Sam Preston Archives: 11/2018

Saturday’s thrashing of Chelsea was the first time in nearly seven months that Harry Kane, Dele Alli, Christian Eriksen and Son Heung-Min have started a Premier League game, which may go some way to explaining Tottenham’s creative struggles this season.

The 20-year-old stopper kept a clean sheet on his debut against Bristol City and with Reading looking like another very winnable match, there is no reason for Marcelo Bielsa to rush to make a change.

Reports suggest that Ranieri is set for a raid on his former club Leicester City in order to boost his side’s survival hopes but aging legs are not necessarily what’s needed at Craven Cottage.

The Merseyside rivals could be set for a January battle for Tanguy N’Dombele of Lyon, so we’ve taken a look at which of the clubs needs the holding midfielder more.

Crystal Palace only had two Premier League clean sheets to their name before the trip to Old Trafford but that shut out against Manchester United should give Roy Hodgson confidence that his side can be more solid against Burnley on Saturday.

Emery switched to a 3-4-2-1 formation for the trip to Bournemouth on Sunday and his big tactical dilemma ahead of the weekend’s clash with Tottenham is whether to stick with that system or revert back to the more conventional four man defence.

It has pretty much been plain sailing all the way for Nuno Santo since he was appointed Wolves manager last summer but now he faces his first major setback with his side on a run of five games without a win.

Southampton have lost sight of what made them an exciting and well-run club but appointing Brendan Rodgers – or alternative candidate Peter Bosz – would be a step towards getting that identity back.

Bolasie has been forced to wait for his chance to really impress Dean Smith but Albert Adomah’s injury in the Second City derby could hand the Everton loanee that opportunity.

Eden Hazard is on Real Madrid’s radar but Christian Eriksen put him in the shade and looked more like a superstar on Saturday evening.

Adam has said that the size of Steven Gerrard’s Rangers squad would make a return to Ibrox but that is not the only reason it would not be a good idea.

Marco Silva has added style to Everton’s attacking play but ugly wins like Saturday’s 1-0 victory against Cardiff City will be vital if the Toffees are to crack the top six.

Alan Hutton sealed Villa’s 4-2 derby win over bitter rivals Birmingham City with a stunning solo strike and unsurprisingly, the fans were absolutely loving it.

Liverpool drew 3-3 at Vicarage Road last season so Saturday’s 3-0 win at the same ground shows that Jurgen Klopp has been able to maintain his side’s attacking potency while tightening them up at the back this season.

There has been talk about how Palace need a goalscorer like Glenn Murray, who was sold by Alan Pardew, but letting go of Gayle in 2016 was also a mistake as the Eagles desperately lack goals.