Despite a warm-weather training camp in Dubai proving unable to live up to its billing, Mark Noble believes West Ham’s trip to the Arabian Gulf will have a revitalising effect on their season.

Slaven Bilic’s side shook off an early-season slump to lose just one of their last five Premier League games, with Noble an ever-present in the Irons’ midfield.

And the 29-year-old feels that swapping East London for the Middle East could bring about a further upturn in their fortunes.

“The weather wasn’t great in Dubai, but we had four really good training sessions and a bit of downtime where we could relax and just chill out, and I think it’s great,” he said.

(Photo by Kieran Galvin/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

“We had a couple of meals together, the whole squad, and it’s great to get everyone together in one room and enjoy everyone’s company.

“I couldn’t believe how many fans there were. About 300 people came and to be fair that was during the best couple of hours sun we had!

“They got to see a really good training session and enjoyed meeting the boys after. It was just a really good four or five days in all.”

Mark Hughes insists he is not put off by Stoke City’s daunting fixture list and believes his side can bloody a few noses in the next four weeks.

After a Christmas blip, Stoke have found something near their best form in 2017 – with wins against Watford, Sunderland and Crystal Palace lifting them into the top half of the Premier League.

But their new-found confidence is set to be severely tested with a string of tough fixtures against title challengers Tottenham Hotspur, Chelsea and Manchester City.

Photo by Gareth Copley/Getty Images

And Hughes is confident his charges can ruffle some feathers and cause an upset or two.

“The next four games on paper are really testing for us, but we are looking forward to them – it will be a real challenge for us,” he said.

“We have been to places like Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester United and shown we can compete with those sides.

“It’s important to start brightly in those sort of matches and then produce 90 minutes of good effort and have a little bit of luck, which you need to come away from games with those sort of sides with a positive result.

“We have good talent here, we will create things and the big thing for us is making sure that we take those opportunities.”

Bournemouth are in real danger of being hauled into the Premier League relegation dogfight, according to Kevin Kilbane.

The Cherries’ stuttering form has left them just six points clear of the relegation zone and 14^th in the division.

They have not won in the league in 2017, and on Saturday take on a West Bromwich Albion side who have flourished under Tony Pulis this season.

The Baggies are eighth, and beat the Cherries 1-0 in the reverse fixture at the Vitality Stadium in September.

Photo by Steve Bardens/Getty Images

And Kilbane believes Eddie Howe’s side’s relegation rivals can smell blood as they see Bournemouth sliding towards the wrong end of the table.

“Bournemouth have been on a poor run and, all of a sudden, with the form of the teams below them, they will be looking behind them,” he said.

“They will see Hull and Swansea getting better and better. If you are either of those two teams, or Crystal Palace, Sunderland or Middlesbrough, you will be targeting Bournemouth as the next team to suck into the battle.

“Bournemouth’s players are probably looking over their shoulders, which inadvertently creates a little bit of fear – when you are on a bad run that fear inevitably sets in at some stage.”

Gary McAllister knows a good midfielder when he sees one and the former Scotland international expects Adam Lallana to become a Liverpool hero after penning a new deal.

Lallana has become a key part of Jurgen Klopp’s team this season, scoring eight times in all competitions and extended his contract on Wednesday.

Until recently, Liverpool had seemed a different beast this season and looked to be Chelsea’s closest contenders at the top of the league before a worrying run of form saw them drop off the pace.

Photo by Alex Livesey/Getty Images

But 28-year-old Lallana has been consistently excellent all year and McAllister, who was first-team coach at Anfield last season and spent four years there as a player, expects the talented playmaker to continue on an upward curve under Klopp.

“For years I’ve always admired Adam from when he burst onto the scene at Southampton,” he said.

“He took his time to settle in here but now he is and he is flying. It’s purely down to the manager and the system, which suits him.

“He has got so much energy and skill and that is what you need to play in a Jürgen Klopp side.

“It is all about the running power allied to being able to play quick and incisive football. That just suits his style.”

Manager Mauricio Pochettino is determined to ensure Tottenham Hotspur’s Europa League exit will not derail their whole season.

Spurs, trailing 1-0 to Gent from the round of 32 first leg, welcomed the Belgians to Wembley Stadium on Thursday, but a 2-2 draw on the night saw them limp out.

The result compounds a miserable season in Europe for Spurs, who exited the Champions League at the group stage.

But, third in the Premier League table and with an Emirates FA Cup quarter-final at home to Millwall on the horizon, Pochettino believes his team must instantly regroup and not blow their chance to fight for further honours.

“It is key to recover physically and mentally,” said Pochettino, whose team welcome Stoke City to White Hart Lane on Sunday.

“On Sunday we will pick a team that is fresh.

“We need to move on and forget that competition and try to be focused on Sunday, and ready to fight because the competition doesn’t wait for you.

“It always pushes you to give your best. Now is not the time to cry, but to move on and to start preparing for the game against Stoke.”

Cedric Soares says his leadership role at Southampton is helping him play his best football ahead of the EFL Cup final against Manchester United on Sunday.

Cedric – who hails from Portugal – has been a lynchpin in Southampton’s run to 11th in the Premier League as well as the EFL showpiece at Wembley.

And the 25-year-old admits the added responsibility thrust upon him by Claude Puel had helped him mature.

“It’s very special for me [to be going to the final], because I feel part of it,” he explained.

“I feel I have a bigger role in the club every day and this makes me feel proud.

(Photo by Ian Walton/Getty Images)

“It’s normal from the beginning that you need to show yourself when you come here, but now I have played many games for Southampton.

“The club also recognises my value. They showed they trust me with the new deal and also now I feel every game more important for the club.

“This makes me feel even more responsibility and the feeling that I want to give more and more for the club, fighting for our fans. I think every player should think.

“If everyone thinks the same way, we will be at a very high level and achieve big things for Southampton.”

Rather than join their Premier League peers on the beaches of Europe, manager Tony Pulis has revealed the West Bromwich Albion players were keen to spend some rare rest time in the Black Country.

Liverpool are among the sides that used the break in the Premier League fixture list, created by their early exit from the Emirates FA Cup, to visit warmer climes for training and bonding sessions.

But after consultation with club captain Darren Fletcher, Pulis was told his players wanted to stay put in the west Midlands.

And the Welsh boss hopes the decision to respect his players’ wishes will play dividends in the final third of the season.

“They’ve had three or four days off with their families,” Pulis confirmed.

“We could have taken them away as a group, but I spoke to Fletch and the general consensus was they would prefer time with their families, with school holidays and everything else.

“The players have come back looking refreshed and ready to go.”

The Baggies return to Premier League action with back-to-back home games, starting on Saturday against Bournemouth before Pulis’s former employers Crystal Palace come to town.

“The next two home games will be difficult, because they are ones people will look at and say we should win,” Pulis added.

“Both Bournemouth and Palace are in positions where they still need points desperately to stay in the Premier League and we need to make sure we are right for those games, both mentally and physically.”

Middlesbrough boss Aitor Karanka has praised his side’s strength in depth and expects to need the entire squad in the Premier League run-in.

Karanka believes the impressive performances of Grant Leadbitter, Rudy Gestede and Cristhian Stuani, who all scored in their 3-2 win over Oxford United in the FA Cup, shows the quality at his disposal.

Boro, who sit just two points above the relegation zone, have not won in the league since their 3-0 victory over Swansea in December.

Karanka will hope their cup triumph can lead to better performances in the league, starting with their visit to Crystal Palace on Saturday.

(Photo by Mark Thompson/Getty Images)

“I am pleased for all of them – it was a good lesson but the positive thing is that the attitude was really good,” he said.

“We are in February and we have to be together – I have to transmit that all of them are important in this team. Everybody will have his chance.

Karanka also praised his match-winning substitute Stuani and admitted that perhaps he isn’t receiving the plaudits he deserves.

“It is a shame that maybe he is not recognised for how good he is and how much he is helping us,” said Karanka.

“His numbers since he arrived here have been amazing – and not just the numbers but also the moments he contributes.

“Against Oxford, like he did against Brighton, he appears in the most difficult moment and scores.”

Ashley Young has turned in a couple of key showings for Manchester United at right back of late and the 31-year-old hopes he has done enough to earn a starting spot in EFL Cup final.

Young has looked impressive at right back in victories over both Blackburn Rovers in the FA Cup and St Etienne in the Europa League.

Next up is a trip to Wembley on Sunday to take on Southampton as the Red Devils go in search of a fifth League Cup title.

And the former Villain Young is hoping his side are suitably recovered to prevent the Saints going marching in.

“I am a player who wants to play week in, week out. Everyone in the squad wants to play,” he said.

“Whenever called upon, I have got to go out there, give 110 per cent and play as well as I can. The manager said I was man of the match at Blackburn and it was nice to get a compliment.

(Photo by Barrington Coombs – The FA/The FA via Getty Images)

“I am also just one of the players who want to get back on the training pitch, go again and look forward to the next game. It would be fantastic to play on Sunday at Wembley, but that is down to the manager to decide. As long as I’m ready then we will just have to wait and see.

“The amount of games we play takes its toll at a certain point but we have people who help us to recover. You know your own body, you know what to do to recover. We didn’t play on Thursday this week, we played on Wednesday, so we have an extra day to rest and as long as we recover properly then we will be ready for Sunday.”

Former Chelsea and Arsenal star William Gallas has backed Claude Makelele’s tactical nous to help Swansea City continue their rise up the table.

The Frenchman was brought in by former Chelsea coach Paul Clement when he took charge at the Liberty Stadium last month.

Clement was named January’s Premier League manager of the month after turning around his new side’s fortunes, including a confidence-boosting win at Anfield over Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool.

And while Clement has rightfully received plaudits for his impact in Wales, Gallas has singled out the impact of French colleague Makelele to the Swans’ defensive organisation.

“When you had Claude Makelele in front of you, then you played with a cigar in your mouth. That’s how it felt,” said Gallas.

Photo credit should read FRANCK FIFE/AFP/Getty Images

“As a defender, it was great to play with Claude as he was so clever.

“He had experience of playing for Real Madrid and won the Champions League there.

“When he arrived at Chelsea I learned a lot from him. He spoke to me on and off the pitch, telling me what to do to help the team.

“Now the players at Swansea are benefiting from the same advice and knowledge that Claude was giving me.

“He knows football very well, and when you have a coach that can explain everything then he makes your job easier.”