All the other leagues have been decided. Real Madrid have won La Liga, Inter have won Serie A, Bayer Leverkusen are Bundesliga champions and PSG have won the Ligue 1 again. Only the Premier League is still undecided and it looks like it’s going to drag on till the last match.
This season’s Premier League has been hotly contested from day one. It has essentially been a three horse race and three team’s distinguished themselves from the lot early on in the season proving to be serious challengers for the title. Manchester City, Arsenal and Liverpool have each spent considerable time at the top of the Premier League table this season and have been hopeful to win it. With only one game left in the season, the title is now between Arsenal and Man City and it’s more for Man City than Arsenal because if both teams win their last match, Man City will be Premier League champions this season. For Arsenal to win the Premier League, they need to win while Manchester City must drop points against West Ham.
Image source; onefootball on X.com
Going by what we have seen from Pep in the last few seasons, Man City know how to win when they need it. Ever since getting knocked out of the Champions League, they have turned their focus squarely on the Premier League race and the FA cup and it looks like no one will be able to take it away from them. They have not lost a match since then and have most recently beaten Tottenham 2-0 at White Hart Lane, something they have not been able to do the past four times they have been there. They now have 88 points and sit at the top of the Premier League table while Arsenal has 86 after 37 matches. Remarkably they have also covered the gap in goal difference between them and Arsenal. They have 60 while Arsenal has 61 so the race is really tight. Pep Guardiola has said in the final game of the season against West Ham, he would like to be 3-0 up by 10 minutes. It probably won’t happen like that but Man City are likely to win that match. Winning the Premier League for the fourth straight season is a feat that no one has ever achieved before and it would be a testament to Pep and Man City’s absolute dominance of the Premier League; the supposed hardest League in the world.
Arsenal on the other hand remain hopeful that Man City will drop points on the last day. They have not let up either as they have won all their last five games to keep their hopes alive till the last day but from the way things are now, it looks like Man City have this one in the bag and Arsenal will have to end the season trophyless and try again next year. With 27 wins in 37 matches, it’s Arsenal’s highest number of wins in a single season. They have also drawn five times and lost only five matches while amassing 86 points so far. The numbers are excellent and there are years these numbers would have won them the league but unfortunately for Arteta he is in the same league as Pep and a ruthless Man City team. It’s been an excellent season for Arsenal and it is such a shame that they will probably still finish trophyless. Their losses to Aston Villa will haunt them if Man City have their way and it’s even more significant because the current Aston Villa coach Unai Emery previously managed Arsenal. It’s a touch of irony that he would be the one to prevent them from winning the league.
Liverpool dropped out of the race a while ago. Their inconsistent performances did not allow them to keep up with the other two teams. It would have been a nice story if Klopp finished his last season in the Premier League with a trophy but that’s not going to happen. They’ll have to make do with the Carabao Cup and a Champions League qualification.
The deciding matches will be played on Sunday. Man City will face West Ham while Arsenal will face Everton. Both teams will hope to win and claim the title in a manner reminiscent of the last day decider of 2022. This time Man City has the advantage, and they are not known to let up when they have the advantage. The most likely scenario is that both teams win their matches and Man City are crowned champions for the fourth time in a row but this is football and anything can happen. It’s definitely more exciting this year than the seasons when Man City just ran away with the League from very early in the season. Arsenal have gone toe to toe with them and fought tooth and nail till the last day; a commendable effort. If Arsenal can keep up their momentum next season they’re sure to win something.
Image source; premierleague on X
One thing is clear though; for this season, the Premier League has been the most exciting in terms of competition. The other teams are catching up with Man City and it won’t be a cake walk for them to win the League any more as it used to be. How do you think things will play out on Sunday?