Arteta must find solutions quickly
Every Premier League manager is under pressure and every Arsenal manager is under pressure, but if results don’t improve soon, Mikel Arteta will soon experience an intensified version of the pressure. Although he has done a good job in recent seasons, he has been cashed out and now has a player he likes in every position, along with several alternatives, making success no longer a bonus, but a necessity. However, opponents now have a better understanding of how to stop his team, by picking off their wide attackers to force play onto the pitch where only Martin Ødegaard can reliably create, and they also lack the kind of reliable goalscorer who is capable of making poor to make good on performances – or, as happened against Liverpool, make sure the good ones don’t go unrewarded. A new striker could help, but Arteta also needs to adapt his side’s style, and quickly, to prevent the season – and perhaps his players’ buy-in – from running away from him. Daniel Harris
Sunderland slide up and down the pitch
It’s been a sobering few days for Sunderland. They were outplayed by Newcastle, with their possession-oriented approach poorly exposed by a team adept at pressing and a lack of pace or height in the forward areas, leaving them with no alternative strategy. But the distance they still have to cover off the field also came to light. The naive decision to redesign the Black Cats Bar with Newcastle slogans is the latest example of fans feeling the new management is neglecting them and their views. No one doubts that Kyril Louis-Dreyfus has inherited a mess, and under his ownership the club has been promoted and hovering on the edge of the play-offs, while its financial situation has improved significantly. But the decline of the Stadium of Light has continued. The North Stand roof is leaking, very few hand dryers in the toilets are working and the whole place needs a makeover (not to mention the lack of functioning screens and intermittent WiFi in the press box). What should be an asset is starting to look poor. Jonathan Wilson
Gilmour fulfills his potential
Roberto De Zerbi named Jan Paul van Hecke and Billy Gilmour as two of Brighton’s best players. The latter struggled for minutes at the start of last season and his move from Chelsea may not have seemed to work out. At Stoke he was a regular in midfield against a tough Championship opponent, keeping things moving as Brighton took their time to get going. He repeatedly found clever passes to break the lines and maintained discipline as the likes of Van Hecke sprinted behind him to join the attacks. João Pedro grabs the headlines, but there are a number of Brighton players who are constantly improving under De Zerbi’s gaze. Gilmour has already played more games this season than last and will be a key figure for Scotland at the European Championship. He’s ready to take center stage. Will win
De Bruyne’s return is a huge boost
Kevin De Bruyne’s return from the 57th minute against Huddersfield was very welcome. City have missed him even though they are within striking distance of the top of the Premier League. Although Rodri has taken charge of the team, no one, even within City’s all-conquering squad, can match the Belgian’s qualities as the team’s creative director and source of inspiration. His auburn hair has grown longer than last season, his body a little bulkier. Last season, De Bruyne sacrificed himself for the cause and later admitted he had played with a broken hamstring. In his absence, Phil Foden and Bernardo Silva have shown their qualities, but neither has De Bruyne’s direct, action-packed style. Nor do they have quite the same telepathic bond with Erlng Haaland, another recent absentee. He is now 32, while frequent injuries can hamper even the best players. City fans will appreciate him while he is still around. John Brewin
Broja’s body language is crucial
Armando Broja took on board Mauricio Pochettino’s constructive criticism after Chelsea’s win over Preston. Pochettino was happy with the striker’s excellent goal, but thinks he needs to smile more. “As the gaffer says, I can make my body language more positive,” Broja said. “I’m a bit hard on myself sometimes. The manager is just trying to take that burden off my shoulders. I try to take that advice to heart because he helps me every day. I just need to smile a little more and be a little more positive.” Opening the score with a great header was cause for cheering. Broja is looking to build momentum after returning from a serious knee injury. “If you go on a run where you don’t score much, you can go down a little bit,” he added. “It’s not the best feeling, but scoring a goal in a match like this makes up for everything.” Jacob Steinberg
Little sympathy for Nuno complaints
Nuno Espírito Santo would abolish FA Cup replays. “I think it should be done on the day,” said the Nottingham Forest head coach. Had Forest beaten the opposition two levels below, they would have had a fortnight’s rest before their league trip to Brentford. Now the plans have to be redrawn. Nuno’s thoughts are shared by many Premier League colleagues, including Mikel Arteta and Jurgen Klopp. Unsurprisingly, however, there is little sympathy from those further down the food chain. “This is our 35th game of the season,” said Blackpool head coach Neil Critchley. “The Premier League teams haven’t played that. They get international breaks; they get free time. We don’t understand that. Keep it up. Look at the resources, the finances, the facilities, the staff – we don’t have them. Difficult. Let’s get on with it. It’s football. Let’s go play.” Many FA Cup traditionalists would wholeheartedly agree. Sam Dalling
The ruthless Villa listens to their lessons
It feels remarkable to say it, both in historical and current context, but Matty Cash’s late winner for Aston Villa at Middlesbrough took them to the fourth round of the FA Cup for the first time since 2016. Last year’s embarrassment against Stevenage was just the tip of the battle. an angry iceberg for the eight-time winners – Unai Emery admitted afterwards that his team had spoken about the 2023 giant killing a few times in the days leading up to the trip to Teesside – and if one team was going to put the hoodoo to bed, it was the current season during a weekend off from the exciting Premier League. “It’s a trophy and prestige,” Emery said, indicating the FA Cup was a target if not a priority. ‘We are going to try. We won’t turn down the opportunity to try something.” Andy Brassel
Manning burnishes reputation
Liam Manning has been seen as one of the country’s most promising young managers for some time and the 38-year-old, former manager of West Ham’s Under-23 side, gave a taste of his style on his return to east London. After a cautious start, Bristol City were ambitious, slick and inventive, causing serious problems with their overloads out wide and rotations in the middle. It remains to be seen whether Manning, whose players clearly heeded his call for courage at half-time, can lead the Robins into the top six of a typically silly second tier, in which five points separate sixth from 14th, and that is certainly the feeling they require more sharpness. But Tommy Conway’s wonderfully executed equalizer seemed a sign of things to come and if Manning is backed, he could be the man to boost a club that has consistently fallen short of his considerable potential. Nick Ames
Hatt unhappy despite the Hornets victory
Before their match against Chesterfield, Dean Whitehead, Watford’s assistant head coach and member of Stoke who reached the final in 2011, spoke to the team about the FA Cup, its so-called magic and its capacity for adversity (there are no survivors of Watford’s own run to the final in 2019). Wesley Hoedt, their captain, also spoke, emphasizing the need to match the work rate of their opponents. “That’s something I don’t think we did in the first half and it’s something we have to look at because it’s not acceptable,” he said later. “It was just way too slow from the whole team. We just strolled around instead of sprinting and doing the things we had to do. I really emphasized before the match, and so did the coach, that we should not be lazy and slow.” Watford got away with it, came back from a goal down to beat their excellent and superbly supported opponents in stoppage time, but won’t win often when he exposes so many of what Hoedt called ‘little details that irritate me terribly’. Simon Burnton
There is no sunshine for Blades
“Time is of the essence for us,” said Chris Wilder, pleased his Blades side had been able to enjoy a “winning feeling” at Gillingham before refocusing on the Premier League relegation battle. But while many clubs will spend their January holidays in warm climes, Dubai can wait.
Wilder’s team stays in South Yorkshire. “We have a lot of work to do,” he said, and he plans to use the time to bring his ideas back to the club he returned to on December 5. “This is just a normal working week and we will continue working for the next two weeks; we haven’t had time to work with the players,” he continued. At Priestfields, James McAtee – on loan from Manchester City – was excellent, his swagger reminiscent of Cole Palmer. “He’s got something about him,” Wilder said. “A boy from Manchester, a boy from Salford, he’s not a shy boy and he backs that up.” John Brewin