Sport
Seven Days in Seven Points
Pass or shot?
Jordan Ibe scored the goal that handed Liverpool a slender Capital One Cup lead against Stoke, but all the chatter on social media was about Joe Allan’s ‘assist’. Was it a sublime pass, a touch that Pirlo would applaud, or was it a nothing more than a scuffed shot straight out of the Shola Ameobi handbook? Personally, I am willing to give the lad the benefit of the doubt, but I’ll let you make your own mind up.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jzNFL6r-nP8
Aston Villa look a broken side
Every football fan in the country knows that Rémi Garde’s men are going down, but it seems that Villa’s players have now accepted that view as fact too. Villa lost 3-1 against Sunderland at the weekend and, though the claret and blues played well in spells, they were eventually undone when it mattered – a theme that has become all too common this season. While Sunderland, who also looked doomed a few weeks ago, have shown some fight and ambition to remain in the league, Aston Villa are yet to show that sort of determination. It’s going to be a long campaign in Birmingham.
Is Dele Alli Tottenham’s best midfielder?
At the moment, you’d have to say yes. He is unbelievably assured and confident on the ball, which is staggering given that he was playing in an MK Dons side that lost 3-0 at home to Walsall this time last year. The quality of Alli, and how he has adapted to the speed of the Premier League, also highlights how poorly Tottenham spent the money received following Gareth Bale’s departure to Real Madrid. Capoue and Paulinho? I’m sure most fans would take Alli over those two any day.
Can Atletico win the league again?
Every season the talk is about Real Madrid and Barcelona, but once again Atletico are proving that they are a force to be reckoned with. We’re 18 games through the Spanish season and Diego Simeone’s men are sitting pretty atop La Liga, two points ahead of Barca (though the Catalan giants have a game in hand), and four ahead of city rivals Real. Though the league’s power duo may be able to wield more spending power, Atletico’s squad is infused with the sort of team spirit sorely lacking at the Bernabéu, and is capable of displays of grittiness that just don’t suit Messi and co. Atletico are still 10/1 to win the title, so it’s well worth a punt!
Rafa has been sacked by Real, and nobody is surprised
It’s not like we really needed another example of the utterly ridiculous way Real Madrid is run, but the club’s hierarchy decided to give us one anyway. Rafael Benítez was given the boot earlier this week, despite only having been in charge for seven months. His short reign saw the club lose only three from 25 games, but emerge victorious in 17. That’s a win percentage of around 68%, if you’re wondering. It’s hard to feel sorry for Rafa as he knew exactly what he was getting into, but it’s still sad to see a massive club – arguably the biggest in the world – run in such an amateur and mercenary fashion.
Expect a quiet January transfer window
Everyone seems to be able to beat everyone else this season, so it’s difficult to judge the sides that seriously need to strengthen (aside from poor Aston Villa, of course). I’m expecting a few transfers to go through, but nothing major. Maybe sides like Bournemouth and Swansea will be able to snag a couple of decent loan deals, but that’ll be pretty much it. This is a not a window that will warrant staying up late on deadline day.
Who will be the star of 2016?
This is, quite obviously, a tricky thing to predict. Who would have picked out Jamie Vardy and Riyad Mahrez as two of the Premier League’s star performers 12 months ago? However, I think 2016 will be the year of the established footballer. While I expect youngsters such as Duncan Watmore and Eric Dier to continue progressing, I can see Manchester City’s Kevin de Bruyne and Arsenal’s Mesut Ozil bossing the league for the remainder of the campaign and beyond. If I had to pick out someone a little more unknown, then I’d go for Manchester United’s Cameron Borthwick-Jackson; that lad could have a big future ahead of him.
