In a season characterised by wild gyrations in the form of just about every club, with the notable exceptions of Leicester and the already relegated Aston Villa, there are still so many clubs for whom the roller coaster hasn’t quite come to a halt as yet. Well, except for Aston Villa and the clubs from 10th to 16th spot.
Let us start at the bottom – well, second from bottom. With three clubs clawing to avoid the two relegation spots, there is added spice with neighbours Newcastle and Sunderland both in the mix. Will it be Tyne, Wear, or will the Tyne-Wear derby just shift down to the Championship?
Of the three, Newcastle have the easiest schedule, with vacationing Crystal Palace and Aston Villa before a clash with Spurs in which the stake for Spurs could be anywhere from everything to nothing. Of course, they have played one game more.
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Norwich have a couple of intriguing “tough” games, one against a demoralised Arsenal team and one against a rudderless Manchester United team. The other two are home at vacationing Watford and at Everton, who could influence both ends of the table and may still be looking to salvage some pride.
Sunderland are the ones with what look like killer fixtures left. They start at a wounded Stoke and I am not talking about their long injury list, but rather their pride. Never an easy place to go. Home against two clubs who can influence both ends of the table – Chelsea and Everton; so the two may not be in their beach sandals yet. They close at Watford, which may be their only easy fixture. Balanced against that is Big Sam, who has never been relegated.
If things go to form, that looks like 6 points for Newcastle, 3 for Norwich and at least 5 for Sunderland. Down go Norwich and Newcastle and Big Sam keeps his record intact.
European dreams
Swinging over to the other end, Stoke are theoretically in the hunt for a Europa spot, but their immediate focus is to let in less than three goals in their next game. Next up are Chelsea who can wreak havoc on all sorts of plans for all sorts of people – relegation strugglers Sunderland, title challengers Spurs and Leicester and their Europa rivals, Liverpool. Even more intriguing is whether they would tank the game with Leicester to keep the title from Spurs.
Southampton could still have a say in the title race and in the Champions League placings, both as spoilers. Liverpool could potentially take all 12 points on the table, with Chelsea at home looking like the only challenging game. They could also sneak into the Champions League by winning the Europa League, with the Gunners being the most likely victims.
West Ham could tally anywhere between 3 and 12 points to close out the season, with Man United being the most direct confrontation left. Man United have their finger in every pie, with tomorrow’s clash with Leicester being the most important. They could hammer another nail in Norwich’s coffin, enhance their European hopes at the expense of West Ham and snap at the heels of Arsenal and Man City for a Champions League spot.
Arsenal are in such disarray that Wenger is now blaming the fans for this season’s debacle. Still, with relegation fodder Norwich and Villa as two of the three remaining fixtures, it could all come down to the Man City game.
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Will we at least salvage a wee bit of pride and enter the CL through the front door or will we be watching nervously as Liverpool play in the Europa finals (not yet a done deal, of course)?
Man City aren’t home and dry yet, but they do have 3 shots at a CL spot. They are still tied with Real in the semi, they should pick up 3rd spot with wins in their last three games, or they could drop to 4th and hope Liverpool don’t win the Europa. However, two games are away, with a still motivated Southampton as one of them.
It isn’t easy facing the fact that, barring unforeseen circumstances, Spurs will finish ahead of us. A Tony Pulis special and a not so special Dele Alli punch did much to the best-laid plans of mice and lions.
Leicester dreaming big
The question is, if Leicester clinch the title tomorrow, will Spurs fall apart? Chelsea will give no quarter, especially after their open support for Leicester. The other two games are winnable, but will be against opponents with something to play for.
Can Leicester finish this magical journey? Even this die-hard Gunner fan cannot be immune from their spell. So close, but no cigar. Everything was rolling right, till that fateful dive by Vardy. It would be such a shame to have Moss’s mess and the FA determine the champions.
Their remaining clashes are all killers – away to Manchester United, home to Everton who will still want to salvage their pride and closing away at Chelsea. Three points and three games – how many times have teams slipped at that final hurdle? To rub salt in such a wound, it would be Spurs hoisting the trophy. No, surely, that cannot happen, can it?
