By Emmanuel Ebimoh
It was a weekend of mixed emotions in the English Premier League – arguably the most suspense-filled league in the world. After 30 round of matches – except for Chelsea and Brighton who both have a game in-hand, the battle for top place, top four, and relegation survival gets even hotter.
Manchester City and Liverpool lead the perking order in first and second positions with 74 and 73 points respectively. Liverpool have not won the league title in 29 years and they look hungry and determined to follow the chase till the last lap. Manchester City, on the other hand, are looking more ruthless in every game. Under Pep Guardiola, the Citizens have been playing some scintillating football, having won the league title in the previous 2017/2018 season.
The other ‘big’ teams in the league are embroiled in a thrilling 4-horse race for who and who will finish in the top four. Tottenham Hotspur – 61 points, Arsenal – 60 points, Manchester United – 58 points, and Chelsea – 57 points, are all fighting for a place in Europe next season. With just four points separating the teams, the question is, who will come top?
A quick ride into the remaining eight games scheduled for these teams will give us an idea as to which team has the advantage to finish top of others by the end of the season.
For Tottenham, they have two possibly strong away fixtures against Liverpool on March 31st and Manchester City on April 20th. Manchester United will have to face their City rivals and Chelsea at home on April 24th and 28th respectively. Chelsea will travel away to play Liverpool on April 14th and Manchester United on April 24th. While for Arsenal, the remaining fixtures can be said to be relatively less strong as there are no ‘big teams’ on their list. After the latest impressive home win against Manchester United on Sunday, Arsenal have now played all their Champions League chasing rivals – a place in Europe’s most prestigious competition next season is very much in their own hands.
Going by the pedigree of Arsenal in recent years in terms of performance especially in the last 2-3 months of the season, they seem to always find their form and finish stronger in spite of their league position. And with the injection of a new team spirit by coach Unai Emery, we might just be in for another grand finish from the Gunners.
Perhaps Arsenal fans at the Emirates stadium on Sunday already had a feel of confidence when they chanted “Tottenham Hotspur, we’re coming for you” at the final whistle of the game against United. Maybe the unexpected lasagne-gate drama that famously robbed Tottenham of fourth place in 2006 might just come into play again.
No doubt, no matter how events turn out, the drama, the suspense, and the excitement of the game will be on full gear in the remaining weeks to the end of the season.
Emmanuel Ebimoh is a writer and social media strategist with 9News Nigeria.
You can reach him on Facebook at Emmanuel Ebimoh, or follow on Twitter @emmyebimoh and IG @emmy_ebimoh
