EPL 2016/17: 10 things we learned from Gameweek 14
All the attention in the build-up to this weekend was in Spain as Barcelona and Real Madrid faced off for El Clasico, however, the Premier League will grab the headlines yet against after an incredible weekend filled with shocks, surprises, drama and action.
The weekend kicked off with Manchester City hosting Chelsea in an encounter that would shift power at the top of the table. Antonio Conte came out on top in a battle of two magisterial managers to extend his team's lead on top of the table.
The weekend continued with the North London teams Tottenham and Arsenal netting five, while Liverpool was shocked by Bournemouth in a thrilling encounter. Mourinho and Manchester United continued their poor start to the season with yet another draw to cap off the weekend. All this and more as here are ten things we learned from yet another fantastic game week of football from the Premier League.
#1 Chelsea is Guardiola’s kryptonite
Pep Guardiola has faced Chelsea four times in his managerial career and hasn’t managed to beat the Londoners within regulation time even on one occasion. With Barcelona, Guardiola lost to eventual Champions League winners Chelsea at Stamford Bridge, while a Torres goal gave them a draw at the Camp Nou.
With Bayern, he only managed to beat Jose’s Chelsea on penalties, while Conte’s Chelsea on Saturday beat Guardiola comfortably with a 3-1 scoreline. Guardiola doesn’t seem to find a way around Chelsea ability to sit back and absorb pressure and hit them hard on the counter attack. All of Chelsea’s goals proved how simple it can be to hit Guardiola’s team on the break with one good pass and Pep needs to find a way to fix this.
#2 Leicester City is heading towards a relegation battle
How often do we see a league winning team end up in a relegation battle the very next season? Almost never! The Foxes started out their season with a loss to Hull City and never really seemed to settle into the season. Not only have Leicester been poor on the road, the Foxes have not been able to pick up points even at their fortress – The King Power Stadium.
Ironically, the Foxes seem to turn up at their best during their Champions League games but haven’t ever recreated that form in the league. Ranieri’s strategy to sit back and counter with Jamie Vardy’s pace is outdated and Riyadh Mahrez’s creativity is relied on too much. It only seems to be getting worse after every game for Ranieri and Leicester City at the moment.