MATT BARLOW: Ange Postecoglou has taken a swipe at his critics, dismissing them as perfectionists on an impossible quest for flawless football. »
JAMES SHARPE: Julen Lopetegui is in talks with West Ham co-owner David Sullivan about January targets, but insists he cannot let that distract him from Thursday’s trip to Southampton. »
Runaway leaders Liverpool will surely be bankers when they host Leicester on Boxing Day, while Manchester City will kick the round off with a home game versus Everton. »
NATHAN SALT: It’s not just the top flight sides who will be in action on Boxing Day. Every single team in the Football League is booked in to play, meaning there is plenty of potential for change in the tables. »
BRENDAN RODGERS has urged Celtic to dig deep and grind their way through a gruelling schedule of games. »
CRAIG HOPE: Howe admits he saw an immediate likeness to Italy legend Pirlo when watching Tonali play for AC Milan before signing him in 2023. »
There were very few voices of dissent when Nuno Espirito Santo’s short reign as Tottenham boss came to an end. »
CHRIS WHEELER: United return to Wolves on Wednesday with Rashford again the main topic of conversation and no such straightforward path to redemption. »
KIERAN GILL: Cole Palmer must do more to stop being man-marked out of matches – with Chelsea’s manager adding that his superstar is not safe from being dropped. »
In contrast to local rivals Chelsea, Marco Silva’s squad is full of players with experience and something to prove Only two miles separate Stamford Bridge and Craven Cottage but Chelsea and Fulham inhabit different worlds. It is a one-sided rivalry – Fulham have finished above their west London neighbours once in the past 41 years – and there are few similarities in the way the clubs go about their business... »