Tension, intensity, excitement and reversal are the norm in the Premier League's sprint season every season, and the best drama is undoubtedly the end-of-season showdown. As the teams gradually make up and improve their strength, the difference between "giants and civilians" is getting smaller and smaller, and the gap in points is also getting closer and closer. Whether it's a title race or a four-game race, every game may have a huge fluctuation in the final game, and every goal may determine the final trophy. This season's championship competition is a double dance between the Blue Moon and the Reds, and there are two that intersect on all fronts, and they will not give up every opportunity; the remaining BIG 6 participation in the competition for four aspects, plus the existence of C Ronaldo, is also full of stories, who can successfully qualify for the Champions League?
Points situation: the championship duo, the Champions League battle
After 33 rounds of league matches, the Premier League points situation gradually became clear, and players at all levels were also gradually "entering", just waiting for the arrival of the big duel. In terms of title competition, manchester City and Liverpool have too obvious advantages, and the two have basically locked up the trophy ownership of this season, perfectly achieving the great cause of "five crowns in five years" and bringing the Level of Competition in the Premier League to a new height. At present, Manchester City and the Reds have two fewer rounds (31 games), and the Blue Moon has a one-point advantage to lead and seize the opportunity.
According to the rules of the league, if there is a situation of equal division, then the first goal difference, then the number of goals scored. Combined with the current situation, the Blue Moon's goal difference reached 52 (72 goals and 20 losses), which is not as good as Liverpool's 57 goals (79 losses 22). They need to try not to make mistakes while scoring more goals.
In the competition for the top four, there are several major "players" such as Tottenham, Manchester United, Arsenal, West Ham and Wolves. Spurs are currently in fourth with 57 points, Manchester United with 54 from fifth, Arsenal with 54 from sixth, West Ham with 52 from seventh and Wolves with 49 from eighth. Among them, Arsenal have one round less, while West Ham has one more round, and the remaining teams are all 32 games without difference, and there is a great possibility of competing for four. It's hard to tell until the final round.
Title Battle: Blue Moon vs Liverpool, who can laugh last
In the title group, the battle between Blue Moon and Liverpool has attracted special attention, combined with the current situation, state and play of the two teams, it is very likely that they will fight until the last round to divide the winner and loser. Guardiola and Klopp, the old rivals, will never give up any opportunities easily, and their personal coaching level, coupled with the super strength of the team, is enough to ensure the achievement of the set goals. So sometimes, perhaps, "luck" is really needed.
1- Fixtures: Manchester City are slightly less difficult and Liverpool need to deal with multi-line pressure
Let's take a look at the fixtures of the two teams, with Manchester City at the top of the list with seven league games and two Champions League games to play. The Premier League includes away vs Wolves, home vs Brighton, home vs Watford, away vs Leeds United, home vs Newcastle, away vs West Ham United and home vs Aston Villa. Of these 7 opponents, Wolves and West Ham are the opponents who are fighting for the fourth, they will certainly not let go easily, and Watford is deep in the relegation zone and is also trying to find self-protection. In addition, the three Leeds United, Newcastle and Brighton are desireless and demanding, and in theory, they are relatively easy to play.
In the first leg, Manchester City met these 7 opponents and played a record of 7 wins, showing their advantages. Blue Moon scored 23 goals in these 7 games and conceded only 4 goals; against Wolves, Leeds United and Newcastle, it was a clean sheet, not giving their opponents too many opportunities. Especially for Leeds United, 7-0 is brutal, fully demonstrating the concept of Guadalcan football. Recently, Manchester City have been in average form, winning only 3 of their 8 games, and there is not much psychological advantage in 1 draw and 1 loss in two games with Liverpool. Guardiola needs to blow the wind to the players.
Let's look at Liverpool. They need to play the same number of strikes, home vs Manchester United, home vs Everton, away vs Newcastle, home vs Tottenham, away vs Aston Villa, away vs Southampton, home vs Wolves in the remaining games. In this case, the battle against Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur and Wolves will not be too simple, after all, they are the players who compete for the fourth place and have a direct purpose; and Everton has a relegation crisis and will not easily disarm. The remaining opponents are also desireless and have no desires, and it is relatively easy to play.
In the first leg against their opponents, Liverpool played 6 wins and 1 draw, scoring 20 goals and conceding 4 goals, similar to Manchester City. Among them, the vs Tottenham match is full of highlights and controversies, and Conte's "clamping" on Klopp is more effective. In the second leg, Liverpool must pay enough attention to it and not continue to "lose points" on Conte.
Overall, Blue Moon does have a certain advantage in terms of schedule, their opponents are relatively weak, and they have a greater advantage in the first leg of the competition. The double red clubs of Liverpool and Manchester United and the confrontation with Tottenham Hotspur are not expected to be too easy, and they need to put in enough energy to fight their opponents. Considering that there are still multiple track tests waiting for them, how to deal with fatigue is a big problem.
2- Winning strategy: Manchester City rely on experience, Liverpool look at attack
Combined with recent performances and historical records, The Blue Moon and Liverpool must try their best to win all the remaining opponents, and taking all three points is the only goal. All they need to do in the league is make as few mistakes as possible and use their superior control and overall strength to win. For the Blue Moons, the winning strategy is the rich experience of Guardiola and the team, which is fundamental to avoiding mistakes. In the past four years, they know too well what kind of rhythm they should maintain during this period.
In the past five years, Manchester City and Liverpool have shared the championship trophy, and Blue Moon has won Liverpool 3 times and won 1 time, although there is a plus point for the legendary story of "super high score runner-up", but the stability between the two is indeed different. Guardiola's guarantee of the league is world-class, which is also unquestionable. In the next 7 games, he will inevitably lead the way with the team. In fact, they have "made mistakes" this season, which is "redemption". (Manchester City led a lot before, and the chain fell off the back)
Liverpool's magic weapon is their invincible three heroes, the reason why the team can win 11 Premier League games and 10 wins (2-2 draw with Manchester City) in the recent past is precisely because of the return of the overall attack line after the African Cup of Nations, and the performance of Jota, Mane and others on the offensive end. There are currently three Liverpool players in the top five of the top five scorers, and the assists list is in the top three of Liverpool's list. Everyone was too surprised by this data, and Liverpool's attacking power was indeed too fierce. However, Salah needs to "reflect" on the recent Premier League goal drought (sports war) that he has encountered, which needs to be resolved as soon as possible.
Of course, Klopp is a great contributor to the creation of such a strong Red Army, and his coaching philosophy and technical and tactical ideas are very suitable for the actual situation of the current team, and they can also maximize their value. In the season when Van Dijk returned, the defenders Arnold and Robertson once again exerted their strength, they found the efficient back plug-in ability of the past, and delivered a large number of supplies to the three heroes, which is the guarantee of the overall pressure of the team. At the end of the title race, they need to maintain a high degree of vitality and help their teammates "take off".
Therefore, Manchester City's "stability" vs Liverpool's "onslaught" will be the biggest magic weapon for both sides at the end of the season, two quite characteristic teams, marching towards the same goal, just to win this trophy, is indeed a blessing for the Premier League event and fans.
3- Key Battle: How the Champions League is arranged
After the direct dialogue between Blue Moon and Liverpool, the two sides shook hands 2-2 and also reflected the real strength. After this battle, the two sides have not met directly at the Premier League level, so the score depends on the ability of other games to grasp the game. For Manchester City, the schedule is relatively easy, and if you have to talk about the key battles, the end of the season away vs West Ham may be a certain difficulty. In addition, it is the Champions League battle they have in mind, and it is not so simple to continue to win against Real Madrid; the rich experience of the Champions League overlords and the good state of Benzema are all huge resistance in front of them, and Guardiola's biggest expectation is to win the Champions League trophy, which is bound to distract them.
The same is true for Liverpool, who still have the hope of competing for the title on the Premier League, Champions League and FA Cup tracks, which is both expectation and pressure, and will involve too much of the team's energy. This requires a reasonable arrangement of the manager, and it is not a thing to lose one or the other. The Relatively Easy Villarreal, a good signing may give them some relaxation.
Battle for four: Ronaldo's wish, and the future of BIG 6
The drama of the four-game battle will be staged on the "actors" such as Tottenham, Manchester United, Arsenal, West Ham and Wolves, and considering that Chelsea has a large lead, these teams can only compete for the remaining 1 place, which is indeed too cruel. For Ronaldo to qualify for this season's Champions League is related to his own wishes, and the big things in the future, he has only one goal. For BIG 6, too, Neither Tottenham Nordspur nor Arsenal can accept the fate of missing out on the Champions League again.
In terms of schedule, Spurs are hellish, and their opponents include giants and strong teams such as Leicester, Liverpool and Arsenal, as well as the relegation bayonet opponents of Burnley and Norwich, which is really difficult to do. Only Brentford was still a good game and didn't have much to look forward to. Direct dialogue lost to Manchester United, and was killed by Brighton last week, is too much to be true. Spurs could give up their advantage at a painful cost.
Manchester United's schedule is also not very friendly, after C Ronaldo led the team to win Norwich, they will talk to Liverpool, Arsenal and Chelsea. The glory of the giants dooms opponents to be impossible to relax a little, and combined with the current state of the team, it seems that it is difficult to guarantee enough points. The next three rounds against Brentford, Brighton and Crystal Palace were not bad, after all, the opponent did not have too many expectations, if you can pass the "first few levels", the back is still relatively easy.
Tottenham and Manchester United fans do not have to be overly pessimistic, after all, the schedule of Arsenal is also extremely difficult. Their opponents include Chelsea, Manchester United, West Ham, Tottenham Hotspur and Everton, who are in poor form overall and are at risk of relegation. Leeds United and Newcastle interspersed in the middle were still "easy to say", and the Gunners also doubled them in the first round, scoring 4 to 0.
From this point of view, the schedules of Tottenham, Manchester United and Arsenal are not small, and direct dialogue between them will inevitably be the focus of the end of the season. For example, Arsenal vs Manchester United, Arsenal vs Tottenham Hotspur, and the "spoiler" Chelsea (who will play against Manchester United and Arsenal in the near future). It can be said that the scene is wonderful and exciting.
This season's race for the fourth finale is not just about winning a Champions League qualification, if Manchester United can make their dreams come true, then Ronaldo must have no reason to leave his home. After welcoming Tenhag next season, there is still hope for the overall replacement of the team. If he fails to qualify, then Ronaldo has a chance to leave, and Manchester United's option to sign him may fail, which will lead to more uncertainty about the future of the team.
The same is true for Tottenham, it cost a lot of money to win Conte, and the team has made up as many people as possible for him. Although Conte is not good at fighting European wars, "whether there is" or "can not" are two different things. He also made some unpleasant remarks, if the two sides of the failure are likely to collapse, will Tottenham Still be able to preserve the main framework at that time? Will Kane actually run away? It's hard to say. Of course, if you qualify for the Champions League, it will be easy to do.
Although West Ham is not a BIG 6 in the traditional sense, they have also cultivated many young talents in recent years, and they have played very well in part of the season, even reaching the top. Impacting a Champions League qualification is their dream desire, and if they try for multiple seasons without success, then there may really be no momentum. The team's main player, Delang Rice, and others have also been the main target of the transfer of the giants, and if they fail this season, he will most likely leave. At that time, the Pattern of the Premier League may change as a result.
epilogue
Competing for trophies and Champions League qualification at the end of the season is a "traditional drama" in the Premier League for many years. Now at the end of the season, it will be staged as promised, which is indeed very exciting. For the Blue Moons and Liverpool, the rest of the game can not make any mistakes, but also take into account the big pressure and physical difficulties brought by the Champions League operation; for Tottenham, Manchester United, Arsenal, you need to score points in direct dialogue, which will directly determine the outcome. No matter how exciting it is, it will be the main theme, and reversal will also be the next theme word. Such a Premier League really makes people have to love ah!
(Li Qian)