Manchester United made a real statement over the summer by acquiring the services of Jose Mourinho, a man who has achieved great success wherever he has been.

This appointment, combined with the financial power that Mourinho had at his disposal, meant they were able to spend a massive £149m on restructuring the squad and injecting some much-needed quality in the form of Henrikh Mkhitaryan, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Eric Bailly and Paul Pogba.

This intent from United got fans excited that their days of mediocrity and the club’s willingness to accept finishing in the top four were over, and many were predicting that it would end up being the ‘Battle of Manchester’ to see who was crowned Premier League champions by the end of 16/17.

The honeymoon period for Mourinho is well and truly over, though, with United losing three successive games for the first time in fourteen years. Both clubs went into the Manchester Derby full of confidence and hopeful of maintaining their unbeaten starts but, what was clear in the aftermath, was the gulf in class between the two teams; that early season positivity surrounding United was evaporating with further losses to both Feyenoord and Watford.

Over the summer A lot was made on whether Mourinho was a suitable candidate for Manchester United, with many questioning if he was the right person to deliver the “United Way” of playing and o play fast attacking football, which goes against everything that has made Mourinho’s teamS successful over the years. He is known for his pragmatism and how his teams are built upon defensive solidarity.

Mourinho is clearly struggling to achieve a balance between adopting a more expansive style of play, whilst getting the best out of the players, which he has at his disposal; hey have looked disorganised and disjointed, often not knowing what positions they should take up and what their roles are.

Jose is struggling to fit his key players into his preferred system of 4-2-3-1. It’s like trying to fit square pegs in to round holes.

He’s deploying Pogba, who has been seen as United’s saviour, in a pairing with Fellaini, which is one of the main factors contributing to his poor performances as he’s not tactically aware nor sufficiently disciplined to play in a two-man midfield, often vacating central areas and leaving Fellaini exposed.

Pogba was at his best at Juventus when he was used as part of a three-man midfield with Pirlo, who had the creativity to find him, and Vidal who had great energy to get around the pitch and mop up any defensive errors in areas that Pogba was neglecting.

Rooney’s position in the team stifles Pogba, as his ill-discipline means he often picks up the ball so deep that he becomes ineffective and Zlatan Ibrahimovic drops into the hole where Rooney should be. This, though, is also the area that Pogba wants to exploit, which means United lose their focal point up front and therfore making United more predictable and easy to play against.

The appearance of Marcus Rashford in the last two games has been much-welcomed, but he is being deployed on the wing and his pace and athleticism is needed up front in order to give United’s attacking play a new dimension and make them less predictable to defend against.

You can see that the price tag is having a bearing on how Pogba is performing on the pitch, most notably when the game isn’t going his way. He tries harder to influence proceedings, leaving his teammates exposed on the counter attack. When he was given the No.10 shirt at Juve, his performances initially suffered.

What is telling is that six games into the new season, Jose is still unaware of what his best starting XI is. This was evident in the Derby, when Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Jese Lingard were handed their first starts of the season, only be substituted after 45 minutes for terrible performances.

In stark contrast, their City rivals are thriving under the stewardship of Pep Guardiola, who’s team looks very impressive having adapted quickly to his philosophy and with every player clearly knowing what is expected of them at all times.

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If last weekend’s games were anything to go by, this year’s Premier League season is going to be as exciting as ever.

Manchester City dropped points against Everton at home, Stoke picked up their first win of the campaign and Bournemouth convincingly battered Hull at the Vitality Stadium.

Mike Phelan didn’t have the start to his permanent Hull City career that he would have liked but for Eddie Howe’s Bournemouth, it’s safe to say they picked up the result of the weekend.

And you’ve got to give them credit too, they absolutely mauled the Tigers and made things extremely uncomfortable for them on the South Coast.

But there were some really great stories in the games this weekend and there is plenty of information we can take going forward based on what we saw.

So with that in mind, here’s FIVE things we learned from the Premier League’s weekend action…

Bournemouth could finish in the top-half

We mentioned it briefly in the introduction but Bournemouth seriously impressed in their thrashing of Hull City last weekend.

The Tigers have been far from poor this campaign and the convincing win should really set the optimism racing around the Vitality Stadium.

Eddie Howe has a good squad at his disposable and they have ever chance of finishing in the top ten.

Sunderland continue to struggle

Things just aren’t getting any easier for David Moyes at Sunderland as they lost yet again last weekend.

This time it was Stoke City who dished out the defeat but again, the Black Cats offered very little going forward and their form remains a serious concern.

The goals just aren’t going in and at this rate, they’re going down without a shadow of a doubt.

Leicester City aren’t the same team

There is an N’Golo Kante-sized hole in the Leicester City team right now and for the Foxes, their form is a bit of a concern as well.

They have eight points from eight games and after a 3-0 defeat at Stamford Bridge last weekend, they’re continuing to slide down the league.

Not many expected them to repeat their wonderful feat from last season but they shouldn’t be struggling quite as much as they currently are.

Where has all that fight gone?

Everton have a top-class goalkeeper

You’ve got to feel a little sorry for Joel Robles at Everton. When Tim Howard left, you thought he might finally get his chance to impress between the sticks at Goodison.

But no, Martin Stekelenburg has come in and he gave an absolutely incredible performance as his side drew 1-1 with Manchester City on Saturday.

Penalty saves, commanding in the area and generally solid, Everton have found themselves a real ‘keeper in the Dutchman.

Swansea City looked a little better

It’s all change at Swansea City and despite losing 3-2 to Arsenal on Saturday, they showed definite signs of improvement under new manager Bob Bradley.

They looked sharper, more determined and more threatening in a performance we haven’t seen in weeks from the Swans.

He’s been there less than a week and it seems Bob Bradley is already having an effect in Wales.

In one of the most exciting Premier League fixtures this weekend, Southampton play hosts to table toppers Liverpool at St Mary’s.

The Reds have been in scintillating form so far this term and are the leading scorers in the top flight with 30 goals from 11 matches, a tally boosted by their 6-1 thrashing of Watford less than a fortnight ago – in which they had five different goalscorers.

Meanwhile, Saints went into the international break on less of a high than their opponents on Saturday, as Hull ended their six-match losing run by beating Claude Puel’s men 2-1 at the KCOM Stadium.

However, only Chelsea, Manchester City, Arsenal and Tottenham have conceded less goals than the south coast outfit (12) this season.

This fixture has provided a number of classic matches over the years – highlighted by last season’s five-goal thriller at St Mary’s.

Liverpool looked to be cruising to a straightforward win when they led 2-0 at the break, but a Sadio Mane-inspired comeback saw Saints secure a brilliant 3-2 victory.

Will we see a repeat this weekend? Here are five key battles that could give us a hint.

Roberto Firmino vs Virgil van Dijk

Firmino has been preferred in attack to Daniel Sturridge this season, and it isn’t hard to see why based on current form.

The Brazilian has scored five league goals, as well as picking up three assists, and links up brilliantly with Sadio Mane, Adam Lallana and Philippe Coutinho.

Meanwhile, Van Dijk has been a colossus at the back for Saints, winning the most aerial duels (4.4) per match of any defender that has made 10 or more Premier League outings this term.

Sadio Mane vs Ryan Bertrand

Many Saints supporters were disappointed when Mane left the club to join Liverpool during the summer but the Senegal international has already proved he’s befitting of the title-chasing standard at Anfield.

The £34million man has been putting in consistently fantastic performances for the Reds and scored six Premier League goals, including two in the 6-1 win against Watford last time out.

Despite the front four’s nomadic format, Mane is likely to come up against left-back Bertrand for much of the game, and if the England international can keep the lively forward quiet, it will help his side pick up a positive result.

Philippe Coutinho vs Oriol Romeu

Along with Firmino and Mane, Coutinho has been in brilliant form to help Liverpool top the Premier League table.

The attacking midfielder has scored five Premier League goals and his interplay with national compatriot Firmino, as well as Mane and Lallana, has been nothing short of sublime.

However, Romeu has arguably been Southampton’s Player of the Season so far at the base of the diamond in midfield, and it will be the Spaniard’s job to mark the Brazilian magician closely.

Charlie Austin vs Joel Matip

While Southampton have been relatively strong at the back, they have struggled to score goals – well, aside from Charlie Austin that is.

The striker is Saints’ main goal threat and has scored eight times in all competitions this term, including a penalty in the 2-1 loss to Hull last time out.

The former QPR man will be up against Matip, who has established himself as one of the most impressive defenders in the Premier League following a summer move from Schalke.

Dusan Tadic vs Jordan Henderson

Although he suffered a broken nose playing for Serbia against Wales during the international break, Tadic is still set to feature on Saturday.

That will be a boost for Claude Puel, who has seen the 27-year-old create 31 chances this term – although incredibly, he is yet to pick up an assist.

While Liverpool’s front four has been running riot, Henderson has provided the defensive support in midfield. He’ll be keeping a close eye on Tadic, knowing that the Serbian has the potential to be a match-winner.

Newcastle United are well on course to make an instant return to the Premier League and they will be top of the Championship table on Christmas Day.

Despite losing their first two matches of the season in England’s second tier, the Magpies have bounced back well, winning 16 of the subsequent 20 matches, and they lie nine points above third-placed Reading and the play-off positions.

Rafa Benitez’s side are also the top goalscorers in the Championship – netting 45 goals in their 22 games, at a rate of more than two goals-per-game – and there have certainly been some memorable results and strikes within those encounters.

From set-pieces to long-range shots to brilliant team goals, the Toon Army seem to have seen it all this term but only a handful of them could make it onto our shortlist.

Without further ado – and in no particular order – here are FootballFanCast’s FIVE best Newcastle goals of the season so far…

Jonjo Shelvey vs. QPR

The midfielder has scored his fair share of brilliant goals over the years, but this one was very special, and even more satisfying as it came in a crushing 6-0 win over Queens Park Rangers at Loftus Road.

When Ayoze Perez laid the ball back to Shelvey just outside the penalty area, there looked to be little on but he then unleashed a curling strike that started about two or three yards outside the far post before bending into the top corner. Sensational.

Dwight Gayle vs. Leeds

We talked beforehand about Newcastle scoring some brilliant team goals, and this was one of those.

The Magpies secured a comfortable 2-0 win against an in-form Leeds side at Elland Road, and their second was one to be remembered.

Matt Ritchie picked up the ball on the right and fed it inside to Jack Colback, who passed it forward to Vurnon Anita.

The Dutchman played a delightful one-two with Ayoze Perez before firing a ball across the six-yard box for Dwight Gayle to finish.

Yoan Gouffran vs. Wolves

Many Newcastle supporters might have expected the Frenchman to be leaving St James’ Park during the summer, but instead he has been one of their most influential attacking players this season.

In the 2-0 win against Wolves, Matt Ritchie broke down the right-hand side before firing in a cross towards the edge of the box.

What happened next was quite brilliant. Gouffran met the ball on the volley and sent an acrobatic effort into the top corner.

Dwight Gayle vs. Reading

Some people may not think that free-kicks should be in a list of best goals, but this one from Newcastle’s top goalscorer was terrific and it narrowly ousted Shelvey’s effort against Brighton from our top five.

25 yards out to the centre of goal, Gayle stepped up and fired a magnificent curling ball into the top right-hand corner of Bartosz Bialkowski’s goal to send the St James’ Park faithful into raptures.

The Magpies fans have a new hero up top.

Ayoze Perez vs. Ipswich

Newcastle seem to have perfected scoring team goals this season and their best to date came after a brilliant start to the match against Ipswich from Rafa Benitez’s men.

From the very first kick-off against the Tractor Boys at St James’ Park, every Magpies player touched the ball – without any of the Town players having possession – and after 23 passes and 59 seconds, Perez expertly volleyed in Yoan Gouffran’s flick-on at the far post. The hosts went on to win 3-0.

As reported by ESPN, Jose Mourinho is considering a January transfer move for Atletico Madrid’s centre-back Jose Gimenez to help solve Manchester United’s defensive problems. It’s a move that could scupper Arsenal’s plans to swoop for the defender, as reported by The Sun earlier this month.

What’s the word?

Sources have told ESPN that Mourinho is considering making Gimenez his next big signing at Old Trafford, with a potential deal worth anywhere up to £42.8m being eyed.

Gimenez isn’t having the best of times at Atletico having fallen out of favour with coach Diego Simeone. However, the young Uruguayan is still considered one of the world’s brightest young prospects and it’s said Mourinho is ready to make a defensive signing his main priority in the coming window.

Are defensive options needed?

Manchester United’s defence has been a problem this season in comparison to the teams challenging them for European qualification. Mourinho’s side have only kept four Premier League clean sheets this campaign and have conceded 15 goals in 13 games, which is the worst defensive record of any side in the top six.

Yesterday, again, they conceded at home, and required a Zlatan Ibrahimovic goal to salvage a point against West Ham United.

Why Gimenez?

Jose Gimenez at the age of just 21 already has 21 international caps for a FIFA top 10 ranked Uruguay side. His ability to not only defend strongly but play out of defence is likely to attract more teams than Manchester United.

Despite not playing for Atletico Madrid often this season – he’s made just four appearances for the side – they have failed to concede a goal with him in the XI.

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Two goals from England international Dele Alli saw Tottenham end Chelsea’s 13-game winning streak in fantastic fashion last night. The goals came on either side of half-time and were enough to move Spurs to within seven points of the Blues at the top of the table.The first chance of the match arrived in the 5th minute when Nemanja Matic delivered the ball over the Spurs defence and it fell to Eden Hazard, only for the Belgian playmaker to drive his effort wide of the post.Both teams continued to press forward in search of the opening goal, but it wasn’t until the 45th minute that it arrived after Christian Eriksen delivered a brilliant cross into the box for Alli to head into the far corner of the net.Alli then sealed the victory in the 54th minute through the same combination that brought the first goal – Eriksen delivered an inch-perfect cross for Alli to nod home to end Chelsea’s 13-game winning run.It was an entertaining game and here are THREEÂhuge positives the victors can take from it…

Dele Alli is a genius

Alli was the cream of the crop for Tottenham as his two goals helped the club to defeat Chelsea. The midfield maestro has already scored ten times in the league this season and seven of those have come in his last four matches!

The PFA Young Player of the Year continues to establish himself as an important member of the Tottenham squad, and looks to be back to the form he showed last term.

He had a wonderful game for Spurs against Chelsea and he was rewarded for his performances with two well-taken goals.

If Spurs are to challenge for the title this season, the 20-year-old will have a key role to play. He looks ready, too!

Title race is blown open

Had Chelsea won the match, they would have opened up an eight-point lead at the top of the table, which could have all but put the title race to bed. However, other Premier League clubs have Tottenham to thank for defeating the Blues.

Following the defeat, Chelsea are just five points clear of second-placed Liverpool and are seven points ahead of third-placed Spurs, whose form over the festive period has made them quiet contenders for the big prize

Spurs are on fire

Tottenham had a slow start to the season but they are now back on track. The Lilywhites have won their last five Premier League matches and the future really does look bright.

In those five, they scored a total of 15 goals and have conceded only three times, they possess a manager who is one of the best coaches in the world and have a young talented squad who are desperate to play for him.

Spurs may not win the Premier League this season but they will surely be around the top with the big boys come the end of the season.

Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho debuted a new hairdo on Wednesday, and a lot of fans thought that his new look intended to mock Manchester City rival Pep Guardiola.

The suggestions were made on Twitter after United posted a video of Mourinho at his press conference with a much shorter barnet.

While explaining the decision behind his new ‘do, Mourinho said that he can afford to shave it because his hair will grow back.

Fans automatically thought that he was having a dig at Guardiola, whose luscious locks departed a while ago…

With regards to matters on the pitch, the Portuguese coach was previewing Thursday’s EFL Cup semi-final against Hull City.

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The Red Devils will travel to the KCOM Stadium with a two-goal advantage following their result in the first leg at Old Trafford.

If United progress, they will face either Southampton or arch enemies Liverpool, who will try to overturn a 1-0 deficit at Anfield this evening.

United head into tomorrow’s meeting in positive form having gone 15 games in all competitions unbeaten.

In terms of their Premier League position, they sit sixth in the table, four points out of the top four and 14 adrift of league leaders Chelsea.

The focus on Twitter, though, was not about results or tomorrow’s semi-final – it was all about Mourinho’s locks.

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Jose Mourinho admittedly didn’t get off to the best of starts at Manchester United but the Portuguese boss has certainly made an impression at Old Trafford, with the Red Devils enjoying a fine run of form across all competitions.Having sealed their place in next month’s League Cup final in midweek, Manchester United carried their form into the FA Cup this weekend and earned their place in this evening’s FA Cup draw with a comfortable 4-0 win over Wigan.Standing as the only English side remaining in four competitions, Mourinho certainly has reasons to boast- and this statistic shows he’s definitely above his predecessor.

Scoring four or more goals six times in just 36 games, Mourinho’s Manchester United have already surpassed the number of games that Louis Van Gaal’s side blitzed their opponents- and the Dutch boss took charge of a lot more matches.

It doesn’t quite match the consensus of Mourinho being boring, that’s for sure.

Eric Dier has hit back at suggestions that he and his teammates are “timid” after they took a hit in their Premier League campaign last weekend.

The club’s nine-game unbeaten run in the top flight came to an end at Anfield when they were beaten 2-0 by Liverpool.

Not only did they lose the game, their performance was disappointing and failed to really challenge a team that had not won any of their last five league matches.

Ex-Red Jamie Carragher has told Sky Sports that Spurs lack the right mentality when they go up against top six teams on the road, and he may have a point considering that they have only managed to win one of their 15 away matches against that opposition.

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Mauricio Pochettino’s side had their mentality questioned last season as well when they crumbled in the closing stages of the campaign.

Spurs were the closest challengers to eventual champions Leicester City, but disappointing results in the home stretch ended in the North London outfit finishing third.

Despite last weekend’s disappointing result, which has left them 10 points adrift of league leaders Chelsea, Dier has insisted that there is nothing “timid” about the team.

The England international told Sky Sports:

“I don’t think you can say this is a timid team, especially in the position we were in last year and what we did last year. I don’t think you could call us timid. We definitely weren’t in the right frame of mind and didn’t have the right attitude on Saturday. So everyone is very disappointed about that and it doesn’t sit well with us.”

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Well, that was a letdown, wasn’t it? The very best outcome expected for Arsenal was a draw or a narrow loss away at Bayern Munich, but a 5-1 battering cannot be treated as anything other than a disaster.

It wasn’t just the result that caused shockwaves either, it was the manner in which the Gunners slumped to defeat in Germany, with the Bundesliga giants comprehensively out-playing the London club on their way to a scoreline that surely renders the return leg at the Emirates Stadium a dead-rubber.

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Arsene Wenger must shoulder his share of the blame, as he is the man responsible for setting up his team and motivating them to go out and get a result, but the Frenchman was let down my a host of his XI and three subs on the night, with many putting in the sort of performances that have drawn massive criticism.

So, who let him down to the greatest extent? Vote below with a thumbs down for letdown and thumbs up for… less of a letdown!

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