Taking the wind out of City’s sails
SO, WE’VE had to suffer another weekend that was windier than a bawdy crowd on a stag do after a feed of pints and a vindaloo, and wetter than an otter’s backside.
Unsurprisingly, it meant more widespread postponements in the sporting world as fixtures fell like perfectly lined-up dominoes.
At least there was a bit of Premier League action to get our collective teeth into during the half-arsed mid-season break, with VAR taking its usual position of centre stage, with the spotlight shining brightly on it, particularly with Wolves being denied by yet another one of those frustrating hair’s breadth offside decisions.
Manchester City’s expulsion from European football for two years was the big news of the week, and although it may be an excruciating kick in the you know whats for their fans, it has re-ignited a bit of excitement into an otherwise mundane season, with fifth place looking like it will be enough for a Champions League spot.
There’s no denying that Liverpool have been simply outstanding as they’ve shattered one record after another, and they deserve all the plaudits that come their way, but unfortunately for the neutral it has turned the entire league into somewhat of a damp squib.
City may yet wriggle their way out of the ban on appeal, or if some reports are to be believed it could get a whole lot worse for the reigning English champions, but, as it stands, there’s a pile of teams that are currently eyeing that fourth spot in Europe’s premier competition.
Spurs are certainly one of those sides, and on Sunday they kept themselves very much in the hunt with a dramatic late winner against luckless Aston Villa.
Spurs defender Toby Alderweireld definitely had an eventful afternoon, scoring a calamitous own goal, before making up for it with a bullet equaliser.
Similarly, Aston Villa’s Bjorn Engels gained quick redemption, outjumping Alderweireld to head home Villa’s second after giving away the penalty that led to a Spurs goal.
However, it was only a stay of execution for Engels as he made a pig’s ear of his defensive duties in injury time, allowing Son Heung-min to race clear before coolly slotting the winner to the net.
The punishment meted out to Man City has not only opened the door for the likes of Spurs, Manchester United and Arsenal, but also Everton and even less glamorous outfits Sheffield United and Wolverhampton Wanderers.
Fans of the Blades, in particular, must be pinching themselves.
Considering where they’ve come from, to be dreaming of lining out in the Champions League really is the stuff of fairytales.
Former big boys Arsenal kept their dream alive at the weekend as they looked like the Gunners of old when dismantling Newcastle United in the second-half.
Mikel Arteta has found wins hard to come by since moving into the hot seat, but they’ve definitely become a more formidable outfit of late and look to be heading in the right direction.
When you see Mezut Özil playing well, you know the manager must be doing something right, because you could count on one hand the amount of good performances the German midfielder has put in in the past few seasons.
The spring seems to have, temporarily at least, returned to his step, and with the likes of Pépé, Saka and Aubameyang strutting their stuff, it could yet be a half decent campaign for the long-suffering Gooners.
Of course, it’s Manchester City’s ban from European competition that has made things interesting for what we thought were the also-rans, and whatever the outcome of their appeal, the image of Sheikh Mansour’s club has been seriously tarnished.
The huge investment in the Abu Dhabi project has never been something that has sat comfortably with the average fan, but as more of the ugly truth is revealed it leaves an increasingly bitter taste in the mouth.
Modern football may be a clear case of the have and the havenots, but knowing that even the filthy rich have to pay a massive price it they don’t play by the rules will provide a comfort blanket to many.
Having one of the most celebrated and decorated managers in the game and expensive marquee players hasn’t immunised City against sanction, with independent investigatory and adjudicatory bodies ruling against the moneybags club.
The punishment will have caused a galling pain in the pit of the stomach of all involved as it will prevent them from trying to get their seemingly grubby hands on the one trophy which has eluded them until the 2022-’23 season, if they don’t win it this year of course.
If the ban is upheld it’s highly probable that the City project will start to unravel.
Pep Guardiola is unlikely to stick around, while star players like Kevin de Bruyne and Raheem Sterling could be out the door.
Having to strictly comply with financial fair play rules will mean that they won’t be able to splash the cash on big name replacements, meaning it will become more and more difficult for them to get back to the top of the tree even with a willing sugar daddy with a wide open wallet.
All of this must be sweet music to the ears of long-suffering Liverpool fans, because this season’s runaway title success could well signal the start of a period of dominance as their only serious rivals fall by the wayside.