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Premier League Midweek Round-Up
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Take a look at all of the action from gameweek 17, including Crystal Palace’s dramatic victory over Watford.
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Man City consider January moves for Virgil van Dijk and Inigo Martinez
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Manchester City have zeroed in on Virgil van Dijk and Inigo Martinez as potential defensive signings next month.
Pep Guardiola reiterated his desire to land a centre half in January earlier this week and confirmed talks had taken place with sporting director Txiki Begiristain.
Sportsmail understands Southampton’s Van Dijk and Martinez of Real Sociedad are two high on Guardiola’s radar, with the manager weighing up both.
John Stones and Vincent Kompany are currently out injured which, while not impacting City now, has highlighted the need for reinforcements.
Eliaquim Mangala was solid during Wednesday’s 4-0 victory at Swansea but he almost left in the summer and is now the only genuine senior central defender to partner Nicolas Otamendi.
While Stones will be back by the new year, Guardiola wants a fresh face.
‘In that department we have few, few players and of course to handle all to competitions we are in trouble, real trouble,’ he said.
Martinez - capped four times for Spain - has spent his entire career at Sociedad and built a strong reputation for himself in La Liga.
The 26-year-old’s release clause is £29million, less than Jonny Evans would have cost had City managed to seal that deal in August.
Van Dijk, still a target for Liverpool after their failed summer attempt, would find it easier to slot in at the Etihad Stadium.
But the former Celtic man would cost considerably more, even though his relationship with Saints bosses remains strained.
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New content from (- Read Southampton)
| Southampton leading race for Dani Garcia | Southampton are reportedly leading the chase to sign the SD Eibar midfielder Dani Garcia, according to The Mirror. … 14-12-2017 |
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| Southampton player ratings: Leicester (H)2 days ago |
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| Southampton vs Leicester: Combined XI2 days ago |
| Southampton vs Leicester City: Match Preview2 days ago |
| Southampton Predicted XI: Leicester (H)2 days ago |
| Leicester boss Puel reveals he aimed to sign Gray for Southampton last season3 days ago |
| Three Standout Saints: Arsenal (H)3 days ago |
| Southampton 1-1 Arsenal: Match Report3 days ago |
| Southampton linked with Arsenal striker Olivier Giroud3 days ago |
| Cedric returns to first-team training3 days ago |
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Summary of non-mainstream articles: 14/12/2017 12:43:01
| | Vital View - Premier League - 12th-13th December 2017VITALFOOTBALL |
| Manchester City transfer news: Pep Guardiola weighs up Virgil van Dijk & Inigo Martinez moves | Goal.comGOALDOTCOM |
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| | Officials - Chelsea v Southampton (16/12/17)VITALFOOTBALL |
|| Southampton fans react on Twitter to Steven Davis’ display in heavy defeatHEREISTHECITY | ...sordidly engineered by Optimus trousers...beta v1.9 - now with EXTRA pictures!
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FA Youth Cup: Saints vs Wolves
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Southampton Under-18s coaching duo Craig Fleming and Danny Butterfield look ahead to the meeting with Wolverhampton Wanderers in the third round of the FA Youth Cup at St Mary’s.
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Young Saints gear up for FA Youth Cup
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Southampton kicked off their cup campaign with a heartening 2-1 win over Manchester United at Old Trafford exactly one year ago, and the anticipation is building in the red and white camp as this season’s curtain opener against Wolves nears.
The prospect of running out at St Mary’s will be an inspiring one for Saints’ teenage cohort, but it will be a matter of business as usual for experienced coaches Fleming and Butterfield.
“There’s no doubt that there’s an extra bit of excitement for the lads,” said Fleming, previewing the game at Staplewood this week.
“That said, we’re approaching the game as if it were any other and looking to keep up what we’ve been doing in the league of late.
"Wolves are very strong and before the draw you would have tipped both sides to go deep into the competition.
“The boys are starting to grasp how things should be done here at Southampton,” added Butterfield. “We want to see the lads focus on their own jobs, not let the occasion get to them and above all, enjoy themselves.”
One young man who has familiarity with the heightened Youth Cup build up is Will Smallbone. The midfielder netted an eye-catching winner at Old Trafford in last year’s third round tie, and is keen to inspire another strong start in this year’s competition.
“We want to go further this year and I think with the quality we have in our squad, we have the potential to do that," the 17-year-old boldly stated.
“Everyone is looking forward to getting out at St Mary’s. Some of us played there last year but it’s always special playing at the stadium; we’re looking forward to putting our stamp on the night.”
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Summary of non-mainstream articles: 14/12/2017 13:43:13
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| Willian issues Chelsea rallying cry ahead of Southampton clashSPORTREVIEWCOM | ...huggingly assembled by Optimus trousers...beta v1.9 - now with EXTRA pictures!| Reds to battle City for Van Dijk deal in JanuaryTHISISANFIELD |
|| Seats Available For Chelsea Trip With Southampton Away Travel - Southampton NewsTHEUGLYINSIDE |
|| Liverpool braced for van Dijk battle as City line up swoopGOLIVERPOOL |
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Every Premier League club’s best ever top flight start revealed
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Manchester City have made the best ever start to a Premier League season.
Pep Guardiola’s side have won 49 points after 17 matches in 2017-18, winning 16 of their games and drawing the other.
They have broken numerous records on the way to setting this record, but how do the other Premier League teams compare when looking at their best ever starts to the season?
Click the right arrow, above, to see every current Premier League club’s best ever start in the top flight, since the first campaign back in 1992-93…
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Watch as #SaintsFC boss Mauricio Pellegrino speaks to the media ahead of Saturday’s #PL trip to #CFC: https://www.pscp.tv/w/bQEr3DMxOTB8MWVhS2JxcW9sUEJ4WLYeaMtouMfytpp6lNaDSegmeGrGsoWgmiH4b9GMLL9J
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The Ugly Inside News for Southampton
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| A Rough Guide To Chelsea | There can’t be many relishing this trip after Wednesday evening’s debacle, but here is all the info to help you … 14-12-2017 |
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| Seats Available For Chelsea Trip With Southampton Away Travel14 hours ago |
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| Southampton 1-4 Leicester City - Player Ratings and Reports14 hours ago |
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| The Ugly Inside TV ! Saints V Leicester The Opposition Preview2 days ago |
| Claude Puel Talks About Saints3 days ago |
| Saints Linked With Giroud3 days ago |
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Summary of non-mainstream articles: 14/12/2017 14:43:27
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| Man City get serious over £60m Liverpool target Van DijkTEAMTALK || Okazaki nets 2, helps Puel gain revengeYOMIURI |
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| | Chelsea team news: Injuries, suspensions and line-up vs Southampton | Goal.comGOALDOTCOM |
|| Man City 'make Van Dijk top target’SPORTSMOLE |
| | THESACKRACE |
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#SaintsFC boss Mauricio Pellegrino has confirmed that he has no fresh injury concerns ahead of #CFC trip: http://sfcne.ws/TeamNewsChelsea
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Puel: Saints made me a better manager
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CLAUDE Puel insists his one season at Saints helped him become a better manager at Leicester City.
The Frenchman was sacked after his only campaign at St Mary’s in June because reservations over his management of the team and style of play.
The 56-year-old returned to St Mary’s with the Foxes last night and exacted revenge by inflicting an embarrassing 4-1 defeat on Saints.
Puel led Saints to eighth place in the Premier League and the League Cup final in his only campaign, and admits his St Mary’s experiences have helped him after replacing Craig Shakespeare at the King Power Stadium in October.
He said: “I said before the game my feeling was always to keep the positive with Southampton.
“I tried to give my best here and I think we have had some fantastic games and journey for the club, like against Inter Milan, to develop a lot of players also.
“This is a good feeling and the positive feeling and it was great introduction also in the Premier League for me.
“All this work allows perhaps better management today with my players.”
Puel has led the Foxes to four straight victories in the Premier League and they now sit in eighth place, eight points ahead of 11th-placed Saints.
“Of course it is a good thing to win away and with the quality of the game against a good team,” Puel said about his team’s performance.
“It was important to start this game with intensity, with good reason on the play.
“The first half I thought we were fantastic play, fantastic goals and proved that we can play this first half.
“It was important second half to keep this level and to prevent the opponent to come back on the goal.
“Perhaps the beginning of the second half we tried to manage the game, keeping the ball in our pitch and it was important to play on the opponent’s pitch to try to score another goal.
“It was dangerous that they can come back in the game. They score a goal and it was important to play forward to score another goal, which was fantastic from Shinji Okazaki.
"It is a good game now and we want to try to continue this work.”
He added: “Of course it was a strange feeling to come back and it was nice to familiar faces and I think I kept a good understanding and good relationship with a lot of people here, with players and it was important to come back and to try to keep my concentration.”
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Saints player ratings v. Leicester: Did anyone get pass marks?
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FORMER Saints manager Claude Puel came back to haunt St Mary’s as his Leicester City side demolished the home team.
Goals from Riyad Mahrez and Andy King, as well as two from Shinji Okazaki, condemned Southampton to another home defeat.
The only positive moment was a consolation goal from Maya Yoshida.
Conceded four but barely a chance with any of them
Not sure what the pass that led to the fourth goal was all about
Despite his goal had a really bad night, which is unusual for him
Saints were destroyed at the back and he could do little to change that
All the bright forward moments in the second half involved him
Far below his best in the centre of midfield
Really didn’t look at the races from the start and was taken off at half time
Tried hard but not able to do much about what occurred
A night where not a lot was doing for him
Unable to make a significantly positive impact on the game
Didn’t get great service and spurned one good opportunity at a crucial time
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THE VERDICT: Puel’s perfect return is painful for Saints
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‘Are you glad you sacked Puel?’ mocked the Leicester fans as they went 3-0 up before half time at St Mary’s.
It would have been interesting to get the views of some Saints fans, and maybe even hierarchy, at that stage.
Maybe some would have concluded, are concluding as another season rolls on under another new manager, that Puel wasn’t as bad as many claimed when they called for his head in May.
Perhaps the problems at Saints run deeper than just the manager, and time might suggest that Puel did at least alright to get largely this same squad to eighth in the Premier League and a cup final. And that without his two stars players for half a season, blooding a host of youngsters, and the rigours of the Europa League to deal with.
Certainly the same manager is absolutely flying now in charge of Leicester, who were light years ahead of Saints for the vast majority of the game last night.
For Saints, meanwhile, so many of the same problems that dogged Puel, that he was eventually blamed for by some, are still evident.
With the squad he had at his disposal Puel felt that a certain way of playing was the key to success at Saints. He delivered results, but not always great entertainment.
Are Saints more entertaining this season? Perhaps at times they are. How are the results? Fans can decide themselves whether they are more or less content than they were.
How about Leicester under Puel? Well, now at least, they are both entertaining and winning.
Puel may well feel he made his case and proved his point last night.
Leicester tore Saints apart, especially in the first half.
They were embarrassingly better. Embarrassing for Saints that is.
By the break it was 3-0, and not only that but Saints could count themselves fortunate it wasn’t worse.
Leicester set the tone with their pacy and exciting counter attacking football by taking the lead on 11 minutes.
Riyad Mahrez had the chance to slip over and still strolled inside from the right and under no pressure at all as Maya Yoshida stood off he picked his spot from 20 yards and buried the ball in the bottom corner.
Shinji Okazaki’s deflected shot was saved by Fraser Forster, Mario Lemina cleared the Japanese international’s goalbound effort off the line and Forster saved at point blank range from Jamie Vardy before it did eventually become 2-0 on 32 minutes.
Mahrez pinged a deep corner to Christian Fuchs, who unmarked fired in a fierce left footed volley that pinballed in the area off of Steven Davis and Forster and presented itself to Okazaki who stabbed home.
Saints were getting booed when Leicester bagged a third six minutes later as Mahrez’s free kick was brought down by centre half Harry Maguire, who was allowed to turn and cross low to the far post where Saints were caught ball watching and the untracked Andy King ghosted in and tapped into an empty net from a couple of yards out.
Saints’ only reasonable effort of the half saw Charlie Austin hit the target from outside the area but Kasper Schmeichel turned over with relative ease.
After more of the same at the start of the second period – Forster saving from Mahrez and Maguire – Saints briefly came to life.
Schmeichel turned over a Ryan Bertrand free kick before Saints got a goal on 61 minutes.
Bertrand was the provider, as he found the head of Yoshida from a set-piece and the centre half headed back across goal and straight into the far corner, despite a few claims from Dusan Tadic that he got a touch.
It could have got better had Austin not picked out the desperate dive of Schmeichel from just a few yards out as Bertrand found him unmarked at the far post.
But any fleeting thoughts of a comeback were extinguished once and for all on 69 minutes.
Cedric Soares’ awful crossfield pass from right back presented the ball to Mahrez in time and space and he played it quickly into the path of Vardy down the right.
The striker whipped in a low cross and again it was all too easy for Leicester, this time Okazaki drifting in to sweep home.
The remainder of the match was not much of a contest to remember with the three points already in the bag for the Foxes.
For Puel, perhaps a sense of vindication.
For Saints, much to mull over.
For any talk or gnashing of teeth over Puel, they have more immediate things to fret over.
The gap to the bottom three is starting to narrow again, a little too much for comfort, and with trips to Chelsea, Tottenham and Manchester United as three of the next four matches, they need to rediscover the confidence and verve they showed against Arsenal quickly.
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Win a pair of Premier League tickets to Chelsea vs Southampton
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Chelsea take on Southampton in the Premier League on Saturday and you can be at Stamford Bridge to see the action.
Mirror Sport have teamed up with the Blues’ official training wear partner Carabao to offer one lucky reader and a friend the chance to see Antonio Conte’s side take on the Saints.
Chelsea got back to winning ways against Huddersfield in midweek and will be hoping to make up ground on table-toppers Manchester City with a positive result at the weekend.
Mauricio Pellegrino’s men are without a win in their past four games and will be looking to turn the tide in SW6.
You can be at the Bridge to see the drama unfold.
To be in with a chance of winning this amazing prize, simply enter below
You better be quick because entries close at 10am on Friday.
For more information about Carabao, please visit: carabaoenergy.co.uk
You will need to register a free account on mirror.co.uk to enter.
Only one entry per person, per email address will be accepted. Multiple entries, or entries suspected of foul play will be disqualified.
This competition is open to UK mainland residents only.
The competition will be open until Friday December 15 2017 at 10am. Entries received after this date will not be considered.
One winner will be selected at random, from all correct and eligible entries.
One winner will receive two tickets to Chelsea v Southampton on 16/5 at 3pm at Stamford Bridge. Travel and accommodation is not included. No cash equivalent.
Entrants must be over the age of 18.
If the winner fails to confirm acceptance of the prize by 5pm Friday December 15 2017 or if the winner chooses to forfeit the prize, MGN reserve the right to pick another winner at random. Please ensure that email address and mobile number in your entry are correct.
Please note that tickets will need to be collected at Stamford Bridge so we advise arriving 90 minutes prior to start time to allow for collection.
If you experience any difficulties entering this competition, then please email community@mirror.co.uk . Please note we cannot accept entries to competitions via email.
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Southampton, Swansea, West Brom all watching Norwich City midfielder Ben Godfrey
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Southampton, Swansea and West Brom are among the clubs to have watched young Norwich City midfielder Ben Godfrey, Sky Sports News understands.
The 19-year-old has impressed this season while on loan with League One side Shrewsbury, where he has been a regular starter for Paul Hurst’s surprise high-flyers, currently four points behind leaders Wigan in second place.
Godfrey, who can also play at centre-back, has made 16 starts in League One among 21 total appearances and has played a big part in putting the Shrews firmly in the automatic promotion race.
Sky Sports News understands Godfrey has also been watched by former Shrewsbury manager Paul Simpson, who is in charge of England’s U20 World Cup-winning team, with a view to possible international honours.
The six-foot player signed a new four-year contract with Norwich in August, extending his commitment to the Sky Bet Championship side through to the summer of 2021.
Norwich signed Godfrey from hometown club York City in January 2016 for an undisclosed fee and he made his Canaries debut in the EFL Cup against Coventry City, scoring after coming on as a substitute.
Godfrey’s loan deal with the Shrews runs until January.
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Summary of non-mainstream articles: 14/12/2017 15:43:41
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