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
- Liverpool 12-1-0. 37 Points
- Leicester City 9-2-2 29 Points
- Manchester City 9-1-3 28 Points
- Chelsea 8-2-3 26 Points
- Wolverhampton 4-7-2 19 Points
- 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:
- PSG (France)
- Bayern Munich (Germany)
- Manchester City (England)
- Juventus (Italy)
- Liverpool (IEngland)
- Barcelona (Spain)
- RB Leipzig (Germany)
- 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!