There was drama aplenty as Manchester City left it late to secure the Premier League title, Milan ended their 11-year Scudetto wait, eye-watering details of Mbappe’s new contract and more!
Martin Tyler lied to us
After immortalizing himself into footballing folklore with a quasi- orgasmic shout of Aguerooooooooo, Martin Tyler assured us that we would never see anything like that ever again. He lied.
City- who seem intent on giving their fans nervous breakdowns- pulled off another stunning comeback on Sunday, winning their fourth title in five years. The Aguero goal did secure City’s first title in 44 years (it also happened with virtually the last kick of the game). But this was arguably more preposterous.
Michael Owen summed it up perfectly by saying that City didn’t seem to have any momentum. They were flat. I don’t remember the last time Bernardo Silva looked so ineffectual. Guardiola honestly cut the figure of a broken man.
But the introductions of Sterling and Gundogan added directness to their attack and Villa crumbled. In six crazy minutes they shattered Liverpudlian hearts. Liverpool got the job done with a jittery display against a wasteful Wolves side.
They have been sublime in recent weeks, expertly juggling every competition in this unprecedented campaign. I don’t think they could have done anything more. Could this deflating end to the Premier League leave some scar tissue going into next weekend’s Champions League final?
I wouldn’t bet against the self-proclaimed ‘mentality monsters’ (that nickname sounds suspiciously like the title of an 80’s slasher film).
A goal that will go down in Manchester City history, courtesy of Ilkay Gundogan 💥 pic.twitter.com/R3T8ngcDtS
— SuperSport 🏆 (@SuperSportTV) May 22, 2022
Trust the process… where’s the progress?
The Emirates was buzzing yesterday as Arsenal’s young squad ripped apart Everton with ease. This is Arteta-ball. This side loves sun-drenched home matches with nothing at stake.
It’s performances like these that might harm the club more than the shock defeats. They paper over the fact that little- if nothing- has changed since Arteta took over. Unai Emery was sacked for finishing in fifth place.
After consecutive eigth place finishes, Mikel Arteta has got them right back to square one. It has only taken five transfer windows and 250 million pounds. Conte had one transfer window and got Spurs into the Champions League.
The Kroenke’s love the fact that Arteta slashed the wage bill in January. I personally think their inactivity in the January transfer market was a dereliction of duty. Conte went out and got Bentancur and Kulusevski.
The pair actually combined to score the first goal in Spurs’ victory over Norwich (I love irony). How do you not add a single body when you are in a top four race? With Afcon looming large? This was Arsenal’s chance.
United fell off a cliff this year while West Ham were distracted by Europe. Newcastle are now poised to spend heavily in the summer while Ten Haig inherits football’s most poisoned chalice.
But Arteta seems to exert a magical hold on both the Kroenke’s and- more disturbingly- the younger section of the Arsenal fanbase. They see the individual progression of players like Saka, Smith-Rowe and Martinelli and confuse that with the club’s progression.
What happens when those guys turn 21 and they still aren’t in the Champions League? Do you think they are going to care about all the top Gooners out there? Arsenal fans need to kick this Stockholm Syndrome and come back to reality.
A painful end to the season for Arsenal and Mikel Arteta 😣 pic.twitter.com/mUEXBWPNaD
— Mirror Football (@MirrorFootball) May 23, 2022
AC Milan end 11-year title drought
AC Milan were clinical when it mattered most, sauntering to a comfortable 3-0 victory against Sassuolo. That victory helped the Rossoneri to their first title in 11 years.
It also brought to an end one of the most engrossing Serie A contests in recent memory. I never thought that Stefano Pioli’s men would hang on against the more battle-hardened Inter.
I thought Inzaghi’s men would romp away to victory with ten matches to spare. But Pioli’s side showed unwavering maturity in trying circumstances. Youngsters such as Tomori and Rafael Leao have blossomed into future superstars.
And the veteran striking duo of Zlatan and Olivier Giroud gave them the ability to edge games that they had no right to win. You can’t underestimate the impact of technical director Paulo Maldini.
The Milan legend inherited the reins of a sleeping giant that was floundering in the post-Berlusconi era. But he has conducted himself brilliantly, making a slew of astute signings and adding a vibrancy to the entire institution. I think they perversely benefited from finishing bottom of their Champions League group.
Napoli and Inter would go on to have gruelling European knockout ties against Barcelona and Liverpool respectively. I think this was the moment when Milan were able to take the initiative in the title race.
Scenes 📸 as AC MILAN lift their first Scudetto in 11 years 🏆#SerieA
— SuperSport 🏆 (@SuperSportTV) May 22, 2022
Mbappe to stay in Paris
M.Night Shyamalan couldn’t have written a twist ending like this. It seemed written in the stars that French superstar Kylian Mbappe would join Real Madrid. But PSG’s Qatari owners threw the kitchen sink at Mbappe, offering him a new contract that paves the way to billionaire status.
Hell, I wouldn’t be surprised if they chucked the Eiffel Tower in there as an add-on. There is plenty to say about the obscene financial implications at play here (especially in the post-lockdown economic reality).
The concept of Financial Fair Play is absurd as football clubs increasingly become the playground of nation-states. Football players are starting to feel more like corporate entities than human beings. I’m numb to it.
But what really blew my mind this weekend was LaLiga’s reaction to being jilted at the aisle. They filed a formal complaint about this flagrant act of betrayal, citing contraventions of Financial Fair Play.
The hypocrisy and sense of entitlement here is staggering. Real Madrid broke the transfer fee world record five consecutive times between 2000 and 2013 (from Figo to Bale).
Their quest to discover the next Galactico has never been beholden to austerity measures. And Barcelona were almost ruined by the king’s ransom that they paid to be Messi’s sugar-daddy all those years.
I don’t like the figures getting thrown around for Mbappe. It feels icky. But LaLiga having a go at PSG for financial misconduct just feels a bit strange.
Kylian Mbappé’s Saturday:
— B/R Football (@brfootball) May 21, 2022
▪️ Rejects Real Madrid
▪️ Signs huge new PSG contract
▪️ Hat trick vs. Metz
😎 pic.twitter.com/VOztne4AfN
Player of the Week- Son Heung-min
This decision isn’t purely based on Son’s brace against a pretty abject Norwich side (though that second goal was pretty special). It’s an unapologetic reaction to his shock omission from the PFA Player of the Year shortlist.
This almost feels like a vendetta. How could you exclude Son from this year’s shortlist? Sure, Connor Gallagher has pretty sick hair and has done well in a mid-table side. But Son scored 23 goals in the Prem this season (sharing the Golden Boot with Mo Salah). Despite the fact that he doesn’t take penalties.
He scored about ten crackers throughout the campaign. I actually thought he was an intriguing dark horse pick to snag the trophy. Was he perhaps the victim of his own consistency?
Salah was mesmeric during the early stages of the season while De Bruyne powered City to the title in the closing chapters. Son never really hogged the limelight at any single moment. But he was probably more consistent than both. I just can’t wrap my head around him not being nominated.
A message from Golden Boot winner, Heung-Min Son 💙 pic.twitter.com/gC6L3ic6ok
— Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) May 22, 2022
