5 Things We Learned From The Prem After Matchweek 1

Saturday mornings used to be the most enjoyable part of my week.

Now, I feel like I’m watching my ex-girlfriend. She’s moved on with her life. She hangs with a completely different crowd now. And to be honest, she’s sexier than ever. While I wake up early Saturday mornings, to follow live tweets about a visit from Rotherham, or a trip to Huddersfield. #LifeAfterRelegation

Having spilled my feelings and bitterness to you, here are the five things we learned from a thrilling opening weekend to the 2016/17 Premier League season.

1) Conte figured out how to sell soccer to Americans
It didn’t work when Will Ferrell and Mike Ditka tried it in the highly underrated cult classic Kicking & Screaming. But 4-2-4 is the formation that continually teases the audience “there’s going to be a goal here!” Antonio Conte got his winner courtesy of a hungry, and mildly less petulant, Diego Costa.

Chelsea very much look like a team prepared to wear down their opponents over the course of a match, and pounce when the time is right. How Italian of them. They won’t win matches by many goals, but they will win many matches.

Watching Eden Hazard and Willian come off in a 1-1 game must have had most Chelsea fans thinking, “oh God. This guy’s just happy to win one point on his debut!” But all three subs looked inspired and really upped the pressure on West Ham‘s tired defense. I didn’t think we’d ever see Victor Moses in a Chelsea shirt again. He didn’t look half bad! And I’m talking about his play! Those Chelsea tops are awful.

Chelsea probably could have been more creative. Despite James Collins‘ fine equaliser, West Ham really didn’t seem up for it Monday night. Conte’s side would have had the opportunity to create more chances with Cesc Fabregas on the pitch instead of one of either N’Golo Kanté or Nemanja Matic.

Lucky for Conte, he’s got about 55 more matches to play around with things.

2) Man United have got their swagger back
We knew Manchester United would be a different side with José Mourinho running the show. And while it was just the season opener away to Bournemouth, it was clear to see that United have this aura about them that they haven’t had since winning the title three years ago. Scary to think what they’ll look like once Paul Pogba reintegrates himself back in to the team.

You can already see Zlatan Ibrahimovic‘s confidence wearing off on his teammates. In two matches now, they’ve played with a composure that was rarely noticeable under LVG.  Wayne Rooney wasn’t all that impressive, but he’s certainly been worse and if he gets his name on the scoresheet every time he plays a match like that, he’s going to keep his place in the side.

3) Wenger will panic buy on Deadline Day
Have we unknowingly stumbled on to a near decade-long conspiracy where Arsene Wenger leaves all his business until the last few days of the window so that Sky Sports can keep “Jim White Day” going?

I can’t remember the last time I didn’t read or hear “injury crisis” and “Arsenal” in the same sentence.  There’s a great game show brewing at The Emirates: “who’s this guy you’ve never heard of before in Wenger’s XI?” That game works for reading transfer rumours as well.

Buckle up and prepare to read endless unknowns from the lesser televised regions of Europe linked with a move to the Gunners. Or, maybe Wenger will just wait for captain Per Mertesacker to return from injury in five months.

Certainly Rob Holding deserved a better debut than that? Word was Francis Coquelin had been training next to Callum Chambers in pre-season. That could be the centreback pairing when Arsenal visit champions Leicester in Saturday’s late kickoff.

4) Children’s crests are SO in right now
Not to enrage all you Manchester City and West Ham supporters. You’re an incredibly passionate and loyal bunch. Your teams have real history and tradition. So why on earth have the badges become so simplistic they look like they were designed on Snapchat?

5) Hull will not be relegated on zero points
Fueled by the last placed predictions of everyone from Hull to Hong Kong, and the presence of the champions in the first Premier League match of this new season, the Tigers showed us that magic isn’t reserved simply for Leicester. I thought a Leicester win was the lock of the weekend. Clearly I know nothing. And Claudio Ranieri meant it when he said, “staying up is the focus.”

NOTABLE MENTION
Pep Guardiola doesn’t have the Hart for Shrewsbury Joe. Really don’t know why he would wait til the start of the season to send that message to Hart, everyone watching, and most importantly, clubs with a goalkeeper to sell. Willy Caballero will do the trick for now. He genuinely appears to relish the role of sweeper keeper. But expect a bigger name to walk in to The Etihad before the window closes.

Jürgen Klopp didn’t realise he hired his doppelgänger when he convinced fitness coach Andreas Kornmayer to trade Bavaria for Merseyside. Or, more likely, Klopp knew that having Kornmayer around would help protect him from angry players and fans when these three-a-day training sessions put half the squad on the disabled list. One of them must drive a Saab still, right? #ArchitectsGlasses

Watch out Gary Lineker: Andy Townsend is coming for you mate! And he didn’t even need to take his clothes off.

I really enjoyed the Premier League Productions ‘Matchday Live’ half-time and post-match set up with just Townsend and former Canadian Owen Hargreaves standing in a poshy looking footballer’s cottage, speaking about Chelsea and West Ham like a couple of pros just bantering All that was missing was a couple of pints on that monitor/table. Though now that hosts have been replaced from host-worthy analysts, I better re-start the “backup” career plans…

2016/17 Premier League season preview (6-10)

10) STOKE
Since Mark Hughes took charge three years ago, they’ve become a team you’re surprised to see outside of the Top 12 at any point in the season. While The Potters have evolved to become strong Premier League regulars, the gap between them and teams chasing European places continues to grow. That’s not a hit on Stoke, but a fourth straight ninth place finish might be just out of reach this season.

Even with the additions of Xherdan Shaqiri, Bojan Krkic, Marko Arnautovic and Ibrahim Affellay, Stoke potted just 41 goals last season. Barring injuries, Affellay was quite unlucky last year, that number should increase this season. The addition of someone like Saido Berahino would certainly help, but Stoke’s efforts to free the 23-year-old from West Brom have gone for naught.

If Stoke can avoid their usual slow start to the season, they might just be strong enough to finish a couple of places higher should the bigger clubs not play to their potential.

9) EVERTON
When was the last time Everton started a season with this much confidence?

Luring Ronald Koeman seemed quite easy. With the ambition and investment on the blue side of Merseyside now, one can see why. Koeman will take home twice what he made on the south coast, a cool £6 million a year. And work under one of the men responsible for Leicester‘s remarkable title run, after Steve Walsh left The Foxes to become The Toffees first director of football.

Everton expected to lose John Stones eventually. No one could’ve expected any club to pay £50 million for him after the season he had last year. The Toffees have been able to reject massive bids for Romelu Lukaku, while spending to bring in Wales captain Ashley Williams, and Idrissa Gueye from Aston Villa who was one of very few bright spots for the relegated side last season.

This team has holes, but are guaranteed to be better defensively than the Roberto Martinez side that finished 11th. That alone should be worth 10 more points.

8) WEST HAM
New digs. New crest. New record signing. And Slaven Bilic says he’d still like five more players! Hammers supporters have plenty to be excited about this year.

The Hammers would have been the best story in the Premier League last season, had it not been for Leicester’s unthinkable title run. West Ham will be even more enjoyable to watch this season.

£20 million for Andre Ayew may seem like a lot when he doesn’t fit in to Bilic’s 4-2-3-1. Andy Carroll remains the first choice number nine, but he’s likely to only play nine league matches so it’s nice to have options. Sofiane Feghouli joins from Valencia to make West Ham’s right side nearly as deadly as the left, with Dmitri Payet working his magic in front of the incredibly underrated Aaron Cresswell.

Ownership has Champions League aspirations, and they may get there soon. But not this year.

7) LEICESTER CITY
Last season was truly magical. The Foxes claimed the title of “best underdog story of all time.” They inspired little clubs everywhere, and Claudio Ranieri must have had a proud father’s grin on his face every time he read a story describing Iceland as “the Leicester of The Euros!” But how can you match last season? You can’t.

Surely Ranieri doesn’t actually believe himself when he says this summer, “the goal is to stay up.” His level head is what lead Leicester through the marathon last year. Although maybe he’s had a look at the bookies lists. How disrespectful that Leicester are 14-1 to go down, but 33-1 to repeat!

The Foxes have spent an incredibly modest £27.5 million on four players this summer. Considering N’Golo Kanté went to Chelsea for £30 million, I thought surely Ranieri would go on a £50 million shopping spree. But that’s not Leicester’s style, and that’s ok. They just will not be able to fight wars on multiple fronts.

Leicester used just 27 different starting lineups last season. That was second-fewest among Premier League champions. The schedule will be grueling this fall. Injuries are bound to plague Leicester this time around. Ranieri is going to have become The Tinkerman again. They are considerably deeper than last season, but his squad just isn’t deep enough.

Ahmed Musa looks to be a great signing already, and Ranieri is confident Nampalys Mendy will be a suitable replacement for Kanté having worked with him at Monaco. This is before Mendy left for Nice and became club captain at the age of just 22. Now 24, no player will be under the microscope more in the first half of this season than Mendy. He declined a move to Manchester United to join new Saints boss Claude Puel at Nice three years ago. Now, he’s a £13 million man.

Keeping Jamie Vardy, Kasper Schmeichel and Danny Drinkwater is the equivalent of spending £125 million on new players because that’s surely what they would have gone for. But if Riyad Mahrez does leave before the window closes, it will have a massive ripple effect on the entire squad that will already struggle without Kanté.

6) LIVERPOOL
Many seem to think a full season with Jürgen Klopp at the helm will power Liverpool back in to the Top 4. They are close, and should be much better than they were for much of last season. But the Reds just aren’t there yet.

Losing the Europa League final may yet turn out to be a blessing. The lure of Champions League football would have helped their business in the transfer window this summer, but it would have seen them forced to pay a premium and this squad still isn’t good enough to challenge on multiple fronts.

With Sadio Mané running around opposing defenders, Liverpool are far more balanced than they were last season. Georginio Wijnaldum is exactly the type of player that would have thrived at Klopp’s Dortmund. If he can find some consistency, he can be one of the most dangerous players in the Premier League. Much like Daniel Sturridge who is likely to spend even more time on the trainer’s table given the intensity of Klopp’s training sessions. They’re doing three-a-days! Who does that? Klopp couldn’t get Mario Götze from Bayern Munich, but he did lure their fitness coach and nutritionist to Anfield with praise from the German press. Liverpool players are reported to be, surviving and better fed.

I am excited for Liverpool fans this season. This team is capable of taking points off their rivals above them. Will Klopp endure a sixth consecutive cup final defeat? I don’t know if his heart can handle it.

Be sure to check back soon. My Top 5 predictions blog is coming later today!

2016/17 Premier League season preview (16-20)

20) BURNLEY
I have a hard time immediately writing off newly promoted champions. Winning the League Championship is as difficult as winning the Champions League. However, few are as naive as The Clarets seem to be this season.

Their best addition this summer was brand new flood lights, at one of the worst grounds in football. I’m serious. Apparently they’re 11 meters taller than the last ones. Better for 4K broadcasts? Sorry Jon Flanagan.

Several promoted sides begin a top flight season without having made a key signing. Few are actually worse than the team that won promotion. The Burnley that was relegated two years ago on 33 points, wasn’t half bad. And it took til November to win their first match! They will be lucky to win five matches with this squad.

Joey Barton chose the Scottish Premiership after being allowed to leave on a free transfer. I haven’t seen anyone really raving about Nick Pope or JB Gudmundsson. Well, apart from all the hipsters that fell in love with Gudmundsson’s Iceland at Euro 2016.

All the pressure falls on the shoulders of last year’s Championship Player of the Year Andre Gray. He cost an initial £6 million last summer. But ownership won’t open the chequebook now? They will regret it.

19) HULL CITY
Hull would have been relegation favourites even with Steve Bruce in charge on matchday 1. The only reason I’ve picked them to finish ahead of Burnley is experience. Though they’ll start their relegation battle without four notable players.

Michael Dawson will be out for three months. Right-back Moses Odubajo, goalkeeper Allan McGregor and centreback Alex Bruce are each six months away from pulling on that black and yellow shirt. Without Dad around, will Bruce get another minute? Oh, did I mention that Mohamed Diamé left for Newcastle? You know you’re club is in bad shape when you have goal scorers that would rather stay in the championship than come up, without a chance.

I feel for Tigers supporters. Martin O’Neill left Aston Villa in a very similar situation six years ago, and Villa never recovered. While MON wasn’t able to keep the players he wanted, at least he was able to buy a few. Hull have spent just £200k all year, on reserve goalkeeper Dusan Kuciak from Legia Warsaw. And that purchase was made in January!

Hull might very well have new, presumably anxious to spend, American owners before they even employ Bruce’s replacement. But by the time the January transfer window rolls around, Hull will have put themselves too far back.

18) BOURNEMOUTH
I don’t think I’ll anger any Bournemouth supporters by saying they won’t top the highs of last season. Winning at Stamford Bridge. Beating Manchester United at Dean Court, is the stuff dreams are made of. Eddie Howe has the dream to be England boss, but that will have to wait. I bet Jordan Ibe never dreamed someone would pay £15 million for him, but the Cherries made the former Liverpool starlet their prized signing of the summer. Good player for a squad like this, but he may not be able to outperform that price tag hanging over his head.

Five others have joined the club, while a pair of important pieces have quit the project with the hopes of winning promotion for bigger names. Tommy Elphick left for Villa and Matt Ritchie traded the south coast for the northeast. But Howe is quite smitten about £5.4 million signing, France Under-20 striker, Lys Mousset from Le Havre. They’ve produced a couple of decent Premier Leaguers recently.

Landing Lewis Cook from Leeds was Howe’s main objective, and having done that many British writers seem to think Bournemouth have done enough. But I could only pick two other teams the Cherries are better than.

17) WATFORD
I toyed with placing Watford in the bottom three. But then realized apart from my, odd yet passionate, disapproval of Quique Sanchez Flores‘ sacking, I couldn’t think of a good enough reason to rate Bournemouth any higher.

The Hornets managed just four wins and 16 points, in the second half of the season and still finished in 13th place. And Quique takes the fall? That doesn’t make any sense to me. And if you’re a long-time fan of the podcast you know that I couldn’t wait for Benfica to get rid of the Spaniard when he so arrogantly plied his trade in Lisbon.

Odion Ighalo and Troy Deeney will not combine to score 28 goals this campaign. Ighalo tired soon in to the new year, and for as close as Deeney came to a trip to France with England, he was playing well above his weight. I always have a hard time betting on guys who shine bright so late in their careers to continue great form. Jamie Vardy might be my first exception since Pauleta.

Watford should have taken Leicester’s £25 million offer for Deeney. Then again, this is a board that has now hired seven managers since 2013. Logical decision making isn’t exactly a trend at Vicarage Road. But it’s easy to see why Walter Mazzarri felt so comfortable taking his job. Any more stability would be so foreign, it would have surely put him off.

If a Top 10 finish is the expectation, Mazzarri doesn’t stand a chance to make it through the winter. The Italian did a lot with relatively very little 5 years ago at Napoli. But seeing so much of Mazzarri on TV this season should at least settle the debate: does he look more like Alec Baldwin or Dustin Hoffman?

16) CRYSTAL PALACE
If not for a strong start to last season, the South Londoners would be competing with Villa and Newcastle this season. In the end, Palace did enough to finish 15th and it made them one of the hungriest clubs in the transfer market this summer. But for all the high priced bids they’ve thrown around, Alan Pardew has little to show for it.

Andros Townsend and James Tomkins are good players, but they’re not going to take Palace any farther than they’ve already been. Steve Mandanda could be the steal of the season at just £1.4 million. But Pardew and Palace fans the world over, will be holding their breath that the club land Christian Benteke or Saido Berahino before the window closes. Or, both. And they still might.

But as we’ve seen in the past with Palace’s frontline experiments, just because they’ve bagged a dozen goals elsewhere doesn’t mean they’re going to in South London.

Shoutout to The Crystals.

Be sure to check back soon. Predicted finishes 11-15 coming next!

2016/17 Premier League Season preview

It feels like it was only two weeks ago that Leicester City were crowned champions after the most incredible season in the history of team sports. But here we are on the brink of a brand new Premier League campaign.

Gone is the Barclays sponsorship, which means no one will ever have to call it “The BPL” again. And gone too are two of the biggest clubs in England. But in come three new manager’s at three of the biggest clubs in the world. Two of which, ply their trade off the continent for the very first time.

José Mourinho wasted little time putting his stamp on Manchester United spending a world record £89 million to bring Paul Pogba back to Old Trafford. But don’t expect Zlatan Ibrahimovic to let that take any shine off his first season in the Prem.

As hard as he will try, Pep Guardiola is certain to get drawn in to a spat with his longtime and now cross-town rival. Coming off their worst season in recent years, there’s a lot of pressure on Manchester City to bounce back quickly. They have some good pieces, but this will be Pep’s most difficult challenge yet.

Arsene Wenger must be saving all his business for the last week of the transfer window. Meaning, I might as well write one of these again in three weeks. Either that or, he thinks he actually has a strong enough side to compete this season?

And how can Claudio Ranieri and co. follow up last season?

Over the next few days I will preview all 20 Premier League clubs and predict exactly where I think they will finish come season’s end. Because pre-season predictions are always a good idea.

The Soccer Central podcast is back. James Sharman, Thomas Dobby and I got back in the studio Tuesday to preview the brand new season. Have a listen here, or download the pod weekly on iTunes.

2015/16 Premier League season: The Dunny Awards

How’s that for an awards show name, eh? Tennis racquets and summer tyres for everybody!

Soundtrack of the season: “Dilly ding, dilly dong.” By Andrea Bocelli.

Most Exciting Player to watch: Dmitri Payet.
Leicester had their stand outs, but every play the Frenchman made seemed like a Play of the Year candidate.

Manager of the Year: Sam Allardyce.
Bet you wish you hired him back now, eh Mike Ashley? Forever underrated, “Big Sam” could keep your mens league team in the top flight.

Most influential moment: Eva Carneiro‘s decision to treat what she assumed to be an injured Eden Hazard in Chelsea‘s 2-2 draw with Swansea. Brought the “end of The Special One” at Stamford Bridge.

Most surprising managerial change: If you told Rafa Benitez on his pre-season tour with Real Madrid that he would finish the year in charge of relegated Newcastle, he would’ve laughed at you the way Jose Mourinho laughs at him.

Biggest transfer flop: Éder.
Swansea spent £5 million to buy him from Braga. After failing to score in 15 appearances, he was loaned out to Lille. Notable mention: Chelsea’s money stealing duo, Alex Pato and Falcao.

Arrival of the Year: Jürgen Klopp.
The German has reinvigorated a great club so desperate to return to relevance. Win or lose the Europa League final, this season was a success at Anfield because of the clear trajectory LFC are on now. Up.

Comeback Player of the Year: Petr Cech.
Won the Premier League Golden Glove thanks to 16 clean sheets in 34 appearances in his debut season at Arsenal. I thought he was done. I was wrong.

Depreciating Player of the Year: Jack Grealish.
Most thought he’d be in Roy Hodgson‘s squad this summer. Can’t even stand out in Aston Villa’s U21 side now.

Nickname of the Year: Troy Deeney – “Fat Drake”.

The ‘How much do you miss me’ Award: Jermain Defoe.
My goodness, he’s still such a lethal goalscorer. No way Sunderland stay up these two years without him.

Saddest Departure: Roberto Martinez.
The Spaniard offered so much promise when he first showed up at Goodison Park. But his shine wore off as the Toffees spent more money, on better players, and couldn’t match the results of years past. It won’t be any easier for the next guy. Expect to see Bobby Marts back in Spain before the end of next season.

Dumbest Decision: Watford sacking Quique Sanchez Flores.
What were The Hornets expecting to achieve this year? He was a Manager of the Year candidate for much of the season. They would be lucky to match this season’s 13th place finish with Pep at the helm.

Commentator of the year: Peter Drury.
Some people have little time for hyperbole, but that’s exactly what Leicester’s crowning deserved. Not a better man to call it, and their unbelievable run all year.

Lifetime Achievement Award: Gerry Dobson. Has been the voice of Canadian soccer on television since 1998. Happy retirement Gerry! Saturday mornings won’t be the same without you.

Leicester City: the most unlikely champions in the history of sport

Don’t ever let anyone tell you that your dreams are too big. 

Leicester City winning the Premier League title is without a doubt, the greatest upset of all-time. Sorry David.

5000-1. And now, second to none. 

Walt Disney couldn’t have scripted this feel good story. But now that it has been played out for Hollywood’s amusement, it’s time to cast the movie! 

Potential film titles;

1) How The F#%^ Did This Happen?

2) It’s Lestor. Not Lyechester

3) For Fox Sake: Seriously. How The F#%^ Did This Happen?

CAST

Claudio Ranieri: Billy Crystal
Unconventional, I know. But you know The Tinkerman has a funny, but very unique side to him. And Crystal was fantastic as Magical Max in The Princess Bride! Got to admit, Bill Murray looks a spitting image at the moment though. Roberto Benigni was the easy, and stereotypical choice. 

Riyad Mahrez: Wilmer Valderrama
It’s about time the world sees him as someone other than Fez.

Jamie Vardy: Joel McHale
Every episode of Community was a party.

Wes Morgan: Idris Elba
Perfect role to set him up to play James Bond. 

Danny Drinkwater: Tom Hardy
Every character he plays is larger than life. With a name like that…

Robert Huth: David Coulthard
I know he’s not an actor, but you don’t really expect Huth to be very vocal in his scenes. They are the only human beings on the planet with that jawline! It you don’t think DC fits the part, then only Liam Neeson will do. Did you see him run in Taken 3? Looks just like Huth.

Marc Albrighton: Eddie Redmayne
Every actor looks better than the person they are portraying. Even if it’s only a little bit.

Christian Fuchs: Ryan Reynolds
The Austrian is one of the biggest personalities in that room.

N’Golo Kante: Taye Diggs
Because, the perfect supporting character should be played by an experienced supporting actor.

Leo Ulloa: Javier Bardem
Was so explosive as the funny looking psychopath in that Bond film. 

Danny Simpson: The Rock
Bit of a compliment for Simpson. But DJ already has all the tats.

Shinji Okazaki: Daniel Dae Kim
Literally just to rescue the guy from Hawaii Five-0. How is that show still on the air?

Nathan Dyer: Harold Parenyo (from Lost & Sons of Anarchy)

Nigel Pearson:…?
Vinnie F#%^ing Jones! Like you really had to think about that.

Of course there are other key figures needed to play out this unbelievable story. If you haven’t noticed, this flick has a PSG type budget. 

Arsene Wenger: Ian McKellan.
Wenger has always been very Magnetto-like. McKellan would also play Martin Tyler. 

Harry Kane: Liam Hemsworth

Jürgen Klopp: Michael Fassbender
Looked pretty damn good as Steve Jobs. Klopp is basically the same person. 

Wayne Rooney: Michael Rooker (Merle from TWD)

Marcus Rashford: Michael B Jordan

Andy Carroll: Chris Hemsworth
Carroll is basically the James Hunt of soccer anyway.

Fergie: Michael Caine
Because you know they both feel entitled to be a part of this movie. Just because.

I have to give a big shoutout to my friend and colleague Andrew Webster for helping me cast some crucial roles. You have a front row seat, and free popcorn to the red carpet premiere. Except, it will be a blue carpet premier.

5 Things To Watch In The Prem This Weekend – Mar. 5

Did you know that since the start of 2016, Chelsea have picked up 19 points. No club has won more and only Spurs have matched that. Looks like you’ve found your Golden Guus Roman. Sure you want to roll the dice with Conte?

1) Can Saturday’s North London derby match the hype of being “the biggest one ever”?
It would be wrong for me to make such a claim, having not lived through the legendary days before football was invented in 1992. But, having watched the Premier League for nearly 20 years I can confidently say, there has never been more on the line for both clubs and this rivalry, than there is on Saturday. So, step right up for your first Premier League match of the season Mr. David Ospina. Oh boy. At least he has won at White Hart Lane this season. But, no one will remember that Capital One Cup victory in September if Arsenal don’t take all three points and draw level with Tottenham in second place.

Mauricio Pochettino bullishly claims his players don’t feel the pressure of a title race. While I don’t believe he is telling the truth, based on that logic then Spurs just need to play; Arsenal need to win. That couldn’t be more true. While Spurs would still lead Arsenal on goal differential with a loss, the 6 point gap that Arsenal would be staring at if they aren’t victorious will be insurmountable based on their current form. Arsenal have lost three straight across all competitions for the first time since April 2010. And from Alexis Sanchez has to say, they’re not doing so well with the mental game either. “Sometimes, we lack this hunger to believe that we can be champions … to go out on to the pitch feeling that we are already winning 1-0.” Wow.

2) Will Leicester stumble at Vicarage Road?
Watford have played some incredible football in their first season back. Odion Ighalo and Troy Deeney have made the doubters eat their relegation predictions. But for as threatening as The Hornets’ dynamic duo can be, they did lose at home to Arsenal, Tottenham, Manchester City and Manchester United this season. And I have a hard time arguing that any of those four are better than Leicester at the moment. It is unbelievable that a 2-2 draw at West Brom was still good enough to see Ranieri and Co. increase their lead at the top. That scenario will not happen again. Don’t fox this up Leicester.

3) How many goals will Manchester City put passed Aston Villa?
How quickly life can change in a month. Man City were three points back of league leading Leicester after their 1-0 win at Sunderland on Feb. 2nd. Thanks to three straight losses, they’re now 10 points off the pace. And worse, in danger of being leapfrogged by Manchester United and dropping out of the top four. Can Man City avoid their longest Premier League losing streak in seven years? Absolutely.

Aston Villa have re-written the manual on “how to be allergic to defense” this season. Their midweek display against Everton encapsulated this entire, agonizing season. Considering Villa have lost eight straight Premier League trips to The Etihad, Saturday will only prove to be another stab to the heart for a fanbase that does not deserve this level of suffering.

If you haven’t read my friend Kristian Jack’s piece written after his heartbreaking trip to Villa Park midweek, you should.

4) Is this the weekend Marcus Rashford books his ticket to France?
Funny that Roy Hodgson said, “I have been watching Rashford for two years” but LVG didn’t even know who Rashford was. The England boss will be in attendance at The Hawthorns with his coaching staff, keen to see “Red Rash” in the flash. Not bad for a kid that was playing Under-16s just 14 months ago. In fact, he’s only played twice at U-16 and U-18 level. After a stellar 260 minutes of football, Rashford is guaranteed to be rewarded with his first call-up to Gareth Southgate’s Under-21s for their Euro qualifier later this month in Switzerland. And he’s “the next Cristiano Ronaldo.” Well, if you read the English papers…

5) Can West Brom tiki-taka their way to victory over Manchester United?
I don’t know if Tony Pulis was abducted by aliens, or recently read Pep Guardiola‘s autobiography and thought, “man oh man. THIS is the way to play!” But, I really like what I’m seeing from West Brom at the moment. And I don’t think I’m alone.

In two outings the Baggies have bagged five. I’m sure LVG has made his defenders relentlessly study video of West Brom’s lethal “S & S & S”. Since being allowed to play together, Stéphane Sessègnon, Saido Berahino and Salomón Rondón have turned The Baggies from a forgettable, often painful side to watch, into one you actually expect a bit of magic from. The Venezuelan had his way with Robert Huth midweek. United’s collaboration of questionable defenders don’t stand a bloody chance.

5 Things We Learned From The Prem This Weekend – Feb. 29

1) Arsene Wenger hates football
Can you blame him? There is zero journalism behind that claim, but it’s a pretty fair assumption. The Frenchman has been close on several occasions since The Invincibles made him seemingly invincible. But Arsenal proved AGAIN, even with Manchester United‘s reserves in front of them, they can’t find another gear and couldn’t break their curse at Old Trafford. Where was the desire? Just one win in 14 trips north to the red side of Manchester. Unable to pull off a league double over United for the first time in nine seasons. And worse, unable to keep pace with their North London rivals who seem as hungry as Leonardo Di Caprio to tell you about the dangers of climate change.

2) Manchester United’s best player is 18 years old
Well, so much for the debate about “do United need Wayne Rooney as much as Wayne Rooney needs United.” You know who enjoyed that match even more than Spurs supporters and Marcus Rashford‘s mum? Chinese football. All of it. Anyone in the world’s most populous country that has anything to do with football. Because, what United and the rest of the world learned in Rooney’s absence on Sunday, was that United don’t need to pay over £300k a week for a player that used to score a ton of goals.

I’m not saying Rashford is “the saviour” United have been searching for since Sir Alex retired. Nor am I saying England will win Euro 2016 this summer with Rashford, Jamie Vardy and Saido Berahino leading the attack. But it’s pretty remarkable, and a bit depressing if you’re a Red Devils supporter, that Rashford has scored as many goals in two matches as Radamel Falcao managed to bag in 29 games. The papers won’t let Jose Mourinho hear the end of it when he sends Rashford on-loan to Sporting Braga next season…

3) The King Power Stadium is the most atmospheric ground in all the land
Is there any place you’d rather be on a matchday? Everyone in that ground knew a winner was coming. The combined feeling of relief, joy and ecstasy when Leo Ulloa bagged the winner was transmitted through the TV as prominently as nonsense from the mouth of Donald Trump.

4) West Brom love to play entertaining football
Well, watch out on Tuesday Leicester! Tony Pulis has a new found affinity for entertaining, attacking football. Starting proven frontman is a key to capitalizing on tiki taka. Three goals in 19 minutes. Who are these Baggies?

5) Branislav Ivanovic isn’t completely useless
Well done to Fraser Forster for going 708 minutes without allowing a goal. After Shane Long put the Saints in front, I thought that was it for Chelsea. But I was wrong. And I was wrong about Branislav Ivanovic. Honorary armband or not, he still has value for a club like Chelsea. He just hated Jose Mourinho.

NOTABLE MENTION
I’ll end with the priceless advice Manuel Pellegrini left us with in Manchester City’s Capital One Cup triumph over Liverpool: Sometimes it is better to trust your Willy instead of your Hart.

5 Things We Learned From The Prem This Weekend – Feb. 15

I want to start by apologizing to Francesco Guidolin for predicting that he may never lose another match again. While it was three points dropped, relegation fears on the Welsh south coast are a waste of good energy.

1) Danny Welbeck is alive
10 months away, we forgot he was still a Gunner. 12 minutes on the pitch, and Danny Welbeck has Arsenal in the driver’s seat for the Premier League title, in many people’s eyes. Poetic really. That win Sunday could light the charge that powers Arsenal back. It wouldn’t hurt to drop out of either the FA Cup or set themselves back considerably against Barcelona in the Champions League next week.

2) Leicester can anywhere, with anyone
Even if they only have 10 men on the pitch. I can’t say Arsenal and Tottenham are in the driver’s seat, because I still think Leicester have the better schedule. The advantage of rising to the top overnight, you’re not fighting on multiple fronts right away. By the time Leicester return to Premier League action against Norwich on February 27th, they will have had one week completely switched off in the (Spanish, or Dubai) sun, and another figuring it out on the training ground.

3) Man City are not title challengers
Last week’s humiliating collapse at home to The Fantasy Foxes was not the first indication. But Sunday’s inability to keep the ball away from Tottenham’s playmakers was the Final nail in the coffin for me. I don’t see how they can catch any of the three clubs in front of them.

4) Losing at Sunderland isn’t SO bad
Well, not when you have the Europa league to look forward to! LVG seems quite content to put all his eggs into that Thursday afternoon basket. United began the season expecting to finish in the top four, at the very least. Now their best chance of bringing meaningful European nights back to Old Trafford next season is by winning the Back Garden Cup? Yikes.

5) When you’ve never been relegated, the only way to go down is in slow, painful, agony
Can’t think of Another way to explain what Aston Villa are doing to their loyal, success deprived fanbase.

5 Things To Watch In The Prem This Weekend – Feb. 13

1) Is this the match when we finally accept Leicester City as title contenders?
Unless you’re a Gooner, who doesn’t want to see Leicester win at The Emirates on Sunday? Shame for us on this side of the pond that it’s the early kickoff. But that’s why television companies invented the PVR.

Claudio Ranieri said before The Fantasy Foxes trip to the other Middle Eastern luxury airliner stadium last weekend, “they have to win. We have to play.” Same scenario this weekend. I just hope Leicester can continue to play with the carefree bravado they employed in the fall and again in their most recent two victories. He hasn’t tinkered with the side, fielding the same XI five matches in a row now.

Jamie Vardy and Riyad Mahrez have scored 32 goals between them this season. Arsenal have scored 39 goals, the lowest total of any Top 4 club. Stan Collymore said this week that Arsenal are “the club most likely” to sign Mahrez in the summer. Shall we expect a shining audition Sunday morning then?

And I know it’s been said by others all week, but I’ll say it again because it’s hilarious. If Per Mertesacker starts running now, he may be able to catch Jamie Vardy.

That 5-2 win at The King Power Stadium, thanks to an Alexis Sanchez hat-trick, was five months ago. The way LCFC are playing, it might as well have been five years ago.

2) Will Sunderland finish with XI men?
They’ll need eleven men on the pitch to get anything from a side that have only lost once in their last seven league matches. And here you probably thought the only thing worth talking about ahead of Manchester United‘s trip to the northeast was Wayne Rooney‘s impressive five goal 2016. Bettered only by Jermain Defoe‘s six… and some bloke named Sergio Agüero with seven.

But for those who would raise an eyebrow every time Howard Webb would referee a United match, take at look at these stats. In the 17 Sunderland matches that Andre Marriner has officiated, he’s sent off seven players. He also worked Sunderland’s 6-2 loss at Everton and that 8-0 embarrassment against Southampton. On the other side, United have lost five of their last six matches that Marriner refereed. So don’t be surprised if AM takes a bit of the spotlight early Saturday morning.

3) How many goals will we get at The Etihad this weekend?
Nobody expected Joe Hart to pick the ball out of his net three times last weekend, in a losing cause. But he may do it even more times this Sunday when second placed Tottenham travel north. The last nine Premier League matches between these two have delivered 41 goals. Safe bet that Agüero will put his name on the scoresheet. He’s bagged 10 in his last eight league matches against Spurs.

Considering that Man City haven’t beaten any club this season currently in the top 6, Pellegrini will need his Argentine wonder-striker to be on his A-game. Otherwise, I don’t think City will be able to put the Londoners in the rearview and close the gap with Leicester.

4) Will Frencesco Guidolin ever lose a game again?
Sure, The Saints are getting all the attention because they’re unbeaten in five, having not even allowed a goal. Winning at Old Trafford and drawing at The Emirates is impressive, but this is not the same Swansea side that lost 3-1 at St. Mary’s at the end of September. One win and two draws won’t put the Italian in to ‘manager of the year’ conversations just yet. But considering Ki Sung-Yueng is back after recovering from a concussion and Gylfi Sigurdsson has scored as many goals in his last six games as he did in his previous 33, the Swans can put an end to Fraser Forster‘s run of five straight clean sheets.

5) Can Everton win with John Stones back in the squad?
I know that sounds crazy, if you continually read all the transfer rumours and see the money big clubs are prepared to pay for the promising but unproven defender. But three matches without Stones resulted in three straight 3-0 Toffees victories. I’m not saying he’s the problem, but maybe just maybe he isn’t a £40 million solution?

And when will Tony Pulis accept that Saido Berahino is likely the solution to pulling West Brom away from the drop zone? Just six points up on Norwich, there will be plenty of Baggies supporters pulling for West Ham to take all three points at Carrow Road on Saturday.