Premier League interesting rankings: Arsene Wenger’s macho head games
Following a surprisingly difficult challenge from Stoke, Chelsea have every reason to believe they can go undefeated through the end of the season. How did the rest of the league fare?
20. Sunderland (LW: 19)
“Maybe I would have been better going into Ukraine’s civil war than Sunderland.” This quote, courtesy of former Black Cats sporting director Lee Congerton, sheds some light on the internal politics at Sunderland, where a decision on David Moyes will surely follow eventual relegation.
19. Middlesbrough (LW: 20)
Despite the best efforts of Rudy Gestede, Boro could do little but watch as their opponents added to an insurmountable lead. Afterward, manager Steve Agnew said he had a “clear view” of how to avoid relegation; a run of Swansea, Hull and Burnley should theoretically help their cause, but then, they shouldn’t theoretically be in this position in the first place.
18. Chelsea (LW: 14)
Even a close match capped off with a late winner can’t save the Blues from the interesting relegation zone. Gary Cahill’s strike gave Chelsea the victory, sending his team 13 points (10 after Tottenham won on Sunday) clear at the top of the table. Yaaaaaawwwwwwwwwwn.
17. Watford (LW: 16)
Walter Mazzarri has a chance to be the first manager to complete a full calendar year at Vicarage Road since Gianfranco Zola in 2013, but Watford’s 1-0 loss to Palace doesn’t boost his cause. Still, the Hornets remain in solid standing to stay up, with an outside shot at finishing in the top half of the table.
16. Stoke (LW: 15)
The Potters gave Chelsea their absolute best on Saturday before relinquishing a late winner. Ramadan Sobhi has been a bright spot for ninth-place Stoke, and he had some nice attacking moments before being subbed off for Peter Crouch in stoppage time. He’s the one to watch for the rest of the season.
15. Hull (LW: 17)
Perhaps the biggest roadblock to Hull’s attempt to stay in the Premier League right now is Tom Huddlestone’s three match suspension and appeal. No matter how that breaks, the Tigers likely must win their next two home games to stand a chance of survival.
14. Bournemouth (LW: 18)
Swansea had the Cherries’ backs to the wall until their own backs broke the wall — Benik Afobe saw a shot deflect past Lukasz Fabianski before scoring one to call his own later on. Eddie Howe has continued to utilize Dan Gosling rather than Jack Wilshere in the midfield, a small but not insignificant controversy.
13. Southampton (LW : 12)
After falling 2-1 away to Spurs, Saints manager Claude Puel expressed his dismay in the officiating, saying his side deserved a penalty as much as the opponents did. Unable to bring on Shane Long for the injured Manolo Gabbiadini, Southampton gave up a penalty to Dele Alli and came away with a narrow, questionable loss.
12. West Ham (LW: 8)
Winless in their past five matches, the Hammers conceded three goals in relatively quick succession. Their form is all out of sorts, having been unable to take advantage of an ostensibly tired Leicester side. Though he apparently is not yet under the gun, Slaven Bilic must find some redeeming quality in this side, and fast.
11. Burnley (LW: 7)
After an inspired run in recent games, Michael Keane is hoping to parlay his excellent form into an England debut during the international break. Despite having not yet won away this season, the Clarets are in decent position to beat relegation following a 0-0 draw at Sunderland. Even so, Sean Dyche remains open to criticism, which he has summarily received, courtesy of the internet.
10. Everton (LW: 11)
With his first Premier League goal on Saturday, Dominic Calvert-Lewin added to the growing list of potential offensive threats for Everton’s future, with Tom Davies and Ademola Lookman having already stamped that particular passport. With a potential Wayne Rooney signing looming on the horizon, Toffees fans may end up saying, “Romelu Lukak-WHO?” albeit through tears of rage.
9. West Brom (LW: 13)
The Baggies’ three goals all seemed to happen in the blink of an eye, leaving Arsene Wenger and his squad stupefied. Perhaps that influenced the West Brom board, who are reported to be offering Tony Pulis a new contract. Cheers, Tony.
8. Manchester United (LW: 6)
Wayne Rooney’s future continues to hang over the Red Devils, who nevertheless handily defeated Middlesbrough. Rumored summer target Antoine Griezmann reiterated his intent to remain in Spain, due largely to the weather. Here come Twitter eggs to tell you Griezmann can’t do it on a rainy Tuesday night in Stoke.
7. Swansea (LW: 3)
For the first half hour against Bournemouth, the Swans had several opportunities to go ahead, including a near own-goal and a questionable non-call for a penalty. Then, they gave up an own goal themselves, and the Cherries never looked back. Gylfi Sigurdsson remains one of the most compelling offensive threats in the Premier League, and he may warrant consideration for a move come summer, especially if his club is relegated.
6. Manchester City (LW: 9)
Sergio Aguero came to the rescue again, scoring the equalizer to salvage an otherwise unimpressive draw against Liverpool. Adam Lallana’s egregious miss notwithstanding, City’s reputation under Pep Guardiola is increasingly under fire. The continued Joe Hart drama does nothing to further Pep’s case.
5. Tottenham (LW: 5)
Dele Alli insists he’ll never take the fight out of his game, and we should hope not: the young striker scored for Spurs in the winning effort over Southampton on Sunday. Ever the provocative skipper, Mauricio Pochettino insisted that his side should have “killed off Southampton.” That seems rather extreme, given the winning result, but his focus is impressive.
4. Liverpool (LW: 1)
The Reds’ standing in this tables reflects their result against City this week: it’s not that they did anything wrong, but they didn’t do quite enough to succeed either. Still, a draw against Pep Guardiola’s City away is a solid enough result for Jurgen Klopp.
3. Crystal Palace (LW: 4)
The 1-0 win over Watford wasn’t totally definitive, but it went a long way toward the Eagles’ effort to stave off relegation. After making a personal appeal to the club chairman on behalf of Wilfried Zaha, Big Sam Allardyce and his club are in a corner of sorts, and it’s starting to show. This is when it gets good.
2. Leicester (LW: 2)
Yes, the Foxes beat West Ham this week, their third straight league win. Yes, their season seems to be pointing toward avoiding relegation. But the real story? Leicester beat Sevilla last week as well, continuing their improbable stroll through the Champions League.
1. Arsenal (LW: 9)
A great way to shoot up eight spots in these rankings is to introduce some mystery to your otherwise stereotypically subpar season. A dreadful loss to West Brom certainly helps. Arsene Wenger also managed to lend a hand to that cause, telling the world he has made a decision on his future without telling us just what that decision is. Nicely done, Professor.