Will Ten Hag drop Rashford?
All is clearly not well in the world for Marcus Rashford. The England forward cut a forlorn figure on Saturday as Manchester United lost 1-0 to Newcastle United – a scoreline that flattered Erik ten Hag's side.
And it was Rashford's performance – or rather lack of it – that became the focus of fierce criticism from fans and media personalities.
“Body language does not emit contentment,” wrote The National reporter Andy Mitten. “He’s 26 now, he’s not a child any more. He’s got to set the example,” said former Manchester United captain Roy Keane on Sky Sports, while fellow pundit Jamie Carragher added: “What he did last night was nowhere near acceptable.”
Even Ten Hag hinted that all is not well with a player who scored 30 goals last season, but has managed just two this time round.
“I will talk to him and not the media,” said the Dutch coach, who must now decide whether Rashford starts against Chelsea at Old Trafford on Wednesday. “I don't go into individual performances. I knew this issue was coming up … he will return to his form, he will recover and he gets all our support.”
Can 'struggling' Man City return to winning ways?
Three draws in a row against “Big Six” opposition hardly constitutes a crisis, but when your standards are as high as Pep Guardiola's, then maybe you can count Manchester City's form as something of a blip.
Sunday's 3-3 home draw with Tottenham Hotspur came on the back of sharing the spoils with Liverpool (1-1 at the Etihad Stadium) and Chelsea (4-4 at Stamford Bridge) – leaving City three points behind Premier League leaders Arsenal.
It is the longest City have gone without a league win since the end of Guardiola's first season in charge in 2017.
“It's not the first time we have faced this situation where we are playing good but results don't come,” said the Catalan coach, whose team face a trip to Aston Villa on Wednesday without the suspended Rodri and Jack Grealish. “Always we find a solution, but lately the results don't come and we are struggling.
“Football is about mistakes sometimes, but still we are there. After many years we still have the feeling that we want it [the title].”
Man City v Spurs ratings
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MAN CITY RATINGS: Reclaimed his spot in goal after being rested in midweek, but Ederson might feel he could have done better to keep out Son’s first goal. Stood no chance against Kulusevski’s header into the top corner. Getty -
Reliable when Spurs opted to play on the break. Gil stood no chance when matched against the pacy right-back, but Walker met his match up against Johnson for Spurs’ third. Reuters -
Often the last line of defence for City, Dias crucially cleared Johnson’s dangerous ball into the box after Gvardiol was beaten. EPA -
Preferred to Ake at left-back, Gvardiol found the pace of Spurs’ frontline a problem. Booked. Getty -
Picked up his fifth yellow card, which will see him suspended against Aston Villa, and leave Pep Guardiola with plenty of decisions. Narrowly missed an opportunity to restore City’s lead after his chipped effort went just wide. Getty -
Will be the centre of debates surrounding a penalty appeal in stoppage time when he appeared to be pushed by Skipp. AP -
Moved deeper into midfield as City came under pressure. He released Doku when he could have shot, and was rewarded moments later when he found space in the box to slot home City’s second. AFP -
Productive and intuitive, the Argentine found space to receive the ball and slip it through to Foden to net City’s second. He also came close to scoring himself. AP -
Should have added an assist to his name when he squared the ball to Haaland, but the Norwegian could only shoot narrowly wide. Forced a brilliant save from the out-stretched Vicario after half-time. AP -
Energetic on the wing, Doku caused problems for Porro and was only denied by the woodwork when he got the better of Davies. Limped off in the second half. PA -
Missed an open goal early on and should have put City out of sight before half-time, but despite failing to net, he still managed to add an assist. AP -
SUBS: (Doku 52’) – Converted from close range to restore City’s lead but will miss City’s visit to his former club Aston Villa after picking up a needless fifth yellow card of the season. AFP -
(Foden 73’) – Immediately involved in the action, playing a neat link-up with Rodri, who could only chip his effort over. AFP -
(Gvardiol 86’) – Beaten in the air by Kulusevski for Spurs’ third. AFP -
(Alvarez 86’) – Came on as City tried to hang on for the win. Reuters -
TOTTENHAM RATINGS: Straight into the action, Vicario had to keep a calm head as City pressured the Spurs goalkeeper. He could do little about Son’s deflected own goal and he was left exposed for City’s second. Pulled off a brilliant full-stretch save right after half-time after giving the ball away cheaply. Reuters -
Struggled to deal with Doku on the wing, Porro also looked a mismatch against Haaland for City’s equaliser. Booked. Getty -
Very fortunate to see Haaland miss an open goal after he was dispossessed in a dangerous area after playing the ball at the back. Looked shaky every time he touched the ball. Reuters -
Left isolated at the back for City’s second, whilst he could only back off from the weaving Doku, allowing him to hit the woodwork. Won a vital header in the run-up to Spurs’ second goal. Reuters -
Struggled in the first half to deal with City but much brighter in the second half as Spurs gained some composure, looking for opportunities in the box. Booked. AFP -
A deserved start for Lo Celso after his goal against Aston Villa and despite offering very little, scored his second goal in two games, beating Ederson with a low shot. Getty -
A disaster for Bissouma, who’d returned to Spurs’ starting XI from suspension, as he was punished for dithering in City’s half for Grealish’s goal. AFP -
The pacy winger caused problems on the ball for Gvardiol but lacked any real power with an effort in the second half. He later delivered an inch-perfect cross for Kulusevski to score the equaliser. AFP -
Played a key role in Spurs’ opening goal with a superb ball to find Son. Proved his determination during the closing stages, beating Ake in the air to score Spurs’ third. AP -
Brilliant in the build up to Spurs’ first goal, Gil’s neat turn was the catalyst in creating the move, laying the ball off to Kulusevski who then found Son. Saw his afternoon cut short by an early tactical switch. Getty -
A mixed afternoon for the South Korean, who netted Spurs’ first goal having been found by Kulusevski and beating Doku for speed. He was then unlucky to score an own goal and concede City’s equaliser. PA -
(Gil 46’) - Brought a sense of composure to Spurs’ midfield and made his presence felt with two early fouls on Haaland. Reuters -
(Lo Celso 79’) – Will be breathing a sigh of relief as City appealed for a penalty in the closing stages for a push on Akanji. Reuters -
(Bissouma 88’) – A surprise return to the bench from injury; Jamie Donley (Johnson 90+6’) Late change in stoppage time. PA
Will Villa Park fortress hold out?
Aston Villa are riding high in fourth place, built largely on the back of making their home – Villa Park – one of the most difficult grounds in the league to take three points from.
Only three clubs – Liverpool, Newcastle and Arsenal, who have all played more games – have a better home record than Villa this season with Unai Emery's side having won all six of their matches on home soil, the first time since 1932/33 that they have started the campaign in such fashion.
Last month's 3-1 win over Fulham means the Villa faithful have watched their side triumph for 13 consecutive matches with their last home defeat coming way back on February 18 when they lost 4-2 to Arsenal.
Meanwhile, their home goals for (23) and against (five) columns are both currently the best in the division.
But the home fortress now faces the ultimate test of strength against the mighty treble winners who are currently third in the table, one point and one place above Villa.
“It is always difficult to play Manchester City,” said Emery ahead of Wednesday's game. “They are the best team with the best coach.”
Can Newcastle banish away-day blues?
Another team with a fortress-like home stadium is Eddie Howe's Newcastle. The Magpies have won seven out of eight matches as St James' Park, which has been the foundation of a season that sees them sit three points behind fourth-placed Villa.
But while Newcastle are clearly loving life in the comfort of their own home – the likes of Villa, Man City, Paris Saint-Germain, Chelsea, Arsenal and now Man United have all lost on Tyneside this campaign – their away form has been far less impressive.
Out of the 26 Premier League points bagged so far, only five have come on their travels – a record that leaves them a lowly 15th in the away-day table; they are second in the home version.
And Thursday's trip to take on Everton at Goodison Park will be made even more spicy by Anthony Gordon's return to the club he left in acrimony in January.
“We're in a really good place, but we know the environment we're going to go into so it's no secret,” said Gordon. “We need to be ready for that. It's going to be a challenging game.”
De Zerbi v Frank: Who wins out of overachieving coaches?
Two managers who have achieved above and beyond the usual expectations at their respective clubs meet on Wednesday when Brighton play host to Brentford.
Roberto de Zerbi was filling big boots when he replaced Chelsea-bound Graham Potter at the Seagulls last season but the Italian managed to guide Brighton to a sixth-place finish to bag a place in European competition for the first time in the club's history.
“I’m proud and I am enjoying a lot working with these players, with these people,” De Zerbi told BBC Radio 5 Live last month. “I want to stay a long time.”
Over at Brentford, meanwhile, Thomas Frank has been in charge since 2018 and the Dane has seen his team secure promotion to the Premier League followed by 13th and ninth-placed finishes in the top-flight, missing out on Europe by two points last term.
Both clubs' form has been mixed this season but Brighton are currently eighth, three points and three places ahead of Brentford, which is still highly impressive considering the superior budgets of those around them in the table.
“I would love to think our club culture is among the best in the Premier League – actually, in the world,” Frank told The Standard last week.
