1
Hodgson targets ‘derby’ tonic as carousel spins
After the departure of Steve Cooper from Forest, there is an interesting potential candidate available for the next vacant Premier League job. Crystal Palace are known admirers of Cooper, while Roy Hodgson has tasted victory once in his past 10 matches – and that was away at Burnley. The positivity of securing a late draw at the Etihad after coming back from two goals down will be a boon for Palace’s manager but this needs to be built on and a home “derby” is a good place to do it, if he does not want his job to be under threat. Brighton are wicked opponents for a team in trouble but when a crisis arrives it is sensible to attack it head on. Victory will make many of Hodgson’s problems go away, otherwise the shadow of Cooper may start looming over him. Will Unwin
2
Villa’s room to breathe brings Emery comfort
The conversation surrounding Aston Villa centres on their title credentials but privately, Unai Emery must also take comfort in the nine-point buffer to sixth-placed Newcastle. Last week, perhaps in an attempt to dampen the noise, Emery said qualifying for the Europa League was still his target. Villa are five points above fifth-placed Spurs and the visit of Sheffield United offers a golden chance to make it an incredible 16 straight league wins at Villa Park, and an opportunity to create further breathing space. Victory would also hoist Villa to the top of the pile – at least until Liverpool meet Arsenal on Saturday – and strengthen their chances of cementing a top-four berth in the second half of the season. On the face of it, Chris Wilder’s side represent relatively easy prey compared to Manchester City and Arsenal, but Emery knows nothing is a formality. Ben Fisher
3
Moyes can make hay against unkempt United
It was job done for Manchester United at Liverpool last Sunday, even if Virgil van Dijk didn’t care much for the overly defensive display of Erik ten Hag’s team in the 0-0 Anfield bore draw. For much of this season, United have resembled flaky social media scrollers stumbling on an inspirational lifestyle quote. They take in the message, act it out for one game and promptly forget all about it for the next. So having “stayed strong when adversity beckons most” or some such meme at Liverpool, will the Red Devils be able to summon up the same level of recall and tenacity for an early kick-off away at West Ham ? Former Old Trafford manager David Moyes had struggled when coming up against United. But last season’s 1-0 victory over Ten Hag’s team could be a turning point and the Hammers have the class to cash in on any drop in standards from their wildly inconsistent opponents, however bad they were at Liverpool on Wednesday night. David Tindall
4
Leno’s form may make Gunners fans wistful
While Fulham have been rightly lauded for their goalscoring exploits at Craven Cottage in recent weeks, it’s at the other end of the pitch where praise should be forthcoming too. Scoring 10 goals in back-to-back home wins grabbed the headlines but clean sheets in both those games allowed Fulham’s forwards the freedom to excel. Only the top four in the Premier League have conceded fewer home goals than Fulham’s nine, and credit must go to Bernd Leno, whose five clean sheets this season is only bettered by three other top-flight keepers. In terms of total saves and save percentage his numbers are outstanding, and yet the German still flies under the radar. While the eye-catching displays of Emiliano Martínez for Aston Villa still cause regret among Arsenal fans who insisted he should never have been sold, Leno’s performances suggest the Argentinian isn’t the only former Arsenal stopper who could be bringing more stability to the Emirates rearguard than either David Raya or Aaron Ramsdale. DT
5
Trippier needs chance to turn the tide
Football is one of the great short-term industries; three draws is a crisis and strikers not scoring in four means their career is over. Kieran Trippier is the latest to face questions after a number of high-profile errors in recent matches that have brought widespread criticism. The full-back is clearly short of confidence which has led to further mistakes, causing an unfortunate night at Stamford Bridge on Tuesday. There is limited chance of Eddie Howe taking him out of the team on Saturday. That could work to Trippier’s advantage because he, like all footballers, is one good performance away from being back in form. For Trippier, a last-ditch tackle, the perfect corner or a free-kick from distance could all be the moment to turn the page, and he will be eager to prove his doubters wrong. WU
6
Blossoming Cherries offer Nuno stiff first test
Nottingham Forest’s new manager has a tough opening match. Nuno Espírito Santo has replaced the most popular man in Nottingham, Steve Cooper, and his appointment has been met with a collective shrug by supporters. The Portuguese has enjoyed success in the Premier League with Wolves but spells at Spurs and Al-Ittihad have dropped his reputation a notch or two. He will be desperate to show that he is an elite level manager once more but will need the support of those inside the ground to help spur on his new charges after a desperate run that helped end Cooper’s time in charge. Bournemouth are a team on the up and their aggression has proved too much for many teams. They breezed to victory at Manchester United in their last away game and will not provide much of a welcoming party for Nuno. WU
7
Fill-in Skipp ready for rare Spurs chance
It has been a frustrating season for Oliver Skipp at Tottenham – ever-present in the matchday squad and yet never totally there, making only two starts (failed to complete the 90 minutes on both occasions), plus 11 appearances as a substitute. Having finished last season strongly, the 23-year-old had hoped for more under Ange Postecoglou. Skipp sees himself as a No 6 and it has to vex him that his new manager appears to consider him a No 8. There is no chance that Skipp will seek a January loan but his longer-term situation at Spurs is fluid. More immediately, with Yves Bissouma suspended again and Rodrigo Bentancur on a lengthy injury list, Skipp will hope to start against Everton. Postecoglou also has Pierre Emile-Højbjerg as an option for the No 6 role. David Hytner
8
Arsenal’s title aspirations face Anfield test
The battle for the Christmas No 1 spot pits together two teams who share the best defensive records in the Premier League, quiet satisfaction over their current positions, and questions over whether they possess the quality and depth to withstand Manchester City’s presumed recovery over the next five months. Roberto De Zerbi said Arsenal were the best team Brighton had faced this season following their 2-0 defeat at the Emirates last Sunday, where the central defensive partnership of Gabriel and William Saliba once again gave Mikel Arteta’s leaders a solid foundation. They should anticipate a severe test at Anfield, where Arsenal have not won in the league since 2012, although Jürgen Klopp will expect far more from Darwin Núñez and Luis Díaz following their ineffective displays in the stalemate with Manchester United. Núñez impressed in the Carabao Cup rout of West Ham on Wednesday and the two South Americans may need to take more attacking responsibility from Mohamed Salah for the hosts to deliver a statement result. Andy Hunter
From the moment in October when the Premier League confirmed Wolves would host Chelsea on Christmas Eve – the first top-flight fixture to be played on the day since 1995 – there was widespread resignation. The likelihood of getting the game, televised in the UK on Sky Sports, moved was always slim to zero. Both teams have long since embraced the reality, Mauricio Pochettino accepting almost all of his 31st wedding anniversary will be spent in Wolverhampton. Pochettino joked it would be a tough sell for his wife, Karina, to join him in the Midlands. The cold reality is that for Pochettino, it represents another awkward hurdle. Chelsea will be expected to win but have taken just six points from the last available 15, three of which came against bottom club Sheffield United. Wolves equally could do with a result to generate some festive cheer after one win in their last five games. BF
Thank you very much for your readership of our weekly Premier League preview and Monday review columns this year. I have written countless entries and it is always fun to try and be concise on these matters, even if thousands of words could be written on some topics. You may not always agree with our writers’ views, whether you are a fan or a club press officer getting really annoyed about something relatively minor, but we really appreciate you coming back time and time again to this feature. There will be a little festive break for all things that come in 10s, but the talking points will return on New Year’s Day with a bang or whimper, depending on how your team has done. Wishing you a very Merry Christmas, see you in 2024. WU
