EPL 2016/17: 10 things we learned from Gameweek 15
We are well into the last month of 2016 and nearing the halfway mark of the Premier League which is shaping up to be one of the most intense title races in a while. Antonio Conte’s Chelsea maintained their lead at the top of the Premier League with yet another victory while Arsenal moved to the second spot, only three points behind Chelsea.
Manchester City suffered a thrashing at the hands of Leicester City while Liverpool dropped points yet again. Tottenham’s lead over Manchester United at the fifth spot was cut short after the Red Devils edged out a 1-0 victory at home while Everton dropped points yet again this week.
At the bottom of the table, Swansea City picked up three vital points with a fantastic 3-0 victory over relegation rivals Sunderland while Hull City came away with only a point against Crystal Palace. A few unexpected results, a few shocks and a few surprises – a classic Premier League game week has come to an end.
Here are ten things we learned from this game week:
#1 Arsenal prove their quality this season, yet again
While the Gunners have consistently been finishing over their fierce rivals Tottenham and securing a Champions League spot for quite a while now, it's been over 10 years since they won the Premier League trophy. However, this could be the season for Arsenal. Alexis Sanchez, Mesut Ozil, Petr Cech and Laurent Koscielny, the big names have been performing well.
However, the players that have made a good side look even better are players like Theo Walcott, Hector Bellerin, Shkodran Mustafi, Francis Coquelin and Alex Iwobi. Walcott has stepped up this season while Iwobi and Bellerin seem to be at their best despite spending time on the sidelines injured. Mustafi has been the signing Arsenal needed and they are certain title contenders this season.
#2 Everton are losing the plot
Ronald Koeman’s first season with Everton has been a bit of a roller coaster ride. After finding themselves in the top four after six games, the Toffees’ season seems to be on a downward spiral. It is the big names that haven’t stepped up for them this season. Ross Barkley is going through a very poor spell while Leighton Baines hasn’t been the same since his injury.
While Romelu Lukaku has been fantastic up front, Everton are relying too much on his quality for goals. Gerrard Delofeu did a decent job in the first half, stepping in for the injured Yannick Bolasie. Kevin Mirallas was poor throughout the game while the centre-back pairing of Funes Mori and Ashley Williams were at fault yet again. With one win in their last ten games, Everton are really struggling.