West Ham United should do everything in their ability to try and secure the services of out of sorts Chelsea defender Gary Cahill.

What’s the story?

New Blues boss Mauricio Sarri doesn’t seem to be a big admirer of the club-captain with David Luiz and Antonio Rudiger getting the nod ahead of him so far this season. Cahill, who captained Chelsea on a few occasions in their title winning season under Antonio Conte, is out of contract at Stamford Bridge at the end of the season and the Hammers appear to be interested in the former Bolton Wanderers man.

According to the Mirror, Manuel Pellegrini is keen on strengthening his defence after a poor start to the season that sees West Ham fight a relegation battle at the moment and the England international could be on the move in January already if Chelsea try to cash in before his contract expires next summer.

Why West Ham need him

Although West Ham might feel that a younger, more vibrant defender would be the way to go in order to be more composed at the back, someone like Cahill would improve their structures in an instant. An organised defensive base with a solid link is exactly what Pellegrini’s setup has been lacking in the first three months of the season.

The 32-year-old’s experience is incomparable with most other defenders in the Premier League and the fact that he could be open for a move across London to West Ham should provide a sense of optimism for the Hammers, rather than disinterest.

Pellegrini’s struggle to get his defence to operate as a unit has been a worrying sight for the club and letting in easy goals that should have been dealt with by one of the defenders is exactly the reason why the calibre player of Cahill is needed.

During his time at Chelsea, he grew significantly under the guidance of John Terry and became Conte’s number one defender. The value and direction he would be able to offer the struggling West Ham defenders will be encouraging to the players around him and could be what saves the club’s season.

A deal in January is, therefore, non-negotiable if West Ham were to get back to better results and show their fans some sort of progress after spending big money in the summer.

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Each week the team over at totalfootballanalysis.com previews our Fixture in Focus. This week Harshal Patel is in the hotseat to run the rule over Southampton vs Newcastle United.

This Saturday sees Southampton host Newcastle United, in what is probably already a crucial clash in both clubs’ bids to avoid relegation.

While Newcastle are rooted to the bottom of the table, without a win from nine games so far, Southampton are only four points ahead of them, with a solitary win this season.

The Saints are just a point above the relegation zone, and both clubs have been dismal in front of goal having scored just six goals apiece. Both Mark Hughes and Rafa Benitez have tried to rely on their defences to keep it tight and then nick a point (or three), but evidently, this strategy has not worked out.

Ahead of their meeting, we take a look at their approach to the season so far and why it needs to change if they are to have any hope of top flight survival.

Southampton

Southampton’s problem is one of finishing; they are creating the chances but failing to convert them. Only four teams have taken more shots than the Saints this season – Manchester City, Chelsea, Liverpool and Spurs.

All of them are in the top five, while Southampton are down in 16th place. This points towards a lack of finishing ability, and the numbers bear this out; Southampton have a wretched conversion rate of 4.8%, with only Huddersfield doing worse than them so far.

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Even playing with two strikers has not helped in this regard; Charlie Austin has just two shots on target this season, while Shane Long has delivered his usual recipe of willing running and little else.

Danny Ings has scored thrice since arriving from Liverpool, which is half of Southampton’s total in the league; he desperately needs someone else to step up and share the goalscoring burden, while he too has been guilty of some extraordinary misses this season.

A lack of quality on the ball made evident by the pass Nathan Redmond chooses to make here – despite Ings running into space, he passes to Austin, who is marked.

Their wide players have not helped in this regard either; Nathan Redmond has one goal in 49 games, while Mohamed Elyounoussi has yet to register a goal or assist this season.

They have failed to suitably replace Dusan Tadic, and before him Sadio Mane, and are now bearing the cost. There is a case for Hughes to play with a number 10 in a 4-2-3-1, but Stuart Armstrong is the only true attacking midfielder in the squad and he has been woeful since his arrival in the summer.

The lack of a number 10 means that nobody moves into the space that has opened up; Redmond’s only passing option is to Cedric Soares out wide.

Defensively, the Saints seem solid enough, but that has not stopped them from conceding 14 goals already.

They rank 3rd for tackles, 6th for clearances, 6th for interceptions and 5th for blocks this season, which tells you that they are usually on the back foot for most of the game, and are not good at preventing opposing teams from taking shots.

They also tend to drop deep, which explains their ranking for clearances, but this conservatism has not helped Hughes’ side so far, and he needs to let them off the leash if Southampton are to have any chance of staying up this season.

Newcastle United

The problems at Newcastle are well-documented; a disinterested owner who has steadily eroded all trust and is content with mediocrity as long as it keeps the Premier League cash coming in, while an iconic stadium slowly decays and a mutinous fanbase stays loyal only because of the manager.

Yet, despite the bad hand that Benitez has been dealt, he takes a fair share of the blame for the mess Newcastle find themselves in.

While a defensive approach against the top-six sides is understandable, the Magpies’ failure to beat the likes of Cardiff, Crystal Palace and Brighton is a cause for concern. Newcastle have scored just one goal against a side in the bottom half of the table since the end of March; that is an appalling statistic that perfectly captures why they are propping up the league at the moment.

There is a huge amount of space on the right wing, which has not been utilised by Newcastle, and despite having Paul Dummett available for a switch in play on the left, Mo Diame chooses to shoot.

There is a distinct lack of pace throughout the side, with only Kenedy providing a direct threat. But the Brazilian is infuriatingly inconsistent, with a lack of end product which stymies his efforts in the final third. Jonjo Shelvey has had a good season dictating play from the middle of the park, but the lack of any creative threat between the lines means that he often ends up passing sideways and backwards.

A similar issue to that faced by Southampton; nobody moves into the space between the lines, leaving Shelvey with limited passing options.

While Benitez has made Newcastle into a well-drilled side defensively, the sheer amount of chances they concede every game makes it inevitable that they will eventually concede. It is time for the Spaniard to reconsider his approach, especially in games against the bottom sides, otherwise Newcastle could soon be condemned back to the Championship.

Newcastle limit space between the lines well, staying compact and organised and denying Manchester United opportunities to play through them.

Conclusion

This is a game between two sides in very similar situations; a lack of creativity and quality along with a misguided emphasis on defensive play, which has caused them both to be embroiled in a relegation battle.

Both Hughes and Benitez can do better with the squads at their disposal, and Saturday is the perfect opportunity for them to try and take a game by the scruff of the neck and attack. That said, expect a tedious game of cat-and-mouse, with one goal probably enough to win the tie.

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Arsenal will not give Hoffenheim any chance of securing Reiss Nelson on a permanent basis, according to Bild via TalkSport.

What’s the word?

Reiss Nelson has attracted plenty of interest following his superb start to his loan spell with Hoffenheim, scoring a brace for the Bundesliga side at the weekend and netting twice while on international duty with the England U21’s.

The 18-year-old is the latest English starlet to shine in Germany, following in the footsteps of Jadon Sancho at Borussia Dortmund, but there is no chance of Nelson moving to the club on a permanent basis.

According to Bild via TalkSport, Arsenal see Nelson as a big part of their plans for the future and have no intention to sell the academy graduate.

The right move?

With Arsenal lacking depth in the wide areas this season, there is a case to suggest that Nelson could have been a useful asset for Unai Emery in 2018-19. However, he would certainly not be enjoying the rise he has with Hoffenheim.

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Come the end of the season, Nelson will return to Arsenal with extremely valuable first-team experience and that will provide a huge boost to the squad, with the teenager potentially then becoming a regular fixture in the Arsenal side.

With Alex Iwobi on the left and Nelson on the right, with a rejuvenated Mesut Ozil playing in the number ten role, Arsenal would have the structure to build a title-winning side around for the coming years, so the club’s stance is certainly perfect.

Everton supporters have been in fine voice in recent times after seeing their team get back to winning ways in the Premier League on Saturday. 

Marco Silva’s men went into their encounter with Brighton at Goodison Park off the back of losing 2-1 to Manchester United in their previous league meeting, and thus seeking to bounce back at home to Chris Hughton’s Seagulls. And the Toffees did just that as a brace from Richarlison alongside a Seamus Coleman effort inspired the hosts to a 3-1 success on Merseyside, a result which kept them ninth in the Premier League table.

As such, there have been many thrilled Evertonians up and down the country in recent times, several of whom have unsurprisingly been heaping praise on Brazil international Richarlison, who continued his excellent start to life at Goodison Park with another two goals at the weekend.

But it wasn’t all plain sailing for Silva’s side as Brighton gave them something to worry about following Lewis Dunk’s equaliser after half an hour, with it requiring another outstanding display from defender Michael Keane to help the Toffees record a fifth win of the season.

The England international struggled for much of his debut season at Goodison Park last term to call into question the £30 million they paid for him back in 2017, but he is looking more and more like the player who earned rave reviews at Burnley, and indeed four England caps.

The 25-year-old has always been calm and composed on the ball, exemplified again by his 77 touches and 83% pass success rate on Saturday, but it was how dominant the centre back was off it that really helped an Everton side that were pegged back late on in the first half despite their supremacy.

Keane won an impressive nine of his 12 aerial duels to underline that he was more than up to the task of dealing with Brighton’s aerial assault, while he also won two of his three tackles to suggest that there was no way through for Hughton’s side on the floor either.

And with three clearances and two interceptions, the former Burnley man did a stellar job at relieving the pressure at the back at a time whereby the hosts really needed it – it was one of his best performances in an Everton shirt.

So while Richarlison will unsurprisingly earn many plaudits for bagging twice on Saturday, the rearguard effort of £19.8 million-rated Keane (as per Transfermarkt) simply cannot go unnoticed, with his dominance defensively seriously helping the Toffees to a fourth win in five Premier League matches.

Everton fans… what do you think? Let us know!

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Leeds came from behind to beat Wigan 2-1 in the Championship on Sunday, propelling the Whites to the top of the table, but many fans were still left fuming after the performance of Macedonian international winger Ezgjan Alioski.

The 26-year-old has started all 16 of Leeds’ league games so far under Marcelo Bielsa, but it is now time for the Argentine boss to drop Alioski and bring in one of the exciting young wide men he has waiting on the bench.

Recently youngster Jack Clarke has been given game time off the bench, and it is probably still too soon to be asking the 17-year-old to start big games such as the upcoming clash with West Brom. However, Manchester City loanee Jack Harrison was in good form at the beginning of the season and Bielsa should bring the 21-year-old back into the fold on Saturday.

So, Leeds fans, we want to know who you would start at left-wing against the Baggies? Have your say by voting in the poll below.

Last season, Liverpool earned plenty of plaudits for their performances on the pitch.

With Mohamed Salah, Roberto Firmino and Sadio Mane firing on all cylinders, the Reds ripped opposition defences apart.

In the current campaign, Jurgen Klopp’s side are well placed to go all the way and win the Premier League title as they currently sit second in the table, two points adrift of Manchester City.

The team remain unbeaten in the top flight, but they have lacked the flair and tenacity that impressed audiences last season.

Since Klopp took over from Brendan Rodgers in October 2015, Liverpool have predominantly played in a 4-3-3 formation.

In a handful of games this season, the German coach has experimented with a 4-2-3-1 system.

Against Fulham last weekend, the performance was once again lacklustre, but they managed to earn a 2-0 victory thanks to goals from Salah and Xherdan Shaqiri.

Klopp opted to play Fabinho and Georginio Wijnaldum in the centre of the park, with Shaqiri, Firmino and Mane sitting in front of them.

Salah lead the line on his own up front, and interestingly, every time that Klopp has selected this system, it has been on home soil.

Taking the club’s season so far into account, what system do you think is best for Liverpool?

Let us know by voting below.

Arsenal’s development this season has been staggering, with the Gunners looking like an entirely different entity under Unai Emery.  

The Spaniard has improved the squad dramatically, both in terms of the personnel available and the tactics that he’s employing, with attractive football being played at the Emirates right now.

It will be interesting to see whether the Gunners look to bring anyone in during January, but one man that they’re apparently after is Nicolas Pepe. He’s a winger playing over in France with Lille, and Arsenal are reportedly eager to add a bit of attacking talent to their ranks, according to the Times.

Now, whilst Pepe is obviously a good player, it wouldn’t be wise for Arsenal to sign players unnecessarily. They’ve got lots of players within their ranks already, and there’s one man out on loan that could be of particular use also.

Reiss Nelson is emerging as one of their most exciting young players, and so perhaps instead of signing Pepe, recalling the versatile attacker may make more sense.

There’s no point spending big on a foreign talent, when you’ve got someone so good already on home turf.

Nelson has enjoyed a remarkable rise this season, with the Englishman now undeniably one of Europe’s brightest young talents. It just goes to show how influential a loan move can be. Over the years, a handful of homegrown Englishmen have moved away on loan and achieved success, yet Nelson is, at present, outshining all of them.

The attacker, who is able to play both in midfield and further forward, has lots of energy and pace, but his best qualities come when the ball is at his feet. A brilliant dribbler, he’s able to pick the ball up and drive into space, and from there he’s able to move past players with relative ease, such is the quality of the 18-year-old. He’s got bags of tricks in his locker, and that’s served him very well thus far.

He’s also a very capable passer of the ball. He’s able to dribble past players, of course, but he’s also just as good at picking out a pass that many others might not see. So, clearly, his quality as a playmaker is evident.

Naturally, though, as his time at Hoffenheim this season highlights, he’s lethal in front of goal. He’s bagged 6 league goals so far this term, which is more than many of Arsenal’s current attacking players. He’s got a fantastic shot on him, and perhaps even more so, he’s got an uncanny ability of getting into space and the correct positions. His goals aren’t always wonder-strikes, often they’re just tap-ins, but he always manages to get into the right spot.

Whilst he tends to play more centrally over in Germany, Nelson is a perfectly natural fit further out wide. He’d be able to cut in and drive towards goal whilst making use of his pace and energy to rampage down the wings.

For Arsenal, then, bringing back Nelson makes so much sense. There’s no point spending big on a foreign talent, when you’ve got someone so good already on home turf.

Thoughts?

Premier League winner, Claudio Ranieri, replaced Slavisa Jokanovic as Fulham manager last week.

Jokanovic had guided Fulham to safety in his first season as manager before earning promotion to the Premier League after defeating Aston Villa in the playoffs. He had gained plenty of praise for his style of football at Craven Cottage but was unable to produce results in England’s top division. With Fulham rooted to the bottom of the Premier League table, a change was ultimately necessary.

The Fulham board have decided that Ranieri was the best option to steer the club away from the danger zone. Ranieri is no stranger to England following spells with Chelsea and, of course, the amazing Leicester City. However, the Italian faces his biggest challenge yet with the Cottagers.

The January transfer window is the first opportunity that the former Inter Milan boss will have to bolster his ranks. With conceding goals being a significant issue, defensive reinforcements should be a priority.

Therefore, Ranieri must make a move for Liverpool outcast – Joel Matip. Valued at £19.8m by Transfermarkt, the Cameroon international was signed on a free transfer by Jurgen Klopp after his contract at Schalke expired. Matip became a key player upon joining the club but has since slipped down the pecking order following the arrival of Virgil van Dijk and the emergence of Joe Gomez at centre-half. He has been restricted to just one Premier League start so far this season and could seek a move in January.

Matip remains a top defender who would add some much-needed stability to the Fulham defence. Standing at 6’ 5”, the 26-year-old would bring some power to Ranieri’s defence and also add a significant goal threat from set-pieces. Strong in the tackle and excellent at reading the game, Matip also excels with the ball at his feet, making him ideal for Ranieri’s counter attacking style.

Should he become available in January – this should be a no-brainer.

Fulham fans, thoughts?

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Tottenham will almost certainly invest in their midfield next summer, and a whopping 89 per cent of fans think they should move for Ruben Loftus-Cheek.

Tottenham could be facing a complete overhaul in the middle of the park next summer, as both Mousa Dembele and Victor Wanyama are expected to leave the club.

Dembele will be out of contract at the end of the season, meaning the club may even be tempted to sell the Belgian in January for a small profit.

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Wanyama meanwhile has struggled with injuries throughout his time in North London, and could leave in search of regular playing time.

Loftus-Cheek could be the perfect signing, as the towering youngster can play several different positions in the middle of the park.

The 22 year-old is simply not getting the chance to shine at Stamford Bridge, and Mauricio Pochettino is the best in the business at transforming young English talent.

A huge majority of fans want to sign the England international, and you can view the full poll results down below…

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On Saturday 13th November 2004, Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal took to the field at White Hart Lane and then proceeded to serve up a scintillating footballing spectacle that encapsulated the spirit of all a derby can, and perhaps should, be.

In a twisting, nerve-jangling, joyously exuberant expression of footballing joie-de-vivre, the old enemies – each suitably clad in white and navy, on the part of the hosts, and red and white, in the case of the visitors – shed nerves, inhibitions, and, lets face it, all tactical discipline, in the name of delivering an absolute rollercoaster of a match.

The Gunners were the favourites. Though, to embrace the cliche, such trifling concerns as form and talent dwindle into irrelevance on derby day. 

That’s not to suggest that Spurs didn’t boast a side packed with real quality. Ledley King, Michael Carrick, and the lethal pairing of Robbie Keane and Jermain Defoe lent Martin Jol’s team a spine that would be the envy of most. Jol himself was taking charge of his first league match as Spurs boss since taking over from Jacques Santini.

Playmaker FC Exclusive: Jermaine Jenas makes bold prediction for North London Derby – Check out the video below…

Arsene Wenger’s outfit were an altogether different beast. The reigning Premiership (as it was then known) champions, whose historic 49-game unbeaten run had been brought to an end only a month earlier, were one of the finest sides in Europe. The likes of Thierry Henry, Dennis Bergkamp, Patrick Vieira, Robert Pires, and an impudently talented teenager by the name of Cesc Fabregas, rocked up to White Hart Lane intent on making their superiority utterly unquestionable.

Things did not immediately go to plan for Arsenal. Hot-tempered German Jens Lehmann was by far the busier of the two goalkeepers for the majority of the first half. After 36 minutes, Spurs took a deserved lead via a volleyed finish from Noureddine Naybet.

Spurs continued to swarm forward, and on the stroke of half-time, were punished for their aggression. Arsenal right-back Lauren clipped an inch-perfect ball over the top of the retreating Tottenham rearguard. The Gunners’ talismanic striker, Henry, expertly took the ball down before poking it home past the despairing Paul Robinson.

It meant that these fierce rivals went in at the break on level terms. A harsh outcome from a Tottenham perspective.

In the second period, though, Wenger’s side asserted their dominance. 

Ten minutes after the restart, Freddie Ljungberg was hauled down in the box and referee Steve Bennett pointed to the spot. Adding a goal to his earlier assist, Lauren stepped up to send Robinson the wrong way.

Moments later, a shambolic mix up at the back allowed Vieira to rob the ball in Spurs’ half and bear down on the home team’s goal. With only Robinson to beat, the Arsenal captain clipped the ball into the back of the net. With the visitors 3-1 up it ought to have been over. It wasn’t.

Less than two minutes later, Defoe took matters into his own hands, and in a repeat of Vieira’s earlier trick, took possession of the ball in the Arsenal final third and opted to simply charge at the opposition defence. Unhindered, he arrived at the edge of the box before gloriously dispatching the ball into the top corner. White Hart Lane erupted. Chaos reigned.

Less than ten minutes later, the two goal cushion was restored, as Fabregas slipped a delightful reverse pass through a gap in the Spurs defence which set Ljungberg loose to sweep home.

Guess what? Ledley King popped up with a header to reduce the arrears once more. It took the Arsenal substitute, Pires, to produce a dazzling shift of the feet and smart finish to once against restore the Gunners’ two goal advantage. Again, it didn’t last, as Freddie Kanoute popped up to briefly re-stoke the fading embers of a game that had finally burned itself out. The final score, Tottenham 4-5 Arsenal.

We may never see a north London derby of its like again. It was, though, a ninety minutes that epitomised the spirit of the fixture. 

Things are very different today. White Hart Lane and Arsene Wenger are gone. None of the players on the pitch on that day in 2004 still represent either club. Gone are the days of Invincible Arsenal; Spurs are currently the ascendant side in north London.

One thing will never change though, on derby day, these two clubs have the capacity to produce Premier League magic. Here’s hoping for another dose on Sunday.