While things haven’t been going brilliantly in the Premier League for Leicester City, the Champions League is currently a different story.

The defending champions are 12th in the league with only two wins from six. Their form on the European stage has been superb, however, with last night’s 1-0 victory over Porto making it two wins out of two and four goals scored without conceding. Wow.

One player who has struggled domestically, but shone in Europe, is last year’s PFA Players’ Player of the Year, Riyad Mahrez.

The Algerian has had a mixed start to the season but laid on a superb assist for Islam Slimani’s winner at the King Power Stadium and turned in the kind of performance the Foxes were used to last season.

Mahrez’s showing last night followed on from a superb Man of the Match performance away to Club Brugge on the opening match day, where the Algerian scored twice in a 3-0 win.

Tony Pulis has been a Premier League figure since he won promotion with Stoke City in 2008. After achieving great success with the Potters he moved on to Crystal Palace in 2013 before joining his current club, West Bromwich Albion, in 2015. His teams are renowned for their defensive organisation, incredible work rate and ability to frustrate their opposition.

Unfortunately for the 58-year-old, his sides are also known for a distinct lack of goals and his tactics are often branded ‘boring’ and as ‘hoof ball’ by fans.

Despite the negativity, his West Brom squad have settled under him and it’s paid dividends so far this season, as the Baggies sit comfortably in 10th place, with a positive goal difference, just two points behind ‘title-chasing’ Chelsea.

They have won two, drawn two and lost two and have every reason to be happy with the start they’ve made especially when considering their slightly underwhelming summer transfer activity.

And yet, Pulis is second favourite with Sky Bet to be the next Premier League manager to lose his job.

Why?

There’s a stigma attached to the kind of football that Tony Pulis coaches. He wants his teams well organised, well drilled, exceptionally fit and hungry, but these features tend to negate individual quality – his teams set up to suffocate rather than create.

So, rather than the open football we’ve seen this season from the likes of Liverpool who are coached by Jurgen Klopp, Pulis tends to prioritise the clean sheet above all else.

This was no more prevalent than in his days at Selhurst Park with Crystal Palace.

Of the 13 home games Pulis managed, Palace kept six clean sheets, as well as adding another four on their travels. They recouped 24 points from a possible 39 from matches at Selhurst Park under Pulis, making it a place to fear playing at.

He was the only manager of Crystal Palace from November 2013 until the end of the season and helped the Eagles from the bottom of the League to an 11th placed finish.

When he took over in November, Palace had three points from 10 matches, so to achieve safety really was a remarkable feat and he thoroughly deserved his Manager of the Year award.

Palace’s remarkable recovery can’t be put down to luck either, as Pulis has achieved similar success at his current club, too.

Languishing in 16th place in December 2015, one point above the dreaded relegation zone, Pulis took over the reins at West Brom and guided the Baggies to a safe 13th finish, ending the campaign nine points clear of the bottom three.

He followed this up by leading them to safety once again as the Baggies finished 14th in the 2015/16 season before starting this season steadily, too.

So, why can’t Pulis catch a break?

Despite all the good statistics from the Premier League tables, the clean sheet leaderboards and the kilometres covered standings, Pulis is a man under pressure.

After seven successful years at Stoke, they hit a juncture where they simply could progress no further under his stewardship.

Club chairman Peter Coates recognised that Pulis had served the club superbly well, but the FA Cup Final appearance and Europa League tie with Valencia were the pinnacles.

That, in some ways, is quite a damning statement.

Yes, Pulis set the ball rolling at Stoke and kept it rolling, too, but, Coates saw a way for an even better future and since his departure, Stoke have not finished in the bottom half of the table, whereas, under Pulis, they never finished in the top half.

This is not to belittle the good work he did at Stoke, because he certainly laid the foundations and gave them their platform to succeed, but there came a time when it appeared they had achieved their goal under him.

Unfortunately for the Welshman, it appears that the same wall has been hit at West Brom.

Pulis has been at The Hawthorns for a much lesser amount of time then he was at Stoke, but fans are already agitated about the poor quality of football they’re paying to watch.

Last season, the Baggies failed to muster a shot on target in seven separate matches, which became a new Premier League record.

To make matters worse, only relegated Aston Villa scored fewer goals than West Brom despite the fact that the Baggies finished 14th, and until their very recent 4-2 victory over West Ham, all of their previous 11 victories were won by a one-goal margin – eight of which were 1-0.

This doesn’t exactly paint West Brom as a swashbuckling, exciting team to watch.

Pulis, though, is staunch in his defence of his side’s defensive abilities and believes they suffered a lot of misfortune going forward, too. More importantly, though, Pulis wants to focus on how staying up really is the BIG achievement for West Brom no matter how they manage it.

He has a point, too. For some clubs, staying up this season will be a huge achievement, but eventually, there is always a need for progress and that’s where things turn sour for Pulis.

As fans get greedy and drunk with the idea of wasted potential they clamour for better than 12th place finishes and a mean defence.

At the end of the day, the spectators are the paying customers and they are entitled to want entertainment and goals. Unfortunately, Tony Pulis may never be the man to deliver that.

Tottenham’s start to the 16/17 season has been nothing short of superb.

Mauricio Pochettino’s side crumbled under the pressure of a title challenge last season but have followed that up with an unbeaten start to this term and have even brushed aside title favourites Manchester City with ease.

Many will now be tipping Spurs for another title push. Their mix of attacking prowess, high-pressing and defensive solidity have all the right ingredients for a title challenge – but can they keep it up?

Not a lot of people thought they could when Harry Kane was ruled out with a long-term injury but since then, Tottenham have arguably been even more impressive without the England international in the side.

What’s more, Kane’s absence has given other players a chance to show Pochettino and the Spurs faithful what they’re all about. But which ones should you be considering for you FPL team?

We’ve taken a look at the most effective FPL points scorers at Spurs so far this season – average points per 90 minutes played – and here are the five players who should be considering…

5. Erik Lamela – 4.77 PP90

Erik Lamela recently admitted that he finally feels at home in North London, three years after his move to White Hart Lane from Roma.

It has certainly taken him some time to adapt to life in England, although last season he did register an average points per 90 of 4.69.

This season, though, he’s already averaging 4.77 PP90, despite only contributing with one assist and one goal from his opening seven league appearances. It’s a shame he missed that penalty against Man City or his average would’ve been significantly higher – 5.39 PP90.

He is relatively cheap at just £6.9m and is owned by only 7.6% of FPL teams. Definitely worth a punt.

4. Hugo Lloris – 5.71 PP90

Hugo Lloris kept 13 clean sheets last season as Spurs arguably had one of the strongest defences in the Premier League.

This season, Spurs have only conceded three goals from their opening seven league games and it’s already looking as though Lloris is a must-have keeper for any FPL team.

He has kept three clean sheets from his five appearances this term and, as a result, is averaging 5.17 PP90.

However, despite him being of the best goalkeepers where PP90 is concerned, only 6.1% of FPL teams have him.

Almost a differential, right? Get him in.

3. Kyle Walker – 5.83 PP90

As mentioned with Lloris, Spurs’ defence is superb and not much gets past it.

Unsurprisingly, Walker has once again been one of Tottenham’s best performers at the back.

Clean sheets, assists and the odd goal will ensure he aways get you a good points return each week, and he is already averaging 5.83 PP90 as a result.

However, 33.6% of FPL teams have him in their ranks which means it might be worth looking elsewhere for equally effective players who aren’t so widely owned.

2. Danny Rose – 6.5 PP90

Another Spurs defender? What a surprise!

Danny Rose is another player who is guaranteed to return you a good amount of FPL points each week.

However, what is incredible about Roses’ average of 6.5 PP90 so far this season is that he has only made four appearances. During that time he has contributed with one goal, one assist, two clean sheets and and three bonus points.

He is only selected by 5.4% of FPL teams at the moment, which makes him a decent and cheaper alternative than his teammate Kyle Walker – but expect that to go up over the course of the campaign.

1. Son Heung-min – 10.78 PP90

It’s fair to say Son Heung-min has used Harry Kane’s injury as the perfect opportunity to finally announce himself to the Premier League.

He struggled for game and with injuries last season, but the South Korea international has launched himself in early contention for player of the season with his performances over the past month or so.

Four goals, two assists and six bonus points from just four appearances has led him to averaging a whopping 10.78 PP90.

His ownership is still low at only 9.8% but his price is rising fast so if you’re looking for a high points scorer, get him in fast!

Manchester United needed victory at Swansea on Sunday afternoon. They needed victory desperately, as Jose Mourinho began to resemble the rugged, stressed third season version of himself rather than the excitable, positive, scheming first year incarnation.

His tenure at Manchester United could be rather short if his team continue to perform as appallingly as they have for the majority of this season. Letting opposition teams expose them defensively and failing to finish chances, the vulgar amount of money spent last summer is look pretty laughable at the moment. Mourinho, even in his most stubborn of moods, would admit that things are at an almost disastrous level at the moment.

Fortuitously, Swansea have been having a woeful campaign of their own. Their own struggles, which were added to by defeat at Stoke on Monday, have been well documented. Victory for Manchester United might not have been quite a shock, but it certainly was not a guarantee before the game.

Pogback?

Paul Pogba was destined to face a lot of criticism after moving for a world record fee and the Frenchman may have calmed some of the critics a little with his stunning goal.

Performances must improve for Pogba, but this was a start.

Zlat attack

Having been through one of the worst goal droughts of his career, Zlatan Ibrahimovic was desperate for a goal.

Scoring the second for United, to almost kill the game, in the first half, the towering Swede is set to go on a goal scoring run from here onwards.

Absent friends

As Ibrahimovic netted his second, and United’s third, Bob Bradley cut a dejected figure. Rui Faria, however, was less upset by the events on the field.

Jose Mourinho was stuck in the stands as part of a touchline ban (very unlike him, of course) and Faria was there barking the orders from the touchline. Luckily Faria avoided the sort of controversy that has crept up in his career.

Silly moment

When you are on four bookings and winning a game comfortably, it is pretty damn stupid to make any sort of challenge that could possibly see you scribbled into the referee’s notepad again.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic clearly didn’t get the memo about five bookings equalling and a suspension and he will not miss the game with Arsenal as a result.

Crumbling defence

Van der Hoorn managed to grab a consolation for Swansea, but it was too little, too late for the Welsh club.

Sitting level on points with Sunderland at the bottom of the table, this result only puts more pressure on Bob Bradley – even so early in his tenure.

Defeat will hurt for Swansea, who defended poorly throughout, but they will have plenty more winnable games than this.

Everton are planning to add a new goalkeeper to their squad when the transfer window reopens in January, according to the Liverpool Echo.

What’s the story?

The Merseyside outfit signed Maarten Stekelenburg just last summer as a replacement for the outgoing Tim Howard.

However, it is understood by the local media that manager Ronald Koeman has drawn up a three-man shortlist as he is not currently satisfied with the goalkeeper situation.

Stekelenburg has taken the number one spot this season, while Joel Robles is below him in the pecking order.

Koeman said in August that he wanted an additional shot-stopper to challenge the duo, but a transfer never materialised.

The report suggests that the Dutchman wants a recruit who can come in as the club’s new first-choice keeper.

Who does Koeman want?

The Toffees were rumoured to be interested in snapping up Joe Hart when the Manchester City player was shunned by manager Pep Guardiola.

At the time, Koeman insisted that he had no interest in signing the England international, and the 29-year-old ended up joining Serie A outfit Torino on a season-long loan.

Would Everton consider making a summer move? Well, in a recent interview with Sky Sports, Hart suggested that when his loan stay in Italy comes to an end he will not return to City but rather keep his options open.

Hart would be a great signing for the Merseyside outfit as his experience and ability would tighten up a defence that has conceded seven goals in the last three Premier League games.

Elsewhere, Southampton shot-stopper Fraser Forster has been touted as a potential option.

Koeman knows him well having signed the Englishman while in charge of the Saints in 2014, but considering that the Dutchman left the coastal club rather abruptly at the end of last season, a deal is unlikely to go smoothly.

Not only that, Forster is a crucial member of the Southampton team under boss Claude Puel.

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As reported by The Sun, Tottenham Hotspur have identified their next big signing target, highly rated German midfielder Max Meyer of Schalke.

What’s the word?

Max Meyer is about to enter the last year of his contract and according to The Sun, that’s renewed Spurs’ interest in the midfielder after they tried to sign him in August.

That summer move is said to have broken down due to Schalke’s inability to find a replacement in time and the fact they wouldn’t negotiate from their £45m starting valuation for the German.

Quoted by The Sun, Meyer acknowledged those rumours recently, saying: “I know that interest was there and the club was asked. But Schalke immediately put a stop to it. So the matter was settled. Of course, I have dealt with it. But I also know what I have at Schalke, and I like to play for this club.”

Given the circumstances of his contract, Spurs are willing to go back to the German club with a new £30m offer.

Worth it?

At the age of just 21, Max Meyer has already made quite the impact for club and country.

Already making close to 150 appearances for Schalke, he’s scored 20 goals in the process. That’s a lot of experience for an attacking midfielder so young, perhaps showing that he’s ready to play first-team football from the off at Tottenham Hotspur.

He’s made that transition from club football into the German national team, winning 4 caps and scoring his first international goal just this August.

Part of the Olympic team that won silver in Rio, he scored 4 goals across the 6 games he played, including one in the Final.

All of this certainly demonstrates he has a bright future in the game and at the reported £30m, could be a bargain in the grand scheme of things if he reaches his potential.

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When Leeds United made a disappointing start to the Championship season, their supporters may have felt that it was going to be another one of those dismal years in England’s second tier.

However, following a home defeat to Huddersfield in the Yorkshire derby in September, the Whites have turned their season around and are now well in contention for promotion after a fine run of form.

The Yorkshire outfit moved up to fourth ahead of the New Year’s Eve action and Garry Monk is quickly showing what a brilliant job he is doing – especially when you look at the predicament his former side Swansea are in at the bottom of the Premier League.

While they have picked up a number of impressive results over the course of the campaign, there are still things that Monk will want change over the coming weeks and months to keep his side in the race for the top flight.

Here are THREE things Leeds must improve on in 2017…

Scoring

Despite the fact that they are firmly in playoff reckoning, Leeds will need to improve their goalscoring if they are going to make a push for automatic promotion in the second half of the Championship season.

While the top two of Newcastle United and Brighton and Hove Albion had scored 48 and 38 goals respectively before NYE, Garry Monk’s men have only netted 31 and the manager will want to see that total increase significantly in the coming weeks.

Not relying on Chris Wood

Of the 31 league goals they have bagged this season, striker Chris Wood has scored more than a third of those – with their second top goalscorer being Souleymane Doukara on four.

Garry Monk will want his side to spread the goals around the team a little more in the second half of the campaign, and they showed that they can in the 4-1 win against Preston North End – when their midfielders chipped in with three of the four goals.

Picking up points against the sides around them

While they have been on an impressive run of results since that defeat to Huddersfield in September, one area Garry Monk will want to improve on in 2017 is Leeds’ inability to take points from the teams around them in the table.

The Whites were beaten 2-0 at home by Newcastle and then by the same scoreline away at Brighton earlier in the season – a record that they will need to rectify over the coming months if they are to stay in contention for promotion back to the Premier League.

“New year, new me” I vowed to the grizzly figure looking back at me from the mirror of my Persian-inspired terracotta en-suite.

I fired up my Panasonic Stubble Master and set about my new grooming routine. Keeping my facial fuzz to a uniform ½ inch length is one of many New Years resolutions I have set myself for this year. Others include evolving my tactics from a “2016-chic” 4-2-3-1 counter-pressing system to a 4-3-2-1 obversive-pressing game plan. Resolutions that didn’t quite make the cut in accordance with my PA’s advice was to ban MP3s in the dressing room in favour of cassettes and insisting the media only portray me in courtroom-style easel drawings.

The biggest change I am determined to make is to curb my seemingly untamable bad manners. I know what you’re thinking, dear reader, but don’t let the cameras deceive you into thinking that I’m the jovial court jester Sky Sports would have you believe. No, compared to my compatriots, I am one of football’s bad boys like Diego Maradona or Joe Kinnear.

In Germany, it is customary to hand out Bratwurst-based nibbles to journalists prior to every press conference and at the full-time whistle, the likes of Tomas Tuchel and Joachim Low will stride onto the pitch and direct a firm, congratulatory slap to the rump of every one of the opposing players. Do I do any of those things? Only sometimes.

I have also been experimenting with some new motivational techniques for my boys. I was due to attend a course on motivational speaking over Christmas but instead opted to stay at home and share a Robin Williams marathon with Ulla and James Milner. Milly abandoned ship after Flubber citing the film’s themes as being “a bit gritty” for his tastes. Looking back now, it’s clear which of those options bore the most fruit as I was able to recite the entire speech from the final act of Dead Poet’s Society prior to our victory over Man City.

Furthermore, Good Will Hunting gave me the tools to cut through the melancholic fog that descended upon the dressing room after our 2-2 draw with Sunderland. Sadio Mane blamed himself for our opponent’s second penalty but I was able to effortlessly glide towards him whilst uttering the words “It’s not your fault” over and over again in an increasingly pithy fashion until he burst into tears. I’ve already added that one to my Football Management 101 manual I hope to publish next year.

I have a genie outfit and an eleven-man-strong brass orchestra ready for my rendition of ‘Friend like me’ when we emerge victorious against Manchester United on Sunday.

It’s these little changes that I hope will put us in good stead for our forthcoming engagement with Mourinho. Master of mind games, he is oft painted as the villain of the piece in these occasions but I actually regard Jose as a dear friend. Hence, why I decided to put my resolution to be more “chillaxed” into practice last night when I decided to play a devilishly mean practical joke on my Portuguese counterpart.

I had it on good authority that every night, Jose has a bottle of 2008 Ne Oublie Port delivered to his hotel room. Much to his potentially match-changing dismay I had the concierge change his order to a Chateauneuf Du Pape! Not even Sir Alex could have Derren Browned his way out of that battle of wits. However, due to my aforementioned desire to be more courteous, I am about to draw up a full and frank written apology to Jose ready to post after Sunday’s match.

Oh, and to the eagle-eyed fans that have written to me over the last week, you are indeed correct in spotting that I have switched my spectacles from RayBan’s RX6925 model in moonlight chrome to the RX6926 model in timber wolf silver.

#NewYearNewMe

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According to reports from Mirror Football, Bournemouth are keen on a deadline day transfer swoop for promising Chelsea youngster Nathan Ake.

The Dutchman began the season on loan at the Vitality Stadium but was recalled by the Blues at the start of January – a combination of their fixture schedule heating up, injury concerns and Ake’s impressive form for the Cherries.

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Indeed, although the utility man struggled to claim a starting berth at the beginning of the campaign, he quickly fought his way into Eddie Howe’s plans, operating alongside Steve Cook at the heart of defence.

As our infographic shows, in addition to chipping in with three goals, Ake hugely impressed for Bournemouth defensively, registering 18 tackles, 19 successful aerial duels and a staggering 73 clearances.

Antonio Conte is clearly fond of the Netherlands U-21 and utilised him as a left wing-back during the 4-0 win over Brentford in the FA Cup last weekend.

But he certainly wouldn’t be the first Chelsea youngster to find himself moved on for a decent fee after impressing on loan – with Romelu Lukaku and Kevin De Bruyne the other prime examples.

So, should the Blues cash-in on Ake, or would they be wise to hold onto the youngster?

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Wow, that was some game. The Championship is known for offering thrills and spills, but Norwich vs. Newcastle last night was quite the showing. The Magpies stole a point late on through Jamaal Lascelles after surrendering a first minute lead via an Ayoze Perez goal to the Canaries, who raced to a 2-1 advantage before 20 minutes had even been played with goals from Jacob Murphy and Cameron Jerome.

The point keeps Rafa Benitez’s boys from the North East clear at the top of the table and may well be looked back on as a vital result in their charge for the title or automatic promotion, with Brighton and even Huddersfield gaining on the Tynesiders.

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Although Lascelles has been praised for his heroic late contribution, Newcastle’s player of the night may well have been DeAndre Yedlin, who was amazing from right-back…

The American had more touches of the ball (91) than any other player on the pitch and created six chances – again, an on-pitch high – across the 90 minutes, while throwing in four tackles, which was the highest return of any Newcastle player. The formerÂSeattle Sounders defender also made 80% of his 51 passes stick, while completing six clearances to help keep his side in the game.

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