We are beyond the halfway stage of the Premier League and the first gameweek of 2017 was an entertaining one as usual. Three of the top six teams dropped points while two of the bottom three teams picked up points in a gameweek that shaped up both the relegation battle and the title race.
Chelsea finally met their match in Tottenham while Arsenal and Liverpool dropped points to blow open the title race. Both the Manchester teams picked up three points while Everton started the year off on a positive note with a 3-0 victory. Sunderland held Liverpool while Swansea City picked up three important points to start the year leaving Crystal Palace close to the relegation zone.
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Also read: EPL 2016/17: 5 Talking Points from Matchweek 20
All this and more as here are 10 things we learned this gameweek:
#1 Papy Mendy could be the successor to N’Golo Kante in the Leicester City midfield
After his summer move to Leicester City which saw him reunite with manager Claudio Ranieri after their Monaco days, Papy Mendy had a disastrous start to the season. After picking up a serious injury on his debut against Arsenal he only made one other appearance - against Porto in the Champions League when Leicester City was battered.
While Mendy’s time at Leicester has been unlucky, to say the least, the midfielder had a decent game against Middlesbrough and with Daniel Amartey departing for the AFCON, he could be Leicester City’s first choice midfielder. The departure of Amartey and return of Mendy couldn’t have been timed better and this could be a moment that can change Leicester City’s season.
#2 Koeman gets revenge on his old team
While the scoreline read 3-0, it wasn’t really an outclassing in reality. Everton and Southampton played out an even game for over two-thirds of the match. However, Ronald Koeman probably anticipated this. The Toffees picked the right time to hit their opposition and scored three goals in sixteen minutes to seal all three points.
Ever since leaving Southampton, Koeman has been given stick by the fans especially after his side lost at the St.Mary’s Stadium. This victory gives him and his men much-needed confidence going into a new year and the second half of the league season. Everton needs to be more consistent to fight for a spot in the Europa League.
#3 Manchester City scrape another win
After a glorious start to his career in England, Pep Guardiola has been struggling to get Manchester City going but the team has managed to pick up a few unconvincing victories as Pep Guardiola himself recognised. Against Burnley, Manchester City was poor once again and Fernandinho’s red card made matters tough for Guardiola’s men.
Despite taking a two-goal lead, Claudio Bravo’s error in the penalty area led to a Burnley goal which sees yet another opportunity to keep a clean sheet missed. It has been the smaller clubs that have troubled Manchester City this season while against big teams, it has been a matter of losing the important moments. Not the consistency that a champion team must have.
#4 Defoe puts Sunderland en route to yet another great escape
Without Jermain Defoe, Sunderland would probably still be rock bottom of the table preparing themselves for life in the Championship. However, the is not the case as the former England international scored a double to take his goal tally to 11 goals this season out of the 19 goals that the Black Cats have collectively scored.
They are only one point off safety and seem to be inspired to stay in the league. The team is showing the right mentality and Vito Mannone has come out and said the team is ready to fight every week to ensure safety. David Moyes can only be thankful that his players are pumped for the relegation battle.
#5 Tony Pulis’ West Brom closing the gap on Everton
He has done it before and he is doing it again. For years, Tony Pulis has managed to take a team that usually finishes well into the bottom half of the Premier League table and turn them into contenders for Europe. This time, West Brom have been that mentally strong team with great character – classic Tony Pulis.
Gareth McAuley is having the season of his life and has been finding the back of the net quite often. Matt Phillips has probably been the best player this season for the Baggies and yet again this week he created both the goals with two fantastic corner kicks. West Brom are only a point behind Everton now.
#6 Manchester United have found the right balance finally
The first half of the season for Manchester United was about Jose Mourinho finding the right balance with this Manchester United team. He has the challenge to fit so many star players into the team while assigning them roles to contribute effectively. It is safe to say that United have now found their mojo and are a team to be wary of.
With a set midfield and a well-performing attack, Manchester United have been fantastic in the last few games. Jose has stopped settling for a 1-0 lead and pushes his men to get that second goal which gives them a cushion. Their game against West Ham United was a classic example of just that. All four of Mourinho’s summer signings are now performing well for the Red Devils.
#7 Mediocre Arsenal need a mentality change
After going down 3-0, Arsenal certainly displayed fantastic character to push themselves back into the game and pick up at least a point. However, it was too late to get a win. Olivier Giroud’s celebration after the third goal is a simple example of how Arsenal need a change of their mindset.
The goal was certainly just a plaster on the wounds already caused by conceding three goals and many Arsenal players like Alexis Sanchez and Oxlade-Chamberlain were certainly annoyed with Giroud’s celebration. Anything that isn’t 3 points has to be seen as a failure henceforth or this could well be the last season not only for Arsene Wenger but also Alexis Sanchez at Arsenal.
#8 Swansea lucky to win and have a lot more to do to avoid relegation
The latest casualties in the Premier League were Alan Pardew and Bob Bradley. The teams they left behind faced off against each other this game week as Swansea came out on top, but only just. Sam Allardyce hasn’t yet made a major impact on Crystal Palace, while Swansea City was lucky to not have two penalties called against them.
In a game where neither team really deserved to win, it was Angel Rangel’s strike that sealed all three points for Swansea which sees Crystal Palace now just one point above the relegation zone. The Swans have been extremely lucky not to be at the bottom of the table. The winter transfer window is an opportunity to reinforce their squad and fight to stay in the league.
#9 Tottenham break Conte’s 3-4-3 with their own version of it
Antonio Conte took the Premier League by storm after his classic 3-4-3 formation with Chelsea gave his men a 13 game winning run. Going into the game, Mauricio Pochettino, another shrewd tactician, lined up his team in a similar formation. And the result – a 2-0 victory at home to end Chelsea’s winning run.
Not only did Spurs replicate Chelsea’s formation, they were stronger on the wings. Kyle Walker and Danny Rose outpaced their counterparts Victor Moses and Marcos Alonso while they exploited the Blues’ weakness in defence – Cesar Azpilicueta.
Not possessing the tallest defenders, Dele Alli headed home two goals both on the left-hand side beating Azpilicueta and Victor Moses for both. A true tactical masterclass.
#10 Unlucky Mazzarri suffering due to injuries
Watford was on a roll in the first 10 games of the season beating the likes of Manchester United and several other sides. Troy Deeney was in fantastic form while Roberto Pereyra and Etienne Capoue were some of the in form players in the midfield.
However, with Roberto Pereyra, Juan Zuniga, Nordin Amrabat, Isaac Success, Daryl Janmaat and Valon Behrami on the sidelines, there isn’t much Mazzarri can do.
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Each of the injured players were important for Watford in the earlier stages of the season and Troy Deeney, now, has too much to do by himself. The winter transfer window has come at the perfect time for Watford but will they go for reinforcements or see this rough patch through? Interesting times for The Hornets.
