The form of England youngster Joe Gomez has been one of the major positives at the start of Liverpool’s season, but the Reds fans that voted in our poll have made it clear that they would like to see him remain at centre-back.

Until the beginning of this season, the 21-year-old had often been used at either left or right-back throughout his Liverpool career, but he quickly struck up an impressive partnership with Virgil van Dijk that saw the pair keep clean sheets in their first three Premier League games of the campaign.

On Sunday against Manchester City though Gomez was moved back out to right-back and although he was fantastic defensively, his lack of composure when going forward served to highlight how he should push on and become one of the league’s top centre-backs.

This, combined with the fact that Dejan Lovren’s every touch at Anfield is greeted with a sharp intake of breath, clearly led 93 per cent of the Liverpool fans that answered our poll to agree that Gomez is best when played at centre-back. Check out the full results below.

Chelsea have had a fantastic season so far, and at present, they look on course to challenge for the Premier League title by the time the end of the season rolls around. They’re up at the top of the table alongside Man City and Liverpool, and their performances so far this term certainly indicate that they deserve to be in such esteemed company. 

However, according to the Telegraph, Maurizio Sarri reportedly believes that Chelsea lack the defensive depth to compete for the title. He is reportedly eager to bring in a new defender in January as a means of solving this problem, and then perhaps the Blues could challenge more consistently in the second half of the season.

Despite Sarri’s comments, though, it’s hard to see the defence as a key area of concern. After all, Andreas Christensen has hardly been called upon this season, and neither have the likes of Gary Cahill or Ethan Ampadu. There is ample depth for the club to utilise as the season continues.

However, the same cannot be said for the Chelsea attack, and if the Blues need to improve any area of the squad, it’s fair to say that adding to their striking contingent should be priority number one.

After all, the performances of Alvaro Morata and Olivier Giroud have left a lot to be desired this season. The duo have both struggled, and they’ve shown no signs of improving. Giroud has yet to score, whilst Morata has just two goals in the league so far this term.

It’s not just their goals, though, that have been problematic. Indeed, it’s more their overall play that has raised cause for concern. They’ve been given so many opportunities, and they continue to fluff them, whilst other facets of their game like their hold-up play and passing have also let them down.

Given the attacking quality at Chelsea, it would be considered a dream of many forwards to be given so much service from so many top-tier individuals, but rather than thriving, it seems as though Morata and Giroud are simply sinking.

Chelsea won’t win the title without a top-class forward, and so that must be priority number one.

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Manolo Gabbiadini could leave Southampton at the end of the season according to his agent, speaking to Radio Sportiva via Calcio Mercato.

What’s the word?

With just one victory from their opening eight Premier League matches, Southampton look set to endure another season of struggle under Mark Hughes and the lack of quality in the final third has been a problem.

Danny Ings has established himself as the Saints’ leading man but options are limited beyond the 26-year-old, with Manolo Gabbiadini struggling for form and earning just 141 minutes of Premier League action so far this season.

According to his agent, Silvio Pagliari, Gabbadini remains happy at Southampton but could consider his future at the end of the season in comments made to Radio Sportiva via Calcio Mercato.

What was said?

“Gabbiadini? He’s happy at Southampton. There was the possibility of returning to Italy, but right now we want to play the cards in the Premier League. At the end of the season we will draw the sums.”

Stick or twist?

After hitting the ground running on the South Coast after his arrival in January 2017, scoring four goals in his first 11 Premier League appearances, Gabbiadini has since struggled and found the net just five times in 28 games last season.

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With Ings finding form, Gabbiadini has fallen down the pecking order in the eyes of Mark Hughes and it seems difficult for the Italy international to force his way back into the side given his recent displays unless he benefits from an injury or suspension to a team-mate.

Southampton could be tempted to cash-in given his market value of £10.8m on TransferMarkt but they would require a replacement, which could prove to be costly. However, it is certainly an area where improvements are needed and Gabbiadini has shown he is not up to scratch.

[ad_pod ]Arsenal secured an 11th consecutive win in all competitions at the expense of Sporting Lisbon thanks to a second-half strike from Danny Welbeck, but Arsenal fans are fuming that no-one spotted Sebastian Coates’ head-butt on Stephan Lichtsteiner.The former Liverpool defender was at fault for Welbeck’s winner, failing to intercept a hopeful flick from Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and thus allowing the England man to run onto the loose ball and slot home. However that wasn’t even his worst moment of the game.As the Europa League match drew to a close the Uruguyan appeared to be angered by something Gunners full-back Lichtsteiner had said and, leaping to his feat, thrust his forehead into that of his opponent, prompting the latter to fall to the ground.The referee and his assistants appeared to completely miss the incident and so the big centre-back evaded justice – for now. Fortunately the fact that a red card wasn’t given didn’t affect the end result for Arsenal, who now go top of their group, but the 6ft 4in defender can probably expect a retrospective ban in the coming days.Arsenal fans react to the controversy below.

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Newcastle United’s season could not be going any worse really, with no wins from their opening ten games confining them to the bottom two in the Premier League.

The Magpies, despite having manager Rafa Benitez at the helm, have struggled for any sort of form, and it’s easy to see why and feel sorry for the Spaniard, who was once again not backed in the summer by Mike Ashley and co.

However, there is still more that Benitez and his squad could be doing to ensure they at least get some points on the board, and there comes a point where things simply have to change at any club.

With only three points on the board, and relegation looking increasingly likely, we at the Tavern have taken a look at TWO things which simply have to change at St James’ Park if the club are to avoid relegation from the top flight…

Spend, spend, spend

It might seem obvious, but Newcastle simply have to enter thr market in January and add some quality to the ranks.

The squad at the moment just doesn’t appear to have the appropriate talent to take the club any further than yo-yo’ing between the top two divisions.

If Newcastle are serious about being a Premier League club for a sustained period, then this coming January is a huge one for the club.

Start scoring

Only six goals this season tells it’s own story for the Magpies, and it’s something which needs addressing and quickly.

The decision to allow Dwight Gayle to move in the summer is something which can be called into question even more so now, and while the club did get Salomon Rondon in return, he is not producing the goods.

Only two clubs have scored less or equal to Newcastle, and if the Mags are serious about survival, then adding some goals or getting their current crop firing is simply crucial.

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Olivier Ntcham believed he would be fit in time to be involved in Celtic’s 5-0 mauling of Scottish Premiership leaders Hearts at the weekend, as reported by the Scottish Sun. 

As it turned out, the 22-year-old sat out the thrashing of the Jambos, but his words suggested that he’ll certainly be fit again to face RB Leipzig in the Europa League on Thursday night.

Brendan Rodgers’ side will welcome the Bundesliga club to Celtic Park in midweek knowing that they have to get a positive result against the visitors if they’re to keep their chances of qualification from Group B in their own hands.

To get a win, Rodgers has to field his best available starting XI. If Ntcham is available to the Bhoys then he ordinarily slots straight into the heart of their midfield. However, Celtic have been in fine form following two 5-0 wins without the Frenchman.

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That being said, Ntcham is a fine player who adds a lot of quality and control to the Celtic midfield and should therefore be immediately restored to the starting line up to face Leipzig if fit.

What do you think, Hoops fans – should Ntcham start against the German outfit?

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Loads of Newcastle fans have been reacting to the latest transfer rumour, as reports claim Eintracht Frankfurt want up £26m for Sebastien Haller.

According to Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, the Bundesliga outfit expect around €30m for their prized possession, as both Newcastle and Tottenham show interest.

The Northern Echo recently claimed Haller is Rafael Benitez’s number one January target, and the towering French striker looks set to become one of Europe’s great strikers.

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He has scored nine goals in all competitions this season, more than the entire Newcastle squad, and he has also added seven assists.

The Magpies added Salomon Rondon and Yoshinori Muto in the summer, but neither of them have had the desired impact, scoring just one goal each so far.

Of course, fans are extremely suspicious of any transfer rumour that exceeds the club’s transfer record of just £16m, and that is reflected in the Twitter reactions down below…

According to The Scotsman, Rangers are planning a January loan swoop for 21-year-old Liverpool star Dominic Solanke. 

The striker, who is a winner of the UEFA European under-17 Championship and the FIFA u-20 World Cup with England, is yet to feature for The Reds this season under Jürgen Klopp.

The re-emergence of Daniel Sturridge as a deputy to Roberto Firmino has meant that Solanke has been left out in the cold. Liverpool are chasing silverware this season, and Klopp clearly sees it as a risk in playing the youngster.

However, his honours at junior level for both club and country clearly show what a talent Solanke is, and while he may not be able to help out Liverpool this season, he’d be a wonderful asset to Rangers.

Obviously, having a Liverpool legend in Steven Gerrard as the manager of The Gers will always be beneficial regarding signings, shown by Ryan Kent’s current stay at Ibrox. If Gerrard can land Solanke, it will start to show one of the major positives of having him as a manager.

Rangers’ strikers haven’t got going so far this season. Kyle Lafferty has struggled for goals so far, only scoring four goals in all competitions. While Alfredo Morelos has been a bit more fruitful in front of goal, he has in no way impressed everyone, spurning chances at crucial moments throughout the season. Meanwhile, 21-year-old Umar Sadiq has failed to make an impression.

It is not as if Solanke would immediately usurp any of these players, but he would just increase the competition in the Rangers camp, and that will boost performances. He will stand more of a chance of playing for Rangers than Liverpool, so this looks like a deal that would help both parties.

After a poor start to the season, with Dean Smith now at the helm, Aston Villa look like they could be back on track and should still be targeting the playoffs.

It was quite obvious that Steve Bruce’s time at the club was coming to an end. After missing out on promotion last year, Villa had been pretty poor and were playing well under expectations.

Going forward, Villa had managed to score plenty of goals but at the back, the Birmingham side were poor.

Since Smith has taken over, Villa have only conceded three goals and won three in their last five games. However, in January, Villa must look to add to the squad if they want to have any hope of pushing up the table towards the playoff positions.

With that in mind, the Birmingham Mail is reporting that Villa might well go back in for summer target, Scott McKenna in January.

The Breakdown

With Axel Tuanzebe and James Chester as the only recognised defenders at the club, Villa need to bolster their numbers at the back. Moreover, Chester picked up an injury while playing for Wales and although it’s yet unknown how severe the injury is, signing someone of McKenna’s calibre would be a huge deal for Villa.

Aberdeen manager Derek McInnes is keen to hold on to McKenna but has recently admitted that the allure of the Championship or even Premier League football might be too great.

The 22-year-old is one of the best young defenders in Scotland and would be a huge upgrade for Villa.

Thoughts Villa fans? 

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Unai Emery has made a great start to life as Arsenal manager since taking over from the long-serving Arsene Wenger in the summer. After defeat in his first two games, the Spaniard has led the Gunners on an unbeaten run spanning 16 matches in all competitions. However, there is still plenty of work to be done.

On the Chalkboard

Whilst the north London club’s recent form has been impressive, many of the performances have left plenty to be desired. Emery’s outfit can consider themselves lucky to have picked up draws with Crystal Palace and Wolves.

The manager himself is aware that his squad is in transition and that they are just at the beginning of a long process to turn the Gunners back into a Champions League team and title contenders. Emery recently stated that his team “need to improve things” if they’re to finish in the top four, as reported by the Evening Standard.

Playmaker FC’s Theo Ogden was at the Emirates to witness Arsenal’s qualification for the Europa League last 32. Check out his match diary in the video below…

One area of the team facing particular issues is the left flank. Injury woes and players being deployed out of position has caused this side of the pitch to be a chink in Arsenal’s armour. Emery must address this problem and find a balanced solution before his side are punished for it with defeat.

Auba out

The continued absence of first choice left-back Nacho Monreal – who the club have confirmed will not return to training for a further two weeks – is a major problem for Emery. The back up option, 24-cap Bosnia and Herzegovina international Sead Kolasinac, has only recently returned from injury himself and is yet to prove his defensive quality since his arrival in the Premier League.

Given that Arsenal cannot line up with their best full-back in place on the left-hand side, it is vital that the wide attacker on the same flank is committed and capable of carrying out his defensive duties.

Prolific goalscorer though he is, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang struggles in this unfamiliar role. The 29-year-old Gabonese striker is the club’s top scorer so far this season but could prove a defensive liability against Bournemouth’s in-form attackers if deployed on the wing on Saturday.

To guard against the Cherries’ attacking threat, Emery should play academy product Ainsley Maitland-Niles at left-back, where his recovery pace can help him martial the threat posed by Bournemouth’s wide forwards. Ahead of him, Alex Iwobi has impressed enough in recent weeks to be entrusted with protecting the 21-year-old Maitland-Niles.