Alan Smith’s Premier League GW27 Predictions and Tips

How Big a Club Are Spurs?

We always talk about big clubs and how you define them. They’ve got a big fan base, a very big stadium, and great facilities. So from that point of view, yes. From the point of view of winning stuff over the last 40, 50 years, more than that, they haven’t won the league since 61. So they’re not. I suppose wages to turnover is a bit less than the top clubs, and that’s maybe something they’ve got to address. But if you’ve lived in this country, you’d always regard them as a big club, but just an underachieving one.

Igor Tudor Appointment

None of us quite knows what to expect. He seems to be a bit of a firefighter. That’s where he’s had his success at other clubs. He’ll be trying to kick a few backsides, maybe, really rally them, which isn’t easy for a caretaker manager because players will be looking at him thinking, well, you’re not going to be here next season. But if he’s got something about him, maybe he can produce a reaction. And for Arteta, he’s thinking, oh, how are they going to set up? How are they going to play? So a bit of an unknown quantity from that point of view. So, that might be something Tudor can take advantage of.

Gabriel Jesus Contract

It’s an in-between one with him because he can do a job for the team quite often off the bench. I don’t see him as a regular starter. He would be a good man to have in that squad, but then, his injury record isn’t great. So it’s not an easy decision, but if you’re going to get a replacement for him, he’s going to probably cost quite a lot of money. So it might be that they think about keeping him.

Saka Playing Number 10

Interesting one that, isn’t it? Playing Saka in more of a number 10 role, which I think he certainly can do, and Madueke’s doing well. And obviously, Saka, he’s not been scoring goals, not been playing quite as well as we’re used to seeing him play on the right-hand side. And it might be a nice little change for him. Personally, he’s been so set in that position on the right, it might just give him a bit of extra energy.

With Odegaard, I don’t know how long he’s going to be out, whether he’s going to be available soon. But I think it’s a good option.

Arsenal Quadruple Chances

It’s still possible. Nobody’s done it. It would take a heck of an effort and a bit of luck along the way. But there aren’t many teams over the last 20, 30 years that have had such a strong squad. So who knows? Maybe one of the hardest could be beating Man City in the Carabao. That’ll be a tussle. But they’re fighting on all four fronts. And we’re going into March, nearly. And that’s all you can ask, I think, of a team.

James Trafford’s Future

Well, he joined City, I think, feeling that he was going to be number one. He said recently, hasn’t he, that he didn’t know that the Donnarumma signing was coming. So that changes things totally for him. I don’t think maybe he was ready to be number one for a team like City week in, week out. So he’ll be looking at his future.

Going back to Newcastle, Ramsdale’s there on loan. So, he’s had some games, but Nick Pope’s got back in as number one. I don’t know whether that would get him any further. James Trafford, perhaps, he should think about going somewhere where he can be number one. I’m not sure about Burnley, they’re going to be back in the Championship next season. So, you’d imagine, though, he might have a few choices, Trafford.

Sandro Tonali Professionalism

He’s a very good player, Tonali. It left a sour taste, all this stuff about joining Arsenal. His agent obviously said that, but you’re thinking he’s getting the say-so of the player to be able to say that. So that was pretty unsavoury, but he’s a good player. And Newcastle need him. Big result against Villa in the Cup. So moving forward, they hope that he can kick them on.

Facundo Buonanotte Playing Time

Difficult to know what to expect from him at the moment. He didn’t have much of a chance at all at Chelsea. He couldn’t do enough to impress the manager. Brighton were hoping that he could go out on loan and gain experience and come back a better player. Only lasted a half at the weekend in the cup. He’s only 21. It’s easy to forget that. So he’s still learning. But at the moment, he’s finding it difficult to make an impression on games. So I don’t know what Brighton might think about doing with him at the end of the year. He’s a talented boy, and maybe he will improve, but he’s finding it hard at the moment.

Sean Dyche to Burnley?

Worst possible news for Scott Parker. The fact that Dyche did get sacked at Forest, and he’s got great history with Burnley, got promoted twice, and they are going to be in the Championship next year. Seems little doubt about that. So, maybe the hierarchy will have to think.

What a shocking result against Mansfield at the weekend, to lose at home in front of your own fans. More boos. The pressure’s really on Scott Parker. Just depends on what the owners think about it. But at the moment, the last league game, they won at Palace, didn’t they? So there’s a little bit of fight in there. But it’s tough for Parker at the moment, and he’ll be well aware of Dyche’s availability.

Liverpool Turning a Corner

I think they have, and I think individuals may have turned a corner. Kerkez seemed to do well at the weekend, with a good assist. Florian Wirtz is now achieving more consistency, and we’re starting to see why they spent so much money. So better times for them, and I think they’ve got a good chance of finishing in a Champions League spot, fifth position maybe. They’re hunting down Chelsea, and I think maybe they’ll just pip them to that fifth spot. But it’s looking better for them.

Ibrahima Konaté Contract

He’s shown that he’s a top-class player. Obviously, he had a difficult start to the season, made a lot of mistakes, but he’s settled down now, and he’s got a great partnership with Van Dijk, who has been speaking highly of him. So, I would imagine if he wants to stay, Liverpool would want him to stay. So, they would want to come to an agreement. Because again, finding a replacement for somebody like that costs a lot of money, and you’re not always sure it’s going to work. But Arne Slot, that will encourage him. The fact that Konaté is now showing much better form.

James Garner

Well, he looks a steal, doesn’t he, at nine million? He probably needed that move. Whether he could do that at Manchester United is another story altogether. But for Everton, he’s a mainstay there now, so important to David Moyes. So that’s good to see. Some players do need to move on. Scott McTominay, look what he’s doing in Italy. But for Everton, James Garner has become such an important player in that midfield.

Everton’s Home Form

It’s a funny one. They’ve got a whole thing about the new stadium, and you’d think that the adrenaline would be pumping, the fans behind. Whether in an attacking sense, they haven’t got quite enough to take the game to the opposition as you would want to do at home. Away from home, you can be a little bit more cautious and nick a goal or two, which they’ve been doing. But Moyes, certainly in front of their own fans, fans will want to get going a bit better than they have done. And home fans, I’m sure, want that too. But what a position. They’re eighth at the moment, Everton, so there’s no little quibbles there for them.

Michael Carrick at Man United

They shouldn’t be short of choices in the summer for a potential new manager. So, they can afford to wait, and they’ll just be hoping Michael Carrick continues what he’s been doing. Then it might get turned into a difficult decision, sort of the Solskjaer situation. So, they’ll just have to evaluate by the end of May, really, and see who’s available, where they are, and how Carrick’s done up until that point. But they need to get it right, don’t they? They’ve had a few dud decisions, and they need to get this one right.

Fabian Hürzeler’s Job

It’s felt like hard work, hasn’t it? There have been some games where they could have won, and they’ve ended up drawing, and they have drawn in so many games. So it’s not like they’ve been soundly beaten. They’ve been in most contests, but compared to where they were last season, they are so many points behind. The Brighton hierarchy is very astute in terms of recruitment of players and managers. So, I don’t think there will be a knee-jerk reaction, but they will want to see a better end to the season.

Brighton Relegation Battle

They’re seven points clear at the moment, so I don’t see that happening. No, I don’t. I think they’ve got too many good players. But it’s going to be a flat season, compared to last. So they’ve just got to try and pick up more wins, as I say, and just hike themselves up the table a little bit.