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Arsenal had a night to forget yesterday as their 19-game unbeaten run was drawn to a close by Southampton, who secured a 2-0 victory at the Emirates Stadium to send the Gunners crashing out of the EFL Cup.

Arsene Wenger’s team selection was criticised by many on social media, who believed he wasn’t taking the competition seriously, but the Frenchman had little choice at right-back but to select Carl Jenkinson, with Hector Bellerin and Mathieu Debuchy both injured.

Unfortunately Jenkinson, who struggled against Paris Saint-Germain last week, put in another performance to forget and the fans were not happy with what they saw from the England international.

Jenkinson, a boyhood fan of the Gunners, spent the last two-years on-loan at West Ham and it seems the spell with the Hammers hasn’t helped his long-term future in North London, with fans now wanting to see the back of him imminently.

Unfortunately for them, Jenkinson is likely to stay in the side until Bellerin returns from injury.

Manchester United’s Premier League clash with Tottenham Hotspur this weekend is our Fixture in Focus here at FootballFanCast.

Separated by just one place – albeit, also six points – in the Premier League table, the 2:15pm kick-off at Old Trafford looks set to be an incredibly tight affair as both sides look to claw their way back into the title race and avoid a defeat that will eliminate them from it completely.

Indeed, Spurs and the Red Devils find themselves pretty much on equal terms these days and the difference in quality between the two teams is probably the slimmest it’s ever been.

With that in mind, we asked Manchester United fans a simple question earlier this week; which Tottenham stars would you like to see Jose Mourinho sign over the next few transfer windows?

Well, the results of our exclusive poll are now in and FFC can reveal the five Lilywhites stars who made our top five…

5. Dele Alli

Undoubtedly one of English football’s most exciting young talents, it’s no surprise to see Dele Alli claim a place in the top five. The attacking midfielder has been nothing short of sensational since jumping up to the top flight from League One, going on to grab 13 goals in 41 Premier League outings for Spurs – including a return of three in eight so far this season. Nimble and technical yet energetic and aggressive, the goalscoring midfielder has all the traits of a modern day No.8.

The attacking midfielder has been nothing short of sensational since jumping up to the top flight from League One, going on to grab 13 goals in 41 Premier League outings for Spurs – including a return of three in eight so far this season. Nimble and technical yet energetic and aggressive, the goalscoring midfielder has all the traits of a modern day No.8.

4. Danny Rose

Manchester United have endured their fair share of problems at left-back this season, with four players featuring at No.3 already – Daley Blind, Marcos Rojo, Matteo Darmian and Luke Shaw – but none seemingly doing enough to convince Jose Mourinho of their worth the role full-time. Danny Rose would be an ideal solution; under Mauricio Pochettino, the England international has emerged as one of the

Danny Rose would be an ideal solution; under Mauricio Pochettino, the England international has emerged as one of the best attacking left-backs in Europe, let alone the Premier League and is blessed with blistering pace and the determination to impact on the overlap.

3. Kyle Walker

Man United fans don’t seem too convinced by their options on the other side of defence either, with right-back Kyle Walker ranking third in our poll. Much like Rose, the once inconsistent defender has blossomed under Pochettino, using his phenomenal athleticism to contribute at both ends of the pitch. Antonio Valencia has performed well at No.2 this season but the England international represents a much better long-term option, with plenty of football still ahead of him at just 26 years of age.

Much like Rose, the once inconsistent defender has blossomed under Pochettino, using his phenomenal athleticism to contribute at both ends of the pitch. Antonio Valencia has performed well at No.2 this season but the England international represents a much better long-term option, with plenty of football still ahead of him at just 26 years of age.

2. Harry Kane

Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s Old Trafford career could well come to an end when his contract expires at the end of the season and the Spurs centre-forward would be a more than worthy successor. Indeed, Harry Kane has scored a staggering 50 goals in his last 70 Premier League appearances, including a potent return of seven goals in nine games this season despite missing a significant chunk of the campaign through injury. A move to Old Trafford has often been mooted in the tabloids, but would undoubtedly set United back an astronomical fee.

Indeed, Harry Kane has scored a staggering 50 goals in his last 70 Premier League appearances, including a potent return of seven goals in nine games this season despite missing a significant chunk of the campaign through injury. A move to Old Trafford has often been mooted in the tabloids, but would undoubtedly set United back an astronomical fee.

1. Toby Alderweireld

Since arriving in England, initially with Southampton, few Premier League centre-backs have surpassed the form of Toby Alderweireld, who appears to be the total package.

The Belgium international asserts his physicality in the air and on the deck but can also play out of the back and keeps an incredibly cool head throughout all he does – he’s yet to pick up a yellow card from eight top-flight appearances so far this season. Manchester United are yet to find the defensive solidity often synonymous with Mourinho sides, but signing Alderweireld would unquestionably improve them at the back.

Click through to the next page to see the results of our poll in full…

Results

He’s Manchester City’s new Mario Balotelli, they say. He’s becoming a liability. With three sendings off already this season, Fernandinho is costing his team more than he’s helping them. And how, by the way, can a team who average 60% possession or so over all their Premier League games manage so many red cards? Maybe Pep Guardiola should start to coach tackling – his players might benefit from some instruction.

As City can’t find a consistency, as they can’t find the intensity or the penetration that Guardiola wants, and as they can’t find a way of keeping the opposition from scoring, there was always going to be criticism – fair criticism, indeed. There’s plenty to criticise with Guardiola this season. And although City is certainly his biggest managerial challenge, this is also surely his worst season as a manager to date. That doesn’t mean he’s failing.

But the criticism of Fernandinho is over the top. It exposes a reading of football that depends on consequences rather than what actually happened. It’s as if the stats matter more than the performances, as if what you can print on the page matters more than what happens on the pitch.

A look at Fernandinho’s red cards shows that.

Three in half a season looks bad – it is bad. It’s bad in a strict, consequentialist sense. But before you start questioning discipline and calling him a liability, you need to look at what happened.

His first red card of the season came against Borussia Monchengladbach in the Champions League. By all accounts, it was a baffling second yellow card. Fernandinho was adjudged to have pulled the shirt of an opponent who was running past him, but there wasn’t much in it. It wasn’t an obvious shirt pull, and if there was one, it was minimal. On another day, he’d have got away with it.

His second red card was a straight red received against Chelsea in a melee following a shocking Sergio Aguero tackle on David Luiz (himself lucky to have been on the pitch to receive a knock to the knee). Though, once again, Fernandinho can count himself a little unlucky to have been provoked by Cesc Fabregas.

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Only the Burnley red card was a definite one that was Fernandinho’s fault in its entirety. The others can be excused, but a two-footed tackle shows a lack of discipline.

That’s technical discipline, though. The kind of self-restraint you need to show on a football pitch, but not necessarily in life. It’s the same kind of discipline you need in order to hold your run to stay onside, but not the same kind of discipline that you need not to punch Diego Costa. That’s a different kind of physical urge.

It’s also true that it wasn’t a terrible tackle. It was a red card, but certainly not the worst one you’ve ever seen. Another technical red card, a letter of the law red card. Fair enough.

But that’s not enough to make him Manchester City’s liability, it’s not enough to mount an inquisition, and it’s not enough to question City’s discipline. It is, however, enough to make you question whether or not the people who set the agenda ever actually watch football, or whether they just read about it afterwards, quoting stats to back them up without ever explaining the action behind the stat.

Stats are important, but they don’t tell us everything. They are complimentary, but you also need to watch the game to see what really happened. Otherwise we’ll lose all nuance in a game where nuance is the best part.

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Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson could make his return to action against Manchester United on Sunday after he and Joel Matip stepped up their recovery from injuries, reports the Liverpool Echo.

The midfielder has been on the sidelines since suffering a heel problem during the Reds’ 1-0 victory over Manchester City on New Year’s Eve.

Matip has had a longer spell on the treatment table, spending almost five weeks out of the team after picking up an ankle injury last month.

The Liverpool Echo claims, though, that both players will resume full training this week ahead of what could be a pivotal clash in the Reds’ Premier League title campaign.

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The pair did not travel with the squad to the South Coast for Wednesday’s EFL Cup semi-final clash against Southampton, which ended in a 1-0 defeat.

The local publication speculates that Henderson could be included in Jurgen Klopp’s matchday squad for the clash against United, but it is expected to be too soon for Matip.

Liverpool have gone three games in all competitions without a win, and they have failed to score in the last two.

They currently sit five points adrift of league leaders Chelsea, and if they lose this weekend, United will be just two points behind them in the table.

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Jose Mourinho cut a frustrated figure following Manchester United’s goalless stalemate with Hull City at Old Trafford, and his post-match interviews were spiky.

While speaking to the press, the Portuguese coach took aim at his Liverpool counterpart Jurgen Klopp following his touchline behaviour at Anfield on Tuesday night.

Klopp was spotted screaming in fourth official Neil Swarbrick’s face after goalkeeper Simon Mignolet saved Diego Costa’s second-half penalty during the 1-1 draw against Chelsea.

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The German coach told reporters after the game that he shouted, “No-one can beat us,” and he swiftly apologised to Swarbrick, who apparently said that he liked Klopp’s passion.

Mourinho did not name him directly, but he referred to the incident, suggesting that his fellow manager has got away with it, while he himself would have been sent to the stands for similar antics.

Liverpool fans were quick to give their responses to Mourinho’s claims on Twitter, with plenty accusing the 54-year-old of being ‘obsessed’ with his Merseyside rivals.

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As Leo Tolstoy once said: “The two most powerful warriors are patience and time.”

Tolstoy couldn’t have realised at the time but patience has been the warrior that has been Liverpool’s greatest foe this season.

The Reds supporters should be used to disappointment at this point of the season, as the club once again found themselves on the losing side in a 2-0 defeat against Hull.

Liverpool dominated possession and shots but had nothing to show for it. The past month has not only dashed any chance the Reds had of winning the Premier League but has provided other teams with the blueprint to beat them.

If you want to beat Liverpool all you have to do is be patient, sit back and let them beat themselves.

Hull’s victory have shown that if you sit back, clog the middle of the park and block shots it does a great deal to disrupt Liverpool’s attack.

Hull used a 4-2-3-1 formation to pack out the midfield and were content on letting Liverpool possess the ball around the perimeter for much of the time, sitting back and waiting for an opportunity to counter. This works because Liverpool have lapses in concentration that allow teams to be very successful on the counter attack.

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Klopp and company enjoyed 72.2% of the ball and had 15 corners to Hull’s one, but that one corner led to a goal after Liverpool failed to clear their lines and left Alfred N’Diaye unmarked.

Liverpool’s inability to make the most of their chances against Hull is a microcosm of their play over the last month. For large portions they control play but the opposing team will counter, leaving Liverpool finding themselves behind and trying to dig themselves out of trouble.

Since the start of January, Liverpool’s attack have been a shell of its former self, which had them at the top of the Premier League in goals scored. In all fairness to Klopp’s side, Coutinho has yet to return to his best after coming back from injury while Mane was playing in the AFCON, so it makes sense that the club have lost a bit of the cohesion that made their attack a nightmare to defend against earlier this season.

That doesn’t excuse their anemic attacking effort because even without getting help from some of their elite players, only scoring seven goals in the 10 matches since their turn of the year is not going to get the job done.

By taking away the middle of the field and cutting down on easy scoring opportunities in the box, Hull challenged Liverpool to settle for contested shots. Of Liverpool’s 22 shots, half of them were blocked.

Liverpool have been struggling to finish attacking chances and by Hull’s decision to invite pressure it builds up frustration for the Reds and prevents them from gaining any momentum.

If you can weather the storm of Liverpool’s barrage there are holes to exploit in Liverpool’s defence.

As frustrating as it is for the fans to see Liverpool control the pace of play and the ball for large portions of the game it must be even more frustrating for Klopp and his players.

One can think of Hull’s style against Liverpool in the context of two men in a boxing match. Liverpool is the stronger fighter, has the capabilities to throw a knockout punch at any moment, but can be coaxed into letting their guard down.

Hull does not possess the ability to match Liverpool punch for punch and therfore has to be careful about taking chances as to not leave themselves exposed. By defending against the big shot and haymakers, they can limit the barrage of shots Liverpool hits them with.

Hull keeps Liverpool at a safe reach with jabs to make sure they don’t take a knock-out punch. Liverpool gets frustrated and tries to force something. It is at this moment where there is an opening that Hull lands a decisive blow.

If clubs are going to defend against Liverpool in this way, though, how can they beat it?

There are a few possible moves that can be made to try and exploit this style of defence. One way to try and take advantage of an overly defensive approach is to put a lot of players into the box and use softly hit high chips that have a lot of backspin. This will allow attackers to have an easier time judging the ball and moving to a position where they can score a header or get a one touch shot.

Liverpool are going to have to try something to counteract what clubs like Hull have been able to do against them or an uplift in form could be a long time coming.

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Cesc Fabregas hasn’t quite put in the level of performances he did in his first season back in the Premier League, where he helped guide Chelsea to the league title, with the Spaniard struggling for form in an awful campaign for the Blues last term.

This year, Chelsea have improved but the shift in tactics adopted by Antonio Conte, and the arrival of midfield enforcer N’Golo Kante, has meant Fabregas has had to deal with limited openings in the first-team.

That’s led to suggestions that Fabregas could leave Stamford Bridge this summer, especially if the Blues bring in more midfield faces this summer, but the player himself seals determined to stay on in West London.

Fabregas wrote ‘100th starts for Chelsea’ on Instagram after the Blues’ FA Cup fifth-round victory over Wolves at the weekend, where he won Man of the Match, and then liked a fans reply that read; ‘can’t wait for another 100’.

The social media activity from the Spanish international suggests he’s keen to remain at Chelsea, although it’s certainly not providing a definitive answer to the questions regarding his future.

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Sergio Aguero has two options, but both of them require him to do exactly the same thing.

Option number one is to stay at Manchester City for the long haul and wrestle his place back. The arrival of Gabriel Jesus seemed to push the Argentine into the cold. He was City’s top scorer, the man who provided the spark for the team to go from a team pushing for Champions League football into one that could actually win league titles, and he turned himself into one of the world’s best strikers in the process. And yet there he was cast out of the side because a Brazilian teenager can do more sprints and close down defenders more often.

Jesus’s injury makes it – at this juncture – impossible to tell what would have happened next, or what might happen when the young Brazilian comes back from his time on the treatment table. It’s entirely possible that Aguero remains as City’s number one choice in the striker’s role. It’s possible that Jesus was preferred to Aguero only for a few games, as the fresh pair of energetic legs impressed in training, but wouldn’t have been able to keep it up long term, even if he didn’t pick up an injury.

It’s also possible that Pep Guardiola sees a way to keep Jesus and Aguero in the same team in the long term – though the form of Leroy Sane and Raheem Sterling make that somewhat unlikely.

If any of these long-term options are to pan out, though, Aguero needs to grab his chance. When Jesus was injured against Bournemouth, it looked as if he realised that. He jumped up quickly to put on his shirt and, although it went down as a Tyrone Mings own goal, he was instrumental in applying the crucial touch for City’s second goal. Since then, two goals in a stunning comeback against Monaco brought his tally to 17 goals in all competitions this season. An assist in that game, too, won’t have weakened his cause.

But there still seems to be an underlying doubt about Aguero’s future at City. As hard as he appears to be working to try and mould his game to Guardiola’s demands, there does now appear to be more paper talk about his exit. A move to Real Madrid is being reported as a rumour, and although there’s little to suggest that it could be any more than that, it’s certainly the type of rumour that makes sense given the context.

That’s option number two. It may not be Real Madrid who come calling, but there are any number of top European clubs who would jump at the chance to have Aguero in their team. Yet in order to get a top move, he has to prove that he can still find the net regularly. And that means playing – and scoring – for Manchester City.

In order to play, though, he needs to prove to his current manager that he can add to the team.

So if he wants a move away from the club, or if he wants to stay and fight for his place over the long term, when Jesus is back to fitness, Aguero still needs to prove that he can do what Guardiola asks of him.

But if it looks like Aguero is making an effort to change his game and fit into his manager’s plans, it could well be because this is his only way of getting playing time now and a big move in the summer.

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According to reports in The Sun, Everton midfielder Idrissa Gueye is a summer target for Arsenal, who want to turn him into their own N’Golo Kante.

What’s the story, then?

Well, the Senegal international has been one of the best performers in his position this season in a role that seems to be more and more important when you look at the impact Kante has made at Leicester City and Chelsea.

Scouts of the north London club have been watching Gueye closely and believe he has all of the attributes to do a similar job for them as the one that Kante is currently doing for the Premier League leaders.

Would Everton cash in on him?

Let’s just say, it would probably need a big offer to even attract their interest.

The Toffees signed him from relegated Aston Villa for just £7.1m in the summer, but as Ronald Koeman looks for his side to challenge for the Champions League spots in the future, it would surely have to be a sizeable bid to convince the Merseyside club to sell.

A new contract is already said to be in the pipeline for the Senegalese midfielder.

How good is he?

If his 18 months in the Premier League so far are anything to go by, then he is clearly very good.

In fact, statistically he was only second to Kante in terms of tackles and interceptions despite of Villa’s dismal campaign, and he was the best in Europe in his position over the whole of 2016.

Could Everton replace him?

Steve Walsh, Everton’s director of football, discovered Kante during his time with Leicester and then recommended Gueye to the Toffees last summer, so he would certainly be confident that he could find a similar player next summer – and probably at a reasonable fee too.

Newcastle United look set to return to the Premier League at the first time of asking this summer, but the real challenge comes next season – when the Magpies will have to hold their own in the increasingly competitive English top flight.

Indeed, Rafa Benitez will need to make a few more signings in the coming transfer window to further boost an impressive squad and most expect Newcastle to turn to foreign leagues once again, the main recruitment strategy during their last stint in the Premier League.

But that transfer policy caused as many problems as it solved for last time and there’s plenty of quality in the Championship, already well-acquainted with the unique challenges of English football. Indeed, it’s the most lucrative, most watched and most competitive second tier in the world by some distance.

With that in mind, we asked Newcastle fans earlier this week to vote for which Championship stars from rival clubs they’d like to see Benitez move for this summer. The results of our exclusive poll are now in, so here’s a rundown of the top three…

3. Anthony Knockaert

A very strong candidate for Player of the Year, nobody in the Championship has excited Brighton fans and neutrals alike quite like Anthony Knockaert this season. Borderline unstoppable when coming inside on his left foot, the French magician has conjured up 13 goals and seven assists in 37 outings this term, serving as the Seagulls’ talisman as they look to hold onto the second automatic promotion spot. Knockaert’s top flight dream turned into a nightmare at Leicester City but whether it’s with Brighton or another club, he looks almost certain to be running at defences in the Premier League next term.

2. Ryan Sessegnon

Is there a more impressive youngster in English football right now? Indeed, Ryan Sessegnon is just 16 years of age and more often than not lines up at left-back, but already has six senior goals under his belt after making his Fulham debut this season – including a brace against Newcastle earlier this month and a strike past Premier League outfit Hull City in the Third Round of the FA Cup. Quickly gaining admirers from the very top end of the Premier League, however, any potential interest from Newcastle is likely to be dwarfed.

1. Tom Cairney

The second Fulham star to make the top three and with good reason – promotion may be prove to be beyond the west Londoners this season but they’ve been good value, scoring the second-most goals of any Championship side. Our poll’s winner Tom Cairney has been crucial in that, creating a staggering 95 chances, nine of which were converted, and putting away a further nine himself. Having also thoroughly impressed during his time at Blackburn Rovers and upon his debut for the Scottish national team, the 26-year-old looks more than ready for top flight football and could be a realistic rival star for Newcastle to bring with them to the Premier League.

Results

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