With the Premier League having already given us numerous must see fixtures in the opening two rounds, this weekend will see a meeting of arguably the two most impressive strikers of the season so far.
Both Everton and Manchester come into the game unbeaten, but a special mention must be given to Manuel Pellegrini’s team, who were outstanding in both of their opening fixtures. Consecutive 3-0 wins against West Brom and champions Chelsea capped-off see the Sky Blues sitting in first place. Everton, on the other hand had it a bit difficult in their first match, which was at home to promoted side Watford. The Toffees had to come from behind twice, including a late Arouna Kone equaliser, to earn a point and save some embarrasment. Roberto Martinez’s men bounced-back strongly in their second test and came away with three points, cruising past Southampton in a 3-0 away victory.
City’s performances have put them in pole position for now, with many claiming that they are already title favourites. But with the season only just underway, there is certainly a long way to go for Pellegrini’s men.
Ahead of Sunday’s clash Outside90’s Rahul Dantes take a closer look at the two main strikers – Romelu Lukaku and Sergio Aguero, who have not only enjoyed a good start to 2015-16, but may also be strong contenders for this season’s golden boot.
Romelu Lukaku
The Belgian has had a roller-coaster of a start in the Premier League. After impressing as a youngster with Anderlecht in the Belgian league, a then 18-year-old Lukaku made a big money move to giants Chelsea in 2011. Even with the hype surrounding his skills, the first season at Stamford Bridge was rather drab, failing to break into the first team squad. But a loan spell in the following year with West Brom seemed to be exactly what the Belgian needed. He scored 17 goals in his 38 appearances for the Baggies, including a famous ‘perfect hat-trick’ against Manchester United. Despite starting the season with Chelsea, he was shipped-out on loan to Everton and after impressing in 2013-14, he permanently signed with the Merseyside outfit the following season. Barring his time with Chelsea, Lukaku has enjoyed great success during his time in England, scoring a total of 55 goals in 126 appearances.
He has already started this campaign in fine form with two goals in as many games. Everton will be relying heavily on the young Belgian to be a key part of their attack if they are to taste success. Lukaku has been the team’s top scorer in both of his two previous seasons, but he will want to go one better this time by taking out the Golden Boot honour for the league itself. At just 22-years of age, he certainly has the ability and the right attitude to do just that. The Toffees will have to continue perform as they did against Southampton and the fans will be looking to Lukaku to keep up his current form.
[interaction id=”55d55a1b5323c30959ef362b”]
Sergio Aguero
The Argentine has proven to be a prolific scorer throughout his career and an integral part in City’s recent rise to the top. A combination of a good header of the ball, clinical finishing in front of goal, the ability to play on both feet with ease, deadly skills and pace makes the perfect striker and Aguero is exactly that. One would have to do well to pick a better out-and-out striker than the Argentine. He has been excellent for both club and country and if the opposition defences did not have it bad already, he only continues to improve. The former Rojiblancos player has also been his side’s top scorer in the league for the past five seasons (four with City and once with Atletico Madrid). This only helps prove how good a striker he is, and that it was money well spent by the Sky Blues. He surpassed the 100 goal mark for City in just four seasons, but one of those goals in particular will forever be etched in every fans’ memory. That memorable late winner against QPR on the final day of the 2011-2012 brought tears of joy to one half of Manchester, while it broke the hearts of the rest.
But every positive must have a negative and Aguero’s negative lies in his proneness to injury. While he might still knock in 20 goals in a season, the Argentine is very susceptible to wear and tear, which takes away at least a month of his season. A series of recurring knee, hamstring and groin injuries have haunted the Hitmn since he joined City. The medical staff, and Aguero himself will have to work hard if he is to remain fit for an entire season, something he is yet to achieve at the Etihad.
Both players have strong points and weaknesses, so it will be interesting to see how they perform this season. It is uncertain whether either of the two will win the Golden Boot award, but what is for certain is that they are both exceptional strikers with fantastic character, certainly among the league’s best talents.
They come face-to-face on Sunday and will be keen to outperform each other in a bid the get maximum points. The encounter is sure to be another early 2015-16 blockbuster, which could result in one of the team’s first defeats of the season. We will find out this weekend.
What are your thoughts? Let us know by dropping a comment below via our Facebook comment box. Make sure you follow us on Twitter @Outside90 and like us on Facebook.
