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Arsenal won’t win the Premier League title, or any piece of silverware for that matter, playing the way they did at White Hart Lane.

By the end of the game, it was Arsenal’s back line, predominantly Per Mertesacker, Laurent Koscielny and Bacary Sagna, who earned the entire team their three points. But away from the final result, it was a worrying attacking performance ahead of a couple defining games over the coming weeks.

It was a laborious watch. Arsenal were so un-Arsenal that you had to question what went wrong. Why was a team who had shipped seven in their previous two and only scored once allowed to look as threatening as Tottenham did on Sunday afternoon? This isn’t the Arsenal of last season, where their backs were truly against the wall in a fight for fourth place; they’re now a team very much in the mix for two trophies, and it’s the middle of March.

Had it not been for Mertesacker and Koscielny’s heroics, Arsenal would have certainly lost or at the very least drawn against Spurs. The defensive duo’s collective effort in blocking Nacer Chadli’s effort when Wojciech Szczesny was thrown out of position should be commended: another example of how far the two individuals have come and how safe Arsenal’s defence finally is.

In attack, the contrast was alarming. Players like Santi Cazorla failed to retain possession; Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, who had shown such coolness and calm in front of goal in recent times, squandered three excellent chances to further Arsenal’s goal tally; and Olivier Giroud simply looked exhausted and incapable of offering the kind of cutting edge we saw earlier in the day from Liverpool’s attack.

If this criticism appears overly and perhaps undeservedly harsh, it’s because the expectation for Arsenal is now so high. They may have been without Mesut Ozil, Theo Walcott and Aaron Ramsey, three players who have defined certain periods of this season, but their displays and impact on the club helped to set a marker for where Arsenal believe they should be come May: with at least one trophy in hand. With Arsenal’s attack on the day failing to motivate themselves beyond a few chances early on in a North London Derby, you have to wonder what is in store against better opposition in Chelsea and Manchester City.

In this bizarre Premier League season, Arsenal’s win at Tottenham was the kind of result that will leave the other three teams in the top four with a sense of relief. What Arsenal have done is eliminated the fifth-place team from the race for a Champions League spot, creating clear daylight between them and Manchester City, currently occupying fourth.

It’s also a win that should, in theory, give Arsenal the impetus to go out and get a good result at Chelsea, who will be without two key players following Ramires and Willian’s sending off against Aston Villa.

Arsenal were very good against Bayern Munich last week, showing they can hold their own against a team who are currently considered the best attacking unit in Europe. There is momentum going into the next few league fixtures.

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What is absolutely vital, though, is that Arsene Wenger dusts off whatever problems halted Arsenal from playing their own attacking and possession game to good effect against Spurs. With the setting and ultimate prize in mind, two of the next three league opponents won’t be as forgiving.

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Steven Fletcher arrived at Sunderland well aware he had to hit the ground running after Martin O’Neill paid a hefty fee for the Scottish striker.

However an incredible early run of goals for the Black Cats has gone some way to silencing critics of his £12 million pound move.

The 25-year-old netted his fifth goal in four games against Wigan Athletic and has scored every league goal for the Wearsiders this term.

Fletcher told the Journal, “I’m delighted with the way it has started here.

“When I came here I knew I would get chances with the players we have and the delivery the boys are putting in has been fantastic. They are always giving me tap ins or first-touch finishes.

“Normally there is one player who can really get the ball in like this, but we have several whose delivery we can rely on.

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“People tried to put pressure on me with the price tag and stuff. You need goals and I have scored them early doors. They are big boots to fill [ Darren Bent’s who scored 25 goals in his only full-season at Sunderland] but hopefully I am doing that with five goals in four games and hopefully I can keep that going and everyone will be all right,” he added.

It’s hard not to take The Sun’s claims that Bayern Munich are eyeing Everton goalkeeper Jordan Pickford with a pinch of salt. The red top have never been the most reliable of sources and although he’s missed the vast majority of the current season through injury, the Bundesliga champions happen to have probably the most dominant goalkeeper of the last half-decade at their disposal in the monolithic Manuel Neuer.

But could there be a scenario in which Bayern sanction the 75-cap international’s departure, and where could Everton turn should the German giants match their reported expectation of doubling the £30million spent on Pickford last summer? Football FanCast take a look at a transfer chain reaction that could see some of the best goalkeepers from the Premier League and yonder shuffle around Europe…

Real Madrid swoop for De Gea

It’s been a hot topic in transfer columns since that infamous fax machine mix up in summer 2015 but with Zinedine Zidane out of the way, there’s nobody really left at Real Madrid to stop Florentino Perez moving heaven and earth to bring David De Gea back to the Spanish capital.

The former Atletico Madrid star represents one of the few upgrades the European champions can make on their first XI in terms of individual ability, but Manchester United will inevitably be reluctant to part with their talismanic shotstopper without a replacement lined up first, which brings us nicely onto…

Man United sign Manuel Neuer

The Sun sensationally claim there are doubts over Neuer’s future at Bayern Munich following a campaign which ended in September with a serious foot injury. It seems absurd considering the 32-year-old is unquestionably one of the best goalkeepers in the world, if not the very best.

But it’s also not the only report claiming the Bavarians will look to make significant changes to their squad this summer with The Daily Mail reporting that Jerome Boateng, Arturo Vidal, Thiago and Juan Bernat could be leaving the Allianz Arena as well. There are few goalkeepers United would feel comfortable replacing De Gea with, but the German World Cup winner is certainly one of them.

Bayern snap up Pickford

It would represent a remarkable rise for Pickford since first becoming a regular for relegated Sunderland during the 2016/17 season, which was only really due to a Vito Mannone injury. But the World Cup has often been a transformative tournament for players on the cusp of their peaks and Pickford has certainly grown into his role as England’s No.1 during his last few outings – especially in terms of distribution.

Of course, his capacity to impress will be largely dependent on the Three Lions’ progress, so the Bayern deal is certainly still in the category of wishful thinking.

Everton replace Pickford with Butland

In terms of who could quickly replace Pickford at Goodison, Jack Butland is probably the most obvious and obtainable option. There’s no doubt he’s far too talented for the Championship – even if he’s currently behind Pickford in Southgate’s pecking order – so the 25-year-old will expect to leave the Bet 365 Stadium come the end of the summer transfer window, even if that requires waiting until after the World Cup.

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Transfermarkt value him at £19.8million and Stoke aren’t in a position to particularly push up on that valuation after their relegation. The only problem is whether Everton will find competition for Butland’s services from Liverpool – Loris Karius’ Champions League howler has only amplified their need for a dependable goalkeeper.

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Manchester United have been busy over the last few weeks in the transfer market.The Red Devils managed to swoop in and snatch Arsenal star Alexis Sanchez from neighbours Manchester City.Today, the club also announced that manager Jose Mourinho has signed contract extension until at least 2020.There is one man whose future remains undecided at Old Trafford, and that is Juan Mata.The Spaniard is out of contract in the summer, and there has been no official word that a new deal is on the table.TheÂDaily StarÂrecently reported that Mata’s former club Valencia are keen on signing the midfielder.The 29-year-old spent four years at the Spanish club before moving to the Premier League, where he had a spell at Chelsea between 2011 and 2014 and then joined United.This season, Mata has started 17 top-flight matches and has come off the bench in a further two.United’s social media team posted a throwback of the Spaniard joining the club from Chelsea.In response to the tweet, supporters urged the club to give Mata a new contract.

England may only have one manager, but ahead of every World Cup, every fan has his or her own opinion on who should, and shouldn’t be on the plane with the real gaffer. The squad selection is one of the most important decisions for an international manager. Determining who deserves the right to represent their country on the biggest of stages. Whilst every nation has a few stars that are guaranteed their flight ticket, for others there’s a much more nervous wait.

So what about those players fighting for their place on the plane? The inclusion of Theo Walcott in 2006 or Emile Heskey in 2010 shows that no matter old or young, there’s always a chance for a late phone call. Here are 5 players that, with a bit of form and good luck, could shock the pundits and fight their way into World Cup squad, a feat difficult to imagine 12 months ago. It’s not likely, but then again it wouldn’t be a World Cup squad without a surprise inclusion.

Luke Shaw

The Southampton defender is only 18 years-old and yet has already been linked with big money moves to Chelsea and Manchester United.  Shaw has missed just two Premier League matches this season, starting all 14 of his games as he’s helped the Saints to have the joint best defence in the Premier League. But his pace, attacking threat and ability to read the game has led to Shaw being one of the country’s hottest youngsters, earning himself three caps for the Under-21 team since September.

He’s not a very experienced player to be suggested and playing for England in the biggest tournament in World football, but he could be called upon should injuries hit the senior side. Leighton Baines and Ashley Cole are set to continue their battle for the number 1 spot in the side over the remainder of the season, both looking to convince Hodgson that they are the best left-back in the country. But should one of the two be dealt the bitter blow of getting injured for the tournament, suddenly Shaw could be the back-up full-back.

Ravel Morrison

Andros Townsend has been a hit for both Spurs and England this season with his direct, attacking style of football. With a determination to beat defenders, the Tottenham winger has become one of the North London club’s most creative players this campaign. Ravel Morrison is another one of these players. With a statement to make after being sold from Manchester United, Morrison has started to make a name for himself at Upton Park, scoring 3 goals for the Hammers, including a stunning individual effort at White Hart Lane.

His goal scoring ability has been displayed on the Under-21 stage too. As well as scoring two goals against Lithuania Under-21s in October, Morrison was caught on camera scoring an audacious backheel volley during training for the youth side. England have often lacked players with a drive to take on defenders, but with Townsend and Morrison on the pitch, suddenly defenders will fear England’s style of play. Able to play out wide or in the centre of midfield, Morrison could add more flair and drive to Hodgson’s campaign.

Steven Caulker

The 21-year-old has done nearly everything right so far in his brief football career. After joining Spurs from a young age, Caulker was sent on loan to Yeovil, Bristol City and Swansea, to gain vital match experience. It worked too, earning  him a place in England’s Under-19 and Under-21 teams, as well as playing all 5 of Great Britain’s Olympic matches in 2012. But after a year of fighting Jan Vertonghen, Michael Dawson and William Gallas for a place in Tottenham’s first team last season, the youngster moved to Cardiff City in the summer, in the pursuit of regular first team football.

Ever since Rio Ferdinand and John Terry’s retirement from international football, the Three Lions have been left with a lack of depth at centre-back. Cahill and Jagielka are expected to be Hodgson’s starting duo, with Joleon Lescott, Chris Smalling and the injury prone Phil Jones left as England’s only other options. Motivated by playing matches and not earning money for Spurs’ reserves, Caulker has shown his desire to become one of the best centre-backs in England, and could argue his case to get in the World Cup squad should there be a late withdrawals.

Jordan Henderson

The midfielder had a tough time when he first moved to Liverpool, for a surprising £16million fee. But after a long, difficult season, the former Sunderland youngster has turned his performances around over the summer. At first he was winning over a small pocket of Kopites due to his work rate, and persistence to cover every blade of grass. But as the weeks have progressed, more and more fans are starting to like the 23-year-old.

He still has a long way to go to win over all of Liverpool’s faithful, let alone the general public, but the midfielder is definitely showing improvement. His terrific performance during the Reds’ 5-0 win at Spurs, where he stepped in for the injured Steven Gerrard, earned him the man of the match award, and maybe a few more fans. Hodgson has to decide between taking 7 or 8 midfielders to Brazil, but if he continues to shown this much improvement, Henderson could earn himself a plane ticket. A tough task, with Barkley, Wilshere, Lampard, Carrick and Cleverly all fighting to sit with skipper Steven Gerrard in the midfield.

Callum McManaman

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It feels like a long time since the 22-year-old was handed the man of the match award after Wigan’s FA Cup success over Manchester City in May. The attacker scored 3 goals in the Latics’ surprisingly successful campaign, and soon after the press linked him with a move to Everton. But since Wigan got relegated, the Merseyside-born winger has somewhat fallen off everyone’s radar.

Not according to Hodgson himself though, who spoke in November about the chances of McManaman making the trip to Brazil: “We’ve got a few on the fringes who we look at, like Callum McManaman for instance, who could make the squad. We were talking about him the other day. He was flying for Wigan at the end of last season and then he got that unfortunate injury, so he’s one we’ll have a look at. We have been following his progress. There are certain players like that who aren’t out of our radar.” It would be one of the biggest squad surprises for years, but according to the England manager, not impossible.

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Manchester City relinquished the lead twice in a thrilling 3-2 defeat to Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabeu on Tuesday night.

The Premier League title holders were handed the most difficult Champions League opener possible with a trip to the Spanish capital, but acquitted themselves well, with the scoreline still 0-0 at half-time.

Despite Jose Mourinho’s side have the bulk of possession and territory, the visitors went into the lead when Yaya Toure played substitute Edin Dzeko through to slot home.

City’s lead was short-lived however as Marcelo fired home from the edge of the penalty area, with the shot taking a deflection off Javi Garcia.

The Etihad Stadium side refused to give up however and went back into the ascendancy when a devilish Aleksandar Kolarov free-kick evaded everyone to nestle in Iker Casillas’ goal.

With the English team looking for a hard-fought victory, a late flurry by Los Blancos broke City hearts when firstly Karim Benzema fired home after a neat turn, and then Cristiano Ronaldo’s dipping effort beat Joe Hart in the 90th minute.

Roberto Mancini has admitted that he is disappointed with his side dropping too deep and berated the loss of Samir Nasri and Maicon to injury.

“We didn’t lose concentration,” the City boss told Sky Sports.

“We went too deep with the team. All it is, is a mistake.

“In this moment we are disappointed but I think everything has to be more strong in the future.

“We lose two players for injury – Nasri and Maicon.

“And we had a problem because we wanted to change Aguero because we wanted to attack more. Instead we should do this change,” he concluded.

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Borussia Dortmund beat Ajax 1-0 in the other fixture in City’s group.

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Left-back Luke Shaw is ready to fight for his Manchester United place and remain at Old Trafford beyond next summer, according to the Daily Mail.

Meanwhile, the Manchester Evening News report that the Red Devils have absolutely no plans to sell pacy wideman Anthony Martial in this transfer window.

What’s the story, then?

The Mail report that despite Shaw’s issues with Jose Mourinho in the past two seasons, the England international is prepared to stay and fight to get back into the first team at Old Trafford, as he goes into the final year of his contract.

The MEN say that Martial remains very much in Mourinho’s plans for next season and that the former Inter manager will only sanction a transfer if the Frenchman demands it.

Shaw and Martial can add pace and youth

Ashley Young has shown impressive professionalism and adaptability to establish himself as United’s first choice left back but he is nothing more than a quick fix; Shaw’s potential is much greater and the fact he wants to stay and fight shows the attitude Mourinho is looking for.

Martial has Alexis Sanchez and Marcus Rashford to battle past to make the United first team and while that may mean that he doesn’t start every week, the Frenchman should see more gametime.

Before Shaw broke his leg early on in the 2015/16 season, he was forging an impressive link-up with Memphis Depay, another pacy wide forward who likes to cut inside from the left and there is no reason why he could do similar with Martial.

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This United team lacks pace and intensity in a major way; Young cannot provide it as well as Shaw could while Martial deserves more opportunities to play in front of him.

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According to reports in The Mirror, West Ham United are willing to listen to offers for striker Javier Hernandez just six months after former manager Slaven Bilic signed him in a £16m deal from Bayer Leverkusen.

The Mirror says that the Mexico international has failed to settle at the London Stadium playing for a team that has been struggling towards the wrong end of the Premier League table all season, and he has scored just four goals in 20 matches in all competitions for the Irons.

The 29-year-old has been left isolated, failed to win many headers or hold the ball up when he has been asked to play as the lone striker, and he was substituted off early in the east London outfit’s previous two matches against Tottenham Hotspur in the top flight and League One Shrewsbury Town in the FA Cup.

Teammates Michail Antonio and Marko Arnautovic have even started in place of the former Manchester United man in recent weeks despite the role being relatively unfamiliar to them, which suggested that there was no future for him under David Moyes.

Meanwhile, the Leicester Mercury reported on Thursday that Leicester City are open to offers for club-record signing Islam Slimani, who like Hernandez has failed to make too much of an impact at his current side following a £30m transfer from Sporting Lisbon in 2016.

Out of favour at the King Power Stadium, the Irons could be making a shrewd move if they bring the Algeria international, who is rated at £19.8m according to Transfermarkt, to the capital before January 31.

Here are three reasons West Ham must sign Slimani if they sell Hernandez this month…

Goal record

West Ham thought that Hernandez may finally be the prolific goalscorer they have long been searching for, but it hasn’t proven to be the case so far.

The Irons will once again look to solve that issue if they do sell the Mexico international this month, and they could certainly do a lot worse than take a closer look at Slimani.

While the 29-year-old has struggled to dislodge Jamie Vardy at the King Power Stadium, he has still scored 13 goals in 45 appearances in all competitions for the Foxes despite the majority of his outings coming from the substitutes’ bench.

Meanwhile, his total of 57 in 111 for Sporting Lisbon previously and 26 in 55 for Algeria certainly proves that he knows where the goal is.

His qualities

You ideally need to have some height and strength to play the lone striker role in the Premier League for a team like West Ham, and that has perhaps been Hernandez’s shortfall this season in a struggling West Ham team.

Slimani would likely be much better suited to the position though, seeing as he stands at 6ft 2in tall and is known for his aerial prowess.

Those attributes would allow him to bring his teammates into play, but that isn’t the only part of his game though and he showed with a brilliant dinked finish in Leicester’s win against Huddersfield on New Year’s Day that he is pretty handy with the ball at his feet too.

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Point to prove

If Slimani does join another Premier League side this month, he will certainly have a big point to prove that he should not be starting at this level, but also that he is able to score regularly as long as he is given consistent opportunities in the starting XI.

The 29-year-old has shown during his career that he isn’t afraid of a battle, and he certainly wouldn’t be averse to throwing his weight around up top in order to help West Ham avoid being involved in a relegation battle in the second-half of the campaign.

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

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Manuel Pellegrini’s first season in charge of Manchester City has started off with an interesting twist to what most fans predicted.

While they continue to run riot at the Etihad, humiliating every team that visits, City look indecisive away from home, with just one Premier League win on the road so far this campaign and an extra-time victory over Newcastle United at St. James’ Park in Round 4 of the Capital One Cup.

Losses to Aston Villa, Sunderland, Cardiff City and Chelsea have prevented them from topping the division and mounting a serious challenge to bring the league title back to the blue half of Manchester.

Pellegrini’s side looks devastating at home, scoring 35 goals at the Etihad already, which is more than any other top-flight team have managed both home and away all season. But they’ve managed to find the net on just 12 occasions on the road, which will be big cause for concern for Pellegrini.

Added to the pressure of improving away results, Pellegrini is expected to win at least one piece of silverware in his first Etihad season. The Capital One Cup provides City with the perfect opportunity to do just that, especially as they have avoided rivals United and Chelsea by drawing Championship side Leicester City.

However, if they had been drawn at home you could have bet your house on them progressing through to the semi-finals with ease, but a trip to the King Power Stadium doesn’t appear to be as straight forward considering how their season has gone so far.

Promotion hopefuls Leicester saw off Premier League Fulham in Round 4 and will believe that they can cause arguably the upset of Round 5 by disposing of travelsick City. The Foxes’ form at the King Power Stadium is also pretty strong, with just one loss in the Championship so far this season.

Despite this, though, City have to put an end to their away day woes sooner rather than later and it’s all but certain that, as soon as they regain their confidence away from the Etihad, their season will be notched up a gear and they’ll be there-or-there-abouts in all the competitions in which they’re competing for this season.

The prospect of a Capital One Cup semi-final will be an attractive one for Pellegrini, and the strength in depth he has at his disposal suggests he can perhaps be confident that the Citizens can get the job done.

The most important thing for the Chilean boss, though, is to become more consistent away from home, and a trip to Leicester in the Capital One Cup could be the perfect place to start. 

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Scotland drew their second World Cup qualifier on Tuesday, with a 1-1 draw against Macedonia at Hampden Park.

Nikoclhe Noveski had given the visitors a shock lead, before Kenny Miller equalised for the spoils to be shared.

Pressure is mounting on Scotland boss Craig Levein after a less than convincing performance, but the manager is refusing to panic.

“I feel that this job was always going to be difficult but things are going reasonably well,” he told Sky Sports.

“Today was a little bit disappointing we did not pick up the (full) points. But I look at the situation in the table – three teams on four points and we are on two.

“We are one win away from going top of the group.

“As I keep saying, until this qualification campaign is over, we will not know what are good points and what are bad points.

“We have to wait and see.

“I am a little bit disappointed. I was hoping to win the game.

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“But I said at the start of this competition that every team will drop points and it will be extremely difficult because I think there is a not a lot between the teams.

“That showed tonight. I thought Macedonia were an extremely good team,” he concluded.