5 things we learned from the first half of the Premier League season

#1 Lots of Messi-lite players stepping up

Hazard is doing his best to emulate Messi this season

Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo have changed the makeup of European club football considerably. Despite playing alongside some top strikers (Wayne Rooney, Thierry Henry, Luis Suarez, Samuel Eto "O", Raul Gonzalez, Karim Benzema, and others), these two have been their team's primary source for goals.

This has paved the way for imitation across Europe with lots of teams now looking to their wide players/midfielders as their main goalscorers.

The Premier League has been greatly influenced by this (the man who started it all; Guardiola is in the Premier League). As such, teams in England's top divisions are increasingly looking to players other than their main strikers for goals.

Without Hazard, Chelsea would be nowhere near the 4th spot they currently occupy. Strikers Alvaro Morata and Olivier Giroud have managed only 6 goals between them (the same number of goals Pedro has scored).

Sterling is easing the goalscoring burden off Sergio Aguero's shoulders at Machester City. Lucas Moura and Heung Min-Son have provided 13 goals already to compliment Kane's 12 for Spurs.

Anthony Martial has outscored Romelu Lukaku and Marcus Rashford at Manchester United while Roberto Pereyra is Watford's leading goal-getter. This is a pattern that looks set to continue for the rest of the season.