Thibaut Courtois

To put it simply, Thibaut Courtois will probably be the best goalkeeper in the world in a couple years.  Right now, he's easily in the top 5.  Along with Manchester United's David De Gea, Courtois is possibly the most promising young goalie in the world.  He has won the award for the best keeper in Spain during the 3 seasons he was on loan from Chelsea at Atlético Madrid.  This season, he has come in and replaced Petr Cech, who is also still probably in the top 5 goalies in the world.  That's saying something.  Courtois is massive at right around 6'6", and has made some of the most incredible reflex saves you'll ever see.  And even more, he's received all of these accolades and praise while still only being 22 years old.  That's pretty scary for any attacker who has ideas about trying to score on Chelsea for the next 10+ years.

Weekly Standings

This week was a big one in the Premier League, as it looks like we might actually have an exciting finish now, even if it's just at the bottom of the table.  Let's look at what happened...

Southampton 2 - 2 Tottenham

This was an important game for both teams, as they are both trying to vie for a top 5 finish.  This game didn't do much to improve either team's odds, but both teams played pretty well, so this might be a very interesting race going into the end of the season.

Burnley 0 - 1 Leicester City

Leicester City might just be the team to make the great escape this year, as they've been on fire in recent weeks, and this was a huge win over rival bottom dweller Burnley.  Leicester's run of good form has now made for a very exciting relegation battle, as now there are about 7 teams who could feasibly be relegated.  And good for Leicester to finally drag themselves up off the bottom, that isn't easy.

Newcastle 2 - 3 Swansea City

Well, that's 7 straight losses for Newcastle, who at one point in the season were in 6th.  Not so now, and they will be reasonably fearful of being relegated, especially at the rate they are going now.  On the other hand, Swansea really doesn't have anything left to play for this year, and they've had a really great few seasons since they were promoted.

QPR 0 - 0 West Ham United

Yawn.  The only thing this game means is that QPR is still firmly in the relegation race, and they'll take any points they can get from here on out.

Stoke City 1 - 1 Sunderland

Another boring draw that really proved nothing major, other than that Sunderland is now currently in the relegation zone, given Leicester's win.  Obviously this will make Sunderland a little nervous, however, they are masters of escaping the relegation zone against all odds. Perhaps this will be the year they finally go down, or maybe they'll hang on again to be around next year.

West Bromwich Albion 0 - 0 Liverpool

Not a lot of people would've figured that West Brom could hold Liverpool to a draw in this one, but draw they did, and Liverpool missed a golden opportunity to take a big stride in their aim for a top 5 or even top 4 finish.  Instead, they'll continue to battle Tottenham and Southampton to hold onto their current 5th place in the table.

Manchester City 3 - 2 Aston Villa

While the better team obviously won, they did it in a very difficult fashion.  Having gone up 2 goals to nothing, they gave Aston Villa two goals back very late in the game, only to score their winner right at the end of the match.  Crazy stuff, and a shame for Villa, who would have loved the point, but instead are still very much in the thick of the relegation battle.

Everton 3 - 0 Manchester United

This was easily the surprise of the weekend, since Manchester United have been looking much improved in recent weeks, while Everton have had a very forgettable season.  Neither team played to form, and Everton shellacked Man U in a fashion not one person in the world would have anticipated.  Hopefully that will be the push Everton needs going into next season, while Man U will have to step back and reevaluate just how much they've actually progressed this year.

Arsenal 0 - 0 Chelsea

This was always going to be the big game of the weekend, as both are London-based teams, and were 1st and 2nd going into the weekend.  At this point, the title is all but a formality for Chelsea, so they really only needed to hold out and not lose to Arsenal.  And hold out they did, with one of the better defensive performances you'll ever see.  There was an especially scary moment at the beginning when Arsenal's goalkeeper David Ospina railroaded Chelsea's Oscar, who was sent to the hospital for concussion tests.  Luckily, it sounds as though he will be ok.

Harry Kane

The man whose fans lovingly refer to as the HarryKane, Harry Kane has truly come into the scene not unlike an actual hurricane.  He has spent most of his life training with Tottenham's various youth teams, however, Spurs' other strikers couldn't seem to find the net in the first half of the season, so Kane was given an opportunity at the top level this year.  Since the beginning of January, Kane has been absolutely on fire, and is currently tied for the top scorer in the Premier League with 20 league goals, equal to Sergio Agüero of Manchester City.  Kane has managed to excel this year despite not having any obviously beneficial attributes, such as speed or dribbling ability.  He simply seems to have a knack for popping up and the right time, and of course he has the skill necessary to finish the opportunities he's presented.  Kane would be the obvious frontrunner for the Premier League's Young Player of the Year, and he may be on his way to becoming a household name in relatively short order.

Weekly Standings

© Barclays Premier League

So let's review what happened this past weekend in the Premier League, as the season comes into its final couple weeks.

  

 Crystal Palace 0 - 2 West Bromwich Albion

This match wasn't much to write home about, as it was a match between two mid table teams whose seasons are both effectively over.  Both of theses teams have had good seasons considering where most would have predicted these teams to finish.  West Brom ended having the better day, with 3 points to prove it.

Everton 1 - 0 Burnley

Well, Burnley sure would've like to win this one.  Everton really has no reason to play well at this point in the season, as they are very mid table.  Burnley on the other hand could've really used the points, as they have now descended all the way down to the bottom of the table.  They may not be completely doomed yet, but Burnley have a long way to go.

Leicester City 2 - 0 Swansea City

Huge, huge, huge win for Leicester.  They finally got themselves off of the bottom of the table for the first time in a long, long while.  Unfortunately, they are still in the relegation zone, but they are right on the tails of Hull City, trailing them only by goal differential.  We might have an exciting ending to the season, even if Chelsea are likely to run away with the title.  

Stoke City 2 - 1 Southampton

Southampton's tragic slide down the table in the second half of the season by losing to an overachieving Stoke City team.  Southampton took the initial lead, but Stoke found a way to claw two goals back to walk away with the win.  At this rate, it's entirely possible that Stoke could in fact pass Southampton in the table, which wouldn't have been my expectation just a few weeks ago.

Chelsea 1 - 0 Manchester United

This was definitely the big one this weekend.  Chelsea has been the best team in the Premier League all year, but they haven't played their best in recent weeks.  In comparison, Man U has been far below expectations for the last season and a half, but they are now starting to finally take shape under manager Louis van Gaal.  Chelsea put on an excellent defensive display, and are practically a lock for the title now, but expect Man U to make a serious run at the title next year.

Manchester City 2 - 0 West Ham United

Manchester City finally managed to get one in the win column after a really rough stretch that saw them lose any hope they may have had at retaining their title.  That being said, they are now playing to ensure they retain their position in the top 4, which they helped themselves greatly with by beating West Ham United.  At this point, neither team should have too much to worry about for the rest of the season.

Newcastle 1 - 3 Tottenham

Tottenham is probably unlikely to make it back up into the top 4, so the rest of their season may be a race with Liverpool for who can retain the 5th spot, and compete in the Europa League next season.  This is a big deal for these teams, since competing in the Europa League and Champions League are huge sources of revenue for teams.  That will be a race to watch going forward this season.

Raheem Sterling

Raheem Sterling is the definition of a "precocious talent."  He's young and incredibly gifted, but he certainly acts like it on occasion.  This year, he has undoubtedly been the shining star of Liverpool, after last year's stars, Luis Suarez and Daniel Sturridge, have been sold and injured, respectively.  Having lost their two most potent goal scorers, Liverpool has been hurting for goals this season, and it has often come to Sterling to provide them, either on his own or via his great passing instinct.  Liverpool as a team have been a strange prospect this year, having sold their best player and buying several new players with the money made, and they have struggled to look cohesive this year.  Regardless of these issues, Sterling has looked great most of the season, and he has been the subject of several transfers rumors recently, including ones to Real Madrid, who are supposedly offering nearly $100 million.  Keep your eyes on Sterling in the next couple years, as he really has the potential to be something really special.

Weekly Standings

© Barclays Premier League

Hi everyone, sorry I never got around to making a pre-weekend guide, so here I am with the most current standings as the seasons starts to get into crunch time.  With the exception of the top and bottom teams, every team has 6 matches left (Chelsea and Leicester City both have 7 left).  Here's some quick blurbs about each match from last weekend.

Swansea 1 - 1 Everton

Not a whole lot going on in this match unfortunately, and it really doesn't matter for either team, as they are both safely above the relegation zone but are not challenging for a top 4 finish.

Southampton 2 - 0 Hull City

Southampton will be extremely happy for the victory here, as it keeps them in contention for a top 5 finish, which would be an extraordinary accomplishment for a club that lacks the players and resources of the other clubs near the top of the table.  Hull, meanwhile, are unfortunately still very much in the relegation battle, and will need every possible point they can manage from here on out to avoid dropping.

Sunderland 1 - 4 Crystal Palace

Lots of goals in game that most probably would have expected a drab, low scoring affair.  New manager Alan Pardew has been having great success at Crystal Palace since he took over in the middle of the season.  Crystal Palace are on track for one the their greatest Premier League seasons ever, especially considering they just were promoted back up two seasons ago.

Tottenham 0 - 1 Aston Villa

This is a very bad loss for Tottenham, as Aston Villa are not that good, and Spurs were hoping for top 4 finish this season.  Striker Christian Benteke has made the most of his limited opportunities this season, following a hat trick last week with the only goal in this match, as he spent most of the season out due to injury.

West Bromwich Albion 2 - 3 Leicester City

This is a huge result for Leicester, as they are mired at the bottom of the table, so every point might be crucial if they are to miraculously stay up come the end of the season.  The goals had to come late, but luckily for the Foxes, they did come.  West Brom, on the other hand, will be embarrassed, but they are most likely safe from relegation, so they have little left to play for anyways.

West Ham United 1 - 1 Stoke City

Pretty much the same situation as the Everton - Swansea match: two mid-table teams playing meaningless soccer at the end of the season.

Burnley 0 - 1 Arsenal

It was a valiant effort by Burnley to hold on as they did against the Premier League's hottest team, but in the end, the more talented team prevailed, and Arsenal will be trying to make a serious push against Chelsea for the top spot in the coming weeks.  That being said, they'll need Chelsea to lose quite a bit in their next few matches.  Burnley, however, are likely to be heading back down to the Championship, unless they can string together some massive victories in a hurry.

QPR 0 - 1 Chelsea

These are two teams who do not like each other at all, being that they are both West London teams and have had some issues between players in recent years.  Chelsea relied on great goalkeeping from Thibaut Courtois to repel QPR, and managed to get the one necessary goal from a masked Cesc Fabregas, who was forced to wear a facial mask after breaking his nose in the previous game.

Manchester United 4 - 2 Manchester City

Easily the biggest game of the week, Manchester is currently red after Man U eviscerated a laughably poor Man City.  Manchester City have managed to now all but entirely thrown away their change to defend their title from last season, while Manchester United seem to be getting back to the winning ways they were familiar with up until the last season or so.  The two Man City goals hardly do justice to just how one sided this game was.

Liverpool 2 - 0 Newcastle

Pretty much business as usual, as Liverpool continued to be just good enough to win matches, and they are still in the conversation for a top 4 finish potentially if they can string together a few more wins down the stretch.  Meanwhile, Newcastle is another team that really has little left to play for this season.

Sergio Agüero

If it weren't for injuries, Sergio Agüero would probably be the top candidate for Player of the Year every season in the Premier League.  Unfortunately, that hasn't been the case.  Amazingly, Agüero has still managed to find himself in 3rd place in the Premier League scoring charts this season, despite missing a good chunk of it with various injuries.  Pound for pound, he's easily the most talented striker in the league, and he has scored some of the best goals of the past several seasons, including a league-winning goal in the final minute of the 2010 season, which will probably stand as one of the all-time great moments in Premier League history.  Agüero is lightening quick and can get a shot off seemingly out of nowhere, and manages to score even when he seems to be completely defended.  On his day, he is completely unplayable by even the best defender.  As another interesting note, he is best friends with fellow Argentinian (and World's Best Player) Lionel Messi, so much so that Messi is Agüero's son's godfather.  Just imagine how good that kid might be someday...