Sometimes there are things that take precedence over football and this week we saw just that, with the tragic helicopter crash and death of Leicester City owner Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha.
Srivaddhanaprabha was a true man of the people, giving away free beer and hot dogs to fans on his birthday. He bought the club when it was at its lowest and brought it up to the top of England.
The Foxes’ 2016 title was one of the most unlikely in sports history, winning the biggest soccer league in the world as 5,000-1 underdogs. It was far better odds that Leicester would be relegated that year than even think about contending.
But that’s exactly what Srivaddhanaprabha wanted, and that’s what he got.
He was laughed at for saying that Leicester could be a top-five club within three years of being promoted. That kind of success is unheard of in any of Europe’s top leagues.
Instead of splashing big money, he had a team of underdogs, brought together under manager Claudio Ranieri. Players like Jamie Vardy and Riyad Mahrez rose from anonymity to become international stars after toiling in lower leagues.
But Srivaddhanaprabha’s was not just felt in the sporting world, donating millions to local hospitals and charities.
He was truly a great man and not just the stereotypical sports owner that’s just in it for the money, placing the bottom line over people. It wasn’t just Leicester and the Foxes that lost a legend on Saturday, the whole world did.
PLAYER OF THE WEEK
It figures that after pointing out that we’ve had no team feature two players of the week, we would get one the next time around.
And when you think about Chelsea’s top players, you’d probably list quite a few before getting to this week’s best: Ross Barkley.
After providing the game-tying goal in the last minute of stoppage time against Manchester United last week, Barkley continued his run of great form by scoring and picking up two assists in this weekend’s 4-0 win over Burnley.
The English midfielder has had a rough go of it over the past few seasons, playing just 129 minutes last season while dealing with a long-term hamstring injury. Barkley had always been tipped for greatness at Everton, but could never quite get there, always suffering a setback when he was seemingly at the brink.
With three goals and three assists in the past three games, we might be seeing Barkley finally reach his potential.
AROUND THE LEAGUE
Mohamed Salah seems to be getting back to his amazing form from last year, this week picking up a goal and two assists against Cardiff … Interesting to see Romelu Lukaku start the game against Everton on the bench. Is Jose Mourinho playing mindtricks to motivate his striker? … Arsenal’s winning streak is over, but it is still unbeaten in eight games … If Wolves really want to be serious about contending for a spot in Europe, they really need to beat teams like the Seagulls. Or at least pull out a draw … Bournemouth sure can score. With three more this weekend, that brings the Cherries to 19 this season, fifth-best in the Premier League … Burnley’s defending continues to be shockingly bad. The 21 goals it has allowed are the third-most in the league, a far cry from the 39 it allowed last season, which was fifth best … Fulham’s high-priced team simply isn’t coming together, but it needs to, and quickly … A 0-0 draw was always in the offing for a Southampton-Newcastle clash. Both sides have just six goals in 10 games this season and both lack in attack. With the Magpies still winless, you have to wonder how much longer that Rafa Benitez stays in charge at St. James Park.
THE LAST WORD
It’s not very often we get into other European leagues, but the latest from Real Madrid has some wide-spread implications.
After losing El Clasico to Barcelona by a 5-1 margin, Madrid sacked manager Julen Lopetegui. Real has struggled greatly this season, sitting in ninth place with a 4-2-4 record. One of the most expensive teams in the world, Real has greatly missed Cristiano Ronaldo, failing to score in six straight matches earlier this month.
But what does this have to do with the Premier League? The man that’s slated to replace Lopetegui is former Chelsea boss, Antonio Conte.
This is excellent news for Blues supporters. Why? Because it basically rules out a move to Madrid for Eden Hazard. The Belgian has spoke of his desire to play for Madrid, but his relationship with Conte was strained, to say the least. We’re pretty sure that he won’t have much desire to sign up for another stewardship under him.
Of course, Hazard may still leave after his contract is up, but we wouldn’t be shocked if he re-ups at Stamford Bridge after this Conte development.
You also have to feel bad for Thibaut Courtois, who left Chelsea in part to get away from Conte. That should be an awkward meeting.