Man, does winter ever get to you. Like, all of a sudden you realize, dang it’s cold and then that leads to just wanting to cuddle up under some blankets to stay warm….and then you realize it’s been a few weeks since your last blog….all that to say that I have been a major slacker lately…..and well, no excuses offered for my laziness other that that silly excuse that it’s cold outside. I mean, we Live in Wisconsin after all…so kind of a weak excuse. So….lets get things back to normal and get some soccer updates!
Premier League Update Week 24
So, the elephant in the room, let’s get it out of the way. WHAT IS WRONG WITH LIVERPOOL? Okay, that is the biggest story of the past month. Sitting in first about a month ago and looking like a major factor in the title chase. Since then, well, some very un-Liverpool like performances. Injuries, yep, especially to Virgil Van Dijk, the premier defender in the Premier League who has missed most of the season to date. But still, very odd how they hit a wall. December 19th, they thrashed Crystal Palace 7-0 and were looking a lot like last year and a major headache for everyone else. Since that game, they have played 13 games in all competitions, their record….4-6-3. The have been knocked out of the FA Cup. They have lost games to mid and lower table teams…draws against Newcastle and West Brom, both currently in the bottom 4. Losses to Brighton and Burnly, both sitting around 15th-16th in the table. What the heck Liverpool. And so now, a month later, they sit in 6th and floundering. They are more than capable of turning things around, so many talented players, Van Dijk on his way back, so maybe they make another run. What say you Liverpool? And yesterday a big Champions League win…..say maybe some life?
I promise I am not picking on Liverpool, but the highlights here are just a microcosm of their recent form….they looked great for 70 minutes, but then, what a strange 7 minutes it was, unless you are a Leicester fan.
Hottest Team
That is an easy one…..MANCHESTER CITY. Check this out. Manchester City has won 16 games in a row….let me repeat that…I didn’t say the have gone 16 games without a loss (which would include draws), I said 16 GAMES IN A ROW WERE WINS. What? How is that possible in this league, even if you include FA Cup games. That is just crazy. And…11 of the 16 were shut outs. The last loss was November 21, 2020. 24 games ago…..to Tottenham Hotspur, yes the Hotspur!! They now lead the Premier League title race by 7 points and have a game in hand….another win and that’s a 10 point lead. Oh my. They are on a level all by themselves right now. A distant second in Hot Teams goes to MY TEAM…..Chelsea. They shocked everyone a few weeks back and replaced their club legend coach, Frank Lampard. Well, just kidding really, they replace coaches faster than most teams replace their sponsors….every couple of years. But in this case, maybe they finally got it right. Thomas Tuchel, formerly of PSG, took over a few weeks back, and since his arrival Chelsea has become a new team. Undefeated and with only 1 draw. They have surged up the table from 10th to 4th and have 5 straight wins. As a Chelsea fan, I was bummed for Lampard, loved him for many years, but then, watching the team under Tuchel, it just seems he is the right coach for this team. They look strong. Can they keep it going and continue the rise up the table.
Race for the Top 4
There is a chance Manchester City runs away with the title this year, at least based on current form….but after that, it’s quite a fight for Top 4 and Champions League positions.
- Manchester City 17-5-2 53 Points (and a game in hand)
- Manchester United 13-7-4 46 Points
- Leicester City 14-4-6 46 Points
- Chelsea 12-6-6 42 Points
- West Ham United 12-6-6 42 Points
- Liverpool 11-7-6 40 Points
Rounding out the Top 10 are Everton 37, Aston Villa 36, Tottenham 36 and Arsenal 34. Both Everton and Aston Villa need to play some make up games so a chance they can close the gap on the Top 4.
The Relegation Zone
Right now, the bottom three have a pretty good lock on their positions….and that is not a good thing. Only Newcastle which is still 5 points clear might be in danger. Fulham sits 18th with 18 points, West Brom are 19th and have 13 points and the bottom of the table is Sheffield United sitting at 11 points.
FA Womens Super League
We are 15 games into the season and Chelsea are starting to separate from the pack a bit. They won the title last year and look like they may want to repeat.
- Chelsea 12-2-1 38 Points
- Manchester City 10-3-1 33 Points
- Manchester United 10-2-3 32 Points
- Arsenal 7-2-4 23 Points
Feels like it’s a 3 team race between Chelsea and the two Manchester clubs this year.
FA Cup Quarter Finals
We are down to 8 in the oldest and most famous football tournament in the world. And only 1 underdog remains. Of the 8 teams, 7 are Premier League teams with the lone hold out a Team from the next level down, The Championship league….Bournemouth. I would say we should cheer for them, it would be cool for a team from the Championship to make it to the Semi-Finals. A shot in the arm for the underdogs of the world. So…..let’s go Bournemouth! Here are the match ups in the quarters.
- Bournemouth vs. Southampton
- Chelsea vs. Sheffield United
- Everton vs. Manchester City
- Leicester City vs. Manchester United.
That’s five of the top 7 teams in the Premier League in the final eight. Should be some very good Quarter Final games.
Champions League
The round of 16 is under way with games being played this week and next week. This round features a home and away with the Top 8 teams advancing. Here are results for the first 4 games of the round.
- Liverpool 2-0 over RB Leipzig
- PSG with a strong 4-1 win over Barcelona
- Dortmund 3-2 over Sevilla
- Porto with the 2-1 win over Juventus
I promise….well at least I will try to do better….on getting more blogs out there. It is warming up a bit….right!