From Wayne : Return of the Kings
Hi Myles,
Looking at the season so far it appears there has been an inability by the so-called big teams to take control and set the pace as has been the case for many a year.
As you say, the first months are about building a platform of points and from now on it’s only about how many points Arsenal, Leicester and Man City get compared to each other.
I feel Leicester have really played out of their skins at times this season and have been unbelievably consistent.
So much so that only ONE player has put them to the sword, Alexis Sanchez.
For Arsenal to have reached top spot without him is hugely impressive. Could it be that after his Championship winning exploits with Chile in the summer, following on from a top drawer FA Cup Final goal, he could feature in the running for the title of “Rey del Fútbol de América?”
Not very likely considering it has only been won once, Mario Kempes in 1978, by a player based outside of Latin America.
Giroud too, has impressed, and in equal measure Walcott has exasperated, and should be content with a substitutes position once Sanchez returns, for surely Campbell is a far more reliable choice than our over-rated number 14. Reliable, quick and with a killer pass at times, he is steadily improving.
For Man. City, their season will be defined by the return of their own main man, Sergio Kun Aguero, who after a struggle for fitness and form, scored a dazzler in the FA Cup on his first full start and followed that with a brace and an assist against Crystal Palace at the weekend.
It could be a spectacular finale to the season if indeed the return of the kings can lift their respective clubs and propel them towards the trophy.
Myles says:
As yet I haven’t discounted Leicester from winning the title.
Kasper Schmeichel is one of the main reasons I say that.
West Ham v Man City is at 5.30pm on Saturday and something tells me that the Hammers will give City a game.
Aguero can score from positions that are only half-chances to anybody else. When the angle is difficult and the available time a mere fraction, Aguero scores the goal.
That is why West Ham boss Slaven Bilic, a former centreback, says Aguero is one of the five best players in the world.
Aguero, like Romario, makes being small look like an advantage.
Although the twinkle-toed Romario was only five foot five and a half (Aguero is five eight).
Small strikers seem to have a more intimate relationship with the ball and Juventus haven’t been half as good since they lost the tiny Tevez in the summer.
Arsenal v Chelsea could be a classic game of football on Sunday at 4pm.
That’s a big thing to say, maybe a reckless thing to say about this fixture. But I think it could be a cracking game because there is plenty of talent on both sides.
When Sanchez took England apart at Wembley, I said he was just what Arsenal need, never dreaming it would happen. I felt very strongly about that, wrote about it anyway to get it off my chest, never dreaming it would happen.
If you know that my favourite players are Denis Law, Patrick Vieira and Luis Suarez, you realise that I love warriors.
When the Chilean signed in 2014, I wrote this : Alexis Sanchez is an exceptionally gifted and rugged footballer who can scrap, sprint, create and finish.
Also love artistry: Kevin de Bruyne, especially.