As we approach the start of May, the business end of season for the major sports has arrived. This week, the footballing family discovered the finalists of the Champions League, the Premier League relegation scrap took another twist; the title race seemed to hinge on one game, whilst European leagues were either decided or practically sorted.
I guess the biggest story of the week was the shock that there would no ‘El Clasico’ in Munich for the Champions League trophy. In fact, there would be no Spanish involvement at all. The loss Barcelona suffered has subsequently led to the further ramifications that have emerged, with their manager, Pep Guardiola, deciding to step down at the end of the season. We are therefore now at a very interesting scenario regarding the Guardiola/Barcelona style. Will Barcelona continue to be successful with their new man at the helm? The fact he is Guardiola’s assistant makes me believe that in terms of an appointment, he was probably the best, in order to keep the momentum and style prevalent. The question now is, will he have the nous with his players in the manner Di Matteo has had at Chelsea or Connor at Wolves...? Also, when Guardiola returns to management, will he be as successful at his new club? Will he try and implement the same style he adopted into Barcelona’s ethos? You can certainly argue he produced a style suitable to the strengths of his players, so will he do that again, or go with his philosophy on how the game should be played? It is now we will see how well-rounded he is as a manager and whether he has other options. He certainly had no ‘Plan B’ when things weren’t working out for Barca.
Real Madrid also bowed out, preventing the chance of Jose Mourinho winning his fourth Champions League title with four different clubs, from four different countries. You just cannot take a German side to penalties, particularly when your main man now appears to lack the nerve to finish from twelve yards in a shoot-out. Neuer made some superb saves though, and the grit and determination the Germans showed over the two legs, as well as taking the game to Real and demonstrating their own attacking intent for lengthy periods, made them more than worthy winners. You must certainly back them as favourites against Chelsea when the Final comes around, with what looks a stronger side on paper as well as home advantage (the first side to receive such a privilege since Roma in 1984). However, the boys in Blue have already somehow pulled off an incredible result in disposing Barcelona, so I very much doubt, they will be looked upon too favourably! With Terry, Ivanovic, Ramires and Meireles missing though, some notable key men will be absent from the Chelsea side that night.
The Premier League title race has certainly reheated itself over the past fortnight as well. After being deservedly beaten by Arsenal on Easter Sunday, Manchester City trailed their cross-city rivals by 8 points and practically everybody, myself included, had handed the title once more to the men in red. However, with the pressure off his side, Roberto Mancini’s men have racked off three wins on the bounce, whilst United have been part of some shock results at Wigan and at home to Everton, causing the gap to be reduced to three points (with City having the upper-hand on goal difference). Subsequently, I cannot think of a better time to have the second league derby of the season! With only three games to go, the winner will certainly be in the driving seat, with United practically wrapping it up if they win, likely to retain the title with a draw, but certainly relying on others if their rivals do the double over them this season. The 6-1 defeat the Red Devils suffered back in October is another sub-plot that adds to this game, along with United’s win at the Etihad in the FA Cup, Tevez’s positive return for City, etc! I think the determining factor on this match will be how City deal with the pressure and what is at stake. The past few weeks they have had no pressure on them whatsoever, the manager had written off their chances (publicly at least) and they were considered out of the race, so could play with freedom. On Monday though, the pressure is going to be ramped up to a level that has been unprecedented so far this season. It should be a fascinating, intriguing match, which hopefully will be full of drama and excitement.
Finally, I am going to talk about the relegation battle. A topic I have significant interest in, after seeing my side get sucked into the mire in a manner so disturbing, that I am struggling to see how they are going to avoid the drop. Aston Villa’s defeat on Tuesday night to Bolton made the rest of the country realise that they are part of the scrap, as they now sit three points from safety. I on the other hand, predicted this months back, when Darren Bent got injured. Whilst every other side has had a resurgence in form, Villa have still only achieved two league victories in 2012. Without doubt, the manager is being vilified. Yes, he wasn’t a popular choice from the start due to his Bluenose connections, however, the game is a results business and he has failed to deliver. The club are guaranteed to have their worst ever home record, they have yet to score from a corner this season, they’re well on-course to achieve their lowest ever Premier League points tally, and won’t make at least ten wins in a season for the first time since the League’s inception. He is therefore a useless manager and it wouldn’t surprise me if he achieved his third relegation from the Premier League. Some will argue that he has had to work with too many of the kids. Well I’m sorry, if you’re told to trim a wage bill, then you still need to ensure by the end of it you have a squad that you are comfortable will survive the season, even when a few of the more experienced members are out for prolonged periods. Thankfully, yesterday’s point against West Brom was one I didn’t expect us to pick up. However, I still believe we are extremely vulnerable to going down and may be saved solely by our goal difference. Shocking really...
Now you might think that once these issues are all resolved the season will wilter away, leaving us with an empty cavern of football from our lives. But thankfully, 2012 ensures that won’t happen this year, giving us international football throughout with the European Championships being followed by the Olympics tournament, before we’re straight back into the swing of another domestic season. This is why football is the biggest, and most popular sport, in the world! Love it!
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