Stories By Graham Ruthven

• Sport

  Crystal Palace have a new star in Michael Olise

  On the basis of the Premier League table alone, the improvement at Crystal Palace this season has been incremental. While the Eagles finished 14th last season, comfortably avoiding any threat of relegation, they are now up to 11th.

• Sport

  Tuchel must reintegrate Lukaku quickly after interview saga

  Thomas Tuchel’s reasoning for omitting Romelu Lukaku from his matchday squad for one of Chelsea’s biggest games of the season was sound. The Belgian had become something of a distraction after an interview surfaced just days before the crunch Premier League clash against Liverpool in which Lukaku raised questions over his future at Stamford Bridge.

• Sport

  5 signings Newcastle could make in the January transfer window

  Newcastle United might have produced one of their best performances of the season in the 1-1 draw against Manchester United but it remains clear that new signings are desperately needed. Indeed, Eddie Howe’s current group are not good enough to keep the Magpies in the Premier League and transfer activity should be expected in January.

• Sport

  Anthony Martial deserves a fresh start away from Old Trafford

  Anthony Martial wasted no time in announcing himself as Manchester United’s next superstar-in-the-making. His debut goal against Liverpool electrified Old Trafford as the French winger, who cost £36m from Monaco in 2015, made the best first impression of any new United signing since Wayne Rooney.

• Sport

  Has Marcelo Bielsa reached the end of the road at Leeds?

  There can be no overstating the impact which Marcelo Bielsa has had on Leeds United as a football manager and a character. Indeed, the legendary Argentinean coach revitalised Elland Road, and the city around it, upon his arrival in the summer of 2018, taking the club back to the Premier League after a 16-year exile.

• Sport

  Do Arsenal need a new centre-forward to reach the next level?

  The sight of Arsenal sitting in fourth place in the Premier League table is proof of the progress Mikel Arteta’s team have made this season. The Gunners might still be a long way from the top of the English game but they stand a good chance of qualifying for the Champions League for the first time in five years.

• Sport

  Conor Gallagher in reckoning for England World Cup squad

  The 2022 World Cup might be close to a full year off, but Gareth Southgate surely has a good idea of who will be on the plane to Qatar with him. By and large, the England squad that travels to the Gulf state will be the same as the one that made the Euro 2020 final this summer.

• Sport

  The Liverpool defence is now back to its best

  Despite all the plaudits given to Liverpool’s attacking threat, is it their defence which could win them the Premier League title this season?   No Premier League team has scored as many goals as Liverpool have this season.

• Sport

  Can Antonio Conte get Harry Kane back to his best?

  The Premier League table looks better for Tottenham Hotspur than it did a few weeks ago. While the North London club sat in eighth place at the point of Antonio Conte’s appointment in early November, Sunday’s 3-0 victory over Norwich City lifted them to within two points of the top four and Champions League qualification.

• Sport

  Is John McGinn beginning to outgrow Aston Villa?

  It didn’t take long for the £2m signing of John McGinn in the summer of 2018 to look like a bargain for Aston Villa. Indeed, the midfielder was an instant success at Villa Park, pushing the West Midlands club to promotion to the Premier League in his first season and playing a key role in re-establishing them in the English top flight.

• Sport

  Steven Gerrard off to a promising start at Aston Villa

  If any Aston Villa fans were unsure of what Steven Gerrard would offer their club, they surely have a clearer idea now. The former Liverpool and England captain has made a strong start to life at Villa Park with back-to-back wins over Brighton and Crystal Palace lifting the struggling side up to 13th place in the Premier League table.

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