For the final time on this page, welcome! ‘Tis a bittersweet day, as I write this final blog post for this page. The last two semesters have been a fruitful journey, full of personal writing-development and growth in my love for football (the real football). Before I dive into further reflection and a final message, I will briefly summarize this week’s big matches and what to look out for in the coming weeks!
Virtually every eye in the Premier League was drawn to the juggernaut matchup between Manchester City and Arsenal this week. Though other matches were played–Liverpool’s victory being the only noteworthy one–this game trumped all others. The last time this season that two teams of the Manchester City-Liverpool-Arsenal trio would play each other was this match, and it was anticlimactically exciting. Ending in a 0-0 tie, much was learned about the strengths and weaknesses of both teams as the season enters a phase where none of the top three will face each other head on. First, is that Arsenal’s defense is the most enviable in the league. Managing a mere 30% possession against City, Arsenal played very level game in terms of quality chances and overall balance. Though they had less of the ball, they a played a “come at me” style which worked well on the counterattack. On City’s side, it was shown that there is a lack of top-end creativity and finishing, something necessary if a team wishes to win meaningful trophies. Superstar Erling Haaland played an unusual, head-scratching game, missing the only chances he was given which were very few to begin with, having Gabriel and Saliba, two of the best center halves in the league marking him. Only time will tell how these obvious tells will influence each team’s play through the nine remaining games. Liverpool is now in first place, two points ahead of Arsenal and three above City.
With the final update out of the way, I would like to reflect on how far this blog has come and what it has meant to me.
Since the very first post, I have watched my choice of words, structure, and concision improve. I feel as though I can construct more effective sentences, fitting more ideas into less words. Aside from writing improvements, I have developed a deeper interest in football, paying closer attention to statistics, predictions, and match-determining factors prior to watching games. I hope the same is true for some of those reading this, even if it is only one of the you. Truth be told and, with much gratuity, these posts have been enjoyable to write, offering a break from other assignments and allowing me to catch up on any Premier League action and sharing it on this post. This blog has meant a lot to me, and I hope to transfer it to another platform such that I may access this beyond my years at Penn State; I recommend anyone reading this to do the same.
As this post reaches its end, I will leave you with this: whatever you are passionate about, find a way to incorporate it into your schoolwork and/or daily life. I was skeptical about making this post but am now truly grateful to have written it. In the future, I plan to make more decisions based off of my true passions as opposed to what I am simply good at–while keeping it realistic of course. I recommend everyone to do the same.
Thank you for embarking on this journey with me. It has been a pleasure to share the greatest sport in the world with you all. I hope you all have a wonderful rest of your semester and fruitful summers. Goodbye!
Hi Will. A great final post and moving closing words from you! I think it’s so interesting just how much we can gain a deeper understanding of something just by writing about it. We all try to do this in class by taking notes, but when it comes to something we are extremely passionate about, it is much easier to write about that than theorems involving integrals and derivatives!
It is truly impressive how much Manchester City has dominated European soccer, even gaining 70% possession against a reputable team like Arsenal. As a long time soccer fan myself, I can appreciate your investment in real football, and I hope that I can keep up to date more on European soccer in the future. Based on current performances, do you think more teams will be at the level to challenge City in the near future and allow for team power to be more spread out in European football, specifically in the Premier League?