Olivier Giroud proves Arsenal critics wrong, Louis van Gaal under pressure at Manchester United, Liverpool building

Aston Villa are doomed if their belief doesn't change, Spurs show signs of a Europa League hangover, Leicester and Watford challenge the established clubs and Howe deserves the praise for Bournemouth's victories

Arsenal striker Olivier Giroud (Getty Images)

Don’t be fooled, Van Gaal is fighting for his job

The calls from the Manchester United boardroom claim that Louis van Gaal retains the backing of club’s hierarchy, but after spending £250m in the transfer market and coming up with such a drab performance against Bournemouth, Van Gaal must be feeling the pressure to turn things around.

In what is proving to be a poor Premier League season in terms of the title challenge, United could have used the 2015/16 campaign to get back to the top of English football and put two years of mediocrity behind them. Instead, Van Gaal’s squad appears feeble and short on quality, and the 2-1 defeat by Bournemouth at the weekend will trigger genuine questions whether he is the right man to lead United.

While too much should not be read into the loss given United’s lengthy injury list, their failings this season can’t go unnoticed, and January is quickly turning into a pivotal month for the Dutchman with regards to what he can do in the transfer market.

Giroud continues to prove doubters wrong

The summer was dominated by talk of Olivier Giroud not being good enough to lead a Premier League title challenge, and even Arsene Wenger appeared to agree when he dropped the Frenchman in favour of Theo Walcott.

But once again Giroud continued to dispel the critics, and after scoring the opening penalty in the 2-0 win over Aston Villa on Sunday, he became the third quickest Arsenal striker to score 50 Premier League goals for the club. Only Thierry Henry and Ian Wright have achieved the feat quicker, and with Walcott back on the wing since returning from injury, Giroud has the chance to inspire Arsenal to the title and shut up they naysayers for good.

Villa doomed and it’s not even Christmas

Six points adrift from the next club and an alarming eight points from safety, things are beginning to look very bleak for Aston Villa. Tim Sherwood has gone and Remi Garde has taken over, but there still appears to be a serious problem among the squad as their attitude in the loss to Arsenal was completely wrong.

Aaron Ramsey and Mesut Ozil celebrate Arsenal's second goal against Aston Villa (GETTY IMAGES)

The image of Carlos Sanchez almost walking back to mark Aaron Ramsey when the Welshman scored Arsenal’s second epitomised Villa’s lacklustre performance, and apart from a period of domination that still produced nothing after half-time, Villa looked every inch the relegation favourites they’ve become.

Liverpool are far from the finished article – this season is too early for them

Liverpool celebrated the late 2-2 draw with West Bromwich Albion as if they’d won the match, and after a promising start to life under Jurgen Klopp, the Reds have been pegged back by defeat to Newcastle last weekend and a draw with the Baggies on Sunday.

Jurgen Klopp leads his Liverpool side in acknowledging the fans after his side's 2-2 draw with West Brom (GETTY IMAGES)

There are a lot of positives to be taken from Liverpool under Klopp, but they are yet to click into top gear – bar the demolition of Manchester City last month – and while they have noticeably improved under the German, this season is too soon to expect them to win the Premier League. Next season however could be a completely different story.

Europa League catches up with Spurs

1-0 up against Newcastle at home and in control, Tottenham looked like they were on course to extend their unbeaten run that goes back to the opening game of the season. Yet somehow Spurs let Newcastle back into the game, and it proved costly as substitutes Aleksandar Mitrovic and Ayoze Perez secured a thrilling comeback victory for a rejuvenated Magpies side.

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Perez was the beating heart of Steve McClaren’s side once he was introduced, and while Spurs goalkeeper Hugo Lloris will be disappointed not to have kept out his injury-time effort, it was a lovely piece of control and execution from the Spaniard. However, Spurs were playing just three days after facing Monaco in the Europa League, and they faded throughout the second half as tired legs clearly had an effect on Mauricio Pochettino’s side. With a bit of time to recover in the run up to the festive period, expect Spurs to be back to winning ways in no time at all.

Big dreamers like Leicester and Watford putting pressure on established clubs

Two teams that were tipped to be relegated immediately are demonstrating exactly why Championship clubs can dream of success in the Premier League. Leicester’s escape from relegation last season was remarkable in itself, and their current title challenge has stunned even those at the King Power Stadium.

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Meanwhile, Watford are going about their business as if they are Premier League regulars, and with Odion Ighalo striking the winner in the 1-0 win over Sunderland, the Hornets now sit seventh in the Premier League with 25 points – closer to the top of the table than relegation. With clubs like these finding a way to succeed, established names such as Aston Villa are in big trouble. Both West Ham and Newcastle have suffered relegation in the past, and it looks like Villa aren’t far away from being the next big name to fall through the trap door.

Howe deserves praise for refusing to change his philosophy

Earlier in the season, this column claimed that Eddie Howe needed to change the way Bournemouth were going about games in order to keep them up due to the alarming number of injuries that the Cherries had on their hands. Admirably, Howe has refused to go on the defensive, and Bournemouth are currently celebrating the two biggest wins in their history as a result, with the 2-1 win over Manchester United coming off the back of a 1-0 victory over Chelsea.

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The six-point haul has lifted Bournemouth to 14th and given them a real chance of building towards the 40-point mark, and while two victories does not make them safe, it is the manner of the wins that will feel Howe’s players with confidence and belief that they can prove everyone wrong and stay afloat come May.