The Floridian fairways and greens of Sawgrass are in a splendid state ahead of the Players Championship, but the same can hardly be said for professional golf as a whole.

Riven by conflict and division, the turbulence of the last year is reflected by who is absent this week. The defending champion, Cameron Smith, for starters.

A defector to LIV Golf, drawn in by a staggering signing-on fee of reportedly $100million, Smith traded his parking spot and right to practise at Sawgrass, his local course, for the Saudi bounty.

It would be difficult for anybody to turn down such riches, so rather than sit in judgement of the 29-year-old Australian it is a timely moment to look at where the sport finds itself, with the PGA Tour battling to retain talent.

Notorious LIV? Mo money, mo problems

Is the LIV tour really the black-hearted enemy to golf that some would portray it as? It obviously would say not, and its tour chiefs, headed by CEO Greg Norman, have mounted passionate defences of the splinter series that has put up huge sums to draw in many of the world's elite.

Golf can be a short-lived career for stars at the highest level, so young players may see an opportunity to make quick money and instantly set themselves up for life.

Those at the opposite end, who have made phenomenal money already but are perhaps seeing diminishing returns, have been handed opportunities to cash in on their big profiles for a late-career pay day. Look to the likes of Phil Mickelson, Sergio Garcia, Ian Poulter and Lee Westwood in this regard.

Would those in the middle be quite so tempted? The PGA Tour would hope they might show loyalty after being well served, so it will have particularly hurt to see the likes of Brooks Koepka, Dustin Johnson, Patrick Reed and Bryson DeChambeau make the leap across.

Norman has argued LIV is "unlocking potential", claiming in a News Nation interview in January that golf "has been stuck in a box for 53 years". 

Australian Norman also took criticism for declaring that "we've all made mistakes", when he defended the Saudi regime last year, responding to the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

The fact LIV is bankrolled by the Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF) has sparked suggestions golf is being manipulated for sportswashing purposes, and those claims are not going away.

How has the PGA Tour responded?

When the weapon in a fight is money, you have to find more of it to keep the troops happy.

The PGA Tour has hiked up prize funds at eight key events this season. Among these is The Players, where it has leapt from $20m last year to a $25m purse this week.

That announcement came last June. As recently as last week, though, the PGA Tour confirmed it would introduce designated events with limited fields and no cuts from 2024, in what it hopes is a compelling move to fend off more LIV defections.

Tour commissioner Jay Monahan described the eight 'no-cut' events for 2024 as "can't-miss tournaments", with players able to earn places through the regular tour season.

LIV Golf reacted to the announcement by stating on Twitter: "Imitation is the greatest form of flattery. Congratulations PGA Tour. Welcome to the future."

The PGA Tour insists there are striking differences, with the opportunity for players to earn spots through year-round competition, rather than being guaranteed a place week-in, week-out.

Tiger Woods has spoken of this being a "very turbulent" period for golf, but he remains committed to the PGA Tour, with the 47-year-old American said to have turned down an offer of around $700m to $800m.

Rory McIlroy is firmly opposed to LIV taking over, too, and the PGA Tour has kept a host of household names – the likes of Jon Rahm, Scottie Scheffler, Xander Schauffele and Patrick Cantlay – while others have slipped away.

Looking at the no-cut events, McIlroy has said major sponsors "want a guarantee that the stars are there", and blue-chip investment will be essential if the PGA Tour is to keep raising prize pots.

"If that's what needs to happen, then that's what happens," the Northern Irishman added.

What next? Will others jump ship?

The LIV tour has expanded to become a 14-event season, running from last month's opening tournament in Mayakoba, Mexico, through to the November finale in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

Eight of those events will take place in the United States, including the March 17-20 Tucson tournament.

It has a US TV deal now, with CW Network. The major sport networks have not picked it up yet, but this marks a significant stepping stone.

By next year, it may even be awarding ranking points, although that is far from certain to come to pass.

There will be LIV players allowed to compete at the Masters next month, and they are set to be able to compete at all four majors, while remaining exiled from the PGA Tour and Europe's DP World Tour, and quite possibly the Ryder Cup.

Chile's Mito Pereira and Colombian Sebastian Munoz have moved across from the PGA Tour this year, and the question is whether any more notable names will also be tempted.

Cantlay, who was rumoured to be considering a switch to LIV last season, said the no-cut PGA Tour step would "make the Tour stronger and put an emphasis on those weeks".

What about this week? It's a mess, isn't it?

Smith's absence is a tough one for the Players Championship to swallow. Organisers have been unable to herald the champion's return, and Smith would sooner be involved than on the outside, but he made his choice and this is the consequence.

In fact, last year's top three are all LIV-ing it up these days, with Anirban Lahiri and Paul Casey consequently not involved this week either.

Smith lives just down the road, and he told Golf.com he would "definitely be watching on TV", hinting he could even turn up to watch.

"I grew up my whole childhood watching the event and yeah I'd love to get out there," Smith said.

"I don't know how it would kind of be received, but getting out there and watching, walking around in the crowd, might be pretty funny."

In a serious, big-bucks business, there would be a sense of pantomime to that happening, and it seems unlikely Smith will roll up. But then this all seemed unlikely two years ago, and here we are.

For Paris Saint-Germain, every new season brings a "this is it" feeling with regards to their Champions League hopes.

It's been the club's obsession ever since the Qatari state poured in their petrodollars back in 2011, and after a few years of building up a head of steam domestically, European success has been the chief aim.

Each pre-season sees the arrivals of new superstars, most years bring a new coach who has the ownership group's vain ambitions thrust upon their shoulders. The faces change, the goal doesn't – and neither, until now, has the ultimate destination.

Here we are in March 2023 and PSG still haven't won Europe's top prize. They find themselves 1-0 down after the first leg of their Champions League last-16 tie with Bayern Munich, meaning they need to win at the Allianz Arena on Wednesday.

It feels quite early in the season for such a talented group of players to find themselves in a "do or die" position, but that's the harsh reality.

This kind of situation is arguably the whole point of their vast spending, though: having the world-beaters who can almost single-handedly get you out of such a predicament. After all, a 1-0 deficit is hardly insurmountable.

Obviously, Kylian Mbappe and Lionel Messi will be looked to as the keys to survival and progression. PSG's Qatari overlords might even go as far as saying they were brought to Paris to win the Champions League: that's their job.

Of course, their time together at the club has been blighted by speculation of a fractured relationship, partly due – apparently – to Messi being so close to Neymar, who Mbappe is also said to have become distanced from.

But we're not here to indulge those interested in the kind of juvenile nonsense pedalled by clickbait merchants who're obsessed with the pantomime vilification of anyone/anything.

In fact, there is plenty of evidence that Mbappe and Messi genuinely "get" each other on the pitch. Their 21 goal combinations since the start of last season is nine more than any other pairing across the top five leagues.

PSG's excellent 3-0 win over Marseille in Le Classique at the end of February was a prime example of them clearly having rapport. Both of Mbappe's goals were set up by Messi; Messi's goal was set up by Mbappe.

For the first, Messi spotted the devastating run of Mbappe, who applied a clinical finish. They then switched roles for 2-0, the World Cup winner left with a tap-in from his partner's brilliant low cross.

They finished Marseille off in style. Messi's scooped pass released Mbappe, and he emphatically volleyed home from a tight angle.

Granted, it takes more than one match to show a telepathic on-pitch relationship has formed. But them switching it on as a duo shouldn't be sniffed at, particularly in the Classique.

Some might argue the absence of Neymar helped, and will continue to be a positive for the rest of the season.

Neymar will not play again this term due to an ankle injury, in what has seemingly become par for the course for the Brazilian in Paris. By the end of the 2022-23 campaign, he'll have played just 48 per cent of his possible minutes in Ligue 1 since joining, and the highest proportion of league minutes he'll have racked up in a single season will be 54.4 per cent.

But does it matter?

Some will fairly point out Neymar's 34 goal involvements across all competitions this season is bettered only by Mbappe (37) and Erling Haaland (38), and level with Messi. This is true, but does he really carry the same importance as the other two? And, as a trio, are they really as lethal as you might expect them to be?

Since Messi joined, PSG actually have a better win percentage when one of their star trio isn't starting (69.4 per cent, compared to 64.7 per cent). Admittedly that's not a significant difference, but over the same period their win rate when Neymar isn't in the starting XI is 75.9 per cent and 63 per cent when he is.

By comparison, when one of Mbappe or Messi drop out of the line-up, PSG's win percentage falls from 72.9 to 60.

For all his talents, many don't think Neymar will be missed. Former France international Christophe Dugarry is among them.

"I'm happy for PSG that Neymar is injured. I think this is an incredible opportunity for [Christophe] Galtier. The team is much more balanced with five defenders and Mbappe and Messi up front," Dugarry told RMC Sport. 

"I can't watch [Neymar] anymore, I can't stand him anymore. I can't stand his dribbling and that attitude. I don't want to see him on the field anymore, I'm tired."

Proving Neymar's absence makes PSG better is arguably impossible, but Dugarry's comments do strike a chord when he speaks of balance – even Galtier accepts they will be more balanced without the Brazilian.

Galtier does not think it makes them a better team, but that balance is potentially more important at the moment, especially in Europe.

PSG are the only side left in the Champions League who haven't kept a clean sheet in the competition this season, and in all competitions they have only managed two shutouts since the World Cup.

Of course, the situation is slightly more nuanced than being a case of "getting rid of Neymar equals a good defence", but Julian Nagelsmann pinpointed PSG's strength.

"What we need is to prevent them from using their pace," he said. "In Ligue 1, they often defend deep and play on the counter-attack. If you give their attackers too much space and they can unleash their footballing qualities, it's incredibly difficult to defend."

When it comes to pace and speed on the attack, is Neymar really essential for that?

Maybe he was the missing piece all these years. Perhaps, had Neymar not been injured so often in the second half of the season, they'd have won the Champions League by now.

But given how much of the past six years Neymar's missed (52 per cent if you're counting…), it would almost be fitting if PSG went on to win the Champions League without him.

Liverpool shattered decades-old records in their 7-0 rout of Manchester United, delivering one of their all-time great Premier League victories.

Braces for Cody Gakpo, Darwin Nunez and Mohamed Salah – the latter of whom set a new record of his own – saw the hosts run riot at Anfield.

Roberto Firmino, in the first game since his end-of-season departure from Merseyside was confirmed, added a final touch of gloss to a magnificent performance too.

But the scoreline wasn't the only impressive number set during 90 minutes of blockbuster entertainment for the home fans on Sunday. Stats Perform takes a dive into the Opta data from the game.

Salah writes place in Premier League history

The Egypt international has been an incredible player for Liverpool – this was never in doubt. But Sunday's double elevated his legendary status.

Salah's two goals saw him move clear of Robbie Fowler to become Liverpool's outright top scorer in the Premier League, with 129.

In addition, he became the first Liverpool player to score in six consecutive appearances in all competitions against United, continuing his rich vein of form against the Reds' bitter rivals.

Red Devils suffer joint-worst defeat in history

For Erik ten Hag's men, they crashed back to earth a week on from their EFL Cup final triumph in brutal fashion, writing an unwanted chapter in the record books.

It was the joint-worst competitive defeat they have ever suffered, last losing by seven to Wolves on Boxing Day in 1931. They also lost 7-0 to Blackburn Rovers in April 1926.

What's more, United have now lost more Premier League matches against Liverpool (19) than any other side in the competition's history, and shipped 21 goals in their past five league meetings.

It was also their worst ever loss to the Merseyside club, eclipsing the 7-1 defeat suffered in October 1895.

Gakpo and Nunez start the party

While Salah ultimately reigned supreme with his history-making performance, it was his two forward partners who got the ball rolling either side of half-time for Liverpool.

Netherlands international Gakpo struck just before the interval before adding a second later on, meaning he has now netted in three of his last four Premier League starts.

Uruguay attacker Nunez made it 2-0 29 seconds after the restart and then headed in Liverpool's fifth to take his club tally to 14, including four in his past four appearances – that's as many as he managed in his previous 14 games combined.

Nunez's second ensured he and Gakpo became the first Liverpool pair to score twice in the same top-flight match against United since Arthur Goddard and James Stewart in February 1910. Then Salah joined the party.

Manchester United were seemingly starting a bright new era. Last weekend's EFL Cup success at Wembley was their first trophy in nearly six years and provided a tangible element to the improvement inspired by Erik ten Hag.

But a week on, they have suffered their joint-heaviest competitive defeat of all time, with Liverpool dishing out a truly remarkable 7-0 defeat at Anfield in a game that Reds fans will hope provides a glimpse into their own promising future.

It's been a difficult season for Jurgen Klopp's side, their issues summed up by February's 5-2 demolition at Anfield by Real Madrid, but Sunday's victory – their biggest in the history of this fixture – is the perfect tonic.

Cody Gakpo, Darwin Nunez and Mohamed Salah were the stars, all three scoring twice. In the week that Roberto Firmino announced his imminent departure, it was somewhat fitting that the Reds' new-look attack – and the Brazilian as well – produced such a dominant display.

As ridiculous as it sounds, Liverpool supporters would've been forgiven for seeing letting their early optimism subside, though. Let's not forget, they were 2-0 up against Madrid during the aforementioned chastening defeat – here, they failed to make the most of their initial promise.

United grew into the game and created chances. Antony forced a good save from Alisson, Bruno Fernandes headed agonisingly off target, and Marcus Rashford – of all people – hit a tame effort straight at the goalkeeper when seemingly destined to score.

On the balance of the first half, United would probably feel they were the better side and had the bigger opportunities.

But their sloppiness in the final third provided Liverpool with the encouragement they needed, Gakpo's impact proving especially poignant.

It was the Dutchman whom United were apparently keen on when it appeared Antony was initially unattainable last year. Ten Hag stuck to his first choice and the Red Devils ultimately paid through the teeth to get the Brazilian.

Yet his performance could not have been more contrasting to that of Gakpo. Antony's final pass was routinely disappointing, and he created precious little given how much of the ball he had – and that's been a recurring theme during his early months at United.

With Gakpo, however, there was ruthless purpose in almost everything he did, be it direct runs on the counter or springing breaks with his use of the ball.

Perhaps most importantly, though, was his clinical edge in front of goal.

He exploited space in behind Fred – filling in briefly at right-back for Diogo Dalot – and latched on to Andrew Robertson's incisive pass. One touch knocked the ball inside Raphael Varane, who became unbalanced, and his next was a gorgeous finish into the bottom-far corner.

The goal could not have come at a much better time for the Reds, who were under pressure in that moment just before half-time, and they carried that momentum into what proved to be an utterly astonishing second half.

A comedy of defensive errors from United led to Liverpool doubling their lead 29 seconds into the second period, setting the tone for the next 45 minutes. After Luke Shaw's wayward pass, Casemiro, Varane and Fred all failed to clear the ball, eventually Harvey Elliott's pass was headed in by Nunez.

It only got worse for the visitors.

A corner of their own three minutes later turned into a 3-0 deficit. Gakpo brilliantly led a break, releasing Salah before darting into the box and receiving a return pass, which he impudently flicked past David de Gea.

A kind ricochet led to Salah hammering in number four off the crossbar, before Nunez coolly guided in a towering header as the scoreline began to take a humiliating form for the away side.

More embarrassing defending saw Salah bundle in after fine work by Firmino to become Liverpool's record scorer in the Premier League, and the Brazil forward put the cherry on the icing on the cake, squeezing in past Dalot.

United lost their heads. Shaw and Fernandes were arguably lucky to avoid red cards, while the body language of both – and others – was appalling in the latter stages as Liverpool tried to pile on the misery.

In the end, Liverpool had to settle for seven – it could have been more.

Nevertheless, the Reds' victory was an incredible statement of potential. Nunez has received pelters all season, Gakpo took a few games to start looking like he'd settled.

At times this season Salah has almost had to do it all himself, with injuries to others and a lack of form elsewhere robbing him of the opportunity to really build relationships and partnerships in the attack.

On Sunday it all came together with the ever-reliable Egyptian their heartbeat, providing a chilling glimpse of what could be on the horizon.

To say it's "as you were" in the Premier League's title race after Saturday's action wouldn't be doing Arsenal justice.

A brilliant turnaround against Bournemouth saw them answer Manchester City's earlier statement, a 2-0 win over a Newcastle United side who find themselves in a real rut.

Arsenal's lead at the summit somehow – we'll get there – remains five points, and the nature of their victory will surely prove a massive boost.

Also on Saturday, Graham Potter eased the pressure on him ever so slightly, though the same cannot be said for David Moyes.

Stats Perform has delved into the Opta data from the pick of the day's action.

Arsenal 3-2 Bournemouth: Title tilt still on track as Gunners respond to Cherries' incredible start

If Arsenal go on to win the Premier League title, fans will probably look back on this game as absolutely vital.

Bournemouth opened the scoring through Phillip Billing after just 9.11 seconds, making it the second-fasted Premier League goal of all time, and Marcos Senesi made it 2-0 in the second half.

The Gunners appeared to be heading for a shocking home defeat, but their response was exceptional – and dramatic.

Thomas Partey and Ben White scored in an eight-minute spell to restore parity, and for a while that looked to be the best Arsenal could muster.

But with 96 minutes and 57 seconds on the clock, Reiss Nelson's brilliant left-footed strike from just inside the box completed the turnaround with Arsenal's second-latest league winner on record (since 2006-07).

It ensured Arsenal won a league game after finding themselves at least two goals down for the first time since February 2012 – the mentality of champions?

Brighton and Hove Albion 4-0 West Ham: Homesick Hammers crushed with Moyes running out of time

There is little to be optimistic about at the moment for West Ham and David Moyes, with Saturday's one-sided defeat to Brighton seeing them plumb new depths.

Alexis Mac Allister got the scoring started from the spot, making it four out of four from the spot this season for the Argentina international – no one in the Premier League has a better 100 per cent record.

Joel Veltman then chested over the line to make it 2-0, before the tremendous Kaoru Mitoma knocked in from Pascal Gross' cross to tally his 11th goal involvement (eight goals, three assists) of the season, which is bettered only by his German colleague among Brighton players.

Danny Welbeck's seventh goal against West Ham – making them his favourite opposition – wrapped things up.

Defeat stretched West Ham's winless streak on the road in the league to 11, their longest dry spell away from home since December 2014-May 2015 (12 matches).

Manchester City 2-0 Newcastle United: Magpies unable to end champions' record run

Newcastle have endured a difficult start to 2023 – after initially looking destined for the top four, their chances of being in the Champions League next season are dwindling.

Having lost to Manchester United in last weekend's EFL Cup final, Eddie Howe had to try and inspire a response in a fixture that has long brought Newcastle misery.

Phil Foden and Bernardo Silva got City's goals, the first coming after a solo run and the second a clever poked finish from the Portugal international.

Those efforts sealed City's 14th successive Premier League home win over Newcastle, a run that no team has ever bettered against a single opponent in the competition.

That is now one win in their past 31 clashes with City for Newcastle, having emerged victorious from seven of their first 15.

Newcastle's failure here saw them lose three in a row for the first time under Howe, their inability to score allowing Ederson to keep his 100th Premier League clean sheet in his 208th appearance – only Petr Cech (180 games) and Pepe Reina (198 games) reached that milestone quicker.

Chelsea 1-0 Leeds United: Blues lacking magic but rare win a boost to Potter

It's going to take more than a slender victory over struggling Leeds for Graham Potter to win over his critics, but every turnaround has to start somewhere.

Once again, goals proved difficult to come by for Chelsea's attackers, with French defender Wesley Fofana heading in the decisive goal – his first in the Premier League.

But at this point Potter will not care where the goals come from as long as Chelsea get wins on the board.

Leeds were unable to provide a response, meaning Chelsea held on for only their second win from 12 games across all competitions in 2023 and their first since beating Crystal Palace 1-0 in January, ending a six-game winless run.

Saturday's visitors have taken only six points from away games this season, however, a joint-Premier League low, so it cannot be considered much of a statement from Chelsea.

Phillip Billing stunned Premier League leaders Arsenal when he scored after 9.11 seconds for Bournemouth at Emirates Stadium on Saturday.

It ranked as the second-fastest goal at the start of a game in Premier League history, beaten only by Shane Long's effort after 7.69 seconds for Southampton against Watford in April 2019.

Here, we take a closer look at the five fastest goals ever scored in the Premier League, as recorded by Opta.

Shane Long: Watford v Southampton, April 2019 – 7.69 seconds

There appeared to be little danger when Craig Cathcart looked to play a long ball downfield from Roberto Pereyra's kick-off, but Long had other ideas. His block fell fortuitously into his path, but there was nothing lucky about the glorious flick over the onrushing Ben Foster.

What a moment! #SaintsFC 's @ShaneLong7 celebrates the fastest goal in #PL history!   pic.twitter.com/M4fpU1sIcj

Phillip Billing, Arsenal v Bournemouth, March 2023, 9.11 seconds

Sleepy Arsenal let Bournemouth get straight on the attack, and Dango Ouattara's cross from the right took a slight touch off Gabriel Magalhaes and ran into the path of Billing, who fired past Aaron Ramsdale from close range.

Ledley King: Bradford City v Tottenham, December 2000 – 9.82 seconds

It might have held the title of quickest goal for nearly 19 years, but it certainly was not the prettiest. King powered forward from midfield and dispatched a bobbling effort past Matt Clarke, who might feel he should have done better.

Alan Shearer: Newcastle United v Manchester City, January 2003 – 10.52 seconds

The Premier League's all-time top goalscorer scarcely needed a helping hand to find the back of the net, but he got one from Carlo Nash. The Magpies hero closed down the City goalkeeper's attempted clearance and tapped into an empty net for possibly the easiest finish of his decorated career.

Christian Eriksen: Tottenham v Manchester United, January 2018 – 10.54 seconds

The Denmark international took full advantage of some generous United defending to set Spurs on their way to a 2-0 win. Son Heung-min's attempted shot was blocked into the path of Eriksen, who coolly slotted past a shell-shocked David de Gea, a future United team-mate.

After a few dark years – by their standards – Manchester United appear to be re-entering the light, with last weekend's EFL Cup triumph their first trophy win since 2017.

It may not be the most desired silverware in England, but when a club so accustomed to winning begins to see dust gathering in the trophy cabinet, any tangible representation of success isn't to be sniffed at.

But Erik ten Hag said it best on Tuesday ahead of Wednesday's FA Cup defeat of West Ham: "Get back to work."

Given United's significant improvement under the Dutchman, there's every reason to believe the EFL Cup won't be their only trophy of the season – they're arguably still alive in the Premier League title race, a Europa League last-16 tie with Real Betis awaits, and they will be huge favourites against Fulham in the FA Cup quarter-finals.

The Premier League is the one, however, and if they are to pull off a remarkable turnaround to win it for the first time in 10 years, slip-ups from this point are unthinkable.

A trip to Anfield probably isn't what they want then, is it?

The drought

Granted, the 2022-23 edition of Liverpool is the Reds' poorest in several years, with Jurgen Klopp's side in a real fight for Champions League qualification.

But, for United, there will be something of a psychological barrier to break when they go to Merseyside on Sunday.

United haven't beaten the Reds at Anfield in the Premier League in over seven years, with their last victory there being a 1-0 win in January 2016.

They have suffered three defeats and claimed as many draws at Anfield in that time, making it their longest winless run away to Liverpool in the league since a streak of nine between 1970 and 1979.

It's been a generally one-sided rivalry in recent years, with Liverpool avoiding defeat in eight successive league games against United before this season.

Their clash at Old Trafford in August ended that run of course – had it not, nine matches without a win would've been United's worst ever run against a single team in Premier League history.

Nevertheless, United's most recent trip to Anfield will have left wounds that run deep.

The last visit

Having already lost 5-0 at home to Liverpool in the 2021-22 season, there was almost a feeling things couldn't get worse for United at Anfield last April.

In terms of the scoreline, they didn't. Technically a 4-0 defeat is better than a 5-0 loss.

But the stats painted a particularly harrowing picture for United after their second meeting of the season, which in itself was hugely one-sided.

The nine goals conceded over the two games was the most United had ever shipped against one team in a single Premier League campaign.

Furthermore, the 9-0 aggregate loss was the second worst in their entire league history, with only an 11-0 deficit to Sunderland in 1892-93 – yes, the 1890s, not a typo of the 1990s – being a greater margin.

Liverpool cut United open as early as the fifth minute, with Mohamed Salah laying the ball on a plate for Luis Diaz to tap in.

Sadio Mane then found Salah with an exceptional reverse pass for the Egyptian to make it 2-0 in the 22nd minute, before a fine first-time finish from the Senegal star midway through the second half had the Reds home and dry – if they weren't already.

Salah wrapped things up with a deflected chip, becoming the first player in Premier League history to score five goals against United in a single season after his hat-trick at Old Trafford.

Liverpool were then fully immersed in a bid for a quadruple having already won the EFL Cup.

This time around, remarkably, it's United in that position – they'll be hoping to at least match Liverpool by adding one more title before the season's conclusion.

The turning point

Matches against Liverpool have proven particularly poignant during Ten Hag's short association with United.

He was officially announced as the club's new manager two days after that Anfield hammering last April, and four months later he got his first win in charge against the Reds.

That's not to suggest his hiring was intrinsically linked to the loss to Liverpool – after all, reports had suggested for weeks prior that he was the primary choice. But there was a perception at the time that the club brought forward the announcement after that loss to ease fan concern.

Then, things started to go right for him and United with August's galvanising 2-1 win at Old Trafford.

United had, of course, lost their first two games of the season. Their humiliating 4-0 loss to Brentford on matchday two saw them end a day bottom of the Premier League for the first time since August 1992, Ten Hag becoming the only Red Devils manager to lose his two opening games in charge in 101 years.

But with expectations as low as could be, Ten Hag made his mark. Luke Shaw and Harry Maguire were dropped, and United went on to win 2-1.

Jadon Sancho and Marcus Rashford got the goals before Salah's late consolation, with United showing promising signs with their attacking fluidity.

Since then, only leaders Arsenal (54) have amassed more points than United (49) in the Premier League.

It all started against Liverpool.

The present

For the Reds, the top four remains absolutely attainable – though United presumably feel the same way about winning the title, even if Arsenal are 11 points ahead (having played a game more).

Stats Perform's supercomputer reckons United have only a 2.2 per cent chance of usurping the Gunners and Manchester City, however, which puts such ambition in the 'about as likely as Ralf Rangnick being re-hired' region – Liverpool, the model says, have a 28.4 per cent likelihood of getting fourth.

In that respect, a positive result arguably looks more important for United, if you can really put a number on such things.

But even if a league title proves unattainable, beating Liverpool in their own backyard would see Ten Hag break down another major barrier for Manchester United, bringing them a step closer to the light.

In May 2004, as Rafael Benitez and his Valencia team celebrated a LaLiga and UEFA Cup double, it was truly a bright period in the club's history.

Between 1999 and 2004, Los Che won two league titles and also reached two Champions League finals, losing both to Real Madrid and Bayern Munich, but it was an impressive achievement to be there in the first place, before beating Marseille 2-0 in the 2003-04 UEFA Cup final in Gothenburg.

It was not exactly all downhill from there either.

Granted, no further league titles have been forthcoming in the almost 19 years since, but in an era where the imposing pair of Barcelona and Real Madrid have only grown further, while Atletico Madrid became another formidable foe, that Valencia have had eight top-four finishes in that time is still impressive.

Two Copa del Rey wins in that time, including one as recently as 2018-19, have kept them in the conversation and from an outsider's perspective, it would have been reasonable to assume that one day, they would be back to threaten the big boys.

However, in recent seasons it has been harder and harder to imagine that scenario, with the club feeling like it was spinning its wheels, and this campaign could be one that some have seen coming for a long time.

A ninth-place finish last season looked better than it was, finishing closer to the relegation spots than the top seven in terms of points.

Valencia hosted Celta Vigo in the final game of the 2021-22 campaign, and secured a 2-0 win, but it was just their sixth victory at the Mestalla all season.

Prior to the game, an estimated 10,000 fans marched to the Avenida de Suecia outside the stadium in protest at owner Peter Lim and then president Anil Murthy.

The club sacked Murthy last May after audio was leaked of him threatening star midfielder Carlos Soler with bad press if he tried to leave at the end of the season. Soler ultimately sealed a move to Paris Saint-Germain.

As for Lim, he took over the ownership of Valencia in 2014, and fans have been largely unhappy with his leadership ever since.

The Singaporean former stockbroker had at least eased the debt the club had when he arrived, but the approach since then has been more about balancing the books and maintaining their LaLiga status rather than showing ambition to return them to their previous lofty position.

Since the 1987-88 season, Valencia have only had four bottom-half finishes in Spain's top-flight, with three of those coming since Lim's arrival almost nine years ago (11th in 2015-16, 12th in 2016-17 and 13th in 2020-21).

Two seasons ago, the 13th-placed finish was Valencia's joint third worst ever LaLiga season (also 13th in 1987-88), only finishing lower in 1982-83 (15th) and 1985-86 (16th).

Selling the likes of Soler, Ferran Torres and Goncalo Guedes in recent years without adequately replacing them has not helped, either with the performances of the team or the relationship with the fans.

And now, even that LaLiga status is in serious question.

Speaking to Stats Perform, former Valencia left-back and director of football Amedeo Carboni understands the fans' frustrations, believing a disconnect between the powers that be and the supporters has not helped.

"Valencia are not going well, you can see that in the table," the former Italy international said. "And it's been for some years, maybe not that low, but it has been now four or five years in which the club is not investing in the team, not investing enough money, so if the squad is not competitive, it's hard being high in the table.

"A lot of teams buy reinforcements, and if they don't start well in the winter market they always find something to help them. You just need to look at Sevilla, who were recently where Valencia are, and now they have risen a bit.

"Regrettably, it had started well [under Lim], then there were some changes that the people, the fans, didn’t understand, changing managers after a good season, managers that had won the Copa del Rey, or qualified for the Champions League.

"To tell the truth, we are outside and don't know what is happening in there, we can only judge what happens. The team is not going well and the people are not happy. There's no signings to [make them] dream.

"[A disconnect] is one part of it, because the fans don't play, the fans don't sign anyone. But having them against you is not a good thing. And this, regrettably, has worsened over time.

"There was a lot between the former president, Murthy and the fans... I think there was a lack of respect towards the club and the fans. They are Mediterranean fans, so hot fans, they like to be involved not only on Sunday, but every day throughout the year.

"If you think about the owner, how many years has he been in Valencia?... I think he has been [to a game] how many times? Five? Seven? No more. That tells a lot."

It seems crazy to think a team that has boasted stars like Santiago Canizares, Gaizka Mendieta, Claudio Lopez, Pablo Aimar, Roberto Ayala, David Villa and David Silva could be playing second tier football next season.

Valencia sit in the relegation zone after 23 games, having won just two of their last 15 league outings (D4 L9).

Gennaro Gattuso was appointed head coach ahead of the campaign but only lasted until late January as the team struggled for consistency under the Italian.

They are far from adrift though, sitting just a point behind Real Valladolid in 17th and just four behind Espanyol in 12th, while last Saturday saw them record a rare win against Real Sociedad in Ruben Baraja's first home game since replacing Gattuso as head coach.

The appointment of Baraja with Carlos Marchena as his assistant almost feels emblematic of the journey for Valencia over the last two decades.

Both were a part of the two title winning teams in 2002 and 2004, but simply appointing people who were there in the good times could seem like a token gesture to appease fans rather than a tactical masterstroke.

Carboni – who also played for the club during that successful period – believes having two figures like his former team-mates in charge could help to focus minds though in what will be a tough period for Los Che.

"Now, you need to be effective," he said. "If you play well, you have a better chance of winning, but when you are in a situation like Valencia, the result is fundamental. You only need to focus on the points. It doesn't matter if you draw or you win on the 95th minute, it is exactly the same. This is the situation Valencia is in.

"Probably [having] two ex-players who have lived it and know what the players are thinking in these moments, they will know how to speak to them, because in these kind of situations, the psychological factor is much bigger than the physical, so if you can recover the focus, the physical side will come as a consequence."

He also understands the desire of Baraja and Marchena to return despite the difficult circumstances, adding: "You always have that dream, knowing that Valencia is an historical team of LaLiga, when you have played there and become a coach, it is normal to want to come back to your club that brought you so much happiness."

Valencia travel to Barcelona on Sunday, a fixture once highly-anticipated as a battle between two of the top teams in Spain.

This time, the visitors will arrive more in hope than expectation, and if they are unable to get their act together in the remaining 15 games, it may not even be a fixture next season.

Chelsea versus Leeds United is one of English football's spiciest rivalries, and with so much on the line this weekend, the latest instalment could be phenomenally tasty.

If Chelsea are going to make a charge for the European places, they surely have no time left to lose, while Leeds are fighting to stave off relegation.

Graham Potter is battling to prove himself as head coach of Chelsea, while new Leeds boss Javi Gracia will be looking to achieve a feat last accomplished by Terry Venables, a man who has had a boot in both these camps.

It is a game that evokes images of the likes of Ron 'Chopper' Harris and Jack Charlton taking no prisoners in rugged battles, and those that shirk on Saturday will likely pay a high price.

Ahead of kick-off, Stats Perform previews the big game with help from Opta's best game data.

Return to the 90s

It was more the 1960s and 1970s when the hostility between these sides was at its height, but you have to flash back to the decade when the Premier League was born to pick up on some key context for this newest battle of Stamford Bridge.

Leeds are looking to complete their first league double over Chelsea since their First Division title-winning campaign of 1991-92, when they won 3-0 at home and 1-0 away. This season, Leeds have won 3-0 at Elland Road against Chelsea, a result that was soon followed by Thomas Tuchel's departure, so what price another 1-0 win for the Whites?

Chelsea enter the weekend having not scored more than once in any of their last nine Premier League games. Indeed, they have managed a meagre four goals during this dry run. Only once have Chelsea experienced a longer such run in the competition, going 17 Premier League games without netting more than once between August and December 1993.

Potter's team have won just two of their last 15 games (D6 L7) in the league, Chelsea's fewest over a period of 15+ games in the league since snatching just two victories from 19 matches between December 1994 and April 1995 under Glenn Hoddle. This lean run didn't stop Hoddle being appointed England boss barely 12 months later.

It was right at the end of the decade when Leeds last won in the league at Chelsea, with Stephen McPhail's double earning a 2-0 road success for the West Yorkshire visitors in December 1999, taking David O'Leary's team to the top of the table. Chelsea are unbeaten in their last six at home against Leeds in the competition since, winning the last five.

End in sight to Potter's plight?

If Chelsea do not emerge from their rut this weekend, you have to wonder if they ever will do so under former Brighton and Hove Albion boss Potter.

He came to west London with a deservedly big reputation and made a strong start, but Chelsea's free-fall means questions are being asked about whether he has a future at the club.

So far, owner Todd Boehly has resisted making a change, but the heavy spending has to bring a return at some stage, and if Chelsea cannot see off Leeds then Potter will face next-level scrutiny.

No Premier League teams have fewer away wins (one) or fewer away points (six) than Leeds this season (West Ham and Nottingham Forest match them on both counts), with Leeds' lone win being their shock success at Liverpool in October.

Yet Leeds are bound to fancy this one, and why not? After all, Chelsea have lost their last three games across all competitions, failing to score in any of those. Chelsea have not lost four in a row without scoring since March 1929, but it could happen again.

Working Auba time?

Clearly, Potter does not fancy Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang as the spearhead to his attack, starting the Gabonese striker only four times in the league since taking over, with the former Arsenal and Barcelona man scoring just once.

Aubameyang has played just 131 minutes in the league since the World Cup, with a seven-minute outing at Tottenham last weekend his first appearance in over a month.

Surely, though, it has to be worth giving a once proven goalscorer more of an opportunity during this barren patch. Chelsea have scored just 23 goals in their 24 Premier League games this season, their lowest at this stage of a campaign since 1993-94, when they had 22 at this point.

Gracia to match El Tel?

Leeds won their first match under Gracia against Southampton last time out, so could the Spaniard pull off two Premier League wins from two attempts? The only manager to win their first two Premier League games with Leeds was Venables, a former Chelsea player, in August 2002.

Gracia also faced Chelsea in his second Premier League game as Watford boss back in February 2018, and the Hornets stung the then reigning champions 4-1 at Vicarage Road.

Five years on, could history be about to repeat itself?

Jack Grealish could not have imagined he was setting himself up for a fall when he picked on Newcastle United flop Miguel Almiron while celebrating his first Premier League title triumph.

On an individual level, Grealish's debut season at Manchester City had not been a roaring success.

But his six goal involvements in the Premier League dwarfed Almiron's one, giving Grealish the confidence to talk down the Newcastle winger the day after City's dramatic 3-2 title-clinching win against former club Aston Villa.

Misfiring City team-mate Riyad Mahrez needed to be substituted "as soon as possible" in that match, a drunken Grealish said, because he had "played like Almiron".

For his part, Almiron brushed off the barb and wished Grealish well.

Meanwhile, the horrified City winger, having sobered up, sought to apologise to the Paraguay international and acknowledged he deserved "a lot of stick off the Newcastle fans".

Grealish was at least spared slightly in that regard as a minor injury kept him out in August when City visited St James' Park for a match in which Almiron scored his first of 10 goals this season.

Almiron then netted six in October alone, when it seemed he could do no wrong. Only once in his Premier League career has Grealish tallied more than six across an entire season.

But heading into Saturday's reverse fixture between City and Newcastle in Manchester, Grealish is the form man, playing his best football under Pep Guardiola.

Since the World Cup, a period in which fellow left-sided attacker Phil Foden has struggled for fitness, Grealish has two goals and four assists in the league. Including cup competitions, he has a further two assists on top.

Those eight goal involvements in 16 matches (one every 134 minutes) compare to 11 in 55 (one every 343 mins) over the first 16 months of Grealish's City career.

However, his is an upturn that can be explained no more easily than Almiron's.

Following the World Cup, looking at slightly more granular per-90 metrics, Grealish has actually seen a decline in chances created, passes into the box, touches and touches in the box. A very slight boost in expected assists does not account for those improved assist numbers.

Yet as long as Grealish continues to deliver in big games, supplying goals against Manchester United and Arsenal and assists against Chelsea and Arsenal, Guardiola is unlikely to mind.

City at least have alternative options if this run proves unsustainable. They head into Saturday's latest sizeable match on a high – in complete contrast with a stuttering Newcastle and their leading marksman regressing to the mean.

Almiron outperformed his xG by 3.3 across that inexplicable October but has otherwise almost exactly matched his expected figure over the rest of the season.

Worse still for Newcastle, Almiron's team-mates have failed to even do that since the World Cup.

In all competitions, only four Premier League teams have scored fewer goals per game than Newcastle (0.9) over that period, yet the Magpies rank fifth for xG per game (1.8).

Eddie Howe's side should have scored roughly twice as many goals as they have, underperforming their total xG of 25.6 by 12.6. Chelsea's underperformance of 9.4 is next-worst, followed by a distant 6.3 from Everton.

While Newcastle have won only five of 14 matches since the restart, they have come out on top on xG in 11 of those.

Almiron is not the problem, it appears, but another run like that of earlier in the season might be required to set Newcastle back on track.

Instead, confidence is again on Grealish's side, with the England man primed to this time do his talking on the pitch after last May's title party mishap.

In the space of about 24 hours over the weekend, the outlook for Real Madrid and Barcelona changed considerably even if the table didn't.

While their results weren't exactly polar opposites, clearly Madrid came into a new week – the week of a Clasico – with more of a spring in their step.

Los Blancos were held to a draw by local rivals Atletico Madrid. While failing to beat such infamously obdurate opponents – even at home – may not be the most embarrassing of results, it was a bit of a comedown from the Anfield demolition they inflicted on Liverpool and, more crucially, there was a certain assumption about the outcome of Barca's clash with Almeria on Sunday.

As it happened, Barca fell to a shock 1-0 loss. They went from an assumed 10-point lead at LaLiga's summit to being seven points clear of Madrid.

In the context of a seven-point lead, it does seem a little daft to be trying to frame Barca's situation as anything other than positive, but they're undoubtedly going through a testing period – arguably their trickiest such spell of the season.

Sunday's surprise defeat came just three days after Europa League elimination by Manchester United. Although their 4-3 aggregate defeat was close on the scoresheet, not even ardent Barca fans would suggest they were deserving of progression – Erik ten Hag's men were, over the two legs, the better team.

Of course, it's not possible to say at this point whether the past couple of weeks simply represent a minor blip for the Blaugrana, or if it's part of something broader.

But Thursday's Copa del Rey semi-final first leg against Madrid is the start of a spell that includes three Clasicos in just over a month.

It's a period that will almost certainly define Madrid's season, and potentially Barca's.

In LaLiga this season Barca have been far more consistent – in terms of results – than Madrid. Since their mid-October meeting, a 3-1 win for Carlo Ancelotti's men, the defending champions have dropped points six times in the league; Barca have won 12 of 14 matches.

But Barca's form in Europe this season has understandably raised concerns. Two defeats to Bayern Munich, one to Inter, a fortunate draw and loss agains United – it does bring into question their ability to rise to the occasion in the biggest games, and against the teams who are willing to take the fight to them.

Of course, the most recent Clasico was something of an exception. In that mid-January contest, Barca quite comprehensively picked Madrid apart in the final of the Supercopa de Espana, winning 3-1 in Riyadh. They were even 3-0 up for 21 minutes until Karim Benzema's very late consolation.

That appeared to be a statement win, but the make-up of their team on Thursday will be rather different to seven weeks earlier.

Two of the three goalscorers – Pedri and Robert Lewandowski – will be absent. Also out is Ousmane Dembele, usually the provider of the kind of explosive pace and unpredictability that can stretch any team.

With key injuries, decreased morale, and back-to-back defeats for the first time since last April, Barca couldn't have picked many worse times to descend into difficulty. But then again, could there be a better time to beat Madrid?

Clearly, Almeria did Madrid a huge favour on Sunday, and given how erratic – at least in comparison to Xavi's side – Los Blancos have been in LaLiga, they need a few more boosts yet.

In fact, the aforementioned inconsistency that's blighted Madrid in the league since the October Clasico has meant they've been continuously hoping for the smaller clubs to be a banana skin for the leaders. Before Almeria, only Espanyol had obliged.

Now, Madrid have the opportunity to take matters into their own hands, potentially putting two trophies within their grasp.

It's all well and good Madrid waiting and hoping for other teams to give them a helping hand and derail Barca while they stumble every few weeks, but they're the side best equipped to aid their own ambitions.

Barca haven't lost three in a row across all competitions since April 2016 – inflicting a seven-year low on their bitter rivals would be an emphatic reminder that Madrid are still there, fighting on both fronts in the Copa and LaLiga.

Three editions of Spanish football's biggest game look set to be decisive in one way or another.

For Madrid, these matches will likely dictate whether 2022-23 is a success or not.

Lionel Messi has been named the Best FIFA Men's Player.

The Paris Saint-Germain superstar and Barcelona great won the award for the second time, beating club-mate Kylian Mbappe and last year's Ballon d'Or winner Karim Benzema to the prize.

With the award spanning the time between August 8, 2021 and December 18 last year – from the start of last season to the end of the World Cup – Messi's success in Qatar ultimately gave him the edge.

Using Opta data, Stats Perform looks at Messi's crowning year.

Starting slow in Paris

It has not all been rosy for Messi over the course of the last 18 months. 

Barca's inability to renew his contract led to Messi swapping Camp Nou for the Parc des Princes and forming a mouth-watering front trio with Mbappe and Neymar.

Yet it took some time for him to click into gear in France.

Messi finished the 2021-22 Ligue 1 season with six goals, his lowest tally in a league campaign since his breakthrough at Barcelona in the 2005-06 season.

He underperformed his expected goals total of 10.1 by just over four, suggesting he was not finishing chances he would have been expected to, while he only netted once in his first 12 Ligue 1 matches. He was also slightly unfortunate, hitting the woodwork on 11 occasions.

Yet Messi did create – he tallied 14 assists in Ligue 1 alone, creating 63 chances. Having Mbappe and Neymar alongside him no doubt helped (his xA was 9.0), but he ultimately finished with 20 goal contributions in France's top tier.

Messi had more luck in the Champions League, scoring five goals in seven appearances, slightly outperforming his non-penalty xG (three goals from 2.4 npxG).

Back at his best

Any teething issues Messi experienced last season have been swiftly forgotten this term.

Indeed, in the run-up to the World Cup, Messi had already contributed to 25 goals (11 goals, 14 assists) in 18 appearances for PSG across all competitions.

None of Messi's goals came from the penalty spot, topping his npxG of 9.5.

Heading to Qatar, Messi had contributed to more PSG goals than either Mbappe or Neymar (24 each) in fewer matches.

Messi's shot conversion rate (14.9 per cent) was lower than Mbappe's 23.5 and Neymar's 27.1, but he had completed more dribbles (55) and created chances with a greater combined xA (8.6) than either.

It took time, but the signs were scary for Argentina's opponents heading into the World Cup, and it's that tournament that has inevitably given him the edge for these awards.

On top of the world... at last

The one criticism that could have been levelled at Messi previously was that the seven-time Ballon d'Or winner had not managed to transfer his form to the international stage.

After winning the Copa America in 2021, Messi ended that argument in emphatic fashion in Qatar, channelling his inner Diego Maradona as, like the great man in 1986, he dragged Argentina to glory at a World Cup.

The 35-year-old scored seven goals, including two in the final, and provided three assists to claim the Golden Ball award, although of course it is the main prize that will matter the most to him.

Messi became the first player to net in the group stage, the last 16, the quarter-finals, the semi-finals and the final – albeit Jairzinho scored in every game Brazil played in 1970 before the introduction of the round of 16.

Messi and Jairzinho are two of five players in World Cup history to have found the net in six separate games at one finals, with the other three (Just Fontaine, Salvatore Schillaci and Davor Suker) boosting their numbers in the third-place play-off.

He also matched Schillaci in scoring the first goal in five different matches.

Messi topped the charts for shots attempted (32), chances created from open play (17) and fouls won (22).

It was quite the performance on Sunday from Kylian Mbappe and Lionel Messi, who combined for all three goals as Paris Saint-Germain won 3-0 at Marseille in Ligue 1.

In the absence of the injured Neymar and with PSG trying to get back on track after a recent run of three consecutive defeats before a 4-3 win against Lille last week, the star duo took it upon themselves to rip apart Marseille.

As well as both achieving personal landmarks on Sunday – Mbappe scoring his 200th PSG goal and Messi scoring his 700th career goal – they also improved their already impressive record as a pair in the league this season.

The two standout players from December's exciting World Cup final between France and Argentina have proven there is no ill will from Qatar as they continue to lay chances on a plate for the other.

Mbappe and Messi have combined for 10 goals in Ligue 1, three more than any other two players in Europe's top-five leagues this season.

In fact, the second-most productive combination in France's top-flight also involves Messi, who has combined with Neymar for six goals, while Lille pair Jonathan David and Remy Cabella have five.

It is perhaps no surprise with Napoli seemingly strolling to the Scudetto in Italy that Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and Victor Osimhen sit in second place in Europe with seven goals, but it may raise eyebrows to learn that they are joined on the same amount by another Serie A duo of Roma's Paulo Dybala and Tammy Abraham.

Lazio's Ciro Immobile and Sergej Milinkovic-Savic are the third-most efficient in Italy after providing one another with a total of five goals.

In the Premier League, it did not take a fortune-teller to predict that Kevin De Bruyne and Erling Haaland would work well together when Manchester City signed the Norwegian striker from Borussia Dortmund last year, and they lead the way in England with six combinations so far, ahead of Manchester United's Bruno Fernandes and Marcus Rashford, as well as Jack Harrison and Rodrigo Moreno at Leeds United (both five).

There are also three pairings in Europe's top 12 from the Bundesliga, though interestingly, none from Bayern Munich or Dortmund.

Borussia Monchengladbach's Alassane Plea and Marcus Thuram and Bayer Leverkusen duo Jeremie Frimpong and Moussa Diaby have both combined for six goals, while surprise title contenders Union Berlin have been boosted by Jordan Siebatcheu and Sheraldo Becker producing five goals for one another.

Spain's LaLiga has not been quite as filled with potent partnerships, with three pairings tied on four goals each.

They include Ousmane Dembele and Robert Lewandowski of Barcelona, who have shone together at Camp Nou since the latter arrived from Bayern, while Atletico Madrid's Alvaro Morata and Antoine Griezmann have also managed four, as have Brais Mendez and Mikel Merino of Real Sociedad.

None can compare to the efficacy of Mbappe and Messi though, and while two of the world's best players continue to link up at the Parc des Princes, expect more and more magic moments from them.

Novak Djokovic has brought up his 378th week as world number one.

That sees the 35-year-old, 22-time grand slam champion overtake Steffi Graff as the outright record holder for the amount of weeks spent at the top of the world.

Djokovic won his first major in 2008, and has not looked back.

To mark his achievement, Stats Perform has used Opta data to run through the key numbers from Djokovic's stellar career.

ATP Tour titan

7 - Djokovic has been year-end number one on seven occasions, one more than Pete Sampras and two more than Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Jimmy Connors.

93 - Djokovic has won 93 ATP Tour titles. Only three players have won more in the Open Era.

1,249 - The Serbian has played 1,249 matches on the ATP Tour. Just Nadal (1,288), Ivan Lendl (1,310), Federer (1,526) and Jimmy Connors (1,558) have played more.

350 - Djokovic has featured against top-10 opponents 350 times, more than any other player in history. He has won 243 of these matches. 

A master at work

22 - Only Serena Williams (23) has more major titles in the Open Era than Djokovic, who is tied with Nadal for the most grand slam triumphs when it comes to men.

33 - Djokovic has played in 33 grand slam finals, the most by any male player in the Open Era. Only Chris Evert (34) has more when it comes to female players.

37 - He has won 37 per cent of the grand slam titles on offer since (and including) his maiden major success in Melbourne in 2008. Nadal has won 32 per cent (19/60) and Feder 13 per cent (8/60).

28 - No player has won more consecutive matches at the Australian Open than Djokovic (28), while he has won 28 straight at the Wimbledon, too.

10 - Djokovic is the first player to play a minimum of 10 semi-finals at each of the grand slams.

2 - After his 10th triumph at the Australian Open, Djokovic became the second male player in the Open Era to secure 10+ titles in a single grand slam, after Nadal (14 French Open titles).

38 - No player has won more ATP 1000 titles than Djokovic (38), Eleven of those titles were won without losing a set.

6 - Djokovic has won the most ATP 1000 titles won in a single season (six).

Nemesis Nadal

59 - Nadal is the player Djokovic has faced the most times in his career (59). The Spaniard has lost 30 of those matches, marking Djokovic's best win tally against a single opponent.

179 - Djokovic has faced players from Spain 179 times, winning 131 matches and losing 48.

29 - He has won 130 matches against left-handed players, losing 40. Of those 40 defeats, 29 were inflicted by Nadal.

100 - Djokovic has a 100 per cent record against four players: Gael Monfils (18-0), Jeremy Chardy (14-0), Milos Raonic (12-0) and Andreas Seppi (12-0).

Novak Djokovic is amassing such a dossier of evidence that no sober judge would dispute his claims, but debate still rages as to who is the greatest men's tennis player of all time.

The 35-year-old has now racked up 378 weeks at number one on the singles rankings, not only improving his record among the men but also this week going past Steffi Graf, the leader on the women's tour.

Djokovic has won 10 of the last 16 grand slams he has contested, all since turning 30, and has moved level with Rafael Nadal on 22 singles majors, the most ever captured by a man.

His stockpiling of Masters 1000 titles is bordering on being greedy, with a record 38 tucked away, and although he turns 36 in May there is no sign of Djokovic slowing down.

Tommy Haas snatched three wins from nine encounters with Djokovic, while the Serbian was going up through the gears early in his career.

Haas told Stats Perform he sees Djokovic as a player who wants to "end that debate" over who is the greatest, but there are good grounds to reason the man from Belgrade has already done enough.

Djokovic's compelling case

With plenty of miles left in his legs, Djokovic has already reached 33 grand slam finals (W22 L11), the most by any man. It puts him level with Serena Williams (W23 L10) and one behind Chris Evert (W18 L16), who is perhaps a surprising leader in this field.

Given his form in the past 12 months, it would be astonishing if Djokovic does not reach more slam finals this year.

He has also won 38 Masters titles – the next rung down from the grand slams – and is not just the only singles player to have won every one of these nine tournaments, he has won each one at least twice.

Djokovic's six end-of-season ATP Finals titles puts him level with Federer.

Adding together grand slams, ATP Finals crowns and Masters 1000 wins, Djokovic has 66 of these so-called 'Big Titles', seven more than Nadal, who sits second on the list. It bears pointing out the Masters events only began in 1990, so this puts players of the modern era at an advantage, but the domination of these events by the likes of Djokovic, Nadal and Federer mirrors their unprecedented grand slam supremacy.

Djokovic has an 83.5 per cent career win-loss record (W 1,043, L 206), the best of all players with at least 200 matches on tour during the Open Era (since 1968).

In the slams, his win-loss record of 341-47 gives Djokovic an 87.9 per cent winning record, just a shade behind Nadal's 88 per cent, and ahead of Federer (86 per cent).

Djokovic is rapidly closing in on overtaking Nadal's win percentage, having powered through his last 14 matches at the majors, triumphing at Wimbledon and the Australian Open.

These winning percentages at the slams by the Big Three are not the absolute highest of all time, but considering Djokovic, Nadal and Federer have regularly had to play one another over the past two decades, that is easily explained.

Only Bjorn Borg (71.1 per cent) has a higher win percentage against top-10 players than Djokovic's 69.4 per cent, but Borg's career was relatively brief, stepping off the tour in his mid-20s, with Djokovic a model of sustained excellence.

Djokovic is playing in Dubai this week, seeking more trophy success.

The expert's view

"He's the ultimate competitive warrior out there," says Tommy Haas. "He doesn't leave a stone unturned, does everything that he possibly can to be the best that he can be."

Haas is now tournament director at the Indian Wells Masters – aka the BNP Paribas Open – and he had better results than most against Djokovic, scoring wins on grass in Halle and Wimbledon in 2009 before repeating the trick on hard court in Miami four years later.

Djokovic, it can be argued, is a better player at 35 than he was at 25, and he is certainly more dominant. The man who feeds off his inner "wolf energy" has lost none of his bite.

"He's spoken about it himself many times, the sort of upbringing that he had, the experiences that he had to go through just to put so much grit in him, so much fire and fighting power. And you see it. The guy is an absolute beast out there," Haas said.

"There's no doubt in my mind that in his mind he wants to become the greatest of all time and win the most slams and end that debate and I think that's that's what he's looking to do.

"We're getting a little bit ahead of ourselves now but let's just say he does have the most slams. He's won every Masters series there is, maybe the most of all of them as well. Longest number one, most slams and then I think there is no room to argue."

Is winning enough to define greatness?

Yes. It has to be. In hand-to-hand combat, whether in war or something as relatively frivolous at tennis, it's all about getting the better of the enemy. Then it's about continuing to do so, and if it's easy on the eye, all well and good.

Roger Federer played the most sumptuous tennis that made him a bigger draw than anyone, and the Swiss great was also a sensational winner to boot, and a charmer, but Djokovic is picking off his records one by one.

Does this make Djokovic the most popular tennis player of all time? No, he rarely exhibits the warmth of personality that Federer brought, the crowd-pleasing flourishes are in shorter supply, and he brings some of the bad press and occasional crowd antipathy on himself.

But winning is the priority for Djokovic, and nobody does it better.

Haas says: "Really, can you say does he have the prettiest game or the best shot selection or this and that? Without Roger and without Rafa he would have been pushed to become that good of a player? Maybe not. And you have to always look at every generation pushing each other and all that stuff.

"And the debates can go on and on. Bjorn Borg retired when he was 26 years old, he won 11 slams. What if he would have played 10 more years? Yeah, he probably could have had 20."

But Djokovic has 22 and is hurtling towards Margaret Court's 24 slams, the most by a woman. There is no doubt he believes he can go beyond that, and keep going.

Shingo Kunieda won 28 wheelchair singles majors, and Djokovic might even get up towards that number.

For now, the number that matters is number one. Whether you like him or not, the man they call Nole is hurtling into history as the champion supreme.