ARSENAL
Arsene Wenger has claimed "half the dressing room wanted to leave" Arsenal this summer and the hangover could be behind their poor start to the season. Sunday's 2-1 win over Sunderland lifted Arsenal back into the top half of the table, but the Gunners are 12 points off the pace at the top of the table already and face a fight to reach the top four. Their early season struggles were highlighted by the shocking 8-2 defeat to Manchester United at Old Trafford, coming on the back of a summer that saw key midfielders Cesc Fabregas and Samir Nasri sold despite Wenger's insistence he wanted them to stay. "It was a very difficult summer because half the dressing room wanted to leave," Wenger said. "You're preparing for a season where you don't know who's going to come in, the players who are staying are asking themselves what's going on at the club, you've got a pre-season tour of Asia. It was extraordinarily difficult. What saved us is that we're a club that are extremely solid and united. Other clubs would surely have gone to pieces in those circumstances."ASTON VILLA
Alex McLeish has been impressed with the resurgence this season of striker Gabriel Agbonlahor. Agbonlahor struggled to show his best form under Gerard Houllier but has netted four goals in seven league matches this season. McLeish said: "I think we gave him the opportunity first and foremost to play. Gabby showed some great application from day one at the training ground and that helps and that always counts with me, how hard players work on the training ground. I like to see them train the way they play on a Saturday and Gabby right away impressed. The other side of it was how best to integrate him with Darren Bent. I am not saying they are the finished article but we have to keep improving and building on it. It has been very promising and Gabby was electrifying at times in the Wigan game." BLACKBURN ROVERS
Steve Kean was happy to settle for a point following the 1-1 draw with QPR at Loftus Road, but he thought Rovers deserved more. The visitors fell behind to Heidar Helguson's goal but levelled through Christopher Samba and claimed a point from the trip to west London, leaving Kean with mixed emotions. "I suppose any point away from home is a good point," he said. "That said, we were slightly disappointed. We felt the first goal was against the run of play but fair play to QPR. They mixed up their set plays and we ended up changing our markers at the corner to our detriment because I know Helguson very well. He lost his marker at the first header and then fair play to him, it is a top finish. But we were slightly disappointed as we felt we were on top at that point. Having said that, we never felt sorry for ourselves. We grabbed the game by the scruff of the neck and showed a good reaction to going behind."BOLTON WANDERERS
Owen Coyle felt his decision to drop Zat Knight for David Wheater against Wigan Athletic was justified when the centre back put in a man-of-the-match performance. "I felt it was only right that David came back in because he had been so unlucky to get sent off against Arsenal and had played so well against Aston Villa," he said. "Zat Knight came on against Chelsea and did well, so he might feel a little bit unfortunate in that respect. But having said that, a lot of them had the jersey before and had not done their best to make a claim and stay in the team. If you play well, you stay in my team." CHELSEA
Andre Villas-Boas is confident Daniel Sturridge will break into the England squad if he maintains his stunning Chelsea form. The clamour for Sturridge to be handed his first senior international call-up grew on Saturday after the striker scored his fourth goal in four Barclays Premier League outings this season, this time in a 3-1 win over Everton. And Blues manager Villas-Boas said: "I don't want to influence any kind of decision but, eventually, any English player who is performing can get a call-up for the national team." Sturridge, who has been one of the stars of 2011, was last week touted as a possible replacement for Wayne Rooney in England's European Championship group matches next summer following the Manchester United star's three-match ban. The 22-year-old has so far been overlooked by Fabio Capello, although he was in the provisional squad for this month's final qualifier in Montenegro and appears certain to be included for November's friendly double-header against Spain and Sweden. Villas-Boas added: "He was pre-selected, eventually he was not selected for the final squad, but that means that he is close and that it can happen for him. He plays for a top club in the world so I don't see any reason why not." EVERTON
Everton signing James McFadden admits there was a point when he feared his career would be ended prematurely by a knee injury earlier this year. The Scotland international played his first match in 13 months when he had 45 minutes for the Toffees' reserves against Sunderland on Tuesday. But the situation looked much bleaker towards the end of last season when he broke down in his rehabilitation from surgery on a cruciate knee ligament injury. Following Birmingham's relegation from the Premier League they decided not to extend his contract and McFadden was left to consider his future. "I was training in March and then broke down again and when I spoke to the surgeon he said my time might be up. That was hard to take," said the 28-year-old. "Birmingham had a two-year option on me but decided not to take it, which was fair enough. It was hard that I didn't know when I was going to get back playing. Thankfully every time I went back there was improvement and he was happy enough for me to return to training. It has worked out for the best. I'll just move on now and try to be fit and ready to play games." FULHAM
Captain Danny Murphy's comments about Stoke City last season helped the Potters fans inspire their team to victory, according to manager Tony Pulis. Murphy, who specifically mentioned Stoke when speaking about teams being sent out too "pumped up" and to stop other sides playing by their managers, was booed every time he touched by the ball by the Potters fans. It is an issue Pulis is keen to move on from, although he admitted it had helped to keep the atmosphere lively whenever the tempo dropped on the pitch. "That is the way it is - that is the life in sport and you have to accept that," Pulis said of Murphy's reception. "It was good for us because there were spells in the game when it went a bit quiet, and it certainly livened it up." LIVERPOOL
Liverpool currently sit fifth in the Barclays Premier League, six points off leaders Manchester City, having lost only twice in eight matches. Performances have improved remarkably and keeper Jose Reina is pleased to have witnessed the turnaround. "It is a positive thing to be disappointed after not beating Manchester United," he said. "We are clearly playing better and are winning games and that is key. I think we have had just one poor game - at Spurs (a 4-0 defeat in which Liverpool had two players sent off ) - and over the season it has not been a bad balance at all. We are much happier than a year ago."MANCHESTER CITY
Roberto Mancini believes 40 days of hard work by striker Mario Balotelli are paying off after the Italy international helped fire his Manchester City side to a 4-1 win over Aston Villa which sent them top of the Barclays Premier League. Balotelli has delivered. He was on target in the 4-0 win at Blackburn prior to the international break, and stole the show again, kicking things off with a sumptuous overhead kick before Adam Johnson, Vincent Kompany and James Milner all chipped in. Stephen Warnock scored a consolation as the Villans' unbeaten league record slipped away. "I think Mario is always happy. In this moment, after he was on the bench in the last month, he maybe understood," he said. "He played well, has scored four goals in a row and works for the team. Mario can change in a moment but I am happy because it is now 40, 50 days (when he has) played and worked well. He is motivated because he is playing and scoring. It is an important moment for him. I think that for a player on the bench with me it is not easy to watch the game and not play in a team playing well and scoring goals." MANCHESTER UNITED
Rio Ferdinand says he never gets bored by that winning feeling. "People are talking about it as though I must be getting bored after 10 years," he said. "But the motivation of playing for Manchester United never goes. The feeling you remember is winning. If you could bottle that feeling when you sit down on the pitch or in the dressing room, after you have just been given a trophy, you would be a billionaire. You want it all the time. If you get bored of that, you shouldn't be playing football." NEWCASTLE UNITED
Newcastle managing director Derek Llambias has revealed the club is on course to break even during the current financial year. In a mission statement published in the matchday programme for Sunday's Barclays Premier League match with Tottenham, Llambias confirmed the Magpies are well on their way to achieving their aim of self-sufficiency. Llambias said: "In 2008-9, we reported an operating loss before player trading of £37.7m. In 2009-10, that loss was £35.5m. Once audited, our accounts for 2010-11 are expected to show an operating loss of just £4.7m and this year, we hope we will be close to breaking even. We are pleased that the club is working towards being able to operate within the boundaries of UEFA's financial fair play rules even during these challenging economic times." NORWICH CITY
Steve Morison, despite not finding the net in the win over Swansea City, was arguably as big an influence as Anthony Pilkington on the outcome of the match. Many questioned the wisdom of paying Millwall around £3m this summer for Morison - a man who was playing non-league football two years ago - but the striker was brilliant at the weekend bullying the Swans back four with a penetrative aggressive performance. The display, which included a knock-down for Pilkington's first, did not go un-noticed by Lambert. "I felt that was as good a game I have seen a number nine play in a long time," Lambert said. "Grant Holt has played some really big games for us there, but I thought Morison was exceptional. He is a major player for us. He is a real handful all the time. He's a real strength to have in your team and his contribution was special." QUEENS PARK RANGERS
Neil Warnock is considering recalling Clint Hill from his loan spell at Nottingham Forest. The left-back was shipped out to the Championship club in September on a 93-day emergency loan after dropping down the pecking order at Loftus Road, but injuries have since hit Warnock's squad and Hill could be in line for an early return. Defenders Matthew Connolly and Danny Gabbidon have both been sidelined and Warnock admitted he would have liked to have called upon Hill for last weekend's draw with Blackburn. "We'll discuss it but it's certainly a possibility," Warnock said. "The problem is we had to have him playing matches, and we couldn't call him back if we didn't feel we could use him. But I'd have probably played him the other day against Blackburn if I'm honest." STOKE CITY
Tony Pulis vowed to keep his players working hard after the Potters' impressive start to the season continued with a 2-0 victory over Fulham at the Britannia Stadium. The hosts hit the post through Rory Delap and saw their own crossbar rattled by John Arne Riise before Jon Walters broke the deadlock in the 80th minute, diverting Matthew Etherington's effort home. Delap then doubled their advantage seven minutes later, nodding in an Etherington free-kick. "It has been a great start to the season and we are very, very pleased," Pulis said. "But we know in football that it can change so, so quickly and we will just keep our feet on the ground and the players will keep working hard. We want the supporters to enjoy this period and really get behind the lads, and they have been doing that, so it is smashing at the moment. But if you take your eye off the ball in this game, then it can soon fall and crumble away." SUNDERLAND
John O'Shea was delighted to see the Republic of Ireland drawn against Estonia in next month's Euro 2012 play-off, but has warned that any hint of complacency against the Baltic minnows will lead to yet more heartbreak for the long-suffering nation. "I was happy with the draw because of the other teams we could have faced, but Estonia finished very strongly in a group that contained Italy and Serbia," the Sunderland defender said. "They went away to Serbia and Slovenia, and Northern Ireland and won their matches. If we needed a danger sign then we have it there with those results. But look, if you had said to us beforehand that we had Estonia over two games to qualify for the European Championship then we would have taken it. We have to be positive going into it." SWANSEA CITY
Leon Britton admits he is just glad to be back to full fitness having been forced to miss the recent home win over Stoke due to a niggling back problem. "I am fully fit," he said."It's been a difficult period since leading up to the Chelsea game. I had a back injury and I struggled through the game and had to come off. But an injection in my back has sorted things out. I was gutted to miss the Stoke game but it came at a good time as we had the international break and it gave me more time to rest and fully recover. The problem was a bulging disc touching the nerve, causing trouble down my legs. It's not put me out for a long period but the injection has settled it right down. The medical staff have been brilliant, given me great treatment and it's been good to train all week." TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR
Jermain Defoe believes he can replace the banned Wayne Rooney in the England team for their Euro 2012 group stages. With Rooney ruled out of the first three matches of the tournament, Defoe insists he can supply the goals. Defoe averages a goal every three matches for England, and he showed his predatory instincts with a fine goal against Newcastle United on Sunday. "When I'm fit and sharp and in the form I'm in now I can score at that level. My England record is good and I was disappointed not to be in the squad for the Montenegro game," he said. "It makes you more hungry. The manager knows what I can do, especially playing at the World Cup and having the experience so I look forward to seeing what happens. But I'll do whatever it takes to get on the plane, like I did last time. I feel sharp and I work hard in the gym to make sure I'm firing on all cylinders. I feel completely different compared to last season."WEST BROMWICH ALBION
Shane Long has impressed Albion defender Gareth McAuley with the quality of his performances since moving from Reading during the summer. McAuley said: "I've played against Longy a few times and he gets around, wins his headers. He's a pest in a good way for us, creates opportunities for other players and gets his own share of goals. He puts in a great shift. When he is doing that, we can try and get up the pitch because the opposition are always under pressure. It is great for us that he is doing that. He is a great outlet." WIGAN ATHLETIC
Striker Victor Moses has opened talks over a new contract, his agent has said. The 20-year-old moved to the DW Stadium in January 2010, and he is now considered one of Roberto Martinez's key performers. Moses has started every match for the Latics this season, and the club are looking to reward his progress with a new deal. The Nigerian-born forward has just over 18 months left on his current deal and is now in talks to extend his stay. "We had the first round of talks last week," his agent Tony Finnigan said. "We met with the club, and talks are are ongoing. Victor is enjoying playing at the moment and that is the main thing." WOLVERHAMPTON WANDERERS
West Brom manager Roy Hodgson has given his backing to his Wolves counterpart Mick McCarthy whose side crashed to a fifth successive defeat when beaten 2-0 at the Hawthorns. He said: "I can't imagine for the life of me that Wolves would want to sack Mick McCarthy. He's done a fantastic job - and he's doing a fantastic job. His team are very well organised and lost only because we were able to deal with the pressure they put us under, then played well when we had the ball. I don't think his team played badly at all. If we lost 2-0 and played as well as his team played here, I would be expecting, if anything, although I wouldn't get it, a pat on the back rather than people telling me 'you deserve to be sacked'. Fans like that song now. One day someone will tell me how that excites and embellishes their lives, knowing that someone else is going to get sacked in the morning.That's the one thing I've not quite come to terms with."
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