So, before we jump into Premier League a few quick Champions League updates. We are halfway thru the Round of 16 and 4 teams have advanced to the Quarter Finals. And a few surprises to report. With the Top 16 teams in Europe remaining, you have some really high quality teams. Generally, the quality shows thru and the top teams advance. But sometimes, sometimes fate just shines down on you a bit. The ball bounces your way, the errant pass falls at your feet, the gift from the gods drops into your lap….and you take it. That is a good description of the Manchester United vs. PSG match. You can sometimes have one piece of good luck in a match, maybe two, but three…oh my. Check out these highlights. The Hand Ball call to end the game was pretty amazing. It is a controversial rule that really needs a better definition. Seems it should be pretty obvious you are trying to block, handle or deflect the ball and not just an arbitrary striking against your body. Especially from a close distance. Pretty impossible to play soccer with your arms at your side. Attempting to play the ball with a hand or arm is the idea…..you be the judge in the replay…looks like a really fortunate call for Manchester and the call that moves them into the Final 8. A gift from the soccer gods for sure.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jnu4LP1Z1mg&feature=onebox
And we can’t talk about Champions League without mentioning Real Madrid. The greatest club in the world. Winners of the last 3 Champions League titles and 4 of the last 5. Real Madrid crashed out on the Round of 16 and by crash we mean they were humbled by Ajax. Coming into the second leg, Real had a 2-1 win and was in a good spot. Ajax took them down 4-1 and won on aggregate 5-2. And it all happened in Madrid….fans were stunned! Amazing result and a bit shocking really. Real hit the woodwork twice and Ajax punished them on the counter attack several times. A second half goal narrowed the aggregate to 1, but Ajax closed the door on a stunning free kick. Wow! Ajax, an historical European super club has not delivered many big results in the past 30 years. They won three straight European Cups in the early 70’s and dominated world football with their quality and style of play. In the 90’s they made back to back finals winning a 4th title. And then they kind of fell off the world stage. Is this a sign they are back? What a result! go Ajax! You think Real Madrid misses Christiano Ronaldo?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1vHTdz04OBo&feature=onebox
Now, on to the Premier League. Week 29 in the books, and it marks the first time since early in the season when Liverpool has not been #1. This is very interesting. A tough draw for Liverpool against Everton, 0-0, cost them 2 critical points and now they are looking up at Manchester City. How will they respond?
The race to finish 3-4 is also heating up. A key match between Arsenal and Tottenham ended in a 1-1 draw and allowed Manchester United and Chelsea to close the gap. The 4 teams are separated by only 5 points and Chelsea has a game in hand (has played one less game) so they can close the gap even further. Chelsea might be in a good spot if they can manage to win their next two, jumping them up to 3rd or 4th. A big game this weekend against 7th place Wolves is critical for their Top 4 hopes.
Let’s recap the winners from Week 29.
Manchester City 1-0 over Bournemouth
Watford takes down Leicester City 2-1.
Manchester United 3-2 over Southampton.
Crystal Palace 3-1 over Burnely.
Chelsea 2-1 over Fulham.
Brighton 1-0 over Huddersfield.
Wolverhampton 2-0 over Cardiff City.
West Ham 2-0 win against Newcastle.
Race for the Title & Champions League Top 4
Win-Loss-Tie
1- Manchester City 23-4-2. 71 Points.
2- Liverpool 21-1-7 70 Points.
3- Tottenham 20-8-1 61 Points. No wins their last 3 games!
4-Manchester United 17-5-7 58 Points.
5-Arsenal 17-6-6 57 Points.
6-Chelsea 17-6-5 56 Points. Have only played 28, a game behind , so a win puts them 4th.
Wolves, Watford, West Ham United and Everton round out the Top 10.
Relegation Zone
There are now only 2 teams within 3 points of the 18th position and fighting to stay up. Southampton (27), sit just outside the 18th spot and are hanging on to the Premier League. The new bottom three:
18. Cardiff City 7-18-4. 25 Points
19. Fulham 4-20-5. 17 Points.
20. Huddersfield 3-21-5. 14 Points.
Unless something changes quickly, Huddersfield is toast! Fulham is about to be toast, but that 18th and last spot, man, that will be interesting.
Match Week 30 Preview
Game of the Week. #4 Manchester United vs. #5 Arsenal. A really big game for both clubs. Major implications. The loser drops back in the race for Top 4 and might not be able to recover. A draw really helps Chelsea and Tottenham. It should be a good one. Manchester United have used up a lot of mojo getting to this spot, feels like maybe its time for them to come back to earth. Everything has gone their way lately….can that continue?
Get ready for an exciting finish to the season. 9 games to go.