The Premier League's top three European competitions are all out, and who can have the last laugh in the league championship battle
In the early morning of April 19, Beijing time, the second leg of the Europa League quarterfinals staged a key battle, and the Premier League Red Army Liverpool defeated Atalanta 1-0 away, but still missed the semifinals with an aggregate score of 1-3. So far, the top three in the Premier League, Manchester City, Arsenal and Liverpool, have all been wiped out in the European arena. And it is also worth paying attention to who will have the last laugh in the league championship battle.
Liverpool suffered a 3-0 defeat at home in the first leg, and most of their bodies have been leaning out of the cliff. Before this campaign, Manchester City and Arsenal both exited the Champions League, which made them very entangled. Although most of the main players were sent in this game, and they scored 1 goal in the opening 10 minutes. But in the subsequent game, the Reds' offensive routine was very simple, basically looking for Salah and others in front of the backfield. This style of play is largely a threat to Atalanta. In the end, the score was fixed at 0-1, Atalanta lost and advanced to the semifinals, although Liverpool was out, it was considered to have regained some face, and both teams were happy.
Next, Liverpool will join Arsenal and Manchester City in the Premier League title race. In the latest standings, Manchester City lead the table with 73 points, while the Gunners and Reds are tied on 71 points, with the former sitting second on goal difference. From the current point of view, Manchester City, who are in the lead, naturally have a better chance of winning the title, but the Gunners and the Reds are not without chances.
Manchester City played Real Madrid in the second leg of the Champions League for 120 minutes and finally lost on penalties and failed to defend their title. However, in this game, they had an absolute advantage in terms of possession and shots on goal, and the exit was more due to bad luck. Manchester City also have the FA Cup and Premier League titles to defend their titles. They host Chelsea in the FA Cup semi-final on 21 April. On the 26th and 28th, Manchester City will challenge Brighton and Nottingham Forest in the 29th and 35th rounds of the Premier League respectively. Playing three games in seven days is a huge test of the physical strength of the Manchester City players.
City's biggest advantage is that they are now fully fit, and Pep Guardiola can rotate according to the quality of the opponent to keep the team as competitive as possible. The second advantage is that only Tottenham and Brighton have some fighting power among their remaining opponents, while the rest such as Nottingham Forest, Wolves, Fulham and West Ham United are unable to pose a substantial threat to them. Of course, there is another quality that Manchester City cannot ignore in title contenders, and that is their super consistency and resilience in the league. Both Liverpool and Arsenal have suffered big losses in the title race against them, with the former still winning first and then losing three times.
Of course, this month's 7 days and 3 games are a small hurdle for Manchester City, who have just been eliminated from the Champions League, and the morale and physical strength of the players will put them to the test in the game. Next month's clash with Tottenham Hotspur is another test for Manchester City's title race, after all, in recent seasons, Manchester City has lost more against Tottenham and won less, and was held to a 3-3 draw at home this season.
Liverpool are left with only one Premier League front after exiting the Europa League, and the opponents are not strong except for Tottenham and Villa. In terms of the pitch alone, Liverpool are the most relaxed. However, their biggest problem is the team's morale and tactical play, in the 33rd round of the home upset 0-1 defeat to Crystal Palace, Klopp's team exposed the flaws of lack of attack, their biggest reliance now is still the 31-year-old Salah, other people like Nunez and Luis Dias also have a certain strength, but the key moment is not reliable. As for coach Jurgen Klopp, he was also a bit of a poor donkey in these two games. These are all factors that affect Liverpool's title race.
The Gunners Arsenal have been the best team in the Premier League this season at both ends of the pitch and have the most aligned three lines. With only one front left in the Premier League, if they play well, it is not a luxury to counterattack and win the championship. However, the rest of their schedule is also the toughest. Six opponents include Chelsea, Tottenham and Manchester United, Chelsea play unpredictable, Tottenham are the north London rivals, and Manchester United have been quite good in this season's strong conversations, and it will not be easy for Arsenal to get three points against them. If there is another slip-up, they will have to repeat the mistake of seeing Manchester City reach the top last season.