How important is squad depth and rotation in the Premier League? There are two schools of thought: one says a great first XI alone can’t sustain a 38-game challenge, the other says too much tinkering disrupts the confidence needed for a title push. Do this season’s numbers support either theory?
Boring, boring Chelsea? The newly-crowned champions will of course refute that notion, but whatever the rights and wrongs of that particular accusation, one thing is more certain – it’s not a description even the most biased football fan would seriously attach to the blues’ playmaker, Eden Hazard.
When it comes to the matter of offering an opinion on the likelihood of achieving success in football, (success being winning everything on offer) most participants – players and managers alike – are normally somewhat guarded in their predictions. However, Celtic manager Ronny Deila has certainly bucked that trend, with his willingness to consider the possibility of his side claiming a domestic clean sweep of silverware come the end of the season.
It’s 6 o’clock on a Saturday night and Benik Afobe has just scored 2 and set 1 up in Wolves’ 5-0 win over Rotherham at Molineux. That’s 5 in 6 for his new club. He’s the latest in a long line of young English prospects to be discarded by Arsène Wenger. Why?