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Following the devastating 2-1 home defeat by Cardiff City last time out that saw Southampton slip into the relegation zone, the need to pick up points regularly from here on in has become even more of a priority – they can do exactly that if Ralph Hasenhuttl makes a risky call at Arsenal on Sunday.

On the chalkboard

Well, despite favouring a 4-2-2-2 formation at the previous clubs he has managed, the Austrian has had to adapt to the situation the clubs finds itself in and the players he has at his disposal at St Mary’s, and  he has often favoured either a 3-4-2-1 or 3-5-1-1 system.

However, while it may have made them sturdier at the back – on paper at least – they haven’t looked great from an attacking point of view, which hasn’t been helped by regular injury issues for Danny Ings and Michael Obafemi.

The latter was pictured in training during the training camp in Tenerife however and may well be in contention to start at the Emirates Stadium, which presents Hasenhuttl with a big opportunity.

What should he do?

Normally a five-at-the-back formation for a tough-looking trip to north London would make sense, but Unai Emery’s men have shown time and time again that they are there to be got at defensively with players like Shkodran Mustafi prone to errors and lack of concentration.

By lining up with a 4-2-2-2 formation – something the 51-year-old Saints boss was surely working with his players on during the break in the Canary Islands – he could utilise the pace, pressing and never-say-die attitude of Obafemi and Shane Long to really put the hosts’ defence under pressure.

Arsenal have the players to hurt Southampton at the other end, so it makes sense to give them a big problem to think about in their weak spot.

With Redmond on one wing and potentially Stuart Armstrong on the other, they would have a better chance of sneaking a positive result.

Everton have been handed yet another significant injury setback ahead of their Premier League clash with Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park this evening.

What’s the word?

Injuries have severely hampered the Toffees’ progress in recent weeks, with Abdoulaye Doucoure, Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Tom Davies all facing extensive spells on the sidelines.

Rafael Benitez was able to welcome back Yerry Mina into the starting line-up last time out against Arsenal, but the  centre-back only lasted 31 minutes before leaving the field of play with a fitness complaint.

In his pre-match press conference, the Toffees manager provided an update on the 27-year-old’s situation, confirming that he won’t be available for the trip to south London, before revealing that Salomon Rondon and Allan are progressing well.

“Yerry is not available. Rondon is available and has been training, and Allan has done today half of a training session,” the manager said.

However, Benitez was able to announce some encouraging news regarding Davies and Calvert-Lewin, revealing that the English duo could make their comebacks in the weeks ahead.

He said: “Still we have Davies, maybe next week he will start with the team. Dominic is getting closer, obviously. Every training session that he is doing with the rehabilitation coach, he’s getting better.”

Everton fans will be gutted

News that Mina is once again ruled out of action for the intriguing encounter against Palace will surely leave Everton supporters feeling gutted, given his importance to the team.

The Colombia international has started seven Premier League games this season, losing on just one occasion and winning four times. In his absence, the Toffees have lost four of their five encounters, keeping just one clean sheet in the 0-0 draw against Tottenham, and his underlying numbers indicate why that has been the case.

As per WhoScored, Mina has averaged 1.3 interceptions, 3.4 clearances and 0.6 blocks per top-flight fixture, placing him in the top four amongst his teammates for each metric.

Therefore, the 27-year-old’s latest injury setback will come as a bitter blow to Everton, and Benitez will be hoping that the likes of Mason Holgate and Michael Keane can step up in his absence.

In other news… Benitez can seal big Everton coup by signing “unbeatable” £27m-rated gem, he’s “incredible”

Celtic correspondent Kieran Devlin thinks winger Karamoko Dembele could be out for ‘a long time’.

The Lowdown: Dembele’s absence

Dembele is still yet to make a competitive appearance under Ange Postecoglou after suffering an ankle injury during the club’s pre-season tour of Wales.

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The 18-year-old, who is out of contract at the end of the season, underwent surgery in October to repair damage on what was reported as a fracture.

However, Devlin recently claimed that he thinks Dembele broke a bone in his ankle, and it seems as if a return to action isn’t close.

The Latest: Devlin’s response

Devlin ran a Q&A on The Athletic for Celtic’s clash with Ross County on Wednesday.

He was asked by one fan for an update on Dembele’s situation and the possibility of a return, to which he said:

“Think it was a break in the end so could be a long time, no set date on a return.”

The Verdict: Not ideal…

Dembele has had to remain patient for an opportunity at Parkhead, and if he was fit, now could’ve been the perfect chance to announce himself in green and white.

That’s because Postecoglou has almost all of his attacking options out injured at this moment in time, meaning full-backs Josip Juranovic and Adam Montgomery had to play further forward on Wednesday with winger Liel Abada in a central role. [SofaScore]

It hasn’t worked out for Dembele in Glasgow so far, though, and who knows, he may not even add to his eight Hoops appearances, should he pursue a move away over the next six months following his injury.

In other news: Celtic pull plug on move for January target who already follows Hoops on social media. 

Aston Villa winger Leon Bailey has returned to training but won’t feature against Leeds United this evening.

The Lowdown: Previous hope

Bailey, who Dean Smith backed to become a ‘crowd favourite’, has missed the last eight fixtures in all competitions with a thigh problem.

Reports during the international break suggested that the 24-year-old could return against Marcelo Bielsa’s side this evening. Steven Gerrard admitted that the Jamaican, who Leeds made a bid for back in 2020, wasn’t ‘too far away’ prior to the international break.

However, although Bailey is progressing with his recovery, he won’t be in the squad this evening.

The Latest: Gerrard’s comments

Talking in his pre-match press conference, relayed by Villa’s official Twitter account, Gerrard confirmed that Bailey has returned to full training but won’t be involved against Leeds.

“We’ve now got Leon Bailey back in full training, but he won’t be in the squad tomorrow.”

The Verdict: Newcastle return?

Villa’s next fixture is a trip to St James’ Park on Sunday to face Newcastle, so with a week’s worth of full training under his belt, perhaps Bailey may make a return in four days’ time.

You’d expect that Gerrard will be cautious when it comes to the explosive winger, so he may decide to hand Bailey a place on the bench and gradually ease him back.

Bailey has had a tough time in his first season in England, contributing to just three goals, but hopefully, he’ll now enjoy an injury-free rest of the campaign and Villa fans will see the best of him in 2022/23.

In other news: Villa and Lange now looking to pip Leeds in race for soon-to-be free agent. 

Everton have been one of the most active Premier League clubs during the transfer window, and with good reason.

The Toffees are in desperate need to turn their season around after a disappointing first half to the campaign. In order to rectify that situation, they have made three signings already in the first two weeks of January, and Rafael Benitez and co may not be finished yet.

What’s the word?

The Everton manager took to his press conference ahead of today’s match against Norwich to give an update on the club’s next steps in the winter transfer window, teasing the potential of more signings to come.

Benitez revealed: “We are always looking to strengthen the squad. The reality is we’ve balanced the books, which I think is a positive. We are open to any good option.”

“At the moment we’re happy with the three we’ve brought. But we are open-minded.”

This week has been a busy one at Goodison Park, with fan favourite Lucas Digne sold to Aston Villa after three-and-a-half years with the Merseyside club, and Anwar El Ghazi signing on loan until the end of the season, and Benitez isn’t ruling out further business yet.

Fans will be buzzing

Everton fans haven’t had an easy ride supporting their team this season, and many have definitely made no secret of their disappointment over poor performances, walking out of matches at Goodison Park and planning protests against the owners and the manager.

This transfer window has provided Benitez with the opportunity to change the trajectory of the club by signing new players and freshening up the squad, in the hope that a fresh perspective will help the Toffees climb back into the top half of the table, where they are expected to finish this season.

It is important that Everton start to pick up results, as they have a run of winnable games against bottom half teams such as Leeds United, Brentford, Aston Villa and Newcastle coming up over the next few weeks. That should give them the ideal opportunity to ascend to a much more comfortable position in the Premier League if they can capitalise.

For now, the manager’s claim that the Toffees are “open” to making further additions this month should bring some overdue happiness to the Goodison Park fan base, as the current squad just haven’t been delivering the goods.

In other news: Alan Myers makes January transfer window prediction regarding Everton

Celtic coach Darren O’Dea is wanted by Championship side Ayr United after they parted ways with Jim Duffy earlier in the week, The Scottish Sun report.

The Lowdown: O’Dea’s promotion

After retiring as a player two years ago, O’Dea had been managing Celtic’s Under-18’s.

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The 34-year-old was given a promotion at Parkhead back in October, though, and is now a part of the Celtic B team working alongside manager Tommy McIntyre.

O’Dea recently labelled first-team manager Ange Postecoglou as ‘brilliant’ and works near the first-team at Lennoxtown, but it appears as if the Irishman is a wanted man ahead of the New Year.

The Latest: Ayr keen

The Scottish Sun’s Alan Potts shared a story on Monday afternoon, claiming Ayr are eyeing an ‘ambitious’ swoop for O’Dea after Duffy left the club following a short spell in charge.

Potts claimed that Ayr’s managing director Graeme Mathie is on the hunt for Duffy’s successor and it’s understood that O’Dea is on their radar.

The Verdict: Time to jump ship?

You’d expect that O’Dea has aspirations of managing at first-team level after Under-18 spells with Motherwell and now Celtic, so he may well jump at the chance to join the Championship side.

However, it would be a risk with Ayr struggling in the second tier and just three wins from 18.

Saying that, O’Dea will have seen that former Hoops man Shaun Maloney has recently jumped into management with Hibernian, so he could see Ayr as a step on the ladder when it comes to making his mark from the dugout.

In other news: ‘A lot of clubs’ tracking ‘unbelievable’ Celtic ace ahead of January, says BBC Radio 5 Live man. 

Sunderland are back in action this afternoon, with an away clash against Cambridge United next up for the Black Cats in their latest League Out fixture.

Speaking ahead of the match, Black Cats manager Lee Johnson revealed that in addition to the already injured trio of Dennis Cirkin, Denver Hume and Niall Huggins, he will also be without Aiden McGeady for a period of eight to 12 weeks with a knee injury.

Furthermore, it has been reported by the Sunderland Echo that Luke O’Nien is also a doubt for today’s match as he has apparently seen a surgeon to assess the best way to deal with a persistent shoulder problem.

With this in mind, here’s how we feel Sunderland could line up against Cambridge and what changes could be made from the team which started their 1-1 draw against Shrewsbury Town in midweek. We expect four alteration to the starting line-up for today’s trip to the Abbey Stadium.

In goal, we think Johnson will stick with Ron-Thorben Hoffmann to see if he can keep a clean sheet on this occasion.

For the defence, taking into account the current injury issues, we expect Johnson to go with Carl Winchester at right-back with Lynden Gooch dropping out after some much-maligned recent performances. Callum Doyle and Bailey Wright retain the centre-back positions, with Tom Flanagan coming in to fill in at left-back if O’Nien isn’t fit enough to feature.

Moving to the midfield, we can see Dan Neil keeping his place in the team but with Corry Evans coming in if Winchester is pushed back to defence.

On the wings, with Aiden O’Brien failing to impress against Shrewsbury, we think he will drop down to the bench, with Leon Dajaku – who is currently valued at £1.62m by Transfermarkt – coming back in on the right. On the left, we can see Johnson giving Elliot Embleton a chance to prove his worth once more; he comes in ahead of Nathan Broadhead on this occasion.

Given how he scored in midweek against Shrewsbury, it would make sense for Alex Pritchard to keep his place in the team behind top scorer Ross Stewart to see if he can add to his goals tally and secure a win for the travelling Black Cats.

Whether or not Johnson goes with the starting XI that we have suggested, he will undoubtedly be hoping that not only can his team secure a win and keep their charge for promotion alive, but also that his injured players will be able to make full recoveries and get back to action as soon as possible.

In other news: Johnson must ruthlessly axe “difficult” £6.5k-p/w Sunderland dud, he’s holding the team back

Many Wolves fans have been left reacting to some transfer news that has emerged on Joao Moutinho.

As per La Repubblica (via Sport Witness), Jose Mourinho and Roma are now interested in signing the central midfield player, with his contract in the Midlands club running out in the summer.

At 35 years of age, the Molineux faithful have to consider where his immediate future lies, with the risk of losing him for free in just a few months.

Moutinho has been one of their best players this season, in fact he ranks ninth in their squad according to WhoScored, and is high among his teammates in terms of average tackles, interceptions, blocks, key passes, crosses and long balls per game in the Premier League.

Nonetheless, some WWFC supporters do not want to see him go to Roma, and so would rather he stayed and signed a new deal.

Wolves fans on Moutinho transfer news

These Wanderers reacted to the transfer news as it was shared on Twitter:

“I fear we’ll be stripped bare in the summer. I hear Man Utd are looking at Max Kilman”

Credit: @Johnboy42370177

“I wish everybody would stop trying to steal our players”

Credit: @TonyBel83049813

“Two more years at Wolves Joao”

Credit: @LeightonBinder

“One more year Joao!”

Credit: @JackBrownieee97

“NOOOOOOO!!!”

Credit: @Dazwolf180

“I wish the vultures would stay away! Football is crazy, anyone who is brilliant is immediately headhunted from us. I guess that’s all in the game but …….”

Credit: @peggyja95517835

In other news, find out what hope Wolves have in their bid to sign this former player here!

West Ham are interested in signing Crystal Palace striker Christian Benteke on loan for the rest of the season, according to The Guardian.

The Lowdown: Hammers need a striker

Since the departure of Sebastien Haller this time last year, David Moyes has been under pressure to bring in more attacking options due to the lack of depth his squad has in the final third. This has been particularly prevalent for the striker position, as Michail Antonio is the only recognised senior centre-forward at the club.

Antonio is currently the Irons’ top scorer in the Premier League this season, having netted eight times, but the Jamaica international has looked tired at points throughout the campaign, sometimes lacking that clinical edge in front of goal.

The club’s greatest Premier League goalscorer also has his fair share of injury concerns, so the Hammers enter the last day of the January transfer window in desperate need of an able deputy.

They have been very strongly linked to Darwin Nunez, but a brand new name has now emerged as a possible alternative.

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The Latest: Irons interested in Benteke

According to a report by The Guardian, West Ham are exploring the option of a possible loan move for Crystal Palace’s Christian Benteke.

The 31-year-old is struggling to secure a place in the starting XI under Patrick Vieira, but would provide a wealth of Premier League experience, having scored 86 goals in the competition – he has bagged a whopping 159 times across his senior career for club and country.

The Verdict: A good back-up option

Fans may be disappointed with the Benteke links, with previous rumours suggesting that the Hammers were interested in Blackburn’s Ben Brereton Diaz and Everton’s Dominic Calvert-Lewin.

However, Benteke could be the ideal player to come off the bench and make an immediate impact. Vieira has said that having the striker at his disposal is a huge boost, claiming that ‘in the air he is one of the best if not the best in the league’, and that ‘this is a powerful weapon to have in the squad’.

With the ongoing push for Benfica starlet Nunez, Benteke could be a solid backup option if the deal for the 22-year-old fails to materialise.

Aston Villa boss Steven Gerrard will tell the board to make Philippe Coutinho’s loan move permanent in the summer, Football Insider report.

The Lowdown: Leeds scare

Coutinho starred at Villa Park on Wednesday evening against Leeds United, scoring an equaliser and providing two assists for Jacob Ramsey in the first half.

The Brazilian was quieter in the second half, though, and went down injured following a long-range effort.

He was then replaced by Ashley Young in the closing stages, with Gregg Evans stating he was ‘very quiet’ after going down holding his left knee.

The Latest: Source shares update

Football Insider shared a ‘major update’ on Thursday morning regarding Coutinho and his future.

A Villa source informed the site that the option to buy fee stands at £33.7m, with Gerrard having no hesitation in telling the board to activate the clause at the end of the season.

Ashley Preece has even stated that the £33m option isn’t a fixed fee, so Villa may well be able to negotiate a lower figure with Barcelona.

The Verdict: No brainer

Coutinho has already shown his class in the Midlands and averages a goal or an assist every 44 minutes under Gerrard.

He’s already way out in front when it comes to average match rating in the Villa squad, as per WhoScored, and still just 29 years of age, a permanent move seems to be a no brainer.

It’s exciting to know that Barcelona are desperate to get the playmaker off the books in the summer, so you’d expect that Johan Lange will be on the phone looking to lower the £33.7m option. Hopefully, he can do just that, which will then give Gerrard more scope for new players in the summer.

In other news: ‘Terrible…’ – Gregg Evans rips into Villa midfielder who lost the ball 11 times against Leeds.