Can Southampton recover from another 9-0 defeat?
Southampton suffered another 9-0 defeat in midweek as they were thumped by Man United at Old Trafford. They recovered well after the last one against Leicester; But can they do it again? After losing 9-0 to Leicester last season, Ralph Hasenhuttl gathered his players together and he got them working on the training ground so they didn't have another result like that for the rest of the season. He had to because his job was on the line after that result and the Saints themselves weren't in the best of form going into that game last season. Before their defeat to United in midweek, the Saints like before were not in great form with just one win from nine games and they also have a lot of injuries which never helps. Jannik Vestergaard has been a huge loss because they haven't looked the same defensively and they've also missed Oriol Romeu who brings solidity and guile to the midfield. If the saints can get those back and gather themselves together like they did before, we'll see ho they will react after another 9-0 loss.
Is Sam Allardyce set for his first ever Premier League relegation?
Sam Allardyce has never been relegated as a Premier League manager having kept up the likes of Bolton, Blackburn, Sunderland and Crystal Palace along with Newcastle, West Ham and Everton. He has only been relegated once in his entire managerial career which was when he was at Notts County back in 1997 when they were in the Second Division. But with current club West Brom in 19th place, 1 points off the bottom and 10 points from safety; Will Big Sam suffer his first relegation as a Premier League manager? Whenever he arrives at a club in a relegation battle, Allardyce usually gets his teams to be well organised and hard to beat which has been his blueprint for survival. He hasn't been able to do that since he's been at West Brom as they've conceded 26 goals since his arrival and that is the same amount they conceded under Slaven Bilic. The Baggies did put in a good performance to get a point at Liverpool in Allardyce's second game, but since he's been at the Hawthorns' they have not improved defensively and the stats back that up. He has brought players in during January who will hopefully improve the team but with the current squad they have and the amount of points they need to pick up to survive, Allardyce looks like his luck of keeping teams in the Premier League could be running out.
Can Kelechi Iheanacho step up in the absence of Vardy?
With Jamie Vardy missing Leicester's 2-0 win at Fulham in midweek through injury, back up striker Kelechi Iheanacho was given a chance to lead the line and he took it by scoring the first goal. This got me asking if he can step up in the absence of Vardy if the Foxes' hit man is out for longer. As well as score the first goal, Iheanacho linked up well with James Maddison throughout their win over Fulham and that is something that Jamie Vardy has been doing as well as making those runs in behind. He lead the line like a centre forward by staying in the middle of the pitch when crosses came into the box and he had chances from the deliveries that came to his feet. He's more of a goal scorer than Ayoze Perez who had lead the line in previous games and his goal and performance will encourage Brendan Rodgers to pick him when Vardy is unavailable. If he continues to play well until Vardy comes back, he'll hopefully prove himself as a good back up striker.
Is Jesse Lingard back to producing his best form at West Ham?
After months of being frozen out and not performing at Man United, Jesse Lingard has been given an opportunity to get more game time and impress by joining West Ham on loan. He's got off to a good start by scoring twice on his debut in a 3-1 win at Aston Villa in midweek and after his good performance; Is he back to producing his best form? It's been a tough time for Lingard over the last couple of years because he's had issues off the pitch in terms of his family and that appeared to be having an effect on his performances on the pitch which lead to him being dropped and then out of favour. He was often the blame for Man United's struggles by the fans and that had a huge affect on his confidence which he was lacking for a very long time. But now at West Ham he is beginning to rediscover the form he had a few seasons ago which made him a regular for England as well as Man United. If he can play like he did against Villa on a more consistent basis, he has a chance of returning to the England fold with the Euros coming up in the summer.
Is Jose Mourinho under pressure?
Spurs have lost their last three games in the league and are now seven points outside the top four in 8th place. From being top of the league in December to falling out of the top four, Spurs season is falling apart after a promising start. This has got me asking if Jose Mourinho is under pressure. Spurs were underwhelming in their 1-0 defeat to Chelsea last night as they struggled to create clear cut chances and put any serious pressure on Chelsea. Whenever Chelsea were in their half, there was no closing down from Spurs players as Chelsea had enough room to take shots on goal without any pressure from Spurs players. Spurs did have some chances towards the end of the game, but they didn't trouble Chelsea at all. They've sat off teams a lot this season and then hit them on the counter which hasn't always worked because they've relied a lot on Son and Kane to score them the goals. Other players are not stepping up when those two aren't on it and that could be down to the quality of the individual or the manager for not getting the best out of them. Gareth Bale hasn't been at his best since he returned in the summer, Steven Bergwijn and Lucas Moura haven't done enough when they've been given opportunities and Dele Alli isn't getting enough opportunities. If Mourinho can't get his other attacking players playing well, he'll be under a lot of pressure and he's only in his second season.
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