Stories By Graham Ruthven

• Sport

  It’s clear that Trent Alexander-Arnold’s future should be in midfield

  The two sides of Trent Alexander-Arnold’s game are clear to anyone who has watched him in recent times. Widely praised for his natural creativity as a right back, the 24-year-old is also vulnerable in a defensive sense to such an extent Jurgen Klopp has experimented by shifting Alexander-Arnold around the pitch.

• Sport

  Manchester City won’t have a better opportunity to win the Champions League

  Manchester City pursued Pep Guardiola over a number of seasons due to their strong belief he would guide them to Champions League glory. At that time, the Catalan had a strong track record at the elite level of European football as a two-time continental champion.

• Sport

  Unstoppable Villa could mount a late top four challenge

  Only Manchester City (18) have taken more points from their last six Premier League matches than Aston Villa (16). Indeed, Unai Emery’s side are on their best run of form of the season, winning five and drawing just one of those aforementioned six matches.

• Sport

  Arsenal learning the hard way what it takes to stop Manchester City

  It’s entirely possible Arsenal will look back at their collapse against West Ham at the London Stadium as the moment this season’s Premier League title race swung away from them for good. Mikel Arteta’s team still sit four points clear at the top of the table, but Manchester City now undeniably have momentum on their side.

• Sport

  Martial still has a part to play in Man Utd’s future

  Anthony Martial can certainly be counted on to score or create a goal against Everton. By finding the back of the net in Manchester United’s 2-0 win on Saturday, the Frenchman lifted his tally to 12 goal contributions (eight goals and four assists) in 16 matches against the Goodison Park outfit.

• Sport

  Lampard’s return shows Chelsea have run out of ideas

  Chelsea’s result and performance against Wolves on Saturday was very much in keeping with what the club’s fans have grown accustomed to in recent weeks and months. The Blues were generally lethargic at Molineux and deserves to lose 1-0.

• Sport

  The importance of John Stones to Man City

  Not many defenders could do what John Stones has done these past few weeks. The 28-year-old is currently operating in central midfield for Manchester City with Pep Guardiola’s team building momentum.

• Sport

  What’s next for Leicester City?

  In the end, Leicester City had no real choice but to sack Brendan Rodgers. The Foxes have been dragged down into the bottom three in the Premier League table with relegation from the top flight now a very genuine possibility.

• Sport

  Grealish is finally living up to his £100m price tag

  Everything Jack Grealish was meant to be for Manchester City, he was against Liverpool on Saturday. The 27-year-old has faced a lot of criticism since making the £100m switch to the Etihad Stadium from Aston Villa two years ago, but it all washed away as he found devastating form in a 4-1 win.

• Sport

  Rice’s England performances show he’s ready for a step up at club level

  Harry Kane became England’s all-time top scorer in last week’s Euro 2024 qualification win over Italy, but one player arguably shone even brighter at the Stadio Olimpico. Indeed, Declan Rice was one of the best players in a white shirt as Gareth Southgate’s side controlled the majority of the match in Italy.

• Sport

  Man City-Liverpool rivalry could still produce fireworks

  Liverpool and Manchester City’s rivalry defined an entire era of the Premier League. Over a number of seasons, the two teams fought for English and European football dominance with the pair pushing each other to higher and higher heights.

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