We’re well into the holiday season but there is no break for the stars in England. Gameweek 18 of the Premier League i.e. the Boxing Day week ended with Liverpool picking up a fantastic 4-1 victory over Stoke City in what was a slightly predictable week of football.
Big teams Chelsea, Arsenal, Manchester City, Manchester United and Liverpool all picked up 3 points to pile the pressure on Mauricio Pochettino’s Tottenham side, who play on Thursday. Meanwhile, Sam Allardyce made a much-awaited return to the Premier League.
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Here are 10 things we learned from Gameweek 18:
#1 Sam Allardyce makes a promising start on his return
The former England manager is back to Premier League management replacing Alan Pardew as the manager of Crystal Palace and has already made them a better team in just one game. Palace looked like a much more solid and resilient side, just like most of Big Sam’s teams have been in the past.
The Eagles were frustrated after Christian Benteke missed a penalty and a chance for Palace to take the lead. However, Yohan Cabaye put them ahead a few minutes later only to have his goal cancelled out by Troy Deeney. While the defence looked organised, Sam Allardyce will surely need more time to instil some real steel into the team.
#2 Burnley at home are tough to get points off
The champions of the EFL Championship have been the best of the newly promoted teams in the Premier League this season but all of their points bar one against Manchester United at Old Trafford have come at home. A solid and gritty performance from Sean Dyche’s side yet again at home gave them 3 points to put the Clarets on 20 points this season.
Turf Moor is certainly a daunting place to play football and Liverpool have themselves lost here. Striker Andre Gray has recognised his side’s performances at home and reckons that their home form could be good enough to keep them in the top flight.
Gray showed fantastic pace and positioning throughout the game and bagged the winning goal.
#3 Pedro repaying Conte’s faith in him
After a fantastic start to his Chelsea career, scoring on debut, Pedro has failed to replicate his Barcelona form. However, after Antonio Conte’s arrival, things have dramatically changed for the Champions League winner. Whether he is expected to play more in midfield or right up front in the absence of Diego Costa, Pedro has turned up this season.
After scoring a quick goal against Manchester United, he has scored quite a few vital ones as well including one against Tottenham, Everton and now against Bournemouth away. Finally, the big signing from Barcelona has turned up for Chelsea and is proving himself. Pedro looks at home in this system and could well be on his way to a maiden Premier League title.
#4 Leicester need to win at home to stay up
After only one loss and six draws at home last season, The King Power stadium could have surely been labelled as one of the most daunting places to travel to this season in the Premier League. However, with almost half the season gone, Leicester City have already lost two games at home and drawn three.
While this may not be too bad, their worrying away form has left Leicester needing more wins at home to stay up. The Foxes will have to win as many games as possible at home in order to stay clear of the relegation battle. With seven losses and one draw and no wins away from home, home form is vital for the Foxes.
#5 Mkhitaryan could push United back into the title race
In the first few months, Manchester United’s only signing to not have made a notable contribution was Henrikh Mkhitaryan. But that was until December. Upon his return to the squad this month Mkhitaryan has been impressive in all his outings scoring two fantastic goals as well. His goal against Sunderland is surely a contender for goal of the season.
With the midfield settling in very well for Manchester United and Ibrahimovic firing, Mkhitaryan could be that additional X-factor that Champion teams need. He is the sort of player that can produce moments of magic to change draws into victories and Manchester United have missed a player of that calibre ever since Rooney’s dip in form.
Now, they have three.
#6 Yaya Toure back to his best under Pep Guardiola
A poor season under Manuel Pellegrini saw Yaya Toure at the receiving end of all the trolls last season. With extremely poor work rate and a below par performance against Real Madrid, there were calls for Yaya to be dropped. With Pep’s arrival, his time at the Etihad stadium seemed to be coming to an end.
However, ever since Dmitri Seluk patched things up with Pep Guardiola, Toure has been vital for City. Guardiola has recognised the importance of winning the second and third balls in midfield in the Premier League and Yaya Toure does that brilliantly. His passing has been world class and positioning and work rate all seem to have improved. He looks fit and his career seems to be back on track.
#7 Impressive West Ham continue their unbeaten run
After a few impressive games against Tottenham and Manchester United, West Ham seemed to give their fans a glimmer of hope. Alexis and Arsenal crushed that in a 5-1 defeat. However, that defeat seems to have turned things around for West Ham as they have since drawn against Liverpool and won three games against Burnley, Hull and Swansea City.
The most recent victory takes them all the way up to the 11th spot on 22 points, only 4 behind Everton who are in the 7th position. A few more clinical performances and the Hammers could well be looking at a mid-table finish or better this season.
#8 Swansea and Hull City are certainly relegation favourites
After 18 games the two sides’ record reads the same, 3 wins, 3 draws and 12 losses. Hull City and Swansea City are having a nightmare in the Premier League this season. The Tigers must not be surprised at the fact that they are at the bottom of the table considering the poor squad they have.
Swansea, on the other hand, should be questioning their transfers. While Fernando Llorente has been good, Borja Baston has not really played any part in their season so far. Two managers sacked and yet no progress has been made. A team that was once in the Europa League spots with Michu is now certainly staring at relegation.
#9 Lallana and Firmino make up for Coutinho’s absence
Despite conceding an early goal, The Reds came back to take home all three points after a 4-1 victory over Stoke City. Adam Lallana showed class to control the midfield during the game while Roberto Firmino ended his goal drought with the equaliser. The Brazillian has been Liverpool’s top scorer this year and turned up when it mattered the most.
Daniel Sturridge scored his first league goal only seconds after coming on. The striker seems to slowly be getting into his groove and will be important in the absence of Philippe Coutinho and, later on, Sadio Mane when he leaves for the AFCON.
#10 Zlatan Ibrahimovic is NOT too old for the Premier League
Two goals and an assist against Sunderland and Zlatan Ibrahimovic looked absolutely unstoppable again. The Swede was signed by Manchester United for free this season and has been their top-scorer. With 50 goals this year, he is only the second player after Lionel Messi to get to the 50 goal mark in 2016 even at the age of 35.
On Saturday, Zlatan will have a chance to beat Lionel Messi as the goal-scoring king of 2016 if he scores a brace against Middlesbrough. With 2 assists and 12 goals this season, Zlatan is enjoying life in the Premier League and is showing no signs of slowing down. He has certainly shut down the critics who called him too old for the Premier League.
