All posts by h79snht.top

Liverpool have not enjoyed the greatest of starts to the new Premier League season. Though it was always expected to be a challenge with added Champions League commitments to worry about – whose absence last year Liverpool thrived on as they secured a memorable second-placed finish in the league – the lacklustre way in which they have generally performed thus far has come as a surprise, and after just five games the Reds have already lost half the number of games they managed during the whole of last season.

While there are many factors which can be attributed to Liverpool’s travails – not least their defensive shortcomings, which one could conceivably write a hefty tome on – the Reds midfield in particular has been the subject of criticism.

Though Jordan Henderson – and to a lesser extent, Joe Allen – continue to develop and impress, there is a feeling that Liverpool remain lightweight in the middle of the park and are prone to being overwhelmed by teams which possess more agile and energetic midfielders. Despite having his best campaign for a number of years last season, the ageing Steven Gerrard has often looked out of his depth as the anchorman protecting the back four, while the increasingly immobile Lucas Leiva’s Liverpool days appear to be numbered.

For all their hectic transfer dealings over the summer, what Liverpool really needed was a combative, athletic defensive midfielder to provide cover – or even competition – for the Reds skipper and to bring some much-needed physical presence into the side.

Here are FIVE realistic targets that the Reds should have considered over the summer…

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Click on Brendan Rodgers to reveal

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Mohamed Diamé, Hull City

Hull City’s recent recruit from West Ham United has for a long time been one of the Premier League’s most underrated players. For a man of his stature he possesses an impressive degree of technical ability and his close ball control can be exemplary.

The £3.5 million release clause which was contained in his contract at West Ham was known for a long time, which begs the question why more clubs didn’t try to secure his services over the summer.

Liverpool’s loss is very much Hull City’s gain, as the Reds would certainly have benefitted from the Senegalese’s physicality and athleticism, and for such a low price he would hardly have represented a gamble. Having scored two goals in his first two games for the Tigers – the second a magnificent strike against Newcastle – Diamé also offers attacking threat, which Liverpool’s current defensive midfield pairing do not.

Victor Wanyama, Southampton

After two successful years at Celtic, the Kenyan midfielder earned a move to Southampton for £12.5 million last season, and despite his modest start with the Saints, Wanyama is a player who still has enormous potential.

At 23 years of age, he made his debut for the Kenyan national team when he was just 15, and became its captain last year. Another physical, combative midfielder, Wanyama excelled in the defensvie midfield role for Celtic, with his goalscoring performance against Barcelona in the Champions League being a particular highlight – a four-minute video focused solely on his game in the match can be found on YouTube and is well worth a watch.

Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers is known for his effectiveness at nurturing youth, so Anfield is a place where Wanyama could have thrived. A well-taken goal against Swansea last weekend – his first for Southampton – suggests that Wanyama is beginning to adapt to Premier League football, and with time still on the Kenyan’s side this is an option that the Reds may wish to pursue in the future.

Xabi Alonso, Bayern Munich

The return of an old fan favourite is bound to boost morale at any football club, and when that favourite comes in the form of the ex-Spanish international it is likely to improve the midfield as well. Alonso enjoyed five memorable seasons at Liverpool, and many Reds fans were understandably aggrieved when Rafael Benitez’ inexplicable and ultimately unsuccessful attempt to replace him with Gareth Barry eventually saw him leave the club for Real Madrid in 2009.

At the age of 32, Alonso remains one of the best passers in world football, and his experience and composure on the ball would undoubtedly have been welcomed again at Liverpool. A vintage, archetypal defensive midfielder, Alonso would have provided protection for the Liverpool backline, as well as a template on how to perform the role effectively for Steven Gerrard, whose conversion into a deep-lying holding midfielder has only been a recent one.

Despite opting over the summer to play out the twilight days of his football career with German giants Bayern Munich, the Spaniard would have been a realistic target for the Reds – he still sees himself as a Liverpool supporter and returns to Anfield to watch games as often as he can. Sadly, with his advancing years, a reunion now looks unlikely.

Tom Huddlestone, Hull City

Such a signing may not have garnered much excitement, and picking Huddlestone as a player that Liverpool should potentially have pursued is likely to be met with looks of bemusement on the faces of some of our readers, however the Hull City man was outstanding last season for the Tigers as they reached their first ever FA Cup final.

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Huddlestone is a player who does the simple things very well, retaining possession and linking up play in his defensive midfield berth. Though he would never have been a starter for Liverpool, he would certainly have provided effective cover in a season where the Reds will often have to play three games in the space of a week.

Sandro, Queen’s Park Rangers

The fact that the Brazilian international – capped 17 times for his country – was allowed to leave Tottenham Hotspur for relegation candidates QPR for a reasonable fee of £10 million represents another opportunity missed for Liverpool.

The Reds should not theoretically be targeting a player who was deemed surplus to requirements by one of their rivals, however Sandro’s departure from White Hart Lane was not a case of the player not being good enough to play for a top-six side, it was more a case of injury preventing him from breaking into the team.

Possessing the now-familiar qualities of physicality and combativeness that Liverpool need, Sandro would have been a useful addition to the Liverpool squad, and at 25 is a player who is yet to reach his peak.

Arsenal legend Patrick Vieira has mentioned the lack of consistency and self-belief as the main reasons Arsene Wenger’s squad have not been winning trophies in the last few years.

In a fan interview for FA TV, the former midfielder pointed out that the Premier League club have the players to achieve success, but they fail to maintain the level.

“I think with Arsenal is always up and down. When they have a good day they can beat any team in the world”.

“They maybe lack of consistency to win silverware, but when you look at Arsenal’s start XI, there are fantastic players”, Vieira insisted.

For the Gunner icon, it all comes down to self-confidence on the pitch: “They may need to believe more themselves that they can win something, that’s why they don’t achieve their potential”, the Frenchman said.

The current Manchester City Football Development Executive also talked about the excitement of his role at the Etihad: “It is an honour, an unbelievable project. I’m really proud to be part of it, because where the club was 2 or 3 years ago and where they want to go…it would be a fantastic achievement”.

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Vieira was part of the last Arsenal squad that lifted a trophy, back in 2005. He won 3 Premier League titles and 4 FA Cup with the Gunners between 1996 and 2005.

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Everton fans will be relieved following news that injured Belgium international Kevin Mirallas will be available much sooner than first thought, and could even start when the Toffees take on Fulham at Craven Cottage in the Premier League this weekend.

The creative winger was taken off at half time during the Merseyside derby on Sunday after picking up a knock from a stern tackle by Liverpool’s Luis Suarez. Blues boss David Moyes was concerned that Mirallas could be out for up to a month with ligament damage.

This morning however, it was announced that the Belgian’s injury is not as bad as initially predicted, following a scan by the club’s medical team.

The 25-year-old has been in good form since joining from Olympiacos for £6million in the summer, contributing one assist and one goal to the Toffees’ cause.

Steven Naismith, who scored Everton’s second goal against Liverpool at the weekend, told reporters he was impressed with Mirallas first half performance in the Mersey derby.

“Kevin was our main direct threat in the derby in terms of driving at defenders and it showed with the amount of chances he was creating for himself and others” said the Scottish forward.

“Losing him at half-time in the game was a blow, but Liverpool changed their system in the second half as well and it became a bit scrappy with a lot of fouls – the game kept getting stopped which didn’t help.

“Looking back, there was some great play from us too – switching sides and with Kevin being a massive threat creating chances.”

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Steven Pienaar will also be available for selection after serving a one-match suspension, meaning the Everton midfield will be at full force against Fulham with the exception of Darron Gibson who is currently sidelined with a thigh injury.

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QPR manager Harry Redknapp today moved to deny the context of comments made earlier in the week connected to Tottenham Hotspur manager Andre Villas-Boas’ time as Chelsea manager, reports ITV Sport.

The Queens Park Rangers manager has suggested in the past two weeks that you would have to be a real dope not to succeed in bossing Chelsea, while attempting to put pressure on Tottenham ahead of tomorrow’s game by claiming that Andre Villas-Boas has enough quality at his disposal to be able to field two teams strong enough to compete at the top of the Premier League.

The two managers meet tomorrow afternoon at Loftus Road in the Premier League. Redknapp spoke to silence speculation of a grudge, denying even a social relationship with the Spurs boss.

“I don’t have a relationship with Villas-Boas but then I don’t have a relationship with any other manager in the Premier League,” said Redknapp.

“I don’t socialise with him, he’s gone to Tottenham and done a great job. What’s the problem? I’ve got no problem with him at all.

“Good luck to him, he’s doing a fantastic job there. Long may it continue for him.

“I’ll shake his hand after the game and invite him in for a drink, whatever the result. I don’t have any problems with him. He seems a nice guy.”

Going onto further contextualise comments made earlier in the week suggesting that a “dope” could manage Chelsea, Redknapp stated, “I was asked a question about [Chelsea’s] Rafael Benitez and I said he’s gone in there and done very well, but you’d have to be a dope to mess up with that squad of players.”

“I said Rafa Benitez is not a dope, he’s a top manager who will do very well there.

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“I never mentioned anyone else, so why people have started relating it to the manager at Tottenham I don’t know.”

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Juventus have moved to dismiss talk of Fernando Llorente leaving the club on loan in January, reports the Daily Express.

The Spaniard has found himself linked with a possible loan switch to a host of clubs, including Chelsea, Manchester City, Tottenham, Arsenal and Real Madrid.

Llorente only made the switch to the Serie A giants in the summer, joining on a free transfer from Athletic Bilbao. However reports suggest the Spaniard is struggling to adapt to life in Italy, and may already be seeking a move away.

Manchester City found themselves linked with a surprise loan bid before the end of the transfer window, and it is now thought Arsenal, Tottenham and Chelsea have begun to monitor the situation.

However Fifa agent Francois Gallardo suggested a return to Spain with Real Madrid would be the most likely destination for the forward in January.

“Fernando Llorente could get transferred to Real Madrid and play in the Champions League, as he is not getting minutes with Juve,” he said.

“Many people want [Radamel] Falcao, because he is the ‘best’, or Luis Suarez, who is also a great player, but Fernando is also very good, he knows the Spanish League and if he arrives on loan then the club won’t be splashing out in January.”

However Juventus have moved to put an end to the speculation, with director general Beppe Marotta claiming the player simply needs time to settle.

“There is no Llorente problem. Don’t forget that he didn’t play that regularly last season,” Marotta said.

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“When we sign a player and hand him a four-year contract, we’re evidently not looking for immediate results in the space of one or two months.

“We believe in him and it is too early to judge.”

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Having just experienced the wettest summer for a century, a never ending depth of unemployment and the continuous gloom of austerity, it’s fair to say we could all do with a bit of comic relief in our lives. Everyone has their own personal form of escapism and for many of us, the footballing world offers us a break from the doom and gloom that’s hanging around the UK.

Or at least it should do, anyway. With every aspect of football, from a half-time pie to the petrol it costs to get us to grounds proving so excruciatingly expensive, at the very least, we live in the hope of entertainment.

The hope that even if after a 200mile-round journey that ended in woeful defeat, we’ll still end up laughing at the really quite ridiculous goal celebration we all had to endure. The hope that during a tedious week at work, you’ll still end up spontaneously laughing at the clever retort of a player who’d been receiving stick all game. The general belief that the footballing world will at the very minimum, give us something to smile about.

Call it a penchant for nostalgia, but you simply can’t shake the feeling that football’s sense of humour is currently suffering from the same blues as everyone else. Or worse still, it’s gone missing completely.

Where have all the characters gone, the laughs and the silly haircuts? When was the last time you read a funny story or amusing modern day anecdote in the paper? Football is supposed to offer us all an outlet, an escape from the trappings of modern day life. It appears recently anyway, it’s more part of the gloom, rather than the tonic.

The year of 2012 has seen a variety of knocks for the world of footballing humour. We’ve seen Mario Balotelli denounce the need to smile after scoring goal. In February, we saw Porto threaten to report Manchester City fans for leading chants of ‘You’re not incredible’ to Brazilian striker Hulk.

And perhaps in the most depressing instance of a sense of humour failure, we recently saw Falkirk’s PA announcer suspended after complaints from Rangers fans. His crime? Cheekily denoting the club as ‘Sevco Franchise’ (the name of the company used in the purchase of Rangers’ assets in the wake of liquidation) when reading out the half-time scores.

It might not seem like much, but it’s the little things that often make a big difference in football. In a sport that has quickly evolved into a business, it’s the unique sense of humour that so often adorns football, which gives it a human touch. One that is distinctly lacking in the 21st century.

Even something as basic as a colourful opinion from a footballer, feels like it’s very much in the descent. Footballer’s used to be able to talk to journalists to give tip offs, share stories and have a drink. But now the PR sterilized face of the former and the starving cynicism of the latter, have led to a relatively non existent relationship between the two.

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There’s not much to laugh about even when footballers do manage to get their points across, too. The social phenomenon of Twitter has been credited with bringing footballers closer to supporters. One could only imagine the entertainment the likes of George Best, Rodney Marsh, Paul Gascoigne and even Jimmy Bullard would have provided had they still been playing in today’s world. It’s worth noting that a more refined Marsh can currently be found tweeting from his Florida home.

But now, even if a footballer’s opinion hasn’t been vetted by swathes of public relations staff, it’s not usually much to shout about. Those looking for a colourful opinion will be greeted with a cliché and those searching for something amusing will usually find an uploaded picture of a Nando’s chicken. It’s hardly a gag a minute.

So where has the humour and the laughs gone and who’s to blame? As a nation of such cynics, have we driven away the on pitch jesters?

Well, we certainly haven’t helped cultivate an environment that caters to the footballing maverick. As every single move on the pitch is overanalyzed a hundred times over, so is their activity off the pitch. Footballers are so often targets for the tabloid media and within the cult of celebrity that we currently inhabit, they’re absolute fodder to make it on the front pages for the wrong reasons.

Every comment they make travels faster than the speed of light through social media; one wrong move or risqué comment and before you know it, it’s been retweeted a thousand times over. Ashley Cole would hardly pass as a stand up comedian, but within an hour of delivering his “#BUNCHOF*****’ tweet, it had been regurgitated 17,000 times over. You get the point.

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Even the very game itself, seems to be intent on sucking all the fun out. For quite a while now, a player has been able to throw his jersey off in a moment of pure jubilation. Again, during West Ham United’s recent 3-1 defeat at Arsenal, the Hammers’ Senegalese midfielder Mohamed Diame, was booked for ‘over-celebrating’.

The health and safety executives among us may be giving a very astute nod of the head, after Diame went to celebrate with the Upton Park faithful. But if football can’t bring itself to let players enjoy a debut goal with their own fans, it doesn’t bode particularly well for the game as a whole.

Maybe it’s a view entrenched in nostalgia and one that doesn’t take into account the joys of humour that do currently exist in the game. But is it really asking too much of football to simply have a laugh now and again? They say it’s good for you. And for the beautiful game, that wouldn’t be such a bad thing after all.

Where do you think football’s sense of humour has gone? Let me know on Twitter: follow @samuel_antrobus and tell me where it’s hiding. 

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The jeering at the conclusion of Saturday’s 1-0 loss against Stevenage was not because of the result (well, it was – one point from nine is not the start the fans had wished for). No, the negative, irritated reaction was due to the insipid performance from entire Oldham team

It was bereft of imagination or attacking instinct. It was dull, labourous and lacked an energy that might at some point make the opposition feel slightly uncomfortable. This was a well-oiled Stevenage which still has obvious traces of Graham Westley’s philosophy flowing through it. It is rough, powerful and ready to fight for three points. Ultimately, they were allowed to settle into their usual effective style without many questions being asked.

The single goal loss came from yet another defensive mishap. A long ball aimed simply away from the Stevenage’s penalty area was naively allowed to bounce by young James Tarkowski. The 19-year-old defender was then out-muscled, keeper Alex Cisak raced out and commited a blatant foul inside his area. Penalty awarded. Penalty dispatched.

Last Tuesday night, Athletic were on course for a 1-0 victory against an average Walsall side. However, with 10 minutes remaining club Captain Dean Furman inexplicably attempted a back-pass without realising a Walsall player blocked his path to Cisak. To the home support’s horror, George Bowerman was gifted the opportunity to bury the ball into the net, which he duely did.

Three days previous and Tarkowski was at fault again, bizarrely heading upwards rather than out. MK Dons, who won 2-0, were far from slick yet scored from the resulting corner. For the sake of his self-belief Dickov needs to take him out of the starting 11. Cliff Byrne, with his vast experience and steady, unforgiving nature, makes him a fine candidate to move in from right-back and partner the impressive Jean Yves-M’voto.

So three league games, three defensive calamities. It is very much like last season. Hard work a plenty, lapses of concentration in the dangerous and crucial areas more so. However, move beyond the defence and there are more ills. Take the midfield. With James Wesolowski’s torn hamstring, Dean Furman has a lost his influential partner. The energy was been sapped. There is little imagintion, movement and more worryingly no willingless to find space.

Saturday saw Dickov switch from his usual 4-4-1-1 to a more flat 4-5-1 with the inclusion of Carl Winchester, who formed a midfield three with Furman and Yousuff M’Changama. Despite a congested core, Stevenage were able to use their intelligence to constrict space on the Boundary Park pitch. Ok – so find some, you would say. It didn’t happen. And so Stevenage were able to organise themselves with ease.

It was also evident on Saturday that Robbie Simpson does not suit the lone striker role. Despite being generally ineffective, he did look slightly more threatening after the break when Dickov replaced Winchester with the powerful Matt Smith, allowing Simpson to drop into the hole behind Smith, who was instructed to lead the line and dominate aerially.

Ultimately, the performance as a whole was far from acceptable. To claim just a single point from two winnable home games is a dreadful return. The tempo that was set in the opening half against Sheffield Wednesday in the Capital One Cup has yet to be replicated. In truth it has become laboured, and this against sides such as Walsall, who are tipped to struggle.

If Walsall are supposed to find themselves towards the foot of the table, then Oldham, on this evidence, will not be far from them. Of course, the opening 10 or so games do not require fantastic results. As long as there is promise in the performance and style teams generally excel once they have gelled and formed strong partnerships. Results come eventually with good performances. Oldham might be waiting a while.

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You can follow me on Twitter 

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Reports yesterday claimed that Tottenham are plotting an audacious move to beat bitter rivals Arsenal to the signature of Dani Alves. The Brazilian superstar is set to leave Barcelona in January as his contract nears its end, with Spurs ready to splash around £7m to ensure that the white half of north London becomes his new home, rather than the red half.

But even if Daniel Levy can pull off a deal for the veteran right-back there’s still plenty of work to be done at White Hart Lane, with a stuttering start to the season having left the Lilywhites in the bottom half of the table after 11 games. With a top four finish the aim, here are FIVE players who could salvage Spurs’ season.

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CLICK ON MORGAN SCHNEIDERLIN TO REVEAL THE FIVE

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Morgan Schneiderlin

A summer-long pursuit of the Frenchman ended in disappointment as Southampton opted to hold onto their man, but that has not put Spurs off just yet. Reports have suggested that Mauricio Pochettino remains desperate to nab his former star, and despite the Saints’ blistering start to the campaign a January swoop is not out of the question.

Impressive as the man ‘running the midfield’, Tottenham could certainly use the 24-year-old’s influence in the centre of the park, with the likes of Etienne Capoue and Paulinho having struggled to adapt to English football.

Teo Gutierrez

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A somewhat left-field target, Gutierrez is a player on Spurs’ radar. The River Plate attacker impressed at the World Cup with Colombia over the summer and is believed to be a player the Londoners’ scouting network has been impressed by.

A fiery forward, the 29-year-old has been prolific in Argentina since joining the Buenos Aires side last year, where he is considered to be one of the top flight’s best talents. Most of Gutierrez’s career has been spent in South and Central America, but he did have a short spell in Europe with Trabzonspor in 2010/11.

Patrick Herrmann

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A key member of Borussia Monchengladbach’s rise over the course of the past couple of seasons, Herrmann is widely seen as one of the Bundesliga’s most promising wingers. His impressive displays have caught the eye of Pochettino, who is keen to add the German starlet to his ranks.

The 23-year-old has already hit six goals in all competitions this term, demonstrating his ability to drift in from wide positions to support his strikers, which is likely to appeal to ‘Poch’ given that only Harry Kane has been in good form so far this term.

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Jay Rodriguez

Another one of Pochettino’s former charges in the shape of Rodriguez is a January target at White Hart Lane. A serious knee injury has ruled the versatile forward out of action for much of 2014, but a first-team return this winter is expected. Even with his fitness a concern, ‘Poch’ is keen to link up with the England international once again as he plots to add more invention to his side and transfer the work ethic he had on the South Coast over to north London.

Saido Berahino

The Premier League’s top scoring Englishman, Berahino is set to be the subject of big bids in January, despite talk of West Brom attempting to tie him down to a new contract. The 21-year-old’s seven strikes to help the Baggies into a steady midtable slot have been enough to earn the Burundi-born hit-man a first international call-up, with his debut sure to come against either Slovenia or Scotland in the coming week.

Big money will be needed to lure the pacey ace away from the Hawthorns, but he would certainly be an upgrade on Roberto Soldado and Emmanuel Adebayor.

It’s the end of the English footballing season in May 2005. Arsenal are about to lift their 10th FA Cup with their victory on penalties over Manchester United at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff. The Premier League has narrowly eluded them, with last season’s historic Invincibles side, unable to overcome the Oligarch fuelled power of Jose Mourinho’s Chelsea. But things are rosy for Arsene Wenger’s side.

A second placed finish in the Premier League sets them in good stead for another crack at the title next season and their new 60,000 seater Emirates Stadium, is entering its final phases of construction. And to poignantly add a bit of gloss onto proceedings, they’ve just done the double over their North London rivals Tottenham, who finish a relatively standard 9th in the league.

Indeed, Martin Jol’s side showed some fleeting glimpses of quality in the league, none more so than when they buried four past Arsenal in their infamous 4-5 loss at White Hart Lane, but this was still a side with the likes of Noe Pamarot and Noureddine Naybet starting every week. In many respects, they are light-years behind the red side of North London.

Fast forward to the present day and that rosiness that seemed to come as a perennial bonus with every Arsenal season ticket, simply could not be further away. As we enter the final stages of 2012, supporters don’t need to be slapped round the face with the seven-and-a-half year statistic that is there continued trophy drought. Because there is potentially something far more depressingly poignant sitting on the horizon.

It is of course the age-old threat that’s never been fulfilled from their hated rivals up the road in Haringey. Arsenal fans have heard it all before when it’s come to the men from Tottenham Hotspur and their designs on finishing above them in the league. Each time the Gunners have had their backs against the wall, the old cockerel has choked at the vital moments. Be it a final day, lasagna based bottle job, or self-destruction of a 10 point lead, Spurs have continuously failed to outdo their North London rivals.

But where as once the notion of Spurs bettering Arsenal in the league was one of near absurdity – indeed, it’s not happened since 1995 – today, the reality is that it’s now become a very distinct possibility.

The rivalry between both Spurs and Arsenal has been given a real shot in the arm in recent years, given the Lilywhites growth in prominence. Where as for much of Arsene Wenger’s reign in North London, Tottenham have resembled little more than plucky underdogs, their recent renaissance under Harry Redknapp has given the fixture more meaning than it every has in recent years.

And it offers an interesting yardstick for the plight of Arsenal over the last few years. The Gunners have continued to taste Champions League football every season. Title challenges have continued to remain on the cards for Arsene Wenger’s men, despite them never quite being able to see it out through the course of the season. But as their quest for a trophy continues, the focus has always been on the fluctuating gap between themselves and the Manchester United’s and Chelsea’s of this world. Never what’s been going on behind them.

Because if – and it remains a massive if – Andre Villas-Boas’ side manage to finish above Arsenal in the league this season, it perhaps represents so much more than a power shift in the merciless exchanges between the two sets of fans.

The two ways of looking it are of course wither Tottenham have progressed way beyond what many would perceive to be their projected means. The other, that Arsenal have in fact regressed, as they’ve reclined onto a similar plateau of ambition to the men from White Hart Lane.

And it’s here in which, depending on your viewpoint, you can gauge the seriousness of what a superior Spurs finish to Arsenal in the league, may represent. Let’s be under no illusions here in that Tottenham have hardly fluked their way into challenging for Champions League qualification.  Even since the mediocrity that lingered in the mid nineties. Spurs have continued to invest heavily in their squad, more often than not, to greater extents than Arsenal.

Some may suggest that the club have simply been more wise and intelligent in that spending. That may be so, but has it really just been a bit of common sense and a spot of financial rationality that has seen them bridge the gap?

Clubs shouldn’t spend for the sake of it and Arsene Wenger’s legacy is the biggest testament to that in recent memory. But in that seven-year gap since Arsenal last won a trophy, they have seen the financial gulf between themselves and their North London rivals rise almost beyond measure.

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For the last available accounts, the Gunners’ net income dwarfed Spurs’ by near on £92million. The cash cow that is the Emirates Stadium makes well over double the amount of matchday income that White Hart Lane is capable. While they, as every team does, have debts to structure, Arsenal are in a different financial post code to Tottenham Hotspur.

But while that gulf of fiscal health has increased between the two clubs, the gap of competitiveness has shrunk. And however you wish to frame that, it produces some awkward questions for the hierarchy in the red half of North London.

Tottenham’s upturn in fortunes was perhaps an inevitability. All clubs go through periods of success, regression and dormant stages of mediocrity. But given the off pitch progress Arsenal have made, that gap they once held over there great rivals when they last won a trophy, simply should’t have been shredded to the point it is today. How they go about regaining it, is a question that certainly produces some difficult answers.

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Chelsea are still sitting pretty at the top of the table, but boss Jose Mourinho is continuing to claim Manchester City are the title favourites.

They may have come unstuck at Villa Park this evening, but the Blues are still six points clear at the top of the table and have a great chance of taking the trophy back to Stamford Bridge.

Mourinho claims that City’s three games in hand are their saviour, but with the Citizens form of late it would be a shock if they went on to win the rest of their games this season with the Manchester derby next weekend.

Here is why we think Chelsea have to be considered the clear title favourites.

Fixture list

Mourinho has been banging on about Manchester City’s games in hand, but has he had a look at Chelsea’s fixture list?

To say it is kind would be an understatement.

Tough games at home Arsenal and away at Liverpool aside; the Blues are facing solely relegation battling teams. Of course, you can’t take games for granted but Chelsea should not drop too many points from now until the end of the season.

Ability to win when not playing well

When Manchester City don’t play well they don’t win. That is just the way it is.

Chelsea and Mourinho have a canny ability to grind out a 1-0 win when they need it most, when they have ten men on the pitch that is!

It may not be the most stylish, but at times it is unbelievably effective especially at Stamford Bridge.

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Experience

The majority of that Chelsea side, plus Mourinho, has been there and done it in the Premier League.

While City won the title more recently, Chelsea still have the core that has been together for a while and with the likes of John Terry, Petr Cech, Branislav Ivanovic and Frank Lampard all being vastly experienced, that should help.