Tightening up in defence has been a major priority for Manchester United according to left-back Matteo Darmian after a fourth straight victory in all competitions.

Jose Mourinho’s team stuttered at the start of the season but have bounced back strongly with three wins in a week over Tottenham, Crystal Palace and West Brom on Saturday.

They have conceded just once in those three games, and appear to have landed on a back four combination with Darmian and Antonio Valencia on the flanks, with Marcos Rojo and Phil Jones in the centre.

And having closed the gap yet further on the top four, Darmian insists United can get back into the hunt for the title with a strong Christmas run.

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He said: “Clean sheets mean a lot for us and we didn’t give them too many chances. We worked together at the back with a great team spirit.

“We only conceded a couple of corners in the game (against West Brom) and that was great because before the game we aimed to try and keep the corner count down.

“We deserved to win the game.

“We scored early and we controlled the game.

“It gave us three more very important points and a fourth win in a row. Confidence is high, each win gives us confidence to keep working and keep improving.

“We must continue like this and be focused over the tough festive period.

“Our recovery over the next few days is important so that we can be ready for a really important Christmas period. We have to keep fighting so we can reduce the gap at the top of the league.”

After racking up 11 Premier League wins on the bounce, Chelsea manager Antonio Conte is being touted as a fierce leader of men.

But the Italian insists he sees himself more like a tailor, who makes his squad fit into position like a perfectly-made suit.

Diego Costa’s goal at Crystal Palace saw the Blues to their third straight 1-0 win in the league, and the former champions will be top of the table at Christmas.

And Conte admits that he is not looking to change the winning formula any time soon.

“Before the season I said one thing: the manager must be a tailor,” he said. “They must try to find the right fit for your team. It wasn’t easy to arrive and understand the characteristics of my players very soon. I needed a bit of time.

“The most important thing is the mentality, a strong mentality. Also, at work during the week – tactical work, physical work, technical work, analysis work, good food – we touched different aspects to try to improve.

“You can bring your idea of football but if you haven’t the players who follow this idea it’s very difficult for a manager.

“If I don’t say I am pleased for this record I am dishonest. I am not a person who loves stats, but it’s my first season in England and to win 14 games out of 17 is fantastic.

“We have found a good balance offensively and defensively, and I think now is not a good idea to change it!”

Crystal Palace manager Alan Pardew insists his Eagles side must start picking up points on home soil after falling to their eighth defeat in ten games to Chelsea on Saturday.

Diego Costa’s 43rd-minute strike sealed all three points for the Blues at Selhurst Park to send Palace spinning to their sixth home defeat of the season, having picked up just seven points on their own turf.

It leaves Pardew’s side languishing in 17th in the Premier League table, just three points above the relegation zone as they head into the Christmas fixtures.

They travel to Watford on Boxing Day, and Pardew is desperate to see his team turn their fortunes around as the second half of the campaign looms.

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“We have got to get some points on the board and start winning some games,” he said.

“The next game is Watford and that’s how we have got to work, because each game is an opportunity to get points on the board.

“We have had some difficult fixtures at home in this first half of the season, and it is our home form we need to improve in the second half of the season if we are to climb up this league.”

He has bagged nine in all competitions so far this season and led the scoring charts last Premier League campaign, but facing Harry Kane holds no fear for Burnley’s Ben Mee.

The defender is approaching 200 senior appearances for the Clarets, and as an ever-present in the Burnley back four he is quickly getting accustomed to life in the Premier League.

His side visit White Hart Lane on Sunday with no win on the road in seven attempts this season, and Mee knows the importance of picking up points away from Turf Moor if they are to survive for a second consecutive season in the top flight.

“It’s going to be a tough game but it’s enjoyable pitting your wits against players like that. It’s been a good experience this season,” said 27-year-old Mee.

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“We would like to pick up some results away from home, which would make it even better.

“But I am enjoying it and enjoying playing against these quality players and quality strikers.

“So hopefully I can continue playing in the team. It’s my aim to play in every game and do as well as I can.

“It’s difficult to get your head round it but we need to perform away from home, which we haven’t been doing. That’s the bottom line.

“We need to play like we do at home, without fear, and prove we can play away from home.”

Pep Guardiola may have been handed the keys to Barcelona for his first managerial job but Arsene Wenger believes he shares many similarities with the Spaniard.

Arsenal travel to the blue half of Manchester on Sunday looking to catch up with rampant Premier League leaders Chelsea – and stretch their lead over fourth-placed City to four points.

By Guardiola’s lofty standards – the former Spain midfielder won a succession of titles with Barcelona and Bayern Munich – his first year at the Etihad Stadium is not going entirely to plan.

(Photo by Shaun Botterill/Bongarts/Getty Images)

Successive defeats to Chelsea and Leicester City have left the Sky Blues vulnerable heading into Christmas, with Guardiola yet to successfully implement his possession-based philosophy.

But Wenger is full of admiration for a man who he believes shares much of the same footballing principles.

“He started at Barcelona, I started in an academy,” said Wenger. “It’s not the same, but I must say he has done extremely well and he is one of the most respected managers in the game, if not the most and maybe rightly so.

“[He is] similar [to me] – he tries to play. Every manager has a personality and can only act with his own personality.

“You cannot copy a manager, you can only be who you are, and he has been influenced at Barcelona by the Cruyff period when he was a player. I think he has strong beliefs and that for me is the most important thing for a manager.

“Our job is to always accept that you want your own philosophy but at the right pace. When you go somewhere, sometimes you have to analyse what is going on and to bring in your own philosophy at a pace where you think they can cope with it.”

Jurgen Klopp is willing to play the waiting game when it comes to Philippe Coutinho’s injury return despite encouraging signs for the Liverpool playmaker.

The Reds have had to do without the Brazilian since late last month after he suffered an ankle injury in the first half against Sunderland.

The 24-year-old gave fans reason for optimism earlier this week when he said that he was targeting a playing return against Manchester City on New Year’s Eve.

(Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)

And while Klopp was not ruling it out, he was also quick to be the voice of reason, with the German explaining he didn’t want to cause any further harm by bringing him back early.

“It would be cool,” said Klopp of Coutinho’s possible availability for the City game. “I won’t stop him. In this moment he is improving a lot.

“He is off his crutches since the West Ham game – when we left the stadium he was walking in front without them.

“We will have to see. No idea at the moment. I never rush a player back. I’m the most patient person in Liverpool. I always wait for someone. I can’t rush it.”

Southampton have struggled to find the net in recent weeks but midfielder James Ward-Prowse is convinced their luck will start to turn.

The Saints have scored more than one goal just once in their last nine matches – when they beat Arsenal 2-0 in the EFL Cup quarter-finals on November 30.

A frustrating 0-0 draw at Stoke in midweek was their latest goalscoring letdown but with a trip to Bournemouth on Sunday afternoon awaiting, Ward-Prowse is confident that resilience will pay dividends.

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“The strikers need to keep making the runs, we need to keep getting in the box and hopefully it will fall,” said Ward-Prowse.

“We maybe need a little bit of luck in front of goal which hopefully we can get this weekend and the goalscoring form can turn around.”

The Bournemouth clash is something of a South Coast derby for Southampton but the Cherries currently hold bragging rights, after prevailing 2-0 when the teams last met back in March.

And Ward-Prowse admits the proximity of the clubs, and the most recent result, will be inspiring the troops on Sunday.

“As players, it’s in the back of your mind and it’s always a game you want to win even more,” he added.

“But we have to be disciplined and controlled in our minds and make sure we’re focused on the task.

“We have to put the South Coast to the side and make sure we focus on what’s going to be a tough game.”

Gareth Barry is targeting silverware with Everton after signing a contract extension at Goodison Park to keep him at the club until the summer of 2018.

The 35-year-old will go second in the list of all-time Premier League appearances on Monday if he takes to the field in the Merseyside derby against Liverpool.

That would see him surpass Frank Lampard’s 609 appearances with Ryan Giggs’ 632 matches the next name on his hit-list.

And the midfielder insists he’s still enjoying his football, particularly under Everton’s new manager Ronald Koeman.

“Another year means that it will help that number come towards me but that wasn’t the reason I have signed the contract – it’s because I’m enjoying my football here,” Barry said.

(Photo by Dan Mullan/Getty Images)

“I feel really good. I’m 35 now but that is just a number. When I’m out on the pitch, I don’t feel 35.

“The new manager has come in and given me a new lease of life. It’s really helped my own game, so I’m looking forward to taking that on and enjoying this season, which is hopefully a successful one.

“To be part of a club’s history, if you win a trophy it’s so much easier to be talked about down the line in years to come. For any player, that’s what you want to achieve.

“This club’s had a long wait to win a trophy, so if this group of players can achieve that it will be fantastic.”

Manchester City are going through a slump which has seen them fall off the pace in the title race but Paul Dickov believes they only need to look at recent history to rectify the problem.

City began the season with six straight wins in the Premier League under new manager Pep Guardiola, but after a first loss of the campaign to Tottenham, they have since gone down to Chelsea and Leicester.

But for Dickov, who spent seven seasons at Manchester City over two spells, there is undoubtedly the talent in the squad to get back on track.

And the key for him is to rediscover the early season form by cutting out the individual mistakes.

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He said: “There might be a bit of doom and gloom around at the moment, but it wasn’t that long ago that we’d just won ten games in a row, and you don’t do that in England if you’re not a really good team.

“Perhaps we need to look back at how we beat those teams and the problems we caused and take it from there.

“Leicester showed against us that sometimes, if you go back to basics and cut out the individual errors, you rediscover the form you had in the first place.”

Tottenham Hotspur legend Ledley King has hailed centre-half pairing Jan Vertonghen and Toby Alderweireld as having “no obvious weaknesses”.

Spurs have conceded just 11 Premier League goals this season, despite having the influential Alderweireld out for several weeks with a leg injury.

However, the Belgian has returned to the heart of the Spurs defence alongside compatriot Vertonghen for the busy festive run of fixtures, as Spurs look to break into the top four.

Mauricio Pochettino’s men take on Burnley at White Hart Lane on Sunday, as they target their fifth home win on the spin in all competitions.

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Former defender King, who spent his entire career at Tottenham, making 321 appearances and scoring 15 goals, has hailed the duo’s wide range of attributes, claiming they can deal with all types of striking threat.

“They’re well rounded – both of them,” King said. “They don’t have any obvious weaknesses.

“Sometimes you can get someone who is very good in the air, very physical but not so great with the smaller, nippy players.

“They can deal with all types of forwards.”