Goal of the week
Arsenal were not at their melodic best in the 1-0 win over Manchester United on Sunday. But at this stage of the season it is results and not performances that matter. The goal that kept them alive in the title race came from Leandro Trossard, with a hat-tip to Casemiro and André Onana in United’s defence.
It’s been a rough few months for Casemiro, and a special one tough week. Of all his recent mistakes, his mistake of playing Kai Havertz onside tops the unforgivable list.
The stills make for a grim viewing experience. The full video is even worse. Casemiro squirmed back to receive the ball from Onana, expecting the keeper to roll it short. Onana ignored his makeshift defender and chose to rush him on the field. Once Onana had kicked the ball long, it was up to Casemiro to sprint upfield, bringing him level with the rest of the defensive line. Instead he dawdled, playing Havertz onside and watching Trossard score another crucial goal to send the title race into the final day of the season.
Player of the week
Joško Gvardiol scored twice in a resounding 4-0 win at Fulham to move Man City closer to the title. He could have become the first Premier League defender to score a hat-trick, but turned down an offer to take a penalty with City leading 3–0, knowing the title race could come down to goal difference. Julián Álvarez scored fourth for City.
Gvardiol has become essential for City in the past month. He has scored five goals in his last seven games, playing in a more attacking role as a left back. “I could have signed the best winger in the world,” Guardiola said of Gvardiol after the match.
Gvardiol was initially signed as a left-sided centre-back, someone who could fit into Guardiola’s amorphous mold as a left-back when required. There was an idea, at least early in the season, that he could step into central midfield and provide on the left side of City’s attack what John Stones has provided on the right. But it was a dubious match: things were moving too fast for Gvardiol in the centre.
But now he’s turned into a sideline bomber. Gone is the idea of him as a full-back on paper Real plays in the middle of the field. Instead, he rides the wing up and down.
If there are three things Guardiola craves, they are technical skills, smarts and versatility. Players must be able to change positions weekly within a game. The Croat meets the requirements. He can still fill in at center back. He can hang in the backline as part of a back three. Or he can move forward and play as City’s left winger. Against Fulham, Gvardiol switched between all three. He initially started in the usual deeper role, with City packing the center of the pitch with bodies. But as the game developed, Guardiola moved Gvardiol higher and wider, putting him in a spot normally reserved for Jack Grealish or Jérémy Doku.
Linking Gvardiol’s position to a narrow trio of Kevin De Bruyne, Phil Foden and Erling Haaland put Fulham in trouble. Either they had to push outwards to cover the full-back’s width, leaving space for the trio inside. Or they can pack the middle and grant Gvardiol the freedom of the left. Neither option worked. By the time they could find a solution – going man-to-man and praying for the best – Guardiola had returned to a more traditional look and moved his full-back closer to the backline.
Gvardiol played as an assistant winger and was at his best. It’s been slow, but since January 1 he leads all Premier League full-backs in xGBuildup, a measure of creative engagement. Guardiola took a player who once had difficult moments in possession and made him an important part of the team’s build-up. As a manager, Guardiola works with a stacked deck of cards. But as coaching goes, that’s as good as it gets.
Celebrity sighting of the week
Thanks to Noel Gallagher for refusing to participate Poznan in Man City.
Some things are bigger than football.
Unwanted record of the week
Abdoulaye Doucouré’s goal for Everton in a 1-0 win was the 101st goal that Sheffield United have conceded this season. That’s a new Premier League record, surpassing the 100 goals conceded by Swindon Town in the 1994-95 season… when there were 22 teams in the competition and clubs played 42 games. And the Blades have one game left, at home to Tottenham.
Quote of the week
“They gave me the best eighteen months of my life” – Luton manager Rob Edwards
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Luton’s relegation was more or less confirmed after a 3-1 defeat to West Ham. They are not mathematically relegated, but given Nottingham Forest’s overwhelming goal difference advantage, Luton’s stay in the Premier League is all but over.
Despite the relegation, it was a magical season. They played energetic and exciting football. It’s been all gas, no breaks; all the goals, little concern for the defense.
In the second half of the season they had the worst defensive record in the league, with individual mistakes at the top level proving too costly. But with a fraction of the budget of all other teams in the Premier League, they have overstepped their bounds. The fact that they were able to stave off (official) relegation until the last week of the season is an achievement in itself. With a good squad, a talented young manager and the financial reward of a year in the top flight, they have a great chance of returning to the Premier League at the first ask.
Review of the week
On a night when Nottingham Forest were in a celebratory mood and their survival was all but assured, Chelsea played spoilers. The Blues came back from 2-1 down to win 3-2, thanks to substitutes Raheem Sterling and Reece James in the second half.
Nicolas Jackson completed the comeback with one header from a James cross in the 82nd minute.
NICHOLAS JACKSON celebrates with Chelsea supporters after his late winner against Nottingham Forest.
An outpouring of pure passion from the striker after scoring his fourth goal in as many games, which had a major impact on the turnaround of the season for Pochettino’s side. 💙 pic.twitter.com/EpR7CcybYW
— Men in Blazers (@MenInBlazers) May 11, 2024
Jackson is in the rough patch of meme culture in football this season. He’s missed a lot of chances – and easy ones at that. There is a crazy side to his playing. The failed touches. The shots from strange angles. The penalty kicks. But it’s worth looking at the bigger picture. At 22, Jackson scored fourteen goals and added two assists in his debut season in the league, a strong return for a young striker in a fractured team. Add up his involvement in goal and he surpasses Kai Havertz, Darwin Núñez and Marcus Rashford – and he’s level with Julian Alvarez.
Chelsea may be chasing an upgrade this summer, but Jackson has shown he has the talent to lead an attack in the Premier League.
Trainer of the week
It has become a familiar sight at Crystal Palace: fast, varied play up front; chasing defense all over the field. After crushing Manchester United 4-0 at home on Monday, they were clinical in a 3-1 win away at Wolves on Saturday. Palace gave their opponents relatively few chances during the opening hour and were ruthless at half-time.
It is difficult to overstate the impact Oliver Glasner has had since joining in February. On points alone, Palace are fifth in the league since Glasner’s appointment.
Under Glasner, Palace were an attacking wonder. The combination play between Michael Olise, Eberechi Eze and Jean-Philippe Mateta was electric. On Saturday, the three scored – again – one goal each. But Palace’s work without the ball was just as impressive. By effectively splitting the team in two – the three attackers up top, the rest of the squad sitting behind the ball, with a few runners in midfield acting as a link between the two – Glasner has been able to overload the center of the pitch. With a crowd in midfield, he can deploy a high-octane press.
Under Roy Hodgson, Palace were the most passive team in the league. With Glasner they’ve turned up the intensity to Exorcist levels. It has led to a suffocating defense. Prior to Glasner, Palace had conceded 43 goals this season, an average of 1.8 per game. The underlying statistics reflected reality; they conceded 1.62 xG per match in that period. This has been reversed under Glasner. Palace have conceded just 1.1 goals per game since Glasner’s arrival, while their xG Against dropped to 1.3.
Last Monday’s 4-0 win over Manchester United, under the floodlights at Selhurst Park, will live long in the memory. But Saturday’s performance was telling that Palace could be there next season, provided they fend off the transfer vultures.