12 Premier League hat-tricks puts you in GOAT territory
On the latest episode of Liquid Football, host Kelly Cates is joined by former Aston Villa, Fulham and Chelsea midfielder Steve Sidwell, and former Birmingham, Arsenal and England international defender Matthew Upson.
After his Manchester City side demolished Aston Villa over the weekend, the panel first discuss Sergio Aguero. He scored his 12th Premier League hat-trick against Dean Smith’s side, and in doing so became the record foreign goalscorer in the league’s history, with 177 goals. In spite of this and his consistency over the years for the Citizens, Aguero has never won Player of the Year, and is rarely nominated for Team of the Year.
The panel ponder why this is the case, and debate whether the likes of Didier Drogba, Thierry Henry and Riyad Mahrez offered more overall in their victorious seasons, and whether the Argentine striker’s consistency may actually be a hindrance to receiving more widespread acclaim.
Also discussed is Danny Drinkwater’s nightmare debut for Villa against Pep Guardiola’s side, as well as the continued and worsening struggles for Eddie Howe at Bournemouth.
On the opposite side of the form table, they discuss the remarkable impact of Nigel Pearson at Watford, who have won 13 points from a possible 15, and have managed to lift themselves from relegation certainties to outside of the bottom three.
Having briefly played under the former Leicester City coach, Upson reveals what kind of impact and personality Pearson brings to a club, and explains why he’s not surprised at the early success he’s had at the Hornets.
They also talk about the allegations made against Manchester City youngster Taylor Harwood-Bellis by a Scunthorpe player, and discuss how common such talk is among players.
There’s some transfer talk too, after Birmingham City youngster Jude Bellingham was linked with a move to Manchester United. Upson then talks about his own early move to Arsenal, and a hilarious interaction with former Gunners defender Oleg Luzhny.
Finally, with 61 points from 21 games, the panel discuss just how good are Liverpool in historical terms.
