The 2023/24 season will end on Sunday. There are too many issues that deserve to be on the front burner in today’s column. Top on the list is which club will win the league?
Honestly, what stands out the Premier League from other European leagues is its nerve ending nature with winner decided many times on the last day. This has ensured a lot of excitement, curiosity and anxiety on the last day.
Followers of the Premier League will want to read the analysis of the games involving the two teams angling to win the league on Sunday. However, City on 88 points moved two points clear at the top of the table with a 2-0 win at Tottenham on Tuesday, meaning the champions are just one win from claiming a record fourth successive Premier League title. City will host West Ham on the final day but, if they slip up, Arsenal are waiting in the wings, with the Gunners two points behind their title rivals and hosting Everton.
Arsenal must win to have any chance of winning their first title in 20 years. Should they do so and City draw with West Ham, the destination of the trophy will be decided by goal difference, with Arsenal currently on +61 compared to City’s +60.
If the sides are also level on goal difference- which cannot the in this case- the title will come down to goals scored. City lead that tiebreaker, with 93 goals scored compared to Arsenal’s 89. Should City lose to West Ham, an Arsenal win would ensure the title heads to the Emirates. Manchester City’s title chances jumped 25 per cent, up to 84 per cent, after their win at Tottenham, while Arsenal’s chances tumbled by the same amount to 16 per cent, according to Opta.
Mikel Arteta hopes to win the title on Sunday despite having just 16% chances of winning it. He believes West Ham will be difficult for City to beat.
“It’s difficult to beat someone in the Premier League, when there’s more at stake, it’s more difficult,” he said on Friday.
“We all know City went a step closer [at Spurs] but they are going to play a tough opponent. We have suffered against them in the last few seasons. I’m sure West Ham will be at it.”
On if he will be listening out for the City score? “Sixty thousand people [will be doing it], all the staff, all the assistant coaches, all the families. People on their phones, I think that’s enough.”
As with relegation, Sheffield United and Burnley will return to the Championship after just one season in the top flight, and they are almost certainly going to be joined by Luton. The Hatters are three points behind Nottingham Forest but have a -31 goals difference compared to Nuno Espirito Santo’s side’s total of -19. To survive, Luton would need to beat Fulham at home, hope Forest lose at Burnley – and engineer a goal difference swing of 12.
What of Wolves calling on his 19 colleagues to help scrap the VAR as from next season? It’s an issue that should be on the front burner. Wolves believe that the introduction of VAR has done more harm to the league than good. Since the clubs will vote next month during their AGM to either scrap it or move on with it, then we can decide to have a look, depending on the decision of the clubs. But will the Premier League clubs end VAR reign after five seasons or not. Indications are that many of the clubs would vote against this proposal, but want improvement in its implementation. For example, Chelsea manager, Mauricio Pochettino wants it retained, but believes it needs improvement.
“I like the VAR,” he said on Friday adding, “The way we need to improve is how we use VAR but we need to be open and to welcome the new technology.”
What really bothers me now is that the clench fisting coach, Jurgen Klopp, who will bid Liverpool bye after nine seasons at the Anfield.
Klopp, who was appointed Liverpool manager in October 2015, will leave Anfield on Sunday (May 19) as a living legend, having restored Liverpool to the elite of English and European football.
He led the club to seven major trophies. He won the Champions League in 2019 before leading Liverpool to their first league title in 30 years in the 2019-20 season.
The German became the only Liverpool manager to complete the collection of Premier League, Champions League, FA Cup, League Cup, Club World Cup and Community Shield during his tenure.
Klopp arrived Liverpool 10th in the Premier League table and without a league title in 25 years. Yet his force of personality, charisma and coaching nous soon began to enchant a highly emotive fan base.
Ultimately, there was to be no fairytale ending, even though Liverpool collected silverware by beating Chelsea in the League Cup final in February.
The Reds’ season has come off the rails in the final weeks of the campaign, with exits from the FA Cup and Europa League, and they dropped out of the Premier League title race after a poor run.
But that will not diminish the pain as Klopp leaves Anfield for the final time after Sunday’s match against Wolves with his place secured in the hearts of his adoring faithful.
In his last media briefing on Friday, he says he would vote to scrap VAR on the premise that the as officials “are not able to use the technology properly”.
But he countered that the clubs are not voting against it, but that they were against how it is implemented.
When asked if he would vote to get rid of the VAR, Klopp said: “I do not think VAR is the problem, but the way we use it is the problem. So, you cannot change the people obviously, it’s clear. You need them.”
