| Sofiane Boufal Back In FullTraining | At last the moment that Saints supporters have been waiting for, Sofiane Boufal returns to full training with his … 07-10-2016 |
While many fans of domestic football have little time for the international break, it gives everyone an opportunity to take stock of what’s happened so far.
We’re only seven games in but that’s enough time to make some early judgements regarding each side’s transfer activity.
Who has succeeded and who has flopped? And what could each club be looking at in January? Our ESPN FC bloggers take a look.
Success story: At £35 million, Shkodran Mustafi didn’t come cheap but sometimes you get what you pay for. Arsenal haven’t conceded a goal in open play in the four Premier League matches he has played and his ability on the ball makes the whole team a more fluid unit.
Room for improvement: Lucas Perez had the whiff of a panic buy about him and Alexis Sanchez and Theo Walcott’s super form this season have made him almost redundant so far. It’s early days but he looks as if he will need quite some time to adjust.
Early target: For the first time in a very long time, Arsenal have depth in all positions and don’t particularly need reinforcements. The one exception is if a world class player like Marco Reus becomes available. – Tom Adams
Success story: Jordon Ibe may not have been one of the club’s standout players so far, but he’s been lively and is the only summer recruit to have started every Premier League match.
Room for improvement: Lys Mousset arrived in the summer for £5.7m and is still yet to play a minute of Premier League football, which is a surprise. He clearly hasn’t done enough in training to force himself into the team.
Early target: In defence. Simon Francis and Steve Cook haven’t been too impressive so another experienced centre-back would be useful – Will Kent
Success story: Steven Defour has been an absolute revelation, with the Belgian midfielder having a direct involvement in four of Burnley’s five goals this season. He looks a class above the rest of the team.
Room for improvement: Johann Gudmundsson has been vastly improved in the last couple of games but it still feels like there is more to come from the Iceland winger. It was always going to take him time to adapt to the Premier League, but the Clarets need goals and assists from him as they are not scoring enough.
Early target: Creativity. Burnley could use extra quality all over the pitch, but a pacey winger with a goal threat could make the difference between survival and relegation. Wide players in Sean Dyche’s teams have to do an awful lot of work, so finding someone who ticks all the boxes and is in the club’s budget will be tough. - Jamie Smith
Success story: N’Golo Kante’s introduction following his £30m move from champions Leicester certainly stiffened up the midfield in the first few games of the season. The defeats to Liverpool and Arsenal were a reality check but he was back to his usual solid self in the 2-0 win at Hull.
Room for improvement: It seems a bit harsh to single out Michy Batshuayi simply because he has not been involved as much as expected. His initial impact was excellent with an assist and a goal in the opening two games of the campaign but he has been restricted to brief cameos since then and has been unable to get any momentum going.
Early target: An all-round central midfielder capable of both breaking up the play and distributing effectively is essential to provide some creativity from deep and help out Kante defensively. Danny Drinkwater would be an excellent candidate given their successful partnership at Leicester, though whether Claudio Ranieri would sanction the sale of the other half of his championship winning midfield is highly questionable. – Phil Lythell
Success story: Christian Benteke has been a revelation so far, providing Palace with the target man the club missed last season. His heading ability will get the goals but his all-round play will make the telling difference. He holds the ball up confidently and brings others into play with ease.
Room for improvement: Andros Townsend will come good, but his attacking contribution could be greater. Much was said about his forward play, his goal scoring and his free kick ability but apart from the goal in the 4-1 win against Stoke, Palace fans are yet to see him really make those strides. A call-up to the England squad might just be the boost he needs to really get going.
Early target: A midfielder. Palace desperately need depth throughout the squad but the most critical position is in the centre. While Yohan Cabaye, Joe Ledley, James McArthur and Jason Puncheon are fit there are no concerns, but an injury to one or two of them would have a critical impact on the side. – Rob Sutherland
Success story: No contest in this regard with Idrissa Gueye the standout player in the first seven league games. The former Aston Villa midfielder has brought energy, excellent defensive qualities and an underrated ability in possession to the team, not to mention leading the division in tackles won.
Room for improvement: Yannick Bolasie is always likely to face scrutiny due to the eye-watering £30m fee accompanying him to Goodison. An impressive start has faded recently with needless tricks outweighing productivity and he needs to find consistency.
Early target: Ross Barkley’s troubling form highlights the need for another option in the No. 10 position. Everton need a central playmaker that can control matches and provide a link to Romelu Lukaku in attack. – Luke O’Farrell
Success story: It’s difficult to make much of a case for any of the Tigers’ summer signings so far, but that’s no fault of their own. Record signing Ryan Mason, a £10m arrival from Tottenham, along with David Marshall, Will Keane, James Weir and Jonathan Edwards, were signed too late in the window to have much of an impact so far.
Room for improvement: After opening with three straight wins in all competitions, the late 1-0 defeat to Manchester United started a run of just one win in six, and that was in the EFL Cup. Mike Phelan’s men need to regroup quickly in their battle to beat the drop.
Early target: Jake Livermore has filled in admirably as a midfielder playing centre-back but it’s not a long term solution. A centre-back must be at the forefront of the thinking for January but cover in most of the other positions is required too. Signing a striker that makes a difference could be the difference between survival and relegation. – ESPN staff.
Success story: Islam Slimani has hit the ground running, especially in Europe. Leicester’s record £30m signing has forged a strong partnership with fellow Algerian Riyad Mahrez and scored three times already. His power complements Mahrez’s flair and Jamie Vardy’s pace.
Room for improvement: Nampalys Mendy has struggled with injuries after making only a few cameos. He has the potential to replace Kante but hasn’t seen enough game time.
Early target: Leicester could still do with another centre-back in case Wes Morgan or Robert Huth get injured. Burnley’s Michael Keane, who they have already shown an interest in, would be an excellent addition. – Ben Jacobs
Success story: Sadio Mane has comfortably exceeded expectations. Most expected him to be a good addition but many felt he was overpriced at £30m. Based on his early performances that now looks like a bargain as he’s added a whole other dimension to Liverpool’s attacking play. He strikes fear into opponents with his pace, aggression and explosiveness.
Room for improvement: Loris Karius. It’s early days and the young German goalkeeper has only played three games, but he’s looked very uncertain with any high ball into the box. He was lucky to get away with it against Swansea last weekend and a big improvement is needed if he’s to prevent the much-maligned Simon Mignolet from regaining his place between the sticks.
Early target: A goalkeeper. The two positions most believed were going to be a problem have actually been a strength. Jordan Henderson has performed extremely well in a holding midfield role, while James Milner might actually be the best left-back in the Premier League after seven games. Therefore, a keeper looks to be the biggest weak spot but Jurgen Klopp will rightly want to give Karius time and is unlikely to do anything in January. A left-sided version of Mane would be useful, especially with the Senegal man set to miss games in the New Year due to the African Nations Cup. – Dave Usher
Success story: Combative midfielder Marten de Roon has become a popular and fairly regular face in the Middlesbrough squad so far. His tenacity in tracking back has helped to keep heads level in what has been a testing opening spell in the Premier League.
Room for improvement: The signing that most Boro fans were excited about in the summer was Viktor Fischer, a tricky winger who had made waves at Ajax. So far he has struggled to make an impact when used as a second half sub, and will be hoping for more starts from Aitor Karanka.
Early target: Boro need to tighten up that leaky defence as soon as possible, and Karanka will be looking to bring in a couple of experienced heads for centre-back and left-back positions. – Catherine Wilson
Success story: Eric Bailly. Has looked far more assured than anyone expected, his defending resolute and his distribution impressive.
Room for improvement: Paul Pogba. A superb talent who has shown his immense quality at certain points, but from whom – due partly to the position in which he is being played, and partly to his own tactical awareness – there is a sense that there is much more to come given he cost a world-record £89.3m.
Early target: United need greater creativity in the right-back position, which is why Monaco’s Fabinho – with his attacking flair and eye for goal – would represent an excellent purchase. – Musa Okwonga
Success story: John Stones has stood out in a wobbly and often changed backline with a composure on the ball and ability to carry possession out of the danger area that has begun to remind some fans of a latter day Bobby Moore/Franz Beckenbauer figure. With changes almost certain to come to the defence, Stones can be the starting block to build the rest around.
Room for improvement: Not a flop by any means, but Ilkay Gundogan is clearly not yet match fit after his injury-hit last six months. He has shown signs of the clever close range passing in deep midfield, but it has been a torrid and breathless introduction for someone still trying to get up to full steam.
Early target: Alex Grimaldo. City’s great and obvious need has still not been addressed. The leaden performance of both full-backs against Tottenham will have proved to Pep Guardiola that this must be his first port of call when the winter window opens, with Benfica left-back Grimaldo currently attracting a lot of attention in this regard. – Simon Curtis
Success story: Leroy Fer. Although the midfielder isn’t completely new to the club having spent half of last season on loan in Wales, he is currently the team’s top scorer having made the move permanent in the summer. The Dutchman has netted four of Swansea’s six goals this season and looks to be an astute permanent addition.
Room for improvement: Borja Baston. It’s a little unfair to mention the Spaniard here as injuries have so far stopped him from making the impact everyone was expecting from the club’s £15.5m record signing. However, he spurned two golden opportunities to score against Liverpool and might need some time to sharpen up.
Early target: A goal scoring winger. Swansea missed the chance to sign Nacer Chadli this summer, but finding a similar player in January will help the club no end. The current crop of wingers don’t provide enough goal threat, and depth at the position is questionable. – Max Hicks
Success story: Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg. The cultured former Bayern Munich midfielder had adapted quickly to life in the Premier League. The Danish international is a superb reader of the game and his wide range of passing has been a big asset to Southampton.
Room for improvement: Nathan Redmond. The ex-Norwich winger has been converted into a striker by Claude Puel but has not scored since netting against Watford on his debut. His clever runs and blistering pace are a menace for defenders but he needs to improve his finishing.
Early target: Striker. Saints are too reliant on Charlie Austin to score their goals and if he gets injured or suffers a dip in form they look short up front, especially with Shane Long struggling to hit the heights of last season. – Alex Crook
Success story: In yet another lamentable start, only Didier Ndong among David Moyes’ signings has shown consistent quality. His £13.6m price tag raised eyebrows but if he can add goals to his strong midfield presence, he will prove an important figure.
Room for improvement: Sunderland must stop relying on Jermain Defoe for all their goals, which puts pressure on Adnan Januzaj, when fit again. The Belgian international may have suffered from the weight of expectation after arriving on loan from Manchester United but occasional flashes of skill aside, he rarely looks committed to the cause.
Early target: Yann M’Vila. Critics of Sunderland’s failure to bring back M’Vila, a loan star last season, have been vindicated by a glaring lack, Ndong apart, of assured midfield play. No effort should be spared to sign him permanently in January. – Colin Randall
Success story: Joe Allen. The epitome of determination and work rate in an area of the pitch that has all too often been overrun this year. Currently the first name on the teamsheet and one of the most significant reasons for the recent, albeit minor, upturn in form.
Room for improvement: Wilfried Bony. Seemingly recruited in the hope he would recreate the kind of form that saw him earn a move to Manchester City but so far looks unfit and a yard off the pace. The ability is there, though, and the more minutes he gets, the sharper he should become.
Early target: A genuine defensive midfielder to replace an increasingly ailing Glenn Whelan. Players continue to be bought for the midfield and while one or two can “do a job” there, Stoke are crying out for a specialist for that disciplined role of protecting the back four and linking play with the forwards. – James Whittaker
Success story: Vincent Wanyama. The midfielder was widely expected to be just a squad player who got the occasional start in cup games. But an injury to Eric Dier has given him an extended run in the first-team and pressing and thoughtful passing have been one of the key components of Spurs’ unbeaten run
Room for improvement: Vincent Janssen. The Dutch striker has struggled in all the games he has played. While no one can fault his commitment, a striker is judged by the goals he scores and apart from a lone penalty against Gillingham in the EFL Cup, he has looked anything but composed when it counts.
Early target: Spurs have yet to see the best of either Moussa Sissoko or Georges-Kevin N’Koudou so it is too early to tell if they are going to fit into what is already looking like an impressive first-team squad that appears to have strength in depth. Janssen’s form is a concern, so Spurs might look to add firepower up front to give more support to Harry Kane. But with strikers coming at a premium in the January transfer window and Son Heung-Min proving himself to be the club’s standout player, Spurs may just decide they are happy as they are. A serious injury might change all that, though.-- John Crace
Success story: Nacer Chadli arrived for a club record £13m and has more than justified his price tag with three goals in four games since the switch from Spurs. He brings a level of quality in the final third that West Brom haven’t had for some time.
Room for improvement: Matt Phillips has so far flattered to deceive, with his final ball failing to match his undoubted ability to beat the full-back when running at them. He needs to add a consistent end product to really make a mark in the Premier League.
Early target: West Brom are still struggling to fill the left back void and long-term target, Leeds’ Charlie Taylor, could be available for a knock-down price with his contract close to expiring. He could be the player to provide the balance between defensive solidity and overlapping attacking quality that West Brom haven’t had at left-back for some time. – Matthew Evans
Success story: West Ham’s summer signings have underwhelmed massively. Former Manchester United youngster Ashley Fletcher is the pick of a poor bunch, looking lively and enthusiastic when he’s been called upon. One for the future perhaps, but it’s the only bright spot.
Room for improvement: Where do you start? The hapless Gokan Tore, the immobile Simone Zaza or the woeful Arthur Masuaku?
Early target: It would be easy to say right-back but the Hammers have needed someone there for four years and have done little to remedy it. With Aaron Cresswell hopefully back from injury, strengthening at full-back and central defence will be a priority. – Peter Thorne
Success story: The answer is literally in the question! Despite not starting a game, summer signing Isaac Success has caught the eye with a series of dazzling performances from the bench, culminating with an impressive first goal last time out against Bournemouth. At only 20 years old, the Nigerian front man is looking like an excellent signing. A hat tip to the magnificent Roberto Pereyra, too.
Room for improvement: Of the many summer signings, Abdoulaye Doucoure was the one that arrived with the biggest reputation. The fact he’s played just six minutes for the Hornets should explain the impact he’s made. Rumours of a loan move away on deadline day proved unfounded, but the Frenchman has much to do to justify his £8m price tag.
Early target: Watford need to tighten up defensively. Jose Holebas has struggled in recent fixtures and it would be no surprise if the club’s hierarchy were on the lookout for an experienced left wing-back. Former Juventus playmaker Pereyra has excelled since his arrival, but there is precious little to replace his creativity if he is injured or suspended, so backup may be required there too. – Mike Parkin
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ENGLISH Football League chief executive Shaun Harvey has asked for the Checkatrade Trophy to be judged at the end of the season as dwindling attendances and perceived irreverence from clubs leave it ripe for criticism.
The competition was revamped this season, with a group stage introduced and 16 category one academy sides - including Saints - joining the 48 clubs from League One and League Two in an attempt to rejuvenate the cup.
Arsenal, Tottenham, Manchester City, Manchester United and Liverpool all rejected the invitation, with the EFL having to extend the invite further down the football pyramid.
Some campaigners labelled the decision a ‘farce’ before the competition even began and attendances have shown most fans are in agreement.
There were 457 people at Barnet’s 5-0 defeat to Norwich Under-23s on Tuesday night while at Grimsby, the shirt numbers of the Leicester Academy side added up to more than the attendance - 709 against 609.
Accrington tweeted a joke about the number of their supporters who attended their 4-1 win at Chesterfield. “Reports of an away following of 2 at Chesterfield last night are untrue. We counted at least 6…,” they posted.
Saints, for their part, won 2-1 at Colchester in front of a gathering of 791 - easily the lowest ever to watch a competitive game involving the club.
Only 57 Saints fans bothered to make the trip to Essex.
Portsmouth’s 1,335 crowd for the visit of Reading Under-23s was the lowest in post-war Fratton Park history.
Meanwhile, Bradford came under scrutiny after goalkeeper Colin Doyle was substituted three minutes into their game against Bury as they seemingly tried to work around the rules for selecting “first-team players”.
The match report on the club’s official stated that replacement Rouven Sattelmaier “came on for some much-needed game time”.
But Harvey has called for any further criticism to be held off until the end of the tournament, which is now in the middle of a one-year pilot of the new scheme.
“The clubs will decide the format of the competition,” he said.
“We run the league for their benefit and all these factors will be taken into account. There was an element of misunderstanding and confusion over its objective. It was never about getting B-teams into the Football League.
“We need to continue the competition, see what the benefits are and measure it at the end and not at this intervening time.
“There is confusion from the league’s perspective as to ultimately what the issue is with the competition. Low crowds are a concern but this was an innovative approach to solve a big problem.
“We will be doing plenty of work to try and understand what the reticence is towards the competition, we need to to make sure it is properly managed in the end.”
Harvey said the EFL and its members would deserve credit if a future England international was discovered having been given a chance for his side in the Checkatrade Trophy.
“We are a big-time player in the area of youth development,” he said.
“Understandably, the Premier League clubs get the most profile but there is no God-given right to say you know which is a future England player.
“No-one knows because it is not done on a template, it is not done on how rich you are, it is done on the ability of the player and how you best get it to come forward.
“If one future England player cut his teeth in that competition and made the difference, our clubs should be getting a slap on the back for allowing it to happen rather than be criticised like they are in certain quarters.”
The Football Association has confirmed that all relevant material from the Daily Telegraph’s undercover operation into football corruption has now been shared with City of London police.
A number of allegations arose last week as a result of the sting, covertly filmed by Daily Telegraph journalists – the most damaging of which resulted in Sam Allardyce leaving his position as England manager after just 67 days in charge.
Allardyce was shown negotiating lucrative speaking engagements in the Far East as well as making indiscreet and damaging remarks about a range of issues including third-party ownership.
Barnsley sacked assistant manager Tommy Wright after reports he took a £5,000 bung from reporters posing as agents – an accusation Wright denies.
Leeds owner Massimo Cellino, QPR boss Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink and Southampton assistant Eric Black have also faced separate accusations they also deny.
The FA has been waiting to see the material collected by the national newspaper and confirmed on Thursday evening that police have now viewed all relevant information, and said it would not have access to it until the police matter is concluded.
“The FA today [Thursday 6 October] met with City of London police,” a statement on the FA’s website read.
"The police confirmed that the Daily Telegraph has now shared all relevant materials with the police alone and that a review has begun to assess any potential criminal activity.
"The FA awaits an update on this review at the earliest opportunity and will not be able to access the materials while this process is continuing.
“At the appropriate point, we are keen to ensure the releasing of materials from the Daily Telegraph is expedited in line with our repeated request for full disclosure.”
England play their first game since Allardyce’s departure when they welcome Malta to Wembley on Saturday for a World Cup qualifier, with former under-21 boss Gareth Southgate in charge on a temporary basis.
DUSAN Tadic continued his World Cup scoring run for Serbia last night.
The Saints playmaker scored his country’s third goal in a 3-0 qualifying group win in Moldova.
It was Tadic’s second goal in as many games for Serbia, having scored in a 2-2 draw against the Republic of Ireland last month.
Tadic’s St Mary’s colleague Shane Long is still wating to open his 2016/17 goal account after playing almost the entire game as the Republic beat Georgia 1-0 in Dublin last night.
Long - who has played 13 times for club and country this term, played 89 minutes before limping off with an apparent ankle knock, in a game the Irish won thanks to Seamus Coleman’s 56th minute decider.
Tadić grabbed two assists and a goal in Serbia’s 3-0 win against Moldova, while Ward-Prowse helped England Under-21s seal their qualification for the UEFA Under-21 European Championship finals next summer.
Here’s what Tadić had to say about Serbia’s win:
“It is important that we played well. We were available to achieve a good score, but I think it’s a nice and convincing win.
“This is a victory for coach Slavoljuba Muslina (Serbia’s manager). We knew exactly who was doing what on the ground and what he was expecting.
“It doesn’t matter who has scored the goals, the team is in a good place, and so it must be.”
Discussing the first goal, in which Tadić provided the assist for Filip Kostic, the playmaker added:
“I saw a clear situation, and I wanted to pass the ball to Filip. Maybe he could even have scored twice, when I played him past the defence, but no-one can be angry, the points are the priority.”
On England Under-21s’ qualification, Ward-Prowse said:
“Knowing that we’re in the finals now, the preparation for that starts and we’ve booked our plane tickets, so we need to make sure we prepare right.
“That will start on Tuesday and we’ll do everything we can to perfect our way of playing.”
On the win in Kazakhstan:
“We knew from the last time we played them that it was going to be a very difficult game.
“It was hard to break them down, and there was the whole experience of coming here and having to adapt to the conditions and the atmosphere.
“I think the longer the game went on, the more it suited the hosts, but we took our chance and got the goal we needed.”