What to expect in January 2014 transfer market

Managers of English Premier League live a pretty busy life. After a congested festive period, teams are returning to action on the first day of New Year. Transfer market is also re-opened. In contrast to the summer transfer window, they do not have a month to focus on scouting their targets; there is no pre-season for the new signings to adapt to the new environment; there is additional pressure on the signings to be influential saviours rather than luxurious benchwarmers.

Previous successful January transfers --- Vidic (left) and Dempsey

Good scouting could earn you the Nemanja Vidic in 2006 or Clint Dempsey in 2007, but prices are often inflated in January, that the return does not always correlate positively with the investment. Afonso Alves disappointed Middlesbrough who had even relegated in 2008. Andy Carroll's vintage form at Newcastle disappeared at Liverpool. And there of course, the infamous £50 million Fernando Torres.

It is no secret defending champion Manchester United are desperate for additional signings. A new central midfielder is almost essential. Ander Herrera will again be the prime target. Koke and Marco Reus are also reportedly under David Moyes' radar. Ross Barkley is also Moyes' favourite, but they will have to break their bank account to lurk him away from Everton. A more reliable left back as Patrice Evra's understudy will be useful as well. Fabio Coentrao will hit the headline again.

Will Koke (right) join De Gea at Old Trafford?

Chelsea likely will be United's main rival in the transfer market, as it is evident they are seriously weakened playing without either Frank Lampard or Ramires. Eliaquim Mangala or Inter Milan Andrea Ranocchia may land at Stamford Bridge soon. Wesley Sneijder could be on the brink to rejoin Jose Mourinho, who would also welcome more resources at the back to cover for John Terry. Long-term target

Mourinho might also face fierce competition in bidding for defenders elsewhere in Manchester, as City also realises their over-reliance on Yaya Toure, Fernandinho and Vincent Kompany. Budgets will not be City's concern, but they definitely do not want another Martin Demichelis. Rumours also suggest Manuel Pellegrini is monitoring Iker Casillas to bring consistency to goalkeeper position, despite Joe Hart's impressive performance lately.

League leader Arsenal unarguably has the best midfields in Premier League and have little concerns in that department. Instead, they are out again to search for strikers. As Michael Cox suggested (http://espnfc.com/blog/_/name/tacticsandanalysis/id/2408?cc=5739), Olivier Giroud needs a break having sustained a high level of performance for half a season. The problem is who can they turn to? Luis Suarez and Gonzalo Higuain are impossible to switch. Edin Dzeko is a good option but Manchester City will not allow him to go to title rival. If Diego Costa is slightly too hefty, will Dimitar Berbatov be an attractive bet with potentially wealthy return?

Berbatov's former club Tottenham has survived a turbulent 2013 and found themselves not too far off the pace from Champions League football. Tim Sherwood will eager to anchor the squad, but having already spent over £100 million in Summer, will Daniel Levy be generous in six months time? Reality is they are short in defenders due to injuries. Barcelona Martin Montoya's versatility could be the solution.

Liverpool is also keen to sign Montoya. Brendan Rodgers' trust in youngsters could be an appealing point to the young full back. At the same time, Liverpool's depth in defenders is pretty decent, so as the balance of the squad, despite they are yet to get the best out of newcomers Iago Aspas and Luis Alberto. A reliable third-choice striker will help relieve the burdens on Suarez and Sturridge.

Pochettino (right) will have a lot to consider in January

Everton is the biggest surprise pack this season, who is also unexpectedly the team who least requires changes . They did not falter when Leighton Baines and Arouna Kone injured, nor with their awareness of over-wearing Ross Barkley. Roberto Martinez has constructed a team with incredible squad depth. With both eyes on European football, there is very little reason to risk disrupting the harmony of the squad.

Also playing some impressive football, Southampton has slowed down lately as they struggled to find their form with their bench players. Mauricio Pochettino is now facing the dilemma in either pushing for European qualification or keep a steady pace in club development by seeking improvement from last year's 14th position. However, Adam Lallana, Ricky Lambert and Morgan Schneiderlin might share a stronger ambition that the Saints might fail to retain them in long run. Selling key players at the right moment is also a challenge to mid-table clubs.

Is he still willing to listen to offers?

Newcastle will be keen to retain Yohan Cabaye though. They have recovered from the poor August form and the Cabaye's transfer chaos to sit at 8th place. Speed and creativity in attack can further improve their squad. Jeremy Menez can be a good fit to Magpies. He is quick and desperate for first-team football. More importantly, he speaks French.

There are teams who are eager to hold on to their key players. There are teams who will strive to search for bargain talents. There is no short of excitement for football fans in January. Let's wait and see which team will have the last laugh.

Back to the top --- Gunners show resilience to defeat the Magpies

1-0 victories brought Jose Mourinho his first league champion in England; Manuel Pellegrini stressed the importance to secure 1-0 victories to be a champion. Seeing Olivier Giroud's goal at St James Park sealed the top spot of the league, Arsenal's title talk is becoming increasingly realistic in 2014.

Packed fixtures during festive period finally led to the injury of Aaron Ramsey. Jack Wilshere returned, so as Mathieu Flamini to anchor the midfield. However, it did not go as Arsene Wenger predicted. Newcastle, usually more adventurous at home, was content to sit deep and not rush into counter attacks. Cheik Tiote and Vurnon Anita offered Theo Walcott and Santi Cazorla very little room to use the ball. When Giroud was more busy lurking on the ground, Arsenal barely created any chance in the first half.

The stalemate continued after interval. Newcastle was patiently waiting for that one and only chance, until Alan Pardew finally made the move of bringing Hatem Ben Arfa. Somehow, it was Arsenal who broke the deadlock. A needless tackle by Tiote gave Walcott the chance to find Giroud in the box. The Frenchman surprisingly was unmarked and beat Tim Krul with a glancing header.

Well-thought substitution --- Flamini

Pundits suggested Wenger's conservatism ruined their chance to beat Chelsea at home last Monday. His decision to move Mathieu Flamini to left back against Newcastle would not be backfired though. The defensive midfielder successfully kept the in-form Ben Arfa in check, who struggled to threaten for even once. Getting Carl Jenkinson in for the last ten minutes might be a passive move, but at least the extra height of Jenkinson helped encounter the aerial attack led by Shola Ameobi and more importantly preserved the lead till the final whistle. 

If not of Debuchy's awareness, Walcott would have already doubled the lead. Ultimately, the Gunners would not need the extra cushion and won the hard-fought battle at St James Park. Sitting above all teams to begin 2014 campaign would be the best New Year present to Arsene Wenger, having faced huge pressure in recent years to end Arsenal's title droughts. The Gunners are still yet to convince they are forceful enough to conquer the big clubs, but improved consistency and mentality send them flying in the first half of 2013 season. The title race is still incredibly close with only eight points separating the top seven. Arsenal still has every reason to enjoy in the driving seat of the race to celebrate their sensational 2013.   

3 mistakes of AVB that sent Tottenham hammered

Missing Jan Vertonghen and Danny Rose for the clash might be a misfortune. Having Paulinho sent off with half an hour to go could be a bit unfortunate as well. However, 5-0 is never the scoreline reflective of the differential between the quality of two teams. Brendan Rodgers managed the absence of Steven Gerrard and Daniel Sturridge very well. On the other hand, Andre Villas-Boas has committed some fundamental tactical mistakes that halts Tottenham strong run in December, also adds further pressure to his managerial position at White Hart Lane.

How long will he stay?

1. High line defence

Playing a high back four is a more active defensive strategy, which aims to regain possession as quick as possible and take charge of the tempo of the match. The key to success is to have a back four of excellent communication and understanding, also with reasonable pace. Barcelona has executed this near to perfection, but AVB's attempt to clone this in England has been disastrous.

The Portuguese seems to have learned little from his failure in Chelsea. Having only four available first-team defenders for the match, with two of them not the usual starters, also facing the red-hot Luis Suarez and speedy Raheem Sterling, AVB's decision to press high up the field will hardly be justified. Michael Dawson was forced on races with Suarez; Etienne Capoue's lack of centreback positioning sense was well exposed; Kyle Naughton was simply slaughtered. Hugo Lloris spent more time as a sweeper, having to go all the way to the edge of the box at least three times each half to clear the dangers, while once embarrassingly misjudged a header (Yes, a header) that went unpunished, and in the second half helplessly being lobbed by Suarez.  

It could be players' fault for failing to execute AVB's game plan, but who would expect to see Dawson and Capoue trying to set Suarez in an offside trap for 90 minutes?

Liverpool celebrating Flanagan's goal

 2. Where is plan B

Playing with ten men, trailing by two goals and with thirty minutes to go, damage limitation should be the priority. On contrast, Tottenham rode on the belief that they still had a chance to level the game. What AVB had changed after Paulinho's dismissal was not solidifying the back, but to switch from a four-men defence to a three-men one, pushing Capoue higher up and moving Kyle Walker to the centreback. With Lewis Holtby and Nacer Chadli remained in the more advanced midfield position, and Capoue desperately trying to make up for his horrific defence, Liverpool only found it increasingly comfortable in shaping up their counter attacks.

There might be some supporters who genuinely admire the team for giving it a go, but with no question, 0-2 is a less demoralising scoreline than 0-5. For the second time in a month Tottenham is demolished heavily. AVB's decision-making ability in big matches is very questionable.

3. Lennon and/or Townsend?

who's right? Townsend (left) or Lennon?

AVB seems to fancy playing a right-footer attacking midfield on the left, which offers extra ball-handling ability in Tottenham's eleven. This could work well with an attacking full-back like Danny Rose, but pairing up Kyle Naughton and Chadli left Tottenham with an unbalanced attack. This definitely did not help Aaron Lennon, who came back from injury and still struggled to hit top form. Facing John Flanagan on the right, who maybe the weakest link of Liverpool defence, the Kop could focus on protecting Flanagan, as Spurs hardly created anything on the left. Chadli's best move of the night was a header after a corner, leaving Glen Johnson alone with a relaxed afternoon.

Preventing Andros Townsend from over-burning is obviously important for his young career, but undoubtedly he is the most dangerous winger in AVB's side. It was already his fourth successive substitute appearances. With Chadli and Lennon continue their unimpressive performances, would AVB finally consider starting his best two wingers together?

Phil Jones stops the bleed of the uninspired Red Devils

Knowing that even the legendary Sir Alex Ferguson did suffer in his early days at Old Trafford would not bring much comfort to the man in crisis, David Moyes. Third successive defeats will put the tolerance of the fans under test. With no room for failure, also aiming to top the group, United supporters saw a strong side being fielded against Shaktar Donetsk, despite already secured their berth in the knockout round.

Phil Jones (centre) celebrating the winning goal

With a squad having so used to be on the winning side, the players were undoubtedly no short of motivation to get out of the mini slump. The missing factor was obviously confidence. At times it seems United was more concerned of not losing the match rather than convincingly bagging a victory. This is a dangerous mentality to have in mind against a side who needs to better Leverkusen's result at Spain, while also being well-known of their technical skills and pace of attack.

Ryan Giggs might have turned back the clock at Leverkusen, but Moyes would regret starting the 40 years old against Shaktar. Giggs was caught out of position more than once in the first half, leaving the midfield largely exposed to allow Shaktar threaten United defence. Better finishing would have already see Shaktar earn a well-deserved lead at half time.

When Tom Cleverley came in after the hour mark, United regained the control of midfield. Although Cleverley lacks Giggs' quality of touches, his area of coverage is important to shield the backline, led by the aging Rio Ferdinand. With ball in feet, he is still one of the top class defenders, but the lack of match fitness, as well as the decline of physicality, sees him being increasingly fragile at the heart of defence.

Luckily escaped from trailing, the Red Devils also struggled on the other side of field. A number of fringe players failed to impress and put up strong fight for the starting positions. Ashley Young surely was the most disappointing among those. While spoiling a golden chance in the first half, he could not live up to the expectation and never quite connected with Kagawa and Rooney throughout the night.

Even Pyatov (left) didn't know how Young missed it

Rafael and Alex Buttner would also need to work harder to move up the pack under Moyes. Rafael has obviously hurt from not playing regularly. The sharpness and decisiveness in overlapping he has shown last season are badly missed. Buttner has a crystal clear role to play in United --- being the understudy of Patrice Evra. The attacking full-back, though, does not show much improvement in the quality of his end-products. While roaming down the left flank, his crosses often found the opponents before his teammates in the box.

   

The only player that David Moyes can find some comfort in is Phil Jones. More well-known as a versatile defender, Jones is starting to find his feet as a defensive midfielder. If playing at centreback is a waste of his energy, while crossing from byline is not his strength, being the anchorman would be the best fit of his character. Positioning Jones just in front of the back four provides solid cover between the midfield and defensive lines. With growing confidence, he has started to find himself appear in the right place at the right time even in opponents' half. 

The first big achievement and much-needed relief 

 It was still another lacklustre performance for the reigning Premier League champion. Three away league games have lined up before the calendar year ends. Although Aston Villa, Hull City and Norwich City have all sort of problems to resolve, Manchester United just does not offer the supporters the confidence at the moment. They must now ride on their historically strong performance during the Christmas period to prevent their title hope being completely written off. 

Spurs yet at their best but back on track

November was blue and turbulent. The month of Christmas appears to be a different story though. For the second time in four days, Tottenham dug deep and somehow found the way to win. They were nowhere near playing the style of football they want to, but the resilience they have rarely shown this season is enough to please the fans, when picking up victories is the main priority after the disastrous defeat to Manchester City.

Still scrappy

Lloris (yellow) dipping form is worrying

As a team, Spurs again looked very flat. From time to time, it seemed Sunderland wanted the game more than Spurs did. While winning the majority of possession, the ball was not moved quick enough. Nacer Chadli was not creating much but was a liability in defence. His failure to impose pressure on Ondrej Celustka indirectly led to the goal, although it was Hugo Lloris who cheaply mishandled the cross that allowed Adam Johnson score. The French goalkeeper has not recovered since returning from international duty.

Although dominating the early second half, they failed to kill the game off. Jermain Defoe and Paulinho had several opportunities. Better luck or finishing would have saved their manager some scare in the final minute of the match. It has been individual brilliance that won them two straight victories, but not quite the well-worked goals they have invested heavily for.

Moussa Dembele

Despite not scoring many, he has quietly established as an integral part of AVB's midfield. The all-rounded Belgian covers a lot of ground and times his run into the box to perfection. Although single-footed, his dribbling is first-class, also thanks to his strong upper body. There are not many individuals who can shake off the challenge of the like of Wayne Rooney and Jozy Altidore. His bursting run beat another strong man Jack Colback and led to John O'Shea's own goal. Tottenham midfield looks completely different without Dembele.

O'Shea (right) in despair when Dembele celebrated the winning goal

He did the subs right

Andre Villas-Boas' tactics at Etihad Stadium was questionable. Tonight, his in-game changes worked well. Sandro might have been sent on only because of Dembele's injury, but it was when Spurs needed a defensive midfielder the most. Sandro was always the first to break Sunder land's counter attacks and protect the back. His aerial ability was also invaluable in defending set pieces. His controversial handball could have changed the results. After all, he did his job in his twenty minutes.

Three games in a row, Andros Townsend came in as a substitution. It is logical for AVB to use the exciting young star sensibly, who had not made a single Premier League start before this season. Townsend's speed is a nightmare to defenders late in the game, which offers AVB an impactious option on the bench.

Man of the Match

I go for Lewis Holtby. He has made no direct contribution to the victory, only to blame Defoe for the below-par finishing, but he did exactly what the fans love, and also what AVB exactly needs. Sitting behind Defoe, his creativity might not be those of a natural playmaker, but his coverage area was sensational, always trying to make himself available for passes, also constantly applying pressure to the opponent defenders with ball in feet. He might not be AVB's first choice midfield in the long run when Christian Eriksen is fit, but Holtby was the key to help Tottenham pick up six points in four days.

Who's next?

They might still have not fired all the cylinders. The bright side is they are not that far off the pace for Champions League football yet. Three point away from second place, their next opponent Liverpool, a third successive league victory could mean they have finally set things straight. Despite the red hot Luis Suarez, Spurs still have a decent chance at home as Gerrard and Sturridge are destined to miss the game. Jan Vertonghen's ankle recovery progress could be vital, while AVB would be grateful the mid-week Europa fixture is only a formality, as Tottenham has already qualified for second round.