Phil McNulty
BBC Sport chief football writer

Isaac, Solihull: Good morning Phil, what do you think are realistic targets for Aston Villa this season?

Hi, Isaac. I think they need to have their sights on the top four, a decent run in the Champions League and a tilt at the FA Cup – if Unai Emery plays a strong side in the latter.

Villa are three points off the top four, so that is very realistic, and while I’m not touting them as going very deep into the Champions League, they are managed by one of the great European specialists in Emery so they should be optimistic in that competition as well.

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Getty Images

Southampton will prop up the rest of the Premier League at Christmas after taking just six points from their 17 games so far.

Four teams have stayed up after being bottom on Christmas day in 32 seasons of the Premier League.

West Bromwich Albion (2004-05), Sunderland (2013-14), Leicester (2014-15) and Wolves (2022-23) were the four teams to manage it.

Southampton are currently in a bad situation, eight points adrift, but who else could be in danger?

Well, two teams have been in the top 10 at Christmas and gone down - Norwich, who were seventh in 1994-95, and Blackpool, who were 10th in 2010-11.

Which team occupy seventh spot now? Manchester City.

Image source, BBC Sport

Ipswich, Wolves and Southampton occupy the relegation slots, with the latter two very recently changing managers.

It is quite rare for the relegation zone to contain the same three teams at Christmas and on the final day - but it did happen last season.

Luton, Burnley and Sheffield United were 18th, 19th and 20th respectively on 25 December and 19 May.

The other seasons the bottom three remained the same (albeit not necessarily in the same order) were 2001-02 (Derby, Leicester, Ipswich), 2012-13 (Wigan, QPR, Reading) and 2020-21 (Fulham, West Brom, Sheffield United).

Image source, BBC Sport

Liverpool will top the Premier League table at Christmas following their 6-3 win at Tottenham on Sunday.

But how likely is it that Arne Slot's side will still be there at the of season?

BBC Sport has been crunching the numbers.

Exactly half the time - in 16 seasons out of 32 - the team top of the Premier League table on Christmas Day goes on to win the title.

But Liverpool's record is much, much worse than that.

This is the seventh time the Reds have stood first on 25 December - but their only success since the top-flight's 1992 rebrand was in 2019-20.

Liverpool have though been in this position more than anyone else in English football history - 21 times, winning 11 of the previous 20.

Phil McNulty
BBC Sport chief football writer

Image source, Getty Images

Matt: Why do we keep having people criticising Jordan Pickford? People are doing specific segments on it after he kept yet another clean sheet.

Morning, Matt. If people are criticising Jordan Pickford then they are spectacularly misguided. He has been outstanding both in performance and consistency for Everton and England for the last three or four years.

He has been in brilliant form again this season and I do not think it is an exaggeration to say that Everton might have found themselves in the Championship (more than once) had it not been for Pickford. He has been that good.

Phil McNulty
BBC Sport chief football writer

James: Should Ruben Amorim stick with 3-4-3 or revert to 4-3-3? 343 isn’t working in my opinion. 4-3-3 gives Manchester United another midfield player as opposed to a third centre back.

Hello, James. This is Amorim’s tried and trusted formation and I do not think he will be changing it. I think a lot of his early time at United will be deciding who, if any, of his squad suit this strategy as he moves forward.

It’s coming with a lot of pain at the moment but Amorim will be thinking about the longer-term and next season. We need to remember he has only just got his feet under the table.

Image source, Getty Images

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Simon Stone
BBC Sport's chief football news reporter at Old Trafford

Just as Manchester United's head coach Ruben Amorim was telling the media he felt fans were "tired" in his post-match news conference, a leak from the ceiling led to water running onto journalists on the front row, forcing one of them to move.

While many fans will be quite happy to learn of journalists covering their club getting a soaking, as a public farce it takes some beating.

Phil McNulty
BBC Sport chief football writer

Anon: Hi Phil. When Ipswich were unlucky not to beat Man Utd during Amorim's first game in charge, I said Town should be aiming to finish above them. What are the chances of Man Utd being relegated?

Do I sense a wind-up? You might be right about Ipswich being a bit unlucky not to beat Manchester United in Ruben Amorim’s first game but United relegated? Things are bad at Old Trafford – even the press room ceiling leaks – but not that bad.

I think Manchester United might just survive.

Image source, Getty Images

Phil McNulty
BBC Sport chief football writer

Anon: Phil, with the pre-season title contenders fading away and unlikely top 6 teams in Forest, Brighton, Bournemouth and Villa above them, will the 'big teams' take points off each other meaning Liverpool will have no challenge in their path to a title?

Liverpool are in a position that would have been beyond their wildest dreams at the start of the season, four points clear with a game in hand at Christmas. They are clearly favourites but I would not write off a challenge from Arsenal and also Chelsea, even though both have dropped points against Everton in the last week.

Arne Slot’s team are in pole position but we all know there is still plenty of time for things to change. Liverpool would take the current state of affairs all day long, though.

Shay Given
Former Man City goalkeeper on the Premier League Review podcast

The balance at Tottenham doesn't seem to be right. But it's a makeshift back-four. It's not easy.

You've got [Djed] Spence who's a right-back playing left-back. You've got [Archie] Gray who's a young midfielder playing centre-back.

You've got [Radu] Dragusin who's not first choice and then [Pedro] Porro and Fraser [Forster], who's the second-choice goalkeeper.

But then you can look at the two in front - [Yves] Bissouma and [Pape Matar] Sarr - and are they doing enough to protect the back four? I'm not so sure.

Phil McNulty
BBC Sport chief football writer

Image source, Getty Images

Michael, Lincolnshire: Hi Phil, having read your match report, I note that you did mention Spurs's injury crisis. I wouldn't necessarily call it a merciless thrashing. We scored 3, which I would disagree was a skewed result, and heads didn't go down. Do you agree, however, it would be pointless starting again, you only have to look at our recent history pre Ange and others like United and Chelsea where chopping and changing has had a mostly negative effect. If a club enters a project, as we obviously are then you have to see it through, surely?

Hi Michael. I also mentioned they had a long list of absentees in more detail in my post-match piece listing some of those missing and saying it would be unfair on both Ange Postecoglou and Spurs not to outline this. This is only right.

I have to disagree with you on the scoreline. I think it flattered Spurs but would agree heads did not go down, which was to their credit.

On Postecoglou’s future. There is a lot of merit in what you say as, in recent times at least because Chelsea used to defy logic on this, both they and United have suffered because of managerial instability.

Will Daniel Levy hold his nerve, wait for players to come back, and hope Spurs can improve? That is the great unknown but we should not forget they are in the semi-final of the Carabao Cup and still in with a chance of a first trophy since 2008.

David James
Former Liverpool goalkeeper on the Premier League Review podcast

If it hadn't have been Liverpool, [Spurs] could have drawn or even won the game.

When you're talking about the Premier League, this Ange [Postecoglou] side was never going to challenge for the Premier League this season. His problem is trying to win a trophy.

Now if I'm a Tottenham fan, I'm looking at it going, 'you know what? We've got two semi-finals and a final. We could win three games here and end up with the trophy that Ange says we're going to get'.

That is a stepping stone that Spurs need to make. Not that 'oh we're going to be consistent straight away and challenge for the title'.

Phil McNulty
BBC Sport chief football writer

Chris: Morning Phil. How do Liverpool maintain their winning momentum in the New Year, apart from avoiding injuries?

Hi Chris. I’d say the simple answer is keep playing as they are, which currently makes them the best team in the country. Injuries are always a concern, but head coach Arne Slot is also very fortunate to have a strong squad to pick from.