Take your seats for crunch finale of best campaign in recent history
PEP GUARDIOLA said after his Manchester City side drew at West Ham last week that it was fitting that one of the highest-quality title races in Premier League history should go to the final day.
Certainly, it makes for a fine sell: arguably Europe’s two finest teams neck-andneck all the way to the line. It is little surprise, therefore, that Sky have chosen City’s home meeting with Aston Villa and Wolves’ trip to Liverpool as their two live broadcast matches on a day when there is just about everything still to play for in the European and relegation battles.
There will be two trophy presentation teams on hand, with the real thing at the Etihad and a replica at Anfield. The question is, what chance the latter being needed? History would suggest not much. In the Premier League era, eight title races have gone to the final day, and on each occasion the team that began it top finished there, all but one of them by winning their final fixture and rendering the chasers’ result an irrelevance.
Jurgen Klopp, however, has admitted that for all he feels it is unlikely his side will be champions — needing to win and City not — were he in Guardiola’s position he would not yet feel it was job done.
Similarly, it is City fans, more than any other demographic, who are most likely to come to harbour belief in the inevitable revenge of Steven Gerrard between now and 4pm on Sunday, particularly since it was their side who came closest to bucking that trend of final-day incumbents, saved by Sergio Aguero’s heroics a decade ago this week.
If there is a more justified concern than narrative, it lies in the defensive disarray witnessed in a makeshift City back line torn apart by Jarrod Bowen at the London Stadium last Sunday. There could yet be a boost on that front for Guardiola, who was this afternoon set to give an update on the fitness of John Stones and Kyle Walker after both were pictured in training yesterday despite having previously been ruled out for the season.
Klopp will bring back the host of stars he rested at Southampton on Tuesday, but is unlikely to take any chances if the likes of Mo Salah and Virgil van Dijk are anywhere shy of full fitness, with the Champions League final a week away.
He knows the most likely outcome is that City and Liverpool will both win, because that is what happens most weeks.
But this is not most weeks and the title is not won quite yet.