The Premier League title is Manchester City’s to lose after impressively firing 4 goals past Arsenal in an entertaining premier league clash at the Etihad. The Cityzens came into the match inspired to reduce the gap on top of the table to two points and proved they were serious in the first half when they struck twice.
Kevin De Bruyne scored the first goal to put Man City in front before John Stones slotted the second home from a well taken free kick. In the second half Kevin De Bruyne scored another to put the game to rest. Rob Holding scored a late consolation before Erling Haaland scored deep into extra time to dent Arsenal’s title hopes.
The Premier League title is in sight for Guardiola’s side..
Pep Guardiola celebrating his sides victory over Arsenal in a Premier League title determining match. Photo Credits: Manchester City
The win has left Manchester City just 2 points adrift of league leaders Arsenal who have played two more games than Manchester City. Arsenal were once 8 points clear of Manchester City before a poor run of four games denied them maximum points. Three consecutive draws to Liverpool, West Ham United and Southampton messed up Arteta’s good form before Manchester City hammered them to make the title race even more interesting. At the same time, Manchester City have been winning their games and collecting crucial points that have now made the EPL trophy visible to Pep Guardiola’s side.
Manchester City are now considered clear favorites to win the league courtesy of the two games in hand they have. They are in good form and almost all conditions look favorable to them. Arsenal will need to show character as they are yet to face Chelsea and Newcastle United in the next few days.
Manchester City still have a treble to fight for with a two legged semi finals against Real Madrid on the cards. They also have an FA Cup final to play against rivals Manchester United. This means that they face a congestion of fixtures with 7 premier league games to play. Manchester City might seem like the ultimate winners of the premier league but the race is still on.
It is pretty unsettling for a Manchester United fan that Cristiano Ronaldo did not travel with the rest of the team for the pre-season tour amidst the numerous Manchester United transfer news linking him to a possible transfer away from Old Trafford. The potential transfer of Cristiano Ronaldo, among many other possible transfers to and from Manchester, keeps die-hard fans unsettled.
1. Cristiano Ronaldo
Manchester United’s top goal scorer in the Premier League 21/22 has been linked with a move away from Old Trafford. Clubs such as Chelsea and PSG have been linked with him. Chelsea’s transfers team made contact with Jorge Mendes, Ronaldo’s agent, following the news that he was not part of the squad for the pre-season tour. They were trying to establish the situation at Old Trafford for the Portuguese striker and assess the possibility of a transfer. However, the two have not discussed a personal agreement, nor has Chelsea made an official offer for the Portuguese striker. Moreover, Chelsea is yet to place an official bid to sign the player.
Picture Mbappe, Neymar, Messi, and Cristiano Ronaldo on the same team
Messi, Neymar, and Mbappe are currently rated among the best footballers and happen to play for the same club. How would they lineup with Cristiano Ronaldo in the team? On paper, this team is quite formidable. However, the practicality of the situation, proper player management, and tactical implementation by the coaching team can be disastrous for one of the players. Some or one of the player(s) could end up clouded by the other(s). Notably: Benzema has been having a great season with Real Madrid following the departure of Cristiano Ronaldo, and Griezmann had a tough time featuring Barcelona with Messi present.
In addition, in the 21/22 Ligue 1 season, the three did not have a stellar performance per se. Mbappe was occasionally the main man on most occasions whenever the three were fielded. Mbappe played as the striking target in most matches and delivered exceptionally. Messi and Neymar had to take a deeper chance creating roles, but they occasionally failed to take up defensive roles. Well, probably Pochettinho’s tactics were a miss, or the three are just lazy.
As expected, PSG has turned down the opportunity to sign Cristiano Ronaldo. Considering the latter reason, it is pretty clear why. Furthermore, onboarding him with his high wages would significantly affect the team balance in other pitch areas, considering financial fair play guidelines.
Looking at United’s chase for De Jong brings to mind the thought of chasing after the wind. Remember the Sancho deal? At first, Sancho proved quite elusive for the Red Devils, but after numerous rejected deals and fan videos calling for his signing, he finally arrived at Old Trafford. Ten Haag appears to be gathering some of his previous exceptional players. Manchester United is also pursuing Lisandro Martinez, who happens to have been signed and coached by the Dutch, fifty-two-year-old (52 yrs) Dutch coach.
Frenkie De Jong has been a top transfer target for Ten Haag at Manchester United, despite the prevailing situation at Barcelona. Photo Credit: Barcelona FC
Barcelona’s financial status. Are they broke or not?
Frenkie De Jong has communicated through his agents, Ali Dursun and Hasan Cetinkaya, that he has no intention of leaving the Nou Camp. Moreover, they have stated that they are not accepting salary reductions or related negotiations. At one point, Barcelona had come to an agreement to sell the twenty-five-year-old to Manchester United, with some add-ons slated into the deal. The precise agreed transfer amount was sixty-five million Euros (€ 65 m) and twenty million Euros (€ 20 m) in add-ons. Barcelona claimed to not be in a stable financial position. They have been seeking to offload some players to lower their wage bills. The economic situation was dire to the point that the Nou Camp was open for weddings and other events during the summer break.
Another major hindrance to closing this deal is the seventeen million Euros (€ 17 m) that Barcelona owes De Jong. Surprisingly, they can hijack a Raphinha-to-Chelsea deal and sign the Brazillian for sixty-five million Euros (€ 65 m). The purchase of Raphinha by Barcelona begs many questions about their actual financial status and whether they will sell the Dutch midfielder to Manchester United.
3. Lisandro Martinez
This Argentine center-back, Martinez, has been linked with a move to Old Trafford, where he will rejoin his former coach, Eric Ten Haag, at Old Trafford. The Red Devils have agreed on personal terms with the Argentine and are looking forward to sealing a deal with Ajax. Last week, the Eredivisie team rejected an initial fifty million Euros (€50 m) deal from Manchester United. However, they are currently open to selling the Argentine.
Above, Lisandro Martinez featuring for Ajax FC in a past match. The Argentine is a top transfer target for Manchester United. Mufc has stepped up its pursuit of the Argentine. Photo Credit: Ajax FC
Squad depth
The successful transfer of Lisandro Martinez will add more defensive squad depth for the Manchester side. The Argentine will join an already star-studded defense if the deal pulls through. Some of these big names include Harry Maguire (Ten Haag’s captaincy choice), Raphael Varane (multiple times Champions League winner), Victor Lindelof, Eric Bailly, Luke Shaw (dubbed to be present-day Roberto Carlos), Aaron Wan Bissaka (never misses a tackle), Alex Telles, among other defensive options.
Who is Lisandro Martinez?
Who is Lisandro Martinez? You might not need to scroll through numerous Youtube videos to get to know this guy. He is a quite notable left-footed center-back. Lisandro Martinez plays for Eredivisie’s side, Ajax, and has made 74 appearances for the Eredivisie side, scoring six (6) goals and providing five (5) assists. It is worth noting that Ten Haag occasionally fields a back-four side. Occasionally, he opts for a 4-3-3 high press formation, and other times he goes with a 4-3-2-1 formation. As a result, Lisandro Martinez might bench one of the center-backs or remain as a bench option or a Europa player considering the number of matches in the first half of the Premier League.
The phrase, Pogback, was a trend in August 2016. At that time, Manchester United fans worldwide celebrated his return to Old Trafford for a record fee, one hundred and five million Euros (€ 105 m). Despite all this, Pogba has again parted ways with the Red Devils to rejoin the Italian side, Juventus. Before this move, sources close to Pogba claimed that he was disgruntled at Manchester United. During this period, Labile was linked with some clubs, including Real Madrid and Barcelona. When Zinedine Zidane was coaching Real Madrid, he had taken a keen interest in him.
Pogba in a Juventus shirt following his move from Manchester United on a free transfer. Photo Credit: Juventus FC
The France national joins Juventus on a free transfer for the second time (United seems to be doing the heavy lifting here). Paul Pogba is a Manchester United academy graduate but seems to have never settled comfortably for the Premier League side. He has not been consistent throughout his stay at United. It is worth noting that at the start of the 21/22 Premier League season, Labile Pogba had several stellar performances. However, this did not reflect over the rest of the season. Alex Ferguson, at one point, made a statement regarding the player’s discipline and cited it as a reason for concern. Moreover, he did not fail to acknowledge the exceptional skills Pogba possessed.
Despite all this, Pogba has contributed immensely to the last trophy the Manchester United team won. Most notable is his role in their Europa final versus Ajax back in the 16/17 season.
An active Manchester United transfer period
Ten Haag is active during this period. Cristiano Ronaldo might leave Manchester United; De Jong might agree to his transfer from Barcelona to Manchester United. There are numerous possibilities for Manchester United during this transfer period. The Red Devils might miss out on some transfers, lose some players, or complete unexpected player signings.
Here are some of the top transfer targets for Manchester United. Photo Credit: Mirror Football
Manchester United fans have shown their displeasure at the treatment of one time second choice goalkeeper Sergio Romero. The fans are displeased with the way their club has handled the Romero situation. This was vivid in the fans social media posts.
Why Romero Lost It
Last season, Romero played the role of the second goalkeeper and was entrusted with the cup games. However, during the latter stages of the competition, Ole decided to use first choice goalkeeper David De Gea. This meant that Sergio Romero was to enjoy the matches from the bench. Manchester United got eliminated from the competition at the semi finals stage. This was disappointing to the fans since they preferred Romero to De Gea. Romero reportedly showed his displeasure at being denied the chance to perform his role in the team.
Sergio Romero lifting the Europa trophy after winning it back in 16/17 season. Photo Credits: Manchester United
The Transfer Request
The Argentine submitted a transfer request with some decent premier league sides in need of his services. However, Manchester United did not accept any offer and decided to keep him. At the time, Ole had already frozen him out of the team and made Dean Henderson the second choice goalkeeper. Moreover, Romero was axed from the season squad. His wife was frustrated by this mistreatment. She took to social media expressing how Romero had been treated with disrespect and wanted to leave Manchester United. The season started with the Argentine still frozen out of the squad. Since he has not been registered for the season matches, he has had to settle for mild trainings to keep his form as he anticipates a January move.
Sergio Romero heading to training. Photo Credits: Manchester United.
The Fan’s Verdict
The fans have given their opinion about the issue, with most advocating for a move for the goalkeeper. Most fans feel the goalkeeper should be allowed to leave for a club of his choice having given a hundred percent effort whenever he played for Manchester United. United fans consider him one of their best goalkeepers of modern times due to his impressive statistics in the cup games.
At one time, he was nicknamed ‘Mr Cleansheets’ and even earned the title of ‘the best back up goalkeeper in the world’. This was due to his regular performances that saw him keep clean sheets day in day out. The goalkeeper is famously remembered for the incredible role he played in the 2016/17 Europa league season. United won the trophy with Romero between the posts. Both the goalkeeper and the fans will be expecting the goalkeeper to part ways with the club in January. This is in a bid to save the already soiled relationship between the two.
Liverpool hosted Arsenal at Anfield, whereby they beat Arsenal 3 : 1. Indeed this match was an anticipated one. Following the previous successive losses by Liverpool to Arsenal, Klopp was determined to beat them. Earlier on in the week, Klopp praised Arteta for the changes he has made at Arsenal, especially in the balance of play. However, he made remarks that Arsenal would play at Anfield twice in the season this far. Firstly for the Premier League first leg, then secondly for the EFL Cup round.
The game
Arsenal opened the score sheets with a goal from Lacazette, following a defensive error by Robertson. On the other hand, In the 27th minute, Sadio Mane equalized. Salah made a shot for the goal, it was punched by the Arsenal goalkeeper, only to come in Sadio Mane’s path. He tapped in the loose ball. Before the break, Trent made a nice cross that found Robertson at the far post. He was unmarked. The Scottish left-back made a nice first touch to stop the ball and sent it to the back of the net. Despite Arsenal’s defensive organization, a third goal found the back of the net. Diego Jota made his debut coming on from the bench. The former Wolves’ forward was subbed in for Mane. Having missed several opportunities prior, he could not just miss the next chance. He scored the third goal for The Reds, sealing their victory.
Diego Jota celebrates debut goal vs Arsenal. Photo credits: Liverpool CityFC
Liverpool is currently unbeaten at Anfield in the past 3 years. It is at Anfield where they managed a comeback against a strong Barcelona side in the 18/19 Champions League. Arteta had fielded the usual back three with two midfielders in the middle of the pack, that is Elneny and Xhaka. During the first half, Arsenal lacked an attacking edge. Later on, Ceballos came in for Xhaka.
Liverpool played the usual back 4, with two attacking full-backs to increase the press. Indeed Klopp’s side was pressing high up the pitch. Moreover, they were also keen to avoid suffering quick breaks. The high press ensured that Arsenal would not play comfortably from the back.
On Thursday, Liverpool host Arsenal once again for the EFL round of matches. Will Klopp extend the unbeaten run? Will Arteta suffer yet another defeat against Klopp?
The EPL title race will officially kick off when Chris Kavanagh kicks off the premier league clash between Fulham and Arsenal, the 29th season of the premier league. In the minds of fans in England and across the globe, the million-dollar question is who, among the 20 clubs will lift the title come May. The 29 seasons have produced just 7 different winners. Therefore, it is not a misguided assumption to say, there are a few clubs who will most likely win it. Unless another club pulls off a Leicester, you are sure the winner will be among the top 6. So among them, who is in and who is out of the title race?
Liverpool
Liverpool is the team to beat at the moment. They won the title last season with, get this, 7 games to spare. They finished the 2018/2019 season just a point behind eventual winners Manchester City. Consistency is key and that is the dread which Liverpool possesses. Jurgen Klopp has put together a juggernaut that is very difficult to stop. Until their loss to Watford, they looked likely to finish the season unbeaten. Watching them play in the preseason, they still got that drive and mentality to be champions again. They have not been active in the transfer market but they were not last summer and still won the league. With speculation flying around on the impending arrival of Thiago from Bayern Munich, they can only get stronger. With the firepower of Mohammed Salah and Sadio Mane, goals will continue coming. Van Dijk and Alisson’s bulwark will scatter the opposition
Manchester City
Anyone who watched City play last season knows that they are very strong contenders for the premier league title. Pep has one of the world’s most valuable teams, so much that when Lionel Messi decided to leave Barca Manchester City were rumored to be interested. City have plenty of unfinished business. Following a third straight disappointing exit from the champions league, they will be out to make a statement. Liverpool showed them how you win a title, finishing a handsome 18 points clear making City’s margin of 1 point the previous season appear like a stroke of luck. PFA player of the year Kevin De Bruyne is a man on top of the world. He is sure to be a menace to the opposition, supplying assists to lethal strikers like Sergio Kun and Gabriel Jesus. Club legend David Silva may have left but Phil Foden’s emergence will calm the nerves of City fans. Nathan Ake and Ferran Torres top the list of arrivals this summer. The signing of Ake aimed at avoiding the misfortune that faces city whenever Aymeric Laporte is injured.
Manchester United
Although some may argue it is a 2 horse race to the EPL title, that may not be entirely true. If we consider United’s post-lockdown form, they are genuine title contenders. They managed to bulldoze Chelsea and Leicester out of the way and clinch third spot last season. They got the job done and teams that get the job done always win something. Like City, they finished the season with bitter taste after Semifinal losses to Chelsea in the FA. Moreover they were knocked out by Sevilla in the Europa league semif final. With the Ole brand of football settling in, the belief is palpable. You will understand United’s fan believe in this being the year they end a 7-year trophy wait. After the Bruno Fernandes acquisition in January, United came to life and many fans were hoping for further acquisitions. However, their summer has been relatively calm only signing Donny van de Beek. With emerging youngster Mason Greenwood combing in to supplement an already sharp attack, Dean Henderson’s commitment between the post, only their defense may prove to be their kryptonite.
Chelsea
The blues gamble on club legend Frank Lampard. The weight of the transfer ban on their shoulders seemed to have paid off after they finished fourth. That was overachieving and they are not going to play dice again. They embarked on a transfer window that can be described as career mode on FIFA. Lampard has brought in Thiago Silva and Ben Chilwell in defense, Kai Havertz in midfield, Hakim Ziyech and Timo Werner in the attack, and goalkeeper Edouard Mendy is on his way. Chelsea struggled greatly in personnel last season. Kepa was rusty and out of the form that saw him impress the previous season. With the new signings coming in at defense, it looks likely that Chelsea’s defensive woos may be a thing of the past. Supplemented by the attacking threat posed by Pulisic, Ziyech, Werner, Havertz, Giroud, Mount, and Tammy, Chelsea is a dream team. The big question is, can this set of talented players gel well? If the answer is yes, then Chelsea may join Liverpool and City as the main contenders. It is unimaginable how this team could finish the season without a trophy!
Let’s face it, this is not the Tottenham side raised by Mauricio Pochettino that finished second a few seasons ago. After their cameo appearance in the Champions League final in 2019, wheels came flying off and with them Pochettino. In comes Jose Mourinho who is in the process of shifting that side to fit his philosophy. I do not know how much time it will take but at least they will be unlikely candidates for the league. The rebuilding may look subtle but with Mourinho in charge it could pay dividends. Like typical Mou, he went to strengthen his defense with well-experienced players in the Premier League. Former Saints Captain Hojberg, Joe Hart, and Arsenal fan, Matt Doherty headline the arrivals. Tottenham have a quality squad but they need to bridge a mentality gap before they can be considered contenders. How fast remains to be seen.
Arsenal
Last but not least Arsenal. 16 years in the cold. They salvaged a season to forget with an FA cup win. Typical Arsenal but it is the manner and circumstance that make that win a huge achievement. Former captain Mikel Arteta switched Manchester for London mid-season. With it a promotion from Guardiola’s assistant. In the league, the damage was irreparable finishing 8th . However, their FA cup triumph ensured European football and may have convinced star man and captain Pierre Aubameyang to stay. The gunners are not short of talent with Gabriel Martinelli, Bukayo Saka, and Maitland Niles proving that Arsenal’s progression should be of interest to everyone. For Arsenal, it may be too early to call because we are not sure what Arteta has in his bag of tricks. However, they will not be in the list of EPL title race favorites to win it this season.
The new Premier league season awaits. Halfway through we will have done away with some clubs from this list. The EPL title race is on!
As the 2020-2021 premier league matches begin this month, the fixtures place Liverpool at the centre of action this month. The reds will meet Chelsea and Arsenal in some of the highly anticipated games of this season. Notably, Liverpool has set new records in the just concluded season in spite of the COVID-19 pandemic. They managed to win the premier league title for the 2019-2020 season, and they will be set to defend it starting this month. The team made history by taking a 25-point lead of the season and having 24 consecutive home wins, which was four steps ahead of the Manchester city record of 20. By taking the cup with seven matches remaining, Liverpool set a new record. The team managed to have 110 points in 38 matches, which was a premier league record. Liverpool is a strong side, and its fixtures with Chelsea and arsenal will keep the fans unsettled to see the action.
The premier league fixtures between Liverpool and Chelsea have always attracted a lot of attention. However, the Liverpool side is getting stronger in recent years as Chelsea struggles for a spot in the top four teams. Liverpool has won 81 games, drawn 41 matches, and lost 64 games with Chelsea. Last season, Liverpool won all their premier league matches with Chelsea bating them 2-1 in September 2019, and 5-3 in July 2020. The upcoming match between these two soccer giants is highly anticipated.
These two sides have mixed results. Last season, Liverpool beat Arsenal 3-1 in their first leg premier league encounter. In the second leg, Arsenal won 2-1. Last week, the rivals met in the community shield cup and drew 1-1, but Liverpool lost in the penalties to a a5-4 defeat. The stakes are higher for this month’s clash as the premier league season kicks off.
Arsenal striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang scored his 50th Premier League goal against Norwich to become Arsenal’s fastest player to reach that mark in 79 premier league appearances.
The Gabon international opened the scoring in the 33rd minute after Norwich goalkeeper Tim Krul made an error. Aubameyang nicked the ball off the Krul’s foot when he tried to dribble to make a long kick.
Four minutes later, the Gunners got a second goal, scored by Granit Shaka with a brilliant assist from Aubameyang.
In the 67th minute, Aubameyang scored his second goal getting him into Arsenal’s book of history. He reached the mark quicker than former Arsenal star Thierry Henry who hit the mark in 87 games.
Cedric Soares scored the fourth goal in the 81st minute confirming the Gunner’s victory. Arsenal won 4-0 against Norwich moving to the 7th place in the league table.
This achievement has seen the striker becoming second after Mohammed Salah in the list of quickest African players to reach 50 premier league goals.
Aubameyang is happy about his goal scoring record at Arsenal and negotiation about his future at the club is ongoing.
“I’ll talk with the club and we’re going to see what’s going to happen, but first of all I’m focused on the games and the end of the season, so we’ll see,” Aubameyang told BT Sport.
Matteo Guendouzi has for a while had disagreements with his boss Mikel Arteta. Their recent fight was after their game against Brighton where they suffered a defeat.
Due to the disagreements, Arteta has since failed to include Guendouzi in the first-team training, directing him to train alone with his fitness coach.
In Arsenal’s game against Brighton, Guendouzi clashed with Neal Maupay, grabbing him by the throat. However, Guendouzi escaped punishment after FA in a statement said that the officials did not witness the clash.
In February 2020, Guendouzi was reprimanded by Arsenal’s technical director Edu, for allegedly removing his shirt and waving it in support of a local music artist in Dubai. He was left out in several games but was later recalled after the club felt he responded well to the punishment.
His relationship with Arteta has worsened to the extent the manager is now looking for potential swap deals for the young star. Guendouzi still has two years left on his contract with Arsenal. If the club wants to recoup a maximum value on him, they will have to offload him this coming summer.
The Frenchman is still young, with outstanding qualities in the midfield but Arsenal manager has had enough of him and expects everyone to respect his decision.
Guendouzi’s prideful and ambitious attitude will cost him in his football career. Before he joined Arsenal, he was kicked out of Lorient due to the same reasons.
According to Sky Sports Italia and the Guardian, Lazio have plans of signing Man City playmaker David Silva this summer.
Silva has played over 400 games for Man City in the last ten years he has been at the club. He played his final Premier League match against Norwich in July where they won 5-0 at the Etihad Stadium.
In his last game for Man City in the Premier League, he said:
“I have enjoyed the ten years here, today was the last game in the Premier League, but now we have to be focused on the Champions League.
“It was emotional, I have been here for ten years, I love all of the players and staff, we have a good relationship and I am going to miss all of them.
“I couldn’t imagine winning so many titles in the way we did when I first came here. I am a lucky guy; I’ve had a lot of nice moments. I will miss everything, even the weather!â€
He is currently a free agent but will still play for Man City in the ongoing Champions League games. According to the Guardian, Lazio offered the Spaniard £50,000 a week but he wants around £100,000 a week to sign a new deal with the club. The club is still negotiating with Silva hoping to close a deal soon.
After all the game week scuffles it all comes down to the remaining four premier league matches to determine who will get the third and the fourth position in the final table. Four clubs have been on wild chase for the UEFA Champions league Qualification spot but now it’s evident that it comes down to only three clubs.
Leicester City, who recently lost 3-0 to Tottenham Hotspurs, are at 62 points with a goal difference of 28,temporarily seated at position four with only one game left. The shocking defeat at London cost them so much and now they tie at goal difference with Manchester United who have a game at hand. The two clubs will meet for a final showdown at King Power Stadium to square it out for European Football participation glory on July 26th. Based on the odds, if they manage to beat Manchester United or go level pegging they might still have a chance to qualify for the UCL.
Chelsea, at position three with 63 points and a goal difference of 15, are in a tight situation with two matches left. The South West London Blues will travel to Meyerside today to face Premier League champions, Liverpool at Anfield Stadium. A pretty tough fixture if you ask me.With their low goal difference, a win today would be very crucial for securing their third position. Liverpool haven’t lost a home game in the premier league since 2017 and I can’t possibly imagine them letting that record get broken by The blues in as much as they aided in their early trophy when they beat Manchester City. Tonight we will find out if they will return the favour. Chelsea will host Wolverhampton Wanderers on Sunday 26th July for their final league game.
Manchester United, at position five with also 62 points and a goal difference of 28, had a chance of elevating to position three, but shared points after the draw with Southampton. Today they host a relegation- battling Westham United, hoping for a victory that might put them in the third position. If Ole and his boys blow this chance, it would come down to their final match with The Foxes. It wouldn’t be an easy game, considering Westham has been on a winning streak and are trying hard to avoid relegation. The East London Irons wouldn’t mind doing a double on the Red devils. The last remaining matches are very crucial for the clubs and every point and every goal counts.
