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Has the Golden Boot race commenced already?
It might be too early to make any conclusive remarks about which footballer is going to make the coveted Cadbury Golden Boot award theirs. However, one thing is for sure, the way this Premier League season has started, with 89 goals scored overall already, there may be more than a few contenders this time around. As of now, the top scorers' table looks rather interesting, with Richarlison, Mitrovic, Roberto Pereyra, Sergio Aguero, Sadio Mané and Lucas Moura all having scored three goals each.
However, here again, lies another question. Can the fans continue to expect goal exploits from them?
Usual Suspects:
The fans all are familiar with the consistency of Aguero, he has been in the top three goal scorers in all but one of the past four seasons. Mané with all his abilities was overshadowed by the tremendous debut season of Mo Salah, in which he broke the record for the most premier league goals in one season. But at the start of this season, Mané has been a real joy to watch and clinical in front of the goal. In Andrew Robertson, he has found a perfect partner on the left flank, his pace and deep inroads into opposition defences allow Mané to get into good scoring positions.
Dark Horses:
Coming to the dark horses now, Richarlison, has managed to score three goals from three shots on target, which is incredible. With little goal threat coming from any other Everton player, fans can expect him to keep scoring, though the recent ban for three matches may prove to be a setback.
Aleksandar Mitrovic, who joined Fulham in the second half of the last season, enjoyed a fruitful spell in the championship and has carried that form into the EPL this season as well. Fans can expect the Fulham #9 to continue scoring goals, as he is an experienced EPL player, with the strength and skill to demolish any back four in the league. He is a serious contender as of now.
Roberto Pereyra is a skilled player no doubt, but the Watford team he plays for is not really known for their goal-scoring ability and attacking play. His performances till now might just be a fluke, with only time revealing more.
Finally, the latest signing of Tottenham Hotspurs which is Lucas Moura. He is incredibly skillful, fast and can play in different roles. Scoring a brace against Manchester United at Old Trafford requires a player of special quality. So the question is can he be so special that he beats his teammate and World Cup Golden Boot winner Harry Kane to the EPL Golden boot glory? Only time will tell.
Last season Son Heung-min, was absolutely lethal on the wing, so can Moura who prefers a similar kind of play, exploit the space behind the defenders to wreck havoc and score goals? There may be a distinct possibility.
Now, all that being said, the heavyweights should not be underestimated, just because they haven't warmed up yet. Lukaku, who had a wonderful World Cup, can be unstoppable on his day. Harry Kane is always a Golden Boot favourite. Mo Salah the current title holder, is a player of highest quality and can score goals at will.
Who wins the award is still anybody's guess, but if the players mentioned here keep up their form, it would be a cut-throat race for the glory that's for sure. Given all that we have seen, a dark horse might win the race after all. Just as Leicester's League win of the 2015-16 season was something amazing to witness, it would be refreshing to see a new player claiming the Golden Boot, this time around.
