Liverpool’s defensive frailties, Wayne Rooney’s nous in both boxes, an unwanted headache for Paul Clement and Manchester United’s unsung heroesSo, why was it that Chelsea decided they could afford to let Nemanja Matic join Manchester United and willingly pass over one of the more brilliantly effective midfield players of the modern game to a major rival? When that question was posed to José Mourinho after Manchester United’s biggest league win since he took over as manager he made it sound as if he was slightly bewildered, too. “It depends on what is happening, or what was happening, behind doors and we don’t know,” he said. “The only thing I know is that, with Chelsea’s money, I brought him to Stamford...
Record £52m signing Alexandre Lacazette scores within two minutes of his league debut and discovers what Emirates life has been like the past few seasonsWell, that escalated quickly. On a wild, ultimately triumphant night at the Emirates Alexander Lacazette’s first three touches in the Premier League went as follows: kick-off, goal, kick-off. At the end of which Arsène Wenger’s latest club record signing had been treated to an uncut hit of pure, unfiltered Arsenal-dom, the very essence of late Wengerism crushed into the space of 270 giddy seconds.By the end a match that might have finished nine-three or 12-all and which contained every Arsenal emotion from giddy, brittle hope, to giddy, brittle collapse had ended in a rollicking 4-3 home...
The prospect of aiming at little more than serene top-flight mediocrity may seem uninspiring for the 2015-16 champions but it is hard to see how Craig Shakespeare’s side can consistently trouble the top teamsGuardian writers’ predicted position 8th (NB: this is not necessarily Simon Burnton’s prediction but the average of our writers’ tips)Last season’s position 12th Related: Premier League 2017-18 preview No8: Huddersfield Town | Paul Doyle Continue reading...
The 2016-17 season still had its drama – moments of brilliance and booming narrative arcs to be resolved – but it was less title race than well-ordered title jogFarewell, then, to the year that almost was. This was a Premier League season that sparked with a controlled excitement, never quite caught fire but still dished up another digestible slice of high-end product.Things kept on almost happening. Leicester City almost completed the most dramatic title-plus-relegation act of all time. But then it was all sort of OK. Marco Silva almost pulled off a minor managerial miracle – but somehow not quite. To great fanfare Tottenham Hotspur pulled to within one victory of being quite close to creeping up on Chelsea’s shoulder at...
John Terry will say goodbye to Chelsea with the title, José Mourinho will pick his weakest team yet and Manchester City should tread carefully at WatfordThe best team in the league face the worst team in the league in a match that will be played in a carefree atmosphere by everyone except John Terry, whose 717th and final Chelsea appearance will end with him – together with Gary Cahill – lifting the Premier League trophy, followed by a teary-eyed farewell speech to the fans. Sunday is the end of an era for Terry, his club and their opponents Sunderland, relegated at last after 10 successive top-flight seasons. Terry’s beer-glass-emptying, disabled-bay-filling, rival-abusing, full-kit-wearing past means he gets little love from rival...