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.
TRVL
City aren’t actually a top team and Chelsea before Abramovich weren’t close either.
Remember this is being driven by the PL (not FA) which is run via a system where all 20 clubs get a vote but ManU, Liverpool, Arsenal, Tottenham, Everton, Villa are teams that are all historically far bigger than either of those 2 and hold the power.
What will be behind this is if City get off it gives Newcastle carte blanche to go and do whatever they like – if Newcastle can who do it why not some other non club?
Marc-I’m well-aware of how this particular situation works, I just meant that above all else the PL is a multi-Billion dollar business that doesn’t want to cut off their nose to spite their face…all of the participating members benefit from the inclusion of teams like City and Chelsea and if they were to punish them so severely that we had another Leeds type scenario, that would definitely negatively impact their respective bottom lines…so whereas they might cast “public” dispersions in the direction of the offending parties to appease their own fanbases, in private, they likely adopt a decidely different tone…that said, I understand the concerns involving Newcastle, especially considering it’s new ownership group, but I think they would rather have the status that comes with City’s inclusion within the top division, even if it meant that others might take some similar financial liberties, than pursue a course that required them to excommunicate their most successful clubs, both here and abroad, and publicly admit that they’re the corrupt fucks we all know them to be, considering the length of this “investigation” Cheers
TRVL
See I disagree with you 100% there. If they completely destroyed City by kicking them out of the PL and forcing them to start again at the bottom tier (it happened to Rangers who were far more important to Scottish football) and bankrupting them in the process the PL would notice for about 35 seconds and then move on.
The only people who’d care are a tiny number (by football standards) who really support City – 25,000 – 35,000 max.
Marc-I get your thought-process, but things have changed rather substantially since the time in which the Rangers were sent packing…the money involved now, especially in the PL, as compared to the miniscule Scottish equivalent, is so astronomical that it behooves all involved to seek other ways in which to punish offending members…no matter the real facts, it would be a massive stain on the League as a whole, especially if they were required to air their dirty laundry in a much more public setting…at least now it’s all seemingly just conjecture and speculative, but if you move forward with some sort of relegation action you risk putting your own necks on the line, as the obvious question becomes why did it take you fucks so long to act, which would likely bury everyone involved…not to mention, one of the underlying reasons why people of great wealth get away with this kind of weaselly shit is the belief that anyone in a similar situation would act accordingly, which is something all the new Billionaire owners won’t take lightly, as they don’t want someone going through their respective books with a fine tooth comb moving forward…just my thoughts…of course, I hope I’m wrong
TRVL
Not at all – the info that damns City was leaked to a German Newspaper, City’s defence is that it was obtained illegally not that its untrue.
There would be no reflection on other PL clubs unless they were caught breaking the rules and its worth £50 million a season to whatever team gets City’s place in the top 4.
Greed won’t protect City it’ll destroy them.
Marc-maybe Wenger has been working behind the scenes as an incognito whistleblower…it will be interesting to see how it all unfolds
Morning all
The zipper king wants to introduce a new offside rule as set out below:
“The Wenger offside law being introduced in 2024-25 is a possibility. IF the attacker’s entire body completely overtakes the last defender; it’s offside. But, if a small part of the attacker’s body is ‘offside’, it WON’T be considered offside anymore.”
It clears up the hairs breadth green and red lines looking for the smallest of infringement. It does offer the forward more advantage than defenders. Why not go the other was that the attacker should keep 100% onside with all his body?
The rule I want changed is to raise the flag as soon as player is deemed offside.
Anyone got any thoughts?
today’s rumour mill is rife with “news” about some wide-side depth…most are familiar names, others not so much so…Olise and Neto have appeared on our radar before, whereas Nico WIlliams is a relatively new player of interest…all are talented and pacey players, who likewise fit the multi-positional profile, but one is a major injury waiting to happen and the other 2 likely won’t come without assurances, especially knowing MA’s rotational shortcomings
I get why some might be intrigued by the possibility of acquiring Neto…on his best days he’s a tidy player with speed to burn and the ability to unlock defences, but those days don’t come near often enough to justify spending 65+M for this oft-injured winger/AM…we should avoid him like the plague, unless we actually believe that his injury history has more to do with the negligence of his former employers than his seemingly fragile nature…sadly, this looks the most likely of the 3, even though it might be the most expensive and riskiest option
I’ve only watched Nico a half dozen times or so in the last two years, but even in that relatively small sample size, he’s definitely impressed me…he’s a two footed player, so he can play on either side of the pitch, and he’s top-notch when it comes to ball-carrying, which makes him difficult to defend…I can’t help but think if he came it would be curtains for Marts, as he already fell down the pecking order at the tail end of the season; not to mention, Nico’s unpredictablility in attack might seem like a rather enticing prospect for those propagating the notion that Mart’s has been figured out…personally I feel that this has been overplayed by those who feel beyond obligated to justify any and every move our manager makes, so when Tross started to get the nod, this tall tale gained considerable traction…let’s face it Vinicius Junior would struggle in our sytem that leaves you largely isolated and facing double-teams on a regular basis…I just don’t think he would come without starter assurnaces, which severely complicates matters, and I’m not sure he’s shown that he can score enough goals to warrant the inherent costs, as there would be competition for his services
as for Olise, there’s ample chatter about United’s interest, but that doesn’t mean he couldn’t be poached in the meantime; after all, they have bigger organizational fish to fry before they start making bigger money buys…I do like this player’s up-side, but I do worry about all his soft tissue injuries, especially for someone who plays in wider spaces…the other obvious issue with him is that he’s generally been deployed either centrally or on the right side of the pitch, so unless he’s willing to sit behind Saka and Ode, he likely isn’t worth the level of investment required…that said, it would show some real intent if we could convince him to be a depth piece, as he’s a far superior option to either Nelson or Vieira
any thoughts?
Well, Well – the unexpected. Chiara, my contact in Bergamo has just e-mailed – the mighty Atalanta defeated the unbeaten Leverkusen. Gasperini did it with a reject from UK football scoring a hat trick.
City – it will depend on how their legal mouth piece can deal with the representative of the PL.
Stan is one of the main owners pushing for action against them – the squeaky clean Stan who files his accounts in Wilmington where they look no further than the table top and not whats underneath.
Tony
I’ve seen Wenger proposal before and I like it – it basically shifts the onus to give a bit of advantage to the attacking play. If any part of the attacker than can be used to score is onside then the player is onside.
It keeps the offside rule as black and white but should allow more goals.
Wenger has had some good ideas in the past – one where all leagues were aligned meaning no international breaks during a season I thought was good. International tournaments would be played in close seasons or winter breaks.
NORG
Wenger whatever your opinions about him loved football and was a purist – he wouldn’t want or suggest anything that would hurt the game.
Doesn’t mean he’s right of course but his ideas are at least worth listening to.
Rumours going round that Munich want Vincent Company as their new manager.
Can’t say I saw that one coming.
Marc
Indeed a strange one. BM is more a coaching role than a manager with control. Perhaps that why Pep didnt conquer all when he was there.
It is a real merry go round with manager changes this season – more so than players.
Interesting.
If correct El B has earned his moniker on par with Trump, Erdogan, Modi , Bolsonaro …
https://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/news/arsenal-arteta-ramsdale-steve-round-32873005
Hoopah
A year on and Steve Rounds replacement, Carlos Cuesta is also looking to leave. He has had two meetings with Norwich who are keen to take him on.
Tony-I don’t mind Wenger’s suggestion, as it’s more of a spirit of the rule kind of amendment…that said, some will see it as a potential slippery slope type situation, as it might ultimately aid those looking to get rid of VAR altogether…for me it’s never been about VAR itself, it’s been about the piss-poor implementation
VAR – the PGMOL now love what they hated – it has promoted inferior beings to one of importance – just a pity they do not have the intelligence to use it properly.
TRVL
Agreed Rugby TMOs down have many problems other than perhaps repeating the views too anytime. It’s rare they get one wrong even with such tangles of bodies.
I tend to get triggered whenever Wenger get’s involved these days. The PTSD of 2009 to his demise took its toll.
To follow on with something different. Masterchef Australia is outdoing itself once again. These people are amateur cooks who end up plating restaurant quality food. Reyonald was one such cook who now has restaurants.
This link is some of his dishes with some great comments from judges. If you like food, you’ll enjoy this:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rknHkImmKz0