Week 14 of the 2015-16 English Premier League proved to be exactly what we expected of it—two days of some really good football and unique twists and turns with title battles and regulation dog fights keeping the audience glued to their seats.
In an action-packed week, Manchester City returned to the top spot thanks to the inability of the chasing pack (Manchester United, Leicester City, and Arsenal) to show more than a solitary point for their efforts.
Here are a few things that Week 14 highlighted.
Pellegrini holding on
In all honesty, it has not been an easy month for the Manchester City manager, who, apart from his team’s consistent failings in Europe, has to deal with the rumors of Pep Guardiola. It is believed that regardless of what the former Real Madrid manager achieves by the end of the current campaign, he will be replaced by the Bayern Munich manager, who is a man torn for choice these days.
However, the Chilean put the perfect team sheet against a tough Southampton side and was rewarded with a much-needed win at home. Nonetheless, times are lean for Pellegrini, and he continues to walk on a thin rope.
Vardy is pure class
Just four years back, Jamie Vardy was playing in the Conference four for Fleetwood Town. Money was thin, and he could not rely only on football to make ends meet. How times have changed since then. On Saturday, the striker completed a legacy that he might never have thought would be possible when he was single-handedly guiding Halifax to glory week in week out.
In the 1-1 draw against Manchester United, the striker scored his 11th consecutive goal of the season and surpassed Ruud van Nistelrooy’s record which stood for 13 years. From back-breaking laboring in a factory to jumping over a fence into a getaway car after being substituted in non-League matches—so he wouldn’t break his curfew while wearing an electronic tag having been convicted for assault—Vardy’s story is one of a kind.
Today, however, the England international deservedly can be considered a Premier League superstar.
Jurgen Klopp leading a mini-renaissance
How much a single managerial change can turn things around for an under-performing team is beyond us. Just a few weeks back, Liverpool were consigned to yet another mediocre finish in the league. The board decided quickly. Out went Brendan Rodgers, and in came Jurgen Klopp, the man who defied Bayern Munich’s supremacy during his time at Borussia Dortmund.
After a 4-1 mauling of Manchester City in their own backyard, Klopp guided the team to another win at the expense of Swansea City. Although they had to rely on a James Milner penalty to get all three points, it is clear that Klopp has already found the formula to get the best out of the players at his disposal. The Reds are becoming very industrious and are playing more like a team than ever, which means that it won’t be a surprise if they end up having a big say on who’s going to win the title this year.
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