Chelsea's torturer, Mourinho and Big Sam feature in in our writers' analysis of the New Year Premier League fixtures...
Should Dele compare with the best?
You will have seen the numbers that did the rounds in the aftermath of Tottenham’s excellent win over Chelsea: Dele Alli has reached 20 Premier League goals significantly earlier than any of the division’s greatest English midfielders.
But beyond being good social media fodder, it also should be placed into its proper context.
Alli, remember, gained significant experience at MK Dons, making 84 appearances and scoring 24 times.
That meant he was already primed for the first team when he came to White Hart Lane, unlike Paul Scholes, David Beckham, Frank Lampard and Steven Gerrard, who started their professional careers in the top tier.
Apart from Scholes – who got his breakthrough at Manchester United when filling in for a suspended Eric Cantona for half a season – Alli plays significantly further forward than the players he is being compared with.
Beckham was very much a midfielder and Frank Lampard did not become a renowned goalscorer until moving to Chelsea at the age of 23, while Steven Gerrard started out by operating from from deep.
That is not to undermine Alli’s achievements. Far from it.
Rather than judging him against previous greats, though – all of whom played in different roles – we should enjoy the progress of a player who is forging his own career path.
The return of Jose’s mojo
It has taken him long enough, but Jose Mourinho appears to have finally escaped the malaise that defined his last days at Chelsea and first ones at Manchester United.
Mourinho’s achievements meant the curious collapse at Stamford Bridge was dismissed as an anomaly, but it is not unfair to say that his tactics and methods looked outdated at times this season.
Not anymore.
When United conceded to Middlesbrough on Saturday, Mourinho responded by introducing Marcus Rashford for Chris Smalling.
It was the sort of decisive change Sir Alex Ferguson used to make, and was crucial in lifting Old Trafford and United turning the game around.
The Portuguese was just as decisive at West Ham two days later when he removed Matteo Darmian for Juan Mata before once again opting for Rashford, who was named man of the match for his 32-minute cameo.
Mourinho’s self-congratulations when asked in his post-match press conference whether United had benefitted from Mike Dean’s dubious refereeing emphasised the return of his old self.
“Which decisions?” he asked pointedly. “My decisions to play Mata at half time and Rashford later? Thank you.”
Double act down for Palace
Between them, Christian Benteke and Wilfried Zaha have scored or assisted more than half of Crystal Palace’s goals this season.
Benteke may have underwhelmed a little in the context of his £27m transfer fee, but he has still scored eight goals since his switch from Liverpool.
Zaha, meanwhile, is one of the most improved players in the Premier League, unlocking the potential that Manchester United saw when they signed him four years ago.
To lose both for a considerable period, then – Zaha to the African Cup of Nations, and Benteke to a potentially serious shoulder injury – is a double whammy that could prove fatal for Palace.
The Eagles have conceded the third-highest number of goals in the Premier League this season, and have let three in to out-of-form sides Watford and Swansea since Sam Allardyce took over.
So the two influential forwards were Allardyce’s beacon of hope, tasked with continuing to balance out such a porous backline.
Instead, their absence leaves the former England boss with a miserable defeat to the Swans to ponder and no clear candidate to immediately put it right.
