In his latest column, the Betway ambassador gives his thoughts on the title race, Spurs' inconsistency and Coventry's new manager.
I’m obviously very surprised with Man City’s drop-off this season, but it just goes to show how well Liverpool are doing.
City have had a lot of injuries, which hasn’t helped, but I still don’t think they’re out of the title race. They’ve proven over the last four or five years that they’re the best team, but they definitely have players who are out of form.
I don’t think City’s squad is too old, nor do I think they’ve run out of steam. The players are just not performing to the level that they have over the past few years. Obviously, Kevin De Bruyne is getting a little bit older and has been unfortunate with injuries this season, but he’s still a quality player.
As for Erling Haaland, he still has 13 league goals this season so you can never really question his quality. The team around him just hasn’t been creating as many chances for him.
I had dry spells as a player and all you have to do is keep doing what you’ve always done. You obviously rely on team-mates to create for you, and they haven’t been doing that, but Haaland strikes me as a person who won’t be affected by it. He’s a player who doesn’t touch the ball a lot, so he’s used to that. He’ll still end up with around 30 goals this season. There’s no doubt about that.
Although Arsenal and City can’t be ruled out, I don’t see anyone catching Liverpool at the moment. They just look too strong.
I think Arne Slot has been brilliant, and he has come across really well in the media as well. I don’t think he’ll wilt under the pressure of a title race.
And I’ve been so impressed with Caoimhin Kelleher who, for me, is a top goalkeeper. I’ve been saying it for years. He just brings a real calm to the team with his body language, and that’s good for defenders.
I think it’ll be hard for Alisson to get back into the Liverpool team. Kelleher’s form is incredible, so it would be harsh to take him out.
Solanke is key to Spurs finding consistency
Spurs have been inconsistent all season. You see how well they played when they beat Man City 4-0, but then they keep losing games against teams they should probably beat. They really need to sort it out, because if they want to compete at the highest level and win trophies, they have to beat sides like Fulham and Bournemouth.
You’re always reliant on your striker to score a lot of goals. Dominic Solanke has done OK so far in terms of his pressing and what he brings to the team, but I’m sure he’d probably want to score more goals.
Richarlison has also been struggling with his fitness, and he certainly needs to come back in the second half of the season and support the team, because Spurs need him.
Wolves have the quality to turn form around
I was back at Wolves’ training ground recently, and it was brilliant. It was great to see old faces again and to work with the Under-18s for a few days.
Wolves are obviously struggling a bit at the moment, and when you’re down at the bottom end of the table and you’re not winning games, there’s always going to be pressure. Losing 4-0 to Everton and 2-1 to West Ham isn’t going to help Gary O’Neil, that’s for sure.
He’s still a young manager, though, and nobody wants to see anybody lose their job. Hopefully he can turn this around. I really do think Wolves have the quality to stay up. Defensively, they’re just conceding far too many goals. If you’re going to stay in the Premier League, that’s the one thing you have to eradicate.
Lampard will be a success with Coventry’s backing
Another of my former clubs, Coventry, have been in the news after they appointed Frank Lampard as their manager.
Mark Robins did a great job for Coventry and it’s always sad when anyone loses their job, but I’m delighted for Frank. I know him very well and he was itching to get back into coaching.
Frank certainly has qualities as a coach. He was thrown in at Chelsea and I think he did a good job there. I think he did a reasonable job at Derby, and he kept Everton up. Like anybody, he needs to be given an opportunity and given time, and I’m sure they will give him that. As a manager, you need two or three years, with at least four transfer windows to create a good squad and get the players you want in the building.
Coventry is still a great club with great fans, and with their backing he’ll do well.
Ferguson needs regular playing time
I did a talk with the Ireland squad a few weeks ago, and I told the players who aren’t playing that it doesn’t matter who you play for – if you aren’t getting minutes, just go out and play. That’s how you learn.
Evan Ferguson is obviously a top player, but like any player, he needs to play games. It’s very simple. Evan’s a young lad and he’s still trying to find his way. He’s a good player, but he would definitely benefit from more playing time, there’s no doubt about that.
I also had a chat with Heimir Hallgrimsson, and he comes across as a good guy who really wants the country to do well. He’s just trying to find his feet, and of course we’d like to have made a better start, but you need the players performing, and unfortunately they haven’t done as well as we’d like. The Nations League play-off against Bulgaria is a game you’d hope we could win, as they’re no longer the team they were when they had players like Berbatov and Petrov.
Ireland’s focus has to be on the World Cup. There’s no better feeling than qualifying for a major tournament, which is also something I spoke about with him. When you qualify, the whole nation gets behind you and the Irish fans travel in numbers. We have the best support in the world.
For any player, the highlight of your international career is playing at the highest level, and that means the World Cup. For this group of players, they’ll be itching to do whatever they can to get there.
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