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Despite an expected enthralling title race grinding down to a halt, there's been plenty of shocks throughout one of the most bizarre Premier League seasons yet, so at Playmaker, we deemed it time to sift through the five biggest storylines and surprises of the 2020/21 campaign so far...
Liverpool’s Misfiring Front Three
What is surprising though, is despite having the odds stacked against them this season, a front three that was previously one of, if not the best in Europe, has hardly been able to outweigh Liverpool’s defensive issues.
Mohamed Salah has kept up his world class production with a goal or an assist for pretty much every game, but the drop off from Sadio Mane, who often finishes above Salah in awards voting, and in particular, Roberto Firmino, has been a disturbing watch for Jurgen Klopp.
Bamford & Raphinha making it look easy
Bamford is on course to record his career-best league goal total, with his current 13 four short, and he’s been the key player in helping Marcelo Bielsa’s side entertain and maintain a mid-table spot.
Helping Bamford has been a man whose importance continues to increase week by week, with the £17 million Leeds paid Rennes for Raphinha beginning to look like an absolute bargain.
Making sporadic appearances to start the season, the 24-year-old Brazilian is now not only wowing fans with his skill, but producing on the scoresheet too, and emerging out of nowhere to become an attraction for plenty of Champions League level sides.
Calvert-Lewin outgunning Ings
This season though, Ings sits 16th in league scoring with eight goals, seeing his impact dwindling as Southampton’s fortunes fade, and five goals ahead is a flying Dominic Calvert-Lewin who may have stolen his spot in the England squad.
Calvert-Lewin had shown signs of class with his aerial prowess in the past, but under Carlo Ancelotti, he’s taken it to a whole new level, and could well be playing European and international football soon if he continues to leap over Ings.
The Moyes Revolution
Everything that could go right, has gone right, to the point that binning off £44 million record signing Sebastien Haller for a £22 million loss and replacing him with a much-maligned Jesse Lingard even turned out to be a success.
Moyes, a man who’s rarely shown much emotion throughout his career, has brought smiles back to West Ham, with even he himself running on the pitch beaming during celebrations, and it’s hard to see the feel-good factor wearing off any time soon.
Gündoğan Takes Over
What is a surprise though, is that despite Sergio Aguero’s influence virtually disappearing this season, City have had no problem finding the back of the net, with much of that down to İlkay Gündoğan.
The German has gone from a steady but unspectacular option for Pep Guardiola, to one of the best midfielders in Europe, leading his side with 13 goals in all competitions, reaching double figures for the first time in his career.
He’s been a joy to watch so far, and with the 30-year-old often being the key difference in the 20-game winning run, his chances of picking up player of the season awards are pretty high, when they were previously non-existent.
