Silk and steel

The more I watch the English Premiership matches the more I get convinced that success is dependent on how we play our hearts out. The winning magic is in blending a steely approach with silky moves. Steel represents hardwork and determination whereas silk embodies the aesthetics; planning your moves beforehand and executing them out on the field with beauty.

Practice makes perfect

The reason Arsenal hasn't won the Premiership trophy since 2003 is because it's more silk than steel, whereas Leicester City which narrowly survived relegation last season has this time  intermingled silk and steel, leaving pundits rubbing their eyes; hardly believing that the 'underdog' has so far lost fewer games [only two] and sits top of the table.

Another aspect that has preached a great sermon to me is how players train hard everyday before showdown. Those guys became pros and have stayed pros through commitment. For one's gift and skill to shine through, it has to be worked on consistently like a shamba boy sharpens his panga every morning before he goes to the field to work. Those reflexes and amazing stretches that goalkeeper Cech makes to keep clean sheets are practiced on the training ground. And every time I watch Ozïl's slick moves I get galvanised by our capacity to perform spectacularly when we feed our imagination and burst forth with action.

A great pragmatist and motivational writer once said there's always space at the top. Leicester City has substantiated this by showing that it doesn't matter how intimidating your opponent is. If you have self-belief and work hard consistently greatness will be your portion.

But when you slacken like Chelsea did this season, your place at the top will be snatched. This in essence was what King Solomon meant when he said, "A little extra sleep, a little more slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest-- and poverty will pounce on you like a bandit; scarcity will attack you like an armed robber.