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Big Weekend: Manchester City v Chelsea, Manchester United, Potter, Mateta, Terriers, Draw Specialists
ig Weekend: Potter, Mateta, Terriers, Draw Specialists, Chelsea vs. Man United
Dave Tickner just comforted Chelsea player Cole Palmer while Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola was there.
Could Pep Guardiola’s issues be made worse by Cole Palmer?
This weekend’s schedule is dominated by a match that Manchester City and Chelsea may have believed would be a championship matchup but is now more about Champions League qualifying.
Watch the Manchester City vs. Chelsea match.
A team that would have thought they would be in the title race against one that was until very recently is now in a race for a top-four finish—or, more accurately, a top-five finish, given City’s dismal efforts—against those teams that simply haven’t been able to keep up with Liverpool, Arsenal, or, of course, Nottingham Forest.
When the finest game of the weekend isn’t on Sunday, it usually feels a little off, but in this case, it seems appropriate. For two teams fighting for the European spots, the Saturday night slot is ideal. The big boys, Liverpool, Arsenal, and Nottingham Forest, will be the ones discussing the title.
Although City has made progress in recent weeks, the fact that that progress has been overshadowed by two collapses from a 2-0 lead—a 2-2 Premier League draw at Brentford and a 4-2 Champions League loss to PSG this week—gives an indication of how dreadful they’d been.
Amazingly, City now faces the threat of an early European exit in a framework intended to rule out the possibility. We have long complained about the new format and would argue the exact opposite. Some have stated that City’s must-win match against Club Brugge next week proves the format is fine. The lack of danger is highlighted rather than hidden by the fact that City has been this poor and yet needs a victory at home against, with all due respect, resolute Europa opposition to advance.
Chelsea has the advantage and unique luxury of a blank midweek to prepare for a game that might perhaps increase their prospects of avoiding further time in Europe’s lower competitions because they had no such problems navigating the shorter Conference League group stage before Christmas.
Manchester United is the team to watch.
With their Europa League commitments forcing them into the dreaded Sunday 7pm slot, Manchester United make their most recent attempt to turn their chaotic Premier League season around at Craven Cottage against the thinking man’s mid-table squad, Fulham.
A late Sunday start time in There is good news for the rest of us, even though London might not be the best place for traveling Manchester United supporters. At this point, we kindly ask that you remain strong and avoid the most cliched and antiquated football fandom jokes.
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