What We Learned this Midweek
Quite a bit to unpack today, since there were 6 games from Tuesday to Thursday, and a lot at stake in most of them.
So what did we find out thanks to these matches?
Title Race Continues at Breakneck Speed
All 3 title contenders were in action this midweek, but not everyone will be best pleased (more on that later).
Arsenal and Manchester City won their games by big scorelines, and we learned that De Bruyne can head the ball into the onion bag quite well.
HIGHLIGHTS! RAMPANT CITY CLOSE GAP ON GUNNERS | Brighton 0-4 Man City | Premier League
This will most likely be continuing all the way to the final matchday.
Liverpool’s Title Hopes Dashed at Goodison Park
It will probably be a pretty dull end to the season for Jürgen Klopp, the greatest Liverpool manager since Kenny Dalglish.
Their title charge will still go on until it mathematically can not anymore, and that is what will always make the Reds a great team to watch, but they will be rueing their missed opportunities come May.
How High Can Bournemouth Go?
Sitting pretty in 10th right now following their win at the Molineux, the Cherries are maybe, just maybe, holding out some hope that they could end up in the European places conversation.
Ok, realistically speaking, it probably won’t happen, but with Iraola at the helm and some investment in the summer, who knows if we won’t see them in the UECL in 2 seasons’ time?
Can Crystal Palace Keep Their Best Players?
This summer will test Palace’s resolve regarding incoming bids for their main players.
Eberechi Eze and Michael Olise are already attracting serious interest from the bigger teams in the Premier League, and we can easily imagine Palace cashing in on at least one of them.
The question that arises is: are they happy in mid-table, developing players and selling them? We don’t think there is any shame in that, but their fans might not be pleased with this potential strategy.
Manchester United Need a Better Keeper
Don’t get us wrong, there is still a decent quality goalkeeper somewhere within Andre Onana, but in order to survive the ever-present scrutiny at one of the world’s biggest clubs, fans and pundits should not be asking themselves when the next big mistake is coming.
Against Sheffield United he dropped another clanger, with his pass to Diogo Dalot getting intercepted by Jayden Bogle, whose clinical finish put the Blades 1-0 up.
Manchester United 4-2 Sheffield United | Premier League highlights
Is he as bad for United as Antony is? We don’t think so. Is he good enough though? Probably not.
Will Real Madrid’s Andriy Lunin rock up at Old Trafford this summer?
Ben White Not Playing for England Is a Pity
After ruling himself out of a spot for the Three Lions’ squad in March, White has continued to put on impressive performances for Arsenal in their fascinating title race.
Whether it is a personal issue (or a personnel issue), the fact that the Gunners’ right-back refuses to play for his country is a loss for Gareth Southgate.
Over the past couple of years England have been the envy of the world for their depth at right-back, with Reece James, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Kieran Trippier, Kyle Walker and others. Not being able to consider White for a seat on the plane to Euro 2024 this summer is a shame, given his quality.