David Moyes has insisted Manchester United can still retain their Barclays Premier League title and warned they will get even better when Robin van Persie returns. United, who face Tottenham at home on Wednesday evening, are only eight points behind leaders Arsenal and are on a six-game winning streak in all competitions.

Arsene Wenger faces an injury crisis ahead of today's visit of Cardiff with up to 11 senior players set to miss the clash.

Dave McDonough, an analyst who worked under Rafael Benitez at Liverpool, has been unmasked as the man who has given West Bromwich Albion’s managerial search a Spanish twist. The self-confessed Reds’ fan is among a quorum of five who, along with chairman Jeremy Peace, have been detailed as finding a successor to Steve Clarke.

NEIL ASHTON: Having seven substitutes in each team is a luxury for managers at the top end of the table and they can feed their faces on all that talent. As for the standard, it does nothing for the league itself. What is the motivation for players to play football elsewhere when they can get a few games here and there at City or Liverpool?

IAN LADYMAN: David Moyes exited his press conference on Tuesday afternoon with a final wish. ‘I hope it’s a good year for you,’ he said. As he looks forward to the second half of his first season at Manchester United, Moyes will hope for some good fortune himself.

Too many cooks? Not so in the mind of Rene Meulensteen, who hopes Fulham’s consortium of top-flight managers can save a wretched season so far. The trio of Meulensteen, Alan Curbishley and Ray Wilkins will need to draw on all their experience if they are to untangle the mess at Craven Cottage.

ERIK BIELDERMAN - FRENCH FOOTBALL WRITER: Nicolas Anelka could have chosen to pay respect to Nelson Mandela. Instead, he chose Dieudonne M'bala M'bala.

The 12th January transfer window is sure to spring up one or two surprises, with clubs acting hastily to reverse poor form or strengthen their title quest. Going back to 2003, a total of £1.04bn has been spent in January yet this window continues to be the baby brother of the summer marketplace. Here are the highlights...

Cristiano Ronaldo began preparations for the latest instalment of his rivalry with Zlatan Ibrahimovic with a Real Madrid massage, while the Swede trained with his Paris Saint-Germain team-mates. Real meet PSG in a glamour friendly in Qatar on Thursday. The two European giants are enjoying winter breaks in Qatar.

Georgios Samaras has emerged as a shock transfer target for Spanish title contenders Atletico Madrid. The Greek international is out of contract in the summer and is expected to leave Celtic after showing no inclination to accept the offer of a new deal. A target for Hull City boss Steve Bruce, Samaras has also been linked with Italians Lazio.

There's no doubt 2013 has been a year to remember for the beautiful game... but at the same time there are some things we can just do without. Take note, football - we've got our eye on you!

JOE RIDGE: When Mick McCarthy was out of work and linked with every Championship job going for much of 2012, a myth was bandied about. McCarthy's teams, it was said, were defensively solid. But a closer look at his managerial career and that theory couldn't be further from the truth - whisper it, though, because it was that reputation that got Barnsley-born McCarthy his current job at Ipswich.

Two defeats on the bounce have hit Liverpool hard but they should get back on track against Hull while Arsenal can stay top. Find out who else we're tipping and take a look at our 2014 Premier League specials in our New Year betting guide.

We are at the mid-way point in this most engaging of seasons. There have been shock upsets, thrilling goals, decisive matches and enough bonkers storylines to write a Christmas panto.

Shinji Kagawa might be without a goal for Manchester United this season but the midfielder showed he still knows where the goal is on a recent visit to his native Japan - by scoring against 55 children.