27 gameweeks into the 2016-17 season of the Premier League and it looks like there is no stopping Antonio Conte’s Chelsea from marching towards the Premier League title. With a 2-1 victory over West Ham, Chelsea extended their lead to 10 points on top of the table it seems close to impossible for any other team to catch up with the Blues.
Manchester United let go of a golden opportunity to move up the table after dropping points against Bournemouth. Manchester City and Tottenham picked up three points with good performances to keep their slim chances of catching up with Chelsea alive. Liverpool, on the other hand, move back into the top four after decimating Arsenal 3-1.
On the other end of the table, it looks like Leicester City and Swansea City are slowly moving away from the bottom three while Middlesbrough seems like it's on its way to the Championship.
All this and more in the ten things we learned from the Premier League this week:
#1 Boruc joins the list of star-goalkeeping performances at Old Trafford
It almost seems like the visiting team’s goalkeepers are possessed when they walk into the Theatre of Dreams as yet another goalkeeper produced a blinder against Manchester United to help his team earn a vital point. While Manchester United missed quite a few chances, it was all down to Artur Boruc’s brilliance.
With a flawless performance that included a stunning save off Paul Pogba’s curler as well as Ibrahimovic’s penalty, Boruc made a total of six vital saves – most of which were incredible.
It certainly seems like every visiting team’s goalkeeper is producing his best game at Old Trafford and Manchester United simply cannot move out of the sixth spot.
#2 Sacking Ranieri was probably good after all
The Leicester City board angered a number of football players, managers and fans with their decision to sack Claudio Ranieri just nine months after his historic Premier League winning campaign. However, in what looks like the trend in today’s game the departure of Claudio Ranieri has certainly had a positive effect on Leicester City at least temporarily.
The Foxes were struggling just outside the relegation zone when Ranieri departed but with two wins in two games against Liverpool and an in-form Hull City, Leicester has boosted their chances of remaining in the Premier League by a considerable amount.
The sacking of underperforming managers in short time seems to be the latest trend in football after all.
#3 Middlesbrough could end up relegated
Middlesbrough’s last victory in the Premier League came on 17th December against a struggling Swansea City and the club have lost six and drawn four games since that win. Despite signing many high-profile players in the summer it looks like Middlesbrough are certainly the worst performing side in the Premier League in 2017.
With the gap between Sunderland and Middlesbrough only three points, it looks like even Sunderland and Hull City could overtake Middlesbrough at this point. Stoke City cruised to an impressive victory over Middlesbrough which certainly seems like a Championship team in the Premier League at the moment.
#4 Fernando Llorente still has a lot left in him
After rising to fame with his brilliant performances under Marcelo Bielsa’s Athletic Bilbao that reached the finals of the Europa League in 2012, Fernando Llorente’s career has been in a slump. After disastrous spells at Juventus and Sevilla, the 32-year-old seemed to be heading towards a sad end to his promising career.
After moving to Swansea City in the summer, it looks like Llorente still has a lot more to give. With 11 goals in the league, most of the vital ones in Swansea City’s relegation battle, the striker not only proved to have many more years at the top level ahead of him but also remains a major goal threat in the air as he always has been.
#5 Premier League’s refereeing standards is going from bad to worse
A referee’s job is probably one of the toughest in the game of football and hence they have traditionally been given a lot of support from the governing bodies. In today’s world with the rapid rise in technology, FIFA’s reluctance to use technology to assist referees is simply baffling.
This has left many referees in the Premier League with tough decisions to make while they have been committing more errors than ever. Kevin Friend had one of the season’s worst games at Old Trafford which was nothing short of drama, while Anthony Taylor’s blunder against Swansea City is one of the most talked about decisions this week.
#6 Arsenal are likely to finish outside the top four this season
It has been over 20 years since the appointment of Arsene Wenger as the manager of Arsenal and not once has the Frenchman finished outside the top four. Arsene Wenger built a legacy with not only his attractive style of football inspired by Rinus Michael's Total Football but also his work ethic and consistent results.
After a trophy drought, Arsenal fans have begun to lose belief in Arsene Wenger with many calling for his departure.
With the lack of hunger and extremely poor tactics this season – most recently the absence of Alexis Sanchez in the starting line-up against Liverpool, it looks like Arsene Wenger is tarnishing the legacy that he built as the manager of Arsenal.
#7 Manchester City finally seem to have regained stability
After a superb start to Pep Guardiola’s reign in England, Manchester City found themselves in all sort of problems dropping out of the top spot. After their 4-0 thrashing at the hands of Everton, it looked like Manchester City’s chances of finishing in the top four were slim. However, February seems like a month of rejuvenation for Manchester City.
Since their loss to Everton, Manchester City has drawn two and won seven games. Pep Guardiola seems to have found a stable front three after the injury to Gabriel Jesus and Sergio Aguero looks hungrier than ever.
David Silva, Leroy Sane and Raheem Sterling also seem to be at their best and the dependence on Kevin De Bruyne has considerably decreased. Great signs for Manchester City going into the final few months of football.
#8 Arsenal may have just convinced Alexis to depart
With the contract talks of Mesut Ozil and Alexis Sanchez stalled it looked like both players had a list of demands. However, in the last few months, it looks like only one player has seemed hungry enough to compete for the title at Arsenal – Alexis Sanchez. The Chilean has been in stunning form and has shown no signs of stopping.
With none of the players showing the same amount of commitment, hunger and putting in a much lesser effort, Sanchez reportedly had a bust-up in training which led to his absence against Liverpool. Right after coming on at half-time he changed the tempo of the game in Arsenal’s favour and created a goal.
With Arsenal showing no signs of picking up, Alexis surely deserves better and may decide to leave.
#9 Chelsea could on of the Champions League favourites next season
Over the last decade, Chelsea has risen to be one of the most prominent European football clubs. With a dip in their performances last season, the Blues missed out on European football this season. Antonio Conte capitalised on this lack of distraction by taking a stunning 10 point lead in the league. The Blues seem to be winning even when they aren't performing well.
West Ham United suffered a 2-1 defeat at the hands of an underperforming Chelsea. The ability to win games despite performing poorly is something that great champion teams are accustomed to. Over the years, Barcelona, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich have been synonymous with such wins and it looks like Chelsea are following their footsteps.
#10 Harry Kane outshines Lukaku to announce himself as the best goalscorer in the league
It was a clash of two of the most prominent strikers in the Premier League when Everton took on Tottenham no Sunday. Romelu Lukaku and Harry Kane were tied on 17 goals with Alexis Sanchez before the game but one striker came out on top – Harry Kane.
Despite playing four games lesser than both Lukaku and Alexis Sanchez due to injury, the Englishman has proven to be a prolific goalscorer this season and is on 19 goals. Harry Kane might not be a complete player in the league but he certainly knows how to find the back of the net.
He did so twice against Everton and gave Tottenham a deserving win to keep them at second.
