There have been no major surprises in terms of clubs significantly outperforming expectations in the first half of the 2016/17 campaign, but Victor Moses is the undisputed winner of the equivalent award for Premier League players.
The Nigeria international probably expected to depart Stamford Bridge in the summer, having failed to make a single top-flight appearance for Chelsea since May 2013.
Loans at Stoke City, Liverpool and West Ham United brought mixed success, but most would have agreed that Moses had not done enough in temporary spells elsewhere to earn a place in Antonio Conte’s plans.
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The former Juventus manager insisted on making up his own mind, however, and subsequent events would suggest he liked what he saw. Moses impressed his new boss with his work ethic and willingness to learn, which led to a place on the substitutes’ bench for the campaign curtain-raiser against West Ham.
Nevertheless, there still did not appear to be a role for Moses in Conte’s 4-1-4-1 formation, with the winger seemingly considered fourth choice in the fight for the two available attacking spots on the flanks.
All of that changed when Chelsea switched to a 3-4-3 setup midway through September’s 3-0 loss to Arsenal. A clean sheet in the second half of that contest convinced Conte to stick with the new configuration for the following week’s trip to Hull City, and Moses has kept his place at right wing-back ever since.
The ex-Crystal Palace man – he will face his former employers when Chelsea travel across London to Selhurst Park on Saturday – has thrived, producing a number of man-of-the-match displays during his team’s rise to the summit of the standings.
Just when his career at Stamford Bridge appeared to be over, Moses has established himself as a key figure in Chelsea’s title tilt.
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FIGHT CARD
Welterweight Mostafa Radi (PAL) v Tohir Zhuraev (TJK)
Catchweight 75kg Leandro Martins (BRA) v Anas Siraj Mounir (MAR)
Flyweight Corinne Laframboise (CAN) v Manon Fiorot (FRA)
Featherweight Ahmed Al Darmaki (UAE) v Bogdan Kirilenko (UZB)
Lightweight Izzedine Al Derabani (JOR) v Atabek Abdimitalipov (KYG)
Featherweight Yousef Al Housani (UAE) v Mohamed Arsharq Ali (SLA)
Catchweight 69kg Jung Han-gook (KOR) v Elias Boudegzdame (ALG)
Catchweight 71kg Usman Nurmagomedov (RUS) v Jerry Kvarnstrom (FIN)
Featherweight title Lee Do-gyeom (KOR) v Alexandru Chitoran (ROU)
Lightweight title Bruno Machado (BRA) v Mike Santiago (USA)
How to watch Ireland v Pakistan in UAE
When: The one-off Test starts on Friday, May 11
What time: Each day’s play is scheduled to start at 2pm UAE time.
TV: The match will be broadcast on OSN Sports Cricket HD. Subscribers to the channel can also stream the action live on OSN Play.
Israel Palestine on Swedish TV 1958-1989
Director: Goran Hugo Olsson
Rating: 5/5
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MATCH INFO
First Test at Barbados
West Indies won by 381 runs
Second Test at Antigua
West Indies won by 10 wickets
Third Test at St Lucia
February 9-13