On this Sunday afternoon, every team will play their 38th game, the last one of this season 2023-24. Premier League never disappoints you, who will be crowned the champion is not decided, yet! There’s not much to play for the other teams however.
Relegation battle : We already know the three teams that would be relegated. Luton, Burnley and a piss poor Sheffield United are going down.
Europe qualifiers : Newcastle and Man United are hoping Chelsea loses it’s last game and that they can win (while the other one should also lose) to secure a place in Europa League. Aston Villa have already qualified to Champions League football next season, so a 5th position Tottenham can’t do much about it.
Title challenge : This is the most important bit. Man City and Arsenal have two points difference, and there are 4 conditions that can happen.
- City loses, Arsenal Wins – We run away with the title. For this to happen, David Moyes needs to do us a favor, while we need to get pass the Dyche’s football.
- City draws, Arsenal wins – We win again since we have a better goal difference to City (60 to 61).
- City wins – irrespective of what happens with any other teams, if City wins, Pep will have another trophy to show in his cabinet.
- Arsenal draw / loss – If we draw against Everton or in worst case lose, City will be crowned Champions irrespective of their result against Moyes.
If you ask me personally, I would love the second scenario, a nerve breaking one where we beat the best team on the planet on goal difference of just ONE, on the final day of the league. That would be a WOW! moment. It’s not happening though, don’t keep your hopes high.
The best part of all of this is, that we are in contention for the title. The worst of it all, we depend on West Ham to beat City for us, and it’s not happening. Not on the final day, not when City needs a win to secure 4th title in a row, not at Etihad. There’s a very slim chance the west London club do us a favor, since Spurs and Son went on full Spursy mode against Pep. A very slim that one, but it won’t let me not be all excited for the game.
I was full ballistic in December when we dropped a lot of points. I was mad when we let Emery school us when we needed a win. The lads couldn’t sustain the pressure, nor the manager towards the end of the last season, but we have improved in that area. We have hold the fort since our Dubai’s training, and we have been giving some sleepless nights to Pep.
Lets not underestimate our achievements. Klopp fought against Pep for 8 seasons and only won one of those titles. He was second with 97 points in one of them. He had the best front 3 in last decade, Salah , Mane and Firmino and along with the best defender in VVD, he still couldn’t win more than once. Arteta has a lot to do before he matches Klopp. He is learning, and we are improving. I hated the pace at which we did, and I still do, but now since that bad phase has gone, I am very optimistic about the club in coming days.
Doesn’t mean I am not critical how we are letting go of Reuell Walters for free. A 19- year old Right Back, who made the Arsenal bench numerous times but couldn’t make it should still cost a couple million dollars in the market. Arthur Okonkwo is also leaving as a free agent, he should have costed more than a couple of millions. Aaron Ramsdale have been dropping hints of his transfers, and in his latest Instagram post, we saw a farewell message to him. The rumours points out a 15m fees to Newcastle. Now, how in the hell do you sell a player who was starting every game last season, and who is not playing not because his form dipped but because Mikel prefers David Raya over him, for only 15 million to a club that has all the money in the world. It’s not like we are selling him to Crystal Palace or Bournemouth.
Elneny and Cedric are leaving at the end of this season. I’m okay with that, they had their time here, and it’s over now.
In other news, Arne Slot will be the new Liverpool manager after Klopp. He is currently managing Feyenoord and is considered a top manager. We have seen what happens to those ‘top managers’ in the premier league – Ten Haag, Ralph Ragnik, Ange – and I will not have kept my hopes high if I was a Liverpool supporter. Plus, they will go through a rebuild now. Man United is in shambles, Chelsea are shit, Spurs will remain Spurs for the foreseeable future, and it’s going to be another City v Arsenal.
Right, that’s all for today. If you have a lucky charm in your house, hold on to it for 90 dear god minutes tomorrow, and pray West Ham sees Milwall in City. We also would have to win against Everton for sure. Lets close the season on a banger, irrespective of what happens.
See you tomorrow.
Mickey mouse defending by City there after completely dominating the first 30.
ManU is up 2-0 . Second half Pep has upped the game.
Surprisingly ManU is playing well except maybe for MC Tomominy
Dokku does not have a left peg ,so compulsory has to come inwards to shoot. The only deficiency in a a fantastic player with pace and close ball control
Foden without de Bruyne is like ESR without Saka next to him.
Looks Like similar galaxy brains
so far this match has been all about one side capitializing on their only real opportunities, whereas the other side has failed to do so, minus 1 glorious save by Onana, which would have been a goal 9 out of 10 times…as for Doku, he’s a crafty little player but he’s a bang average finisher, otherwise he would be regularly deployed on the left…I really wonder if City will sell Grealish this summer, as he’s been, in large part, a disappointing signing…that said, I would suspect that he’s a very positive locker room presence and loved by all, as you could see during their interactions after they won the title last weekend
There are rumours Grealish is going to Bayern
KP-I figured as much…I do apologize for my role in the melodramatics…just as it pertains to you of course, as they were acting like snide little cnuts towards myself and Tony, so things were bound to get messy…I know you would relish having a wider array of posters, but surely you can see the vast difference in the way they conducted themselves towards you, even though you hold many of the same managerial views as myself and Tony…I get it though, as you’ve been far more forthcomng than myself when it comes to putting yourself out there and they likewise haven’t ruffled your feathers from a more political perspective…to be fair, I never made my attacks personal except when I was in their direct firing line…I have no problem whatsoever with differing opinions being expressed on here, in fact, I’m a huge proponent of having some lively back-and-forth, but only if those involved can handle a little take with their dish…who knows, maybe by melodrama you were simply rederring to how things panned out again this season and I totally misread the room…even if this were the case, I would still consider this to be worthwhile venture on my part…take care
just when the fat lady was preparing to sing City finally potted one…should be an electric final few minutes
this might create a very unusual situation if ten Hag gets axed in the hours or days following a FA victory, which qualifies them for Europe
Man U win 2-1
And into Europa uff
Those last hugs to Ten hag are they goodbyes ?
at United you get your walking papers for winning the FA, whereas at Arsenal you get the keys to the kingdom and a 5 year leash…just kidding, somewhat, as the circumstances are a little different in that ten Hag isn’t in his first season…that said, there are some similarities from the standpoint that United have a shitload of deadweight, many of whom weren’t of ten Hag’s doing, and they likewise have several emerging blue chippers that appear to fit his tactical script far better than some of the players he inherited…strangely enough I would imagine that his supporters will be using Arteta as an example for why he should stay on…one man’s trash is another man’s treasure
As said as it is I wanted Man Utd to win because they would take the 2nd EL spot and this would put Chelsea in the UECL where the US moronic owners belong if not no European football.
So Pep makes two half time substitutions and then takes off De Bruyne around the 55 mark.
Can you imagine Arteta making bold substitutions when you’ve dominated a first half but things haven’t worked out?
Because if you can that’s where we beat Villa and win the PL this season.
Killroy
Rumour going round that Chelsea’s owners are looking at Mourinho to come in.
That’s even more stupid than the rumour that went round the other month about ManU looking at Southgate.
Marc
Chelsea owners do not have a clue. They are also talking to Tuchel. There is a good chance Potter will be back at Brighton.
Hi Vieira
I think I primarily meant the melodrama of missing out on another title and the fact that 20 years have now elapsed, one year more than when we won in 89 after the famine dating back to 1971. I
Tony and I have also tended to keep our powder dry about transfer speculation in pervious years and this summer feels no different for me. When the people holding the purse strings have made so many errors in the past, it doesn’t augur well that the entire process is about to be repeated, Rice notwithstanding of course who is arguably our most perfect signing since the likes of PV, TH and DB.
KP-well ultimately I’m glad I misread the situation, minus the obvious grief your feeling about our failure to get things right once again…I guess I put more stock into an earlier message of yours that spoke about taking things down on notch…funny enough, I was working on a post about our missteps and mismanagement late last evening, but the more I rehashed the past the more depressed I got, so I decided to stick a fucking pin in it for the time being…have a good one
down A notch
Just surfing and saw Pep is leaving City at the end of next season. It’s a DM story and now they want a subscription and is trying to punch above it weight.
What does Pep know?
Is next season going to be sinking ship syndrome for City?
Wonderwall Mrs G, Oasis, old woman, will be crying in his corn flakes this morning wishing he’d actually been hopping with the boys instead of being a plastic fan standing still for the cameras and played them beautifully. Look they are all plastics, but he was king plastic.
Anyway, doesn’t this open up a sure fired win win solution? Pep won’t win this season with last season malady that Klopp suffered from being the root cause. City players will, be nervous. Daddy is leaving with the footballing golden fleece.
I say Arteta wins the title next season, and then goes to City. Win win in my book. City could be relegated by then, so it will be interesting to see if El B has any City loyalty left.
And what of Pep’s reasons for leaving?
Currently 5 from 6 PL trophies and a CL sees Pep going out on a high results wise, but deep down he can’t be happy with the financial advantages that were so widely used to abuse the system.
https://www.transfermarkt.com/manchester-city/durchschnittsalter/verein/281
The average age of City is 27: by end of next season it will be 28. Who would I want most from City? it would be Rodri, as Rodri at 28 with Rice, and we are solid for at least elite CL level for 3 to 4 seasons.
Foden with Saka & Haaland? It would get me thinking about flying to the Emirates.
Pedro must be having mixed arsehole palpitations because, on the one hand, Pep will be no more where Pedro’s prophecy was El B will win when Pep leaves.
What than? If El B doesn’t win?
Will Pedro be done for? Worse will Pedro ever recover and end up with Inspector Dreyfus PTSD type symptoms; all frothing at the mouth and dribbling with eyes involuntary twitching?
The Arteta sage watching El B leave and LG’s subscriptions with him.
The burning questions is will Pedro leave to follow El B at his next club.
Personally, I’d settle for a manager merry-go-round with El B at City and Pep at The Arsenal.
Now, that would really work for me, what would work for you guys?
TRVL
It does get depressing writing about El B; it’s why I stopped after the season was over. I can neither speculate or have any influence on any TW, so best to wait until we have dried signatures on the contracts.
Last season there were rumblings of Rice and co, but this season there is no TW noise to pick up on; not even at ST time, which seems ominous. Either we’ve gone back to our old TW news blackout or El B and Monsieur Edu are clueless because we have no money.
I’m sure El Bi is using the no money no honey on Josh layered thick that phase 26 is the one that will bring home a trophy. Just won’t say which one by hedging bets. Europe conference perhaps?
Interesting times ahead. Whats your take?
Tony
Pep’s contract is up, he’ll claim time to move on take a year out etc. What it will do is add a huge amount of fuel to the media’s reporting about the charges City are facing. We might see an exodus of players looking to follow Pep.
If Everton have been deducted 10 points for 1 charge City could find themselves being kicked out of the league structure and having to rejoin at the bottom. I don’t think being demoted for 1 season will be enough to dissuade other clubs from doing similar.
@KP
Everyone points to you for being able to provide answer to the story begins the Arteta moniker El B. Do you mind very much sharing that?
begins/behind
it’s much ado about nothing nowadays, as rumours abound before the official opening of the window…some of the outgoing chatter makes perfect sense, like with Eddie, ESR, Jesus, Vieira, Lokonga and Ramsdale, whereas with others, involving the likes of Kiwior and Partey, a little less so…interestingly enough several outlets are reporting that Vieira’s absence on the pitch, after returning to full health, was based on his poor showings in training…not sure how much stock I put into those considering how much MA has used training ground “stories” to justify all manner of things, but I doubt we’d get much for his handpicked bust
seems like our best bet, from a profit margin standpoint, is still ESR, as there appears to be several clubs who feel that for around the 30M mark they might be robbing us blind…it still seems highly unlikely that we’re going to be offloading both Eddie and Jesus, as I’m not convinced that we’re getting an out-and-out Striker this summer…not to mention, their wages will make them difficult to move, even if they wanted to seek potentially greener pastures
as for Kiwior and Partey, any rumours regarding the former are likely coming from his camp, as he can see the writing on the wall with Timber destined to be shoehorned on the left, whereas with Partey, why would we sell him for peanuts, unless there’s actually an Arabian deal in the works, when we could keep him as a potentially valuable depth piece, then let him go on a free next summer
all that said, I can only hope our supposed shopping spree isn’t tied to our ability to raise funds from this lot…as most aren’t the kind of players who generate a lot of interest during the early part of a window, minus ESR…regardless I just can’t see a logical pathway where we can properly trim down this roster and get the pieces we need in…this is where the moves for Tross and Havertz come back to haunt…not because they are useless, but because they aren’t going to be replaced, especially the latter, by players who can actually take us places
as for potential incoming pieces, most of the chatter revolves around the midfield and out wide…I’ve read numerous reports suggesting that we’re contemplating activating Nico Williams release clause…if that were the case, either we’re getting rid of Marts or reducing his role to that of a cover piece on both sides of the pitch, which makes one wonder what roles Tross, Nelson and Jesus would play in MA’s largely static approach to player usage…frankly, Nico doesn’t score near enough to justify any such maneuverings, although I would love him as a rotational depth piece
other than that, I’m still hearing about Sesko, Brobbey, Martinez and even Rashford, but less about an early transfer favourite, Zirkzee…like I stated earlier, I think the only way we get a Striker is if the price is right, cheap that is, and if it’s a younger player who will invariably be trapped behind our underwhelming first choice, Havertz…in light of our manager’s Wenger-like ego, I wouldn’t be surprised if the more people talk about our need for an outright Striker, the likelihood of him pulling the trigger goes down exponentially
as for the aforementioned names, Sesko and Brobbey seem far more likely than Martinez, who will likely re-up with Inter, although he did complicate matters by demanding that things get settled prior to the Copa, or Rashford, considering his longtime United roots and the astronomical fee they would demand…btw the only reason I didn’t make mention of Isak is that once Newcastle revealed their valuation, there’s no way he’s coming, unless they reconsider their position now that United’s FA victory has left them out of Europe
as for our midfield, the two most mentioned names are Bruno G and Zubimendi…surprisingly there’s much less talk about Douglas Luiz, but that might have more to do with Villa’s unwillingness to sell him now that they’ve qualified for the CL, than our interest actually waning…I still think Zubi might have a decided edge as he’s the vastly cheaper option and far less likely to ruffle feathers, which simply won’t be tolerated with our fragile little manager in charge
personally I would lean towards Palhinha, especially if MA’s dead set on having Rice playing a more advanced role, which I still think is a mistake, as he would allow us to commit more men forward without fearing the counter…now if we’re thinking of pairing Rice with another box-to-box midfielder, then having them take turns pushing forward, like he did at times with Soucek, I think any of the first 3 names mentioned would be a better option than Jorginho, who has neither the size nor pace to take on that kind of role
fact remains, if our recruitment and asset management hadn’t been so piss-poor during MA’s tenure thus far, which has been covered up in large part due to our back-to-back 2nd place finishes, this summer should have been fairly straight forward…get rid of some periphery pieces so as to raise more funds, then get a world-class Striker, a left-footed wingback and a CAM with goals in his boots…if we did so, we could easily become the greatest 3-4-3 squad on the planet…Cheers
Rashford would be a poor signing – he’ll cost a fortune and will demand major wages. You could pick up a player who will give the same output for a lot less money.
Bearing in mind Arteta’s penchant for buying in the PL I wouldn’t be in the slightest bit surprised to see it happen.
Marc-of course I might think differently if this was one of those cases where you could secure his services at a cut-rate fee because he was coming off a down year, but the chances of that happening are slim to none
besides the “buying in the PL” angle, MA would be frothing at the mouth over his perceived positional flexibility…in MA’s delusional world where history be damned, he would classify MR as a 3-in-1 type hire, as he could envision himself deploying him in all 3 forward positions…as such he might pay substantially more under the guise that it would be like buying at least 2 players…clearly that can be the only explanation for the ridiculous wages he gifted Havertz
Hi Killroy
One of the better things about my old job was the ability to speak languages. I learnt Spanish prior to a stint in Latin America (ending up with a strong Argentine accent after 4 years living in Buenos Aires), and after a particularly idiotic managerial display (maybe the home loss to Villa?) I called him Senor Stubborn el Bastardo. Not one of my most creative alternative monikers but it seemed to stick.
If anyone ever needed proof that the average football club owner is a complete and utter moron apparently Burnley are looking at Fat Frank as a replacement for Kompany.
https://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/news/pep-guardiola-mancity-mikel-arteta-32900157
Guardiola pointing to his successor.
There is always politics in such things so the Legend appears even larger when a buffoon follows.
Same game Fergie played on ManU and they still have not got their foot out of the deep shit