So…let’s catch up on World soccer and get caught up on the key competitions; Premier League, Champions League and FA Cup.  Things are winding down and we have a huge month of May to determine the winners.

Premier League Update

Match Week 35 is done and some Week 36 games are completed as well.  The Champion is decided, Manchester City, but still plenty of action and lots of drama.  The Race for the Top 4 was thought to be done, and maybe it still is, but Chelsea decided to make things interesting.  A recent run of good form has added points to their total while Liverpool and Tottenham have wobbled just a bit.  Chelsea is still alive and has an epic battle with Liverpool this weekend.  Must see TV.

Race for the Top 4.

Manchester City 30-3-2 93 points.  35 games.  Champions.

Manchester United 24-5-6 77 points.  35 games.

Liverpool 20-12-4 72 points.  36 games.

Tottenham 21-8-6 71 points.  35 games.

Chelsea 20-6-9 66 points.  35 games.

Arsenal 17-6-12 57 points.  35 games.

If Chelsea can take down Liverpool this weekend, could be an interesting last week of the season.  Tottenham needs to keep winning as well.

Race for the Relegation Zone. Still a tight race and teams fighting to get out of the zone. Southampton and Stoke City both in danger of relegation but one win could pull them out.  Crazy.  Teams in 15-16-17 positions are all still at risk.  West Brom has picked up 8 points but are dangerously close to relegation.  Likely they are going down  but finding  away to hang on by the narrowest of margins. Stoke City and Southampton need to get wins and hope teams above them lose.  Time is running out. Still no one officially relegated.  Just two weeks left.

16. Huddersfield  35 points

17. Swansea City 33 points.

18. Southampton 32 points.

19. Stoke City with 30 points.

20. West Bromich Albion 28 points.

Big Matches Next Weekend

Liverpool v. Chelsea.  HUGE Top 4 Battle.

Weekly Highlights

Manchester United 2 Arsenal 1.  Arsene Wenger is starting his farewell tour as manager of Arsenal and he was part of a great game and late winner this weekend, unfortunately…it did not go his way.  Some great action here from two Top 6 clubs.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8UQ51rcqgIU&feature=onebox

FA CUP Update

And then there were 2.  Finals are set.

Chelsea v. Manchester United and their ex-manager Morinho.  Should be interesting.  May 19th at Wembley at 11:15 A.M.  Can’t wait!!

Champions League Update

Semi-Finals action round 1 is complete:

Liverpool 5 v Roma 2.  Salah puts on a dominating performance but Liverpool gives Roma just a little life late in the match.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FMBuaGR0VRE&feature=onebox

Real Madrid 2 v Bayern Munich 1.  Real Madrid win, but Bayern gets an important away goal.  Bayern was the better team most of the day….just couldn’t finish and left several goals on the field.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zV9XlOw0Dyw&feature=onebox

Round 2 games are tomorrow May 1 and Wednesday May 2.  Check it out if you can.

So let’s get to it soccer fans.  The High School season is off to a very slow start.  What the heck is going on with all the snow.  Weather looks great this weekend, but still a few weeks away from any training on the local fields.  Not sure what the High School schedule will hold for the next few weeks, but likely a lot of games postponed and then jammed into late May!

So…let’s talk about World soccer today and get caught up on the key competitions; Premier League, Champions cup and FA Cup.  Things are winding down and we have a huge month of May to determine the winners.

Premier League Update

Manchester City are the 2018 Champions!  In fitting fashion, Man City were guaranteed the title when their cross town rivals, Manchester United lost a game they should have won!  Perfect for the Manchester City fans.  Win the title when your hated rival loses an embarrassing game.

Match Week 35 is almost complete but with all the extra games from the FA Cup and Champions League, many of the teams are just completing their 34th game.  Regardless, we are down to the last 3-4 games of the season and still some things to be decided.  League Champion is decided…but who will finish in the top 4 and qualify for Champions League next year.  Manchester United seems a lock to finish second, but then things get a bit more interesting.  A week ago, it seemed done.  Liverpool would finish 3rd and Tottenham would finish 4th.  After a disappointing 2 months, Chelsea were destined for a 5th place finish.  But hang on.  Chelsea have closed the gap from 10 points back to 5 points back.  Tottenham have hit a slippery spell, losing 2-3 games in the past week and maybe, just maybe, feeling some pressure.  Liverpool are crushing it in Champions League and playing in the Semi-Finals, but as well have dropped points the past few weeks in Premier League and may be vulnerable.  Chelsea and Liverpool still face each other one more time, a huge 3 points if Chelsea could get that win.  Could Chelsea make a miraculous recovery into Top 4.  Still a long shot, but now there is hope and maybe a path.  Pressure does funny things to teams as they hang onto the Top 4.  Stay tuned!!!

The bottom three is taking shape as well, but still lots of movement possible in the 18-19 positions.  Who will drop down?

Race for the Top 4.

Manchester City 29-3-2 90 points.  34 games.  Champions.

Manchester United 23-5-6 74 points.  34 games.

Liverpool 20-11-4 71 points.  35 games.

Tottenham 20-8-6 68 points.  34 games.

Chelsea 19-6-9 63 points.  34 games.

Arsenal 17-6-11 57 points.  34 games.

Race for the Relegation Zone. Still a tight race and teams fighting to get out of the zone. Southampton and Stoke City both in danger of relegation but one win could pull them out.  Crazy.  Teams in 15-16-17 positions are all still at risk.  West Brom has picked up 5 points but are dangerously close to relegation.  Likely they are going down. Stoke City and Southampton need to get wins and hope teams above them lose.  Time is running out.

16. Huddersfield  35 points

17. Swansea City 33 points.

18. Southampton 29 points.

19. Stoke City with 29 points.

20. West Bromich Albion 25 points.

Big Matches Next Weekend

Southampton v. Bournemouth.  Can Southampton get out of the bottom 3.

Totenham v Watford.  Can Watford apply some more pressure on Tottenham and get points.

Weekly Highlights

Liverpool v. West Ham United.  This is a Top 4 vs. the last place team in the league.  Liverpool goes up 2-0 late but then….amazingly.  West Ham mounts a comeback.  Check out the 31st goal of the season for Liverpool’s Salah.  Chelsea sold him a few years back because they did not think he could score goals in the Premier League.  Likely he wins the Golden Boot this year. Ugh!  Chelsea…what were you thinking!!  The late header is pretty cool.  Hang in till the end.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=21rVEBBdeYQ&feature=onebox

FA CUP Update

And then there were 2.  Finals are set.

Manchester United 2 v Tottenham 1.  Tottenham looked the better team, got the early lead, but then…..somehow just found a way to lose it.  Alexis Sanchez played big.  Pogba was a beast.

Chelsea  2 v. Southampton 0

So that sets up a marquee match up for the FA Cup Finals.  Chelsea v. Manchester United and their ex-manager Morinho.  Should be interesting.  May 19th at Wembley.  Can’t wait!!

Champions League Update

The final 4 is set.  Semi-Finals action as follows:

Liverpool v Roma

Real Madrid v Bayern Munich

The first round games are 4/24 and 4/25.  The second round games are 5.1 and 5.2.  These should be great games.  Can’t wait!!

So…just have to show the Christiano Ronaldo goal one more time.  One of the best I have ever seen.  A special player.  A special goal.  When you watch the highlight, you will hear the Juventus fans cheering for the goal…against their team. You don’t see that often, but again, you don’t see a goal with this level of athleticism or pure quality very often either.  Wow, just wow!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1C9STKF0Lv4

We are winding down the season so let’s see where we stand.

Premier League Update

Match Week 33 is approaching this weekend.  Only 6-7 games remaining and things are taking shape as far as Top 4 and Relegation teams.  What did we learn this weekend…Chelsea is still struggling…just not their year.  After taking a 1-0 lead in their biggest game of the year, it all fell apart quickly.  An injury to their top GK forced a back up to take the limelight. It did not go well for him.  Tottenham crushed Chelsea’s Top 4 dreams with a 3-1 win.  See highlights below for a goal of the year candidate.  GK did not even try to stop it, he was so fooled by the strike.  Hard to report that as a Chelsea fan, but truth is truth!

The bottom three is taking shape as well, but still lots of movement possible in the 18-19 positions.  Who will drop down?

Race for the Top 4.

Manchester City 27-3-1 84 points.  31 games.

Manchester United 21-5-5 68 points.  31 games.

Liverpool 19-9-4 66 points.  32 games.

Tottenham 19-7-5 64 points.  31 games.

Chelsea 17-5-9 56 points.  31 games.

Arsenal 15-6-10 51 points.  31 games.

Race for the Relegation Zone. Still a tight race and teams fighting to get out of the zone. Southampton and Stoke City both in danger of relegation but one win could pull them out.  Crazy.  Teams in 15-16-17 positions are all still at risk.

16. Huddersfield  31 points

17. Crystal Palace 30 points.

18. Southampton 28 points.

19. Stoke City with 27 points.

20. West Bromich Albion 20 points.

Big Matches Next Weekend

Manchester City v. Manchester United.  #1 vs. #2.  A Manchester Derby to boot.  Does not get much better than this one.

Weekly Highlights

This is a hard one to show…a frustrating game for Chelsea.  Check out the shot to tie the game at 1-1. Pretty amazing.  How does he get the ball to dip like that.  Oh my!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J59Dy5OLAg8&feature=onebox

FA CUP Update

And then there were 4.  The Semi-Finals are set.

Manchester United v Tottenham on 4.21

Chelsea v. Southampton on 4.22

Champions League Update

Round of 8 started today.  Next two games are 4.4, here ae today’s results.

Bayern Munich 2 v Sevilla 1

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uRHlhcYRrwM&feature=onebox

Juventus  0 v Real Madrid 3

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xM0K8_TYxhE&feature=onebox

It is worth five minutes of your day to catch these highlights.   Christiano Ronaldo goes for two and the second is one of the more incredible goals you will ever see.  The pure athleticism and skill is off the charts.  Best player in the world does best player in the world stuff on the second goal.  Most players would not even think to try this move. Even the ones that think about it would never try it…too hard and likely leading to an embarrassing miss.  But Christiano….no problem…goal of the year candidate for sure!  The third is kind of cool as well.  This team is so talented!

Manchester United v Liverpool. Game 4.4

Barcelona v Roma  Game 4.4  Can Messi one up Ronaldo….can’t wait to find out!

Shaping up to be an epic Final Four.

Sorry for no posts recently, had a little trip the family took and I did not have easy access to internet.  But….what a trip it was…plan to dedicate a blog in the near future.  Here is a little teaser to get you excited for the full blog.  Knocked a few items off my Soccer Bucket List.

Pretty cool pictures, right….you can’t wait to read the next blog, right…man, what a trip!

Now, let’s get caught up.

Premier League Update

Match Week 31-32 are a bit of a challenge to report.  A few things happening.  With all the activity related to FA Cup and UEFA Champions League, the Premier League has been forced to reschedule games.  Teams are forced to squeeze in these extra tournament games in addition to League games.  As well, we are on the International break right now with players switching to their National teams for games this past week.  Friendly games between National teams as we gear up for the World Cup.  Makes for a crowded schedule and forces teams to reschedule league games.  Lets try to catch you up and as well let you know how many games a team has played….might be a few behind.  Officially Week 32 starts this weekend.

Who will survive the Top 4 and qualify for Champions League next year.  Manchester City and Manchester United feel like locks right now, but still some drama for the final two spots.  Liverpool has already played 31 games while the others in the Top 4 have only played 30, so the table will adjust and teams can close the gap on Liverpool.  The pressure is on Chelsea right now.  they have slipped so far this year and now have to finish fast to get back into the Top 4.  They still play both Tottenham and Liverpool, so they do control their destiny a bit. Huge game this weekend as Chelsea v Totttenham will either keep Chelsea’s hopes alive or maybe kill them off.

Race for the Top 4.

Manchester City 26-3-1 81 points.  30 games.

Manchester United 20-5-5 65 points.  30 games.

Liverpool 18-9-4 63 points.  31 games.

Tottenham 18-7-5 61 points.  30 games.

Chelsea 17-5-8 56 points.  30 games.

Arsenal 14-6-10 48 points.  30 points

Race for the Relegation Zone. Still a tight race and teams fighting to get out of the zone.

16. Crystal Palace 30 points.

17. West Ham United 30 points.

18. Southampton 28 points.

19. Stoke City with 27 points.

20. West Bromich Albion with 20 points.

Big Matches Next Weekend

Chelsea v. Tottenham.  This is a HUGE game for Chelsea.  Come on Blues!

FA CUP Update

And then there were 4.  The Semi-Finals are set.

Manchester United v Tottenham on 4.21

Chelsea v. Southampton on 4.22

Highlights from the Quarterfinals.  Chelsea v Leicester in a great game that goes to extra time before we get a winner.

Champions League Update

The round of 16 is complete.. We are down to 8.

Real Madrid advances with a second win over PSG.  PSG, one of the pre-tourney favorites is knocked out of the competition!

Check out the Ronaldo header.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pVO7-0q-Vhg&feature=onebox

Juventus advances over Tottenham on aggregate 4-3.  After a 2-2 tie in the first leg Juventus wins 2-1 in the second leg.

Liverpool advances over Porto with  5-5 aggregate.  A 0-0 game in the second leg after crushing Porto 5-0 in leg 1.

Manchester City advances 5-2 on aggregate over Basel. Basel wins the second leg 2-1 but Man City crushed Basel 4-0 in leg 1.

Barcelona advance 4-1 on aggregate as Messi leads them past Chelsea at home 3-0.

Bayern Munich advance after demolishing Besiktas 8-1, winning both games.

Roma advance, winning based on away goals advantage, after a 2-2 tie in the two games.  Away games are hi=uge in Champions League.

Sevilla advance after shocking Manchester United with a 2-1 away win in Manchester. Wow!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4WMf5GFt_aA&feature=onebox

Next round of games is 4.3 and 4.4, next Tuesday and Wednesday.

Manchester United v Liverpool

Bayern Munich v Sevilla

Juventus v Real Madrid

Barcelona v Roma

If you are counting, that is 3 teams from Spain, 2 from England, 2 from Italy and 1 from Germany.

Premier League Update

Match Week 30 is in the books, only 8 games remaining in the 2017/2018 Premier League season.  So what are the story lines as we move into the final weeks of the season.

Who will survive the Top 4 and qualify for Champions League next year.  Manchester City and Manchester United feel like locks right now, but still some drama for the final two spots.  Tottenham move into third this week and Liverpool down to 4th while Chelsea ended their tough stretch with a critical 3 points in a win over Crystal Palace.  They are in 5th but in striking distance with games still against Liverpool and Tottenham… both at home in the final 8 games.

Race for the Top 4.

Manchester City 25-3-1 78 points.  Plays Monday.

Manchester United 20-5-5 65 points.

Tottenham 18-7-5 61 points.

Liverpool 17-9-4 60 points.

Chelsea 17-5-8 56 points.

Arsenal 14-6-10 48 points

Race for the Relegation Zone. Still a tight race and teams fighting to get out of the zone.

17. Southampton with 28 points. Currently safe in 17th.

18. Crystal Palace  27 points.

19. Stoke City with 27 points. Plays Manchester City on Monday and needs an epic upset to gain some points and get out of the zone.

20. West Bromich Albion with 20 points.

Big Matches Next Weekend

No top 6 match ups to get you excited about.  Next week is all about the relegation zone.  Some games between teams in the 14th – 19th positions that could get teams out of the zone or lock them down even further.  Drama for sure. 

Highlights for the Week

Game of the week: Manchester United vs. Liverpool

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bme5hVEdj0g&feature=onebox

Marcus Rashford…oh my!  Two goals and a wonder strike for the first one.  He is a spot starter and can’t find much playing time.  Wow…how does he not start.  Did I ever tell you this was a tough league, best players in the world. A little English soccer talk…they call two goals in one game a Brace.  Not sure about that one, how does 2 goals equal a brace.  May need to google or talk to some of my English friends.

FA CUP Update

Round 5 games are now complete and we are on to the final 8  and Quarter Final action.  There was still some hope of the underdogs advancing, but unfortunately, as expected, the clock has struck midnight, the carriage has turned back into a pumpkin and the big bad teams from the Premier League have taken over the FA Cup.

So here are your FA Cup Quarter Final match ups.

Manchester United v Briton

Chelsea v. Leicester

Wigan v. Southampton

Tottenham v Swansea City.

Only one true underdog left is Wigan.  They have a shot of getting to then Semi-Finals.  The next round of games are on March 17-18.

Champions League Update

The round of 16 is underway.  The second leg games will be the week of March 6 – March 14.   Round 2 games are halfway complete.  Four teams have advanced to the Round of 8 Quarter Finals.

Real Madrid advances with a second win over PSG.  PSG, one of the pre-tourney favorites is knocked out of the competition!

Check out the Ronaldo header.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pVO7-0q-Vhg&feature=onebox

Juventus advances over Tottenham on aggregate 4-3.  After a 2-2 tie in the first leg Juventus wins 2-1 in the second leg.

Liverpool advances over Porto with  5-5 aggregate.  A 0-0 game in the second leg after crushing Porto 5-0 in leg 1.

Manchester City advances 5-2 on aggregate over Basel. Basel wins the second leg 2-1 but Man City crushed Basel 4-0 in leg 1.

Big games this week.  Chelsea and Manchester United both tied on aggregate in their matches and need big wins to advance.  Chelsea vs. Barcelona should be a classic again.

And I could not finish the blog without a shout out to my alma mater, the University of Kentucky, who won the SEC Tournament today with a hard-fought victory over Tennessee.  Check it out.  Not soccer, but I love me some Big Blue!!  March Madness is here!

Check it out.  All Kentucky highlights of course!!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KGW3Y1ZDlLo&t=91s

Premier League is back after a week off for tournament play.  Some changes at the top after the past few weeks with Chelsea under some pressure after dropping out of the Top 4 as Tottenham continue their recent good form.  Manchester United with a critical win against Chelsea in Week 28.  That was a tough loss for Chelsea after leading 1-0.  They face another massive game on Sunday against Manchester City.  A win gets Chelsea right back on track, but a loss could mean their fight for a Top 4 is in danger.

Premier League Update

Race for the Top 4.

Manchester City 24-3-1 75 points.  Plays Sunday.

Liverpool 17-9-3 60 points.  2-0 win earlier today.

Manchester United 18-5-5 59 points.  Plays Monday

Tottenham 17-7-5 58 points. 2-0 win earlier today.

Chelsea 16-5-7 53 points. Plays Sunday

Arsenal 13-6-9 45 points. Plays Sunday

Race for the Relegation Zone. Still a tight race and teams fighting to get out of the zone.

17. Southampton with 28 points.

18. Crystal Palace  27 points.  Plays Monday against Manchester United.  Needs a big upset!

19. Stoke City with 27 points.

20. West Bromich Albion with 20 points.  Seems dead man walking and no way to get out of being relegated.

Big Matches Next Weekend

Manchester City v. Chelsea is huge.  A 1 v 5 match up that could be a factor in whether Chelsea can secure a Top 4 spot. Chelsea outplayed Manchester United last week but feel victim to a post and unfortunate head injury allowing a goal that flipped the momentum.  They have lost back to back games where they were the better team with more shots and chances.  Maybe their luck will turn tomorrow.

FA CUP Update

Round 5 games are now complete and we are on to the final 8  and Quarter Final action.  There was still some hope of the underdogs advancing, but unfortunately, as expected, the clock has struck midnight, the carriage has turned back into a pumpkin and the big bad teams from the Premier League have taken over the FA Cup.

Swansea City 2 v Sheffield Wednesday 0.  I was hoping for the upset just so I could continue to report on Sheffield Wednesday, I still love that name.  How do you think a football club gets a name like that….they played all their games on Wednesday?  The club was formed on  a Wednesday?  I got to google that one!

Tottenham 6 v Rochdale 1.  Rochdale had their chance last week to shock the world, but you just knew Tottenham would crush their hearts in the replay.  This is what you expect when a team from the Premier League plays a team from the third division.

So here are your FA Cup Quarter Final match ups.

Manchester United v Briton

Chelsea v. Leicester

Wigan v. Southampton

Tottenham v Swansea City.

Only one true underdog left is Wigan.  They have a shot of getting to then Semi-Finals.  The next round of games are on March 17-18.

Champions League Update

The round of 16 is underway.  The second leg games will be the week of March 6 – March 14.   Some quick notes on the First Leg games.

Manchester City, Liverpool and Bayern Munich all in really good shape to advance after convincing first round wins.  Real Madrid with a huge 3-1 win over PSG, who was one of the tournament favorites.  Manchester United still with some work to do after a first round tie against Sevilla. The best game of the first round: Chelsea v. Barcelona.  I am a Chelsea fan and it was a tough one.   Willian hit the post twice and we had several other chances to score.  Willian finally got his goal but a late defensive error allowed Messi to tie. 1-1.  A great game, full of drama for a 1-1 tie. Felt like Chelsea could have won 3-0, but soccer can be cruel at times, so they walk away with a tie and a tough road game in Barcelona at Camp Nou.  They need a 1 goal win to advance or a 1-1 tie to get to overtime and a shootout. Check out the highlights.  Ugh!  Still hurts to watch.  How did we not get a win in that one…sometimes the post is your friend…but sometimes it crushes your heart!

Okay Soccer fans, it was a busy weekend and week of soccer, so it’s time for an update.  Premier League took a week off so no updates to report, but some very interesting updates on the FA Cup and UEFA Champions League.

Premier League Update

Match Day 28 picks back up this weekend.  To get you ready.

Race for the Top 4.  Only 4 points separate 4 teams , places 2-3-4-5, pretty amazing.

Manchester City 23-3-1 72 points

Manchester United 17-5-5 56 points

Liverpool 15-9-3 54 points

Chelsea 16-5-6 53 points

Tottenham 15-7-5 52 points

Arsenal 13-6-8 45 points

Race for the Relegation Zone. 

17. Huddersfield Township with 27 points.

18. Southampton with 26 points.

19. Stoke City with 25 points.

20. West Bromich Albion with 20 points.

Big Matches Next Weekend

Manchester City v. Arsenal is huge.  A 1 v 6 match up that could be a factor in the Top 4 Race. Arsenal loss may eliminate their shot at a top 4 finish.

Chelsea v Manchester United will be interesting.  Chelsea starting to find a groove the past 2 games and Manchester United flat the last two games. #2 v #4.  Huge Game.

FA CUP Update

Round 5 Games are now complete.  And it happened….I told you it might, we discussed there was a chance for a big upset, but never would I have predicted it to be this big of an upset.

Let’s start with the first of two shocking updates.

Tottenham 2 v Rochdale 2.  You read it right, a tie.  Let me share the significance of the result. Tottenham is in the Premier League, the top league in England and currently sits in 5th position.  Rochdale is in League 1, the third tier of soccer in England and sits at 22.  They are about to be relegated to the 4th tier of soccer.  If you do the math, this match up is between the 5th best club in England and the 66th best club in England.  5 vs. 66…so yea…a tie makes perfect sense.  What the heck!  These teams are now forced to play again to determine who will advance.  This was a huge result in the FA Cup and really helps define the spirit of this competition.  It is David vs. Goliath.  The little local club vs. the mega international club. Sometimes, somehow, someway, the little club gets a result.  Amazing.  Here are the highlights.

Really good stuff.  The underdogs take a lead.  Give up two goals in the second half and appear to be going down for a tough 2-1 loss…only to score in extra time for the time.  Wow.  What a story.   Feels like Tottenham will get them in the replay…but hey…you never know.

So if that wasn’t shocking enough.  Check out the really big upset of the weekend.

Manchester City 0 v. Wigan Athletic 1.  Yes, you read that right.  Manchester City, the best team in English football.  The team on a record pace to win the Premier League in a runaway, the team with only 1 defeat so far this year in the Premier League, lost.  Let’s get some perspective on this one.  Manchester City is the #1 team in English football.  Wigan Athletic is also in the third tier of English football and rated the 47th best team in English football.  #47 beats #1.  Imagine a #16 seed beating a #1 seed during March Madness.  Similar stuff.  An impossible task, but they did it.  This is a really shocking defeat.  Way to go Wigan.  Shock the world.  Here are the highlights.

Big upsets usually have a formula.  This one did.  A red card leaves Man City a man down for the second half.  An incredible defensive lapse allows a Wigan player to get behind the defense and fires a rocket into the corner.  Wow.  Down goes Manchester City.  Epic.  One for the ages and one for the record books.

The FA Cup.  It does not disappoint!

6 of the 8 teams are confirmed with two replays to determine the final 8.  Here are the confirmed 6 teams.

Manchester United v Briton

Chelsea v. Leicester

Wigan v. Southampton

Swansea v Sheffield Wednesday (love that name) and Tottenham v Rochdale are still fighting to get into the Quarter Finals.

Champions League Update

The round of 16 is underway.  The second leg games will be the week of March 6 – March 14.   Some quick notes on the First Leg games.

Manchester City, Liverpool and Bayern Munich all in really good shape to advance after convincing first round wins.  Real Madrid with a huge 3-1 win over PSG, who was one of the tournament favorites.  Manchester United still with some work to do after a first round tie against Sevilla. The best game of the first round: Chelsea v. Barcelona.  I am a Chelsea fan and it was a tough one.   Willian hit the post twice and we had several other chances to score.  Willian finally got his goal but a late defensive error allowed Messi to tie. 1-1.  A great game, full of drama for a 1-1 tie. Felt like Chelsea could have won 3-0, but soccer can be cruel at times, so they walk away with a tie and a tough road game in Barcelona at Camp Nou.  They need a 1 goal win to advance or a 1-1 tie to get to overtime and a shootout. Check out the highlights.  Ugh!  Still hurts to watch.  How did we not get a win in that one…sometimes the post is your friend…but sometimes it crushes your heart!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XrlxF4wmVvY&feature=onebox

We are about to kick off Match Day 27 so let’s do a quick recap of Match Day 26 to get you in the mood.

Race for the Top 4.  Things holding a bit steady but some action in the 2-3-4-5 race.  Manchester United has created a bit of a gap on 3-4-5.  It is starting to look like the only excitement will be the winning margin for Manchester City…will it be a record…and who will finish in 3-4 and earn Champions League positions for next year.  Liverpool sits in third, Chelsea has had two really bad games losing 3-0 and 4-1 in back to back contests and is floundering a bit. Tottenham has closed the gap on 4th.  Only 3 points separate the 3 teams.  This should be tight the rest of the way with 12 games remaining.  Chelsea has had some serious injury issues and has been playing without a striker for a number of weeks and it shows.  Pressure on the coach and team to get a result this weekend. Arsenal with a win last week to also close the gap a bit from 6th place.

Manchester City 22-3-1 69 points

Manchester United 17-5-4 56 points

Liverpool 14-9-3 51 points

Chelsea 15-5-6 50 points

Tottenham 14-7-5 49 points

Arsenal 12-6-7 45 points

Game of the week. This is an easy one.  Liverpool v. Tottenham.  It was a pretty average game for the first 80 minutes. Everyone predicting fireworks and attacking soccer and a 4-3 results, but at 80 minutes it was just 1-0.  The one goal was a gift on a really bad back pass from a defender that was turned into an easy goal.  but then….after 80 minutes…it turned into maybe the best game of the season.  Two of the best goals of the year….penalties…PK’s, missed PK’s, late goals, and when you thought there was no more drama, a goal on basically the last play of the match.  Wow.  15 minutes of pure drama and excitement that more than made up for the first 80 minutes.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rxD0FmavJQo

So wow.  The Wanyama goal was epic.  Outside of the boot on a half volley and it was ferocious.  The Salah goal was sublime.  Intricate footwork.  Players frozen in place as he danced around them and then the ability to lift it over the goal keeper.  It reminded many people of Messi in his prime.  Wow!  And also some controversy.  Was the first PK offsides…yes.  Was it a dive…maybe.  Was the second penalty a good call….most don’t think so.  Really good stuff in the last 15 minutes.

Race for the Relegation Zone.  The bottom had some movement.  Southampton has exited the bottom and now sits at 15th with 26 points.  We have a new member of the group.  Stoke City.  Here is where we stand. Very tight here.  One point, a draw, can get you out of the Relegation Zone.

17. Swansea City with 24 points.

18. Stoke City with 24 points.

19. Huddersfield with 24 points.

20. West Bromich Albion with 20 points.

Big Matches This Weekend

Tottenham v. Arsenal is huge.  A 5 v 6 match up that could be a factor in the Top 4 Race.

Chelsea v West Brom will be interesting.  Chelsea with back to back losses playing the 20th rated team.  A win is critical for them but they are in a funk.  Can they snap out of it?

Okay soccer fans, we are complete with match Day 25 and this morning kicked off match Day 26.  If the mid-week results and this mornings results are any indication…things are starting to get a little more interesting. Let’s take a look at where things stand.

Wrap up of Match Day 25

Race for the Top 4.  The race to finish in the top 4 has stabilized a bit with 6 contenders.  Really its a race for 2-3-4 place spots as Manchester City still has a healthy lead.  Maybe starting to wobble slightly…more on that later.  The positions have changed slightly as Liverpool and Chelsea have been flip-flopping between third and fourth in recent weeks.  Liverpool has had two rough weeks and as reported in an earlier post, and took a shock loss to last place Swansea City at the end of Match Week 24.  Not to be outdone, Chelsea (hard to write this since they are the team I support) took an equally baffling loss to 12th place Bournemouth on Wednesday 3-0.  Chelsea in a mini-crisis this week with multiple injuries to their best players, a short squad due to transfer moves and a controversy brewing whether their coach, Antonio Conte, will last the year.  They need a win in a bad way on Monday.  Tottenham is starting to look very dangerous for a top 4 finish and has a huge fixture against Liverpool this weekend. Arsenal…well….they don’t seem to be making a move…holding steady at 6 and no real momentum right now after letting go their best offensive player in the transfer window, Alexis Sanchez. Here is the points race going into the weekend.

Manchester City  22-2-1  68 points

Manchester United  16-5-4  53 points

Liverpool  14-8-3   50 points

Chelsea  15-5-5   50 points  (4th on goal differential)

Tottenham  14-6-5   48 points

Arsenal  12-6-7   42 points

Race for the Relegation Zone.  Last week heading into the final match of the week, here were the bottom three. Swansea City (17), West Bromich Albion (20) and Southampton (22).  On Monday, Swansea beat Liverpool, still amazed to write that, and picked up three VERY LARGE points.  Seems much bigger than 3 to beat a top 4 contender. So after all the matches and the wrap up Match Day 25 , here is where we stand heading into the weekend.

17. Huddersfield with 24 points.  This is the critical position.  17 or higher keeps you in the Premier League.

18.  Southampton with 23 points.

19. Swansea City with 23 points.

20. West Bromich Albion with 20 points.

Here is the part that makes this really fun to watch. Look how close the point totals are just outside the relegation zone.

13th place Crystal Palace has 26 points. 14th place Newcastle has 24. 15th place Briton has 24. 16th place Stoke City has 24.  So if you are Swansea City in 19th and being relegated, just one win and three points could move you all the way up to 13th place.  Amazing.  Just 1 win might keep you out of the relegation zone and in the Premier League.  These are very high stakes, lots of money in play. It’s going to be intense last part of the season.  38 games, so still about a third of the season to go.

Team of then Week: Swansea City. After languishing in last place the entire season, firing their coach and looking like dead.  Swansea City in consecutive weeks beats Liverpool 1-0 and Arsenal 3-1.  Might be the best week in their Premier league history.  That is a 20th place team beating #3 Liverpool and #6 Arsenal in back to back weeks.  Amazing.  Did I ever tell you this league is the best in the world and the toughest in the world. Crazy good for Swansea City.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vTqL4m-aPek&feature=onebox

Big Games this Weekend.

Tottenham vs. Liverpool has big ramifications for the Top 4.  Must see TV tomorrow.

West Brom vs. Southampton has huge implications on the Race for Relegation.  18 vs. 20…but someone might walk away with 3 BIG points if there is no draw.

Chelsea vs. Watford.  Chelsea really need a win to calm things down..for the team…the fans…and the manager.  Come on Chelsea!

Match Day 26 Update.

As of the writing of this post we have some results to share.  The first game of the weekend might be a sign of a crazy weekend.

Manchester City 1 – Burnley 1.  We all certainly expected a Man City victory, but Burnley, who sit in 7th are a quality club who play hard every week.  A great result for Burnley, and a slight wobble we discussed earlier for Manchester City.

Here are some highlights.  Man City pressed Burnley the whole game but only could get 1 goal.  What a goal it was by Danillo.  A big miss by Sterling on a tap in goal at the 53 minute mark of the second half and then a late half volley off a great cross for the equalizer.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bUCmGIgtjYY

Should be a fun weekend of games.  And of course there is another “football” game this weekend I have been told.  A boring affair between the Eagles and Patriots.  They actually get to use their hands..weird!  Hope the commercials are good!!