The Tie of the Season and Waning Hope

Welcome back once again! It has been quite a while since we last discussed the unpredictable happenings of the Premier League. Thus, without further delay, we shall dive right in!

With only 10 games remaining in the Premier League season, tensions are slowing rising. Of those 10 games, one of the two most decisive ones was played this past weekend: Manchester City vs Liverpool. Prior to kickoff, both teams were behind Arsenal, who had already played that weekend and won. The three possible outcomes of this game each had their own meanings. A Liverpool victory meant they reclaimed the top spot; a Manchester City victory meant they claimed the top spot, and a tie meant Arsenal retained their peak position.

In futbol at any level, a tie can be devastation and missed opportunity, or it can be victory and success. For Manchester City and Liverpool, a tie meant handing Arsenal the Premier League lead and sitting shamefully in second and third place. This pre-game knowledge, along with the ambition to take the lead for themselves made for an incredible game. About 60,000 fans had the privilege of watching two of Europe’s best teams go head-to-head in an all-out, unreserved, futbol match. For its entirety, the game was tense, nail-biting, and exciting. Manchester City struck first in the 23rd minute, followed by Liverpool’s tying penalty kick in the 50th minute. Though every fan sat at the edge of their seat, especially in added time, awaiting that thrilling, heart-breaking, once-in-a-lifetime late game-winner, nothing came of the last 40 minutes. The game ended 1-1. Arsenal now sits atop the table with 64 points.

Similar to March Madness’s Final Four (a tournament that is right around the corner to many fans’ delight), the Premier League also has its final four (or my final four). As I already mentioned, Liverpool, Arsenal, and Manchester City have distinguished themselves as the frontrunners, but I am also throwing Aston Villa into the mix (56 points). Thus, I am officially ruling Tottenham and Manchester United, previous contenders of mine, out of the equation. Riddled with injuries, and too far behind respectively, I do not see a path to glory for either of them. Is it possible still? Yes. Would I say there’s even a 0.1% chance of it happening? No. With that said, it certainly is not an easy task for Villa either. From recent interviews, Villa is optimistic in their dissipating chances, despite what many have said. Throughout the season, they have shown how capable they are of being in contention for the title, however, but they no longer have room for error.

To cap off this post, I would like to simply appreciate the unique structure of the Premier League. In all of the ‘big’ sports in the United States, there are playoffs. During the regular season, all a team must do is make it to the playoffs and they are guaranteed an opportunity to win it all. This is far from true in the Premier League where there are no playoffs. Because of this dynamic, every game matters and contributes to the final standings. Sure, this disallows phenomenal clubs like Tottenham and Manchester United from winning, but it forces teams to perform every single game. In a future post, I plan to highlight why the Premier League, and more generally the majority of European futbol leagues are so much better than those of the United States’ sports. For now, I have given you an anecdote of my insight which has hopefully quenched some curiosity you might have had.

Thanks for reading, and I’ll see you next time!