Rivals Arsenal and Manchester City continued their relentless pursuit of the title in the Premier League, as Bayer Leverkusen extended their incredible unbeaten run.
Arsenal and City relentless while Liverpool falter
This year’s Premier League title race is turning out to be a real doozie. Arsenal seriously put the pressure on City this weekend, taking down Spurs in one of the weirdest North London derbies I have ever seen. I thought Spurs did well in the first half only to go in 3-0 down at the break. Then I thought Arsenal controlled the game well in the second half only to find themselves hanging on by the end. It was just a surreal game that lacked any real cohesion. Kai Havertz gave arguably his best performance in an Arsenal shirt, scoring and assisting whilst knitting everything together going forward. Odegaard was uncharacteristically quiet this weekend and Havertz stepped up to the plate in grand fashion. I found their post-match celebrations a touch hyperbolic. I think envious fans have sometimes accused this Arsenal side of being a tad melodramatic in recent years. But this time they might feel a bit justified, with Arsenal essentially taking a victory lap after the final whistle. It felt a bit premature and naïve to me. Maybe it was a calculated attempt to destabilise City going into their match.
I think it’s fair to say that this hasn’t been a vintage City season. Arenal have played the best football and looked the most defensively rigid. Injuries have affected City tremendously while the departing Mahrez and Gundogan have been sorely missed. Still, Guardiola’s side has that inalienable ability to win ugly. They were really poor at Forest, struggling to cope with a congested schedule that sadistically saw them play on Thursday and Sunday. Chris Wood looked like he was on the Saudi payroll this weekend, missing two gilt-edged chances in the match. Kevin de Bruyne casually picked up two assists without really making much of an impression on the game. I think the second-half introduction of Kovacic completely changed the tempo of the match. His ability to sit on the ball and just slow things down gave the Citizens an element of composure that they sorely lacked in the first stanza. This title race reminds me of that old adage: what happens when an impossible force meets an immovable object?
And oh yes, Liverpool are certainly out of it following a lacklustre 2-2 draw with West Ham. Where did the wheels come off? I personally don’t think they were ever really on. Klopp’s swashbuckling side performed miracles to stay in matches they had no right to be in. I think that it all just caught up with them. Put it this way: can you name a single Liverpool player who would make the Premier League Team of the Year? McAllister- at a push. It’s a little depressing that Klopp’s farewell tour is going to involve an open bus tour and the League Cup trophy (that’s exactly what Ten Hag achieved last season).
Bayer Leverkusen extend unbeaten streak
Honestly, this is getting vaguely ridiculous. Late goal kings Bayer Leverkusen did it once again this weekend, equalising in the 96th minute against Stuttgart to extend their unbeaten run to an unfathomable 46 games. It’s almost as if they masochistically get themselves behind just to prove they can claw their way back into games. Alonso also had the luxury of resting the likes of Wirtz and Boniface ahead of this week’s Europa League tie with Roma. And the feeling of déjà vu didn’t stop at Leverkusen’s last-gasp equaliser. Bayern Munich beat Eintracht Frankfurt 2-1 this weekend and it was once again Harry Kane leading Die Roten’s charge. Honestly, where would Tuchel’s side be without Kane? His brace took him to 35 league goals in 31 games this season. He is probably the most lethal marksman operating in Europe at this point in time.
Real close in on title
Real Madrid put themselves within spitting distance of the La Liga title after an attritional 1-0 victory at Real Sociedad. Carlo Ancelotti understandably made a raft of changes ahead of their crunch trip to the Allianz Arena this week. And they suffered throughout, with a wasteful Sociedad left to rue a series of missed opportunities. Arda Guler- affectionately known as the Turkish Messi- scored the match-winning goal in his first start for Los Blancos. Real now just needs four more points in five matches to secure the Spanish crown. You have to admire the way the kings of Europe have bounced back from that shellacking they suffered in Manchester last year. Bellingham has altered the fabric of the side while Vini Jr and Rodrygo have dovetailed beautifully.
Inter in party mode
This season couldn’t have really gone much better for Inter domestically. To win a 20th title against eternal city rivals AC Milan is the stuff that dreams are made of. It was perhaps unsurprising that they looked a tad lethargic hosting Torino this weekend. In fact, Inter only broke the deadlock after Adrien Tameze was dismissed for a red card in the second half. Midfield general Hakan Calhanoglou scored a brace in what turned out to be a pretty easy win for the Nerrazzuri.
Juventus were held 0-0 by AC Milan in a result that harkened back to late 90’s Italian football. Italian sides used to pride themselves on resolute defensive cohesion. Now I just think there is a dearth of attacking talent populating Italian football. Maybe I’m just being cynical.
This Must Be the Place 🎥🖤💙#ForzaInter #IM2Stars pic.twitter.com/yzzHdlcaJt
— Inter ⭐⭐ (@Inter) April 28, 2024
Player of the Week- Kai Havertz
I know, I know. I didn’t think it would come to this. Let me start by saying this: I still don’t think the Havertz experiment has been the unadulterated success that some have made it out to be. He stank out the place on multiple occasions this year. But he was absolutely sensational against Spurs, launching an incredible diagonal for Saka to latch onto before tucking away a neat header. He held up the ball brilliantly, turning the ball around corners and providing Arsenal with their attacking impetus. This was almost the blueprint for what a great Havertz performance can look like.
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