambert, the Canaries reached 12th spot in the Premier League rarely close to the relegation places all term. They managed a solid total of 12 points in their opening nine matches. This came against a steady level of competition including three of the traditional top six teams in the division. Losses to Manchester United and Chelsea didn’t halt the momentum of a well-organised squad who caught many by surprise last year. Birmingham City were perhaps the surprise package in the 2010-2011 relegation zone. The Blues over-achieved finishing the previous year in the top half and showed their team contained genuine quality, winning the league cup in the same year they exited England’s top division. That year the Midlands side started steadily with 12 points from their first nine playing two top six sides in the process.

While my small Premier League sample shows that many factors are in play during a season and the fixture list is perhaps low in ranking among the problems a football club faces. I do believe Sunderland to an extent are a victims of a tough start. Taken individually prior to defeat at Villa, Sunderland had acquired good away points and only tasted defeat at the hands of the league champions.

Plus the two draws at the Stadium of Light were against difficult opposition in tough circumstances. But failure to win matches combined with a demoralising cup defeat meant the Black Cats couldn’t play with any real confidence or conviction against Villa. Liverpool FC are also victims of the fixture list to an extent. The Reds are going through a transitional period under Brendan Rogers, and the Ulsterman has had a torrid run, playing four of last year’s top six already. The Merseyside club are currently in an unsatisfactory 12th.

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However if my findings are accurate and the cliché of things evening themselves out over a season is true, both Rodgers and O’Neill should take comfort and remain defiant in trying to lift their teams up the Premier League table.

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According to reports from The Daily Mail, Antoine Griezmann’s decision to sign a new contract with Atletico Madrid could soon result in Barcelona swooping for Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Christian Eriksen. Griezmann and the Danish playmaker are no means like-for-like players, but the theory is that the Nou Camp giants will now look to strengthen their midfield options instead with Eriksen and Bayern Munich’s Thiago Alcantara ‘under consideration’.

Tottenham would, of course, be incredibly reluctant to let the 78-cap international leave. Since arriving from Ajax, Eriksen’s established himself as a key part of Tottenham’s midfield and certainly during the course of last season, he appeared to really embrace the responsibility of being such an important player for Mauricio Pochettino.

But could there be unforeseen positives to letting Eriksen leave for Barcelona? We look at the potential consequences, both good and bad, of a deal taking place this summer…

Andre Gomes moves the other way

Tottenham were linked with Andre Gomes back in April as a potential replacement for Mousa Dembele and the Belgium international’s future is still yet to be resolved with his current terms due to expire at the end of next season. The Portuguese midfielder has endured a difficult spell at the Nou Camp, even enduring jeers from his own fans, but he’s a talented playmaker and even if he can’t match Dembele’s physicality, he should give Tottenham a similar control of possession from deep midfield.

In some ways though, signing Gomes in return doesn’t really solve the biggest problem with Eriksen leaving this summer. More of a central midfielder by nature, he’s not exactly a like-for-like replacement – so some quality will be taken away from Tottenham’s attacking midfield berth.

Tottenham’s midfield loses its precision

The greatest gift Eriksen gives to this Tottenham side is undoubtedly his vision and precision with the ball. He’s the one player the Lilywhites turn to for that killer pass splitting the opposition defence or a thunderous strike from long range. There’s plenty of talent elsewhere in this Tottenham team and in the transfer market, but that aspect of Eriksen’s game is incredibly difficult to replace – there are few players in world football who can match him in terms of passing and shooting technique.

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That inevitably takes something away from this Tottenham team – Eriksen was the hub of culture the rest of the attack played around. But it also gives Pochettino a chance to change the emphasis of this side and address arguably it’s biggest offensive flaw, which brings us onto…

Moura gets his chance to shine

One of the key motivations for signing Lucas Moura in January laid in his ability to jink his way through opposition defences, which has been a real problem for Tottenham in recent seasons. While Dele Alli can arrive late in the box to score, Son Heung-min can stretch defences with pace and Eriksen can pick out the pair’s runs, Spurs’ attack under Pochettino has always seemed to lack that player capable of breaking through opposition defences with mazy dribbles. Tellingly, their most prolific forward for dribbles in the Premier League last season was Son with just 1.6 per match – whereas the highest rate in the whole division was Eden Hazard with 4.9.

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Moura though, arrests that problem and Eirksen’s departure will open up an obvious space in the team for him. His Spurs career thus far has mostly consisted of bench outings and cup games, purely because Tottenham’s attacking midfield berth is so competitive, but Eriksen will leave a big gap behind that the Brazilian can fill, bringing something a little different to the team.

So, Spurs fans, should your club cash on Eriksen this summer? Let us know by voting below…

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Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger has admitted that record signing Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is a doubt for Saturday’s Premier League clash with Everton at the Emirates Stadium.

Aubameyang joined Arsenal from Borussia Dortmund on transfer deadline day, with the Gunners paying in the region of £60m to sign the Gabon international.

The 28-year-old had initially been pencilled in to make his Arsenal debut when Everton visit the English capital in Saturday’s late kickoff.

However, Wenger has conceded that Aubameyang has been suffering with an illness, and the centre-forward will be assessed on Friday to determine whether he can debut this weekend.

The same can also be said for Jack Wilshere, with Wenger, who spoke on Friday morning, revealing that the midfielder is also a doubt through illness.

Wenger told reporters:

“Aubameyang was sick as well, we have to assess him today.”

Aubameyang followed former Dortmund teammate Henrikh Mkhitaryan to Arsenal during the January transfer window.

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Arsenal were also recently boosted by the news that Mesut Ozil has signed a new long-term contract with the Gunners, who lost 3-1 at Swansea City on Tuesday night.

Belgium manager Marc Wilmots has publicly reprimanded Everton star Kevin Mirallas for his comments on Manchester United youngster Adnan Januzaj’s prospects of making it to the World Cup.

After almost a year of anticipation, Januzaj recently declared his international allegiance to Belgium and the winger has been immediately rewarded with a spot in the preliminary World Cup squad. While Wilmots has clearly welcomed the youngster with open arms, Mirallas was not quite so welcoming.

“I don’t think he should go to Brazil. It would not be fair to leave out another good player for someone who does not know the others and has not played a lot for his club in recent months,” the Everton winger said.

Mirallas went on to add that participating in the 2016 European Championships would be a “more realistic target” for the youngster.

This astonishing attack prompted Wilmots to publicly condemn Mirallas and urge the player to “stop talking nonsense.”

Football fans have been quick to discuss the outburst on Twitter.

Whilst most agree that Mirallas was wrong to raise his concerns publicly, the Everton winger’s comments have prompted much discussion over whom should start for Belgium this summer or even if Januzaj is worthy of a place in the squad.

Does Mirallas’ outburst suggest that he is worried about losing his place? Or has Januzaj not played enough in the Premier League to warrant being selected ahead of the Everton winger?

Juventus are set to up their efforts to sign Arsenal transfer target Fernando Llorente, according to The Daily Mail.

The Spain international forward is in the last year of his contract with Athletic Bilbao, and has signalled his intent to leave the San Mames club for a new challenge.

The Turin giants are in the market for a big-name striker, and are thought to highly-rate Llorente.

With his contract expiring, it is believed that the Serie A champions will offer the Spaniards £5 million in the January transfer window, and are ready to make him their highest paid player on £145,000 per week.

Arsenal are still in the market for a new frontman as a long-term replacement for Robin van Persie, who left the club to join Manchester United in the summer.

The Gunners did sign Olivier Giroud, but Arsene Wenger is eager to provide competition for a starting place for the France international and bolster his options in attack.

The Emirates Stadium outfit are also an admirer of Llorente, who they have had their eye on for some time.

Arsenal are hoping to take advantage of Llorente’s expiring contract, but now must fight the financial might of Juventus if they are to convince the targetman to move to north London.

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Llorente had a training ground bust-up with Bilbao boss Marcelo Bielsa earlier in the season, and it is believed that the Basque side are ready to cash in on him to avoid losing their star on a free transfer at the end of the campaign.

According to Italian media outlet Calciomercato, Southampton striker Manolo Gabbiadini is likely to leave the club and return to Serie A this summer, with a report by La Gazzetta dello Sport, via Calciomercato, saying that he would cost in the region of €15m (around £13m) this summer.

While it would be no surprise to see the Italy international depart St Mary’s in some ways given that he found first-team starts hard to come by during the 2017/18 campaign under Mauricio Pellegrino and then Mark Hughes, in others it would be confusing after he hinted previously that he would be keen to stay in the Premier League after helping Saints, who face a huge battle to sign an attacker who was once a £170,000-a-week Manchester United target, preserve their top flight status with a crucial winning goal against fellow strugglers Swansea City last month.

So, how would cashing in on the Italian truly impact Saints? Football FanCast take a look at the potential consequences of a summer sale of the 26-year-old…

Club regrets

If Southampton do end up cashing in on Gabbiadini this summer they will surely always be left thinking, what if?

The 26-year-old made a huge impact when he first joined the club in January 2017 – and was unfortunate not to score a hat-trick for them in the League Cup final defeat against Manchester United – but there is surely a feeling that they haven’t seen or got the best out of a player with such clever movement and natural finishing ability.

The Italian joined the south coast outfit at a time when they have been less attacking and lacked quality in the final third than in previous seasons, and the Saints board will know that things could have been very different.

Quincy Promes finally signs

Southampton didn’t meet Spartak Moscow’s price tag for the highly-rated Netherlands international at the end of the January transfer window, and it remains to be seen whether they will return to sign the 26-year-old this summer.

It would certainly make sense given they only scored 37 goals in their 38 Premier League matches as they narrowly avoided the drop however, with the winger scoring 21 goals and providing a further 10 assists in the same number of games for the Russian club in the 2017/18 campaign.

The extra money they get from selling Gabbiadini could be enough for them to meet Spartak’s asking price for the attacker, who would surely be a big success at St Mary’s and in the English top flight in general.

Sam Gallagher gets his chance

The big centre-forward is still only 22 years of age, but having made his first-team debut for Southampton when Mauricio Pochettino was still in charge at St Mary’s, he will have been disappointed that he hasn’t kicked on since then.

The striker returns to the south coast this summer following a largely successful season-long loan spell with Championship club Birmingham City – for whom he scored seven goals in 34 appearances in all competitions – last term, and he will hope to stake his claim for a spot in the starting XI under Mark Hughes.

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Gabbiadini leaving would certainly help him that respect as it would be one less player to get ahead of in the pecking order, and with Guido Carrillo also frozen out by Hughes at the end of the 2017/18 campaign he may find himself directly competing with the likes of Charlie Austin and Shane Long.

So, Southampton fans, should your club sell Gabbiadini? Let us know by voting below…

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According to Belgian media outlet L’Avenir, reported West Ham United target Leander Dendoncker could be available for just €15m (£13.3m) if he leaves Anderlecht before the January transfer window slams shut.

Another Belgian source DH reported on January 9 that the Irons were keen to bring the 22-year-old to the London Stadium this month as manager David Moyes is looking to sign a new central midfielder, with DH also saying in a separate story that the Belgium international would cost between €25-30m (£22-26.4m).

However, L’Avenir suggest those figures have been lowered considerably and even though Anderlecht boss Hein Vanhaezebrouck has advised the Belgian to wait until the summer to leave, it seems as though the players wants out by January 31.

Meanwhile, Tottenham Hotspur are back in form in the Premier League following a disappointing spell and as well as looking to secure a third successive top-four finish, they are also face Juventus in the knockout stages of the Champions League next month.

Spurs boss Mauricio Pochettino may well be keen to add to his squad in preparation for a big second-half of the campaign, and bringing Dendoncker to Wembley could prove to be a shrewd move.

Here are three reasons Tottenham must hijack West Ham’s bid to sign the highly-rated star…

Long-term Dembele replacement

Mousa Dembele’s injury problems in recent seasons prove that Tottenham need to start thinking about finding a long-term replacement for the 30-year-old, and his Belgian compatriot could be the answer.

Dendoncker is decent on the ball – according to WhoScored.com he had a passing accuracy of 89.6% in their six Champions League group matches this season – and successfully completed four of the five dribbles he attempted in Europe’s elite club competition, while he also made 15 interceptions.

The 22-year-old is also taller than Dembele and is similarly strong, and there is no doubt that he has huge potential and could bring something to the middle of the park for Spurs both now, and in the future.

Versatility

Dendoncker is a hugely versatile player, and he has demonstrated that for Anderlecht this season.

While his preferred position is understood to be as a defensive midfielder, he also has also played at centre-back on a number of occasions for the Belgian side this term – including in two of their six Champions League group matches.

That versatility will certainly impress Mauricio Pochettino, while the fact that he scored six goals in 57 appearances during the previous campaign show that he can be a threat at the other end of the pitch too.

Price tag

To put it simply if L’Avenir really are right and Dendoncker is available for £13.3m this month, then it he would be a complete bargain deal.

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The 22-year-old is a full Belgium international and has played more than 150 matches for Anderlecht – including in the Champions League – and he clearly has the ability to improve and go on and play at the highest level.

Tottenham love a good value for money signing themselves and if they can sign the midfielder for such a reasonable price this month, they would be mad to miss out – especially to one of their main local rivals in West Ham.

Do you agree, Spurs fans? Let us know below.

The winds of change were gusting hard last summer as Tottenham undertook what has got to be one of the more notable overhauls in recent years. Given the go ahead to spend the Bale millions, Baldini set about resurrecting the title ambitions of the Premier League club with an audacious summer spending spree.

The centrepiece of the revolution was arguably the acquisition of Valencia’s top marksmen Roberto Soldado in what was a then club record transfer of £26m. Up there with the best in Europe in terms of goals in recent years, there was a genuine hope that the Spaniard would hit the ground running.

Yet it hasn’t quite panned out like that. For one reason or another Soldado, along with many of his team mates, has struggled to adapt to the English game. We all know too well how finite a commodity patience is in football, so is it time to be concerned about Soldado’s form?

The Spaniard’s form has been patchy at best; just the sole goal from open play in the league against Villa and a handful of others coming in the Europa League. This certainly isn’t the clinical and potent striker we were promised in the summer.

In fact the difference between Soldado and Defoe last weekend was pretty stark; the latter playing with all the confidence and assurance of an in-form marksman and the latter seemingly unable to hit a barn door. To some the Defoe deal to Toronto looks like a transfer market gaffe from Spurs, clearly the better frontman of the two and a major asset lost going forward.  I don’t doubt Defoe’s ability and eye for goal, but personally I think Spurs have got this right long term.

Soldado offers so much more to the club. Even when he isn’t scoring he is consistently looking to link up with and bring others into the game, a characteristic that is pretty alien to someone like Jermain Defoe. A lot of Soldado’s play in the final third is world class, some of the flicks and knock ons are just simply on a different level to the one that Spurs currently operate on. Rather than the monotonous midfield passing that many have criticised the club for, Soldado really tries to make things happen and naturally he will make a few mistakes at this stage. But given what a fledgling partnership this is with Adebayor, I think perseverance is the key.

Spurs fans though are right to be concerned. Spending £26m on a player who was meant to be a guaranteed success is always going to carry certain expectations. Clearly these aren’t being met, but really this is true of a lot of the new crop that have arrived at the club – people really need to lengthen their time horizon’s for this ‘project’.

The reassuring thing though is that Soldado will be given the time and opportunity to adapt and show off his very best. With Defoe an imminent departure and Sherwood looking to continue with an adventurous 4-4-2, Soldado will get plenty of game time.

This isn’t a question of making do with what Spurs have, Soldado’s contributions have still been marked. Spurs thought they had bought a goalscorer, but potentially they’ve got a lot more. Having topped the assists charts for the club most of the season it is clear that the Spaniard is a lot to a complete player – more than he is given credit for.

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Fans should be concerned, but not to the extent where they write off Soldado. Having had a difficult start both on and off the pitch, a bit of patience and faith are in order here.

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Newcastle United centre back Steven Taylor is primed for another meeting with Sunderland at the Stadium of Light this Sunday.

Whilst his namesake Ryan Taylor is still held in high regard for getting his free kick ‘over the wall’ and in the back of the net, in a 1-0 victory at the Black Cats ground last season, the magpies central defender wants to make his own derby day history.

The ace has been kept out for the last few fixtures but is now back in full training alongside Coloccini and Tim Krul, who are both also recovering from injuries.

It is an encouraging sign that all 3 players took part in United’s latest training session at their Benton training centre. Their returns will be extremely well received ahead of such a crucial clash.

Newcastle’s hierarchy has been challenged in recent times for not adding more reinforcements to the squad in the summer, than just Vurnon Anita for £6.6million from Ajax.

Many fans hoped that qualification for the Europa League would mean that the club would open up its coffers to make some marquee signings, in order to push on towards the top 4.

Perch and Williamson though have performed admirably under the injury circumstances recently, with both having to play as part in Premier League and Europa league sides.

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Despite this, the fans will be delighted their defensive stars are in back in the first team fold. The spine of the team has returned at a perfect time for the Toon’s supporters. They will be hoping the players won’t be rusty first game back, with Tyne-Wear bragging rights at stake.

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Manchester United have cooled their interest in Tottenham and England international left-back Danny Rose, according to the Sun. 

What’s the story, then?

The report in the Sun claims that United, along with bitter rivals Manchester City have gone cold on the trail of the man who will travel to the World Cup this summer as part of Gareth Southgate’s England squad.

It goes on to say that could allow Everton to steal a march in the race for a man they claim the Toffees are prepared to pay £40m for this summer.

The report also claims that Juventus’ Alex Sandro, 27, is the left-back on the top of Mourinho’s summer shopping list, meaning Rose has slipped down the pecking order.

Rose showed a poor attitude

Rose threw Tottenham’s pre-season preparations into jeopardy with a bizarre rant about signings and investment in North London on the eve of the new campaign, which showed a selfishness that would not go down well with Mourinho.

He brazenly attempted to flirt with the Manchester clubs on that occasion and failed to rediscover the form that had made him an England regular, losing his spot to Ben Davies for the majority of the season.

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Inconsistent form and speaking out of turn that will not wash with the hardline Portuguese gaffer – in truth, it wouldn’t go down well with United fans either – and that is why Mourinho may be wise to give Rose the swerve in this transfer window.

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