Liverpool. Amazing Liverpool. Unbelievable Liverpool. This season is all about Liverpool. This is how I started the post last week and I think its where we need to start again this week. The Liverpool train continues charging toward an unbeaten season.

This past week Liverpool played two games, their regular week 24 clash and then a makeup game from a match missed earlier in the season. And as expected….two wins in two tries. Unbeaten season intact.

In honor of Liverpool. I wanted to share a video of their pregame routine where the fans sing, “You’ll Never Walk Alone”. It quite inspiring and a bit emotional….to hear the entire stadium singing as one….wow. To be in that stadium with all those fans! A little history on the song and how it connected with Liverpool. The song was part of a successful Broadway musical, “Carousel” from 1945 and then in the UK, the song’s most successful cover was released in 1963 by the Liverpool area music group Gerry and the Pacemakers, peaking at number one on the UK singles chart for four consecutive weeks. Sung by Liverpool fans in 1963, the song quickly became the football anthem of Liverpool FC which adopted “You’ll Never Walk Alone” as its official motto on its coat of arms. The song is sung by its supporters moments before the start of each home game at Anfield with the Gerry and the Pacemakers version played over the public address system. Enjoy!

Unbeaten Season/Streak. 24 down and 14 to go for the season. Their current streak of undefeated games is 39 stretching back to last year. Third best in Premier League history. They are 10 games away from tying Arsenal’s record of 49.

It’s all about Liverpool and I think I might cheer them on. It could be the greatest single season in Premier League history. Just 1 game where I won’t be cheering them on….Chelsea!! Take a look at the Liverpool season so far. Enjoy!!

Match Week 24 Recap

I know we have crowned Liverpool, but after that, things are getting interesting. There is still a race for the Top 4 and the teams are battling it out. This past week there were 8 winners in the 10 games. Here is a recap.

1. Liverpool wins 2-1 over Wolverhampton.
2. Bournemouth takes down Brighton 3-1.
3. Aston Villa with a 2-1 win over Watford.
4. Southampton with a big 2-0 win over Crystal Palace.
5. Manchester City with a top 10 win over Sheffield United 1-0.
6. Leicester City with a dominating 4-1 win over West Ham United.
7. Tottenham wins 2-1 over Norwich City..
8. The surprise of the week, Burnley take down Manchester United 2-0

Race for the Top 4

Liverpool is a run away leader. How does the rest of the table look.

1. Liverpool 23-1-0 70 points.
2. Manchester City 16-3-5 51 points.
3. Leicester City 15-3-6 48 points.
4. Chelsea 12-4-8 40 points.
5. Manchester United 9-7-8 34 points.
6. Tottenham 9-7-8 34 points.

Wolves (34), Sheffield United (33), Southampton (31) and Arsenal (30) round out the top 10. a 19 point lead at this point is the season is pretty amazing….never have seen that before.

The Relegation Zone

There are now 6 teams within 3 points of the relegation zone and fighting to stay up. Brighton sit with 25 points, Aston Villa at 25 and West Ham United at 23. The current bottom three include:

18. Bournemouth at 23 points 19. Watford at 23 points 20. Norwich City 17 points. Norwich City slipping a bit but then the next five are all with in 2 points. A team can win and jump 5 spots.

Games of the Week. Match Week 25. There are three big clashes this weekend to keep an eye on. 6 of the Top 7 playing each other….that’s a treat for soccer fans.

1. #5 Manchester United vs. #7 Wolverhampton
2. #2 Manchester City vs. #6 Tottenham Hotspur
3. #3 Leicester City vs. #4 Chelsea

Chelsea News

So as a Chelsea fan, a tough weekend. What started out great…a 1-0 lead over Arsenal and a David Luiz red card puts Arsenal down a man. 1-0 into the second half and the second goal feels like its coming. Arsenal counter attack….Kante, Chelsea’s best midfielder slips and that leads to a breakaway. Arsenal’s first shot of the game leads to a goal. Oh man., 1-1. Chelsea continue to press and get shots and then it happens, Chelsea take back the lead in the 84th minute, okay, they’ll see the game off and get the win. 3 minutes later, yes, only three minutes later, Arsenal counter attacks, the defense gets a little soft and gives a little opportunity for a shot…Arsenal’s second shot of the game finds the corner, 2-2. What the heck! Chelsea has over 60% possession, has 19 shots on goal and scores 2. Arsenal have 2 shots on goal and score 2. Ugh! Uff da! Dang! 19 shots to 2 and a man advantage and they draw, seems pretty unbelievable. How does that happen.

But then comes the fun part of the weekend for a Chelsea fan. Manchester United with a chance to cut the point differential from 6 down to 3 and put a ton of pressure on Chelsea’s Top 4 plan….lose to Burnley, 13th in the table, 2-0. Whew! Still have the 6 point gap.

Things get very interesting for Chelsea the next few weeks. They are 6 points clear of 5th and holding the important 4th spot. Their next three games. Leicester City (currently 3rd), Manchester United (currently 5th), Tottenham (currently 6th). Oh my—that is three really big games, back-to-back-to-back. If Chelsea can survive the next three and hold the Top 4 spot, maybe they are safe, but its a big three week run. They tend to play big in big games, but three in a row. We will learn a lot about Frank Lampard’s team in the next few weeks.

Liverpool. Amazing Liverpool. Unbelievable Liverpool. This season is all about Liverpool. I am not a fan of Liverpool and my team is Chelsea…..but this season I have to get credit….Liverpool is far and away the most dominant force in the Premier League. And even though I cheer for Chelsea, I think I am going to cheer a little for Liverpool to see if they can keep their undefeated streak going. Let’s talk about it.

There have been two undefeated season in Premier League history. The first goes way back….Preston North End went 18-4-0 (Win-Draw-Loss) in league play as well as winning all their Cup matches and taking the FA Cup in the 1888-89 season. Their final record that year was 23 wins and 4 draws. An historic season. It took over 100 years for another team to match Preston North End. In 2003-04 season Arsenal….nicknamed “The Invincibles” matched the undefeated season. They finished that year 26-12-0 (W-D-L), amazing that they had 12 draws. That was 12 games where 1 single goal, 1 magic moment from the other team would have ended the streak….wow. Including a few wins to end the previous season as well as the start of the next season, Arsenal reeled off 49 games without a loss. Their record over that time was 36-13-0. Their star was Thierry Henry.

And now we have Liverpool. In last years run to the title, Liverpool reeled off 15 straight games undefeated but came up just short of Manchester City in 2nd place on the final table. This year they have steamrolled the league. After 22 games played they have 21 wins and 1 draw. That is just amazing to write and amazing they have done it. Week 9 they were drew with Manchester United 1-1, other that that, all wins. Early in the season it just seemed everything was going their way. In the span of a month I think there were 2-3 games where they were in danger of a loss or in danger of a draw; but somehow found a way to win. Late goals. Extra time goals. Penalties in extra time leading to winning goals. But lately, there has been no luck needed. Liverpool is just running over teams….and quality teams too. I happened to turn on their game today against 5th place Manchester United. Two top 6 teams and you would expect a great match, tight and competitive……wrong. I caught about 30 minutes of the game. Liverpool totally dominated the game. It was a red wave……it was a complete assault on the Manchester United defense. Attack after attack, shot after shot. It was overwhelming to watch. I saw a goal overturned with offsides. I saw a few hit then post. I saw a few just wide. I saw 2-3 great saves…..and that was just the 30 minutes I watched. It could have been 4-0 or 5-0. The final was 2-0, but from what I saw, that does not do the game justice. A crushing defeat, a dominating performance.

The highlights give you a little idea of the game. Liverpool on the attack. In the 1:45 minute clip there was only 1 Manchester United highlight. And it did not include a few shots I saw while watching. Liverpool—oh my!

Potential Liverpool Records. So what is next for Liverpool. We discussed they are chasing an undefeated season. 23 down and 15 to go. Their current streak of undefeated games is 37 stretching back to last year. They are 12 games away from tying Arsenal’s record of 49. Other records they might hit this year. Most points. Manchester City set the record of 100. Liverpool are on pace for 112 out of a maximum points total of 114 in a season. Most wins. Liverpool have 1 draw. The record is 32 wins and Liverpool could shatter that one as well. On pace for 37. Most Home Wins. The record is 18 and Liverpool have not lost yet and could get 19. Away Wins. The record is 16 and Liverpool on pace to break that one too with 18.

It’s all about Liverpool and I think I might cheer them on. It could be the greatest single season in Premier League history. Just 1 game where I won’t be cheering them on….Chelsea!!

Match Week 23 Recap

So the question this week…..who wants to be in the Top 4. It seems no one wants it. It might just end up that the top 4, other than Liverpool, will be who just doesn’t mess up too bad. No one really challenging or putting together wins. It was an interesting week for the Top 10 teams. Lets review.

1. Liverpool wins.
2. Manchester City draw.
3. Leicester City loses.
4. Chelsea loses…in the 94th minute. Ugh!
5. Manchester United loses.
6. Wolverhampton wins.
7. Sheffield United draws.
8. Tottenham draws.
9. Crystal Palace draws.
10. Arsenal draws.

Only two wins in the Top 10….that’s crazy. The other three teams to earn a win this week were Burnley, Newcastle and Norwich City.

Race for the Top 4

Okay, we have discussed, Liverpool is a run away leader. How does the rest of the table look.

1. Liverpool 21-1-0 64 points.
2. Manchester City 15-3-5 48 points.
3. Leicester City 14-3-6 45 points.
4. Chelsea 12-3-8 39 points.
5. Manchester United 9-7-7 34 points.
6. Wolverhampton 8-10-5 34 points.

Sheffield United (33), Tottenham (31), Crystal Palace (30) and Arsenal (29) round out the top 10.

The Relegation Zone

There are now 6 teams within 3 points of the relegation zone and fighting to stay up. Brighton sit with 25 points, West Ham United at 23 and Watford at 23. The current bottom three include:

18. Aston Villa 22 points 19. Bournemouth 20 points 20. Norwich City 17 points. And Norwich just won and picked up a big 3 points this week.

Games of the Week. Match Week 24.

1. Chelsea vs. Arsenal. Che;lsea really need a win.
2. Liverpool vs. Wolves. #1 vs. #6. Can someone give Liverpool a game?

History of the FA cup

The FA Cup, also known officially as The Football Association Challenge Cup, is an annual competition in men’s professional English soccer . First played in 1871, it is the oldest soccer competition in the world. It is named after the Football Association or FA.

The competition is open to any eligible soccer club down to Level 10 of the English football system, not even sure what Level 10 is, but I do know that means a lot of teams are eligible to be part of the tournament. It would be like if in America, we had a football tournament and invited every pro team from the NFL, as well as semi-pro teams, college teams, etc. Every team who wants in, gets in! So if we do a little math, that’s 20 professional clubs in the Premier League and 72 teams from the next three levels of the English system….Championship Level, League 1 and League 2. It also includes several hundred from lower level leagues, what we call levels 5-10 of English football. Over 700 clubs have competed in previous years. There are a bunch of early rounds to weed thru some of the lower lever teams. The Premier League jumps into the tournament in the Third Round….which was just completed this weekend.

In the modern era, only one non-League (below Level 4) team has ever reached the quarter-finals, and teams below Level 2 have never reached the final. As a result, significant focus is given to the smaller teams who progress furthest, especially if they achieve an unlikely “giant-killing” victory. Winners receive the FA Cup trophy, of which there have been two designs and five actual cups; the latest is a 2014 replica of the second design, introduced in 1911. Winners also qualify for Europa League play the and a place in the Community Shield match. Manchester City are the current holders, having beaten Watford 6–0 in 2019. Arsenal are the most successful club with 13 titles.

What is so cool to me is the idea that a lower tiered team gets a chance to knock off a team from the Premier League. Imagine if a team from college, maybe even a lower tiered college program was able to play a team from the NFL or NBA…..and beat them. It would shock the world. This happens almost every year in the FA Cup! The ultimate upsets! You are an instant hero to your local town and a club legend for sure!

Third Round Update

As we started the 3rd round , there were 64 teams alive in the FA Cup. The third round is when the Top 20 teams, representing the Premier League jump into the tournament. So this is the round where we start to get the big upsets and the amazing story lines start developing. Lets see what happened this past weekend. Only 1 game remains to finish off the round.

Three Premier League Teams drew and will have to play again to determine a winner to advance. These teams narrowly escaped dropping out of the tournament and will have to play again. They are all feeling a sense of relief that they were not knocked off so quickly. Tottenham, ranked #6 in the Premier League was drawn by Middlesbrough who sit at 16th in the Championship Level. That’s 30 positions between these two teams. Wow! Watford, currently 19th in the Premier League were drawn against Tranmere. Tranmere sit in 21st in League 1, yes, two leagues down. The gap…46 spots. Uffda! Newcastle United, sitting at 13th in the Premier League tied with Rochdale. Rochdale is 18th in League 1. Yes, that’s two levels down and the gap between the two teams, 47 spots. Ouch!

But at least these three Premier League teams lived to fight another day, there were three Premier League teams that we not so fortunate….and they dropped out of the tournament in Round 3. A bit embarrassing for sure.

Championship level team Fulham, a team who has spent a lot of years in the Premier League took down Aston Villa 2-1. The gap between the two teams was only 8 spots with Fulham sitting 5th while AV is 17th in the Premier League. An upset for sure, but not earth shattering. Sheffield Wednesday, Championship level but with a long and storied history in English soccer (8th position) took down Brighton 1-0, sitting in 14th in the Premier League. A bit of a bigger upset. The gap of 14 places in the leagues makes this a little more surprising. And the big winner for upset of the weekend…Derby County currently 17th in the Championship beat Crystal Palace who sits in 9th in the Premier League. A bit amazing a Top 10 Premier League team goes down in the 3rd round. A gap of 28 places makes this the big winner for surprise of the weekend. This was an interesting game. A name you might know….Wayne Rooney…was just signed by Derby County to try and help them get promoted to the Premier League. Wayne took a little tour in the MLS this past year, and decided to give English football another go! As with most upsets, there is a story. Crystal Palace was issued a Red Card….after a VAR check….and a yellow card was upgraded to Red for violent conduct. A first in VAR history. Rooney is back and in the 4th Round of the FA Cup. Very Interesting!!

So we now have three Cinderellas….Sheffield Wednesday, Derby County and Fulham. Is it possible that Middlesbrough, Rochdale or Tranmere could join them. Good stuff! It makes for a very exciting tournament and something for every fan to cheer for….the upstart underdog against the big boy Premier Club!! 32 Teams will remain and the draw for the next round is tomorrow. Who will be the next big club to go down!! 15 Premier League teams remain (two of these lost to another Premier League team).

We are officially past the halfway point in the 2019/2020 Premier League Season…..and so far its a runaway for Liverpool. In fact, most of the so called experts predict it’s over….there is no way Liverpool could lose their commanding lead and lose the title. Maybe, maybe not… I know I’ll keep watching and hoping they slip up a bit so the remaining teams can make it interesting and if not, congrats to them for dominating the most difficult;t league in sport. Liverpool just rolls along and is making it look so easy. There were a series of games early in the season where things just fell their way….late goals, late calls to allow PK’s to win games, extra time goals to win games, etc. Lately, they are just the better team. Pretty amazing that we are 19 games into the season for Liverpool and they have 18 wins and 1 draw. Let me write that again, they are undefeated and only 1 draw on the season….its really quite an accomplishment so far.

There were a few big games last weekend we pointed out.

Liverpool vs. Leicester City. In a #1 vs. #2 battle, there was a ton of hype, but Liverpool just squashed any thought that Leicester City would challenge them for the title. A complete wipe out 4-0. Liverpool extended their lead to 13 points with a game in hand…likely extending to 16 once they catch up on games played. 16 points, oh my.

Chelsea vs. Arsenal. In a top clash of London rivals, it was quite an exciting game. Arsenal, under a new coach and playing with a new found passion, controlled much of the first half. Chelsea, playing hot and cold the past month, had to make a change at 30 minutes to flip formations and the game flow. From there, Chelsea slowly took over but was struggling to put the ball in the net…..but then the last 10 minutes….for a Chelsea fan….maybe the most important 10 minutes of the season so far. A stunning comeback, aided by a few gaffes, but regardless, Chelsea break the hearts of Arsenal fans for the 2-1 late comeback win.

Match Week 19/20 Recap

1. Three teams went undefeated the past two matches….Liverpool, Manchester United and Everton. Manchester United up to 5th in the table and Everton moving well clear of relegation from a few weeks back and mow sitting in 10th…new coach Carlo Ancelotti making a big difference for them.
2. Chelsea had an important win. After a bad loss to Southampton, a big win against Arsenal keep them in 4th, 4 points clear of 5th.
3. Manchester United, after a disappointing loss to Watford, rallied for back to back wins and again challenging for a top 4 spot.
4. Three teams on a losing streak…West Ham, Newcastle United and Burnley.

Games of the week. Three games stand out in Match Week 20.

Manchester City vs. Everton. Both teams hot tight now. Can Everton take down a Top 4 club.

Liverpool vs. Sheffield United. Two top 10 teams.

Manchester United vs,. Arsenal. Arsenal was close to taking down Chelsea….can they find enough to get a win vs. Manchester United.

Race for the Top 4

1. Liverpool 18-1-0. 55 Points and still undefeated, plus a game in hand.
2. Leicester City 13-3-4 42 Points
3. Manchester City 13-2-5 41 Points
4. Chelsea 11-2-7 35 Points
5. Manchester United 8-7-5 31 Points
6. Tottenham 8-6-6 30 Points

Wolves, Sheffield United, Crystal Palace and Everton round out the Top 10.

The Relegation Zone

There are currently only 5 teams within 3 points of the relegation zone. Bottom teams are finding some key wins and climbing the table. Bournemouth and West Ham sit just outside the relegation zone at 19 and 20 points. The current bottom three include:

18. Aston Villa with 18 Points. 19. Watford with 16 points. 20. Norwich City with 13 points.

Goals of the Year

As we end the year, let me leave you with the top goals of the year. Named after Real Madrid forward for the 50’sand 60’s, the Puskas award is for the most aesthetically pleasing goal of the year….the beautiful goal!!

For me….it’s Eden Hazard from Chelsea. It is an example of everything, speed, touch, control, dribbling, evading defenders….and scoring. What say you…who you got? Some pretty amazing goals for sure. Wow….what talent and skill.

The Premier League is approaching the half way point of the season and we are entering the 2 games in a week part of the schedule. As well, the Christmas break is getting close and the games come fast and furious thru the holidays. Get ready for some non stop soccer. and then there is Boxing Day. 10 games in one day. Get your popcorn ready!

Biggest news of the Week. Arsenal fires Unai Emery. After only a 1.5 years, the Unai Emery experiment is over. Fired. Mired in one of their worst winless streaks in the past 20 years, 7 straight games without a win….Arsenal ownership cut their ties to Emery last week. Missing out on the Top 4 last year and struggling to keep pace again this year. Sitting mid table in 10th place and no real momentum. So, two games since the firing and they have a bad draw and a bad loss to show for their new interim coach. things might get worse before they get better. And they missed out on the Jose Mourinjo sweepstakes by firing Emery a week after Tottenham fired Pochettino.

Breaking News. Everton fire manager Marco Silva. Everton have struggled all year and for a team who should be challenging for a Top 6 spot, Everton currently sit in 18th position and are currently in the relegation zone. The club has competed in the top division for a record 116 seasons, missing the top division only 4 times (1930–31, 1951–52, 1952–53, and 1953–54) since the top league was created in 1888. The club has won the championship nine times, 4th most in history, the historic FA Cup five times. They have an amazing history and it would be shocking for them to be relegated. No word on a long term replacement. Their schedule in the coming weeks is brutal; Chelsea, Manchester United, Leicester City and then an interesting game against Arsenal. Can they rally and get off the bottom of the table?

Game of the week. Jose Mourinjo took his new team Tottenham Hotspur on the road against his former club, Manchester United. Tottenham had won twice since hiring Mourinjo but this was their first strong test. Man U had a little extra motivation, facing the coach they fired.

Marcus Rashford was amazing the whole game. Scoring both goals, just missing on as direct kick and having one off the bar. It could have been a 4 goal night. The Dele Alli goal off the amazing flick and volley was nice but just not enough to slow down Manchester United. And doesn’t it sound more exciting in Spanish!! Love it!!

Results the past few weeks. Only 4 teams were able to get wins in both Week 14 and Week 15. Liverpool, Crystal Palace, Southampton and Leicester City are the current in form teams and all picked up 6 big points the past few weeks. On the trending down side of the league, the following 4 teams lost in both weeks; Burnley, Bournemouth, Watford and Everton are all struggling a bit right now.

Race for the Top 4

1. Liverpool 14-1-0. 43 Points and still undefeated on the year.
2. Leicester City 11-2-2 35 Points
3. Manchester City 10-2-3 32 Points
4. Chelsea 9-2-4 29 Points
5. Wolverhampton 5-8-2 23 Points
6. Manchester United 5-6-4 21 Points

Crystal Palace, Tottenham, Sheffield United and Arsenal round out the Top 10. Amazing that only the Top 4 clubs have won more than 5 games in 15. More balance this year than I can remember. If you lose you can drop 3-4 spots in the standings. Uff Da!

The Relegation Zone

There are currently 7 teams within 3 points of the relegation zone. There are another 4 teams just 5 points clear. Every win and 3 points becomes critical with it being that crowded in the middle. Bournemouth, West Ham, Aston Villa and Southampton hanging just outside the zone. The current bottom three include:

18. Everton with 14 Points. 19. Norwich City with 11 points. 20. Watford with 8 points.

Game of the Week—Week 16

Manchester Derby. Manchester United vs. Manchester City. This is must see T.V. Marcus Rashford has been hot…can he carry Man U over City. Is Man U going to challenge for a Top 4 spot, if so, this would be a game to win and start their rise up the table.

Champions League Update

The annual competition of the top clubs in Europe is well under way with teams having played 5 of the 6 round robin matches to date. The Final Round 6 starts next week and will complete the 16 Teams advancing to the knock Out stages. There are 8 groups of 4 each. The leaders of each group:

1. PSG (France) and Real Madrid (Spain) will advance.
2. Bayern Munich (Germany) and Tottenham (England ) will advance.
3. Manchester City (England) will advance. 2nd team is to be decided.
4. Juventus (Italy) will advance. 2nd team is to be decided.
5. Liverpool (England) will advance. 2nd team is to be decided.
6. Barcelona (Spain) will advance. 2nd team is to be decided.
7. RB Leipzig (Germany) leads the group.
8. Ajax (Netherlands) leads the group.

We are officially 1/3 of the way thru the Premier League season and things are getting interesting. Teams are moving up the table, others are starting to panic, coaching changes are already happening. Lots to talk about so let’s get into it.

Biggest news of the Week. Jose Mourinho is back! One of the most controversial and successful coaches in World Soccer is back on the pitch. Tottenham Hotspur have been struggling all year and there was a strong sense they were under performing to the talent on their team. After reaching the Champions League finals last year they were floundering in 10-15th position in the Premier League with some strange results. After 13 games they are 4-5-4 with losses to Brighton and Newcastle
United both in the bottom 10 of the table and draws against Everton and Watford, both in the bottom 4. The final straw may have been in the Champions League where they took a humiliating loss to Bayern Munich 7-2. Out goes Pochettino and in come Mourinho. With multiple League titles including 3 Premier League titles with Chelsea and two Champions League titles with Porto and Inter Milan, Mourinho is one of the most decorated coaches in soccer, an incredible tactician and motivator, but he also comes with the 3-year hex. He has a history of 3 year stays, a year 1 turn around, a year two winning a significant title and year 3 of burnout by players and fans and getting fired. It has happened at every position since Porto. 2-3 years and out. Porto, Chelsea, Inter Milan, Real Madrid, Chelsea, and Manchester United. Lots of titles but never more than 3 years in charge. Interesting. Hang on Tottenham fans, maybe a title is coming, but likely also some controversy and frustration….the Special One is back!

Game of the week. Chelsea took on Manchester City in Week 13 and if you were not a fan of Chelsea it was a really fun game to watch. For Chelsea fans, including me, we loved how our team played, but it was just not our day. A defection gave Man City a goal and a deflection cost Chelsea a goal. Chelsea had more possession than Man city, the first time that has happened to a Pep Guardiola coached team since he has been in the Premier League. It was fun to watch, the quality of the soccer was amazing, there was great action end to end. Always a treat when two top 4 teams play and both play at a high level. Really good stuff.

Big 6 might be in transition this year. The shake up of the Top 6 continues this season. Leicester City seems to be the real deal and sits in 2nd and well clear of 5-6th spots. Wolverhampton Wolves and Sheffield United sit in the 5th and 6th spots. Top 6 candidates Arsenal, Manchester United and Tottenham currently sit 8-9-10th in the table. Someone is going to get left out and not qualify for Champions League or Europa League and whoever that is….its not going to go well for you. Uff da! Can the upstarts hang on!

Race for the Top 4

1. Liverpool 12-1-0. 37 Points
2. Leicester City 9-2-2 29 Points
3. Manchester City 9-1-3 28 Points
4. Chelsea 8-2-3 26 Points
5. Wolverhampton 4-7-2 19 Points
6. Sheffield United 4-6-3 18 Points

Burnley, Arsenal, Manchester United and Tottenham round out the Top 10. Amazing that only the Top 4 clubs have won more than 4 games in 13. More balance this year than I can remember.

The Relegation Zone

This year it is heavy at the top, and only a few at the bottom and lots of teams in the middle There are only 4 teams within 3 points of the relegation zone. There are 12 teams in the middle separated from 14 points to 19 points. Every win and 3 points becomes critical with it being that crowded in the middle. West Ham just outside the zone with 13 points. The current bottom three include:

18. Norwich City with 10 Points. 19. Southampton with 9 points. 20. Watford with 8 points.

Champions League Update

The annual competition of the top clubs in Europe is well under way with teams having played 4 of the 6 round robin matches to date. Round 5 starts today and will start to solidify the 16 Teams advancing to the knock Out stages. There are 8 groups of 4 each. The leaders of each group:

1. PSG (France)
2. Bayern Munich (Germany)
3. Manchester City (England)
4. Juventus (Italy)
5. Liverpool (IEngland)
6. Barcelona (Spain)
7. RB Leipzig (Germany)
8. Ajax (Netherlands)

US Men’s Team Rebounds

The USMNT had been in a funk lately. They are currently competing in the Nations League tournament with CONCACAF. After a very poor performance against Canada….a 2-0 loss… and the low point of new coach Greg Berhalter’s career with the Men’s team….they have rallied a bit. In a replay of the Canada match the US men’s team looked like a different team. Fast, efficient and energetic, they returned the favor and took down Canada 4-1. They followed up that game with another victory over Cuba and a solid if not spectacular 4-0 win. The team is currently waiting for their next round of matches in the tournament. They currently are first in Group A, one of 4 groups in the tournament. I think they will announce Semi-Final Match Ups soon. Next up….qualifying for the 2022 World Cup. If we miss out on the World Cup in back to back tournaments, uff da!