This was a pretty interesting week for many reasons. While Sergio Aguero stole the limelight and went down in history with 5 goals in a single premier league match, Liverpool has decided to move forward after sacking their manager. Here are the things that have happened till this premier league weekend.
Theo Walcott cannot be dropped:
Theo Walcott gave an outstanding performance, and he received well-deserved respect from the audience with a standing ovation when he was substituted. He helped set up Ozil for second and Sanchez for Arsenal’s third.
Brendon Rodgers is sacked as Liverpool Manager:
Brendon Rodgers, the current manager of Liverpool was sacked earlier this weekend when he received a phone call from the US. The call was made by Mike Gordon, the current President of Fenway Sports Group. Liverpool’s performance has been terrible for the past several months and it was a decision that was long coming.
People at the Fenway Sports Group believe that with the available resources that Rodgers had at his disposal, he should have delivered better results. More than £300m have been spent ever since Rodgers was made the manager of Liverpool. The club’s poor performance has been a reason of agony for fans that play fantasy football.
Arsenal might win this year’s title:
Arsenal failed to turn faces at the beginning of the premier league; however, they are catching up real quick, and that too without Olivier Giroud and Aaron Ramsey regaining their original form.
They have scored 10 goals in the last week and overpowered Man United. Their performance may seem inconsistent when they lost against Olympiakos on their home ground. It is a difficult team to understand and fight which makes them unpredictable. Those who play fantasy football are having a difficult time choosing what is right for their own team.
Ings might still save Liverpool:
Ings is a player that performs better under pressure. Some players are awesome like that. His fan following is increasing by the moment and fantasy football fans is signing him for their clubs. The first goal that he scored before halftime deserves a special mention here.
Spurs are back:
Spurs have been keeping a low profile for some time now. This week they fought a hard fight to earn a point which impressed many.
Sunderland disorder:
No matter how much money is spent, Sunderland keeps disappointing everyone with their dismal performances. Ellis Short is trying hard to cover the losses but it is unclear for how long he will be able to run the show.
The list of managers running the show is getting longer with Steve Bruce, Martin O’Neil, Paolo Di Canio, and Gus Poyet.
Sergio Aguero scores a perfect 5:
Sergio Aguero is the fifth man in the history of the premier league to score 5 goals in a single premier league match. He completed the feat in 20 minutes and 27 seconds. Manuel Pellegrini is asking for him to be ranked with the likes of Messi and Ronaldo.
Sergio Aguero has joined the elite club containing 4 other members namely Dimitar Berbatov, Jermain Defoe, Alan Shearer, and Andy Cole.
Maybe he could have gone on to create a new world record by scoring a sixth goal, but he was replaced with 24 minutes to go. He now has 84 goals under his belt.
Marko Arnautovic and consistency:
Marko scored the winning goal for Stoke city against Aston Villa. If he can deliver a consistent performance like the one he just delivered, the attack lineup will move a notch north.
“He’s done very well,” Hughes said. “He’s a big powerful guy and when he’s traveling at speed in the box he’s very difficult to defend against. He’s got to continue that and be consistent.”
Callum Wilson suffers long term injury:
Callum Wilson is the third player to suffer a long-term injury in the opening seven games. But a single game is not enough to prove whether they are here for the long haul or the short. Fantasy football players are still on their side and that is saying something.
“The big difference is that when the opposition gets a chance, they score,” said Bournemouth Charlie Daniels. Bournemouth were champions last season, but this year their performance has gone south. There were many setbacks like Odion Ighalo failing to make a successful back pass, averaging less than one goal per game, and Glenn Murray failing to take benefit of a spot-kick.
Chelsea fans are not happy:
They shouted and booed when Wilson was substituted for Pedro. Some fans were of the opinion that Cesc Fabregas would have been a better choice. Fantasy football fans were left in shock. Nemanja Matic was later replaced by Loic Remy at halftime. This led to another round of boos and discontent.
Alan Pardew roots for Yohan Cabaye:
Alan Pardew went the extra mile to show Yohan Cabaye’s contribution to everyone.
“It was a deal that knocked us out of kilter and the chairman and the board worried about that,” says Pardew
The manager paid £12.8m to bag Cabaye after convincing the board that it was the right thing to do.
“But I assured them that there’s no player that can knock on my door and say ‘I want the same money as Cabaye’. If you increase the wage structure because someone has come in and they don’t deliver, then you have got a problem. But they can all come and knock on my door on Monday and ask for more money, saying ‘I want Yohan’s money’. And they’ll get a simple answer: ‘You’re not as good as him.”
Pardew calls Cabaye his lieutenant.
Claudio Ranieri being re-assessed:
Many pundits are re-assessing Claudio Ranieri and his managerial capabilities. The doubts resurfaced when Claudio decided to leave out Riyad Mahrez. Jamie Vardy and Jeffrey Schlupp were the reason why Leicester got early success. Riyad Mahrez’s shooting abilities remain unquestionable.
A lot has happened in the last week a lot more is yet to happen.
