Manchester City goalkeeper Joe Hart has had a tough start to the Premier League season but it’s safe to say the majority of us didn’t see what was to come when Pep stepped into the Etihad hot seat.

The Shrewsbury-born shot-stopper was ruthlessly axed by the new manager and was shipped out to Italy. Goalkeeping is a profession where familiarity and stability are two of the most important components in your game. Lose those and you will begin to struggle – just ask Joe Hart.

A dodgy Euro 2016 campaign followed by Pep’s appointment has left the former Birmingham City loanee bottom of the pile at his parent club. And he didn’t get off to the best of starts at Torino either.

Whilst new City goalkeeper Claudio Bravo was doing everything he could to get Manchester United back in the game at Old Trafford, Hart was making blunders at his new club – on his debut.

His fumble from a corner kick allowed little-known defender Andrea Masiello to fire home an equaliser. A late spot-kick finished the story, which gave Atalanta all three points on Hart’s Serie A bow.

The England international’s performance was an eclipse of perhaps everything we’ve come to expect after a tough few months between the sticks. He’s managed to play on at both Manchester City and England without much challenge because, quite simply, he’s Joe Hart. But his downfalls have been truly revealed in the past couple of months and it’s left some supporters wondering how he got away with it for so long.

But his downfalls have been truly revealed in the past couple of months and it’s left some supporters wondering how he got away with it for so long.

Now, every time he kicks the ball for Torino we’ll know about it. We’ll know every time he makes a mistake or pulls off a save that ‘could see him integrated back into Pep Guardiola’s squad next season.’

It’s a season where Hart will be under the spotlight constantly and whilst some might deem it unfair to scrutinise his every move with such precision is unfair, it’s easy to do so for a player who has really suffered in form.

There will be that undoubted ‘settling-in period’ where the Torino fans will sing his name week in, week out, regardless of what happens on the pitch. But come Christmas, they will expect the Englishman to know the strengths and weaknesses of the defenders in front of him and how he must perform if the team are to do well.

He has that time to build up the rapport on the training pitch and familiarise himself with his colleagues but he needs to get to work quickly. This spell in Italy isn’t a break for Hart, it’s a time where he needs to get his career back on track.

He’s had the highs of silverware, success and invincibility. Now he needs to tough it out and show why he’s England’s number one. If he doesn’t, that title may slip away as well.

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Liverpool’s Adam Lallana has long been a divisive figure amongst supporters, but only now is getting the recognition he deserves. A £25 million price-tag might have weighed him down a little, and there was a series of niggling injuries, but his quality was always there.

Statistics don’t always tell the full story, but the fact that Lallana broke the record for the most distance covered in a Premier League game this season (12.5 km against Tottenham) and then broke his own record again the following week (13.1 km against Leicester) is hugely impressive.

He also scored the 100th goal of the Jurgen Klopp era with an excellent strike from the corner of the box, into the top corner. Fitting, given how vital he has now become under the German; less than a year ago it was presumed by many that he would soon not even get into the team.

End product has not always been there for Liverpool’s number 20, but it now appears that he has found the consistency, scoring against Arsenal and Leicester so far, as well as for England. He has arguably been the best player of the season for his club so far, whilst he was comfortably the best for his country in Slovakia.

Not one to throw himself into tackles and lacking real pace, Lallana can sometimes go unnoticed for periods, but he is a vital cog for the teams he represents, regardless. Take him out of the Liverpool side, for example, and you lose the key mechanism for pressing. Lallana’s intelligence and desire make him ideal to trigger the pressing movements of the whole team, and he is usually the instigator.

Statistics like distance run and goals scored are of course useful, but other things – like game intelligence, or understanding of tactical concepts – are unquantifiable. That Lallana has a football brain more advanced than any current England player does not fit into a handy stat, and therefore can sometimes be ignored.

The best two-footed and balanced player England have is often perceived as a luxury, and should be more appreciated.

It is perhaps telling that other players with less flair and imagination are considered much better or more important than him. The natural stance in English football is to favour athleticism over technique, and is detrimental to the way the national team plays.

For English football to develop, we need more players like him. Hard work can be done by anyone, but tactical nous and a natural ability and understanding of the game is much more difficult to find. Adam Lallana has both and then some, and the imminent new deal at Liverpool is richly deserved.

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The Premier League returns this weekend after another underwhelming international break.

The two week break had to one of the most tedious in recent history as England stuttered over the line against Malta and then huffed and puffed themselves to a goalless draw against Slovenia in Ljubljana.

But now the real football returns as the Premier League gets back to business and there several eye-opening fixtures to keep us occupied this weekend.

From Chelsea’s home clash with champions Leicester City to league leaders City hosting an impressive Everton side to the big Monday Night Football clash between Liverpool and Manchester United, this weekend has the potential to be one of the best since the beginning of the 16/17 campaign.

So we’ve taken a look at six Premier League teams we think you should be putting in your accumulator this weekend with Winner Sports. If you put them all in to one acca you’ll be getting huge odds of 60/1, so it’s well worth punting a few quid on if you’re feeling lucky.

Winner Sports will refund you with a free bet if one team lets you down on your six fold and will also pay a 25% bonus if you win.

So, here’s the six top-flight teams to back this weekend…

Chelsea – 4/7

Chelsea have just one win in their last three Premier League outings but Antonio Conte’s men will be eager to take all three points against champions Leicester City, who took the title off them last season.

The Blues have been strong at Stamford Bridge this season while Leicester have only really looked convincing in the Champions League and are yet to win a game away from home in the Premier League this season.

Everything points to a Chelsea victory.

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Stoke City – 19/20

Stoke City haven’t had the best of starts to the season and currently find themselves in the bottom three, one place above their opponents Sunderland.

However, they are not expected to stay down there too long and will be desperate to get one over one of their early relegation rivals at the Bet365 Stadium.

Sunderland are already struggling under David Moyes and nothing seems to be going their way at the moment; it certainly looks as if they’re in for yet another long campaign battling for survival.

Mark Hughes’ side are normally impressive in front of their own fans and they should have more than enough to grab all three points this weekend.

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Manchester City – 12/25

Man City’s 100% record in the Premier League was brought to a shuddering halt in the last game week when they rocked up at White Hart Lane and got outplayed by a very impressive Tottenham side.

Their opponents this week, Everton, have enjoyed a good start to the season but are currently without a win in their last two games and could struggled in attack if Romelu Lukaku isn’t passed fit to play.

Rumours also suggest Kevin De Bruyne may be back from injury, which will give City a huge boost after they were visibly struggling without him in the loss to Tottenham last time out.

City should win this to keep their place on top of the table.

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West Ham United – 27/10

West Ham have struggled big time this season but a lot of that has been down issues with their new stadium and, more importantly, several injuries to key first-team players,

One of those key players, Aaron Cresswell, returns for the Hammers this weekend after an injury picked up in pre-season had ruled him out for four months.

Slaven Bilic has spoken of his confidence that all it will take is a victory to get his players confident again after a difficult start, and that could come at Selhurst Park – they won here last season 3-1, with Payet in his usual incredible form.

Palace, on the other hand, have enjoyed a pretty good start to the season, despite losing their opening two fixtures, They’re unbeaten since then, but Pardew’s men might come unstuck against a Hammers side in desperate need of three points to kick-start their season.

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Bournemouth – 4/5

Bournemouth started poorly in the Premier League this season but have since picked up their form slightly, losing one of their last four league outings.

They host Hull City at the Vitality Stadium this weekend and despite the Tigers officially confirming Mike Phelan as their new permanent manager, they’re not expected to improve too much.

Having not won since beginning their campaign with back-to-back victories, Hull are already in a downward spiral towards the bottom three and Bournemouth should take advantage of that.

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Liverpool – 23/20

Liverpool are incredible going forward this season – joint top scorers in the division with 18 goals – and will no doubt be relentless in attack against bitter rivals Manchester United at Anfield on Monday night.

It’s the big Klopp v Mourinho clash, but the most interesting clash on the night will undoubtedly be how each side defends. Both have had dodgy moments at the back this season, while both have been good in attack.

Liverpool look more dangerous in front of goal, though, and should give their fans another memorable night under the Anfield lights.

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Coming in from north of the Scottish border, well-connected Daily Record reporter Duncan Castles has revealed that Manchester United are keen on Porto’s Andre Silva.

What’s the story?

Well, the Red Devils are believed to be looking ahead to 2017 in terms of their player recruitment despite spending the best part of £150m during the last transfer window. On their radar is a new striker in the shape of Silva, who has been earning rave reviews at club and international level this term. The 21-year-old has netted seven times in Primeira Liga action for the Dragoes, while weighing in with another two in the Champions League. On top of those efforts, he’s also sitting on four goals in five games for Portugal after notching a hat-trick against the Faroe Islands in October.

Castles’ report in the Daily Record hints that plans are being drawn up for life after Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Wayne Rooney, with the Swede’s contract set to expire next year – albeit there’s an option to keep him for another 12 months – while the Red Devils’ skipper isn’t getting any younger. Although Castles stops short of saying he’s a replacement, it seems likely that this thought is in the club’s mind.

Further to this his €60m (£51.8m) release clause is mentioned, as is interest from Manchester City. Alongside the Citizens, Arsenal have been mooted as potential suitors by O Jogo of late.

As well as the aforementioned detail, it’s also suggested that missing out on Renato Sanches is seen as episode the club don’t want to repeat – the midfielder was aligned with the Red Devils before joining Bayern Munich last summer.

That’s a lot of money, isn’t it?

Yes. Silva may be talented, but he’s young and has not played outside of his homeland as of yet. Although stars such as Radamel Falcao have emerged in the Iberian nation before going on to play for other continental clubs, there’s the risk that he may struggle to make the step. Porto are, however, open to selling their biggest names with, according to Jan Hagen, the Estadio do Dragao outfit looking to raise €116m (£100.2m) to comply with Financial Fair Play rules.

Given that Porto have raised €601m (£519m) between 2004 and 2015 through selling players it shows they are shrewd negotiators, but they will also be realistic enough to realise that a big fee for a player of Silva’s age cannot really be rejected in this situation, so they may opt to accept below his release clause.

What sort of striker is Silva?

Standing at 6ft. 1â€, Silva is physically imposing enough to lead the line alone – reflected by Portugal using him in the role and allowing Cristiano Ronaldo to move back to the wing – while he’s proven at Porto that he’s adept in the area. Three of his nine goals this term (33.3%) have been headers, showing that he could thrive from service from wide positions, which has been a hallmark of Man United’s play for years – they have played the third highest number of crosses in the Premier League this season with 271.

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As reported by the Daily Mail, Crystal Palace are considering making a move for Senegal international Papa Alioune Ndiaye who is currently playing for Turkish side Osmanlispor.

What’s the word?

Crystal Palace haven’t picked up a single Premier League point since September and the upcoming January transfer window presents a chance for boss Alan Pardew to add some fresh blood to the squad and turn things around before the situation gets drastic.

One of the players he’s looking at is Ndiaye, an attacking midfielder taking the Turkish Super Lig by storm this season.

The Mail reckon that the Senegal man could be available for £6.8m in January, which in Premier League terms is small change.

Worth it?

Ndiaye has spent the majority of his career in Norwegian football, starring for FK Bodo/Glimt in their rise to the Tippaligaen.

That won him a move to Osmanlispor, where he’s continued his fine form, contributing eleven goals last season and 5five league goals in ten appearances already this season, also adding a goal in the UEFA Europa League.

That sort of goalscoring record from midfield is the sign of a quality player and he could provide the cutting edge Palace need to start winning games.

Should Palace be focusing on attacking options, though? It’s their defence that badly needs work having conceded 17 times in their last five Premier League games. Only Hull City have conceded more in the league across the season.

In contrast, they’ve been scoring plenty. Only four teams have scored more than they have this season, which doesn’t fit with their lowly position of 17th in the table.

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Arsenal really needed that win. From being talked about as one of the real title favourites a matter of weeks ago, results haven’t gone the Gunners’ way of late and ahead of kick-off vs. Crystal Palace they had actually fallen out of the Premier League’s top four.A Goal of the Season contender from Olivier Giroud – it really is worth a watch if you haven’t seen it – and a header from Alex Iwobi were enough to get a 2-0 win that Arsene Wenger would have been thrilled with before the game started.Palace were by no means the easiest of opponents for Arsenal in a hectic festive fixture list, but the home side dominated the encounter from start to finish, leaving the Eagles with lots more questions than answers as they prepare for a must-win game in a couple of days’ time against fellow relegation battlers Swansea.We will see many games in 2017 that will be more closely contested than this one, but we still took quite a lot from the bout in north London. Here are FIVE lessons from the match…

Giroud could be Arsenal winter wonder

Giroud’s season has been a frustrating one on a personal note. While the Gunners have been playing well, the Frenchman has been spending the bulk of his time on the bench, but he has been given game time over the Christmas period, to which he’s responded well. Indeed, he netted a vital winning goal against West Brom on Boxing Day and his acrobatic effort vs. Palace on New Year’s Day was truly special.

Arsenal’s form has stuttered of late, which is perhaps a result of teams learning how to set up against Alexis Sanchez as the main forward, so a different approach might be needed through January, which is traditionally a tricky time to get results. Giroud offers a different threat due to his physicality and is clearly full of confidence right now.

Sanchez out wide could offer Gunners new dimension

Building on from the last point, Sanchez gives Arsenal something a little different from out wide. Although the Chilean offers potency and energy up front, having him cut in from wide is extremely useful against defences that are ready to sit deep and frustrate the Gunners – as Palace tried to do.

Sanchez created two chances – one of which was the assist for Giroud’s goal – while also firing seven shots and making six take-ons.

Work to do for Allardyce

Allardyce hasn’t had the easiest of starts since taking over from Alan Pardew at Crystal Palace. Indeed, the ex-England gaffer has barely got his feet under the table at the club following his appointment in the run up to Christmas, but he’s already had to play two games against Watford and Arsenal – not a simple start with both matches away from Selhurst Park.

However, with just one point to show for their efforts, the honeymoon period is now over before it ever truly began. The Eagles are just two points above the relegation zone and some of their defending at Arsenal (the Gunners’ second goal was a prime example) left much to be desired. ‘Big Sam’ is a specialist at the bottom end of the Premier League, but he really needs a result against Swansea in a couple of days’ time.

Alex I-wow-bi

Attacking players often get a lot of praise – after all, their efforts normally win games – but Alex Iwobi can rightly feel a little aggrieved that he doesn’t get the acclaim his performances are, perhaps, due.

Still just 20, the Nigerian winger has shone since breaking into the Gunners’ first-team set-up last term, and his return this season is equal to that of Anthony Martial at Manchester United – a player universally talked up in the mainstream media.

Benteke needs to offer more

If Christian Benteke fires, Palace will move clear of the relegation zone. The big Belgian has the sort of quality few players at the bottom end of the Premier League possess, but his showing against Arsenal was rather limp. He may have won a whopping 15 aerial duels before being substituted in the second-half, but his impact was not quite enough, while his missed header just after the break was a key point in the game as it would have hauled the Eagles level.

Former Chelsea midfielder Claude Makelele has joined the Swansea City coaching staff, but plenty of supporters would rather he was still playing.

The Welsh club have announced that the 43-year-old will work alongside recently-appointed manager Paul Clement at the Liberty Stadium as his assistant coach until the end of the season.

The pair are no strangers to one another, with Clement having coached Makelele during the Frenchman’s spell at Chelsea and the duo were part of Carlo Ancelotti’s backroom team at Paris Saint-Germain.

Makelele is a huge favourite among Chelsea fans after helping the team with two league titles, two League Cups and the FA Cup during his five-year stay at Stamford Bridge.

Since retiring from playing in 2010, he has had coaching stints as a number two, but only one very brief spell (five months to be specific) as a manager.

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Makelele tried to go it alone at French club Bastia, but he was unsuccessful and swiftly sacked by the board.

The ex-midfielder join Swansea at a very testing time, with the club sitting second from bottom in the top flight after picking up just 15 points from 20 games.

Due to dismal campaign so far, a lot of fans have reacted to Makelele’s appointment by asking the Frenchman to play in defence.

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As reported by The Daily Mail, Everton are interested in bringing Chelsea’s experienced defender Branislav Ivanovic to Goodison Park this month.

What’s the story?

Everton are having a very active transfer window with two arrivals, Ademola Lookman and Morgan Schneiderlin, already settling in to life on Merseyside.

The Mail report that another man joining them could be Serbian defender Ivanovic, who is said to be free to leave Chelsea this January.

The paper reckon his signature would be as a direct replacement for Phil Jagielka who is set to leave the club before the transfer window closes, after 10 years of service to the Toffees.

The right replacement?

Although Branislav Ivanovic is undoubtedly a talented defender and has had a fantastic career, we’d question the logic of replacing a 34-year old defender with a 32-year old one. Short term signings rarely benefit anyone and Ronald Koeman should be seeking a long-term replacement for Jagielka that can grow into becoming an important Everton player.

Further to that, Ivanovic is primarily a right sided defender and excels on that right flank, even though he can feature in the heart of a defence. All six of Ivanovic’s Premier League starts for the Blues this season have come at right-back.

A move for Ivanovic isn’t necessarily a bad thing, he is an experienced and decorated player after all, but as a replacement for Jagielka, we’re not so sure.

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Patrick van Aanholt finally completed his move to Crystal Palace from Sunderland on Monday to reunite with former boss Sam Allardyce.

The left-back had made 88 appearances for the Black Cats before his move and will now go up against his former club in a massive relegation battle over the next few months.

Van Aanholt has been one of Sunderland’s top performers over the last few seasons and losing him is a big blow to David Moyes, who is now searching for emergency replacements on the left hand side of his defence.

As this stat from Squawka shows, it’s move that could make a massive difference in that relegation battle between the two clubs.

Van Aanholt isn’t just solid at the back, he’s also a key threat in the final third, scoring more goals than any other defender over the last 18 months in the Premier League.

It’s that kind of contribution that Sam Allardyce was so keen to reunite with and Eagles fans will be hoping he can replicate the kind of performances that made him popular at the Stadium of Light.

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Spurs’ season is at a crucial point. The Lilywhites are one of a few sides on the periphery of the title chase, with the hope at White Hart Lane being that Chelsea will drop points soon and open up the chance for the chasing pack.

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Given their form over the winter period, Mauricio Pochettino’s men are among the favourites to challenge the Blues, but they also have the Europa League and the FA Cup, which they progressed to the last eight in on the weekend with a win at Fulham, to compete for.

‘Poch’ picked strong starting XIs in both of these competitions over the past few days, which has led some to suggest that his squad may be stretched too far for the upcoming Premier League clash with Stoke, but Kieran Trippier showed at Craven Cottage that he’s more than able to step in for Kyle Walker vs. the Potters…

The right-back was at his bombarding best against the Cottagers, whipping eight crosses into the Fulham box (Spurs’ joint-most), while his eight tackles were the most any player on the pitch put in across the 90 minutes. On top of that, Trippier was heavily involved in the play with 98 touches and played four key passes.

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