Daily Archives: February 23, 2024

Introducing the 8.5, the hybrid role that is shaping the Premier League title race

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“This season’s battle for the Premier League title is now unquestionably a three-horse race. In May, Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City will become the first side in English football history to win four titles in a row. Or Jurgen Klopp will win his second Premier League title before departing Liverpool. Or Mikel Arteta will lead Arsenal to their first league title in two decades. Whichever outcome transpires, the victorious side will have depended on a player who has fulfilled an unusual role this season. …”
The Athletic – Michael Cox

The chaotic 24 seconds that showed Arsenal how fine the Champions League margins can be

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“Welcome back to the Champions League knockouts, Arsenal. Given the club’s lack of recent experience at this level, this was always likely to be an educative evening for Mikel Arteta’s team. Unfortunately, this learning moment made for a particularly painful lesson. Of Arteta’s starting XI, 10 were playing in the knockout stages of the Champions League for the first time. Only Kai Havertz had featured in a tie of this magnitude before. Porto, by way of contrast, had a 40-year-old Pepe anchoring a significantly more experienced side. …”
The Athletic

Napoli and Barcelona both look out of place in the Champions League

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“Occasionally, you hear people speaking wistfully about the days when the Champions League was precisely that: a tournament solely for domestic champions. That was how the tournament was conducted until around the turn of the century when it was opened up to include runners-up and, subsequently, third and fourth-placed sides from the major leagues. There were positives to this format: the high barrier to entry created a sense that you were watching a truly select group of teams. …”
The Athletic – Michael Cox

Liverpool could face 26 games in 99 days – can they cope?

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“… His Liverpool side played 63 games in pursuit of perfection across four competitions during that campaign and now there is the possibility of doing it all over again. That edge is where Klopp and his players want to return before parting ways this summer and last weekend marked the point when the long stretch towards the season’s conclusion began. …”
The Athletic