When Brendan Rodgers dropped Simon Mignolet earlier this season, and when Manuel Pellegrini dropped Joe Hart last season, both goalkeepers were told in no uncertain terms that their performances had not been acceptable and they needed to smarten up if they ever wanted to get back into the team, even if, in Mignolet’s case, that meant playing Brad Jones instead. Both eventually came back stronger. Arsène Wenger, publicly at least, has taken a different approach with Wojciech Szczesny, dropping the Pole while simultaneously reassuring him that he remains the club’s No1. It is a curious method for two reasons: firstly, because Szczesny, perhaps like Jack Wilshere, comes across as guy who could do with a more forceful warning to refocus, and secondly because David Ospina has been flawless in the last month, spreading calm and keeping clean sheets in each of the four games that he has played. In Szczesny’s only appearance during that spell, Arsenal conceded two at Brighton. There is no obvious reason for Wenger to pick his “No1” for the north London derby, nor, indeed, to keep referring to Szczesny by that title.  Related: Tottenham v Arsenal: which players make our combined XI? | David Hytner  Spurs have lost only one of their past six home matches against Arsenal in the league and their chances of enjoying a positive result this time are enhanced by the return from the Africa Cup of Nations of Nabil Bentaleb. The Algerian had quietly become the linchpin of Tottenham’s midfield prior to his departure, binding the team with toughness and astute passing. Spurs missed him while he was gone, with his absence, rather than genetic perverseness in Spurs’ make-up, being chief among the reasons why they lost at Crystal Palace immediately after trouncing Chelsea. Spurs enjoyed a strong win at West Bromwich Albion last week but it is unlikely that any of Mousa Dembélé, Ryan Mason, Benjamin Stambouli or Étienne Capoue have done enough in the last eight matches to convince Mauricio Pochettino not to put Bentaleb straight back into the starting line-up.  Purple dildos may have been kept in check this year but transfer deadline day remains an undignified farce in much of the media and the colour yellow has been irredeemably tainted. That shame notwithstanding, Crystal Palace fans had reasons to cheer their club’s dealings over the last month and Alan Pardew now has a decent array of options as he takes his team for a vital showdown at the King Power Stadium. For a start, the arrival of Pape Souaré means the manager can now deploy a left-back who is genuinely comfortable in that position and perhaps return Joel Ward to the right. Lee Chung-yong could also be used at left-back or further forward and has enough ability to suggest his £1.5m capture from Bolton could turn out to be a bargain. The prospects of Pardew wringing more out of Jordon Mutch than Harry Redknapp managed to during the midfielder’s mysterious stint at QPR seem good, and Wilfried Zaha’s confidence can only be high after he made his loan move from Manchester United permanent. Add in Yaya Sanogo and Shola Ameobi, or at least the fact that Mile Jedinak is back from international action, and Palace will travel with optimism this weekend. And not just because they are going to Leicester. Nigel Pearson’s team have only won one of their last eight matches at home and scored just three goals in that time. Mind you, they did encouraging business themselves in January, and Andrej Kramaric and the returning Riyad Mahrez should increase their goal threat. Both teams, then, will fancy their chances of gaining three points from a clash that promises to be intense.  Brendan Rodgers keeps pointing out that his sides are always stronger in the second half of the season than in the first. But to continue that trend Liverpool are going to have to navigate their way through a busier end of term than they have ever experienced under the Northern Irishman. Last season they were not in Europe and exited the League Cup early doors; the year before that they also suffered an early League Cup elimination and were gone from the FA Cup after the fourth round. This season Liverpool reached the League Cup semi-final, losing only after two gruelling duels with Chelsea, and they hope to go far in the Europa League and FA Cup as well as complete their recovery in the Premier League by finishing in the top four, which would be a fine achievement after their appalling start. There is little sign of Rodgers prioritising any of those aims over the others at the moment and it will be interesting to see if Liverpool can continue improving until the end of the season as they compete on three fronts. Everton will be keen to make Rodgers regret fielding a nearly full-strength side in the FA Cup at Bolton just three days before the Merseyside derby.  Related: Everton v Liverpool: which players make our combined XI?  It is often said that getting good results when not playing well is the sign of a good team. But, of course, it could also be the sign of a jammy team whose luck will eventually run out. Sooner or later, then, we are going to find out which applies to Manchester United: either Louis van Gaal is going to mould them into a fluent unit or they are going to tumble down the table. This weekend’s match at Upton Park could serve as a useful indicator. As it happens, injuries to West Ham players could either help the visitors or complicate things for them: the possible absence of most of West Ham’s first-choice defenders would be an obvious boon, but the absence of Andy Carroll might not – because it means that Sam Allardyce will likely revert to the scheme that served him so well earlier in the campaign, with Diafra Sakho and Enner Valencia paired together up front and Stewart Downing roaming free in front of a formidable midfield triumvirate. West Ham gave United a serious scare at Old Trafford in September once they recovered from a timid start, and they should be more fearsome at home.  Harry Redknapp seemed frustrated by the lack of incoming players, but does the manager’s departure mean that, actually, Queens Park Rangers had a decent transfer window? No definitive answer to that can be given until we find out how the new permanent manager does – and whoever it is, they have been left with quite the salvage mission even if Rangers’ points tally is not disastrous – but there is good reason to believe that the team could benefit from a new approach. QPR need not be quite as bad as they have looked at times this season (and not just away) and the new regime might, for instance, find a more varied way of serving Charlie Austin than continually launching long balls for Bobby Zamora to flick on to him. The new man might pluck some gems from the youth team - caretaker Chris Ramsey’s first act this was to promote the youngsters Darnell Furlong and Brandon Comley to train with the first team. The new man might find a way to get Eduardo Vargas to show his undoubted talent in more advanced positions rather than as a midfield scrambler. He might inspire the players in a way that reduces the number of basic mistakes they make. He might rehabilitate Adel Taarabt or even Shaun Wright-Phillips, or coax consistency from Junior Hoilett and Matt Phillips or persuade Mauro Zárate that he can be useful as more than a symbol of puzzling management. You would not want to be staking your savings on any of those things happening, but the odds look slightly better now than they did under Redknapp. But Southampton should still be strong favourites to get back on track after last week’s defeat by Swansea, especially as Morgan Schneiderlin and Victor Wanyama look set to return.  Vincent Kompany has been generally below par since way before he suffered an injury that kept him out for most of December and January. And he has looked wobbly in the two matches he has played since returning to action. Admittedly those were difficult assignments to be thrust straight back into – against Arsenal and Chelsea – but he will have no excuse if he struggles this weekend against blunt and beleaguered Hull, even if he did goof against the same opponents when getting sent off at the KC Stadium last season.  José Mourinho has never managed a team to victory at Villa Park, whereas historians claim that Paul Lambert has. The Portuguese will surely be confident of ending that strange record this weekend even if Diego Costa and Cesc Fàbregas are still unavailable. Villa had hinted at an upswing in form before capitulating pitifully at Arsenal last weekend, and Chelsea could unleash new signing Juan Cuadrado, who should prove a welcome addition to the Premier League. Villa, meanwhile, will be no great loss to it if they don’t perk up soon.  One pleasing feature of the Premier League season so far has been the emergence of a fleet of high-calibre, relatively low-profile left-backs. While the most expensive young recruits – Luke Shaw and Alberto Moreno – have not quite taken off yet despite brimming with potential, Ryan Bertrand has thrived and found a new home at Southampton, Andrew Robertson has been one of the few sources of light in Hull’s season of gloom, Paul Dummett has excelled at Newcastle, and Aaron Cresswell has adapted seamlessly to the top-flight since joining West Ham from Ipswich Town. And since returning from shoulder injury at the start of this year, Patrick van Aanholt has performed well enough to suggest that Sunderland nabbed a bargain when they bought him from Chelsea last summer for just £1.5m last summer. The Dutchman has been especially effective since Gus Poyet switched to wing-back system. He has defended stoutly and attacked with great energy and incision, suggesting that, at 24, he could be poised to fulfil the potential that seemed stunted until recently.  Stephen Ireland is such an enigmatic, frustrating and talented player that it is amazing he has never been on Newcastle’s books. Oh that’s right, he was. He spent five months on loan there back in 2011, making two substitute appearances in one of several spells in his career when it has been difficult to understand his lack of influence on the pitch. This weekend he faces Newcastle with a chance to start showing he can be a consistent source of creativity for his team. Stoke and Mark Hughes, a manager who has shown faith in him, need the 28-year-old Irish non-international to deliver in the absence of Bojan Krkic. So far he has done so, playing beautifully after replacing the injured Krkic against Rochdale and then following that up with an excellent performance against QPR last weekend, including a delicious backheel for one of the three goals by Jonathan Walters, who, in return for the assist, offers a perfect example of a player who consistently gets the best out of himself.
Is it time for David Ospina to become Arsenal No1? Plus: intriguing Crystal Palace additions, flying full-backs and Vincent Kompany’s need for dependability