Spurs face testing run of fixtures

Spurs have been on a decent run of late and with their draw at South Hampton find themselves only two points outside of the top four, but the north London side are set for some challenging times as they face a possibly season defining run of fixtures. The Lilly Whites are scheduled to take on three of their top six rivals within the space of just 12 days.

Spurs will first welcome second placed Manchester United at Wembley on Wednesday followed by a trip to Anfield to take on Liverpool and round it all off with a home north London derby against bitter rivals Arsenal; talk about a tough run of games.

As tasking as those fixtures move prove to be it represents an opportunity for Spurs to rope in the teams higher up on the table and in the processing giving themselves some degree of breathing space with a rejuvenated Arsenal just three points behind them. The good news is that they take on United on Wednesday who they’ve had positive results against in recent times. Spurs have won their last three games at home against United.

Additionally, Harry Kane has been in riveting form scoring nine goals from the last six matches and will be looking to add to his tally of 30 goals so far this season, and most importantly currently sits on 99 Premier League goals and what better way would you choose to cap off a century of Premier League goals than against Manchester United at Wembley of all places?

 Despite what many may believe though, Spurs are more than a one-man show with the return of Kenyan Midfielder Victor Wanyama coinciding with their recent run of form. Dele Alli is also up with the best of them in the league in terms of the number of assists with seven, and has two goals and four assists in the past six games. Even more significant is the form of the impressive Heung Min Son lately and Spurs might also could be boosted by the possible arrival of Lucas Moura from PSG this week.

Red tide rising

Liverpool have taken this season by storm as the Reds have married pace, power and guile producing dashing daring football that other sides could only dream of.

The Reds are currently riding high on a wave of momentum as they became only the second team, and first in domestic competition, to beat Manchester City this season.

This provides a good indicator of the great potential that Liverpool have as they will seek to extend their 14 match unbeaten streak when they meet Swansea on Monday.

With that let's take a look at some of the factors which may indicate why next season might just be Liverpool's.

NEW FAB FOUR?
Phillipe Coutinho's exit from Anfield brought about numerous including how Liverpool would fair without their architect to partner their front three. In stepped Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain who hit the ground running powering a low drive into the City net. Sadio Mané, Roberto Firmino, and Mo Salah stamped their authority on the game with goals of their own and along with the Ox were a handful for the league leaders.

Fortress Anfield
The foundation for any decent team often begins with good home form. Liverpool are currently undefeated at home this season having scored 25 goals in 12  league matches. On the defensive end, the Reds had the best home defensive record up until they played City last Sunday and have shipped only 7 in the league this season. In fact City were only the fourth side to score at Anfield in the Premier League this season.

ENTERTAINERS
Liverpool have spoiled football fans with goals galore this season with them placing third behind PSG and Manchester City as the top scorers across Europe's top five leagues. The Reds have scored 54 goals in the league this season, and place second behind PSG in the Champion's League with 23 goals in just six matches.

SHORING UP ON WEAKNESSES
While most teams can be defined by their strengths; Liverpool's fortunes have been defined by their weakness(es)- their defending. The Reds paid dearly for their leaky defence 4 years ago as the 101 goals they scored was off-set by the 50 they conceded. Most notably Liverpool looked to have a game at Crystal Palace won leading 3-0 but blew the lead to draw the match. That result proved costly at the end of the season as Liverpool were only a few points away from securing the league title.

This year though it comes as a welcome sight to see Liverpool are looking to strengthen their weak points. Liverpool made the addition of defender Virgil van Dijk in January and will most likely bolster their rear guard with another defender or defensive midfielder and a new goal keeper in the summer.

All this spells out for some interesting times ahead in the red half of Merseyside, and will hopefully mean an end to the wait for a coveted 20th Premier League title.

Why Chelsea Need to sign Sanchez

Last summer’s transfer window proved to be a frustrating series of events for Chelsea. The Blues lost out on the signings of Romelu Lukaku to Manchester United, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain opted to swap the Emirates for Anfield instead of Stamford Bridge and most notably Ross Barkley pulled out of a deal at the last minute. Despite landing the signatures of Antonio Rudiger, Alvaro Morata, Danny Drinkwater, Davide Zapacosta and Tiemoue Bakayoko, Antonio Conte was visibly unsatisfied as his preferred transfer targets were lured elsewhere something that recent Chelsea managers had not experienced.

That’s in the past now as the Blues have been busy in January as they finally landed the signature of Barkley for just £15 million, a deal for Juventus full back Alex Sandro – who they also wanted to sign in the summer – is said to be in the works. But more importantly Chelsea are rumoured to be interested in the signature of want away Arsenal forward Alexis Sanchez after Manchester City pulled out.

Manchester United were believed to be the front runners until then and Chelsea swooping in for the signature for the Chilean would be a coup for the Blues as they would be gaining a world class talent, strengthening their cause and simultaneously pipping their rivals to the signature of a player who can turn their season around.

The Chilean can score plenty of goals, he scored 30 for Arsenal in all competitions last season, as well as create them and more importantly in addition with Barkley Chelsea would be protecting their best interests in case Eden Hazard does leave in the summer.

The Belgian has two years left on his current deal, and according to his father Thierry the Chelsea talisman is holding out for a switch to the Bearnubeau after rumoured interest from Los Blancos that he is one of the targets in a proposed overhaul in the Spanish capital.

In the immediate term though, Hazard and Sanchez could provide the much needed spark Chelsea haven’t had lately as they have dropped points in draws against Arsenal and Leicester, points which could prove costly in the end as Chelsea would only be 11 points behind leaders City after the log leaders lost to Liverpool last weekend.

Log leaders City face Anfield litmus test

Manchester City make the trip to Merseyside to take on Liverpool in one of the most highly anticipated clashes to date. In a match pitting two of the top scoring sides in European football, the Cityzens are expected to face their toughest challenge yet if the statistics are to be believed.

The last time City walked away with all three points at Anfield was in 2003 when Nicolas Anelka struck an injury time goal to give the Sky Blues a 2-1 win. The win was a rarity in itself as City had previously gone 22 years before that victory, and City have endured a 14 and half year wait since that victory even despite their considerable resources today.

In Liverpool City may be in for a challenge as they find this weekend’s opponents in good knick as the Reds are currently on an unbeaten run of 13 matches. Liverpool boast the best home defensive record conceding just four while also avoiding defeat.

Liverpool will welcome City’s arrival at Anfield with no fear as the Reds have taken more points off the top six sides (39) than any other team since Jürgen Klopp took charge.

Obviously, Man City’s reputation precedes itself, the Cityzens are 15 points clear at the top and based on their current form will hope this is the year they finally break their Anfield duck. City have made light work of their closest competitors with a 100 % record against teams in the top six this season, this includes their 5-0 whitewashing of the Reds earlier this season, and represent a genuine threat to Liverpool’s undefeated home record.

City are also the top goal scorers across Europe’s elite leagues with a tally of 64 and have at times demonstrated a masterful dominance against opponents even away from home. Guardiola’s men went to Stamford Bridge and Old Trafford winning the games 1-0 and 2-1 respectively, one might argue they should have won by larger margins as the opposition had no answer to the Man City puzzle.

Putting the statistics aside, the showdown on Merseyside will be made all the more interesting because of the storylines that come with it. This weekend will mark the first time Liverpool will play without star man Phillipe Coutinho this leaves Salah, Mané, Firmino and co with their work cut out for them to ensure that the Brazilian won’t be missed (much).

Raheem Sterling returns to Liverpool in the best form of his career, with 18 goals in all competitions, aiming for a first win on his old stomping ground. Sergio Aguëro has been tormentor in chief for the Reds in the past and if his recent form against big sides is to be believed the Argentine may be set to continue in the same fashion on Sunday.

Liverpool can look forward without Coutinho

Barcelona finally got their man with the Catalans finally landing the signature of long time target Phillippe Coutinho, and with that marks the end of another saga for Liverpool as the Reds yet again have lost another big name player similar to how did Louis Suarez a few seasons ago. While the Brazilian’s exit can count as a loss for the Reds, but unlike when Suarez left Liverpool should still have more than enough talent to finish the season in a respectable position with the triumvirate of Sadio Mané, Roberto Firmino and Mo Salah comprising a better part of Liverpool’s strength.

In Salah Liverpool have undoubtedly the Premier League’s hottest property right now. The Egyptian has been involved in 29 of the 75 goals Liverpool have scored this season and at the halfway point of the season has eclipsed the Brazilian’s top scoring tally of 13 goals from last season. In comparison Countinho, even though having played six fewer matches, has been involved in 20 goals with him scoring 12 while also contributing eight assists (Salah has two fewer than those with six so far).

Firmino and Mané have been involved in a combined goal involvement of 35 so far this season which attests to how far Liverpool have come as they have shared the goals as opposed to when they relied on one player to carry the team. The return of Adam Lallana will also go some way to easing pressure of his teammates as the Englishman is capable of filling the creative role behind the attacking trio.

In addition to the team’s strength, the £142 million fee should go a long way to softening the blow to Jürgen Klopp’s side. In the grand scheme of things Coutinho leaving won’t hurt Liverpool as much as if he had left last summer as it allows Klopp to look towards mounting a title challenge next season without the Brazilian with the addition of Virgil van Dyke, Naby Keita set to arrive in July (or earlier), and acquiring a quality defensive midfielder and goalkeeper being the missing pieces for Liverpool.

Could 2018 Mark the beginning of a new Galacticos era?

It’s safe to say that 2017 did not end well for Real Madrid. Despite having scooped their first league title since 2012 and becoming the first team in the modern era to defend the Champion’s League Real have failed to kick on. The Los Blancos are currently placed in fourth spot on the table with a 14-point deficit to make up. If that wasn’t enough, rivals Barcelona vanquished the defending Spanish league and European champions 3-0 in the capital.

Ronaldo, despite winning another Balon D’Or, hasn’t been his free scoring self lately chalking only 15 goals so far this term (just 4 in La Liga alone). Adding further malaise is the form of the Portuguese’s partner in crime Karim Benzema. The French forward has only managed four goals so far this season with two of those coming in one game against lowly Apoel Nicosia in the Champions League.

All these factors being added up means huge changes have to be made by Real to wrestle back league and European honors away from Barcelona. This most likely will happen with a huge overhaul of the current makeup of the side as of late big names have been thrown in the hat as Real look to embark on a monumental recruitment drive which will likely occur in the summer.

Spanish shot stopper David De Gea is one of Madrid’s prime targets after missing out on his signature only a few seasons back. Another keeper who’s been linked to a move to the Bernabeu is Thibaut Courtois, the Belgian was excellent against Arsenal providing stunning saves leaving very few to wonder why he’s on Real’s radar.

Another Belgian who has also been linked to a move to the Spanish capital is Eden Hazard. The 26-year-old has been a talisman for Chelsea in recent seasons and justifiably so, Madrid should look to get him to put pen to paper as the odds of landing the Belgian star seem very likely. As reported by goal.com, Hazard may be angling for a move to Real as he weighs up an option to extend his stay at Stamford Bridge.

Saving the best for last, Los Blancos have also been linked to Spurs front man Harry Kane. The Englishman has been on tear of late and ended 2017 with 24 goals in just 27 matches. Adding to that Kane has managed to bag 20+ league goals in the last three seasons and his move to Madrid might be made all the more easier as word is that Adidas may back Real’s bid for the forward.