Modern football is rubbish, you might say. Take me back to the days when men were men and shorts were short, you might say. Back then when goals were scored, pitches were a hindrance and not a help, and “defending” meant a burly lump of meat kicking seven shades out of some poor defenceless munchkin on the wing.

Back in the 1970s, scorelines of 4-3 weren’t uncommon, whereas nowadays, games like Everton v Stoke are very much the outliers in a world where you can win the title by consistently defending well.

Except, even with all their direct attacking threat, Everton would still have been rubbish back in the 1970s. Not even in that era would Everton have been at home. You have to go further back than that.

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In the early 1960s, a last-resort treatment for severe epilepsy was to simply sever the brain in two. The surgery was successful in reducing the severity of seizures, but it essentially meant that the patient had two brains, and they would be in conflict with each other.

When trying to dress himself, one patient found that one hand would close the buttons on his shirt whilst the other hand would undo them again, and he was left unable to dress himself.

What better analogy for the frustrations of Roberto Martinez than that? Everton’s attacking prowess is immense. Their attackers are some of the most powerful and deadly in the league, but their good work is routinely undone by a seemingly brain-dead defence.

Back in the days of tight polyester shirts, big permed hair and luscious tashes, football was in its heyday. Attack is the best form of defence, they said.

The problem is, when you concede four times, it becomes so much harder to outscore the other team. That’s something Jose Mourinho learned years ago – unfortunately he was off sick the day they would have taught him how to keep the players on side.

Maybe Roberto Martinez was off on the day they taught defending. His Wigan side were let down – and sent down – because of their defensive record, and Everton have hardly been solid since his arrival.

In fact, last season they were so bad at the back that his back four looked more like an attempt at practical comedy than a working defence. A hommage to the slapstick stylings of Laurel and Hardy more than a solid base to build his side upon.

This season it hasn’t been all that much better. No side above them has conceded more, and so they’re left relying on their formidable attacking talent to bail them out – but as we’ve established, the fewer you concede the easier the job is for the attackers.

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So when Romelu Lukaku told the post-match interview that they’d conceded goals too easily and made life more difficult for themselves, he seemed to be lamenting the very same thing.

After all, Lukaku is the Premier League’s top scorer (yes, he’s level with Jamie Vardy on 15 after yesterday’s brace) and Ross Barkley and Arouna Kone are also high up on the scoring charts. Everton have scored more goals this season than anyone other than Manchester City and Leicester. And yet they sit in the bottom half.

No one could accuse City or Leicester of being solid at the back either. They’ve simply been good enough to make sure their strikers didn’t have too much to do. Everton may as well do away with their defence and throw a few more attackers onto the pitch for all the good it’s doing them.

If they had a defence, they’d be dangerous. And in this barmy season of inconsistency and Leicester City at the top of the league, who knows where Everton could have found themselves.

Instead, as the Roberto Martinez attack tries to climb up the league table, his defence tries to climb back down, leaving him utterly frustrated. Everton is turning into One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, and the January window might just be the perfect time to put them out of their misery.

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It has now been exactly two years, nine months and one week since Manchester United last won a trophy, excepting the oversized 50 pence piece otherwise known as the Community Shield.

In the grand scheme of things, that is but five minutes in the club’s long and largely prestigious history. For those who lived through United’s dominance of the 1990s and 2000s under Sir Alex Ferguson, however, it feels like a lifetime.

Although turbulence was expected, few anticipated the legendary Scot’s retirement would have such a debasing effect on a club he left at the pinnacle of the Premier League and cemented into Europe’s elite.

They’re now on course to finish outside of the top four for the second time in three years, are trophy-less since April 2014 and have been absent from the Champions League’s knockout stages for over 18 months.

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Safe to say, the club is not surviving the post-Ferguson era with particular grace. At the moment, United aren’t even treading water; the current is slowly but surely pulling them under the surface, down towards top six ambiguity. Manchester United, in a nutshell, are becoming the next Liverpool.

When David James signed for Liverpool in 1992, his first game was the 50-pence play-off against Leeds United. They lost 4-3, but the bus driver reassured him on the drive back to Merseyside; “Don’t worry, lad. We go to Wembley at least once a season here.” In the next seven years, the Reds reached Wembley just twice – winning the 1995 League Cup and losing the 1996 FA Cup final.

It was a miraculous and unimaginable fall from grace for a club that had won everything there is to win on multiple occasions during the two decades prior, but it was not inexplicable. As money from the newly-created Premier League poured in and the game rapidly revolutionised, Liverpool were the giants left behind.

Of course, this week brought news that Manchester United are expected to overtake Barcelona and Real Madrid as the world’s richest club by the time 2017 comes around. In theory, they’ll have the financial firepower to sign pretty much any player in world football and appoint any manager they desire. But money can’t buy you everything and once again, the Premier League is amid a metamorphosis.

Leicester City’s meteoric rise this season should be enough evidence for anybody. To dub it simply a miracle would be superficial and short-sighted; the Foxes are riding the wave of a developing trend that also includes Crystal Palace, Stoke City, Southampton and West Ham.

The Premier League is getting tougher and transfer budgets are now double – or in some cases even greater – of what La Liga, Serie A and Bundesliga counterparts are privy to. In summary, the Premier League’s rank and file are coming to claim their revenge and to quote Bob Dylan, the order is rapidly fading.

That process will surely only further accelerate once the new TV Deal – which sees Premier League clubs pocket around double what they did before – comes into effect next season.

Unquestionably, Manchester United will benefit too. But there are other signs the club is steadily moving backwards, starting with their youth academy.

Once the institution that conceived the almost mythical Class of ’92, the Red Devils most exciting current youth product is Adnan Januzaj, who spent the first half of the season wallowing in the reserves at Borussia Dortmund. The majority of those to emerge during the intermittent period, the likes of Kieran Richardson, Ryan Shawcross, Danny Welbeck and Tom Cleverley, have all failed to make the first team grade at Old Trafford.

City, meanwhile, have spent £200million on a new training complex and Chelsea have become the academy kings of the south. United are planning a major youth overhaul but right now, they have some catching up to do.

Likewise, scatter-gun spending and Louis van Gaal’s philosophy has left United driving in reverse.

United have now splashed out £250million during the Dutchman’s four transfer windows at Old Trafford yet the quality of player is drastically lesser than during the final few years of Sir Alex Ferguson’s reign. Bizarrely, the Red Devils’ approach in the market appears to be quite simply, grab any half decent talent they can get their hands on without rhyme or reason.

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They’re creating a new generation of Spice Boys, inevitably unable to live up to the reputations of their predecessors, at unprecedented cost.

Similarly, the much-maligned van Gaal philosophy, although initially necessary to distance the club from the Ferguson era, is shockingly outdated. It’s possession-based football pre-Pep Guardiola and probably should have been left back with LVG’s Champions League-winning 1994 Ajax side. Quick-paced counter-attacking has become arguably more important than ever in the modern game – just look at Barcelona’s front three – yet United’s current style of play actively forbids it.

Of course, United declining in the same manner and to the same level of their northwest rivals is by no means inevitable. They are still one of the most prestigious clubs in world football with one of the largest global fan bases and as previously mentioned, are set to become the richest club on the planet.

But they are failing to keep up with modern practices – Old Trafford is still one of the only Premier League grounds not to have a screen – and as the English top flight continues to evolve at incredible speed, they’re now in real danger of being left behind. There must be a change at the club before next season, starting with the two men at the top – King Louis and Prince Woodward.

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China’s Super League has been sending shockwaves throughout the footballing world in recent weeks. It’s a strange state of affairs, as not long ago even gathering in groups to play sports in China was considered a federal offence against the state.

But the nation’s top tier has really emerged in the past couple of months, dominating in terms of expenditure when it comes to transfers.

Leagues around the world have watched in awe as football stars and some of the biggest players in Europe have made the move to Asia to compete in one of the most up-and-coming-leagues around.

We’ve seen it with Australia when Alessandro Del Piero featured, we’ve seen it with Major League Soccer and David Beckham, and now it’s China’s turn to splash the cash and turn football into a worldwide agenda.

Jiangsu Suning, Guangzhou Evergrande and Hebei China Fortune have all spent mega-bucks to attract some of the best players around, and persuade them to make the financially lucrative move to the east.

Many have argued that this has been a purely money-based decision and that Champions League worthy players shouldn’t be sacrificing ambition for the chance of a better payday. After all, I’m sure Ramires and Gervinho were earning well at Chelsea and Roma.

But there is ambition there. The league is backed by good, honest and, most importantly, very wealthy businessmen who want to make the sport popular in their country.

But can they keep up their ability to attract megastars?

Perhaps not. There is a certain ambiguity to the Chinese Super League’s long-term plan, so the attraction and the money could run out.

There is also the question of young talent and scouting young players, rather than just attracting top-class names in their prime. Yes this is fine, but you need the youngsters to bring up the rear and have a legacy to build on.

This is where China will struggle.

Granted it is a vast country and the potential is there, but on the pitch, there aren’t many Chinese players making an impact in the bigger leagues around the world. Instead it is quite simply the foreign stars that have moved for big wages who attract all of the media headlines.

China dominate in other sports, let us not forget that. They showed their improvement in the sporting realm during the 2012 Olympic Games, finishing just behind America in the medal table.

But, the Olympics, and the sports that it entails, isn’t football. Football is very much a young and emerging initiative in the country and the interest has to be there. It has to be implemented at schools at a young age and for there to be a real passion amongst the people.

Go to any area in England and you will find football fans – it’s entrenched in our thinking and upbringing.

China can succeed and they have the money to succeed, but it’s going to take more than marquee signings to push the game to the lengths that so many want.

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Aston Villa defender Jores Okore has refused to play in the club’s remaining Premier League games this season and pulled himself out of the squad to face Bournemouth recently.

The Midlands outfit have had an awful campaign and are readying themselves for a season in The Championship after their relegation was confirmed by losing at home to The Cherries.

The Villa Park outfit have only won three games all season and the club’s fans have lost confidence in those in power.

Okore has featured in 12 Premier League games this term and was due to be on the bench against Bournemouth recently.

However, caretaker boss Eric Black has confirmed that the 23-year-old has played his last game for the club after refusing to take his place among the substitutes to face Eddie Howe’s men.

“It wasn’t a disagreement. I spoke to Jores the week beginning the Bournemouth game and I thought he responded well and thought he trained extremely well,” The Guardian report Black as saying.

“But once I named the XI on the Friday, which I normally do to try and get more detail into them, Jores asked to see me and said that he didn’t want to be considered to be on the bench, which I found surprising but that was his decision.

“So I then withdrew him from the squad. I met him again on the Monday and asked if he had considered his position over the weekend. At that point, he said he didn’t want to be considered for any games going forward. And at that point I really didn’t have a choice apart from remove him.

“I don’t want people who don’t want to be at Aston Villa and playing at Aston Villa, certainly under the circumstances, and the Bournemouth game was a massive game for us. So he has gone to the under-21s and that’s what happens.

“I am surprised from a young or an old player, but Jores will have his own thoughts on that and I have my thoughts on it. We have come to a conclusion.”

Okore will be one of a host of Villa players that will leave the club this summer, with a new manager and squad expected before the Midlands team plays in The Championship next season.

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“He’s a player we admire but the problem is that he is on huge wages that no club can afford.”

The words of David Sullivan on the prospect of signing Christian Benteke from Liverpool seem to suggest that a deal is a no-go. After all, the Reds striker is on £120,000-per-week and the Merseyside club are sure to be keen to recoup a big chunk of the £32.5m they paid Aston Villa for him less than a year ago.

Or is it just posturing from the Hammers chief? He’s no fool when it comes to business dealings, so the Irons big-shot will know that Liverpool are in a position that they may have to supplement Benteke’s wages to get him off their books, or take a smaller fee, thus allowing the London side to pay his salary.

Taking money out of the equation, Benteke looks like an ideal signing for West Ham. Although the soon to be Olympic Stadium side’s fans are likely to question taking a cast-off from a team below them in the Premier League table, there are many reasons that the 25-year-old could be a wise addition for the claret and blue outfit… and here are FIVE.

Proven record

2012/13 – 19

2013/14 – 10

2014/15 – 13

2015/16 – 7

Say what you like about Benteke, but he’s a proven goalscorer in the Premier League. The above figures are his return over the course of the past three seasons (and the bulk of the current campaign), and when his injury issues of 2013/14 and 2014/15 are taken into account, the Belgian is very much a ‘one in two’ centre-forward – the tally that separates average strikers from not so average strikers.

With West Ham the lowest scorers in the Premier League’s top five (47) and their own leader board topped by attacking midfielder Dimitri Payet (eight), a guaranteed source of goals up front could be enough to push the Hammers to the next level.

Money is in place

According to reports, West Ham have up to £40m to spend on a striker. That’s some wedge of cash considering the £15m paid for Andy Carroll in 2014 remains the Irons’ record outlay on a single signing. The increasing levels of TV Revenue in the Premier League and the looming move to the Olympic Stadium will serve to push the London club up a tier in terms of financial muscle, allowing them, despite David Sullivan’s protestations about Benteke’s wages, to pay the sort of sums needed to lure a new bracket of players to the East End.

Liverpool want to sell

It seems that Liverpool are ready to abandon the Benteke experiment. One would have thought after the failed spells of Carroll and Mario Balotelli that the Reds would have realised that physicality over movement and technique was not the way forward, but it seems to have needed the £32.5m paid for their Belgian to really drive the point home. It’s become increasingly clear that Jurgen Klopp favours fluidity and pace in the final third, and even though Benteke remains their second highest league scorer with seven in the league, the fact he’s made more appearances as a substitute than a starter under the German tactician tells the full story.

Liverpool need cash to spend on summer additions, and selling their big money Brendan Rodgers buy could provide a timely injection of funds.

Suited to West Ham’s style of play

West Ham are far from being the ‘hoofball’ unit of the Sam Allardyce reign, but there’s no denying that they’re more direct than Liverpool and make greater use of attacking down the flanks. Whereas the Reds look to build around the edge of the box and rely on neat short passes in the final third – often enforced by deep opposition backlines – the Hammers look to get the ball into the box with regularity and are not afraid to go from back to front when needed. This is far more in tune with Benteke’s skillset, with the ex-Aston Villa man having looked out of his depth when asked to press from the front and get on the same wavelength as Philippe Coutinho and Roberto Firmino in the final third.

At West Ham, the robust centre-forward would thrive from the wide delivery offered by Manuel Lanzini and Michail Antonio, while Payet’s wicked free-kicks look tailor-made for the 25-year-old.

Will be hungry to rebuild his career

Although all the whispers through the season have surrounded Benteke’s desire to battle for his place at Liverpool and prove he is of sufficient quality to play for one of England’s elite names, he may well find himself forced out of the door. Klopp doesn’t seem the sort of manager to keep a player in his plans just on the basis of value and salary, so the Belgian’s likely be told that he’s fourth (maybe fifth) choice heading into 2016/17 behind Daniel Sturridge, Divock Origi, Firmino and Danny Ings – and that’s before potential signings are taken into account.

As a result a move may well appeal to Benteke, who is at risk of sliding out of the Belgium set-up and has seen his reputation take a hit since making what many thought would be a profitable move to Anfield.

Despite some fleeting promising signs this season, there is no doubting that Everton have underachieved given the talent at Roberto Martinez’s disposal.

Regardless of some questionable form from the Goodison Park team, striker Romelu Lukaku has endorsed his reputation further with another scintillating campaign for the Toffees.

The Belgium international has netted 18 Premier League goals and, as a result, has been linked with a move to some of Europe’s biggest teams this summer.

With Everton set to face a real struggle in their efforts to keep the former Chelsea centre forward, here are FIVE potential replacements for the Merseysiders should Lukaku leave the club…

Odion Ighalo

The Nigeria international and his excellent goalscoring record has been a key reason behind Watford’s relatively comfortable campaign back in the Premier League.

Ighalo is widely expected to leave Vicarage Road this summer and would fit into Everton’s system given the similarities between his style of play and that of Lukaku.

Perhaps not the biggest name to instil Everton’s fans full of too much confidence, but the African poacher would surely score plenty of goals in the Merseyside team.

Michy Batshauyi

One of the hottest properties in European football, Marseille’s Batshauyi looks destined for a move to one of Europe’s top leagues.

Although a host of teams playing in the Champions League are believed to be courting the striker, West Ham are one of the front-runners.

Spending a sizeable amount of Lukaku’s potential fee on Batshauyi would be an exciting move, with the Toffees replacing their number nine with a man of similar ability and attributes.

Simone Zaza

The Italy international has been quite far down Juventus’ attacking pecking order this season, but this does not make him any less of a predatory striker.

Quick, strong and with an excellent goalscoring record, Zaza is being touted for a move to England this summer and has a lengthy list of suitors.

Everton could well steal a march on their rivals by offering him regular first-team football, in what could be a very shrewd move.

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Leigh Griffiths

The Scotland international has struck an amazing 30 goals in 30 starts this season for Scottish champions Celtic, with his record of scoring phenomenal in his homeland and the English Football League.

Griffiths looks more than ready to make a step up to the Premier League and would offer pace and a clinical touch in the opposition’s penalty box.

Plenty of players have left Celtic and excelled in the Premier League, with the 25-year-old looking destined to follow suit.

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Vincent Janssen

A young Dutch striker being compared to Robin van Persie and Ruud van Nistelrooy, Janssen is one of the hottest prospects in the Eredivisie.

Playing his first season in the Dutch top tier in 2015/16, the 21-year-old has hit a phenomenal 26 goals for AZ Alkmaar and been called up to the Netherlands’ senior squad as a result – scoring against England earlier this year.

Janssen is a deadly centre forward and someone that could well be the latest Dutch sensation in English football. As such, Everton would be wise to try and win the race for his signature.

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France prominently headline Group A in the EUROs, but plenty of Premier League worthy players are found in the rest of the pool.

Liverpool must look at this group in particular for potential transfer targets. The squad’s 2015/16 season was an aberration from what was expected. This makes it two straight two disappointing seasons, and now it’s time for restructuring on Merseyside.

Manager Jurgen Klopp has plenty of experience turning teams around – his Borussia Dortmund overhaul is one of the most impressive in recent memory, after all.

The German manager must look toward the stars playing in the EUROs for solutions. These are the FIVE Group A players Liverpool should target…

Nicolae Stanciu

Stanciu is a young midfielder who will sign with a big club in the coming years. Such a transfer could be imminent, if he continues the top form he showed in Romania’s first match against France. Liverpool need another playmaker in the middle of the field after a middling finish in terms of goals scored.

Blaise Matuidi

Matuidi is exceptional at both ends of the field and steadily creates scoring chances. Last season, he registered four goals and six assists for PSG and has looked at his athletic best for Les Bleus recently.

Stephan Lichtsteiner

Liverpool conceded 50 goals last term, which saw them finish towards the  middle of the Premier League. Lichtsteiner is a physical defender and recently helped Juventus claim a Serie A title. He could add some solidity to Klopp’s ranks.

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Dragos Grigore

Grigore anchors a resolute backline for Romania. Liverpool’s most glaring issue is in their defence’s inconsistency with limiting goals. Grigore plays in Qatar but could be in line for a transfer to a prominent league if the 29-year-old fares well at the EUROs.

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Olivier Giroud

Giroud is always at the forefront of conversation, whether it is his brilliant goalscoring abilities or periodic lapses of production. At the end of the day, Giroud’s numbers are there to back him, after he recorded 16 goals and six assists for Arsenal last season. Liverpool is in dire need of another pure goalscorer like Giroud.

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He’s England captain and Man United captain, but will that be enough to save him from the swinging axe of the ruthless Jose Mourinho?

If you’ve been in the rainforest the last few months, or climbing Mount Everest, then it is possible that you haven’t heard that Man United have re-signed Paul Pogba for an eye watering world record fee. Although not a direct competitor for Rooney’s preferred striker role, he poses serious problems for the United captain.

Rooney never had blistering pace like Marcus Rashford or the target man height of Zlatan Ibrahimovic; he has always relied on his knack of getting goals and his will to win.

However, Jose likes a fast counter attacking team which is able to break from box-to-box with pace in order devastate opponents, then sit back and absorb the pressure; taking the sting out of the game. Rooney’s legs are gone so the speed of his attack isn’t what it used to be; and he also lacked goals last year, which even convinced England to play him in a deep lying midfield role during their ill fated Euro 2016 campaign.

Mourinho has already stated that midfield is not his best position and he should be scoring goals as he has always done for the club, which itself carries extra pressure for Rooney.

The lone striker role that Jose prefers would seem to be owned by Zlatan for this season at least, and the iconic Swede has already become a darling of both the fans and the media. As previously mentioned, his pace was never electric, and this means that a wide berth is most certainly out of the question. In theory this leaves one position for Rooney; the No.10 role.

Here in lies the problem; Paul Pogba also relishes this role. The area behind the striker is his best position and this was plain for all to see in France’s run to the final. When Pogba was asked to sit in front of the back four he seemed to lose not just his creative spark, but also his swagger and drive.

So the big question is, when Pogba returns from his ban, will he play in this role, relegating Rooney to a wide berth, or will Jose wait for Rooney to lose form and drop him?

For the first time in his career at Old Trafford Rooney looks vulnerable ,and all football watchers know that Jose will not hesitate to drop him – captain or not.

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…

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The title as London’s biggest club undoubtedly belongs to Arsenal due to the stature of the club, their history and constant top four finishes. However, once upon a time, West Ham yo-yoed between the Premier League and the Championship as their battle for consistency meant they were often mocked by London rivals.

Under Slaven Bilic, however, the Hammers have become considered by many as one of the top-dogs in the league. A remarkable last season at Upton Park saw winning performances over Manchester United, Manchester City and Arsenal as the Irons claimed their highest league finish in sixteen years. Now fans must accept the fact the club have closed the gap on Chelsea and Tottenham.

The Irons finished above Chelsea last season, but the West Londoners are expected to overturn their poor performances to challenge for the Premier League title once again this year. It may be a unrealistic dream for West Ham to consider a title challenge just yet but one advantage Bilic’s boys has over Antonio Conte’s Blues’ is the brand new stadium they have recently adopted.

The London Stadium was the iconic centre-attraction as Great Britain staged the 2012 Olympic games. Now the new home of the Hammers, it has become the third-biggest ground in the Premier League behind only Old Trafford and the Emirates Stadium – topping the capacity at both Stamford Bridge and White Hart Lane.

The summer transfer window enabled the Hammers to further close the gap on rivals Tottenham and they now have a good case for claiming their squad holds a greater number of talented players and stronger dept throughout. Andre Ayew was signed after a superb first season in England with Swansea City, along with Italian international Simeone Zaza and Besiktas playmaker Gokhan Tore. Sofiane Feghouli joining the club on a free transfer could prove one of the signings of the season once he returns from injury.

Tottenham, on the other hand, failed to add much strength to their squad ahead of their first Champions League season since 2010. Vincent Jansen was signed from Dutch side AZ Alkmaar after just one successful season in top-flight football. Southampton midfielder Victor Waynama made the switch to White Hart Lane whilst Moussa Sissoko joined Newcastle on Deadline Day. Sissoko’s inconsistency and Waynama’s inability to be adaptable in midfield could prove a major issue for Pochettino as the season develops.

It’s difficult to deny Chelsea remain ahead of West Ham in terms of quality in the squad. But once again this summer, Chelsea failed to sign players better than the current first team, unlike West Ham. Marcos Alonso was signed on deadline day from Fiorentina and the Spanish full-back comes with a major cloud over his Premier League career as he previously had underwhelming loan spells at Bolton Wanderers and Sunderland.

Along with Alonso, David Luiz was re-signed from Paris Saint Germain just over two years after being sold for a record fee. The Brazilian’s leadership and energy may prove crucial to Chelsea as they aim to forget the disappointment of last season. Chelsea have to be praised for the capture of Leicester City’s N’Golo Kante, the best midfielder in the Premier League last term.

Less than four years ago, an injury to Carlton Cole would have been devastating to West Ham as they continued to push for a top-ten finish. Those days are long gone as Slaven Bilic has transformed an average Premier League squad into an ambitious side capable of challenging for European places. Internationals are rife throughout the squad with the star attraction being Dimitri Payet, who stuck a strong argument for being the player of the tournament at Euro 2016.

Clever signings such as Manuel Lanzini, Aaron Cresswell and Michail Antonio have catapulted West Ham right into contention along with the league’s top clubs. A strong scouting network has seen the club sign players like Kouyate and Nordtveit for minimal fees.

Sam Allardyce certainly laid the foundations for Bilic to build on and it must be mentioned. There is a feeling of growth coming from the club with any dream becoming a possibility. The club’s home capacity has doubled following the stadium move, which could also be said for the quality in the squad also.

Chelsea’s uncertainty and lack of stability at management level means an implosion could occur at any stage. An ageing squad with a lack of suitable competition coming from the bench makes this Chelsea side a ticking time-bomb if key players pick up injuries.

West Ham certainly have weaknesses in their squad too, but the team spirit Bilic has instilled has become crucial when required to grind results out. Pochettino’s Spurs may hold a bigger argument, however, with his Tottenham side coming desperately close to winning the Premier League title last season.

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While it has been a tricky road for both David Moyes and Everton themselves since the Scot’s departure from Goodison Park back in 2013, it is the Toffees who looked best suited to getting things back on track.

The Roberto Martinez reign proved awful at times, though those on Merseyside will be looking up following the arrival of Ronald Koeman and a bucket load of funds.

For Moyes, the job he did with the club largely goes unnoticed and will continue to do so as his career threatens to be forever defined by his ill-fated stint as Manchester United boss.

Still, as good a job he did with Everton, recent comments (cited by the Telegraph) claiming he could well have won them the Premier League title have caused a storm on Twitter.

He guided them to a host of top eight finishes and claims that had he been afforded funds to land a top class striker, a league title may well have followed.

Below are some of the best reactions on Twitter to his comments.