This weekend’s round of Premier League action offered yet more dramatic twists at the top of the table, as all three title contenders Manchester City, Arsenal, and Liverpool dropped points. Meanwhile, there is a new title contender that has quietly entered contention. Here are three things we learned in Premier League match week 16.
Chelsea Are Title Contenders
As it currently stands, Chelsea are in 2nd place and two points behind league leaders Liverpool. This season was written off as a transition season for Chelsea, as it was assumed new manager Enzo Maresca (hired from Leicester City) would be given a season for the squad to get used to his tactics. There was a brief period of inconsistent form earlier in the season, although they have now started building real momentum, winning their last seven games in a row in all competitions.
Chelsea has a large roster. They have registered a maximum of 25 players senior players, although records indicate the club has almost double the amount of players under contract, with the majority of them being sent out on loan or playing in the under-21s. This has infamously led to overcrowded training facilities that were well-documented earlier in the season. Furthermore, the large sum paid out by the owners to obtain these players (approximately 1.32 billion Euros since 2022) has begun to pay dividends. The large squad gives Chelsea the freedom to rotate heavily during a season of congested fixtures and has allowed them to better manage injuries in the squad.
Their winning streak was extended in their 2-1 win over Brentford last weekend, who have themselves been impressive this season. Nicholas Jackson scored the winning goal, bringing his goal total to 9 this season. Cole Palmer is the 3rd highest goalscorer in the Premier League with 11. The wealth of clinical attackers at Chelsea’s disposal has made them the top goal-scorers in the league so far with 37, one more than Tottenham Hotspur at 36. If Maresca can continue having the squad buy into his ideas, they will be a real threat to the title.
Antonee Robinson is Extremely Underrated
Robinson needs to get the flowers he deserves. The American ran rings around Mohamed Salah and Liverpool in Fulham’s 2-2 draw last weekend. The left-back locked up the Egyptian winger for the majority of the match, although he did record an assist for Liverpool’s first goal. He made the most tackles (5) and the most interceptions (4) in the match and assisted both of Fulham’s goals. He showed both speed and strength by making a long run forward gliding past defender Jarell Quansah and squaring the ball to Rodrigo Muniz who managed a sweet finish into the back of the net for Fulham’s second goal.
The left-back now has six assists in the Premier League this season, more than any defender. He is currently the best left-back in the Premier League, and Fulham manager Marco Silva has expertly built their tactics around taking advantage of his athleticism and determination by funneling their attack down Robinson’s flank. It was a performance that Liverpool left-back Andrew Robertson used to have regularly, and he may have looked at his opposite number last weekend in envy as the Scotsman has struggled to give solid performances for Liverpool so far this season.
Ruben Amorim is Making the Right Moves
New Manchester United manager Amorim made a major call last weekend: he left attackers Marcus Rashford and Alejandro Garnacho off the first team entirely, not even making the bench. While the two players have shown flashes of impressive moments under Amorim’s short spell so far, the players have failed to make a real impact. It was the type of bold decision that past United managers perhaps wouldn’t have taken, which is exactly why Amorim may be exactly what United needed.
United defeated Manchester City in the Manchester Derby last weekend 2-1, and a major standout player was winger Amad Diallo, who won the penalty to equalize 1-1 and scored the winner two minutes later at the end of the game. The young player used his speed to run behind the lines, lightly lifted the ball over charging Man City goalkeeper Ederson, and scored cooly into the net. Man United captain Bruno Fernandes spoke after the game about how highly rated the Ivorian is, and Amorim will be excited at the potential of getting the best out of him.
