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It’s already been a rather interesting season for Manchester United as they adapt to life with Louis van Gaal in the dugout.

The former champions broke the Premier League’s records for individual transfer fees and the amount spent by one club in a single window during the summer, but that was quickly juxtaposed by poor results against Burnley, MK Dons in the Capital One Cup and Leicester City.

As the Red Devils currently find themselves in fourth place however, following impressive wins against West Ham and Everton, there’s a new feeling of optimism around Old Trafford.

That’s shared in the Football FanCast office, to such an extent that we’ve decided to conjure up this list of the FIVE signs that Manchester United WILL qualify for the Champions League – their ultimate aim this season.

So without further ado…

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GOALS

Manchester United’s defensive frailties are well-known and widely documented but there’s no questioning their strength at the other end of the pitch, with an incredible attacking cast including the likes of Angel Di Maria, Juan Mata, Radamel Falcao, Wayne Rooney and Robin van Persie.

They’ve netted 13 times already this season, averaging out at 1.8 goals per game. As viewable below, that return is only betted by Chelsea and Manchester City:

In prior campaigns, such an imbalanced starting XI would only work against the Red Devils. But over the course of the last few years, the Premier League has become engulfed in a goal-friendly culture; in 2010 Chelsea bagged the most goals scored in a single season (103), in 2012 the title was decided on goal difference alone, and last term, two clubs – City and Liverpool – reached triple figures in the league.

Indeed, it appears resolute defending has taken a backward step throughout the top flight for the sake of proficiency going forward, something United currently possess in abundance. Falcao got off the mark with his first Premier League goal against Everton:

Whilst Angel Di Maria has already bagged three goals in just five appearances, but more about the Argentine maestro later.

Unknown quantity

Manchester United’s prolific goal-getting makes them very much an unknown quantity, a side other Premier League clubs will struggle to accurately prepare for.

After all, what will the likes of Chelsea, Manchester City and Arsenal truly be facing in the coming weeks? The old, rugged, determined United? The new breed of world-class attackers? Or a shambolic XI of youngsters and foreigners, still searching for balance, leadership and familiarity? Are they genuine title contenders, or just this season’s entertainers?

The unpredictability of results thus far under Louis van Gaal – the shock defeats to Mk Dons and Leicester City, a 4-0 thrashing in the Capital One Cup and a 5-3 comeback in the league respectively – and the immeasurable power of United’s history, further adds to the feeling of ambiguity.

They’ve already employed two completely different systems this year – a 4-1-2-1-2 and a 3-4-3 – and United’s starting Xi is absolutely bursting with match-winners – players who can turn a game on its head in an instant.

Yet to face a major opponent, the element of surprise currently accompanying United will keep the Premier League’s top clubs attempting to second-guess them.

Divisional rivals struggling for form

Take another look at the Premier League table:

Right now, Everton, Liverpool, Arsenal and Spurs, who were all in the race for last year’s Champions League spots, are collectively struggling for consistency and form.

The Toffees for example, are just two points clear of the relegation zone, whilst Arsenal have only won twice from seven fixtures.

Of course, at this point in the season there’s still just a handful of points separating the vast majority of sides, with ten point gap between the relegation spots and Manchester City in second.

But the point remains that the stage is set for United to assert their dominance early-on whilst their divisional rivals are still finding their feet.

Whether the Red Devils can hold onto their current position of fourth however will largely depend on results in the coming weeks, as they take on Chelsea, Manchester City and Arsenal before the end of November.

ANGEL DI MARIA

It would be wrong and wholly inaccurate to describe Manchester United as a one-man team, but if there’s one player who’s currently head and shoulders above the rest, it’s summer signing Angel Di Maria.

Indeed, the Argentina international has been nothing short of incredible since United signed him for a record-breaking £59million, as shown below:

Whoscored.com have put him in their European Team of the Season thus far:

…in no small part due to some incredible goals, such as this one against Leicester City back in September:

Unquestionably the most in-form midfielder the Premier League currently has to offer, if the Red Devils can keep the 26 year-old firing for the majority of the season, they’ve got a fantastic chance of qualifying for the Champions League.

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Recent wins

Less than a month ago, following a 0-0 draw with Burnley and a 5-3 defeat to Leicester City, it looked like the Red Devils were in for another tough campaign.

But recent results, specifically wins against West Ham and Everton, have changed all that. Not only because they constituted Manchester United’s first consecutive victories under Louis van Gaal, but due to the impressive quality of the opposition.

Judging by the series of shrewd signings Sam Allardyce made this summer, including Alex Song, Enner Valencia, Ryan Cresswell, Diafra Sakho and Cheikhou Kouyate to name a few, in combination with their positive start to the season, the Hammers look set for a top half finish this season. They’ve already recorded a 3-1 victory over Liverpool at Upton Park, the highlights of which are viewable below:

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Likewise, Everton have endured a poor start to the campaign, but they’re a strong outfit and based on their league standing over the last ten years, remain the essential litmus test for clubs looking to qualify for the Champions League. As shown in the highlights below, Manchester United impressed as they fought to a 2-1 victory over the Toffees.

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In other words, West Ham and Everton are the calibre of side Manchester United should be beating if they’re to make it into the top four. As previously mentioned however, the real test comes between now and the end of November, as the Red Devils face Manchester City, Chelsea and Arsenal.

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Ki Sung-Yueng is ready for the big time. He stood out in a poor Sunderland side last season and this year excelled as the driving force in Swansea’s midfield.

His intrinsic influence on the Welsh outfit claiming their highest ever final standing and highest ever points total in the Premier League has gone largely unnoticed. He even missed out on the club’s Player of the Year award, which went to summer signing Lukasz Fabianski. The South Korean tends to have that almost subliminal Michael-Carrick-esque effect.

But finally some tabloid appreciation arrived last week in the form of rumoured interest from Arsenal – who are reportedly plotting a £15million bid.

At 26 years of age, with 74 caps for South Korea and just a handful shy of a centenary of Premier League appearances, I have no doubt this summer is the ideal time for Ki to make the jump to a top English club. But Arsenal? Are they the right side for him?

The midfielder’s defining gift is his intelligence and quality on the ball. He’s Swansea’s metronome at the base of midfield, conducting the direction, pace and flow of their build-up play – resulting in a pass completion rate of 89.8% this season, the sixth-best return of any Premier League player.

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Yet Ki’s also blessed with the ability to make surging runs from deep at the pinnacle moment, timed so perfectly he’s scored the most Premier League goals of any Swansea player this season with eight – barring now-Manchester City’s Wilfried Bony with nine – and the third-most of any centre-mid in the top flight, after Steven Gerrard and Yaya Toure. It’s yet another testament to his incredible reading of the game, alongside the impressive average of 1.8 interceptions per match.

In theory, that should make him perfect for Arsenal; a side fused together by the principles of tiki-taka that like to score goals from all departments – including holding midfield. I have no doubt he’ll be able to maintain the pace and quality of their technically-demanding build-up play and quickly settle in a midfield surrounded by like-minded playmakers.

But too many cooks spoil the broth, and as I’ve just alluded to Arsenal’s kitchen is already filled to the brim. So full, in fact, they have No.10s playing in right midfield (Aaron Ramsey), central midfield (Santi Cazorla), and attacking midfield (Mesut Ozil), with a few more (usually Jack Wilshere and Tomas Rosicky) warming up the bench. Even the Gunners’ latest revelation Francis Coquelin began his Arsenal career in more advanced capacities before succumbing to the holding midfield needs of the first team squad.

Ki isn’t a No.10. He’s more of a deep-lying influence like Andrea Pirlo or Michael Carrick. But Manchester United and Juventus protect their anchoring playmakers with physical and feisty midfielders – Paul Pogba and Arturo Vidal being fantastic examples, along with the lanky Marouane Fellaini and the nippy Ander Herrera. The same can be said for Swansea, who deploy Jack Cork and Jonjo Shelvey in a tight-knit midfield. But the South Korean wouldn’t necessarily have that luxury at the Emirates. In fact, he’d be doing much of the protecting for others.

And that sums up perhaps my biggest concern regarding Ki Sung-Yueng; that he’ll be asked to perform a service which doesn’t come naturally to him, and he’d resultantly become misinterpreted by the Arsenal fan-base. They’re expecting a powerful, athletic addition to their engine-room this summer – Morgan Schneiderlin, William Carvalho and Moussa Sissoko being amongst the more common names mooted in the tabloids. Measuring in at 6 foot 2, Ki may give that illusion, but he’s not a physical presence of the same variety – the kind of player who could go shoulder-to-shoulder with Nemanja Matic or Yaya Toure twice a season.

In a nutshell, Ki represents something Arsenal already have, but this summer they should be looking for variety in the transfer market more than ever – the kind of players who help grind out wins when backs are to the wall. The 26 year-old isn’t famed for his fighting spirit and with good reason; he’s a more sophisticated presence than that.

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In my opinion, it’s a transfer that would serve both parties poorly; Arsenal, still lacking the brawn their engine room craves, Ki, unable to stand out in a side blessed with like-minded talents. The South Korea international is more than ready for the next level – but Arsenal suit him ‘almost too well’, to paraphrase Andy Townsend, for this deal to prove successful.

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Lukas Podolski’s return to the Arsenal squad has come at the right time, coming back into the fold only a few games after Theo Walcott, and in turn sharpening Arsenal’s attack.

It’s the Arsenal way: you get one or two back from injury and one goes out again. Mesut Ozil has picked up a “shoulder injury,” though I’m sceptical about the legitimacy of it. Arsene Wenger seems to be playing a smart move by giving the German international a mini winter break after non-stop ninety-minute outings since his arrival in the Premier League.

But that isn’t so much of an issue. Jack Wilshere came back from his suspension, and the Arsenal midfield was never something to really worry about this season. The issue, rather, has been in attack, where Olivier Giroud has looked tired, ineffective in front of goal and subsequently lacking in confidence to grab a game by the scruff of the neck.

Podolski, upon his return at West Ham on Boxing Day, did far more than the Frenchman had for what seemed like a frustratingly long barren spell. The German added invention to Arsenal’s play at West Ham, incision and directness. There’s a matter of freshness too, but Podolski is the far more clinical of the two. He’s the forward who came to Arsenal in the summer of 2012 with the reputation as a goal scorer, and he certainly gave evidence of his qualities with a stunning left-footed effort, which, coincidentally, was supplied by Olivier Giroud and the other returning forward Theo Walcott.

It eases the pressure on Wenger going into the January window. Everyone knows this Arsenal team is not yet complete, though it’s also not to say it’s too far off. Can they win a trophy without a prolific centre-forward? It’s not impossible. Chelsea won the Europa League last season, as well as the Champions League and FA Cup the season before. And before any mention of Didier Drogba comes up, his numbers were clearly declining, as he tallied his lowest record of goals in a Chelsea shirt in his final season with the club. There’s also evidence in Europe of Juventus going through a season unbeaten without a prolific goal scorer. So yes, it can be done.

The problem Wenger faces is a matter of availability, in that none of the club’s likely top targets will be on the market in January. It would be unwise to buy for the sake of buying to simply appease the masses.

Loic Remy is a name that has been thrown out as a suggestion, but will the Frenchman fire a top Premier League side to the league title? According to reports on his loan spell from QPR, it is possible to pick him up from Newcastle this January, and he may well help to take Arsenal over the line this season. But what about the long term? If Remy was good enough to be a striker for one of those challenging for the title, one of the big teams would have picked him up while he was at Marseille. There will be a clamour again for Arsenal to go out and sign an elite forward in the summer, which could complicate the matter of having already signed a Remy-esque striker in January.

Arsenal do need reinforcements in the upcoming transfer window. A defender, either a centre-back or right-back, is a must. As well as that, and in spite of the team’s strength in midfield, another option, namely a direct player with pace and who can stretch the play, would be a welcome addition. Though Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain’s return shouldn’t be overlooked.

As for Arsenal’s current attack, which does feature four full internationals, there isn’t such an overwhelming need to spend (unnecessarily) if all four are fit and capable. Over Arsenal’s last four league games, Podolski, Giroud and Walcott have either scored or supplied for another; Nicklas Bendtner, too, would have had a goal had his effort at Manchester City not been wrongly ruled offside.

The issue is quality, not quantity. Arsenal are currently top of the Premier League and have a favourable home tie against Cardiff this midweek. Think of how effective the team’s attack would have been if Podolski and Walcott were not out injured for such lengthy spells. Podolski has been out since August.

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Both his and Walcott’s immediate impact upon their return has gifted Wenger some time to continue to work with what he has. For taking Arsenal to the summit of the Premier League on New Year’s Eve without two vital players, he deserves as much.

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David Moyes may never get another opportunity to manage one of the Premier League’s biggest clubs. The damage done to his reputation after his disastrous 10-month spell as Manchester United manager looks to be irreparable.

Moyes was the wrong man for Manchester United, something most couldn’t see from the off. His limitations as a manager were exposed, while his better traits that won him so much goodwill while at Everton were never given a solid platform to reveal themselves amid a group of apparently insubordinate players.

Moyes wasn’t the right fit for Manchester United because his footballing ideals didn’t go hand-in-hand with those of last season’s Premier League champions. Moyes has never been one for vibrant, attacking football. His principles lie in defending his own keep first, then worrying about turning a draw into a win. It’s not unfair to say those at United weren’t buying into that premise.

So how does Moyes go about rebuilding his career? Is a short trip into the studio on the cards? That probably wouldn’t be too wise. If Moyes is going to fight off the demons of his stint at Old Trafford, he’ll need to do it by being a manager, by doing some good at another club.

How about a page out of Steve McClaren’s books? The former England manager, previously admired for what he had achieved either as a head coach or as an assistant incidentally at United, moved abroad and found success in Dutch football with FC Twente. In his second season in the Netherlands, McClaren won the Eredivisie title, earning him a move to German side Wolfsburg, who had recently been crowned Bundesliga champions.

Interestingly, Moyes was touted as a possible option for Schalke in the recent past. A move to Germany and the Royal Blues would have given the Glaswegian the kind of tools to prepare him for life at a club of Manchester United’s size. Schalke are a team regularly in the race for a top four position in Germany, and though Moyes appeared surprisingly at home in the Champions League this season, the experience of doing it abroad away from the watch of the English press would have been invaluable.

Where Moyes failed at United was through his inability to shake the underdog mentality he had so proudly adopted at Everton. Schalke, at present, are not a match for Bayern Munich, while local rivals Borussia Dortmund have remained well ahead of them since Jurgen Klopp arrived. But Schalke are capable of beating the big teams, both domestically and in Europe.

Moyes is still a manager who can learn a lot, but he’s also a manager who can offer a lot if given the right environment to work. He hasn’t become a bad manager overnight – or over the course of a traumatic 10 months. Think of the good he did while at Everton: building them up as a regular for a Europa League finish while working to a budget that paled in comparison to those around him. And of course there’s the success he had in bringing through young players and making the most of a very good academy. Clubs around Europe who are in need of that managerial skill may just look to Moyes as a good candidate.

In England, Moyes has been linked with a couple of jobs this summer. Newcastle and Tottenham look set for a managerial shakeup come the end of the season, with the latter certain to move on Tim Sherwood and the former’s supporters disillusioned with life under Alan Pardew.

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But Moyes needs an escape, not another reason for the knives to be sharpened. He’s one disastrous defeat away from falling back into the mire that was this season. Not only does Moyes need to allow the focus to be permanently switched onto something or someone else, he needs to repair and get his mind back on track, something that is extremely difficult to do under the pressures of English football.

There are sure to be opportunities for Moyes to reinvent himself around Europe – and it doesn’t necessarily have to be at a club from one of the continents leading leagues.

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It’s a name that’s been linked with a move to Tottenham Hotspur for nearly a season now, but as the transfer speculation heats up regarding the club’s potential swoop for Hamburg forward Heung-Min Son, some supporters are already turning their attention to where the Korean might fit in their side.

While the club’s interest in Son can be traced back to the summer of 2012, it’s believed that the 20-year-old’s hesitation in signing an extension to a contract that expires next season could see him leave the Imtech Arena for as little as £8.5million.

And further still, if a report in this morning’s Independent is to be believed, the player himself is said to be keen on the prospect of linking up with Andre Villas-Boas’ side, too.

But with the team screaming out for a forward of the highest calibre and several other elements of the side needing addressing come the summer, can Spurs really afford to invest the best part of £10million in a player whose age and inexperience ensures a potential deal remains very much an eight-figure gamble?

The cynics among the Lilywhites support won’t even necessarily need to have seen the Chuncheon-born talent play, to raise suspicions about the club’s motivation to acquire his signature this summer. Barely out of his teens and adjoined with a lofty reputation forged on the continent, Son bears the hallmark and resale value of the sort of player that Spurs chairman Daniel Levy loves to bring to the club.

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Throw in the usual skepticism that follows the import of a player with the marketing capacity to unlock the lucrative Asian market and perhaps it’s understandable that not all supporters are jumping out of their seat at the prospect of the South Korean making the move to N17.

But regardless of what Son might bring to the club off the pitch, he also has the capacity to have a profound effect on the field of play. His signing might please Levy, but don’t think for five minutes that Son might find himself out of his depth in the white side of North London.

After joining the Bundesliga side at the tender age of only 16, Son has had to endure the usual sort of labeling that comes with such a high-profile at such a young age. Certainly, the ‘Asian Lionel Messi’ was a tag did little to encourage his development when he first arrived on German shores.

But if the pressure did little to aid his evolution from a fledgling, enigmatic youth player, it’s not done much to harm him, either.

Still three months off his 21st birthday, Son can already lay claim to 13 caps for his country, 67 top-flight appearances for Hamburg and an extremely impressive 17 Bundesliga goals to go with them – nine of which have come during the 2012/13 campaign.

The finished article, Son most certainly is not, but don’t let his age belie his capabilities. Equally adept with either foot, Son offers a threat from anywhere across a front attacking three and what’s more, he doesn’t seem to have a preference where, either.

“I don’t care where I play,” were the South Korean’s words upon breaking into the team in Hamburg.

“The main thing is I’m in the game. I can play right, left, as a forward or behind. What the coach says, I’ll do. I don’t have a favourite position. I’ll be anywhere and always on the throttle.”

With Tottenham’s lack of attacking potency past the duo of Gareth Bale and Aaron Lennon being woefully exposed in recent games, oh how Villas-Boas’ side could do with Son’s talents now, as opposed to three or four months down the track.

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He offers pace, close control, an admirable work ethic but most importantly, a goal threat when positioned out on the flank. This season has seen the South Korean stationed out on the right-hand side more often than not for Thorsten Fink’s side and while supporters will be mindful of the worth that they place on current incumbent Aaron Lennon, Son would offer Villas-Boas a completely different option in terms of setting his side up.

The notion of recreating the 4-3-3 that the Portuguese enjoyed so much success with at Porto has largely been made redundant due to several factors, but the lack of another goalscoring winger has been one of the most poignant. Son’s composure in front of goal could open some more doors for Villas-Boas tactically and ease some of the goalscoring burden that Bale has had to shoulder for far too long this season.

For as efficient as Son might be in front of goal, despite his ability to play as a central striker he wouldn’t really offer Spurs a viable option as a long-term centre forward and that must be the priority at White Hart Lane this summer. But should the 20-year-old continue to stall upon a new deal at Hamburg, there’s absolutely no reason why the club shouldn’t pay the rumoured £8.5million fee that the German club are asking for.

Even at such a cut-price figure, there can be no denying that any deal to take Heung-Min Son to White Hart Lane will be something of a gamble. But if the £15million that Manchester United have recently shelled out to take Wilfried Zaha to Old Trafford can be deemed as something resembling a good investment, then Son’s signature must surely be a potential steal.

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Juventus have made a move for highly rated Udinese defender and Liverpool FC target Pablo Armero, according to talkSPORT.

The Italian press have reported that Juventus have made the first step in claiming Armero, by tabling an €8 million bid. However, it is thought that Udinese will hold firm for their €10 million valuation of the Columbian international.

It was thought that Brendan Rodgers was keen to bring in defensive options in January, after a less than impressive start to the Premier League season. Juventus’ swift movements will mean that the new man at Anfield will have to act quickly or risk losing his top transfer target.

Armero started his career with Columbian side Deportivo Cali before moving to Palmeiras in 2009. Impressive performances for the Brazilian side ignited interest from Italy and while a move to Parma collapsed at the last minute, in August 2010, Udinese claimed the defender.

At just 26, Armero already has 30 caps for Columbia. His position for his club tends to be at left wing back as Udinese play with an effective 3-5-2 formation. However, the South American plays left back for his country and started at centre back for Palmeiras so is versatile along the back line.

No comments have been made by the player himself but it is thought that now Italian giants Juventus have made their interest known, that will be Armero’s likely destination in January.

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Tottenham goalkeeper Hugo Lloris added insult to injury for Arsenal after declaring their clash with Liverpool will pose a much tougher test, the Mirror reports.

Spurs claimed a crucial 2-1 victory in the North London derby at White Hart Lane on Sunday that lifted them back above Chelsea into third and left the Gunners with a mountain to climb if they’re to qualify for next season’s Champions League.

And while Lloris basked in the glory of a Derby victory he urged his team mates to remain focused before admitting the trip to Anfield is one he considers a daunting assignment for Andre Villas-Boas’ side.

“We don’t know what can happen so we have to keep going, not look at the other teams and be focused on ourselves,” the French international stated.

“But it will be another game next Sunday. Liverpool are playing maybe the best football in the Premier League at this moment. They proved that in their last game against Wigan. It will be a very difficult game but very exciting game in Anfield.

The French stopper also reiterated that now is the time to kick on and that Champions League football is far from being sewn up for the Lilywhites.

“The season is not finished,” he added.

“There are 10 games to go so we have to keep concentration and be focused on the end of the season.

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“Of course it’s better to be in this position than Arsenal although we have to keep a lucidity of the situation. The most important thing is to be in the Champions League next season and I think we have to keep our ambition.”

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Naby Keita was one of the names that frequently popped up during Liverpool’s transfer window in the summer.Initially it seemed that a deal was dead in the water, but eventually an agreement was made for the midfielder to sign for the Reds from RB Leipzig before the start of the 2018-19 season.All parties were content with the arrangement, but it appears that there has been a shift due to the recent departure of Philippe Coutinho.The Brazilian joined Barcelona last week in aÂreported £142m deal, making him the third most expensive signing in history.According to theÂLiverpool Echo, Coutinho’s exit has sparked Anfield bosses into enquiring about the possibility of accelerating Keita’s move.It is believed that the Merseyside outfit are willing to pay a premium on top of the £55m already agreed to speed up the process.However, Leipzig are reportedly not prepared to let go of the box-to-box midfielder before the end of the season.This latest news has got Liverpool fans talking on Twitter.

Right at the end of the season, with nothing to play for, Manchester City fans have only three games to soldier through before they put to sleep this disappointment of a season and look forward to a summer of change and a new season of hope.

Next up is QPR, and there will be no repeat of 2012’s end of the season clash against the London club at the Etihad when Aguero snatched the Premier League title out of Alex Ferguson’s grasp in added time.

No, this time the atmosphere will be flat. But actually, City’s season is not done yet.

It might not matter much to City fans or even the club itself, but City will have a big say in the doling out of Europa League places between now and the end of the season.

Last week, City beat Tottenham who remain only a point ahead of Southampton as a result. That’s the race for 6th. A Europa League place could still go to 7th place. And that’s where it gets interesting, strangely. Because it’s not totally sewn up for Southampton just yet.

And that’s because Southampton go to Manchester City on the final day after games against relegation-threatened yet on-form Leicester City in Leicester and Aston Villa in Southampton. So Saints don’t have the easiest of run-ins.

Spurs, meanwhile face Stoke, Hull and Everton. Not that they’re the easiest games to have either, but Everton and Stoke have little to play for at the moment, though I’d put Hull in the same category as Leicester and Villa. They could spring a surprise.

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So neither of the Europa League chasing teams have their final three games sewn up, and both could drop points. In the race for 6th, Southampton’s final day showdown with City at the Etihad could be crucial.

But there’s still a race for 7th that no one is talking about.

Partly this is because we’re not certain that 7th place will yield a Europa League spot at the end of the season. An Aston Villa FA Cup win would see 7th place disappointed. And it’s partly because the focus has been on Southampton and Spurs for so long.

But Swansea aren’t out of it yet – it’s unlikely, but they can’t be written off. They sit four points behind Southampton and five behind Spurs.

Their last three games are daunting, though. Away to Arsenal, home to Manchester City and away to Crystal Palace.

But if they win all three, they could probably consider themselves unlucky not to overtake one of the teams in front and finish 7th.

And it’s not impossible. City have little to play for, Arsenal are in the same boat. They might be motivated by the thought of having to qualify for the Champions League if they finish 4th, but that’s nothing compared with the motivation of actually finishing in Europe or not.

So there’s a race for Europe happening. Liverpool may still harbour hopes of catching Manchester United, and Swansea – albeit with harder fixtures – may just hold out hope of catching Southampton.

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And so it’s Manchester City who will have a big say in where those places end up. After Southampton’s defeat to Sunderland, they remain only a point behind Spurs because City won at White Hart Lane. And City will also have a part to play in the final fixtures of Swansea and of Southampton.

It’s interesting that each club has to play the deposed Champions. But it’s more interesting still that City aren’t competing for anything at this stage of the season. That means we can’t predict their form. They can still play brilliantly – as they did at times against Spurs – or they could completely capitulate.

So both Saints and Swansea have a chance to beat them, yet it’ll be tough for both teams. It’s entirely possible that Swansea beat City at the Liberty Stadium, but Saints come up short at the Etihad.

So the race for the Europa League is still on, and we’ll be watching all the fixtures with an interested eye. But it’s events involving Manchester City that seem to add spice to this race, so we’ll be watching them with more attention than possibly even their fans will be over the next three matchdays. There’s still lots to play for in games involving City, but it’s just not City that are bothered, really.

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Arsene Wenger has maintained that the January transfer window will not remedy Arsenal’s problems in the Premier League this season.

The Gunners boss instead believes that solutions will ultimately come from within the current squad rather than through the acquisition of another player in the winter, stating that it was important to “find solutions before January.”

Commenting on the competitive nature of the league, he noted that spending would have little or no impact because “it is difficult for everybody at the moment, all teams, even those who have invested a lot of money.”

The league table makes grim reading for Gunners fans, with a 2-0 loss to Swansea at the Emirates on Saturday opening a five-point gap with Tottenham Hotspur sitting in 4th spot.

The loss marked a season haul of 5 wins from 15 games in the Premier League, as Arsenal sit 10th and one point behind Stoke City. It’s the worst position for Arsenal at this stage of the season under Wenger’s guidance.

Reports later verified that approximately a thousand supporters protested after the game, in the name of the Black Scarf Movement. The BSM function as the mouthpiece for growing fan anger at the greater commercialisation of Arsenal – relating to high ticket prices and an expensive match-day experience – after their move to the Emirates coinciding with a seven-year trophyless spell.

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Some fans believe that the club’s frugal transfer policy isn’t in line with the exponential monetisation of Arsenal at the Emirates. There seems to be a huge disparity between Wenger’s transfer policy and a belief that the club have a substantially healthier balance sheet since moving to their new home with many fans believing that the financial clout is there but the desire to spend in the winter is not.

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