Probable Lineups…

Manchester United (3-5-2): De Gea, McNair, Smalling, Blackett, Valencia, Carrick, Fellaini, Young, Rooney, Van Persie, Di Maria

Manchester United are still suffering from their defensive crisis with seven players, five of them defenders, being unavailable for selection. Marcos Rojo, Rafael, Daley Blind, Luke Shaw, Phil Jones, Jonny Evans, and Jesse Lingard are all not able to feature against Hull City. Although Evans is back in training, he revealed that he is still not ready to step right into the action and could be rested for another week. Radamel Falcao is also fit to feature but could be introduced later on as he begins his return to full match fitness. Louis van Gaal opted to revert back to his initial 3-5-2 formation, a change which saw his side beat Arsenal 2-1. Ashley Young is likely to play at left-wing back as Angel Di Maria could be moved into a more attacking role alongside Robin Van Persie with Wayne Rooney lurking right behind.

Hull City (3-5-1-1): Harper, Chester, Dawson, Davies, Elmohamady, Livermore, Huddlestone, Quinn, Robertson, Ben Arfa, Jelavic

Hull City will be without Gaston Ramirez who was suspended in the 2-1 loss to Tottenham Hotspur last week and will join Robert Snodgrass on the sidelines with their new signing picking up a serious knee injury on his debut match. Some good news for Steve Bruce is that Mohamed Diame has declared himself fit to face Manchester United, but it is still unknown whether his manager will risk bringing back into the fold so soon. Similar to Diame, Alex Bruce is still a doubt but may start on the bench given he has only recently returned from a hamstring injury.

What the fans are saying…

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Towards the end of last season, Manchester United overcame Hull City at Old Trafford with a 3-1 scoreline thanks to James Wilson netting a brace and Robin van Persie striking the third. A win for the Red Devils this time around could see them continue their bids to secure a Champions League spot while Hull are also looking for three points so that they can avoid the drop zone.

It’s been a topsy-turvy season for Liverpool so far – after a very slow start, Brendan Rodgers’ side have upped their game and are now serious contenders for a top four spot. But how much of their recent turnaround in fortunes do they owe to their ever-improving defender Mamadou Sakho?

Since the start of the New Year, no top flight team have conceded less goals than Rodgers’ Liverpool. The Reds have kept four consecutive Premier League clean sheets, and the reason for their recent success in defence, has an awful lot to do with the return of Mamadou Sakho.

The centre-back, who made the eye-opening £18million switch from French side Paris Saint-Germain 18 months ago, initially struggled to adapt to the fierceness and intensity of the Premier League. In fact, many believed he was overpriced and not quite good enough for Liverpool. However, this season, Sakho has proved all his doubters wrong, as the 24-year-old seems to have settled into Anfield life with aplomb, and has been a real revelation for the Merseyside club this term.

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Due to an injury sustained in late September, the Frenchman missed over a month of first team action. But since his return to the side, Liverpool’s defence has tightened up significantly, and Sakho is starting to live up to the high standards he set at PSG. The France international has appeared regularly in the heart of the Liverpool backline since mid-December, and the Reds haven’t lost a single game in 90 minutes during that time. In the 12 games prior to Sakho’s return, Liverpool had only won four, lost five and conceded 15 goals – so it’s fair to say they really missed his dominant presence at the back and the turnaround since has been truly remarkable.

So what has been the catalyst for Sakho’s impressive pick-up in form this season? Well for a start, I think it’s clear for everybody to see that he has matured tenfold, not only has the defender rapidly caught up with the pace of the Premier League, he seems to be enjoying his football and has taken the responsibility of re-joining Rodgers’ first team in his stride.

Liverpool’s recent turnaround in form has seen them climb up to seventh in the Premier League table, and they now just sit four points off Southampton who occupy the final Champions League spot. Despite the heart-breaking loss to Chelsea in the League Cup Semi-Final recently, the Merseysiders should feel extremely optimistic about the way their season could potentially pan out. After finally seeing off Bolton Wanderers in the FA Cup on Wednesday, it’s imperative that the Reds keep their strong momentum going and finish the season staunchly.

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It’s undoubtedly been a campaign of ups and downs for Brendan Rodgers’ side this term, but they are certainly on the road to recovery. With the recent return of the influential Daniel Sturridge, as well as the impressive form of the majority of Liverpool’s senior players – including the outstanding emergence of Sakho of late – things are starting to look a lot rosier at Anfield.

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There has been a flurry of excitement for England’s Euro’s qualifier at Wembley tonight against Lithuania.

While everyone is wondering whether or not Tottenham sensation Harry Kane will start this, evening there is also a lot of excitement when looking at the goalkeepers.

Joe Hart has been on fantastic form this season, pulling off some superb saves, but he is not England’s only goalkeeper who has been of form in recent months. It is great to see so much young talent in an England side who are really testing Joe Hart for his place in the starting eleven.

With Ben Foster and Fraser Forster now out with long term injuries, many believe it has now left England with “one world class” goalkeeper. Let’s have a look at those shot-stoppers who have been making the headlines this season.

With so much competition it will be interesting to see – are English goalkeepers in the best form of their lives?

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Ben Foster

Ben Foster was impressive throughout last season, which earned him a call up for the 2014 World Cup squad.

He was the first West Brom player to represent England since 1970. This season he has carried on that form and it earned him another call up as Hart’s understudy.

This was until the game last weekend against Stoke where he suffered a cartilage injury, which has ruled him out until October.

Fraser Forster

Fraser Forster, Southampton’s leading keeper has had a fantastic season so far, which earned him a call-up for the England squad. Sadly just after his call-up, he was injured against Burnley, which has ruled him out of action for eight months.

Forster had only conceded 21 goals as part of the tightest defence in the Premier League so far this term before his injury, and he was really in form of his life. He was certainly giving Roy Hodgson a lot to think about. Such a bad timing for an injury!

Jack Butland

Jack Butland has had quite a mixed season so far. In October he joined Derby on loan, where he was an immediate success.

He was soon called back by Stoke and has since been back-up for Asmir Begovic. Since returning to Stoke he has only played in FA Cup and League Cup matches, but he has recently signed a contract extension to keep him at Stoke until 2019.

Seems a bit of an odd choice to call him up for England when he has had so little game time, but what can you do when two of your top three choices are out?

Rob Green

Rob Green has been at Queen’s Park Rangers since 2012 and, despite their struggles this season, he has been in excellent form for the struggling club.

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Rumours are currently circulating that Jose Mourinho has been keeping an eye on Green who, at 35, is nearing the end of his career.

It seems he is keen to sign Green in the summer to replace veteran Chelsea goalie Petr Cech. Now he has been called-up as Joe Hart’s number 2 and that certainly won’t harm his chances of moving to the Premier League leaders.

Joe Hart

Joe Hart, number one for Manchester City, has been in unstoppable form in recent weeks after that unforgettable one man show against Barcelona. Lionel Messi hailed him “unplayable” at that match.

He had a slow start to the season but has really hit a peak of form. Let’s hope we see it at National level because he can be incredible to watch when he is in form.

It has been a while since we have had so many goalkeepers who are in decent form to choose from- it can only be a good thing. Come on England!

Steven Gerrard is a Premier League great. That much is obvious, and his place in the pantheon is assured.

But the Liverpool captain, the talisman of days gone by, is no longer the player that Liverpool need, and this weekend showed it all too clearly.

Liverpool have morphed into a Brendan Rodgers side over the last few seasons. He inherited a team that included an ageing Gerrard and Carragher, a magnificent Luis Suarez, and not much else. Now the last remnants of the old guard are leaving, and Rodgers has built a side that is young, suave and plays football exactly how he wants it played.

In fact, he has built a side that actually can challenge for the title.

But that challenge will come without Gerrard.

Gerrard will leave at the end of the season, so if they challenge next year it will indeed be without Gerrard, unless he comes back on loan. But the challenge will also come without a Gerrard type of player.

Liverpool’s side right now includes some frightening pace, but in the middle of the park, there isn’t too much in the way of power. Jordan Henderson is as close as they come, and while he has some similarities to Gerrard, he is more of a short passing midfielder who looks to bring others into play. Although he does enjoy a good blockbuster strike.

Joe Allen, Philippe Coutinho, Adam Lallana, Emre Can – these are all players who can play in the centre of the park, but none have the passion and intensity of Gerrard. Coutinho and Lallana, will never play centre midfield of course, but they are players who will drop into that space looking for the ball.

The truth is, this new Liverpool no longer need Gerrard.

They press with intensity – severe intensity – but they are much more measured on the ball than they used to be, and they can pull off some silky smooth moves.

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Last season Gerrard was used in ‘the quarterback role’ – that is, he played in the kind of role that Xabi Alonso plays for Bayern Munich or Andrea Pirlo plays for Juventus. If Gerrard were that kind of player, I feel sure that he’d still have a place in Rodgers’ team. But Gerrard isn’t that kind of player, he is sometimes guilty of being a headless chicken.

That’s not always a bad thing. When you think of Gerrard, you think of the comebacks he inspired in 2005 – against Olympiakos and against AC Milan in the final of the Champions League no less. You might even think of the 2006 FA Cup final, when Gerrard scored two goals and brought Liverpool back from the brink with possibly the most sensational strike in cup final history, just for sheer audacity and precision.

Gerrard, in a rage, is a beast that few teams can live with.

But Liverpool no longer rely on one man to provide intensity; they have a whole team who press in packs. And they no longer need one man to pull them out of trouble. The sale of Suarez shows that Liverpool are now a team who try to have 11 match-winners, not just one.

Gerrard’s 38-second cameo appearance in what might be his final game against the old foe Manchester United at Anfield was a fairly shocking sequence of events. He came on hugely fired up, made a crunching tackle in his typical ‘raging bull’ mode, became frustrated with a bad tackle in return and let his frustration get the better of him.

It was typical whirlwind Gerrard. He tried to do too much, trying to help his teammates, and as a result he left them right in it.

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The irony is, the teammates didn’t really need the help. They needed a lift at half time, sure, but they didn’t need that.

This isn’t the Liverpool of 2005 who need their talismanic hero to pull them from the depths of defeat and drag them to the sweet shores of victory. It’s a sad fact of life that every era must come to an end, but it would be sadder if Liverpool hadn’t planned for that fact.

Sir Alex Ferguson’s era ended at Manchester United, but the Red Devils hadn’t prepared for his departure, and their dominance fizzled. Liverpool, however, have transitioned superbly for the end of the Gerrard era. They now have a squad that is not reliant on him and sadly, they have outgrown their captain.

Gerrard’s final few games as a Liverpool player will probably not be the kinds of games he will have wanted and they won’t be the kinds he will flourish in. It’s the end of the line for a Liverpool legend and there’s no room for sentimentality in football.

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If there is one thing missing from this stage of the Premier League campaign, it’s the fact that there is no real title race.

Chelsea are dominating the Premier League, and it seems no one else is going to challenge them for the top spot. If anything, there is more of a battle for the other remaining Champions League places. So is the standard of Premier League slipping?

At this point of the season, Chelsea are just a point better off than they were 12 months ago. But, as I am sure we all remember, it was not a dead cert that Chelsea would win the title. In fact, they finished their season in third place. The top four spots looked very different overall this time last year. Liverpool were in second with 71 points: now they’re in 5th with just 57 points.

Manchester City, on the other hand, were in third after 31 games in April last year. They’re in fourth now, but on a horrendous run of games. The points difference between the side then and now? A staggering nine points. City went on to take the title last year – now, they’ll just be glad to finish within the top four.

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Arsene Wenger’s north London side? Much of the same. At this point, they have just two more points to their name than they did last year, but it just happens to be the difference between sitting in fourth and now in second.

Are the teams getting worse and is the standard dropping? For some sides, the quality of their football has been sub par compared to last year. The current champions Manchester City are falling short of the side they one were. Their recent successive losses show no sign of slowing down, and their manager’s job hangs in the balance.

Liverpool were undoubtedly going to struggle this season. Following the departure of their top goalscorer Luiz Suarez to Barcelona, their attacking presence isn’t what it once was. And surely they have not quite recovered from the loss of last year, and of what could have been.

Manchester United are the new addition to the top four, being the only side to make a noticeable progression over the last year – unsurprisingly since dropping David Moyes for a competent manager. Twelve months ago United were a joke, and now they’re making their way back into Europe.

By next year, with some luck, there will be an actual title race to watch. Chelsea will still be one of the sides to watch, but should have some more serious competition. Manchester United will be looking to make a real mark next year as Louis Van Gaal will have a year’s Premier League experience under his belt.

And Arsenal will probably be in fourth.

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Tonight’s Premier League affair between Arsenal and Sunderland may have lacked the vital ingredient of any classic football match, goals, but it was an intoxicating, exciting, gripping and dramatic scoreless draw which guaranteed the Black Cats’ Premier League status for at least another season.

Indeed, it was a backs-to-the-wall, one-moment-will-decide-it affair, and possibly the most entertaining nil-nil of the season.

But just in case you missed it – perhaps you were busy watching Corrie with the missus – we’ve listed the three biggest talking points, so your mates don’t have to find out!

Pantilimon wins this season’s Underrated Glove award

With the likes of David De Gea, Thibaut Courtois and Hugo Lloris all enjoying superlative form this season, the pivotal performances of Costel Pantilimon have gone unfairly unnoticed.

Despite starting just 22 Premier League fixtures this term, the 6 foot 8 Sunderland No.1 ranks joint-fifth in the division for clean sheets, leaving him on equal terms with Chelsea’s Courtois, and fourth for number of saves.

And the Romanian international was absolutely intrinsic in Sunderland claiming another clean sheet this evening. He began with a sensational close-down of Jack Wilshere as the Arsenal midfielder careered into the box, and ended with a string of saves from point blank range as the Gunners peppered Sunderland’s goal. Overall, he finished up with seven saves.

Needless to say, Sunderland fans on twitter were very impressed:

Arsenal lack killer instinct

Over the last few weeks, many have come to the opinion that Arsenal are just a few signings away from a title-winning side. That may be true – and in terms of using the ball, they were absolutely fantastic once again this evening.

Yet, they lacked the killer instinct of a Chelsea or Manchester City, failing to convert 28 shots and 74% possession into a goal – despite the fact Sunderland didn’t get out of their own box until the hour mark. This now makes it three games without a goal for Arsenal – and 270 minutes since they’ve netted at the Emirates.

Although blame can’t be placed on a single individual, one has to question Olivier Giroud. In terms of hold-up play and occupying defenders, the France international did his job tonight, but he lacked that poacher-esque ability to turn up in the box at the right time and turn a half-chance into a goal, ending the match with only three efforts – equating to just 11% of all Arsenal’s chances. Entering the summer, the Gunners should be looking for a world-class upgrade on the 28 year-old.

Offer Dick Advocaat anything he wants

Since arriving at the Stadium of Light at the expense of Gus Poyet in March, Dick Advocaat has transformed a Sunderland side that at one point looked destined for relegation.

Under his leadership, the Black Cats have lost two, drawn three and won four, making him directly responsible for over half of the club’s victories in the Premier League this season – and of course, their great escape from relegation via a draw this evening.

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The former Netherlands, PSV, Rangers, Russia and Serbia manager has continually insisted he won’t stay on at Sunderland after the end of the season, apparently due to his wife not liking Wearside too much.

Well, you can hardly blame her – but the Black Cats need to throw the kitchen sink at Advocaat to retain him this summer, because they’re much stronger with him. Overwhelmed with emotion, the 67 year-old struggled to hold back tears after the final whistle, so he’s clearly enjoying his Sunderland tenure too.

For the club’s sake, let’s hope they’re not farewell tears.

1. Thou shalt always be the first to say ‘Have you seen this?’

Arsene Wenger is famed for saying ‘I did not see it’ when his side are the beneficiaries of a generous decision. But you don’t miss a thing, you see it all. And your mates respect you for it. Wenger could learn a thing or too from you.

2. Thou shalt always have an opinion and stick by it

You may as well be Stan Collymore in disguise. Your opinions are strong and sometimes controversial, but you’re proud of them. Don’t let anyone tell you what to think, stand by your opinions and scream them at those who disagree. Loudly.

3. Thou shalt never wait for MOTD

You’ve got better things to be doing than waiting up until 10.30pm for Match of the Day. You’ll probably be out, so it’s lucky you spent the afternoon with Jeff Stelling to get your football fix. It’s much more entertaining, too. Gary Lineker and Alan Shearer are nowhere near the same league as Jeff Stelling and Paul Merson.

4. Thou shalt always stick a Saturday acca on

And a Sunday one too. You know deep down that money would be better off in your rainy day fund, but you convince yourself you’re going to win that mega 28-fold acca from a £1 stake one day. You’ve got to be in to win it, after all. Just ask Ray Winstone, he loves it.

5. Thou shalt use Twitter, not Final Score

You don’t just want scores, you want reaction and details. Final Score will tell you Emile Heskey has scored in the 46th minute. Twitter will tell you it went in off Emile’s left arse cheek and he still doesn’t know he’s scored despite it being 20 minutes later. Good times.

6. Thou shalt waste your life away playing Football Manager

If you didn’t then you won’t know who Cherno Samba is. If you did, you’ve had his name on the back of every shirt you’ve bought since 2001. Legend.

7. Thou shalt never let the Sunday League team down

You sank 12 pints, 18 shots and half a bottle of that dodgy looking liquor from the top shelf last night, but everyone knows you’ll be ready to boss the midfield come kick-off. You’re Mr. Reliable.

8. Thou shalt always remember to change your fantasy football team

Your mates call you the tinker man because you play around with your fantasy football team each week and still get results. Research is a paramount, complacency is for amateurs.

9.  Thou shall never say no to a kick about

It doesn’t matter whether you’ve had a long day at work and all you can think about is your bed. Your mates have invited you for a kickabout and you wouldn’t miss it for the world.

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Demba Ba famously admitted he plays football with his mates in his back garden almost every day after training. You’re pretty much Demba Ba, just without the strawberry syrup addiction and millions in the bank.

10. Thou shalt never miss a lads night out

You’ve got work in the morning but that won’t stop you hitting the tiles and getting yourself ‘mortal like.’ Andy Carroll does it, so why can’t you?

11. Thou shalt always put football first

Always. There’s simply not contest when it comes to anything else. You’re not changing for anyone.

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Liverpool forward Danny Ings is a talent player, albeit an incredibly unlucky one. After netting eleven times in the Premier League for Burnley, the England international showed promise in his early appearances for the Reds – until suffering an injury during Jurgen Klopp’s first training session.

Ings has spent much of the period since on the sidelines, also suffering a serious injury last season. But at the age of 25, he’s still got a chance of reviving his career and in terms of style of play, he certainly suits what Klopp tends to look for from his attacking cast.

Accordingly, a loan move in January could be exactly what Ings needs to revive his Liverpool career. So amid news that West Brom could make an offer when the transfer window reopens, we asked Reds supporters whether their club should sanction a loan deal.

And our poll has revealed that a whopping 81% of Liverpool fans think their club should loan Ings out to the Baggies in January. But can you see a long-term future for Ings on Merseyside? Let us know by commenting below…

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According to reports in The Times, Arsenal are considering making a summer swoop for Burnley centre-back James Tarkowski, but they could face competition for his signature from Premier League rivals Manchester City.

What’s the word, then?

Well, The Times says that while Tarkowski is happy at Turf Moor and has been a key part of the team that currently lies sixth in the English top flight standings, an offer from a club in the Champions League next summer could leave him with an important decision – assuming the Clarets don’t finish in the top four, that is.

The Times says the Gunners and City are keeping close tabs on the 25-year-old Mancunian with another homegrown target Jonny Evans set to re-join Manchester United, with a move to the Etihad probably better geographically for the defender.

However, the report suggests that he would be more likely to play regular first-team football at the Emirates, meaning he may have quite the conundrum at the end of the season.

How has Tarkowski done this season?

He has been excellent, and his performances have taken him to the brink of an England call-up, according to The Times.

The 25-year-old has played every minute of Burnley’s season at the heart of Sean Dyche’s side’s defence, helping them keep nine clean sheets in their 18 Premier League fixtures so far.

According to WhoScored.com, the former Brentford man has made 28 successful tackles, 30 interceptions, 145 clearances and 36 blocks in the top flight this term, while he has won 95 of the 132 aerial duels he has faced.

Would he be a good signing for Arsenal?

If Wenger wants to add a homegrown centre-back to his squad, then there is no doubt that Tarkowski would be a good buy.

The 25-year-old is a proper defender who isn’t afraid to put his body on the line for his team, and that is something the Gunners have certainly been missing at times.

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With Per Mertesacker retiring at the end of the season the north London outfit need another option in their backline, and Tarkowski may only have a year left on his contract next summer – unless he extends it in the meantime – meaning he could be available for a reasonable fee.

Convincing him to move back down south may be an issue however.

Liverpool knew that they were going to lose Philippe Coutinho.

They knew that Barcelona were interested and that the player wanted to go. They knew that the money was ridiculous – though perhaps in this market that was to be expected – and that it would be hard to turn down. And they also knew that these days it’s futile to stop a player from leaving when his heart is set on it. It is simply ill-advised, especially when poor performances would see his value drop.

Losing him, too, is a little easier to swallow when you still have a front three to put fear into the hearts of most teams in world football. Even sweeter when you add the transfer of Virgil van Dijk into the equation – a vital defensive addition turned instant hero. Barcelona have made Liverpool’s attack worse off, but their defence has certainly been improved.

But over the last week or so, the transfer news that speaks the most about Liverpool’s unenvious position is the one which has Emre Can thinking very seriously about joining Juventus.

He’s not the player Coutinho is. He’s not an attacking force, nor would he be sold for over £100m. But it’s not so much losing him that’s the problem, more that reports are claiming that Jurgen Klopp hasn’t actually given up hope of keeping him. Losing him might not be the worst thing that could happen. But if he goes even if Liverpool want to keep him, that poses a bigger question.

A club with the history and prestige of Liverpool will always see itself as an apex predator, not one whose best players leave. But as even Barcelona showed in the last transfer window, sometimes players just want to leave, and when they do you can be powerless to stop them.

Can is still young, though he should be able to hold a place in the team by now, and he is a versatile player. He’s useful, and Liverpool could certainly be doing with keeping him. But the Reds shouldn’t be in a position where he wants to leave.

For a team who should be at the top of the food chain, they are still taking some stick from rival fans who are gleeful at having the chance to call the Reds a selling club: with Coutinho having left, and the likes of Luis Suarez and Javier Mascherano having gone to Barcelona at various points over the last few seasons, Liverpool you can see why the charge might be levelled.

And yet, under Klopp, results may not seem to have changed much since the Brendan Rodgers era, but the team has certainly improved. Liverpool have qualified for the knockout rounds of the Champions League for the first time since Rafael Benitez was the manager, and they currently occupy a top four spot. Indeed, in the German manager’s first season in charge, the team even made it to two cup finals.

The record might need dressed up a little bit in order to look good, but that doesn’t mean to say that Liverpool shouldn’t be an attractive place to play football.

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If Can leaves for Juventus, Liverpool will be able to replace him. There’s no doubt that he’s not that vital, and it wouldn’t be like losing Mohamed Salah just months after losing Coutinho. But it might point to a failing within the club to present the return to cup finals and to the Champions League knockout stages as a return of the Anfield club to the European elite.

And so losing him might be a worrying precedent for Liverpool to set.