Hello internet! Welcome back to another edition of Fantasy Premier League captain choices, in which we look into which players have a rather high possibility of earning double points for their respective managers.

But before we dwelve into our options, let’s look at our performance from the previous gameweek.

1. Sergio Aguero (7)

2. Harry Kane (8)

3. Alexis Sanchez (14)

4. Dimitri Payet (9)

5. Jamie Vardy (2)

It was another good week for our choices, with four out of our five picks earning points for their owners. Alexis Sanchez was the pick of the bunch with an explosive 14 points, while Dimitri Payet, Harry Kane, and Sergio Aguero earned a respectful 9, 8, and 7 respectively. Jamie Vardy was the only man unable to accrue anything for his owners, with the Leicester City star now going six league games without getting on the scoresheet.

But for gameweek 33, things are about to get hot with the first DGW this season!

Here are our FIVE CAPTAIN CHOICES ahead of Gameweek 33.

Romelu Lukaku

Yes Romelu Lukaku (9.0) was completely hidden in Daley Blind’s pocket against Manchester United last weekend, and didn’t look anywhere near top form against Arsenal before the international break.

However, Lukaku already has 18 goals to his name this season, despite his rather patchy form to the disgruntlement of Fantasy Premier League managers. And the Belgium international will be involved in the first double gameweek of the campaign, against Watford (Away) and Crystal Palace (Away), two teams that have struggled in recent weeks.

With the Toffees actually playing better away from home, Lukaku could gain some incredible amount of points for those that captain him. He may actually be worth the triple!

Riyad Mahrez

Riyad Mahrez (7.4) is undoubtedly one of the stand-out players of the season, scoring an incredible 16 goals and supplying 11 assists already in their title-chasing campaign.

And next up for Leicester City are struggling Sunderland at the Stadium of Light, where the Black Cats have failed to keep a clean sheet all season until their most recent 0-0 draw against West Bromwich Albion.

Like Everton, Mahrez also seems to perform better away from home comforts, with the Algerian scoring 12 out of his 16 goals away from the KingPower Stadium.

Sergio Aguero

It’s hard to keep Sergio Aguero (13.5) out of the captain consideration, despite the Argentine not really in the best of form ahead of Gameweek 33.

Aguero only scored one goal in a 4-0 rout against Bournemouth last weekend, and before that went five games with only two goals against a lowly Aston Villa. And in midweek against Paris Saint-Germain, Aguero was quiet, being outshone by Kevin de Bruyne (10.3) in midfield.

However, as we have said many times in the past, Aguero is Aguero, and on his day the former Atletico Madrid man can hit five goals in the space of 60 minutes. Up next for Manchester City are West Bromwich Albion at the Etihad, and he could make those that didn’t draft him in their wildcard teams regret their decision.

Philippe Coutinho

It’s been a while since a Liverpool player has been on the captain choices radar, but Philippe Coutinho (8.2) is finally starting to find the form that made him coveted by Barcelona.

In his first game back from injury, the Brazilian magician supplied three assists in a 6-0 rout over Aston Villa, and in his last two games has scored a goal in each.

And next up for the Reds are Stoke City at Anfield, with the Potters just coming off a terrible game where they were clawed back from two goals to draw 2-2 with Swansea last weekend. Jurgen Klopp’s men will also be buoyed by their 1-1 draw against Borussia Dortmund, making it even more desirable to give the armband to Coutinho.

Yannick Bolasie

Yes we could have gone with the typical option of Harry Kane (10.4), but Tottenham Hotspur are set to face a very defensive Manchester United side at White Hart Lane, with the Lilywhites having a rather poor record at home against the Red Devils.

So we’ve gone with a rather differential pick in Crystal Palace’s Yannick Bolasie (6.0), who is set to go on a double gameweek against Norwich and Everton, with both games coming at home.

The Republic of Congo international is one of the most skilled players in the Premier League and has been injured for a big chunk of the campaign, coinciding with Palace’s extremely poor form of late. Bolasie has also had six shots on goal and 23 touches inside the box the past five gameweeks, with only three other midfielders game-wide having more. Could he be the ultimate hipster captain (or triple captain) choice?

Christian Benteke has been named on several lists of the worst Premier League signings in 2015/16. The Belgian arrived at Liverpool under the reign of Brendan Rodgers and has now become a rather unwilling disciple of Jurgen Klopp. The 25-year-old ex-Aston Villa centre-forward is being spoken of as if he has had an absolute ‘Fernando Torres of a season’.

The price-tag is clouding the judgement of pundits and fans alike. Benteke arrived at Liverpool for a huge amount of money last summer and he has ended up in a team that does not remotely suit his own languid style of play. Capable of the extraordinary and the depressingly ordinary, Benteke has never been prolific for long periods. Perhaps that wonder strike at Old Trafford earlier this season pushed people’s hopes up too quickly.

Short periods of wonderful form at Aston Villa saw Benteke catch the eye. Powerful displays of stunning goals and exceptional hold-up play made him a dream signing for the top sides, or so we were told. Being in and out of the Liverpool XI, Benteke has not managed to have the same purple patches that he did in the claret and blue of Villa.

Yet, despite a change in style, being out of favour and consistent squad rotation, Benteke is producing at around the safe efficiency he was doing at Villa.

Bare in mind, this was before he scored another goal at Anfield with his last minute equaliser against Chelsea. His productivity is no worse than it was last season. You can argue that he is now in a team with more creative spark and should, therefore, be producing more. However, that is debatable in the current state of this Liverpool team. Benteke hasn’t been failing as many would like to tell you and it is, in fact, a stylistic factor that is bringing his Liverpool future in to doubt.

Klopp’s pressing game is more suited to Divock Origi and Daniel Sturridge than Benteke. The Belgian’s work-rate isn’t always as tireless as some may expect from a relatively young forward and he doesn’t have the pace to attack the space behind the defence in the same way as some of his team-mates.

Inconsistent he may be – sometimes even inactive – but Benteke has not been a flop.

If Klopp does decide to move Benteke on this summer, there will be surely be plenty of clubs across Europe desperate to snap him up. Liverpool would be foolish to let him go, mind, particularly considering the injury troubles that have plagued the last couple of years for Sturridge. The game isn’t all about goals, but someone who is as natural a finisher as Benteke cannot be over-valued. Liverpool may leave themselves short of attacking alternatives if they were to let Benteke slip through their fingers.

The Belgian offers something different to the rest of the squad and, as he proved against Chelsea, that can be a wonderful asset for Klopp. Benteke himself is unlikely to be happy with playing a ‘Plan B’, unfortunately for Klopp.

A victim of a club changing their approach, yes. A flop? Not even close to it, considering the dire performances that many No.9s have provided across the Premier League over the past few years.

[ad_pod id=’prem-flops’ align=’center’]

The great haul of China continues as Papiss Cisse is the next player to embark on a move to the Far East. He leaves behind Newcastle United for Chinese Super League side Shandong Luneng.

The Senegalese striker ended his four-and-a-half year Tyneside tenure and has moved to his new employers for an undisclosed fee.

Cisse is probably best remembered for that stunning volley he scored against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge back in 2012. His partnership that season with Demba Ba lead to Newcastle to an impressive 5th place finish under Alan Pardew but since then it has been a case of diminishing returns from the former Freiburg player.

That particular season saw his best return in terms of Premier League goals as he chipped in with 13 strikes. Compare that to last season when he only registered three and it’s fair to say that Cisse’s best days are behind him.

With Newcastle suffering the ignominy of relegation last season, Rafa Benitez will be looking to overhaul his squad this summer. That will mean getting the big earners  off the books as the Magpies prepare for life in the Championship.

While the exodus seems to be in full swing at St. James Park it’s no real surprise that Cisse has jumped at the chance to move to China and collect a bumper pay day for his troubles. He now joins an ever expanding list of players who are perhaps cashing in on their careers for the easy money that the Chinese Super League offers.

Another player who could be joining the ranks of stars plying their trade over there is Southampton’s Graziano Pelle. Not only that, the Italian international could very well be lining up with Cisse for Shandong Luneng.

That’s because current Shandong manager Felix Magath has reportedly tabled a bid for the man who scored twice in Euro 2016. The ex-Fulham boss Magath is believed to want Pelle to complete his strike partnership and is hoping to beat a host of Italian clubs to Pelle’s signature, with a bid of £13m on the table.

If this is to happen then it will be a good bit of business for Southampton as they only paid £8m to Feyenoord for Pelle’s services, but again it must be frustrating for Saints fans as the annual player purge once again seems to be in full swing.

It would also be quite a surprising move for Pelle as he was linked with the likes of Juventus this summer, but he seems ready to chuck all that in and collect the inflated pay packet that will come with his signing.

Are these players blazing a trail for future generations or are they just cashing in their careers for what could almost be considered semi-retirement? China have plans to be a world footballing superpower by 2050 and if they keep spending money at this rate, they are going about it right way.

It’s also a massive help for English clubs as before the Chinese market opened up you could have the prospect of having players on their books that are on high wages and therefore difficult to offload, but thanks to the emergence of the Chinese Super League and their money is no object policy, that is now longer a problem.

A win-win of sorts I guess, unless you are a Southampton fan, as you wonder when any of that near £60m in transfer fees that you are set to recoup from the sales of Mane, Wanayama and potentially Pelle is going to be used to actually purchase some reinforcements.

This article was submitted via our Write For Us feature. Think you can do better? Submit your own article via the link below, and give yourself the chance of winning monthly cash prizes…

[ad_pod id=’writeforus’ align=’center’]

Opening weekend, a London derby where no love can possibly be lost, Antonio Conte v Slaven Bilic – there’s a lot to love about this fixture, and under the floodlights on a Monday night it will be the perfect dessert to the first weekend of the season. For fans of Chelsea and West Ham, it should be worth the wait.

After last season’s high level of performances throughout the season, West Ham will be hoping that their new stadium and their impressive signings will keep the club going in the right direction.

Champions League football may be beyond them given the strengthening of clubs like Liverpool, Chelsea and Manchester United, but beating Chelsea on Monday would raise their credentials. Last season, the Hammers went to the Emirates Stadium on opening weekend and came away with a big win. Can they repeat the trick at Stamford Bridge.

Chelsea, however, won’t be an easy task this season for any side. The famous intensity of Antonio Conte will mean they’ll take no game lightly, and the first game of the season will probably see a fired-up Chelsea side who will be looking to impress their manager.

Injury News

When West Ham took to the field in Slovenia, they really only had one and a half defenders in the back four in that three players were playing out of position. Sam Byram was, at least, a full back, but playing on the left instead of the right.

That’s because Slaven Bilic is missing Aaron Cresswell, who will be a huge loss at full back. Further up the pitch the Hammers will be depleted for the visit to Stamford Bridge as Gokhan Tore and Manuel Lanzini are both injured. As is Diafra Sakho – the official reason his move to West Brom was called off – though they were probably expecting to be without him anyway.

Chelsea’s only long-term absentee is Kurt Zouma, though John Terry and Marko Van Ginkel won’t be fit enough to play against West Ham this weekend – not that they’d have played anyway.

Lineups

West Ham new boy Andre Ayew now has a week with his new teammates under his belt. His arrival perhaps signals the end of West Ham’s search for a central striker, even though Ayew himself is hardly a number 9. It does, however, make sense. With Andy Carroll to lead the line – either as a nuclear option from the bench or as the nuclear option from the start – a striker like Alexandre Lacazette would seem like an unnecessary purchase. Instead, another different kind of option will allow the creativity of Dimitri Payet, Sofiane Feghouli and, later in the season, Manuel Lanzini to pick holes in defences.

Chelsea, on the other hand, are getting their act together after losing it completely last season. Eden Hazard looked like a completely different player last season to the Player of the Season he was the previous season. The big questions will surround Chelsea’s defensive options and whether Diego Costa will start up front now that Michy Batshuayi has arrived at the club, but expect the style of play to be very intense and very pressy indeed!

Key battle

In a derby, you want your team to show desire and passion – and there’ll be plenty of that given the managers on show. The two new signings in the engine rooms of both teams are N’Golo Kante and Havard Nordtveit, so expect this to be where the game is won and lost.

Given that the two managers like their teams to play with a high tempo and an intensity, this could be the kind of game where having a player like Kante can really make the difference for Chelsea.

Last season was a very disappointing one for Aston Villa.

A torrid season in the Premier League saw the side fall into the Championship, with many fans fearing the worst for the future.

With a host of players expected to leave the club in the coming weeks, The Villains are in desperate need of reinforcements as they seek to get back into the Premier League at the first time of asking.

Villa’s relegation likely means that funds are limited, so like many Championship sides; they may be forced to rely on loan moves to stay afloat; and the Premier League is full to the brim with young starlets that could do a real job on loan at Aston Villa.

With that, here are FIVE Premier League starlet’s Aston Villa should snap up on loan…

Patrick Bamford

Patrick Bamford is a man in-demand; and Aston Villa will have to fight with a host of clubs to land the Chelsea man’s signature.

Celtic appeared to be the front runners, but numerous reports including this one have linked Aston Villa with a move for the talented striker.

The deal does make sense; Bamford was the Championship Player of the Year a few years ago, and despite a few poor seasons – you don’t lose that sort of talent overnight.

He could fire the club straight back into the Premier League.

James Wilson

Another forward that could interest Aston Villa is Manchester United striker James Wilson.

Wilson is the first in a trio of United stars that could be well versed in moving to Villa; as Jose Mourinho is reportedly looking to thin his squad down.

A player that has impressed during his limited game time in the Premier League, like Bamford – Wilson would no doubt be prolific in the Championship.

This is a move that could work out for both parties.

Cameron Borthwick-Jackson

Another United star that could do well on loan at Aston Villa is left back Cameron Borthwick Jackson.

This deal makes particular sense, given that Villa’s current left back Jordan Amavi looks set for the exit door this summer.

Borthwick-Jackson is behind Luke Shaw in the United pecking order, and so it seems unlikely that he will get any game time next season under Mourinho. When called upon, Jackson was impressive in the Premier League; and so a year on loan playing week in-week out could do the youngster wonders.

Paddy McNair

Paddy McNair has been at Manchester United since 2011, but this summer it seems as if he must look elsewhere to find first team football.

Like Jackson and Wilson, McNair has reportedly been made available on loan at United this summer; and Aston Villa would be wise to take a glance his way as they look to bolster up their defence.

He could definitely sure up a defence that was easily broken last season; with the young defender looking impressive in the rare opportunities that he received at United.

Serge Gnabry

Serge Gnbary has all the talent in the world, and his quality probably suits a league better than The Championship – but last season was a disaster for the young German.

He was loaned to Aston Villa, where he made just one league appearance – despite Arsenal having huge hopes for his future.

He cannot afford another season like that, and so it is essential that he finds a side that will play him week in week out.

Clearly a year in the top flight was too much, and so the logical step is to look one step below. With Villa likely to be title contenders this year; a loan to the side could be great for all parties involved.

What a fantastic Saturday it’s been in the Premier League. It kicked off with one of the most thrilling Manchester derbies for years and continued with some outlandish 3pms – most notably Spurs beating Stoke 4-0 and Watford coming back against West Ham to win 4-2.

And the curtain-caller was also a thoroughly entertaining match as Liverpool faced reigning Premier League champions Leicester City at their new-look Anfield, fully equipped with the recently built Main Stand.

The Reds were firmly in control for much of the fixture, barring one monumental error from Lucas Leiva, and came away with a resounding 4-1 win.

But more important than entertainment, as my teacher would say, is what we actually learned. We at Football FanCast like to learn something from every game, whether big or small, a Champions League or Championship clash.

With that in mind, here’s three lessons we took from the first league fixture at Anfield.

LALLANA’S RISE CONTINUES

It’s been a phenomenal week for Adam Lallana. Last Sunday, he bagged a last-minute winner for England; today, he netted arguably the best goal of the match – an absolute piledriver from just inside the box.

Overall, the jury’s still out on the attacking midfielder. But it’s impossible to dispute that he’s steadily improved under Jurgen Klopp and now appears to be an important player for both club and country.

LEICESTER HAVE LOST THEIR FEAR FACTOR

Make no mistake about it, we’re just four fixtures into the new season and the reigning Premier League champions have lost their fear factor.

Although nobody expected the Foxes to reach the same heights as last term, we at Football FanCast assumed opposition would be somewhat intimidated by Claudio Ranieri’s boys, who are still one of the hardest working sides in the league.

But Liverpool were nothing short of relentless in the opening stages, showing Leicester no respect at all. This game should be a real worry for Ranieri; Leicester have already been reduced to a pale imitation of last season.

STURRIDGE – A TEAM PLAYER

Much has been made of Daniel Sturridge’s attitude after pulling that expression on the touchline against Tottenham Hotspur two weekends ago. But there’s no doubt the England striker produced a more selfless performance this afternoon, making an incredibly intelligent off-the-ball run to help create Roberto Firmino’s first goal and supplying Saido Mane with a backheel for the Reds’ second.

Of course, the 27-year-old still lunged for goal wherever possible, getting four shots on target. But it wasn’t a case of Sturridge roaming around until the ball reached his feet; he worked in fantastic tandem with Mane and Firmino throughout the afternoon and was subbed off to an ovation.

Claudio Ranieri led the Foxes to the Premier League crown last season in one of the greatest sporting shocks of all time. It was the first league title in Leicester’s history, and also a first for Ranieri.

The title win is beginning to prove itself as the most unlikely achievement in sport and also highlights the luck Leicester had during their success. They are without doubt the world’s luckiest team and this season they are clearly showing that this statement is indeed a fact.

The Foxes were confirmed as champions after Tottenham failed to beat Chelsea at Stamford Bridge in May, despite – famously – starting the campaign as 5000/1 underdogs by bookmakers. Ranieri himself believed Leicester should be considered as 6000/1 underdogs to retain it as everyone would be out to beat last season’s champions and prove a point.

But were they lucky? Yes they were. It’s hard to remember a team with the injury record Leicester had last season. Not one player who started over 25 games for the club was out longer than a month as they went in pursuit of an historic Premier League title.

Not one of Leicester’s key players players suffered an injury for any length of time which surely would have completely disrupted their counter-attacking tactics. Jamie Vardy, Riyad Mahrez, N’Golo Kante, Wes Morgan and Robert Huth sum up Leicester City last season as they relied on pace up front and a strong defence to soak up pressure before breaking to hurt teams in devastating fashion.

Most teams are now able to work their tactics out and set their own accordingly, therefore a new approach is required. Teams are aware of their style of play with the vast majority finding a solution to preventing Leicester from breaking. If plan A fails, Leicester have no tactic to unlock the door with another approach.

Class is permanent they say but where are these key players this season? Mahrez looks anything but the player that won the PFA Player of the Year award last May and Jamie Vardy is still evidently struggling with a hangover from last season followed by a turbulent summer for the England national team.

As good as Leicester were, they still finished the season with a lower points total of a Premier League champion than normal. Historically teams tend to finish with 83+ points as they claim title but Leicester finished below average as rival sides slipped up in the poorest Premier League campaign witnessed in recent times.

Despite this, Leicester were great at times but again it should be noted how bad their rivals played. Manchester City and Arsenal massively underachieved and finished a whopping ten points behind the eventual champions. Now this campaign, both City and Arsenal have recaptured their title chasing form and Leicester are nowhere to be seen.

The Foxes are currently ten points of the top of the league with just two victories thus far. Their fortunes have been vastly different from last season, in which they only lost three league games all season. This time around, they have already lost three games and that isn’t all down to the loss of Kante – it’s also partly because Leicester were lucky last season.

Their points total is the joint-second lowest by a defending champion at this stage of the season – equal with Chelsea last season and one point better off than Blackburn Rovers in 1995/96. They also became the first defending champions to lose their opening game of the following season, losing to newly-promoted Hull City.

Leicester have returned to their natural level. The demand of playing in the Premier League and the Champions League is new to Ranieri and the Foxes are certainly struggled to cope with the mixture of fixtures and traveling across Europe.

Don’t get me wrong, Leicester totally deserved their title win as does anyone who finishes top of the table but they certainly were lucky. They didn’t suffer injuries, whilst devastating injuries weakened their opponents. They had key players in the form of their lives. And that’s what made Leicester unlikely champions, the likes of which will never be seen again.

This season is simply showing the luck Leicester had last season – they shouldn’t be considered a great side.

Liverpool this, Liverpool that… it’s been impossible to avoid talk surrounding the Merseysiders this week. Jurgen Klopp’s Reds stayed among the triumvirate of teams atop the Premier League last weekend with a win at Crystal Palace that showed both their amazing strengths and worrying weaknesses as the goals flew in at both ends in a 2-4 victory at Selhurst Park.

To be honest, the talk about Liverpool is justified. The Kop outfit have looked excellent thus far this term and with no European fixtures to contend with, they’ve been fully rested ahead of weekend fixtures, as is the case for Sunday’s hosting of Watford.

The sight of the Hornets holds painful memories for Klopp, however, with the Hertfordshire club having subjected the German to one of his bleakest moments as Liverpool boss during a 3-0 win at Vicarage Road.

We at FootballFanCast wouldn’t be shocked by another upsetting of the odds this weekend. A bold call perhaps, but hear us out first…

Watford’s away form

A quick glance at the home and away tables for the ten games of the current season shows you that Watford are anything but travel sick. The Hornets have scooped eight points from a possible 15 on the road, including a pretty impressive away victory at West Ham’s London Stadium. As well as that, Walter Mazzarri’s team have managed draws at Swansea and Southampton, while their only loss has been at Burnley’s Turf Moor – which is proving to be a banana-skin of a ground.

The Reds may be five points better off in terms of games away from home this term, but they have played once more on the road than Watford due to late summer building work at Anfield.

Goal threat

Liverpool may sit atop the scoring charts in the Premier League with 24 after ten games, but Watford’s haul of 14 is surprisingly high. Indeed, the Hertfordshire club are level with Spurs and have notched once more than Manchester United, illustrating their potency in the final third.

Interestingly, Watford play an orthodox two-man forward line, with Troy Deeney and Odion Ighalo leading the attack. Liverpool’s desire to bomb forward often leaves Joel Matip and Dejan Lovren exposed, so the Anglo-Nigerian double act may well get chances, with their mix of physicality and pace likely to test the Croatian and the Cameroonian.

It’s been a month since Watford conceded a goal

Granted, Watford haven’t had the trickiest of runs of late, but two 1-0 wins against Middlesbrough and Hull either side of a 0-0 draw at Swansea means that it’s been just over a month since Heurelho Gomes has picked the ball out his net – the last time being October 1st against Bournemouth in a 2-2 draw.

To put that into perspective, Liverpool have registered just one shutout in ten league matches this term. It’s unlikely that the Merseysiders’ fluid attack will be too fussed about this statistic, but Watford are a tight defensive unit right now.

As I watched Arsenal succumb to a second-string Southampton side at a dreary and sparsely populated Emirates Stadium on Wednesday night, my mind drifted back to a League Cup game a decade ago.

It was a mid-week fixture between Arsenal and Wigan and it was freezing, but the stadium was packed (aside from empty seats in the Wigan end) and the atmosphere frenzied.

Wigan scored in the last minute of extra-time and Arsenal were knocked out. But it was fun. We saw a Robin van Persie pearler, an Thierry Henry header, Wigan fans almost storming the pitch and dejected Arsenal players slumped to the floor at the final whistle.

On Wednesday night, there was no Van Persie, no Henry, little noise and no dejection. There was Lucas Perez, Jeff Reine-Adelaide and a few weary sighs of resignation.

It got me thinking, from the perspective of fan’s experience, what are the benefits of our move to the Emirates Stadium?

The club said that we would experience ‘better facilities’. They also said that all seats in the new stadium would provide a good, unobstructed view. The club said that thousands of Gooners, hitherto frustrated by limited ticket availability, would finally be able to regularly watch their team. They said accessibility would be improved. These promises were all fulfilled.

But at what cost?

We have better facilities so people hang around the concourse until five minutes into the second half. We have softer seats with great views so people stay sitting on them. We have speedy electronic turnstiles to expedite increased attendances so no-one sings in solidarity as the tension in the queue builds outside.

And most importantly, we no longer watch Arsenal at a place called Highbury. We watch them at Emirates Stadium.

Arsene Wenger once said: “I believe the big clubs’ worry about values and identity.”

And they do.

Liverpool know the value of Anfield and what it contributes to the club’s unique identity. Accordingly, despite facing similar issues to those Arsenal faced while at Highbury, they declined to sacrifice their soul to make a quick buck. Instead, they opted to stay put, increase the capacity of the famous old ground and maintain its iconic Anfield moniker.

Manchester United have taken the same route. Gradually, they have increased the capacity at Old Trafford, never considering a name sponsor, aware of the damage this would do to the club’s identity and commercial power.

If Arsene Wenger’s big club criteria test were taken by Arsenal, they would fail it. By moving to Emirates Stadium, they didn’t worry about values and identity; they worried about money.

But, in hindsight, the money argument doesn’t hold water and smacks of short-termism. Especially when one considers, if you excuse for a moment the unsettling notion, the club as a brand.

A brand is sold on its values, on what it represents. The Manchester United brand represents triumph in the face of tragedy. The Munich Air disaster followed by a European cup; an irresistible money-spinning renaissance.

The Real Madrid brand represents glitz, bravado and the elite. The biggest stars from Di Stefano to Puskas to Cristiano Ronaldo, the Zidanes and Beckhams in between.

The Arsenal brand, through Highbury, could have represented a commitment to heritage. A century-old Grade II listed building tucked into narrow North-London streets, lined with terraced Victorian housing. The coalman’s horse and cart reportedly buried beneath the North-Bank. The marble halls. The tradition. The name. Highbury: a more commercially viable product than an identikit European-style bowl stadium named after a Dubai-based corporation.

Values must be carried through generations to cement them within an idea or a culture. Arsenal had those values already embedded through Highbury and didn’t twig.

What if, on Wednesday night, we were sat in an expanded Highbury instead of The Emirates? Would the passivity among the fans have been infiltrated by the aura of the arena? Would everyone have been reminded of who we are, what this club means and the standards it has set?

If those at the helm of the club are willing to hand over its identity to an Airline operator for a fat cheque, does this indifference to the club’s heritage filter down?

Maybe it’s just a name. Maybe Highbury was just a building. Maybe we still would have lost two-nil.

But at least there would have been a dejection among the players. At least there would have been a sense of shame at their sub-par performance on a history-rich stage where so many greats have shone.

At least we would have seen them slumped on the turf, like they were against Wigan a decade ago, desperate for an extra five minutes to put things right, instead of swiftly exiting into the warm bowels of the luxurious Emirates facilities amid the low din of a disconnected crowd.

This article was submitted via our Write For Us feature. Think you can do better? Submit your own article by clicking here, and give yourself the chance of winning monthly cash prizes…

Manchester United’s form since their derby defeat to Manchester City has been borderline abysmal. Jose Mourinho faces the arduous task of trying to overturn this once fearsome club back into one of English football’s premier teams.

As it stands, the Red Devils sit closer to the relegation zone than the summit of the Premier League – where they’re demanded to be by the club’s stakeholders.

While United seemed to have made significant progress in their path to recovery in August, the club now looks like its going in a backward direction under the Portuguese manager rather than progressing as expected.

The over-reliance on players such as Eric Bailly and Zlatan Ibrahimovic has become the downfall of the team, with injuries and lack of form affecting the duo.

To completely overturn the team’s recent form, Mourinho must use the club’s power in the transfer window this January. Here are five things ‘The Special One’ must prioritise during the four-week window.

Find a midfield hardman

A major cause for concern for Mourinho must be the team’s lack of steel and grit in midfield. Historically, United have had some notorious figures in midfield commanding proceedings on a weekly basis such as Paul Ince and Roy Keane.

Other rivals, such as Chelsea (N’Golo Kante) and Manchester City (Fernandinho), can lay claim to having a monster in the middle proving the catalyst to their success.

If Mourinho is to become a success at United, he must identify the new Nemanja Matic, someone that proved a major success for him at Chelsea through height and physicality.

Free Wayne Rooney

Of late, Wayne Rooney’s Manchester United career has gone on a downward spiral. The legendary striker and soon-to-be club record goalscorer has become the scapegoat for the Red Devils’ recent demise.

Mourinho must consider flogging his club captain for the sake of his career, his iconic status and the team, with everyone seemingly in need of a fresh challenge.

Everton could be one of the club’s leading the chase for his signature if Mourinho considers selling, whilst a move to the MLS or the Far East can’t be ruled out either.

Solve the on-going right-back issue

It wouldn’t be harsh to describe Matteo Darmian’s Old Trafford career and meaningless and ineffective.

The Italian international was signed in 2015 from Torino in the hope of finally filling the void left by Gary Neville since his retirement in 2011. Darmian has struggled to settle into life in Manchester but oddly, still maintained his starting birth in the Italian national team.

For everyone’s sake, Mourinho must sell the defender and prioritise the position this winter with a long-term solution to a long-standing problem.

Make room for Henrikh Mkhitaryan

The signing of Henrikh Mkhitaryan had the footballing world in awe at United’s ability to capture one of the most in-form playmakers in world football.

The Armenian midfielder has struggled in England thus far, however, and his relationship with Mourinho doesn’t seem secure. This January, Mourinho must make space in his squad to ensure Mkhitaryan can play on a regular basis – which means offloading some of his other options in the middle-to-final third.

The former Borussia Dortmund midfielder could be the light to spark a title bid.

Snap up Virgil Van Dijk

The transfer market can be likened to the stock exchange. Regularly investments fail, however, often bargains can be found before their value increases.

This could be the case with Southampton defender Virgil van Dijk. Aged just 25 years-old, his stock is set to rise in the coming months, and a move now could save United a fortune in the long run.

Not only the financial side of things, Mourinho could also ensure a young and vigorous partnership of van Dijk and Bailly for years to come.