I am finding that work keeps getting in the way of the fun stuff, coaching soccer and blogging about soccer. A tough week in the office, but I am back and catching up. thanks for your patience.
Liverpool. Amazing Liverpool. Unbelievable Liverpool. This season is all about Liverpool. I have decided this should be the start of every blog until they lose a Premier League game. The streak….let’s see where they stand. I think it’s 43 and counting….maybe 44….I’ll need a little more research……and the record is Arsenal’s 49 games unbeaten, so now they are close.
Can they be beat….well,….Athletico Madrid says yes, yes they can. In a Group 16 UEFA Champions League game this week, the unthinkable happened, Liverpool lost….1-0. Let me repeat that, Liverpool lost. It was not a Premier League game, so it does not count against the streak, but at least it gives other teams some hope. What do the next 5-6 Liverpool league games look like. Is there another loss in there somewhere. Here are weeks 27-31 with the opponents place in the league: West Ham United (#18), Watford (#19), Bournemouth (#16), Everton (#9), and Crystal Palace (#2). and then…of course, it’s all very poetic….the last team to beat Liverpool is Manchester City, so who do you think they play with the chance for the record….of course…Manchester City, the #2 team in the table. Oh man, I can’t wait for that game, and I hope Liverpool stays unbeaten until then. What drama at that point. Oh my! Can they do it. I think they can.
Match Week 26 Recap
Let’s take a look at the winners this past week as the race for top 4 and relegation are still very much alive and well. 8 winners this week.
- Liverpool wins 1-0 over Norwich City.
- Everton takes down Crystal Palace 3-1.
- Tottenham gets an injury time goal for a 3-2 win over Aston Villa.
- Sheffield United with a 2-1 win over Bournemouth.
- Manchester City with a solid 2-0 win over West Ham.
- Burnley with a quality 2-1 win over Southampton
- Arsenal with a dominating 4-0 win over Newcastle.
- Manchester United with a controversial win over Chelsea 2-0
Race for the Top 4
Liverpool is a run away leader. How does the rest of the table look.
- Liverpool 25-1-0 76 points.
- Manchester City 17-3-6 54 points.
- Leicester City 15-5-6 50 points.
- Chelsea 12-5-9 41 points.
- Tottenham 11-7-8 40 points.
- Sheffield United 10-9-7 39 Points
Manchester United (38), Wolves (36), Everton (36), and Arsenal (34) round out the top 10. A 22 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 27 points, Bournemouth at 26 points and Aston Villa at 25. Bournemouth making the biggest move the last few weeks out of the relegation zone. The current bottom three include:
18. West Ham United at 24 points 19. Watford at 24 points 20. Norwich City 18 points. Norwich City slipping a bit but then the next five are all with in 3 points. A team can win and jump 4-5 spots.
Games of the Week. Match Week 27. There are two big clashes this weekend to keep an eye on.
- #2 Manchester City vs. #3 Leicester City
- #4 Chelsea vs. #5 Tottenham
Chelsea News. A recent tough stretch of games for Chelsea. Several top players are out with injury, the GK has been sent to the bench and their luck in games has been tough as well. The game with Tottenham is a big game and who will be in 4th after this week is important for the rest of the season. Chelsea injuries to Abraham, Pulisic, Kante, Mount, and Tomori have meant some strange line ups lately. And the VAR decisions from the game with Manchester United were tough. What analysts described as an easy red card was not even called a foul on Harry Maguire and then later in the game he scored. A goal for Chelsea is overturned by VAR when it seemed pretty clear that a Manchester United player started the action that led to a foul by a Chelsea player. Later, a Chelsea goal was overturned by VAR due to a toenail offside call. Just a night when everything went Man U’s way….that happens….you just hope this weekend the soccer gods might even the luck a bit…Chelsea is due for sure. A big game!!
UEFA Champions League Update
The round of 16 has started. these games are home and away with the winner advancing to the Quarter Finals. There are 8 games per session and the first 4 games of Leg 1 were completed this week. Here are some results.
- Athletico Madrid (Spain) took down mighty Liverpool (Eng) 1-0.
- Dortmumd (Ger) beat PSG (France) 2-1.
- Atalanta (Italy) had a decisive win over Valencia (Spain)
- RB Leipzig (Ger) took down Tottenham (Eng) 1-0
The remaining 4 games are scheduled for the week of Feb. 24th.