5 things we learned from the EPL last week
Chelsea, Everton, Newcastle and Manchester United! Yes, four teams who we expected to win, just didn’t show up. What was further surprising was that the manner of defeat was no sort of a drubbing but an edgy encounter where the losing side just happened to fall prey to lapse in momentum.
Chelsea became one of those teams that were defeated by a rejuvenated West Brom side who look like top 4 contenders whereas the United were just left empty handed against a motivated Canaries side. Newcastle’s game saw them bombarded by free flowing Swansea football and Everton had no retaliation to a Reading second half showdown.
- This week had to happen once before Christmas and it did. Just evinces how competitive this league has become!
Scoring 10 goals, the most amongst any Premier League player, and creating possibly every one of Liverpool’s chances, the question now for Luis Suarez is will he stay beyond this year? To shoo Liverpool off a European place is too early but with things being topsy-turvy at Anfield, Suarez might just want to leave and play for legitimate title challengers. Man City seem to be interested and never leave Barcelona out of a Suarez signature with the player being a long term admirer of the Catalans.
- Liverpool will keep Suarez till 2014.
Just four years ago, the team was an inch close to displacing Arsenal off a Champions League qualification porch. Today, they seems nowhere close to winning a single game. 10 goals this season, yes 10. Add 9 points to that and it doesn’t total upto their 28 yellow cards. Villa, for some enigmatic reason, have dipped themselves in a dilemma that only the club is to blame for. Poor managerial appointments, inability to hold onto the players and terrible on-field performances – this club could well become another Leeds United. Well maybe not, but times are troubled at Villa Park.
- Villa will stay up but no more will they be a formidable opposition to battle against.
I have a friend who supports the Spurs. A month ago, he raved about how “invincible” the defense seemed to be. “We don’t need Ledley King, we have Dawson, Kaboul and Vertonghen”, he said. Sadly, he is in his deepest sorrows now. Tottenham, from being in the top 3, have gone down to eighth in the table. AVB seemed to be enjoying the perfect return to the Premier League but now, he has a huge job up his hands to get his side back on track. And to add further wounds to this demoralized side, a 5-2 drubbing against Arsenal made everything worse at White Hart Lane.
- This side is too good to finish 8th and don’t be surprised if Tottenham are back in Champions League contention by Christmas.
Goalkeeper: John Ruddy, Norwich
Defender of the week: Jose Enrique, Liverpool
Midfielder of the week: Santi Cazorla, Arsenal
Striker of the week: Carlos Tevez, Manchester City
Game of the week: West Brom versus Chelsea
Tool of the week: Emmanuel Adebayor, Tottenham Hotspur