7 Truths: Cech is Arsenal's rock, LVG really needs a win, Zidane's Real Madrid like Rafa's

Cech kept Arsenal afloat in the second half against Bournemouth when they lost their composure and direction. Not only does he keep goal impressively, the sense of calm and authority he exudes gives Arsenal much-needed leadership in a team otherwise short on strong characters.

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Should Flamini have seen red for his studs-up challenge on Dan Gosling? Debatable, but it was certainly a worse tackle than that for which Southampton’s Victor Wanyama was sent off against West Ham on Saturday. Whether Kevin Friend was right or not, any time you give the referee a borderline red card call in the eighth minute you’re really not helping your team. Francis Coquelin must return to Arsenal’s starting line-up immediately.

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Gooners can be an angsty bunch at the best of times, but if they let cooler heads prevail they will see the title could still be theirs. 13 games remain – over a third of a season – so even if they fail to beat Leicester next week they are very much in the race. Even with a late swoon, they still managed 30 points from their final 13 games last season – a similar tally in this most topsy-turvy of campaigns may well make them champions.

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It's been a recurring theme for Louis Van Gaal. His second season at Manchester United has been clouded by continual speculation over his future. With news that Mourinho is set to return 'soon' and United's silence over reports they have spoken to the Portuguese, it seems inevitable LVG's time is finally coming to an end.

The win over Stoke was a throwback to the attacking football the fans have been craving, and while this was another fine display at Chelsea, that late strike by Diego Costa could be enough to halt the momentum the Dutch coach needs so desperately right now.

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Guus Hiddink was brought in to steady the ship after a stormy last few months under Jose Mourinho. He has done that, and brought a sense of calm to the team while making them hard to beat. Part of that has been brought about by playing two holding midifielders – usually John Obi Mikel and Nemanja Matic – in front of the defence.

However, a by-product appears to be they have become too defensively minded at the start of games, especially at Stamford Bridge and their attacking exploits have suffered as shown by the stat below. Don’t get carried away now guys!

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Things were supposed to be different by now, and initially they were. Real Madrid had grown stagnant under Rafael Benitez, with the club’s dressing room reportedly turning against him. In their first two games under new Zinedine Zidane Los Blancos netted 10 times, conceding just once as they implementing a more dynamic, faster-flowing style of play under the former World Cup winner.

But home comforts were never an issue for Real Madrid under Benitez. Instead it was their troubles on the road that proved most crippling, and that hasn't changed under Zidane. The capital club could only draw 1-1 at struggling Real Betis two weeks ago and were somewhat fortunate to claim three points against Granada on Sunday.

Zidane might have the backing of his players, but in actuality not a lot has changed. Real Madrid’s problems are very much the same as they always were.

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January saw the much-needed additions of Aleix Vidal and Arda Turan to the Barcelona squad, but they alone cannot have been expected to ease the stress on a thin squad that has been stretched for much of the campaign. While another win came against Levante on Sunday, it was perhaps Barca's toughest contest of the season so far - a 2-0 victory only secured with an own goal and then a breakaway clincher right at the death.

Ordinarily you would not expect Levante to provide such stern opposition (and there will be delight among their fans at how well they fared compared to city rivals Valencia), but tiredness was visibly an issue for Luis Enrique's side, and something that will have to be monitored carefully over the coming weeks. Few may give Arsenal much hope in the Champions League tie, for example - but if Barcelona are even fractionally fatigued then they can perhaps be got at, as Levante so nearly showed.