Three Talking Points From Gameweek 37
Here are three talking points that we can take from the Premier League’s Gameweek 37.
1. Aston Villa move out of the relegation zone for the first time in five months
Aston Villa’s 1-0 win over Arsenal on Tuesday has given them a fighting chance of survival going into the season finale on Sunday.
They have struggled to hit the heights needed to survive in this division for the majority of the season and other than local hero Jack Grealish, they’ve had a very forgettable return to the top-flight.
That was until their sudden resurgence of form just when it really matters, with a win against Crystal Palace, a draw with Everton and now a big win against FA Cup finalists Arsenal, Aston Villa finally have some hope.
They still have one last massive game in their season, which could still see them go down and in the grand scheme of things, it would be no less than what they deserve.
Their opponents on Sunday West Ham have been a part of the relegation battle themselves and they have also changed their fortunes for the better with some massive scalps in the last few weeks against Chelsea and Manchester United.
Therefore, they will be no pushovers and with their confidence so high, Villa might not even get a look in.
Tuesday night was, however, an impressive performance once again from the Birmingham club as they got the better of an Arsenal side who had just come off the back of beating Liverpool and Manchester City in the same week.
It is also likely that West Ham will play with less intensity as they are now mathematically safe and could have one eye on their well earnt break after what has been an intense month or so since the restart.
Villa know a win should keep them up, although they are only ahead of Watford by goal difference and their -26 to Watford’s -27 is far from a comfortable margin.
Despite the fact Villa beat them this week, Watford face a tougher game on paper against Arsenal, a club that has responded well after most of their disappointing defeats since the restart.
It is going down to the wire, there is every chance it could go down to the finest of margins and any late goals will most likely prove to be pivotal.
A superb strike from Trezeguet secured all three valuable points for Villa (via Getty Images)
2. Nobody wants the last two remaining top four places
Leicester lost, Manchester United scraped a point and Chelsea lost, in that order all three clubs missed the chance to have an advantage and instead collapsed like dominos.
First was Leicester, who despite being poor since the restart, wouldn’t have expected to have made life quite so easy for a Spurs side who have so many vulnerabilities of their own.
What the game showed though as Spurs eased past Leicester, was that when Leicester’s key players are either injured or suspended, the players that come in are a startling drop off in quality.
Brendan Rodgers needs to invest in the summer in improving the squad depth if they want to consistently compete for European places.
Then came Manchester United, low on confidence from their 3-1 humbling by Chelsea on Sunday and it showed.
What should have been a comfortable win, turned into an almighty slog to even get a point, for a lot of the contest, they were outclassed by a well organised and much improved West Ham side.
It was Greenwood who saved the day, the teenager scored another one of his bullet strikes, which found the back of the net with perfect precision.
The link up with Martial for that goal was a brief reminder of what this Manchester United team is capable of, in what was otherwise an abject and disillusioned performance.
They now move on to a big game against Leicester City and it’s vital that Pogba, Fernandes and Rashford are back to somewhere like their usual level if they are to secure a top four finish.
Chelsea undoubtably had the toughest assignment, their trip to the Premier League champions Liverpool was always going to be a challenging one.
Although, whilst Liverpool were back to their majestic best going forward, Chelsea reminded everyone how weak they are defensively and made us question why they are prioritising attacking players when that isn’t where their problems lie?
They face another difficult game to end their campaign against Wolves who are fighting for a European place themselves.
They need just a point to secure Champions League football next season and if Lampard starts Pulisic then they have every chance, but Wolves’ attack will be licking their lips over the prospect of facing Chelsea’s backline.
Pulisic terrorised the Liverpool defence, after emerging from the bench in the 59th minute (via Getty Images)
3. Sheffield United fall short at final hurdle after impressive return to the top flight
Chris Wilder naturally will be disappointed that his teams hard work will most likely go unrewarded.
They have been the surprise of the season and they’ve been enjoyable to watch when at their best, with their overlapping centre backs and complex tactics.
They were the bookies favourites to go down in 20th place, with little known about them and a squad on paper lacking Premier league quality.
They have been far from what many expected though, they’ve translated their style of football from the Championship effectively over to the Premier League and have been one of the hardest teams to beat.
With 13 clean sheets, Dean Henderson is joint third in the golden glove race and he has been one of the keys to Sheffield’s success.
Whether the young English keeper will return to the club next season or if he will fight for a place at parent club Manchester United is yet to be seen, but what can’t be denied is how influential he has been in his two seasons at the club.
Despite all these positives, since the Premier league restart in June, their form has been underwhelming and some of the progress that had seen them in Champions League contention, has been lost.
Particularly when the league first restarted, they surprisingly looked less fit than everyone else and although their form has since improved, the damage was already done.
A Europa League finish is still on the cards, but it would take a win on Sunday and some good fortune for that to happen now after a disappointing defeat to Everton.
It was an important win for Carlo Ancelotti and Everton who themselves have been poor since the restart.
His side need to build up some momentum going into next season and give the fans some reason to be optimistic that one of the great modern-day managers will turn things around if he’s given the time and money to do so.
As for Sheffield United, It’s not been the fairy-tale ending to an incredible first season back in the Premier League but with Chris Wilder as their manager, they will be a force for years to come.
The Blades’ loss against Everton means that European football is unlikely (via Getty Images)