Premier League Round Nine: The good, the bad and the ugly

The Good

Where did that come from?

Zero wins. Three draws. Five losses. That was the situation Newcastle found itself in entering round nine of the Premier League.

Their opponent, Norwich City, entered this matchup winless in its last three fixtures. Norwich’s weak form presented a good opportunity for Newcastle to find its first win of the season.

As if Newcastle had not done enough losing while playing their league matches thus far, they also suffered a loss during the international break as well. Goalkeeper Tim Krul will be lost for the duration of the season after picking up an achilles injury while on duty with the Netherlands.

No problem for Newcastle on this day, though, as they fired six goals past Norwich City during a 6-2 victory which moved them up to 18^th in the table.

The goal scoring started when expensive summer signing Georginio Wijnaldum slipped into some space near the top of the box and Moussa Sissoko played him in on goal. Wijnaldum did the rest and cooly slotted home the goal into the far post.

14 minutes into the game and it is 1-0 Newcastle. Dream start, right? Oh, I forgot this was Newcastle and the good feelings tend to be fleeting.

After a Robbie Brady scorcher from distance beat Rob Elliott but not the post, Norwich City kept up the pressure. The dam broke just six minutes after Wijnaldum put the hosts in front. Dieumerci Mbokani latched onto a Martin Olsson cross to level the score at one.

"GOAL! Newcastle 1-1 Norwich (Mbokani, 20) Live updates » http://t.co/xbMiKU50AY"

Just like that, after only six minutes of being out front, Newcastle supporters could be forgiven for thinking this would turn into just another day at the office for the Magpies. How many goals would they ship after this? How bad could it get for manager Steve McLaren’s men?

The response time equaled that of Mbokani as Sissoko and Wijnaldum linked up once again to torment the Norwich City backline. Sissoko sent in a peach of a cross from the right side of the field and Wijnaldum finished off the play with a smooth header. Calm as you like, Newcastle responded to a punch in the mouth for the first time this season.

Up 2-1, Newcastle needed another goal to add some much needed breathing room. They would find it the form of Ayoze Perez. The Spaniard took a shot which was blocked and rebounded straight back into his path. Perez took his opportunity on the second offering by slotting it into the far corner – similarly to Wijnaldum’s first goal – and restoring the good feelings at St. James’ Park.

Just one minute after Perez’s goal, another Olsson cross from the left side of the attack found Nathan Redmond who finished on the volley. Newcastle led 3-2 after 34 minutes but the crowd was stunned.

The television broadcast showed McLaren’s reaction after the goal and the stress was visible on his face as he simply shook his head in disbelief.

At 53 minutes Newcastle cleared a Norwich City header off of the line. This play would swing the momentum of the match permanently in Newcastle’s favor.

11 minutes on from the clearance and Newcastle found the cushion they were looking for when Aleksandar Mitrovic smashed home their fourth goal of the match.

Two minutes later, on 66 minutes, Wijnaldum made another brilliant run to the center of the box before heading home a Daryl Janmaat cross to put Norwich City away for good. Wijnaldum would add another goal to complete a four-goal performance.

This result was just what the doctor ordered for Newcastle. Wijnaldum and Mitrovic finally lived up to their price tags. Sissoko had a brilliant game. Everything came together for Newcastle like it has not done in a long time.

It was a perfect way for Newcastle to enter into its next match – a showdown with derby rivals Sunderland – on the heels of a great Newcastle win and another Sunderland defeat.

England’s potential star forward?

Coming into the season there were plenty of players getting attention as having breakout potential. Harry Kane, Saido Berahino, Memphis Depay, Jordon Ibe, Ross Barkley, John Stones, Luke Shaw, etc…

That being said, JAMIE VARDY has been the breakout player of the season.

How much has Vardy influenced Leicester City’s fast start to the season? Vardy has scored nine goals in nine games this season, 47% of Leicester City’s goals

That’s right, Jamie Vardy. The player who once drew the ire of Leicester City’s supporters as a 1 million pound flop of a transfer from Fleetwood Town, the same player who plied his trade for half a decade in non-league football has become a revelation this season.

Vardy has scored nine goals in nine games this season. On top of that, Vardy is looking to become only the eighth player in the history of the Premier League to score in seven consecutive matches.

The next match will be tough for Vardy and Leicester City as they host a Crystal Palace side that will be itching to get back on track after a 3-1 home defeat to West Ham. Also, Crystal Palace will have a chance to hop above Leicester City in the table if they can beat them.

Alan Pardew’s men will surely be aware of the threat Vardy poses and try to install a plan to keep him in check. This will be a good test for the striker – now capped four times for England’s national team. Given his production you’d have to think Vardy would have a fairly good chance of making the Euro squad if he continues in this vein of form he is on.

The striker competition for England will be tough, and that is with Callum Wilson’s unfortunate knee injury ruling him out. Between Daniel Sturridge, Harry Kane, Saido Berahino, Wayne Rooney, and Jamie Vardy the competition will be fierce.

How much has Vardy influenced Leicester City’s fast start to the season? Not only did he score both goals in The Foxes’ latest comeback – a 2-2 draw with Southampton – but he has also contributed to 47 percent of his team’s goals this season. That places him third in the Premier League behind Odion Ighalo (83 percent) and Georginio Wijnaldum (50 percent).

Vardy also places third in the Premier League in shots per game with 4.2, behind only Alexis Sanchez of Arsenal and Philippe Coutinho of Liverpool.

As far as overall match rating, courtesy of whoscored.com, Vardy ranks third in the Premier League with a per game average of 7.95, behind teammate Riyad Mahrez and Manchester City’s David Silva.

Only time will tell if Vardy can keep this run going all the way to France for a place in England’s Euro squad.

Next: The Bad