Stories By Graham Ruthven

• Sport

  Rashford must escape Manchester United to reignite his career

  Marcus Rashford was left at home for Manchester United’s FA Cup fifth round win over Newport County on Sunday. Had he stayed at home earlier in the week, the England international surely would have played a part in the victory at Rodney Parade.

• Sport

  Klopp’s departure will be a big loss for the Premier League

  Liverpool will find it impossible to replace Jurgen Klopp. They might find a top level manager to keep the team on the pitch moving forward with Xabi Alonso the frontrunner to take over at Anfield this summer, but Klopp has always been more than just a football manager.

• Sport

  Mac Allister has adapted brilliantly to the number six role at Liverpool

  Liverpool’s transfer market intent last summer was clear in the four signings they made. All four new additions were made with the midfield in mind. Jurgen Klopp set out to rebuild his unit in the centre of the pitch as Dominik Szoboszlai, Ryan Gravenberch and Wataru Endo pitched up at Anfield.

• Sport

  Did Kane join Bayern Munich at the wrong time?

  If Bayern Munich fail to win the Bundesliga title this season, Harry Kane won’t be to blame. The England captain will be a convenient punchline having made the move to Bavaria to compete for the silverware that had evaded him at Tottenham Hotspur, but nobody could ever blame Kane for the troubles being experienced by the German giants.

• Sport

  Richarlison’s redemption should be used to help Tottenham attract new signings

  Only Son Heung-min has scored more Premier League goals for Tottenham Hotspur this season than Richarlison. At his current rate of nearly a goal every game, the Brazilian could be Spurs’ top scorer by the time Son returns from playing for South Korea at the Asian Cup.

• Sport

  Kevin de Bruyne can become Man City’s Andrea Pirlo in the final phase of his career

  Kevin de Bruyne made the difference for Manchester City at St James’ Park on Saturday. Coming off the bench to make his first Premier League appearance since August due to injury, the Belgian registered a goal and an assist in a comeback victory over Newcastle United for Pep Guardiola’s team.

• Sport

  Postecoglou could unlock Timo Werner’s full potential at Tottenham

  Timo Werner didn’t make the best impression at Chelsea. Signed for £47.5m in the summer of 2020, the forward was never able to replicate his goalscoring achievements in the Bundesliga for the Blues, returning to RB Leipzig after just two underwhelming seasons in the Premier League.

• Sport

  The ‘Magic of the Cup’ still exists, but not in places it used to be found

  Maidstone United became the first sixth tier team to reach the FA Cup fourth round since Havant and Waterlooville in 2008 by beating Stevenage on Saturday. Not that anyone watching from home saw this from their armchair.

• Sport

  What each of the ‘Big Six’ plus Aston Villa and Newcastle need in January

  At the halfway point of the 2023/24 season, the Premier League table has taken shape. There is now a clear idea of the title challengers, the top four contenders and the strugglers. The January transfer window offers an opportunity for clubs to strengthen their squads for the second half of the campaign with speculation already swirling over the moves that could happen before the end of the month.

• Sport

  Cole Palmer has been so good even Man City must be feeling regret

  Nobody has scored more goals for Chelsea in the Premier League this season than Cole Palmer. While the young attacking midfielder arrived at Stamford Bridge in the summer as a player for the future, he has quickly become the Blues’ most reliable difference-maker in the present.

• Sport

  Eddie Howe needs Newcastle’s results to improve

  For the first time this season, frustration within the St James’ Park faithful was audible. Newcastle United’s fans booed their team at full time of Boxing Day’s 3-1 home defeat to Nottingham Forest, releasing the valve on disgruntlement built over a run of just one win from seven matches in all competitions.

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