Real Football Filter
Posts
Issue 59 - The Sunday Service

Issue 59 - The Sunday Service

The newsletter which is bringing an end to the week.

Dan Tracey
December 28, 2025

Flu beaten. Food eaten. In the wilderness as far as the festive period goes but it is probably the right time to talk Premier League again. Good to be back, thanks for having me. Issue 59. Go.

Nine Talking Points

A look at what has happened in the Premier League these past few days.

Manchester United vs Newcastle

The only game to take place on Boxing Day was not necessarily a cracker but Manchester United supporters will have few complaints as the Red Devils returned to winning ways. Patrick Dorgu’s well-taken strike proving to be the difference as Newcastle were no different on the road than normal.

Another away defeat for Eddie Howe’s men and only one-point picked up from the last nine on offer in the league. With every defeat that the Magpies record, questions regarding the managerial tenure come to the fore. The Tyneside outfit need to break this stasis one way or the other, but do not expect any real change until the end of the campaign.

Nottingham Forest vs Manchester City

Nottingham Forest went toe-to-toe with Manchester City at the City Ground and it looked as if Sean Dyche’s side would end up being the equal of a team looking to return to the top of the Premier League. Igor Jesus is arguably the most un-Brazilian Brazilian forward you will see, swapping Samba flair for the rawness that comes with a Dyche-led team.

However, his performance was not enough to derail City and with Rayan Cherki’s late goal putting the Etihad outfit at the summit for a couple of hours, the impact of the French forward is starting to increase further since his arrival in Manchester. Another weapon in Pep’s arsenal as they look to hunt down Arsenal, this title battle is shaping up nicely.

Liverpool vs Wolves

Always going to be an emotional affair with both sides having such a strong connection to Diogo Jota. The 20th minute saw applause from all corners of Anfield in memory of the Portuguese forward. Those emotions would eventually drive the Reds to another league win. Now three in a row for the defending champions, they couldn’t thrust themselves in the title race could they?

As for Wolves, 18 games into the season and still no league win. Credit has to go to the travelling support who still turned up with a full allocation on Merseyside yesterday but that is about all you can credit right now. Liverpool nearly let them back into the game, would a better team have punished them? Probably but Wolves are simply not that better team.

Arsenal vs Brighton

Arsenal with the slightly strange feeling of not being top before the start of a Premier League encounter. A feeling that would be removed after squeezing past Brighton on Saturday. Another narrow win at home, they are doing what they need to do right now but is it sustainable in the long run? Arsenal fans will believe it is, everyone else believes it is not.

As for Brighton, I think they will just have to accept that they are in a group of teams that will lose one week and avoid defeat the next. Could finish eighth at the end of the season, could finish five places worse off. There’s no need for any crisis talk at The Amex, things just need to tick over as they are.

Brentford vs Bournemouth

Kevin Schade is a smooth operator in front of goal. A hat-trick yesterday against Bournemouth, back-to-back league wins for the Bees as they currently find themselves in the European paying positions. Not a statement that I thought I woul be uttering at any stage this season, but Keith Andrews my apology continues for as long as your progress up the league does.

As for Bournemouth, it’s now nine league games without a win. A serious slide down the table for the Cherries and one wonders just how low the floor actually is. No panic just yet because you need the likes of West Ham and Burnley to make a real dent in the buffer zone but all is not well under the tutelage of Andoni Iraola. Shame really.

Burnley vs Everton

As per the terms of the BBC’s contract, they have to show every game on a Saturday on Match of the Day. I think if they had their own editorial power, they would have just ended the programme 10 minutes earlier and not bothered with the clash between Burnley and Everton. With that said, a successive point for the Clarets should not be overlooked.

As for Everton, the bigger story was the absence of Jack Grealish after having a night out and then picking up a virus. No rules were broken as he treated his pals to a lap dance or two, he probably felt a bit of a tit though after being unavailable for the trip to Turf Moor.

West Ham vs Fulham

You sometimes hear the phrase that a team is ‘too good to down’, West Ham are not too good to go down. They are bad enough to go down. It looked as if their meeting with Fulham was petering out to a goalless draw. Unfortunately for Hammers’ youngster Oliver Scarles, his error would eventually lead to Raul Jimenez’ late winner.

Jubilation for the Cottagers, desperation for Scarles who was in floods of tears at the final whistle. Knowing how costly his mistake was, it was also staggering to see no senior teammate offer any immediate consolation. That in itself says a lot about West Ham’s plight, five points from safety. Jarrod Bowen needs some form of escape plan.

Chelsea vs Aston Villa

Chelsea’s inconsistency once again reared its ugly head and with that defeat to Aston Villa on Saturday, it looks as if Enzo Maresca’s side have now been cast adrift from the teams who will truly have a say in who wins this season’s Premier League. Had the Blues taken any more of their chances, they could still have been part of the conversation.

A conversation that sees Aston Villa’s voice increase in volume and because of Arsenal and Manchester City’s ability to grind out wins, all the West Midlands outfit can do themselves is keep the momentum going. There is no margin for error right now, but there are no errors from Villa either and if Ollie Watkins can continue that kind of scoring display, that in itself might just be the extra edge for Unai Emery’s men.

Sunderland vs Leeds

Sunderland missed out on the chance to move up to fifth after being held at home to Leeds on Sunday. Three games unbeaten now for Regis Le Bris’ men, slight disappointment that they have been held in their last two outings, maybe this is the AFCON tax coming back to bite them. Still, they have not lost too much of a step in the grand scheme of things.

While Leeds’ momentum continues and thanks to Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s second half leveller, the Elland Road outfit are now unbeaten in each of their last five league outings. The former Everton forward has scored eight league goals this season - the highest scoring English striker. Is there space for him on the World Cup plane?

Two And In

Just a quick point I want to make about teams struggling with form, or at least struggling with the ability to string two wins together and I think the overall strength of the Premier League is part of the problem.

Looking at the current Premier League form guide, only six clubs have managed to win their last two league games. That being the current top four, Brentford and Fulham. Two in a row is no easy feat.

Which means do we overlook how hard it is to get a win and then follow it up with another? We probably do. Look at the likes of Newcastle and Tottenham who seem to be stuck in this one step forward and one step back cycle at present. Doom when you lose, things are ok if you win.

However, that defeat will have a habit of stoking up the “Frank/Howe out” discourse that sits bubbling on the surface. It cannot be healthy to have such a debate played out every fortnight.

Have Premier League teams been conditioned into thinking it is win at all costs? Is this a dangerous place to be in?

If we were to take things stateside and look at the NFL, the competitive nature of the sport means you rarely get teams going on huge winning streaks. Some weeks you are the cream of the crop, others you are also rans, it is just how things pan out in the regular season.

If you are a subscriber on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean, I would be keen to get an idea of how much week to week pressure there is in the NFL. Do you accept that defeats are part of the deal as long as you get to the playoffs or is there also such short-termism that ratchets up the stress levels.

The Filter Five

Five sprints up the touchline to keep you warm

Lost Your Passport

Remember when both La Liga and Serie A announced they would be staging a league game each on international soil and UEFA said that they could do nothing about it? Eventually, the La Liga offering in Miami was scrapped but Milan vs Como in Perth was still set to go ahead.

That was until the start of this week when it was announced that the game will no longer take place following football sanctions imposed by the Asian Football Confederation. So it turns out that UEFA could do nothing but the AFC could.

Much a do about nothing in the end but it seems to be a rare win for common sense in the end,

Derby Day Cracker

The race for the Scottish Premiership title took another interesting turn on Saturday as Hearts slipped up at local rivals Hibs, while Celtic eventually brushed past basement outfir Livingston.

The gap at the top of the table is now three points as the Hoops have a game in hand - albeit with a lesser goal difference. Have the Bhoys got their blip out of the way, how do the Jam Tarts respond after losing 3-2 at Easter Road. The next installment of this soap opera should not disappoint.

Continent Versus Continent

Lionel Messi has the opportunity to win another international trophy as Argentina are set to go up against Spain in the latest edition of the The Finalissima.

The upcoming men's Finalissima between Spain and Argentina will take place on Friday, 27 March 2026 at 18:00 GMT, in Qatar.

While Argentina will be looking to defend their title, having defeated Euro 2020 winners Italy 3-0 at Wembley in 2022. Could this serve as a dress rehearsal for the 2026 World Cup? The two nations cannot meet until the semi-finals, should they meet as planned it could be a tie for the ages.

Next Oxford Manager

Gary Rowett’s departure as Oxford manager leaves the Championship outfit looking for a new man in the technical area. Michael Beale is the current bookmakers favourite as the former Rangers and Sunderland boss is priced at 7/4 to take over.

Whoever comes in, will inherit a club that is just on the right side of the Championship relegation zone but with both Portsmouth and Norwich below starting to find a semblance of form, that status could well change by the time an appointment is made.

The Lower Tiers

Although many would have moaned that there was only one Premier League game on Boxing Day. There were so many other games on throughout the pyramid and even with travel restrictions in place, supporters still made their respective journey in droves.

The depth of the pyramid is one of the great things about English football but it could once again come under a huge threat. There is talk of the 3pm blackout being lifted once and for all, I will talk about that in the next issue.

Admin

Right, that’s the end of issue 59 as word continues to spread around the football world.

If you liked issue 59, tell a friend and forward it on. If you didn’t like issue 59 please tell me why. Also if you have a Beehiiv newsletter and want to cross-promote, let me know.

We are now moving nicely on the path to 150 subscribers but could do with a festive nudge. Come on!!!

Thanks to everyone who has signed up to date, new squad members are always welcome.

Send your thoughts in, not only of the newsletter but of the game itself. It’s all about building a community you see. Have a great week. Issue 60 drops on Tuesday.